Jnani
Pure Consciousness does not have arms, legs or a mouth to speak of Its existence. Luckily, the Jnani who is no different from consciousness, by His own experience, describes what and how that state is.
My alarm was ringing at 04:00 early in the morning. I spent 15 minutes more in bed, slowly waking up. Everything was already packed, I just needed to put my clothes on and brush my teeth, stowing the last things in my backpack. I walked to the kitchen to prepare a coffee or chai, Kabir was already there and made a chai. With our chai, we sat together for a while, still 30 minutes before the taxi would pick me up.
I had a really beautiful time here with Kabir and the dogs, Bhagwan and Akela. Another farewell in my life, at least for now, we will meet again here or there. A taxi was honking outside. I got my backpack and walked out through the front door. The taxi was in the back, so Kabir asked him to drive back to the road. We hugged one last time, and then I left, driving down to the airport in Dabolim.
After 45 minutes we reached the airport and I paid the driver, it was 2000 Rupees (€22). There was a little queue outside, the first check for passport and ticket. Inside the airport, I found easily my check-in counter for IndiGo. The airport’s integrated terminal was inaugurated in December 2013, the old one where I was last time opened already from 1966 for civil aviation. I checked in, and the weight of my backpack was only 11 kg. They asked me if I had a return ticket from Sri Lanka, I showed it to him on my phone. Then I had to proceed to the security check. I put my backpack in the tray, it was scanned and not accepted. So somebody from the security staff opened the bag and asked me to remove all electronics. There is my laptop and the charger for it, and a power bank. He asked me if I had a lighter inside the bag, but I understood if I had a letter and said no. The second run for my bag through the scanner. It was not accepted again. I removed two lighters from the bag and he then found my pocket knife. What a mess, I forgot the knife, and I lost already several knives in my life at the airports. Then I could proceed to the gates, it was a beautiful knife.
The airplane was not even 50% occupied, two seats next to mine were empty. It started in time and it took me 1 hour 30 minutes to Chennai. In Chennai, I had to proceed to International Travel. I passed the security check the first time. At the immigration, they just asked me if I had been to Tiruvannamalai and I agreed. Just saying that I have been in Sri Ramanasmaram is enough to avoid further questions. About Tiruvannamalai, they knew from my previous Visa declaration.
The boarding was in time and the flight took me 1 hour 20 minutes. In Colombo, Sri Lanka I left the airplane and proceeded to the baggage claim.
I got my luggage after a while and then I just had to pass the immigration. I was expecting some questions, like how long I want to stay and if I have a return ticket. But she just scanned my passport and stamped it, not even looking at me. The next step was to buy a SIM card for my phone. No, first I needed some money, there was an ATM. I have withdrawn 20.000 Rupees (€65). 1 Euro in Sri Lanka is 300 Rupees. And I got it all in 1oo Rupee notes.
200 notes by 100 Rupees
There were two counters for SIM cards, Airtel and Hutch. I chose Hutch and got a SIM card with 125 GB and unlimited calls for 3000 Rupees (€10). The guy changed the SIM card in my phone and configured it. That’s pretty cheap here and I had immediately an Internet connection. There were taxis available, I wanted to go to the railway station and take a train to Kandy. The price was 6700 Rupees (€22), it takes 45 minutes. He offered to bring me to Kandy for 16.000 Rupees (€52), but I decided to take a train and it was a good choice, you have a beautiful view from the train, and I like trains. We reached the train station.
The railway station of Colombo, platform 9¾
I had to queue up to buy a ticket at the counter, but it proceeded quite fast. At the counter, I asked for a first-class ticket but it was not available. I only had a third-class ticket without a seat reservation I could get. It is Friday and many people are going home to Kandy after working the week in Colombo. I had to wait for one hour, but the train arrived 30 minutes before leaving again and was full immediately. I found a space in the dining car, but no seat. After 30 minutes the train left the station, loud and shaky. It will take 2 hours 45 minutes The doors and windows are open on the train, it is very humid. Then the rain started for a while. It is not rainy season, people said it must be climate change, it rained for several days already. I was in contact with a nice guy on the train, his name was Azwar. We shared a seat, sometimes he was sitting, sometimes me.
Beautiful landscape in the mountains
I arrived in Kandy at 18:20
I left the trainstation. Pringi wrote that I will be picked up in front of the station. Srimal, Pringi’s husband was there. We drove then to his house in Riverdale Gardens, a beautiful calm place just 10 minutes outside the town.
I am in a beautiful private home here with Pringi and Srimal, their daughter Keshi and Pringi’s father. We talked for a while, sitting on the big balcony. I was very tired after the long travel and left for my room. Time to rest and sleep.
No responses yet