Shillong

Shillong

I visit the Buddhist Monastery. There are two or three, but this one is towards the south, up the mountain. And I think, this is one of the best places in Shillong. As always or mostly, Buddhist Monasteries have often a very good location. Also silince can very mostly experience, and in this case, wonderful silince. At the outside area the monks created a very nice resting area with benches and tables, best for any meal or conversation and the view is spectacular. All the city of Shillong lays down of the temple and the mountains surround the city. Just great.
I went twice, second time the temple was closed, afternoon, but i could deliver some food, bananas and pumpkin for the monks.

I actually, because there are this many Christians in Shillong and Meghalaya, I wanted to see a church. Any time I came along a church, it looked close…..

And then I meet Ivan. He currently lives in a Hindu temple. He starts the conversation by for me a surprising topic …..Are you one of the Jehovas Witnesses or do you know, how to find them? I had a talk with them and I want to meet them again…..
One or two days later we meet again. A short visit at the small Hindi temple, Hindus are in a total manority here in Meghalaya, then he had planed to surprise his parents with me as an unaspected guest. Therefore he hires a taxi and we drive about 6km to another part of the hilly city. Shillong is a perfect city to invent a public cable car transport system. Often there are traffic jams, but because the city is not that huge yet, but I guess its about to come, its the right time now.
Ivan grew up with his (about) 6 siblings in this very nice, typical mountain Meghalaya style, house.
Surprisingly the partents are not there. His brother, who opened the door, rushes back in his room to study.
So, for Ivan, who already finished his studies with best grades, the situation is a bit awkward. He had also planed to convince his parents to host me. I had bought some pineapples (they are available in Meghalaya again), to eat with the whole family. We bridge, after some waiting, the time with cutting and finally enjoying some of them. After maybe 1 1/2 hours, the family comes back from visiting some relatives from further away. The home gets busy with all his other grown siblings, the mother and father. A short greeting, redused to a minimum, from everyone. The father comes for a short but listening conversation. He has to go soon for another visit. Ivan walks around, a bit nervous, because he already sences some uncomfortable atmosphere towards him. Finally its clear, that Ivan will not be able to convince his father.
The sisters are cleaning in front of the fenced small entrance area of the house, the car, which nearly does not fit in it. Its remarkable, no one of them talkes a word. Its completely silent. I never have witnessed a complete silence as here, while doing the clean up, including some washing, also the tyres. Finally the father sits in the car. Everything is still happening in silence. Fascinating. We are leaving, to get back by taxi.
Ivan is a bit sad, not only because his try to host me, failed. But also, because he had this really good results at school and university, somehow he does not get enough attention and respect….
Ivan senced, that it would be right, to host me privately, respect to him. Thank you.

Before I leave Shillong I pick up some more money from the bank. Even though I somehow have still enough, it maid be good in this Corona times?!?!