Thursday 10 December 2015

Tuesday, December 1st, 2015

Tuesday, December 1st, 2015
Rodas, Cuba


On the Cuban Trail

For the first time in a long time a good massage came my way. In a session last night headed by Umesh, locals Adideva and Ekanath worked on my legs as if they were chapati dough. They worked at the knots in my thighs, a collective accumulation from the recent walk through the U.S’s northeast and the trek through the Canadian Rockies by way of Crow’s Nest Pass. It was relieving and a much needed work-out for me and for them.

Along with Chaitanya Priya, a teacher at the university, we made a head start and trekked along the six lane highway to Rodas and towards today’s presentation. Holding our interest was the numerous herds of cows and as far as I understand, cows are not slaughtered unrestrictedly but only at the point of old age.

Another point of interest was observing the low fern-like plants called dormidera. Upon touching its delicate leaves, the plant closes up or turns as if lying down to sleep. In the two-hour-plus trek, I believe I met more pedestrians in that time frame than all the people I met walking or cycling while I was in the countryside during the U.S. Walk. The negative side of the Cuban outdoors is the nasty exhaust spewing out of the old car models.

Our ride arrived and we drove to the home of Sruti where I conducted a “Nine Devotions Workshop”. This was much appreciated, especially with my trusted monk assistant, Hayagriva, who does all the translation during presentations. It was a happy bunch and whereas yesterday, our audience was a nice mix, today we captured the hearts of middle-aged mothers. It was good.

May the source be with you!

11 km

 

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