Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Dogs, Dogs, Dogs......

Hello again,

In many parts of the world there is an abundance of dogs. In Sri Lanka for example there is one dog for every 8 people. A sustainable ratio is 20:1 and we are way beyond that number. It's an interesting relationship that people have here with dogs.....it's mostly just co-existance. Many people don't seem to have much of an emotional connection to dogs and you see the whole spectrum. Occasionally there are healthy dogs with a collar and then you see starving, mange infested dogs sleeping on the street in the middle of a busy intersection.
The other major problem is that almost no one fixes dogs here. Of course the cost is a barrier for most people. This leads to dogs and puppies everywhere, including here at Rocky Point. When dogs go into heat they make a ton of noise and the whole neighborhood is kept up.
So, the other day we found a solution. We finally found a vet on the island who has a team of people who travel around and fix dogs. They have done 300,000 so far and want to do 1,000,000. We hired them to come here and help our neighborhood. We had no idea how many dogs would show up, but when the word got out, people kept bringing them. In the end we did 28 operations.
It was really great to see a positive solution and they will come back anytime. If we get at least 20 dogs it only costs about $10 a dog to get them fixed, have a rabies shot, and mange shot.
Lets hope that this puts dent in the dog population around here. Have a great day and as Bob Barker always said on THE PRICE IS RIGHT, "remember, also neuter your pets."

Monday, January 11, 2010

Mystery Chanting

Vishnu's Couch.......

Lotus Throne.....

The Thinker......
Hangle Dangle......
Floating Paschi.....

Hi Folks,

The other night I was awoken at around 3 AM to the sound of chanting. There was an obvious leader doing a call and response Buddhist chant. There must have been at least half a dozen people chanting because the sound carried through the jungle easily and it was extremely clear. They continued until dawn without pause. It was really beautiful to lie in bed and listen to the voices carrying through the jungle night.

Now I am not exactly sure what it was for, but I was told by the Sri Lankan folks who work here that families will often hire monks for various reasons.....if a family member is sick, someone dies, a serious crossroads is reached, etc. Now that is something that I don't think happens in America. Maybe the next time I need some help with something I'll hire some monks to come sit in my backyard and chant all night. I don't think my neighbors in Portland, OR would mind.

Other than the occasional evening monk chanting, our routine here at Rocky Point is pretty steady. The weather has dried out and we've had some beautiful sunny days the past week. It was really hot, humid, and less breezy the first few weeks I was here. I can't believe a month has already passed!

I have also been teaching lots of Partner Flying Yoga classes and doing an occasional Thai Massage. The photos are of me and Gaby flying on the beach next door. Sending lots of warmth and metta from the southern tip of Sri Lanka.

Jacob

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

A few happy folks at Rocky Point.....

An ancient bodhi tree.......

Fishing boats of Tangalle...


Flag on the Galle Fort Walls.....

Hi Friends,

I wish you all a happy and healthy 2010. Here we had a nice evening with an AcroYoga performance and some belly dancing. I have a 10 minute video but it will take hours to load so I'll do it later. We also had a little dance party afterwards......and everything was over by 10:30. Then a group of us went down to the sea for a dip in the water. Blessings, Jacob