LOOKING AT LA COTE SAUVAGE, THE WILD COAST
OF QUIBERON AND THINKING OF INDONESIA
Ever since leaving my friends, Pak Joe and
his staff at Bogor, I have been faithfully walking every morning.
As instructed by Pak Joe, I have begun with
brisk walking; slowly hope to advance through the coming months.
Quiberon is almost an island, connected by
a sandy isthmus to the mainland Brittany. It has a wild coast to it, and those
who understand marine history should know that the great sailors they have been,
The Bretons, had suffered and lost many souls along the wild coast, La Cote
Sauvage, with its huge swells and lashing waves and vertiginous rocks. It is a
beautiful site to behold. There are not many tourists outside the
June/July/August holiday season in France, it seems that the foreigners have
not quite discovered this beautiful spot. For reasons of budget and exoticism,
the budget traveller heads to Ko Samui or Sihanoukville, and in Quiberon you
very seldom see a backpacker.
This is a beautiful spot and after arriving
here on the 15th, on a short flight from London City to Quimper, I
have gone walking along the wild coast each and every day. First thing in the
morning, on waking up, I don my walking shoes and go for a brisk walk, with the
sea wind powerfully caressing and the smell of the sea and the distant Belle
Isle swaying in your vision. There is a sculpture of a Fish and a poem by Pablo
Neruda engraved on the stone …somos pobres Pescadores.. He implores.
I have been able to walk between 5 and 8 km
each morning, and just after one week, I began to feel a strengthening of my
body, and I know that I am on well on my way to the 5 kg loss I promised Pak
Joe before my next visit to Bogor, ojala! Soon…
My good friend in KL had said two things
that remain in my memory, after her return from the Yoga Institute in Bombay,
India
Without mindfulness transformation,
physical transformation is not possible
When the student is ready, the teacher
appears.
She introduced me to the Mind Part of the
Yoga Philosophy and I realized that when I was ready for the physical part, Pak
Joe appeared on Seat 1 B on that flight from Omaha to Los Angeles!
I received photos of my recent presentation
to the senior managers of the Bank in Jakarta on Health and Happiness,
facilitated by our good friend Pak Honggo. It brought back such sweet memories,
of talking to busy executives the need for changing the way one thinks about
humanity, to practise compassion and ending up with a nice lunch at Café
Batavia! In the heart of the old colonial part of the city of Jakarta.
Thank you, Teremah Kaseh, Nihun to all of
you…
