Indian Music World

I am in the world of Indian Music - partly because I don't like going outside for much else. I am staying in the mostly israeli guest house where you don't ever have to leave - there is internet, tv, pool, a safe restaurant, laundry, money changer, travel agent, everything. And lots of hebrew conversation - time for me to let my mind wander.

Yesterday my body detoxified in a way I've never seen before. I won't go into details, but this morning my tongue was brown! I hadn't eaten anything brown, just mashed potatos all day to help my tummy, and still my tongue was covered in brown. Today I feel pretty good! (sorry if that was gross).

I have taken four days of music lessons. My tabla (the two indian drums) teacher is 22 and rather "hip" for an indian dude. My vocal teacher is a professional singer, very humble and mild and excellent at teaching. I am enjoying hte lessons, but everyone here is on their way north for trekking and I am feeling the itch to go. Varanasi really gets to you after a bit... you go outside into the labrynth of narrow stone alleyways (beautiful) and are bombarded with cowshit, bored indian men saying "hello Madam! Which country! Hello?!?!" (Everyone has to say something), people offering all range of goods and services, kids playing cricket in narrow lanes, and the full spectrum of shops, burning things, crazy smells, pujas, music, everything. It is really overwhelming. Beautiful when you are in the mood, horrifying when you just ate undercooked chickpeas.

For me, it is nearly impossible not to get lost every time I leave the guest house. The nice thing is, on one side there is the ganges river, on the other side there is a main road. So you can get found pretty easily, but I need to give 20 minutes to find my music school which is only 2 minutes away (and I've gone there and back at least 10 times already).

I think the completely chilling out mind state of Rishikesh was very necessary given my current pursuit. Never before in my life have I been able to sit for hours and practice an instrument properly, and now after my lessons I take the tabla outside and just Dha... Dha... Tara... Kita... slowly, over and over and over.

I miss Rishikesh.

Ah, India...