Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the lovely support,

I’m feeling a bit better and am much more excited about going tomorrow now. (packing to go anywhere always makes me feel better).

Plus I think it’ll be a really good experience once I get there, and I’m excited about the challenge.

It turns out I was wrong about the power-cuts, it’s actually 36 hours a week (It’s off for 6 hours every day except Saturdays), and in February it’ll be off for 11 hours a day.

Yay!

Hopefully though, by February it’ll be a bit warmer and lighter in the mornings (we’re out of gas again indefinitely – there’s still a massive shortage thanks to the Indian government, so Martin and I have to get up at 5am instead of 6 to start cooking, as it takes about 3 and a half hours to cook everything on the little kerosene burner).

I’ve also discovered, standing over a kerosene stove, that the fumes make your eyes sting like nothing else – way worse than onions!

However, on a positive note I’ve been enjoying the fact that in the last 5 months I’ve barely noticed that we don’t have a fridge, and I like that we buy our veggies and stuff fresh every day, and use everything – there’s literally no waste at all.

I honestly think I could quite enjoy living without a fridge back home – once I have one, I’m always compelled to fill it with unhealthy crap, most of which I end up throwing out when it goes off instead of actually eating it.

Also, although the constant power cuts are a bit irritating, I have noticed that by lighting 3 or 4 candles, I can raise the temperature in my room by a few degrees, which is a nice bonus!

So, I’m off tomorrow, and won’t be online again until about the 25th/26th of Jan, so I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.

Oh – and things are looking up with HGG – he’s buggered off to Lumbini to see the birthplace of Buddha, but wants to meet up when I get back to hear all about the course (apparently he’s keen to do the meditation course too).

So – I’ll keep you updated on that one.

take care – and wish me luck!

tons of love

Super-Silent Maya

xxx