Monsoon Rains and Phone Stuff

Since then, we've been getting a lot of rain, so I've been staying home and doing a lot of reading. I've been reading Dzongsar Khyentse's commentary on Chandrakirti's Madhamakavatara, quite a mouthful for you non-Buddhists! The weather has been changing for the better though. It's been a lot cooler. When I first got here, it was so muggy and hot. I felt like I was sticky all the time. Another big improvement was a power strip I bought. I wasn't able to use any of my electronic stuff here at the guesthouse as the outlets don't fit western style plugs. Now I can use my computer at home, which is why I can get this blog going again. It's rather tedious to sit in a cafe all day writing all this stuff out, while the waiters keep trying to ply me with expensive food and drink. The place where I can get wireless is kind of spendy compared to other local eateries or internet shops, but until I know of another place to go, I'm stuck going there to load up my blog. Now I can write out everything at home, which will save me a lot of time and money at the cafe. By the way, I've found out that making calls to the states only costs me 4 rupees a minute. For an hour on the phone, it would cost 240 rupees, which is about $3.50. Since I'm living on a tight budget, I can't make tons of calls, but I can call my friends every so often. If you're wanting to talk to me, just let me know in an email, and I'll give you a call. I also have a cell phone here. My number is 9803470841. I think the international prefix you need to call me is 00 977. My cell phone is a pay as you go kind of thing, which is very cheap for local calls. I have no idea what it would cost me to call you, or what it would be when you call me, so for now only use this number in case of emergency. I don't have voicemail on the phone yet. I'm also curious about how much it will cost to send text messages. For those of you who are interested in texting, call your provider and ask how much it would be for you to text a foreign country, and let me know what you find out. I'll find out from the place I bought the phone at how much it'll cost to receive a call from or make a call to the States, or send texts, and I'll let you all know what I find out. And like I said before, Skype internet phone is another possibility, free for you, and less expensive than calling on a normal phone for me.