Kristen gets hissed at by a monkey

                Though it’s true, I got hissed at and charged at by a monkey, this weekend in Dharamsala was very low key. The power went off and on for the majority of the day so Ellie, Ellen, and I decided that we would hike to a nearby little town- Dharamkot. We heard it was smaller, quieter, and more peaceful than here. Not to say Dharamsala isn’t peaceful because it usually is, but it’s loud with all of the cars and their horns constantly honking. So, we headed in the general direction of Dharamkot, figuring that it couldn’t be too hard. It was straight up hill, a beautiful path in the trees and the clouds. We came across a little group of monkeys and I’ve been dying to take a monkey picture to share with everyone so I got brave and edged close to the monkeys. I took a few shots and then moved a little closer. One of the monkeys didn’t like this and he hissed at me and began to charge. My instinct was to run away but Ellen remembered the warnings we were given about the monkeys and said “Kristen, don’t run, just walk away fast.” So I closed my eyes, walked away, and the monkey left. Phew. So now, I’m more scared of the monkeys than I was before…. (Don’t have the pictures loaded but a photo of the monkey who charged me will be on my next post!)

                We continued on our hike up the mountain and found that the road parted in three ways. We asked a Tibetan man which way to go to get to Dharamkot and he pointed down one of the paths and we continued on our way. We were surprised that the path started to go downhill and were disappointed that we’d have to walk up a steep hill to get back home. After a walk that took longer than we expected, we approached a very loud town. We decided to stop in a coffee shop. We sat and talked about how this town was just as loud as Dharamsala, how it took way longer to get there than our roommate had told us, and how it just didn’t seem very peaceful. We finished our coffee and decided to “explore.” When we turned down the next street from the coffee shop, we found ourselves on the back side of Dharamsala. We had done a loop, missed Dharamkot and had been having coffee in Dharamsala not Dharamkot! We felt like idiots!

                So, we laughed it off. After all, it was a beautiful and calorie burning hike. We decided to try Dharamkot the following day and get lunch at the Peace Café. I enjoyed a tofu burger but accidentally ate a raw tomato slice! That is a major “no no” in India, only cooked veggies should be consumed because the water is so contaminated. So, I need all of your good tummy vibes and ju ju. It’s been 24 hours since the tomato consumption so I’m not too worried about it anymore. Plus, getting typhoid would just be another new experience, right? (Just kidding Mom, I’m fine)

                After that, I holed up in Seed, went to the book store because I’m blasting through books here,  moved to the downstairs room where I ate my rice and veggies and read all night. Sunday has been more of the same, we found the actual Dharamkot today. It was tiny and peaceful and we stayed there a while for a nice lunch while overlooking the Himalayas. On the walk down, we saw a group of about 15 monkeys. It was really sweet the way the mama monkeys carry their babies on their backs or in their arms close to them. I didn’t get near them or snap their photos, however.

                Now I’m back at Seed, overlooking Dharamsala, and thinking about how I got here. I feel like I’ve fought a lot of demons the past year. Anyone close to me knows that it’s been a year full of life changes and self-discovery. Today, however, I realized that the demons don’t need to be fought; they want to be remembered and carried with me. If I try to fight or ignore them by pushing them away, they will poke out their little pointy heads at inopportune times. They just want to be noticed and thus validated like anyone else. Today I realized that if I let them stay with me, I will remember them always but now in an appreciative manner. I picture them and say “thank you demons, you got me here, you have given me life experience and I like the road I’m on now.” I’d say, my demons and I, we have a pretty healthy relationship…

                I also have been doing some thinking about the people who, in my last year of self-discovery, have been my “rocks.” Self-discovery is the most painful growing pain I’ve even experienced in my life. Getting to know one’s own self from the inside out is horrifying and exhausting. There were times when all I could do was break down and cry from either terror or sheer pain. Every time this happened there was someone who dropped what they were doing and either held me or talked to me until I felt that the pain was manageable. This is where I would like to say thank you for helping me change my life and making me feel lovable. Mom, Jack, Nicole, Melissa, Royce, Chris B, Leon, Robin, Shane, Lori, Grammy, Stacy. Whenever I think about how I was feeling this time last year, I say thank you, thank you, thank you dear universe for those amazing people. All of you in your own way helped me get where I am right now. Where I am right now feels like the last stage of this particular healing process.  This is the part where I finish finding myself. It’s the part that I need to do alone and I am so glad that you were all on the road with me last year, walking me to India and to the town in the clouds. Namaste!