er, hasty post

Since being in this universe of a country I've lived in Paradise (with a capital P), the set of the Flintstones (Hampi), and now a new one - in a cloud. Yep, with Chen, I currently live in a cloud. We found each other in Kodai and have set up a cosy little house on the side of a small mountain, quite a long way from proper civilization. It's not that far from services, but it is when every walk is steeply uphill or dangerously downhill and involves carrying lots of groceries or a large rucksack. And it rains like shit every other day.

We have a house with a bed, one gas stove, an outside toilet and a chai shop. Yep, just fifteen yards from our house is a chai shop run by our house owners. So each morning we are woken to the sound of the fresh bread salesman at our door. So far I am the designated person to get up and buy bread. It's really not on.

Then if we make it out of bed before midday (not like that - we just jam till late), we spend the mornings drinking chai (in a cloud). Then afternoons are spent eating bread, playing guitar, or maybe making the walk/taxi ride/bummed motorbike ride to town to buy groceries and eat food that doesn't take three hours to prepar (in a cloud).

Yep, evenings are a bit like work. Maybe eight o'clock we start cutting vegetables. We play some guitar. We boil potatoes. We make tea. We start sifting rice. We play guitar. We make tea. We cook rice. We make tea. We start making sauce and frying vegetables. No tea. Waiting waiting. We start nibbling at the potatoes. Maybe we drink some brandy.

Midnight, rice is with potatoes is with vegetables. Food is ready.

Then we play guitar till three.

Or we hang out with some other people and have a similar routine. It really is like work. But all this happens under the warm guidance and safety of a big fluffy cloud. It's nice. There are some very sweet views around here. I really ought to take some photos.

One friend I met here in Rishikesh (Tal - the one I can bum bike lifts from) gave me a nice offer today. He said : "wanna come climb Everest with me and my dad?"

Wow - that's nice huh. I'm tempted. I mean, I assume it's utterly foolish given my current bill of health. Could I even make it to the bottom, let alone the top?

Ahh, it's an idea.

So I don't really know what to say. I meet the usual bunch of old and new faces. Israelis, Europeans. But my life is rather simple at the moment. Operating this machine, for example, is complicated. But the area I live in - Vattakanal - seems to be quite a favourite with Indian honeymooners. Every morning, drinking chai, I see these hand-holding young couples who (quite understandably) look at us like we're in a zoo.

I seem to be spending a lot of time with people who are coming to the end of their trips. Usually these are the best ones because they've actually been in India for some time and have had time to adjust and be themselves. But it's a weird feeling. I have just started leg two so I'm at a reflective point. I find myself thinking about my friends and family at home a lot recently. I wonder what I would do if I were at home. How I would be with everyone. It's a big thing.

Ok shit, connection is about to go. Got to go. Love to all x