Rocky Point's Revenge

Who remembers the movie Airplane with Chevy Chase? Did you have the chicken or the fish? Then the shit hits the fan and people start getting really sick on the plane...pilot included. If you haven't seen it check it out sometime.

Here at Rocky Point the question is who ate the salad?......and the answer is everyone. Last Friday night we had a going away party for two people who have been part of our family here since the middle of December. We planned a special meal followed by an evening of dancing that included Sufi, Bhangra, Bollywood etc. Several guests volunteered to prepare dishes so the whole meal was cooked by foreigners. It was primarily Indian and we had chick peas, potatoes, some steamed beets with their greens, a yogurt cucumber dish and a grated salad that was made with mixed veggies. We set the table beautifully and several people shared some blessings. The food was served and we were all excited for the evening.

I am not kidding when I say that it took less than 30 minutes for all of us to start dropping out of sight and crawl back to our rooms. Everyone who ate got sick. It was amazing how virulent the bacteria was. Explosive Diarrhea for 24 hours. Saturday was like a time warp. By Sunday most people felt okay but my energy is still lagging today (Monday) . I think that I lost like 10 pounds of water weight in no time.

After some investigative work it has been determined that the salad was the problem. Apparently it was made in the afternoon and left out. Whatever was in the salad had time to multiply exponentially until it hit our stomachs. An honest novice mistake that we will all remember for a long time. Just follow the local example and you'll stay healthy....but let the foreigners in the kitchen and watch out.

I think by tomorrow all will be be back to normal. Life in Sri Lanka continues with the No Problem pace and outlook. Thanks for reading the blog and I'll send more soon.

Cheers, Jake

Photos:

The first two shots are of Rocky Point. The next shot is our nice table before the onslaught and finally a local temple.

Tea and Crackers....

Hello all,

Life here continues and I am actually finding myself settling into life in Sri Lanka more and more as the weeks pass. I especially feel that way when I find myself bumping into local people that I have meet. Today is a market day.....and what a spread. Veggies, clothes, every type of plastic item you can think of, colorful spices, mysterious fruits etc.

I have also become friends with a local Muslim family here. A week ago I got a ride back to Rocky Point in a tuk-tuk (three wheeled taxi) and the driver spoke great English. He had lived in Saudi Arabia for 13 years. He went there for 10 months each year to work so that he could support his family here. He would come home for 2 months and then return.

So, yesterday a friend and I can to town on poya day....aka full moon day. Everything is closed and it was cool to see the town center quiet. You could actually walk across the street and not have to dodge various moving objects following completely random trajectories. As we walked around we suddenly heard our names being yelled. It was Haafeel, the tuk-tuk driver. We started chatting and then a tremendous rain storm began. So we cruised with him in the tuk-tuk and did a few things and then went to his house. We spent several hours having tea and teaching them how to play dominos and backgammon....he had games that other visitors had given him as gifts.

The pictures....first a shot in a National Park....then my outdoor bedroom in the men's dorm, third a river shot with some people bathing, and lastly the jeef in the national park.

More stories soon......

Jacob

Civil War in Sri Lanka

Hi folks,

It is crazy to think that on this tropical island there is a civil war. The people I am with and the locals that I have gotten to know are all kind beautiful people but not too far away people are killing one another. The violence has sparked in the last month or so and we will definitely keep a watch on things. I am very happy that I am living at this yoga center and not just wondering around the country. Life here for the local people is difficult too. Inflation has gone up a lot because of the war......the price of goods has risen more than 30% in the past couple weeks. There is tremendous poverty and most families are living on less than $2 a day I was told. Very sobering. This is the exactly where I am supposed to be at this point in time. May you and all the Sri Lanka people have a peaceful day. Much Love, Jacob

Tossing the Disc

Hello faithful readers......

Despite what you might have heard in the news I am safe and sound here in Sri Lanka. As of the 16th the Scandinavian peacekeepers all left the country and the government of Sri Lanka has withdrawn from the ceasefire agreement but don't worry we are still doing out practice daily and sitting in meditation every night. Last night in particular was a very good sit for me. I had one of the deeper meditative experiences yet.
Last week I also went to a national park nearby called Yala. Seven of us went for the day and we took a jeep safari into the jungle. Beautiful landscape with....water buffalo, spotted deer, mongoose, green tailed beecatcher, blue tailed beecatcher, wild boar, asian flycatcher, elephants, and much more...just no leopards. The flycatcher has very long tail feathers that look like a black and white streamer blowing in the wind when it flies.
Other than that trip we pretty much just hang around rocky point and stay within a couple miles of the yoga center. A trip to town once and a while and maybe a meal out sometimes but if you don't want to leave the center you don't have too.
The crew of folks who are here are wonderful and we all have seemed to been sucked into the lifestyle here. Most people are here long term and if they are not they change their plans to make it that way. I've been practicing my flick on the beach too with a guy from SF and I am looking forward to playing some ultimate this spring in Portland.
Yesterday we also had a nice workshop with Prem. (the yoga teacher) He shared his life experiences with Ashtanga yoga, Ayurveda, and Tantra. He has been practicing for over 30 years.
I hope you are all well and the next time I write I'll include some pictures. Many blessings. Jacob

Italian Bodies

Hello folks.....

If you'll recall I was heading to a Sri Lankan movie the other day. Myself and four other people from the yoga center all decided to go see a fun movie with lots of singing and dancing etc. We were two men and three woman. We walked in the movie joint and I have to say that it was a spectacular auditorium. We got balcony seats front row. I also have to mention that we were the only patrons except for two separate Sri Lankan men.
The movie started and the title was Italian Bodies (?) . The scene opens with a view of a European castle and the camera pans across and then zooms in on an upper story window. The scene is a woman in a large bed with lots of silk etc. Then another dark haired Italian woman enters the scene. Instantly they are embracing and kissing passionately. One woman steps back and drops the nightgown she is wearing......that's when the yogis looked at eachother and burst into laughter.........we decided to leave at that point.

So apparently they had switched films a day or two earlier. Instead of the singing and dancing we walked in on a porn. Very funny indeed. I guess we just didn't pay attention to the posters outside and no one bothered to ask what was playing. A couple other folks had seen the other movie a few days earlier and we just assumed it was still playing.
It was a great laugh and makes for a very good story.
Blessings to all. Jacob

Pictures of Rocky Point Sri Lanka

Me in the jungle on a rock outcropping.

Body surfing on a neighboring beach.

This bay is a short walk from Rocky Point. This is the bay we swim across after practice and before breakfast.

A typical meal of rice and curried veggies.

So my computer skills are improving and I figured out how to compress the pictures on my camera so that it only takes a few seconds to upload. Stay tuned for more photos.

Cheers, Jake

Some Pictures of Sri Lanka....

Here's a headstand on the beach....next time I'll rotate it ahead of time...it took forever to upload this photos so I'll do more later...I am off to see a Sri Lankan movie..cheers, Jake

Nuts over Coconuts....

Hi again,

Life here continues as we move into 2008. All is well here and some new people arrived the other day so that is always nice to get some new energy into the mix. The other night we went into town and had another amazing meal with the family that Prem helped out after the tsunami. It was a feast of rice and curry....all eaten with our hands. Most of the meals I eat are with my hands....I like touching the food I consume. After the meal we pushed the table aside and some of their friends came over with instruments and played some traditional Sri Lankan music. We all danced and laughed and I got some great pics. I promise that I will post some soon.
Everything here is related in one way or another to the coconut. It makes it's appearance in many food dishes either in the flesh or as milk. I also am eating one just plain every day. It is very delicious meat and extremely nourishing. I have also been getting into these little handmade dough pockets that are stuffed with potatoes and spice and then fried up....very good. Tomorrow several of us are off to see a Bollywood film called No Problem Darling...more details soon. Blessings to all....jake

Sunshine Coast

Howdy folks.......

Life here got hot today.....I think that we are having a little heat wave within an already hot climate. When the sun comes out and shines on you directly it is just plain hot.....the sweat comes out pretty quickly and soaks everything....therefore I wear as little clothing as possible. Usually just some flip flops and shorts. Otherwise all is well here and the practice continues to change. The other folks here are wonderful and I am learning lots. THe teacher who is here (Prem) has been studying for 30+ years and this winter his teacher (Gary Lopedota spelling? ) is actually here too. There are lots of stories about Ashtanga yoga floating around....especially stories from those first trips to India in the 70's.
TOnight we are heading to Prem Restaurant. After the tsunami Prem helped a bunch of families here. He emailed people in his network for help and the $ poured in.....he just passed it along to lots of familes. One family in particular that he really got to know had a restaurant before the flood. He was able to give them enough $ to rebuild their home/restaurant. We go there several times a week to eat.,....it's delicious and just like a home cooked meal. This afternoon I am going a couple hours early and helping prepare the meal. The restaurant is in town which is a short ride from ROcky Point.
I am definitely settling into life here and I am excited to really dive into everything during the next couple months. Maybe tomorrow we'll go to a Bollywood film that is in Sinhalese.....it's always fun to watch movies in another language.
Have a great day and much love from Sunny Sri Lanka. Jacob