Friday, November 22, 2013

Boudha Stupa from the east, restaurant rooftop, napkins, umbrella, Boudha, Kathmandu, Nepal

Rescued from death on the street, a shocked baby rat eating Tibetan Bread, burn dump behind Tharlam Monastery, Bodha area, Kathmandu, Nepal

Rescued from the street in front of the Bodha Shrine at Lamdre in 2007 Dumbfounded Tibetan bread watching the rat having a bite....

What rat when eating looks anything other than happy? He was so relieved.

I spotted him when Tashi Paljor and I were carrying the Sakya Lamdre t-shirts back from the taxi who refused to drive us into the Monastery because he had another fare.

I helped Tashi carry the bags - I was covered with sweat and dirt so I took a shower - hoping that rat would survive, and ran back to the street to find him - I urged him out of the traffic into the foot traffic - he tried valiantly to enter the gate - but there were too many feet and he could not see well enough - it was all moving too fast, too loud, and no safety.

He was just a baby, and could only hop. He had hopped into a concrete corner right next to the entrance to the shrine - under the gate to the right where the coolies sit. He was terrified of the foot traffic and vehicles. They didn't even notice him.

He was badly dehydrated.

So I asked to borrow you know a small black garbage bag - and sure enough through hand signs and intuition one guy right above the rat pulled out a small - to medium sized black thin garbage bag. I move him aside, and when they saw the rat - well you know what would happen. They are as non-violent as I am, an old meat eater.

Between the coolies and me we urged the rat right into the bag, in sort of motherly commanding tone, I said - get into the black bag, it is safe there. He hopped in. Then I carried him, like a turd, away from me, around the stupa 3/4's and to the garbage dump behind the Monastery where he could feast on blessed bread and slightly rotten orange juice which I dripped onto him from above like some freakie good tasting mana-rain.

I was afraid that it wasn't going to be enough when I carried him to the garbage dump - he didn't respond for a long time.

www.ratbehavior.org/RatYears.htm

Apparently rats see color much differently that do we if you explore that site. They smell things real good though, which is what happened when I soaked this bread piece in orange juice and placed it right in front of his nose, dripping orange juice on him.

By now I thought he may have died, but at least he had a better life. If he is still alive, he is a wise old rat.

Update: World notifier - the day he died he thought of me, and remembered his life - it was raining in Boudha - I saw his wet street through his fond eyes. Since it was raining in the vision I checked it online and indeed it was raining just like he showed me it was. That rat had it so good he lived a very long time for a rat.

Boudha Stupa, aerial view of the wish fulfilling chorten, Bodhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal