Stayed at R.S. Guest House, Pondicherry, India (300 Rupees)
Loving the Pondicherry vibe, for the most part. French influence can be felt, and slightly too touristy for my liking. An excellent gauge for how “touristy” an area can be measured by how many tuk tuk drivers ask you for rides as you walk the streets. I started to tell them how their little machines polluted the environment, as I point to the sky. Walked 8 miles with my heavy pack searching for hotels. I became discouraged when a tuk tuk driver told me, “this area is where the white people stay.” I made him repeat the statement to make sure I heard him correctly before walking out in disgust. I nearly walked clear to the next town if not for an inlet that prevented me from continuing south. Certainly a tourist price attitude that drives me mad. I wish rates decreased depending on how long one has been traveling, perhaps a “traveler’s price.” My back began to ache as I reentered Pondicherry. Finally found a cheap place. Amazing how quickly my mood shifts when I no longer have my pack. Sat on a Gandhi statue, asking for guidance. When I walk past old men, I think, “How could you let this happen to our earth?”
I don’t want to be an old man and look at a filthy street with children sleeping on the sidewalk, knowing I could have done something to alter the system in such a way to solve these riddles. Technological advancements should mean less poverty, right? 3D printed houses, farms run by drones. An idle human no longer considered an issue.
40,337 steps or 20.2 miles on the day.
Stayed at Raj Lodge Pondicherry, India (300)
Detachment from desire. Cessation of suffering through refusing to indulge. Maintaining inner calm recognizing long breaths, long exhales, short breaths, short exhales. Viewing the self as a finite bundle of energy. Build your potential energy as if a roller coaster ascending to its highest peak. Refuse to show your hand until the time reveals itself. Equilibrium of the senses. Ignoring the attempts to enter your domain. Living in this world in a physical sense but preparing the mind for lift off into new stratospheres of understanding. Recognizing the simplicity of survival. Control the surroundings by behaving irrationally. Transcend to the most peaceful vistas. Encounter passive motions toward promised graces. Just as the lotus flower lives on the water, but never touches it, live above this world. Slyly amass humble shelter, water and food. Feed the mind with new sights, new pages to read, new phrases uttered. Consider the odds of meeting an individual. Give your fullest attention to each encounter. Focus on energy. Imprinting a meaningful memory.
Visited Sri Aurobindo’s Ashram
Closed my eyes and meditated for an hour. Met a group of kids after visiting an art gallery. We played volleyball until sunset. Read a few chapters on Buddhism during the evening. Right speech. Right understanding. 24,119 steps or 12.45 miles
Battling Bed Bugs at Raj Lodge. Good night, sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.
“Upgraded” from cobweb central in R.S. Lodge to Raj Lodge which afforded 3 beds, a TV, and seemingly quite clean. I kept waking up in discomfort, scratching. After just 2 hours of sleep, I turn on the light and to my horror, I discover dozens of bugs crawling on my mattress. Peel back the sheets and find even more. Look down at my backpack to find bugs scattered throughout my pack. Spent the rest of the night defending my clothes and picking bugs that had embedded themselves in my pack. Went for a 5am walk and was surprised to find hundreds of other residents and travelers walking down the Pondicherry shoreline.
