Namaste

I'm on the bus on my way to Playa Samara. Thank goodness I got on!

I woke up around 9:00, packed my bags, and searched the internet for a hostel on Samara beach. Vicki (hostel owner) got me a shared taxi ride into San Jose with a guy named David. The taxi dropped me off at the wrong bus station so I had to take another cab to station across town. It took FOREVER to get thru traffic, but I arrived around 11:45 - just in time for the bus that left at noon. I asked for a ticket and the dude behind the counter said a bunch of Spanish words that didn't make sense to me. From what he said, I understood, "no seats available on this bus and the next bus leaves at 6:30 p.m." ... so I got out of line and thought about it for a minute. I got back in line and asked him if there was another beach I could go to - ANY beach - right now. :) He was finally able to convey to me that I could get on the noon bus to Samara but I wouldn't have a seat. ohhh! It is a six hour ride, but I didn't care - I am READY FOR SOME SUNSHINE! I got on and the bus promptly left - LUCKY! Not sure how, but it worked out that I'm currently in a seat! I may have to get up if anyone else gets on, but I hope not! So far, so good!

Yesterday, I had orientation at the SAT Yoga Institute. I wasn't sure what to expect, as they were pretty unclear about what it was all about. It turned out to be pretty interesting. The orientation lasted about an hour and a half. It was given by a woman - probably in her late 30s or - who was married to the Yogi who started the institute. She spoke about their philosophies. They basically believe that people are reincarnated until they solve all of their problems - fragmented karma - of all of their past lives and relationships in those lives. You can attain this "personal bliss" only through meditation and thru transformation sessions with the head cheese. I met a cool guy, Jason, who had been traveling with is girlfriend for a couple months. He was really nice and told me about all of his travels in the Americas and in Asia. After the orientation, we all had lunch and I got to meet all the volunteers and other retreatants. Lunch was AWESOME. I was a little worried at first, because it was a vegetarian lunch, and I'm a total carnivore. But, alas, it was fantastic! All of it was very fresh. There were several dishes, complete with soup appetizer and freshly squeezed juices. After lunch, I walked back to my hostel for a quick nap. At 4:45, I caught the bus back into town, and attended a class on the 10 Traumas every human faces from incarnation to death. Most people never get over the first three (incarnation trauma, birth trauma, and helplessness trauma), but if a person can overcome, they are on their way to attaining pure bliss. Once you attain pure bliss and set your karma right, your soul is free and you go into the light. You do not need to be reincarnated ever again.

After the class, the main guy finally showed himself for the the biggest meditation session of the week. It was attended by retreatants, such as myself, by all volunteers, as well as by people from the community. I'd say there were around 30 people total, sitting in a semi-circle atop floor mats and others behind them in chairs with pillows. No shoes were allowed in the meditation hall, so people put on socks, blankets, and head covers. Volunteers set up a video camera and microphone; they dimmed the lights and lit candles, moved a large plant beside the mat that was facing the room, and finally set out a glass of water, all in anticipation of their leader. They started the music, and everyone sat silently for about 10 minutes until the yogi came in. Finally, in walks a skinny white guy with a gray ponytail, white linen clothes, and a large beard. He stopped, first, to pay his respect to the photos of gurus on the wall. He sat and, without a word, gazed around the room, looking every single person in the eyes. It was pretty intense. He spoke for about 10 minutes on the benefits of meditation. He then said, "Let's meditate" and again cued the New Age music. Everyone was silent and still for an hour. Afterward, he opened the floor for comments. Several people spoke of their experiences, of smells and sensations. Some were moved to tears because they had broken a new barrier and were closer to their personal bliss.

After class, Jason walked me home since it was dark. I got some Chinese carry out on the way. We arrived at the house and Vickie gave Jason shit, for apparently, he had told her he was coming to stay there a couple days ago but he didn't come and didn't call. ... Jason left promptly, and I guess I won't see him again. Too bad... he was cool.

I'm glad to be on the road again. I'm looking forward to sunshine and pina coladas. :)