4/30/12 - Eating indian food for 7 straight days finally did in max. while i slept soundly, i awoke to find out max had spent the entire night "trapped" in the WC. for those that know max, on the surface, this would seem like a godsend - he loves toilets; however, based on his complexion that am (a mix between alabaster and Babe Pig in the City), i knew this time was different. But a defiant max rebounded, making it out for a day at the Jantar Mantar (a huge and impressive astronomy center developed hundreds of years ago) and the city palace, still the home to the local king. today, while cut short, was interesting for a few reasons not-sightseeing related:
a) its amazing how closely tied astrology / spiritualism, science, and societal values are in classial hinduism. people combined their study of the stars / astronomy with astrology, going so far to arrange marriages based on astrological signs. i know some people check the Town & Country Horoscopes religiously, but i believe this is a step beyond.
b) our guide, kovram, bought interesting perspective to hinduism and his own spiritual beliefs. he told a story about seeing an astrologer who told him he would be married by the end of february, but it was february 2nd and he had no girlfiend. sure enough, on february 5th the father of his bride to-be stopped by to see his own father and within five days a marriage was arranged. I'm nervous to see an astrologer here, as they will probably tell me i will be married at 45...
c) While cultural views are obviously being changed here as india modernizes, it was interesting to hear kovram's perspectives on meditation.i really hope by the end of this trip i can do a better job separating out all of the stresses that go on in my mind, especially those that i cannot control. one regret i have had on this trip, and it has only been a few days thus far, is with wifi and ipads, i'm often connected to my life back in america. this means reading facebook updates or a twitter post that i may not like. i'm really looking forward to my hikes up in Shimla and my trek in nepal, as i think it will give me greater balance and allow me to better separate myself to these influences.
lastly, when back in the room for an attempt at an afternoon nap, i came accross XXX 2: State of the Union. while surely an unpopular view, i believe i came to the opinion that the second XXX is superior to the first. its Oscar in cinematography was well deserved, as was Xzibit's MTV Movie award.
while max's condition forced us to cut a few things out today, they have been postponed until tomorrow - max, there was no way you were escaping the Monkey Temple! pictures to follow...
jacob
freakin water closets
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