Logistics

There was a fixed schedule to stick to: waking up at 4am, getting to sleep at 9:30pm. It was not easy to get out of warm bed (yes, August mornings are already chilly at this part of the world) at 4am and even less easy to fall asleep before 10pm. Some blogs I read claim really good quality of sleep when the exhausting day is finally over, but this doesn’t work for everyone. We were all exhausted but some could still hardly fall asleep. I tossed for half an hour on average, only followed by a full night of dreams so vivid that I could recall all details the next morning.

10 hours of meditation was scheduled everyday, either in the group mediation hall or at own room, according to instructions. Meditating outdoor was not allowed — although eventually you are supposed to be able to meditate in all circumstances, to be able to progress as a beginner, distractions are to be minimised. 6 official hours of sleep is too little for me and sitting for hours on the floor in whatever position was straining my back. Luckily no one checked when I “meditated” in room lying down

We had DELICIOUS vegetarian food!! For the 6:30am breakfast, oatmeal and date/raisin soup were served, and the 11am vegetarian lunch was absolutely delicious. I allowed myself one bowl of food at breakfast and lunch each. At the 5pm tea time, some fruits were served instead of dinner, and 1/4 of a small apple and 1/3 of a banana with some camomile tea was largely enough for me. I know some managed 3 whole fruits, which I totally could too on normal working days, but I figured early on that I wouldn’t be able to handle hourlong sitting on a full stomach.

I stayed in a room with two other girls around my age. In general the attendees’ ages range from 18 to around 70, with a significant proportion of young people — there goes my aspiration to pull down the average age. A number in their early 20s. The three-story residence is cut into male section and female section with separate entrances. Turns out K and I both stay on the middle floor in rooms with attached bathroom. We guestimated that they made the younger ones occupy the ground floor with shared bathrooms, like in youth hostels. The top floor, with one or two-bedded rooms was occupied by “old students” who have done this course before.

No sports were allowed but legs and back and shoulders did scream of pain all the time. So we took all opportunity to walk rounds and rounds and rounds in the garden like hamsters. Lovely green garden in August made it an enjoyable activity, with squirrels hugging onto their prized pine nuts, mice chewing on an apple fallen from the tree, flies stopped at the window ready to be grabbed by fingers— what Vipassana animals

I made the mistake of not bringing enough warm clothing, waterproof jacket or umbrella, which proved to be essential. Mid-August doesn’t mean anything in Belgium-Netherlands border: there was more rain than sun, more wind than warmth. Miraculously I didn’t fall sick. There were enough blankets in the meditation hall and in the room

Importantly I accepted to invest in my hard work without having to accept the theories of Karma and Past/Future lives. One does not have to alter any religious and cultural belief in order to benefit from practising dhamma. I appreciate the secular nature of this course. Indeed, there was even a Muslim lady in headdress who was there as an “old student”.

We enjoyed the course, lodging and food free of charge. The whole organisation runs purely on donations from past participants. We made donations at the end of the course to pass down the benefit to future participants.

Lessons

All lessons were conducted in audio recordings, in English and a local language, in our case Dutch. The teacher‘s name is S.N.Goenka, a successful businessman-turned-meditation master, passed away in 2013. Vipassana centres all over the world keep the exact same schedules and recordings from him. There are two local teachers who sat with us during group sittings, who teach absolutely nothing except answering students questions individually if any.

Every evening we listened to a discourse from Goenka, who explained the techniques and philosophy behind in a relaxed, storytelling way, inevitably with a heavy Indian-accent. Blessed with experiences of working with Indians, I understood well, and those who don’t would opt for local language translations. Together with Goenka’s off-tuned mesmerising chanting, this discourse constituted my only entertainment during these 10 days.

The practices were simple but not easy. An example would be to KEEP YOUR ENTIRE ATTENTION ON YOUR BREATH for the next two hours, without counting, deliberation in changing your breathing, chanting or thinking of any mantra. Just, simply, breathe naturally and focus on it! Later in the course we learnt the body scan, finding subtle sensation in each and every part of the body. I can see why people don’t get the point of doing this, but for me, it is a really effective way to train my mind so that I can gain control of it in other areas of my life.

Sitting for one hour without moving or opening eyes. This is also very difficult. Sometimes I succeeded and sometimes not. I learned to forgive myself when things were not working as well as I wanted them to. When my thoughts kept running away and wouldn’t focus for even a minute straight, I stayed unashamed. It is important to be able to forgive oneself before one is able to forgive others — lifelong lesson to acquire.

Noble silence was observed , meaning no talking was allowed. Of course exceptions were allowed when one has questions for the teacher or for the staff. Believe it or not the silence helps in quieting down one’s mind. Going through an entire day without talking has never been a problem for me, and I did appreciate the respect that everyone accorded to everyone else. Together we ensured the silence even though it was not easy for everyone.

When mood was right, I was able to focus on breathing for a reasonable duration and feel subtle body sensations all over. But that was NOT the objective of Vipassana. The real aim is to achieve an equanimity of mind, free from all cravings and all aversions, so as to free oneself from all sufferings. As a technique, Vipassana taught us to stop craving for desirable sensations and stop aversion of undesirable sensations, with the aim to eliminate all cravings and aversions in all aspects of life. I really agree with the theory that our sufferings come from cravings and aversions. Eliminating those will eliminate suffering and bring eternal peace of mind. At the theoretical levels, these are just words floating above our normal day to day life. But as Goenka says, without actual practice and many hours put in, we won’t be able to actually appreciate its significance. The surface of words is unable to justify the wisdom conveyed so I am at loss of words for this.

Why I liked it:

It’s been more than a month that we are back home and we haven’t stopped practicing. We made an effort to sleep from 10pm to 6pm everyday, waking up early to exercise or meditate. We try to meditate for half an hour before going to sleep as well. It really calms me down and sets me in positive light-hearted feeling to the day ahead. As an interesting side effect, we picked up jogging in the morning. For those who know us, we were famous in our youth for always being the last in the class for running. So it’s a late but welcomed change in our life!

Some are afraid that meditation is just a venue of escape from reality and the non-reaction to external stimulus makes one a passive individual, losing all motivation to thrive and to make an effort. I affirm that it can’t be further away from truth. Vipassana is realism plus workism (yes, employers have interests to encourage all employees to practice). It is about the recognition of what one is experiencing right now and the fact that the nothing is perpetual. It allows the mind to focus on working out the solution where there is a problem to be solved, without being bogged down by panic or worry. If nothing can be done about the situation, it also allows one to get passed the present sensation, excitement or sorrow, with the recognition that everything is continually moving on. There is no use in dwelling in the past.

Again these are theories that everyone knows. As we say in Chinese, I know all the theories, but I still can’t carry out my life as it should be. Well I think I have found one solution for myself: the art of living called Vipassana. I hope it continues to fill me with peace and energy that it has in the past month, so that I will be able to contribute to the society and spread the loving-kindness.

May all beings be happy.

Useful links:

To find out about courses all over the world
https://www.dhamma.org/

Courses in China are available here
http://ng.81355.net (a dubious looking site address, but a valid one^^)

As good Asians we should never devour a plate before taking a photograph of the platable, even in our most starved moments. As such we are accumulating an album of delicious food and drinks for your enjoyment. By no means does this include all the delicacies we had because if it does, we would have to go on forever:)

================= Food =================

Ceviche
The national dish of raw fish is featured in many Peru travel advice as a must try. With a sour, savoury and fresh taste, it instantly became my favourite.

Traditional-style ceviche as in the featured image is a cold dish comes with strips of fresh purple onion, chopped red hot chili and herb (suspected to be parsley), tossed in lime juice. A thick slice of sweet potato and thumb-sized juicy crunchy corns effectively relieves any tongue biting spiciness.

It goes without saying that the fish has to be very fresh. Otherwise one lunch of indulgence would turn the next day’s long distance bus travel into a nightmare.

Quinoa
First day on the 2km high sacred valley of Pisac, I came down with bad headache. I felt too nauseous even with the good old coca tea (banned in many countries due to its close relationship to cocaine, but supposed to be really good for altitude sickness). Fortunately a bowl of wholesome quinoa vegetable soup came to my timely rescue. It is such a comfort food in cold windy days.

Causa
Another traditional Peruvian cold dish although alarmingly similar to a sushi roll in presentation. The only difference from sushi appears to be the substitution of rice with potato puree. It can roll in anything from shrimp, chicken, cucumber, tomato, boiled egg, to assorted sauces, olives and pickles. We have had the luck to taste our self-prepared causas in the cooking class in Cusco.

Chifa
We have been repeatedly told, even by the cheerful staff at the Toronto check-in counter, that the Chinese food in Peru is a jewel. Chifa restaurants, named after “chi fan” or “have a meal” in Chinese, are found throughout the country.

We tried. And we miss Singapore and China even more dearly…

An order of “chaufa” always comes with a mountain of rice stir-fried in soya sauce with chunky chicken, cucumber, spring onions. While it is good for health that the taste is not so heavy, I start to miss my spicy and flavourful Sichuan dishes…My cubed chicken, my sweet and vinegar pork ribs….

Meat, Meat, Meat
Alpaca:  Cute chubby animal who produces steak way better than beef and pork, and wool superior to sheep.

Cuy. Cute little hamsters who became excellent Peruvian national dish.

Anticucho:  Grilled Beef Heart. Way too heaty.

Chicharron. Deep fried pork belly, chicken, fish, octopus… Original from Spain? Sure! But who does it better than the peruvians?

Adobo. Entirely different from the Filipino adobo, this version, again rooting from Spain, is a heavy meaty stew for Sunday breakfast. Known as the hangover food.

Salteña
Originated from Bolivia, it is also a favorite of Taiwan author San Mao who featured this food in her books. It looks exactly like a curry puff, but filled with beef stew, eggs, raisins. It is so juicy that half way the delicious soup will start dripping down your wrist. All the years of xiao long bao eating were for nothing!

Fresh Produce
Avocados, Bananas, Purple Corns, Potatoes (What? Aren’t they peanuts??)

================= Drinks =================

Pisco Sour
Pisco is a hard liquor made from grapes. Ice blended with lime juice and syrup, topped with beaten egg white at the end. A very refreshing alcoholic drink. The few dots on top form an essential part of the pisco sour identity.

Inca Kola
No. 1 soft drink in Peru. Coca-Cola couldn’t beat it. Therefore they bought it! Tastes like cream soda. I quite like it but Karsten prefers his Coca-Cola (yawwwwnz -.-)

Chicha Morada
My favourite drink! Made from purple corn mixed with some fruit juice (apple, pineapple, etc). Takes fresh and sweetish. I imagine it is a cooling drink too, perfect for all the meaty heatiness.

Chicha de jora
This is a fermented version of the chicha drink and more reddish in color. A less romantic name is “corn beer”. It is intensity is a random variable. I had it twice at the same picanteria. The second time (picture below) gave me a whole week of tummy problems – the worst of the trip so far.

================ Cakes, Sweets==================

Cakes
We had some of the best cakes ever in Peru. Moist and buttery. They are certainly generous with the use of cream and condensed milk.

Manjar
A creamy spread of condensed milk used in at least 90% of the Peruvian desserts. How sinful!

Step 2: Go to the bathroom which costs 400 pesos. Give a 1000 bill and get 6 coins for change. Leave them in pocket because you are too lazy to open the wallet again.

Step 3: Husband goes to the bathroom. You leave the three bags lying on the ground at his seat to your right, keeping an eye on them, hugging only your day pack.

Step 4: Two men in dark clothes take the seats at the table behind. One of them behind husband’s seat is a bit uncomfortably close to the bags. You do not bat an eyelid at their faces as you get sleepy. 10 minutes is a long wait and it is past 10pm.

Step 5: Suddenly a string of coins fell on the floor to your left. You shift eyes to the ringing sound. A man in black stands close by and gestures that they are from you.

Step 6: Thanking him on reflexes, you bend to your left to pick up the coins, despite half remembering that you have coins only in the RIGHT pocket.

Step 7: Did the small day pack slide towards man sitting behind your right, whose foot is stretching perhaps a little too much for comfort?

Step 8: Taking both day packs in your lap because you are vigilant, you decide why not BEND TO THE LEFT AGAIN TO PICK UP COINS!!!! (Worthy of a self slap here)

Step 9: Man behind stands up and starts to walk away. You are instantly alarmed by the space emptied by one big backpack.

Step 9: In a split second you are stricken by panic. If you immediately get up and run after the man, you run the risk of losing the other big backpack lying on the floor! If you don’t, you are definitely losing at least one backpack!! RIGHT NOW!!!!

Step 10: Be pleased as you choose to get the chase going. Catching up with him just five steps away at the cafeteria, take over your beloved backpack from his hand, with a murmur of “SORRY”(?!?! What ridiculous reflex?!?! Please slap yourself again). To your pleasant surprise, no resistance is met and the backpack is recovered successfully. Unfortunately there is no time to scrutinize his physique as there was but one question in mind: is the other bag still around????

Step 11: Turning back as soon as you have secured the three bags with hold, you can’t believe your eyes as the fourth one lies at the same spot on the floor. March back and devour the moment of triumph at your seat, accompanied by a pounding heart from panic. People all around seem unstirred with their chitchat, coffee and sandwiches. Perhaps a little more stare than 5 minutes ago? Is anybody aware of what just happened to the clumsy gullible lone Asian woman? Now everyone in dark clothes (black and filthy blue) seem suspicious.

Step 12: Never lose sight AND HANDS of the bags again until husband returns to find you in slight post trauma.

Congratulations on surviving a NEAR ROBBERY!!!