The Walking Monk

Sun. Sept.30/07
If there is any food that is in abundance in Cuba it’s the avocado. A new surprise to me is a fruit resembling the papaya in shape but tasting like the chicoo that you get in India. It’s called mamey and it’s definitely fit to be offered with the recitation of mantras before a deity or picture of Krishna just as the cooked food is offered. Jiva Goswami Das is my trusted companion to conduct this simple process while I’m here.
While I see no homeless folks an occasional dog does not have such luxury. A small stray dog decides to tag along with Jiva and me as we chant on our beads as we walk through the streets. Calypso/Caribbean music subsides all around at about the time we tread on our heels, 5am. People are curious about the robes. An elder gentleman even called them ,”Elegante!”
Another piece of information about Cuban culture that is very conducive to a monk’s lifestyle is the prohibition on pornography. Prostitution is also against the law. Another favorable note to the people here is that I see very little obesity here, nor did I see anyone scrawny. They look quite fit.
So far as taking care of my health goes it’s a standard 10kms a day walk or more. Unique today was foot care; Jiva today took an hour and a half to scrape away at what seemed like tons of dead foot skin. It was an accumulation of months of lifeless skin and it was time to dispose of it after that trailblazing marathon. Jiva took a pumice scraper and grazed away at regions I would not be able to see. He worked hard.
It would be nice if all the bad karma and bad habits could be eliminated at a single sitting like this.
10 kms.