Lessons of Attachment

In Yoga, there is a lot of discussion of attachment. Attachment to ideas, feelings, memories. While travelling in India there are constant lessons on attachment. You think you are heading to point A? Sorry, road is closed. You think you are going to Temple B? Sorry, Temple closed to non-Hindus. You want to be on the train by Time C? Sorry, the train is running 3 hours late. You thought we agreed on price D? Sorry, that was when I thought you meant something else. More rupees please.

Today I woke up, took a rickshaw to the bus. It took an extra hour to get out of Kanyakumari because traffic simply stoppped for about half an hour. Traffic cannot flow when there is a single lane. So until enough complaints and a few police officers stepped in, we just stood still. The driver seemed pretty jovial about it all. Eventually I got to Trivandrum an hour late. I quickly caught a rickshaw, trying to avoid being swallowed up by the sea of rickshaw drivers that descended upon me as soon as I got off the bus. I had 45 minutes until my flight was supposed to take off. I thought: Okay, I will make this flight. We're off. But where to? The frickin' gas station! He looked at me and said "Petrol". I thought, okay at least we won't run out of gas on the way. We were on the way.
When we get here, he tries to get more money out of me, telling me that he thought we were going to the international terminal which is closer to town. I told him domestic and that I was flying to Mumbai very clearly. I kindly told him that we agreed on 100 rupees and walked away.

At the airport...
Last time I checked into my domestic flight to Goa a week ago, the person behind the desk forgot to return my computer print-out of my e-ticket. I tried to get into the airport today with just a passport, but instead needed to go to a desk. I wanted to do the print-out yesterday but the hotel wasn't very helpful and the internet place with the bad keyboard didn't have a printer.
So I'm at the airport and of course the printer is broken. He prints from a different printer.

Get in and guess what? My flight is delayed for another 2 hours. Hopefully I will make it to Bombay today. I am looking forward to meeting Becky P's sister with whom I am staying for my last night in India.

At least the prices at the airport are reasonable. A chai tea here is 10 rupees. At the airport in Bombay it is 60 rupees. Ridiculous.

But I really enjoyed my bus rides here. The scenery is beautiful in the south. Passing rice paddies and palm trees with mountains in the background. I was lucky to get a seat. Because I took long rides, I boarded early and got the single seat up next to the driver. I could put my huge backpack there and just relax.

Okay, hopefully I will make it to Mumbai today. If not, I am ready to dis-attach from that idea and look for a hotel room for the night. I can fly to Mumbai anytime in the next 12 hours. My flight back to SF is in 36 hours. I will hold on to that idea for just a little bit longer.

Love from India -Noa