Dear Friends, Great Souls
I'm sitting here on the porch of a Buddhist retreat house in Phuket, Thailand. The sun's behind the clouds, which suits me fine as it's not too hot. The rainy season's finished but you still get the occasional downpour. When it's raining it's not unusual to see the ubiquitous 100cc motorbikes ridden one-handed while an umbrella is held aloft in the other hand. It's always warm and humid here with a wonderful lush array of tropical plants and papaya trees wherever you look. Today's great debate; shall I go to the beach, the internet cafe,  or to the pancake house. Or I could stay here on the porch and continue with Mathieu Ricard's Happiness, a guide to developing life's most important skill. 

He's a renowned Buddhist,  scientist and philosopher  and  reputed to be one of the happiest people on the planet.  So he is well qualified to write on this subject. He describes some techniques based on Buddhist teachings to get rid of the unhealthy desires and attachments which, whilst perhaps providing transient happiness, actually keep deeper and enduring joy at bay.  Of course there are well-recognised obsessions and desires like sex, alcohol and money, smoking, gambling and computer  games.  Then there are the more socially acceptable addictions like workaholism, jogaholism or even yogaholism.  Not to mention coffee or sugar (which may be the most common addiction in the western world).An addiction or obsession leads to physical, mental, emotional or social dysfunction and this book has some good techniques for dealing with them.

I've been on a stressful and demanding 4 week intensive CELTA course (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). And although there were younger and brighter brains on the course I did enough to pass.  Now  I'm spending 10 days at this  retreat (www.meditate-thailand.com )"decompressing".  It's 10 minutes from Kamala Beach and a few miles from the sin city of Phuket Island, Patong Beach.  I've chosen to stay around Kamala.  After all it's hardly congruent with a meditation retreat to visit the hot spots of girlie bars and transvestite shows.  And as interesting as that might be I've found a much better way of spending my money.  Massage!  OK - maybe I'm addicted. I had a weekly massage at an excellent spa in Phuket Town where I did the training course - it was my Saturday treat in a 7 day working/studying week. Here in Kamala on the west side of Phuket Island, it's a bit uncertain what exactly is on offer in the many massage parlours around.  But I have found a true centre of excellence.  And, of course it's very expensive, by Thai standards.  You can get a cheap and nasty in Kamala for 300 bhat (and I have), but the Kamala Royal Spa charges 1300 for one hour aromatherapy oil massage (as opposed to Thai massage which is far too painful for me). After a little haggling with the manageress "Ticky" (everyone in Thailand has a nickname -and the lady who does the cleaning at the spa is, coincidentally, called "Tok") we agreed a price of 1500 bhat (about £30) for 2 x1 hour massages.

I turned up for the first massage.  A shower, a steam and then an oil massage from Noni.  As I drowsed through the first half hour  Noni was still working on my back.  As the massage progressed I realised that Ticky had thought I meant 1x2 hour massage. I was hardly going to jump up off the treatment table and renegotiate! So I just relaxed into it. And it was great.  After the session, feeling very nurtured and relaxed, I knew that I needed/wanted/desired/ craved/ another 2 hour session before I leaveThailand on Wednesday.  So tomorrow (Monday) I have another 2 hour massage from Noni.

So it's Delhi on Wednesday, Rishikesh on Friday and back to teaching the children at Mother Miracle School - in it's new premises.   I have learnt so much about teaching in general and teaching English in particular.  I already held teachers in very high regard.  They now occupy the angelic realm in my thinking. I'll not be returning  to my almost-luxury flat but to a small room in
an ashram near the school. They serve "morning tea" at 5.am, although I know for some of you that seems like "middle-of-the-night" tea. Breakfast at 7, lunch at 1230 and dinner at 7.30. Well it's going to be different.  And the discipline and change will be good for me.  As mom used to say "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
I  just hope it's not too late for me!
 
It's pouring with rain now - one of those warm tropical storms.  I think I'll take the umbrella for a walk to the pancake shop.

lots of love to you all

Stan