possibly the longest ten days of my life

Weeee-eeell, after a challenging start to my trip to Myanmar, I made it all the way to the Dhamma Mandala Meditation Centre in the foothills of the mountains outside Mandalay. Somehow, and at this stage, I actually have no idea how, I made it through eleven days of silent meditation. Now that I've returned to the dust and noise of Mandalay, I feel pretty darn good, perhaps even calm and (you will so rarely hear me say this...) peaceful.

But who wants to hear about being uplifted by a wander along the path of dhamma? No-one! You want to hear about the trials of eating fourteen million variations of lentil stodge (but only before noon). You want to know that I had a complete meltdown on the first day and begged to leave and was somehow convinced to stay. Or perhaps you are interested in the fact that I now know for certain that it is impossible to chew the tip of your elbow? Those transgressive types might ooh and aah over the fact that I broke many rules. I wrote in my notebook in the bathroom. I took anti-malarial tablets all the way through and started taking painkillers on the last few days when sitting crosslegged on the floor for twelve hours a day and sleeping on a plank started to take toll.... So much whining I could do. I don't think I am entirely cut out for the ascetic life. Probably one of the reasons that Noble Silence is instituted is to keep people like me quiet. Had I posted this blog on Day 6, it would have been one long moan.

Anyway anyway, I struggled mightily with the meditation for most of the way through but the people I met when the talking started were extraordinarily kind and I was overwhelmed by the friendliness and goodwill of everyone there. I've made some friends in Mandalay and am going to sally about town with them. Will no doubt have vast amounts more to say about the retreat, the lovely people, the dictatorship... but right at the moment, my brain is slightly addled and my readiness to ramble inanity might just get the better of me. Furthermore, my belly is empty, and I need to eat something. It's afternoon, and this will be the first time I've eaten solids after midday for eleven days. Woo-hoo! And if I can somehow avoid a lentil stodge surprise, all the better.