travel update from here and now

Hello Everyone y Saludos a todos tambien, Well, I am still here in Vilcabamba now. From this particular point in the known universe, it appears I will be staying for a while. The Immigration authorities of La Republica del Ecuador have graciously consented to my request for a visa residencia, and I will soon have my ‘green card’ and be a permanent legal resident of this fine country. I will be required to vote or I’ll have to pay a fine. Well, my travels will be somewhat curtailed. I am required to reside in the country 9 months per year and if I am gone for more than 90 days, I must begin the process over, or get a note from the principle or something…I dunno what. This is the price one pays for living legally in the world of Mara. To be legal means to do what you are told. To be “free” means to consent to do what you are told. I try and try to listen but I never hear a word I’m told. Still, I feel good. That has to count for something; right? I remember one time when I was in Malaysia waiting for the train to go to Thailand. Thinking I am free, more free than I ever was before. I have a mental photo of me standing there waiting with my backpack leaning against the wall. I never have felt so free since or be-fore. The Indian monkey trap works like this: you put some mashed banana in a small gourd with a small round opening. Chain the gourd to a tree and wait. When the monkey smells the banana he will put his hand into the gourd to get the banana. When he closes his hand around the banana, it will not fit out the hole. If he does not let go of the banana mush, he will be captured. He will become frantic as people approach. He can of course get away…but only if he lets go the banana pulp. He can let go, but he can’t. He soon realizes what buddha had always held to be true. Grasping and clinging are the cause of all suffering. One can be free or one can be rich. Only a monkey thinks he can be both. The good news is that I like it here. I go through stages of feeling trapped or committed or attached and it is a sensation not unlike anxiety. I just live in this magic place. I sit in my garden, feet flat, thumb touching thumb, back strait, I just sit there and breathe in and out. Like Emperor Nero in a sudden downpour. What a great place this is to be right now. Nothing stays the same. One of the illusions of time is that things aren’t changing right now. But in actuality, right now is the only time anything ever changes, or ever has changed. So if your thing is how you like it, enjoy. If not, wait. Either way, it is not going be like this for long! I reckon I am doing more enjoying than waiting! I feel fit. I bought a new pair of blue jeans. My first Levi’s in 10 years. Size 32. Brand new Levi’s 550’s for $16.00 I am walking a lot and my old tired body is complaining about the past. It has issues of its own which the heart and mind have long ago forgotten. Suddenly I find myself thinking “Maybe I am an old Cowboy; cuz this sure as hell ain’t my first Rodeo”! I have been trying a new position for sitting meditation because my hip is painful. I do not want to pamper myself or turn my “old tuff guy” into a cushy-tushy marshmallow man, but my hip hurts when I meditate for an hour. I am still meditating but experimenting on other positions. So since last October I have only been in 2 countries, with no end to this drought in sight. Not travelling is a little like going on a si-lent retreat. Let me explain: whenever I go on a long retreat, about the 2nd until the 4th day, I get a lot of angry ego stuff in my head. I think the people in charge are fools. This is a stupid way to line up for meals. Why are we doing this? Why are we not doing that? And if one gets through all that without the display of unpleasant emotion, everything transforms, and becomes the light of wisdom. If the Mujahidin sur-renders to the “Will of Allah” and stays mindful and observes how God’s will unfolds he is transformed into “one who knows”. But if the Mujahidin surrenders, to the darkness, if one stamps ones feet and wants to leave, in the instant one forgets ones aim, that moment’s energy is never transformed. It is instead held in place to form a dark cloud like a bruise in an otherwise clear sky. A shadow falls over the land and the Jihad is lost. So…I am liking this guest house shtick more, as time goes by. Hmm “before” I didn’t like it, but “now” I do. I am not attached to the results like I was. I am convinced I am doing the best I can considering the circumstances and instead of being uptight, I am just accepting the way things are. The place is full for the first time. I like everyone here. The offices have a chiropractor and an Alternative Therapy MD. I cook and bake for the guests. For me, this is fun. I bake breads, rolls, granola, and empanadas. I like using ingredients I never used before. I am into camotes (purple sweet potatoes), whole wheat and barley for pilafs or in soups or salads, plantains and tons more stuff that I am unable to call to mind right now here. So we are now on the verge of the rainy season. It should soon be raining almost every day for a couple of hours. We must wait and see. Just because things have been this way, does not mean they will always be. One must wait and see. Wait and see. I am waiting as you can see…Trying to stay dry, trying to laugh at it all, and trying to get my hand out of this trap with a little banana to eat… Peace and Love to all of you, Roberto Mochilero “Laughter relieves us of superfluous energy, which, if it remained unused, might become negative, that is, poison. Laughter is the antidote.” George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff " I would say to my fellows, once for all, As long as possible live free and uncommitted. It makes but little difference whether you are com-mitted to a farm or the county jail.” Henry David Thoreau “A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” Roald Dahl