Retreat in the Heart of Darjeeling

Isn’t she beautiful? Minerva, or Pallas Athena, the goddess of truth, has had a temple of worship here in Bath before the time of Christ. Her statue was ensconced in the inner sanctum and is found there at this UNESCO site.

You can walk right up to the golden face of Minerva where she once stood presiding over the healing warm water that springs from the earth and is still in use in various spas there today. The spot seems special as it is in the lower recesses of the site and there appears to have been a narrow channel where the water may have flowed from the life-giving Mother Earth as priests tended the altar. People from every walk of life enjoyed access to the healing water. I loved the feeling in Bath.

The local tours are also exceedingly fond of depicting the years when Jane Austen lived there. The Jane Austen Center is replete with guides in costume.

Who is the guide in this photo?

I don’t want to bore you with selfies but we did also go on a search for hobbits and I thought one might live here.

Nope. But it was an exciting day as our guide on the Cotswold Village tour accidentally left a fellow traveler in a village and had to go retrieve her while we ate lunch. When I’m with people touring India this is a challenge and I find I’m constantly counting heads. Tip: always show up on time when the guide says to be at the bus. Just saying…

Speaking of India, I’m back!

I think it would be impossible to create a greater contrast than to go out amidst the horns, dogs, traffic, colors, and liveliness. Already we are meeting with people who ask for prayers. Jaspal put a new ad about the violet flame in today’s paper and someone made a time to come over right away.

Namaste.