Chicago Tribune, Sunday, March 25, 2012 - Travel Section
The title of the article caught my eye - "A better place" (written by Josh Noel) - as did the picture of the yurts. "What's a yurt?", you may ask.
I first heard of yurts when Capt. SO and I toured a campground in Door County, Wisconsin that we thought might be of interest to The Three Musketeers' parents in lieu of tenting. A yurt is usually an eight-sided wooden structure, although some cheaper wannabes come in canvas. (You do not want a canvas yurt.) They are commonly one-roomed with a kitchen area and a bathroom.
The Chicago Tribune article was about a Bloomington, Indiana Buddhist retreat center called The Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center. At only $65.00 per night, the concept of deliberate, thoughtful reflection among the trees sounded peaceful and tranquil, two environmental qualities that really appeal to me. This, I thought, could restore centered thoughts to my otherwise scattered brain. As I read on, my excitement began to dim exponentially as I began each new paragraph. The article's author detailed a simply furnished yurt interior, complete with twin futons raised just a few inches off the floor, a skylight and a kitchenette. He states that "after a semi-restless night on one of those futons" he checked the cupboards for signs of food and found quick oatmeal in a cupboard.
For starters, I don't think I'd be able to walk after a night on a probably lumpy futon and I absolutely know I couldn't eat oatmeal that I found in a yurt kitchenette. After breakfast, the customary meditation time was scratched because the monks were away for the Mongolian New Year and a Bloomington rabbi was the guest speaker. After the hour-long presentation came the weekly vegetarian lunch, described by Noel thusly: "As we helped ourselves to spinach pie, a rice casserole and fruit, I noticed ants scurrying around THE TABLE (my caps to emphasize where the ants were) and across a sign that said, 'We have ants. Many, many ants. We don't kill ants, but let's not feed them. Please leave food covered and sealed.'
After reading about the "many, many ants", I decided that a weekend at this Buddhist retreat center might have, indeed, been peaceful......up to a point and that point, for me, would have been sharing my dinner table with "many, many ants" which I can report I would not find peaceful.
Simply not my cup of tea.
Ancora imparo
