Re-Scheduling. And Monkeys/

You may be seeing more of me in the next few days than the last post lead you to believe. Due to untimely illness my yoga intensive has been rescheduled for a later date.

Then again, I'll be mainly resting, trekking, meditating next to the Ganges, planning travel movements for the new year, and living outside in the open air. So maybe you wont be seeing me after all. Since I am in front of the computer now, though, i decided to sit for a few more minutes and write a little post.

Shortly before I left for India, a friend of mine told me this story:

Once upon a time, there was a lady who had a monkey. A pet monkey. A cuddly simian who shared her living space, completely tame and friendly. One day a friend of this lady came to the house for a visit. The monkey, sweet and tame, went insane and tore off the lady's friend's face.

Now, I heard this story right before coming to india. I attempted to shrug it off. I tried to leave the horrible shudders of fear and revulsion that wracked my subtle body in Beijing. But no, this story lingers with me. And, in Rishikesh, there are monkeys everywhere. Cute cuddly monkeys. Mischeivious and naughty, but ultimely harmless.

Or so they say.

Now, two days ago i went to get some beetroot for dinner. Everyone says of these monkeys, which perch mostly on the bridges running over the ganges from one bank to the other, that they are harmless but will take things they want if they see them- ie, your shiny camera, a child's toy, a bag of peanuts, or your friend's face. (okay, they don't say that last one, but its what i mentally add to the list everytime i hear it). Knowing this, i'm generally pretty careful. Not only cause the monkeys freak me out, but because i want to keep my camera. This time, however, I must have been a bit careless as suddenly there was a large full grown monkey attaching itself to my bag of vegetables and hissing at me.

My only thought: If i kick it, is it more likely to drop the bag and run, or rip off my face?

It's a very unsettling situation to find yourself in- debating about the likelihood of a monkey (a monkey in the process of stealing you vegetables) ripping off one's face.

love&light
jess