I took the ATV out and drove it to the gas station. I love that drive. It’s always peaceful and I’m always shouting and hollering the whole way. Feeling the wind blow through my hair. I have no idea how fast I’m going because there is no speed gauge, but it’s probably 40 mph. It feels like 70 though. I found out the hard way a few days later that the brakes and steering don’t work so great. Ouch.
After I got back to the cabin I decided to head out on another one of my runs. Normally I just start running and take new paths without any specific destination. It’s always an adventure. There’s always something new to see and some new fruit to eat. I don’t pass by very many people on the way down the city, which is nice.
However, today I set my sites on a new destination. To me it was just the gorgeous lake that lay ahead of me, but it’s name is the Ram Pool or Bikrat Ram. It’s a crater lake and it receives all of its water from either rain or an underground spring. Fun fact: the first piece of art created by humans was found their and I think it’s called the Venus of Bikrat Ram.
Well, I knew that I wanted to get there, but didn’t know how. Fun! I started running down my usual path. Past the campsite. I took a left towards Masade and ran straight down to the city.
After taking a few back roads through farm land I finally found the lake. If I wasn’t already out of breath…it would have been taken away.
This tranquil lake shimmered against the sun. One of the great things about it being a crater lake is that you are automatically cut off from the city. There were a few people by the dock. Young kids having fun. There was one speedboat taking a spin through the water. I walked down to the flattest area I could find and sat down on the the largest rock. I took off my shoes and socks and just laid out there. Opening up my lungs and soul to the world around me. I decided to wade into the water, but I didn’t feel like swimming. I just wanted to feel the water against my skin. It was warm and the large amounts of algae on the rocks below my feet felt like my personal carpet.
I got back on the rock and turned on my shuffle. Looking for songs that would fit my mood (while still being on my workout playlist)
I listened to Zion I’s song, Coastin’
“See my eyes reflect in the sky. I feel so divine giving thanks I’m alive”
And Jake Miller’s, “I’m Alright”
“I got life, I got love
I got faith and that’s enough
We feel sorrow, we feel pain
But there’s sunshine after rain
So I’m alright (you’ll be fine, take it one day at time)
You gotta keep goin’, never give it up
You only live once, might as well live it up
Every breath I take is a reason to believe
That the finest things in life, came to me for free”
I had to say goodbye to my Canadian friend David. David and I have bonded ever since Chris and Yan left. It’s just been him and me every day. Chillin’. He’s a great guy. He read 5 books in just those two weeks here!
We introduced each other to music. He’s a big heavy metal buff. Not my thing, but I try to always be open. He introduced me to his favorite bands, Iron Maiden and Rage Against the Machine, as well as Viking and Pirate Metal. Yes, those are genres. I actually like Tom Morello’s super liberal outspoken activism. We watched some adequate movies. Talking throughout them by pointing out plot holes and making predictions. Oblivion, Taken 2 and the Great Gatsby (I actually liked the latter).
It was David’s last day and we realized there was a restaurant only 20 feet away from the lodge. Seriously. That would have been helpful the day we only had pita and hummus in the fridge! Anyway. We got there a half an hour before it opened and I decided to look around. Guess what we found? An art gallery! Jackpot! I love art. It’s so fun because even though we are all looking at the same world, nobody looks at it the same. We walked inside and I asked David what his favorite piece was from one side of the room. He told me he liked the painting of the room that we were in because it contained several pieces. I told him that I loved two pieces. By this time the artist had walked up and was standing a few feet behind us. I told him that I loved this portrait of this teenager. You could feel the intensity of his character throughout the painting. His piercing eyes and clenched jaw. How his curly hair, synonymous with his ethos, could not be tamed. His face broke out of the utter blackness behind him. When I asked the artist who this was, he responded, “that’s me when I was younger.” Oh! Hahaahaa! I hope he wasn’t offended by my analysis.
I went to the next painting I loved and told David that I loved how kind and gentle the portrait’s eyes were. He told me that this was a photograph of a woman that he had seen in art booklet (he showed me the booklet) and told me that he used purple paint on yellow canvas. The lack of color gives this painting an intimacy due to it’s stripped-down nature. The colors don’t get in the way.
I stepped into his workspace and looked back at him (asking with my body movements “can i go in?). He said, “head on in.” I took a step in and was struck by this painting of a young boy. I asked him, “did you draw this?” He told me that he drew it because his son didn’t believe that he could paint as a realist. Hahahaa! It’s a phenomenal painting.
His daughter had started a painting of the band Gorillaz (they famously depict themselves as cartoons)
Finally. Here is a virtual tour of the lodge. Some of what I’ve been doing and what it looks like because I wish you could all be here with me and I want to share this beautiful place with all of you.
ACTUALLY WATCH IT (at least some of it)
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