And

Rewalsar Lake is a toxic kelly-green. Prolific algal growth due to an over abundance of organic material forms a thick layer of slime on the surface of the water. The few resident ducks hesitate at the water's edge, "to enter or not to enter." What would t heir ancestors think: their great-grandparents who swam so freely and enjoyed tasty fish without the green-algae gravy. The lake sits at the bottom of incredibly steep pine-forest slopes; the rain washes everything straight into the water. There is no one to pick up the trash that litters the street and mountain paths; nor is there anyone to clean up cow dung and dog doo. And, with no water treatment plant to be found, where does human waste go when you flush the loo? Down, down, down to the green-slime lake. Yes, the lake is sacred. People honor this place with such devotion that Belief, if nothing else, affirms what is Holy. My pulse rate drops to a snail's easy crawl and my breath, am I still breathing? Walking here feels more like floating and my mind is quiet and joyful. But the lake is green and smelly; the monkeys are fierce and Backstreet Boys are still on the top-10 chart. This is Rewalsar Lake. Kelly-green toxic and Sacred.