I got the 9pm train from Jhansi which was going to be a 33 hour journey all the way to Goa.I figured because I was going to be on a train for nearly two days I should buy a book to chomp into to entertain myself,and what better time when having the Indian countryside at your window.I bought a book called 'The Monk who sold his Ferrari' by Robin Sharma.My first night on the train I met a nice family who fed me snacks all evening.Although they couldn't speak English and didn't have a clue who I was they kept showing there young baby to me,which must of been a fright for the poor kid as he kept crying.The second day another family arrived and asked me if I could move to another spot so they could sit together as a family,which of course I obliged.I was moved to a section with all lads,5 Muslim guys from Singapore and Malaysia and a nice guy from America called Ronny who has been travelling for 1 year and 9 months,his main port of home was Goa as he opened up a few businesses there to fund his travels,which seemed to make sense.Why not fund your travels by working,constantly ticking over your budget? That night we ate some of the Muslim guys food,but it had been sitting at room temperature for about half a day,so I was a little wary with my chef mind on.Ronny was going to a little place near Anjuna so we decided to get the train to Thivim,get a connecting train then get a taxi all the way there.Ronny also told me about a friend of his called 'White Dove', I ask him why he is called that,and he said I will know why when I see him,I was curious now.
On the train to Thivim I got to see out of the open door to see what Goa was like in the countryside,my jaw was dropping at the views,it was so tropical,with palm trees,marshes and lakes,so much green everywhere it was incredible,I had a feeling I was going to like this place.Ronny told me about a guesthouse in Anjuna called Paradise,which was on my list of hostels to stay at.I walked through to the back and there were 3 or 4 hammicks in the garden,I ask the manager how much for a room she says '500 rupees' but I thought if I said I was staying for a week I could get her down to 400,in doing so I stacked it on the floor as the floor was slippery from the monsoon weather,I think she felt sorry for me and accepted 400 rupees.That night was a Saturday,and apparently a local bar called 'Curlies' was open,and one of the main hangouts in Anjuna.
So me and Ronny arrange to meet up later on and go to Curlies,to see what Anjunas night life has to offer.Upon to getting to Curlies we meet his friend 'White Dove' who was an older man in his 50s I guess,with long wavy hair,a whispery beard and a long white robe,now I knew why he was called White Dove.Curlies is a giant open beach hut on the edge of the beach,the sea right infront of you.It had a big open floor space on the bottom,with plastic chairs,many families and a general chilled out feel,an upstairs that has many seated cushions on the floor,which has an Arabic feel to it,and a small room which has tall windows,and totally neoned out like something from Tron,this was where the DJs did there magic.But with the families and just the vibe it didn't really feel that clubby,and Ronny said that it had turned quite commercial,which was expected I guess with all the attention from across the world.A normal Kingfisher beer here was 70 rupees which is about 80p,so I figured I'll let my hair down a bit seeing as I hadn't really drunk anything while in India.Although the family touch was nice as it was a friendly atmosphere,I felt it took away from what Curlies was meant to be,at least in my eyes coming from clubbing mad country like England.Ronny and White Dove go to there house and come back in an hour or so,leaving me to mingle with the locals.I walk around for about half an hour and it seems nobody was interested,until I come across an empty space,so I pluck up the courage to ask the lady next to it if I could sit there which she said yes.We got talking for a good hour or so,her name was Ruth from England,and she had been in Goa for about 15 years.Looking into the little neoned room there was nobody in there but a huge Indian guy who was dancing away in all kinds of funny shapes,I thought to my self that man must be in the fucking moment,he was loving it and didn't care he was on his own.
The night progressed I was really enjoying the music,it was nothing like some of the commercial trance we have in the UK,it was darker and more Psychedelic.After being away from anything clubby I felt like I was right back in the UK,but instead I was in Goa at some beach hut with the most amazing Psy-Trance and totally random people that I'd just met,it was a great feeling.
The following day I finished all of my book 'The Monk who sold his Ferrari' and to tell you the truth it was a little cheesy,and a tad extreme in the teachings.But the messages and the ideaology was speaking to me like nothing I have seen before.It taught you how to redress your mind,by meditating, practising yoga,thinking positively,and training your mind to control it,and not let it control you.It also mentioned that you have to focus on a job or hobby that you love doing.For example I worked for the same company for 8 years,and gradually it was beatng me down,I hated it,and I hated the company I worked for,and eventually I cracked and quit my job to go travelling.I love travelling,it is something I enjoy doing because it makes me feel free,to be able to go from destination to destination,meeting many amazing people that effect you in such a way that you will always remember them fondly,and also not knowing what you are going to get up to,one day you could be partying away at some beach hut party in Anjuna,or another be on some mountain in the Himalayas.That is total fucking freedom.So I ask you,do you do something in your life that you love doing,that you're passionate about? If not then find it,because one day you will not have that luxury.I'm not going to be all preachy and shit,because that's not what I'm like or what this blog is about.But I will tell you a short story that is in this book that will stick with me and hopefully with you too.
This is a tale called 'Peter and the magic thread'.Peter was a very lively little boy.Everyone loved him:his family,his teachers and his friends.But he did have one weakness.Peter could never live in the moment.He had not learned to enjoy the process of life.When he was in school,he dreamed of being outside.When he was outside playing ,he dreamed of his summer vacaion.Peter constantly daydreamed,never taking the time to savour the special moments that filled his days.One morning,Peter was out walking in a forest near his home.Feeling tired,he decided to rest on a patch of grass and eventually dozed off.After only a few minutes of deep sleep,he heard someone calling his name 'Peter,Peter! came the shrill voice from above.As he slowly opened his eyes,he was startled to see a striking woman standing above him.She must of been over a hundred years old and her snow white hair dangled well below her shoulders like a matted blanket of wool.In this womans wrinkled hand was a magic little ball with a hole in the centre and out of the hole dangled a long,golden thread.
'Peter',she said.'This is the thread of your life.If you pull the thread just a bit,an hour will pass in seconds.If you pull a little harder a whole days will pass in minutes.And if you pull with all your might,months-even years-will pass by in days.' Peter grew very excited at this discovery.'I'd like to have it if I may?' he asked.The elderly woman quickly reached down and gave the ball with the magic thread to the young boy.
The next day,Peter was sitting in the classroom feeling restless and bored.Suddenly,he remembered his new toy.As he pulled a little bit of the golden thread,he quickly found himself at home,playing in his garden.Realizing the power of the magic thread,Peter soon grew tired of being a schoolboy and longed to be a teenager,with all his excitement that phase of life would bring.So again he pulled out the ball and pulled hard on the golden thread.
Suddenly he was a teenager with a very pretty young girlfriend named Elise.But Peter still wasn't content.He had never learned to enjoy the moment and to explore the simple wonders of every stage of his life.Instead,he dreamed of being an adult.So again he pulled on the thread and many years whizzed by in an instant.Now he found that he had been transformed into a middle aged adult.Elise was now his wife and Peter was surrounded with a houseful of kids.But Peter also noticed something else.His once jet black hair had started to turn grey.And his once youthful Mother whom he loved so dearly had grown old and frail.Yet Peter still could not live in the moment.He had never learned to 'live in the now'.So once again,he pulled on the magic thread and waited for the changes to appear.
Peter now found that he was a 99 year old man.His thick dark hair had turned white as snow and his beautiful,young wife Elise had also grown old and passed away a few years earlier.His wonderful children had grown up and left home to lead lives of their own.For the first time in his entire life,Peter realized that he had not taken the time to embrace the wonders of living.He had never gone fishing with his kids,or taken a moonlight stroll with Elise.He had never planted a garden or read those wonderful books his Mother had loved to read.Instead,he had hurried through life,never resting to see all that was good along the way.
Peter became very sad at his discovery.He decided to go out to the forest where he used to walk as a boy to clear his head and warm his spirit.As he entered the forest,he noticed that the little saplings of his childhood had grown into might oaks.The forest itself had matured into a paradise of nature.He laid down on a small patch of grass and fell into a deep slumber.After only a minute,he heard someone calling to him 'Peter,Peter!' cried the voice.He looked up in ashtonishment to see that it was none other than the old woman who had given him the ball with the magic golden thread many years earlier.
'How have you enjoyed my special gift?' she asked.Peter was direct with his reply.'At first it was fun but now I hate it.My whole life has passed before my eyes without giving me the chance to enjoy it.Sure,there would have been sad times aswell as great times but I haven't had the chance to experience either.I feel empty inside.I have missed the gift of living'
'You are very ungrateful' said the old woman.'Stil,I will give you one last wish.' 'Peter thought for an instant and then answered hastily. 'I'd like to go back being a schoolboy and live my life over again.' He then returned to his deep sleep.Again he heard someone calling his name and opened his eyes 'Who could it be this time?' he wondered.When he opened his eyes,he was absolutely delighted to see his Mother standing over his bedside.She looked young,healthy and radiant.Peter realized that the strange woman of the forest had indeed granted his wish and he had returned to his former life.'Hurry up Peter.You sleep too much.Your dreams will make you later for school if you don't get up right this minute,' his mother admonished.Needless to say Peter dashed out of bed on this morning and began to live the way he had hoped.Peter went on to live a full life,one rich with many delights,joys and triumphs,but it alll started when he stopped sacrificing the present for the future and began to live life in the moment.
Unfortunately the story of Peter and the Magic Thread is just that,a fairytale.We here in the real world will never get a second chance to live life to the fullest.Today is your chance to awaken to the gift of living-before it's too late.Time really does slip through your fingers like tiny grains of sand.Let this new day be the defining moment of your life,the day that you make the decision once and for all to focus on what is truly important to you.Make the decision to spend more time with those who make your life meaningful.Revere the special moments,revel in their power.Do the things that you always wanted to do.Climb that mountain you have always wanted to climb or learn to play the trumpet.Dance in the rain or build a new business.Learn to love music,learn a new languageand rekindle the delight of your childhood.Stop putting off your happiness for the sake of achievement.
Reading that book was a huge eye opener to me,for example what do I love doing,and why am I not doing more of it,my only answer to that is laziness and getting into a daily routine of being miserable,fuck that,I'm going to live my life now and not what can maybe happen tomorrow.So today my plan is to hit the beach,take a dip in the water and see the flea market that they have every Wednesday and Saturday.Anyone can have a stall at the market and sell whatever they want,and it only costs 100 rupees to have.
Over the last 4 days in Anjuna I became friends with the waiter/restaurant manager called Beebek at this hostel,he's just 19 years and from Nepal,he's always smiling,always playing some R'n'B music on his phone and singing out loud to the cheesiest songs.He was telling me that for 17 months he has been working here,he hasn't had a single day off,and gets paid a measly amount of just 4000 rupees a month,which is about £46.I felt so sorry for him,but I guess he loves what he is doing,and gets to meet all kinds of people.Just one day off a week can't be much to ask for though.
Over the past few days I've tried meditating everyday to see if I can switch off,and control my mind.I find it hard to switch off,as I tail off and think about random things,apparently you have to sit down in a silent room,with your legs crossed and your back straight.Try emptying your mind and just be silent for 2-25 minutes and just concentrate on your breathing.Over the next few weeks I will see if it has worked.
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