its been

I head to chennai on monday and and bombay subsequently. so i suppose this will be the last post from this end of the world, more stories and pictures will follow when im back in your reality.



i think that prahbad was the happiest fellow ive ever met. he smiled from ear to ear the entire time we talked. sadly i only got to spend a little bit of time with him as he was in the middle of trying to find a flat to rent (except he was only willing to pay 750 rs per month). he was adamant that he needed to find one so that he could stay in tiru during the coming years as they were going to be trying for the planet and tiru as he says is the safest place on earth.


yesterday it was overcast enough to hike...although the humidity was staggering there was less in the way of scorching heat due to the sun being blocked out. i grasped at the opportunity and headed up the mountain. the "hike" (the trail up to the two ramana maharshi caves is paved with large cobble stones) was quite pleasant, i drifted off of the trail in more than a few places climbing on top of this and that to gain a better view. the cool shaped building in the middle of this picture is the top of the chanting hall of the yogi ram ashram.






a bit further up i went a good quarter mile off of the trail and climbed to the top of a monkey infested outcropping of rocks it sported a fantastic view of the temple and the overall concrete jungle that is tiru.


if prahbad likes tiru so much i think that maybe he would find himself enjoying areas in AZ..after all if tiru is the safest place on the planet i think that maybe prescott is a close runner up.


at the top of the monkey rock. further up the trail i ran across a tree heavily laden with fruit...i asked a man sittin there what kind of fruit tree it was. "monkey eating fruit tree" he said, i didnt inquire further.


relaxing


a cool treebase in the garden by of the ramana cave.

this is part of the complex that houses one of the caves that ramana maharshi meditated in. he stayed here for 7 years total. the other cave he was in for 17. when one hears the word cave it instills some manner of primitive living style. although this may have been primitive by western style, it was a beggars paradise over here.


a rock full of curing cow poo..they use the poop for fuel and various other things, adding peanut shells and dried leaves to it as it dries to help in the burning later on. i think it could go over well next to the ready burn logs for sale at walmart.


this is the back pathway up the mountain. not 20 minutes from the serene quiet that exists on your way up arunachala.


made specifically for you, a goodbye card. counterclockwise from the lower right you find me, chincy the sadu under his umbrella of spiritual well being, and of course fred the one eyed travel hog. we've all enjoyed your company on this chapter of my life. and look forward to the upcoming reunion. until then.