temple fury

so the 10 day sri devi festival has begun. last night the 15 speakers that were now placed in different trees all over the place were blasting film score music. this puzzles me because i was expecting chants and devotional music and it sounded like one big indian rave. skeptical about sleep, they thankfully stopped the music at 9pm. course it was a thursday night, i am hoping they take pity on the sleepers and not let it go too late. however, in the past, they have gone past midnight. ear plugs do nothing to suffocate the sound, so your stuck awake with earth shaking sounds.(luckily they have good taste in music and i can't seem to get enough of IFSM-indian film score music) the ladies with the palm leaves had built a mini coconut palm house in the temple and another mini lotus flower hut next to the sri devi deity. when they woke me at 6am with head splitting drumming (fridays we practice together at 7, rest of week i'm there at 530), i passed by and witnessed 6 giant piles of fire and a circle of women throwing flowers into the flames. around 715 during yoga, off went dozens of fireworks and firecrackers. and than more music that made it almost impossible to hear lino calling the poses out. between that and the more than creative back-up sounds the taxis and rickshaws make (everything from love story to jingle bells), it reminded me of conference in mysore. guruji is SO quiet and profound when he talks, except you can't hear a word of it because of the musical horns and cell phone rings. i think the ring tones are an expression of high art here.
SO of course i'm thinking of a re-location of hotel, but part of me wants to stick around cause it's one serious party i have never been so close to before. it will take a gallon of patience and fabulous attitude. everyone involved is SO happy i'm just waiting to be dragged right into the festivities. the deity is getting her sari changed several times a day now. and half a dozen nubile indian youth splashing about in our swimming pool at 10pm. i'm hoping that elephants will come. the hawk's palm tree homes are in the middle of all this and it seems like they've relocated. how does a hawk move his entire family and nest?

so for the last 2 weeks, a girl has been practicing next to me who likes to use pure lavender oil when she does garba pindasana.(most of us use water) it suffocates me and i try hard to be in finishing when she gets to that pose rather than being the 2nd person to confront her. today she came up to me and asked me if her perfume bothered me. "it IS strong," i said. she apologized and went back to USING IT AGAIN! now yoga folks, the first things you learn about yoga are:
1. come 10 minutes early 2.do not eat before practice 3. absolutely no oils, lotions or perfumes.
this is horrifying and am rather surprised to see a seasoned yogi doing this. why is this a problem? cause the smell reeks up the entire room! not all of us are fans of lavender and it's extremely rude. why a teacher says nothing? i don't know. sometimes teachers just give up. fighting is futile. many students don't listen. i don't know why they spend the money.

saw a line of young backpackers, the caboose wearing a "von dutch" t-shirt. i found this amusing, cause one of those stores opened in chicago and i wanted a t-shirt. except they cost 150US dollars! guess the backpackers blew all their cash on t's. 100US can buy you a week in a ritzy hotel here or 2 weeks in a beach hotel. no judgement....no judgement... no judgement...........

well it's friday and it always seems like a vacation cause of the lead class and no class saturday. except theres nothing to do here but read, swim, watch tv, sit on the beach, or GO SEE THE NEW KAMAL HASSAAN MOVIE!

bindifry