So much has happened since I got back to the States two months ago! I'll try to briefly summarize some highlights.
In April I organized and helped to teach the Dzogchen Spring Retreat at the Dzogchen Retreat Center near Eugene, Oregon. That experience alone could have filled a whole series of posts, but I was too busy during the retreat to write anything.
I returned to California in early May to finish moving out of my home in Marin County as part of my divorce settlement. That whole process has been a huge emotional challenge for my wife and I, but throughout the process we've managed to remain good friends. If not for all the amazing teachings we've had from Rinpoche over the years I think it might have been much harder for us to deal with the divorce process. For all the negative aspects of impermanence in our human relationships, these kind of changes also open doors to new and positive possibilities.
I'm currently still in Marin and am busy doing about a thousand things in preparation for the 6-month Dzogchen Lineage Internship which starts on the 4th of July. I'm sorting through all the possessions I've accumulated from 15 years of living in the same place. I'm purging a lot of unnecessary stuff which feels great. My load is lightening and this should allow me to be more free to travel and teach after the retreat.
I'm also working writing music again and have been learning Logic, Apple's pro-audio software system. I decided to migrate away from Digidesign's ProTools and so far I'm amazed at the power of Logic.
I'm leading a daily Buddha Path Practice at 8AM every weekday in Marin City and also holding some evening Dharma teachings at 7 PM on Friday nights. Khenpo Rinpoche requested that I do some teaching prior to the Internship so I'm fulfilling that aspiration.
I'm currently "home-free" meaning I'm homeless and don't have a fixed home base (other than my tent at the retreat center 550 miles from here in Oregon). Fortunately, friends have stepped in to give me access to floors to sleep on and showers to use, but most nights I've been car-camping, which is quite comfortable in my Honda Element. You just have to find a place that is relatively dark, quiet and private without upsetting someone living nearby or getting chased off by the cops.
My office is my laptop, which is equipped with Sprint Broadband service, so that I can have Internet access from nearly anywhere. I only have to find a coffee shop or fast food restaurant that doesn't mind if I use an electrical outlet for a few hours to work. I have to wear ear plugs to block out the muzak. It's a very nomadic experience and I've gotten to sleep and work in several different cities in Marin. I have also had some first-hand experiences about the stress experienced by those who are living without homes.
I made the "home-free" choice to conserve my funds in preparation for the 6-months of being out of work, but also to get a sense of what it is like for the many Americans who have been displaced from their homes and are couch surfing, living out of their cars, living in tents, or simply staying out on the streets. I think I'm feeling a lot more compassion for people in those circumstances than I was before. I've got a great car to get around with and sleep in. I have a nice storage facility I'm renting to store most of my things. How many homeless people don't even have that? Living with your possessions in a shopping cart has got to be very very stressful.
Roshi Bernard "Bernie" Glassman is a Zen Buddhist master from the NYC region. I met Bernie at a Buddhist Leadership Conference in Vermont last fall. Since 1995 he has been offering retreats where his students could experience homelessness first hand, which he calls "bearing witness." I think he's really quite remarkable, with all the amazing things he's done with his life and all of the people he has helped.
What I'm experiencing is a bit like Bernie's homeless retreats, but I'm not quite living on the streets since I'm protected by my wheels. I'm trying to live a "normal" life with my daily Buddhist practice and still making some kind of a living while not having anywhere to call home other than my various touch points. It's not that easy to deal with, but it is very eye opening.
Well I need to go do a bunch of things to prepare for the teaching tomorrow night so that's all for now.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
California Dreamin
I'm finally back in the States after six weeks of traveling in Asia. I have developed a greatly deepened appreciation for many of the best aspects of our American culture, but also a newly expanded appreciation for many aspects of the Indian, Nepali and Tibetan cultures. It was an amazing pilgrimage with countless new experiences packed into six weeks.
I'm staying at Nicole and Lorna's tonight. I tried starting my car earlier this evening, and it started fine. I didn't expect it to start based on what happened on February 18, when it wouldn't start the morning that Nicole took me to the airport and we had to push it out of the driveway to park it on the street. That's a mystery I'll try to solve tomorrow.
Due to the long flight back, I haven't slept quite enough and am still on my Asian sleeping rhythm, so I'd better head to bed.
I'm staying at Nicole and Lorna's tonight. I tried starting my car earlier this evening, and it started fine. I didn't expect it to start based on what happened on February 18, when it wouldn't start the morning that Nicole took me to the airport and we had to push it out of the driveway to park it on the street. That's a mystery I'll try to solve tomorrow.
Due to the long flight back, I haven't slept quite enough and am still on my Asian sleeping rhythm, so I'd better head to bed.
London Calling
I'm in London in the brand-new Terminal 5 at Heathrow. It's a very modern design and all the surfaces are shiny and clean. British Airways opened this terminal four days ago with much fanfare and many glitches that have resulted in thousands of lost bags and numerous canceled flights, including my flight to LAX. I think BA is doing their best to iron out the problems, but I had one challenging experience with the last security point as one enters the secure part of the terminal.
There is a type of new system for running one's carry-on bags and shoes through x-ray machines. You can tell that whoever designed the system really tried to make it run smoother and require less labor than the systems we're familiar with where the security people manually carry the trays back to the beginning point. I can't imagine that the manufacturer of the new device actually field-tested the system with real airline customers. The conveyer system was totally befuddling every effort by the BA staff to inform the customers how to use it and the customers were even more confused. After I went through, it looked like my bags were going to get sucked into the automated tray return system, and I bumped into a lady who got between two of my trays that were racing by me. I almost spilled all her things on the floor. It was very awkward. I resorted to dumping all my things on the floor so that I could pull them together and get out of the way of everyone and so that I could get my shoes back on. Everyone, including the staff was getting tripped up by the automated tray conveyor. These are the sorts of worldly experiences that really test one's equinimity after being on a retreat and pilgrimage. I can't say I passed the test very well!
Of course the whole pilgrimage was filled with many many experiences like this, and overall I did pretty well and tried to treat everyone I encountered on my journey with as much compassion and kindness as I could generate. Really everyday life is always presenting us with these kinds of tests, opportunities to practice in every moment. It is so benefical to oneself and others to always keep Dharma in mind.
I'll be back in the States at LAX by mid-afternoon on March 31. Eddie said he'd pick me up at the airport and I hope to stay in LA for a couple days to sort things out and maybe get together with some of the LA Sangha to share some of my experiences. Hope to see some of you, perhaps on the evening of Wednesday, April 2. Julian and/or I will send out emails about any plans that arise.
I'm hoping to get back the the SF Bay area by Friday, April 4. I think I'll be able to attend Sunday practice on Sunday, April 6.
There is a type of new system for running one's carry-on bags and shoes through x-ray machines. You can tell that whoever designed the system really tried to make it run smoother and require less labor than the systems we're familiar with where the security people manually carry the trays back to the beginning point. I can't imagine that the manufacturer of the new device actually field-tested the system with real airline customers. The conveyer system was totally befuddling every effort by the BA staff to inform the customers how to use it and the customers were even more confused. After I went through, it looked like my bags were going to get sucked into the automated tray return system, and I bumped into a lady who got between two of my trays that were racing by me. I almost spilled all her things on the floor. It was very awkward. I resorted to dumping all my things on the floor so that I could pull them together and get out of the way of everyone and so that I could get my shoes back on. Everyone, including the staff was getting tripped up by the automated tray conveyor. These are the sorts of worldly experiences that really test one's equinimity after being on a retreat and pilgrimage. I can't say I passed the test very well!
Of course the whole pilgrimage was filled with many many experiences like this, and overall I did pretty well and tried to treat everyone I encountered on my journey with as much compassion and kindness as I could generate. Really everyday life is always presenting us with these kinds of tests, opportunities to practice in every moment. It is so benefical to oneself and others to always keep Dharma in mind.
I'll be back in the States at LAX by mid-afternoon on March 31. Eddie said he'd pick me up at the airport and I hope to stay in LA for a couple days to sort things out and maybe get together with some of the LA Sangha to share some of my experiences. Hope to see some of you, perhaps on the evening of Wednesday, April 2. Julian and/or I will send out emails about any plans that arise.
I'm hoping to get back the the SF Bay area by Friday, April 4. I think I'll be able to attend Sunday practice on Sunday, April 6.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Flight Canceled
I flew back from Bangalore to Delhi today. I had one interesting adventure today, when landing at Delhi I saw a building from the air that I'd read about online. It's called the Lotus Temple and is quite dramatically shaped like an opening lotus bud. I was able to get a pre-paid cab for only Rs.350 from the domestic terminal to Manjun Ka Tila, and then once in the cab negotiate a Rs.300 side trip to the Lotus Temple. Amazing place. I'll write more about it once I post the photos I took today.
I'm currently back at the Ga-Khyl House, a Tibetan-run guest house in the Tibetan Colony located in the Majun Ka Tila (pronounced ma-jun-ka te-la) area of north Delhi. It's a very nice place with hot water and private bathrooms. Rates are currently only about Rs.500 per night. I can put you in touch with Nyima the manager if you'd like to stay here. He was kind enough to store two of my bags while I was in Bangalore. I'm scheduled to fly from Delhi to Heathrow in about 5 hours, so I need to head to the airport soon. Nyima suggested I get there 4 hours early.
I briefly got online to discover an email sent to me only 4 hours ago from British Airways informing me that my flight from Heathrow to LAX was just cancelled! I've heard that BA just opened a new terminal at Heathrow and it is a complete disaster with many people having lost baggage and some flights being cancelled, like mine just was. I need to go sort that out. If it is good for me and all sentient beings, may my trip home be smooth!
I'm currently back at the Ga-Khyl House, a Tibetan-run guest house in the Tibetan Colony located in the Majun Ka Tila (pronounced ma-jun-ka te-la) area of north Delhi. It's a very nice place with hot water and private bathrooms. Rates are currently only about Rs.500 per night. I can put you in touch with Nyima the manager if you'd like to stay here. He was kind enough to store two of my bags while I was in Bangalore. I'm scheduled to fly from Delhi to Heathrow in about 5 hours, so I need to head to the airport soon. Nyima suggested I get there 4 hours early.
I briefly got online to discover an email sent to me only 4 hours ago from British Airways informing me that my flight from Heathrow to LAX was just cancelled! I've heard that BA just opened a new terminal at Heathrow and it is a complete disaster with many people having lost baggage and some flights being cancelled, like mine just was. I need to go sort that out. If it is good for me and all sentient beings, may my trip home be smooth!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Bhajans in Sanskrit
This afternoon I was able to attend a music class lead by Gustaf the head of the music program here. His wife, and another German man who are also talented musicians participated along with Gonga and Tara.
A bhajan (also known as a kirtan) is a devotional song (or can refer to a devotional singing session), usually with Sanskrit lyrics and often of ancient origin. The lyrics often respectfully speak of longing for deeper connection with some aspect of the divine often personified by a deity. Sanskrit is truly an ancient holy language, with most words imbued with meanings both vast and profound. I'm familiar with quite a few Sanskrit words because of my Tibetan Buddhist practice, but I learned some new ones today since each bhajan had a translation into English below the lyrics. The melodies are sometimes also ancient, but occasionally may be much more recent in origin.
A few of the bhajans are recent and use English or German lyrics. Swami has a lot of German students and perhaps 80% of the students here at the moment hail from Germany.
The style of singing is call-and-response, with the bhajan leader singing a line of the song, and then the rest of the group responding by repeating the same melodic line. Sometimes a line is repeated two or more times before the leader moves on to the next line or next melody.
The instrumentation at this ashram has included guitar, harmonium, double-headed drum, and finger cymbals.
The combination of the heartfelt instrument playing, the beautiful melodies, which range in tone from wistfully dark to playfully staccato, layered over with the Sanskrit lyrics, which have a lot of vowels and roll easily off the tongue, is really quite amazing and inspiring.
For me, music is a open doorway to transcendent experiences so I wanted to take the opportunity to learn more about the musical traditions practiced at this ashram. I've now attended the evening bhajan for the past three evenings. Every night from 8 to 9 PM everyone in the ashram gets together in their main temple to sing the devotional songs together. I'll be able to attend one more evening bhajan tomorrow before I head back to the States.
Today was the final written exam for the students in the University program here. They are currently on a trimester system and today marked the end of the trimester. For those students, there was announced there may be a field trip to some of the neighboring temples this weekend, and although I'm just a guest, it is looking like I might also be able to attend. I'll know more first thing in the morning.
I got to hear Sri Kaleshwar teach briefly tonight after the bhajan. His teaching related to the final exams. His accent is fairly pronounced, so I didn't get that much from what he said. One thing he did say that I thought could be related to any practice or even life pursuit is that one needs to practice and study for 2 to 3 hours per day to maintain one's knowledge and skills.
Gonga and Tara have been telling me about all of Swami's activities, and he really does so many things to help the people within his sphere of influence. I totally rejoice at his positive aspirations and activities. The ashram he has created here has been called the nicest in India, and that is easy to believe. It is a large desert oasis. It seems like a paradise world. They are in the process of adding more adjacent land and expanding the facilities. One of the buildings that is going up will add 200 more apartments within the ashram.
We had another unseasonable downpour tonight with lots of thunder and lightning. It is over now, and the air is super clean. In general, this location has some of the best air I've experienced in India. There is still a little smoke from local wood fires and the occasional burning of plastic trash in the neighborhood, but Penukonda is fairly far from from any major population centers, and is so arid that there are not very many farms nearby, hence less sources of air pollution.
A bhajan (also known as a kirtan) is a devotional song (or can refer to a devotional singing session), usually with Sanskrit lyrics and often of ancient origin. The lyrics often respectfully speak of longing for deeper connection with some aspect of the divine often personified by a deity. Sanskrit is truly an ancient holy language, with most words imbued with meanings both vast and profound. I'm familiar with quite a few Sanskrit words because of my Tibetan Buddhist practice, but I learned some new ones today since each bhajan had a translation into English below the lyrics. The melodies are sometimes also ancient, but occasionally may be much more recent in origin.
A few of the bhajans are recent and use English or German lyrics. Swami has a lot of German students and perhaps 80% of the students here at the moment hail from Germany.
The style of singing is call-and-response, with the bhajan leader singing a line of the song, and then the rest of the group responding by repeating the same melodic line. Sometimes a line is repeated two or more times before the leader moves on to the next line or next melody.
The instrumentation at this ashram has included guitar, harmonium, double-headed drum, and finger cymbals.
The combination of the heartfelt instrument playing, the beautiful melodies, which range in tone from wistfully dark to playfully staccato, layered over with the Sanskrit lyrics, which have a lot of vowels and roll easily off the tongue, is really quite amazing and inspiring.
For me, music is a open doorway to transcendent experiences so I wanted to take the opportunity to learn more about the musical traditions practiced at this ashram. I've now attended the evening bhajan for the past three evenings. Every night from 8 to 9 PM everyone in the ashram gets together in their main temple to sing the devotional songs together. I'll be able to attend one more evening bhajan tomorrow before I head back to the States.
Today was the final written exam for the students in the University program here. They are currently on a trimester system and today marked the end of the trimester. For those students, there was announced there may be a field trip to some of the neighboring temples this weekend, and although I'm just a guest, it is looking like I might also be able to attend. I'll know more first thing in the morning.
I got to hear Sri Kaleshwar teach briefly tonight after the bhajan. His teaching related to the final exams. His accent is fairly pronounced, so I didn't get that much from what he said. One thing he did say that I thought could be related to any practice or even life pursuit is that one needs to practice and study for 2 to 3 hours per day to maintain one's knowledge and skills.
Gonga and Tara have been telling me about all of Swami's activities, and he really does so many things to help the people within his sphere of influence. I totally rejoice at his positive aspirations and activities. The ashram he has created here has been called the nicest in India, and that is easy to believe. It is a large desert oasis. It seems like a paradise world. They are in the process of adding more adjacent land and expanding the facilities. One of the buildings that is going up will add 200 more apartments within the ashram.
We had another unseasonable downpour tonight with lots of thunder and lightning. It is over now, and the air is super clean. In general, this location has some of the best air I've experienced in India. There is still a little smoke from local wood fires and the occasional burning of plastic trash in the neighborhood, but Penukonda is fairly far from from any major population centers, and is so arid that there are not very many farms nearby, hence less sources of air pollution.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Penukonda, India
Last night I arrived in Penukonda, India with Gonga and Tara. Their favorite driver Sheru drove us from the Lakshimi Hotel in central Bangalore in about 3 hours. It is north of Bangalore near the central highway of India, which is under major reconstruction from a two-lane country road to a six lane divided highway.
I spent the night here at the Ashram. It is very beautiful and the foliage is very lush. A true oasis in the middle of an arid desert area in south central India. It is nestled at the base of a rocky mountain.
Bangalore (AKA Bengaluru on Indian maps) had many adventures and interesting experiences with Gonga and Tara acting as my tour guides to the city. When I have time, I'll recount some of them.
Yesterday I was able to convey Julian's hard drive to a firm called Stellar Information Systems that will attempt to recover the precious data and have it ready for me by Sunday when I leave India. It turned out that Stellar's main office and clean room is in Delhi, actually Gurgaon near the airport. Unfortunately I didn't know that before I flew to Bangalore. Today I learned from another person at the ashram that there is a firm in Bangalore called Disk Doctor who has a clean room in Bangalore. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. If they are successful, I'll have to pay RS.23,000, which is about $575 USD. Hopefully they will be successful since there are the only copies of photos on that hard drive from the first half of the pilgrimage from Khenpo's camera, my camera and at least one other pilgrim's camera. Anyone who is able to contribute to this expense would earn some good merit I'm sure. I could use some sponsorship.
I spent the night here at the Ashram. It is very beautiful and the foliage is very lush. A true oasis in the middle of an arid desert area in south central India. It is nestled at the base of a rocky mountain.
Bangalore (AKA Bengaluru on Indian maps) had many adventures and interesting experiences with Gonga and Tara acting as my tour guides to the city. When I have time, I'll recount some of them.
Yesterday I was able to convey Julian's hard drive to a firm called Stellar Information Systems that will attempt to recover the precious data and have it ready for me by Sunday when I leave India. It turned out that Stellar's main office and clean room is in Delhi, actually Gurgaon near the airport. Unfortunately I didn't know that before I flew to Bangalore. Today I learned from another person at the ashram that there is a firm in Bangalore called Disk Doctor who has a clean room in Bangalore. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. If they are successful, I'll have to pay RS.23,000, which is about $575 USD. Hopefully they will be successful since there are the only copies of photos on that hard drive from the first half of the pilgrimage from Khenpo's camera, my camera and at least one other pilgrim's camera. Anyone who is able to contribute to this expense would earn some good merit I'm sure. I could use some sponsorship.
Monday, March 24, 2008
With Gonga and Tara in Bangalore
Wow I made it to Bangalore via JetLite, a carrier which allows only 9" leg room between the seat rows. Somehow I squeezed in my 6' frame and sat with my knees jammed against the seat in front of me for 90 minutes on the tarmac and then a couple more hours in the air. I was very thankful that the nice lady in front of me did not try to lean her seat back, not that she could have if she tried. My seat backed on the exit row, so it was rigged not to tilt back at all. My little mini Thermarest pads made it more bearable, but it was one of the most challenging flights I've ever taken.
Sheru, who is Gonga and Tara's favorite driver in Bangalore was at the airport exit waiting for me. He had to wait two hours due to the technical delays the plane had experienced in Delhi. He happily met me and drove me in his little Tata micro car from the old airport located south of the city to the city center, a distance of about 11km. I say "old" airport, since in a few weeks the brand new airport will open north of the city. This will have tremendous ramifications for the future development of Bangalore. The center of gravity for business will no doubt shift far north. Land prices are reportedly skyrocketing. The new airport is reportedly a state of the art facility, similar to the new airport that just opened this year near Hyderabad, India's other growing tech city.
Once I arrived at the Sri Lakshmi Comforts Hotel & Lodge (Rs.750/night) on M.G. Road (actually Mahatma Ghandi Road, although nobody calls it by the full name) I took a shower and before I had gotten dressed, Gonga and Tara knocked at my door. I quickly finished getting ready and we walked together to a nice Chinese restaurant around the corner named "Mainland China" We met their friend Balaram (aka William), who attended the same high school as Gonga, although 10 years more recently. Chris regaled us with some stories about Swami (his current guru Sri Kaleshwar) and we tag-teamed on some Dharma stories about Khenpo. I told them some stories about the recent pilgrimage. The buffet was amazing and only RS.250 each. I thought the food was as good as the food at the Hyatt in Kathmandu, but of course was a very different food selection, being all Chinese-inspired dishes.
Afterwards William took a cab to an Ayurvedic supply store and the other three of us walked to the i-Store, which is owned by Reliance Digital, an Indian firm with the exclusive franchise for selling Apple products in India. The interior has some of the feel of an Apple Store in the USA. The prices were the same, although in rupees. For example an Apple Air was Rs.96,000, which translates to about $2450 USD at today's exchange rate. It turned out they couldn't really help with the failed hard drive and so referred me to an Apple Authorized Service Center a few blocks away. We followed Gonga to a photo store, then Sheru showed up with William. Since William went his own way, Tara and and I took the cab to the the service center.
The service place was on the 7th floor of a corporate banking building with Citibank as the anchor tenant. Once there the tech guy Somsundar tried booting the system with another PowerBook using "target mode" but no luck on mounting my drive. Then he said that he couldn't fix it there and sent us to Stellar Information Services in Bangalore's Manipal Center, only a block away.
Once at Stellar, it became clear that they are not a high-end data recovery service with a clean room on-site, but they have that kind of service at their main Gurgaon office near the Delhi airport, where I was at 5 AM this morning! That was a bit of a bummer to hear since had I known in advance, I could have just arranged to drop off the drive myself. Then they quoted me a minimum data recovery rate of Rs.15,000 which is about $370 USD. That is a lot to me right now, but is about 1/6 of the rate I might pay in the USA at DriveSavers.
Tara and I got trapped at the Manipal Center by a sudden and unseasonable tropical downpour. The rain was much appreciated by me and really cleaned the air of a lot of smog and dust. We waited in a bookstore until the rain slowed, and then we ran out on the street and hailed an "auto rickshaw" which is basically a 2-cycle moped with a canvas covered area in back that will seat three thin passengers.
Tara called Gonga on her cell and then we met at an upscale shopping area on Brigade Road and ate at a Pizza Hut. It's interesting to see how a big food corporation repackages their menu and brand to appeal to the Indian market. For example, they had an Hindu temple-style bell at the exit, and when a departing customer rang the bell, the entire staff would shout "thank you!" They were doing a brisk business. Gonga and Tara eat so much rice and dhal and other Indian dishes at the ashram that they look forward to eating food from other cultures when they get to town.
Tomorrow I'm going back the the Apple Service Center to have them remove the drive and then I'll drop it off at Stellar or just overnight it to Delhi myself.
This cyber cafe is only Rs.10 per hour, but I only got about 1 hour of sleep last night due to late night repacking and then a 3 AM wake up call to go to the airport, so I'm pretty sleepy now and better wrap up before I fall asleep on the keyboard. The hot shower and soft bed at the Lakshimi Hotel is very welcoming.
Sheru, who is Gonga and Tara's favorite driver in Bangalore was at the airport exit waiting for me. He had to wait two hours due to the technical delays the plane had experienced in Delhi. He happily met me and drove me in his little Tata micro car from the old airport located south of the city to the city center, a distance of about 11km. I say "old" airport, since in a few weeks the brand new airport will open north of the city. This will have tremendous ramifications for the future development of Bangalore. The center of gravity for business will no doubt shift far north. Land prices are reportedly skyrocketing. The new airport is reportedly a state of the art facility, similar to the new airport that just opened this year near Hyderabad, India's other growing tech city.
Once I arrived at the Sri Lakshmi Comforts Hotel & Lodge (Rs.750/night) on M.G. Road (actually Mahatma Ghandi Road, although nobody calls it by the full name) I took a shower and before I had gotten dressed, Gonga and Tara knocked at my door. I quickly finished getting ready and we walked together to a nice Chinese restaurant around the corner named "Mainland China" We met their friend Balaram (aka William), who attended the same high school as Gonga, although 10 years more recently. Chris regaled us with some stories about Swami (his current guru Sri Kaleshwar) and we tag-teamed on some Dharma stories about Khenpo. I told them some stories about the recent pilgrimage. The buffet was amazing and only RS.250 each. I thought the food was as good as the food at the Hyatt in Kathmandu, but of course was a very different food selection, being all Chinese-inspired dishes.
Afterwards William took a cab to an Ayurvedic supply store and the other three of us walked to the i-Store, which is owned by Reliance Digital, an Indian firm with the exclusive franchise for selling Apple products in India. The interior has some of the feel of an Apple Store in the USA. The prices were the same, although in rupees. For example an Apple Air was Rs.96,000, which translates to about $2450 USD at today's exchange rate. It turned out they couldn't really help with the failed hard drive and so referred me to an Apple Authorized Service Center a few blocks away. We followed Gonga to a photo store, then Sheru showed up with William. Since William went his own way, Tara and and I took the cab to the the service center.
The service place was on the 7th floor of a corporate banking building with Citibank as the anchor tenant. Once there the tech guy Somsundar tried booting the system with another PowerBook using "target mode" but no luck on mounting my drive. Then he said that he couldn't fix it there and sent us to Stellar Information Services in Bangalore's Manipal Center, only a block away.
Once at Stellar, it became clear that they are not a high-end data recovery service with a clean room on-site, but they have that kind of service at their main Gurgaon office near the Delhi airport, where I was at 5 AM this morning! That was a bit of a bummer to hear since had I known in advance, I could have just arranged to drop off the drive myself. Then they quoted me a minimum data recovery rate of Rs.15,000 which is about $370 USD. That is a lot to me right now, but is about 1/6 of the rate I might pay in the USA at DriveSavers.
Tara and I got trapped at the Manipal Center by a sudden and unseasonable tropical downpour. The rain was much appreciated by me and really cleaned the air of a lot of smog and dust. We waited in a bookstore until the rain slowed, and then we ran out on the street and hailed an "auto rickshaw" which is basically a 2-cycle moped with a canvas covered area in back that will seat three thin passengers.
Tara called Gonga on her cell and then we met at an upscale shopping area on Brigade Road and ate at a Pizza Hut. It's interesting to see how a big food corporation repackages their menu and brand to appeal to the Indian market. For example, they had an Hindu temple-style bell at the exit, and when a departing customer rang the bell, the entire staff would shout "thank you!" They were doing a brisk business. Gonga and Tara eat so much rice and dhal and other Indian dishes at the ashram that they look forward to eating food from other cultures when they get to town.
Tomorrow I'm going back the the Apple Service Center to have them remove the drive and then I'll drop it off at Stellar or just overnight it to Delhi myself.
This cyber cafe is only Rs.10 per hour, but I only got about 1 hour of sleep last night due to late night repacking and then a 3 AM wake up call to go to the airport, so I'm pretty sleepy now and better wrap up before I fall asleep on the keyboard. The hot shower and soft bed at the Lakshimi Hotel is very welcoming.
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