Date: Thu Jul 20, 2000
Subject: Message from India

Hi Folks,

This is my third attempt (and hopefully a successful one) to send y'all a message. It seems I've worked out how to send mail now, so may this message be blessed in it's journeys...

We (Alicia and I) have been in India for almost two weeks now and are settling in well. Here's a brief summary...

Delhi - arrived 10pm which was a good time to arrive when the overnight minimums are over 30... traffic lights which say "relax", polluted air, hothothot... checked into an overpriced hotel room (as they are in Delhi)... Trains booked out for five days due to end of school holidays, so we decide to escape Delhi by taxi via Mathura (Krishna's birthplace) to near Agra where we can get a train booking to Varanasi...

Aaah Varanasi my second home - not quite so hot as Delhi and much more spiritual and generally bearable. Great to see Guru-ji again.

Guru Purnima on July 16 was a special day - visited Guru-ji along with many other old students and presented many gifts, including "ESL Live! Jay Asu Babu" CD and a CD player - he appreciates the CD "too much" - very successful and all vocalists have "very perfect tuning". That night was a lunar eclipse which was not visible due to overcast conditions (monsoon season and all) - but very festive in that many people bathed in River Ganga at start and end of eclipse and meditate on the ghat (next to river) in between.

Lessons have been great - in only a week I've learnt some subtle distinctions in sounds and improved my fingering and playing some fast stuff already - very good lessons. My new tabla, while more expensive than expected, sound great, particularly the bayan which is much better than any I have at home.

Alicia and I moved into a new room yesterday in Hotel Elena, right on the river, with a little private balcony. The last place, while 90% great with very nice family was very loud (neighbours' TV late at night and electric water pumps early in the morning). This new room is heaven - Ganga view, very big, private bathroom, comfy bed. More luxurious than I've had in Benares before. As it's low season it's a good opportunity to take advantage of a Rs400 room for Rs100 a night (about $4).

We've been hanging out with a Spanish/Basque couple called Luis and Maria lately. Luis is a percussionist of 20 years experience who plays many types of percussion, with many different musicians and is now taking MiniDisc recordings in India for his music and wanting to learn some tabla - we have very similar ideas and stories. I think MiniDisc and accessible computer music software is giving many people around the world similar ideas about sampling sounds of the world for music...

Anyway, better go...

Love Shen
Aum Mani Padme Hum