Day 100 - Reflections & Rants
Monday 22nd October 2018Day 100! What can I say? I remember way back on day 22 having a mini meltdown because time was flying by. It went something like this...
...I find myself strangely disturbed by the fact that we have less than a hundred days left of our trip...
I went on to randomly list the things we needed to do. Here, on day 100, let's see how we are getting on with said list:1. Run up mountains - if staggering up mountains beneath the weight of huge rucksacks counts as "running" then I think we can safely tick that one off the list. ✅2. Climb things: Pretty sure we have done that one ✅3. Stare into middle distance and say 'Om,': We've said, "Ooo!" a number of times, "gosh!" and "Eeek!" are definitely in there and "DUCK!" (NOT the feathered variety) has been used a disconcerting number of times and Zounds!" has appeared at least once but, "Om", never. ❎4. learn to play the penny whistle: Hmmm! If murdering the theme tune to Captain Pugwash counts then ✅. If not... ❎5. See everything there is to see: Define "everything." ✅Well the time certainly has rushed by, it really will Soon be Christmas and, as Mrs P's brother rightly says, we will all too soon be back in the UK with Mrs P complaining that the holiday was not long enough (and probably that the heating is not set high enough too).Have we lived in the moment? - We try toSlowed down? - DefinitelyDo we savour every second? - Except the scary bits, I like to think so.Is it even possible to actually fulfil these karmic cliches that every person who travels, kicks back or otherwise reflects on their lives bandies around like so much hippie dippy confetti?Perhaps in order to check all of the above boxes you must, shave your head ✅; live in a cave in the Himalayas (make it a nice house in the Himalayas and I'm in); wear only red and orange (I look great in red and orange) ✅; eat nothing but that which falls from the nearest peepul tree (If there are cows, chickens and pizza ovens up that tree, not a problem) and change your name to Lama Boddhidharma Rinpoche (I've never been particularly attached to my name so pass the deed poll forms...).
ASIDE:
The Buddhist name Anurak is the name of the male angel in Thai mythology.
The English name Anorak is the name of the male found, notebook and camera in hand, on most train stations.
And how have we celebrated day 100? Had a lie in. 8am. Decadence at its highest; Eggs, beans and fried bread for breakfast. Not exactly a Full English but needs must when the Devil drives; went climbing (no real surprises there).
Will this mini reflection on the last 100 days change those remaining to us? Probably not but I do now have a craving for pizza.I can definitely say that we are having a great time. (No work, what's not to like?) We live in a small 3 metre by 2 metre box and haven't killed one another yet. In fact we probably get on better now than we did 100 days ago. And who says we have to go home on day 120 anyway?
ASIDE & RANT ALERT! I'm currently reading a book about the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) at Dunkirk where, in less than 3 weeks during the summer of 1940, more than 330,000 British, Canadian, French & Belgian troops were evacuated from Dunkirk beach as German troops advanced.Written in 1955 by a serving Naval officer it's a fictional account based on first hand stories from troops who were actually on the beach.Why is this winding me up. Because, back in 2017, I went to see that travesty of a film, Dunkirk. I raged about it after I saw it and now, reading this excellent book, the memory of this dire film is winding me up all over again! It is time to vent.
I shall simply refer you to this review (click on the link) of the film that sums up my feelings exactly. To my mind the film is an insult to those who lived and died during those weeks.Maybe I should stick to Asterix the Gaul books in future. No historical inaccuracies there.RANT ENDS