I ate breakfast with the Austrian. Short wild blonde hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed in a week or two, T-shirt, dark socks with brown shoes and the most brilliant warm blue blue blue eyes I have ever seen, he was certainly another interesting traveler. I ran into him yesterday studying a map when I was looking for the Medical and Astrology Institute. He was friendly enough to point me in the right direction. And then he happened to be grabbing a large piece of chocolate cake for breakfast when I went up to place my order and so he came to join me at my table. Off and on for seven years he had been traveling mostly on his own, this time for the past six months in India. He had been married but felt that he had to choose between the traveling life and family life and so chose the former. At 44, he seemed not to regret his choice at all. And he had some great stories about where he had been all over the world. Forever? No, he would probably travel for another year and a half. Coming from such an experienced traveler, it disconcerted me that he was so adamant that I lie and claim to be Australian or Canadian – anything but American. He called it an “emergency” lie. He thinks it is necessary for my safety. That is so sad. Maybe he is right. He isn’t afraid to travel, to travel alone, and by now understands all the risks completely.

I chose today to hike up to the meditation center. And up it certainly was. The road reminded me of the small hill on the farm at home that has a 45 degree incline and that I feel like I have accomplished something if I make myself take it daily on my walks. Okay, maybe 45 degrees is a bit of an exaggeration. It was steep. But this was that same hill without end. I took a side path for awhile – a beautiful dirt path through the evergreens with breathtaking views of the valley opening up…

The meditation center simple. I read in the library about Buddhism from a woman’s perspective. At its heart, it is a religion about being a good compassionate person and being at peace with oneself and the universe. One only has to look inside themselves for all the answers… how to live life, the connection, the obvious…

I saw a flier advertising a two day meditation course but no dates were listed so I went up several more flights of old stone steps to the office. Eight and ten day courses only were available. And I was actually a little relieved. Part of me wanted the experience. How neat that would be – and how good for me. And part of me dreaded the discipline. The traveler in Delhi had taken the Vipassana meditation course for 10 days. He said it was the most horrible thing he ever did. It would begin at four am after that arduous hike up the hill. Several hours of sitting in complete silence, not moving a muscle, was followed by a lunch of plain humble porridge and then several more hours of back aching nose itching stone cold silent non-movement. And then an hour or two of teaching. It was also the best thing he had ever done. Buddha says there is joy in suffering….