12 hours in a bus from Dharamsala
18 hour layover in Delhi
9 hr flight from Delhi to brussels
2 hr layover
8.5 hr flight from Brussels to Philly
4 hr layover
6 hr flight to Sacramento
= 59 hours of travel.....
I have 7 hours to go!
I arrived in Philly with 6 hours of sleep in 3 days, definitely culture shock, but a fiercely positive attitude. It's sure been interesting...
I left the parched, ancient and depleted soils of India, and felt my heart squeeze as I said Goodbye out the plane window to a land of color, celebration, and chaos. It happened. I fell in Love with India. And one day, I will return.
Flying into the US took me by surprise. The first thing I noticed was the haze of pollution, and I realized... Ugh. It's everywhere. Then I deboarded the plane... First impressions? Drab. Grey and white; grey and white. Uniforms; regulations; grey and white. BUT, I also noticed smiles. The customs agents; immigration officers; and security ALL had a jovial and lightheartedness that I realize was not common in a country heavy with burden. Sarcasm; wit; conversation; happy... Warm. Americans may not have much of a culture we call out own, but I realize that humor, joy and play ARE aspects of our culture that aren't as common in some other countries. Not in the lighthearted way in which I am seeing people play now. Exciting to have a new perspective on my own country. As the days unfold, new impressions will come. Perhaps I will keep blogging....;-)
It's only been a few hours, I'm tired, and in some ways I miss India... But it feels good to be home.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
A fond farewell
Well the time has flown.... And in two days I begin the journey "home", to the USA. For the last three months, I have had the blessing of making these Himalayan mountains my home.... It has been wonderful. I have done many hours of yoga and meditation; made beautiful friends from all over the world; eaten many chapatis; pet many cows and goats; exchanged smiles with red cloaked monks; sung bhajans; played in the rain; eaten mangos; and thoroughly enjoyed this precious experience in another culture. I love India.
And....
I'm ready to go home. I miss nutritious organic food; green veggies and dark chocolate. I miss clean toilets with toilet paper; cars that don't honk their horns; and men who ignore me when I walk by. I miss fresh air, and earth without garbage on it. I miss my boyfriend.... Friends and family.
On Monday, I take a bus to Delhi through the night. I arrive in the morning and spend the day in Delhi and then fly out on Tuesday night. I fly for about 32 hours, with a relatively quick stop in Belgium so I can grab some waffles... Then I arrive into Sacramento wednesday night, approximately 12 hours in the past. Whew! Long journey.
I am so thankful for this rich time, for it has truly been an adventure both within and without. Thank you all for coming along with me!
Goodbye Asia!!! I love you!!
And....
I'm ready to go home. I miss nutritious organic food; green veggies and dark chocolate. I miss clean toilets with toilet paper; cars that don't honk their horns; and men who ignore me when I walk by. I miss fresh air, and earth without garbage on it. I miss my boyfriend.... Friends and family.
On Monday, I take a bus to Delhi through the night. I arrive in the morning and spend the day in Delhi and then fly out on Tuesday night. I fly for about 32 hours, with a relatively quick stop in Belgium so I can grab some waffles... Then I arrive into Sacramento wednesday night, approximately 12 hours in the past. Whew! Long journey.
I am so thankful for this rich time, for it has truly been an adventure both within and without. Thank you all for coming along with me!
Goodbye Asia!!! I love you!!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Misty Mountains
Blog:
Down to the last two weeks of this 6 month adventure... How fast time has gone. It has been such a rich and deep adventure, both inside and outside. I had planned to spend these last two weeks up in Laddack, but have had a change of plan. As much as I would love to see those rugged mountain peaks, I feel compelled to stay here in dharamsala. I have a stronger desire to stay put and not travel. I'm quite happy here... It's beautiful, I have community, everything is familiar, and I am still studying yoga at the iyengar center. I enjoy the place I stay, and all feels well (perhaps it is a deeper part of me who is ready to stop traveling and root down a bit).
The rains have finally come.. We had a teaser a couple weeks ago, and then sunshine after (not complaining). Yesterday, it rained all day and today too. The mountains are shrouded in mystical fog and look far steeper than they did before. It's stunning. I haven't been able to capture it on camera.. Sorry! For those of you familiar with Maui, it looks like the Iao Valley. Those lush green peaks surrounded by eternal mists...
The iyengar yoga still continues to amaze me, and I am finding continuing depth in it in all of my bodies.
I am scheduled to enjoy an ayurvedic massage today... Ah, yes, I remember those good ole days of having a massage everyday... Why did I ever stop that?!
Well, most of you I will see very soon... Happy July 4th! May you all know the freedom that is inherently yours... Your birthright... It is who you are...
Down to the last two weeks of this 6 month adventure... How fast time has gone. It has been such a rich and deep adventure, both inside and outside. I had planned to spend these last two weeks up in Laddack, but have had a change of plan. As much as I would love to see those rugged mountain peaks, I feel compelled to stay here in dharamsala. I have a stronger desire to stay put and not travel. I'm quite happy here... It's beautiful, I have community, everything is familiar, and I am still studying yoga at the iyengar center. I enjoy the place I stay, and all feels well (perhaps it is a deeper part of me who is ready to stop traveling and root down a bit).
The rains have finally come.. We had a teaser a couple weeks ago, and then sunshine after (not complaining). Yesterday, it rained all day and today too. The mountains are shrouded in mystical fog and look far steeper than they did before. It's stunning. I haven't been able to capture it on camera.. Sorry! For those of you familiar with Maui, it looks like the Iao Valley. Those lush green peaks surrounded by eternal mists...
The iyengar yoga still continues to amaze me, and I am finding continuing depth in it in all of my bodies.
I am scheduled to enjoy an ayurvedic massage today... Ah, yes, I remember those good ole days of having a massage everyday... Why did I ever stop that?!
Well, most of you I will see very soon... Happy July 4th! May you all know the freedom that is inherently yours... Your birthright... It is who you are...
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Palums
A couple of girls were walking down the path eating juicy looking purple fruits. I asked what they were and they said, "palums". OK, Palum... I decided to keep my eyes open to find these exotic fruits so I could try one. A few days later I saw a boy selling strange palums. He gave one to me and at once I felt silly, knowing exactly what they were... Plums! Ha! Palums...
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Triund trekking
Blog
After 2 1/2 months, I finally got around to hiking Triund today. It's the typical tourist trail, which everybody hikes when they come here. As much as I love to hike, im surprised I waited so long.. But the time was right. I had the day off from yoga and the sun was shining and not a cloud in the sky; so I seized the moment and hit the trail. I picked up a furry mutt along the way and coaxed him to come with me (Er maybe he coaxed me into letting him come... He was quite willing!). The "4 hr hike" up, took only 2 hours.. And we arrived just as the clouds rolled in, literally, within minutes of seeing the view. It's very beautiful with snow capped jagged peaks glaring down from Himalayan heights. I hiked around the top for a little while, surprised that the ground was very earthy.. not so rocky. The grass was short and very soft and it felt good on bare feet. Strange to me as the grass is so stiff around most parts of the lower areas. Not something I like to sit on. The grass was all freshly mowed from the local mountain top dwelling cows and horses.
There are some small tarped "restaurants", and I got a hot meal for myself and one for my four legged friend, and we ate together admiring the view. Then the rain came. About 10 people and 6 dogs huddled up in a 6x6 shelter (the restaurant), and waited while the thunder ripped through the air around us and the rain fell. After a short time I decided to brave it. I had a suspicion that it was only going to get worse; so I threw on some layers, popped the umbrella, and started down. It sprinkled the whole way, but wasn't too bad. I sang most of the way down as I merrily made made way back to town.
I love these incredible mountains, and all the magic they hold... These luscious green hills in the prime of their youth. What splendor of nature...
And it's still raining..
After 2 1/2 months, I finally got around to hiking Triund today. It's the typical tourist trail, which everybody hikes when they come here. As much as I love to hike, im surprised I waited so long.. But the time was right. I had the day off from yoga and the sun was shining and not a cloud in the sky; so I seized the moment and hit the trail. I picked up a furry mutt along the way and coaxed him to come with me (Er maybe he coaxed me into letting him come... He was quite willing!). The "4 hr hike" up, took only 2 hours.. And we arrived just as the clouds rolled in, literally, within minutes of seeing the view. It's very beautiful with snow capped jagged peaks glaring down from Himalayan heights. I hiked around the top for a little while, surprised that the ground was very earthy.. not so rocky. The grass was short and very soft and it felt good on bare feet. Strange to me as the grass is so stiff around most parts of the lower areas. Not something I like to sit on. The grass was all freshly mowed from the local mountain top dwelling cows and horses.
There are some small tarped "restaurants", and I got a hot meal for myself and one for my four legged friend, and we ate together admiring the view. Then the rain came. About 10 people and 6 dogs huddled up in a 6x6 shelter (the restaurant), and waited while the thunder ripped through the air around us and the rain fell. After a short time I decided to brave it. I had a suspicion that it was only going to get worse; so I threw on some layers, popped the umbrella, and started down. It sprinkled the whole way, but wasn't too bad. I sang most of the way down as I merrily made made way back to town.
I love these incredible mountains, and all the magic they hold... These luscious green hills in the prime of their youth. What splendor of nature...
And it's still raining..
Monday, June 18, 2012
Just to check in
Beloved friends and family... I am still alive :-) I just have not had too much to write about. I am fully emerged in yoga and meditation, and have fallen into a daily routine (which feels really healthy and balanced... Imagine!). I still have two weeks here in Bhagsu/Dharamkot, then the plan I to head up north around July 2.
The monsoon season is allegedly on its way, but the forecast continues to promise sunshine and temperatures in the 80/90. I'm not bothered either way... The sun is wonderful, but the rains bring such freshness and settle all the pollution down. The pollution is by no means that of other lower areas of India.. But as the temp goes up, I notice the smoggy foggy coming up too... ICK. BUT.... T- one month until I breathe relatively clean air.. I bought my plane ticket home. I leave July 18th and fly into Sacramento where Ben will be waiting for me. For now, however, I am here. And I still Love it here. What a blessing to have this time. Yes, I am very grateful.
Love you all! You are in my heart always.
The monsoon season is allegedly on its way, but the forecast continues to promise sunshine and temperatures in the 80/90. I'm not bothered either way... The sun is wonderful, but the rains bring such freshness and settle all the pollution down. The pollution is by no means that of other lower areas of India.. But as the temp goes up, I notice the smoggy foggy coming up too... ICK. BUT.... T- one month until I breathe relatively clean air.. I bought my plane ticket home. I leave July 18th and fly into Sacramento where Ben will be waiting for me. For now, however, I am here. And I still Love it here. What a blessing to have this time. Yes, I am very grateful.
Love you all! You are in my heart always.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Deep Practice
I never made it to the Dalai llama... :-)! After all that wait in line to register, I didn't even go and see him. I started a yoga intensive on Thursday, the first day of his teaching which continued through each day he taught. When I signed up, I didn't realize his teaching would end so early (3pm). My class ends at 1:30 and it's a half hour trip to McCloud Ganj. So... I decided it wasn't worth it. There were 5000 people and I wouldn't have been able to see him, but on a screen. I also didn't have a radio, which you need in order to hear the English translation. Ah well... I don't feel like its necessary at this time anyway. He was giving an intro to Buddhism... Maybe if he was talking about the end part (enlightenment) I would be more interested... :-)! ... (g)
I haven't had much to write about.. I've sort of been in retreat right now. I'm really focusing on my three main goals for traveling in India. Yoga, meditation, and music. I am loving my little guesthouse, and the area feels great to me. I have been spending 3-5 hours a day practicing yoga- asana; 3 hours a day with music; and meditation is happening every moment.
I am taking a 5 day intensive course at a reputable Iyengar school which I am completely in Love with. Physically, the style is incredibly therapeutic. It's the most challenging mentally and emotionally as you hold a pose for around 10 minutes. But what I really Love, is the spiritual aspect of the practice. The extended time in a pose not only brings amazing physical benefits, but one of the main purposes is to be in the body and have a chance to really tune in to what's happening in the body...in the mind.... In the energy/prana/chi... To really be with yourself. To observe. Awareness. TO BE IN THE PRESET MOMENT. It's in line exactly with what I am practicing now in my own daily meditation. It takes some time to learn what it means to be in the present moment, and how to do it. What seems so easy, is quite possibly the most challenging thing any of us have ever done. We can take on some of lifes greatest challenges... Physically-like running a marathon; devoting our lives to athletic practice; climbing mountains... We can take on great mental/intellectual feats- starting up businesses; writing books; inventing new technology.... We can even take on the worlds most demanding emotional tasks such as raising children... But.... We just can't seem to stop and close our eyes for 5 minutes, do nothing, and just observe what happens without fidgitting and feeling uncomfortable. We find that when we sit and do nothing, we are faced with greatest disturbance in the universe.... The over-active mind. If we watch our mind, we will see that it changes thoughts every few seconds and never seems to stop. Often our thoughts become random and if someone else were witnessing our inner experience, we may be called insane. But its the same for everyone. So we busy ourselves as a distraction from this crazy mind which is like a wild unruly child which just needs a little discipline. With practice, however, it becomes easier to stay present. By recognizing that we are not the mind, and we can just observe it; it begins to lose power and starts to quiet down. Then, when you find yourself in the present moment with a still mind, you experience the most glorious feeling in the entire universe.... Peace.
This practice of Iyengar has a big focus in training and taming the mind to calm down and become present. I revel in these moments of pure bliss which over time come more and more often. Nothing feels as incredible as the sweet moments of stillness.
So this is my life right now. I am planning to do another 5 day intensive at the iyengar center next weekend. Other than this, I have been enjoying a lot of time to myself. I taught my first yoga class to 22 students for Bodhi Tree's new course, and it was great! Totally smooth. It was my first full length class, and I really enjoyed it. The focus, of course, was more on the meditation of asana, than physical exercise.
Now the weather is changing. Its starting to rain and soon the monsoons will be here. It's getting cooler again, and I welcome the change as it supports my inner time. I will stay here until the end of the month, and then I will go up high into the Himalayas for a couple weeks. Then... Back to USA in mid-July. Yes, cutting the trip a little short. I am loving it here, and could no doubt stay longer, but there are signs from the Universe encouraging me to change my trajectory... So I heed.. In the meantime... I am Here. And I am glad to be Here.
I haven't had much to write about.. I've sort of been in retreat right now. I'm really focusing on my three main goals for traveling in India. Yoga, meditation, and music. I am loving my little guesthouse, and the area feels great to me. I have been spending 3-5 hours a day practicing yoga- asana; 3 hours a day with music; and meditation is happening every moment.
I am taking a 5 day intensive course at a reputable Iyengar school which I am completely in Love with. Physically, the style is incredibly therapeutic. It's the most challenging mentally and emotionally as you hold a pose for around 10 minutes. But what I really Love, is the spiritual aspect of the practice. The extended time in a pose not only brings amazing physical benefits, but one of the main purposes is to be in the body and have a chance to really tune in to what's happening in the body...in the mind.... In the energy/prana/chi... To really be with yourself. To observe. Awareness. TO BE IN THE PRESET MOMENT. It's in line exactly with what I am practicing now in my own daily meditation. It takes some time to learn what it means to be in the present moment, and how to do it. What seems so easy, is quite possibly the most challenging thing any of us have ever done. We can take on some of lifes greatest challenges... Physically-like running a marathon; devoting our lives to athletic practice; climbing mountains... We can take on great mental/intellectual feats- starting up businesses; writing books; inventing new technology.... We can even take on the worlds most demanding emotional tasks such as raising children... But.... We just can't seem to stop and close our eyes for 5 minutes, do nothing, and just observe what happens without fidgitting and feeling uncomfortable. We find that when we sit and do nothing, we are faced with greatest disturbance in the universe.... The over-active mind. If we watch our mind, we will see that it changes thoughts every few seconds and never seems to stop. Often our thoughts become random and if someone else were witnessing our inner experience, we may be called insane. But its the same for everyone. So we busy ourselves as a distraction from this crazy mind which is like a wild unruly child which just needs a little discipline. With practice, however, it becomes easier to stay present. By recognizing that we are not the mind, and we can just observe it; it begins to lose power and starts to quiet down. Then, when you find yourself in the present moment with a still mind, you experience the most glorious feeling in the entire universe.... Peace.
This practice of Iyengar has a big focus in training and taming the mind to calm down and become present. I revel in these moments of pure bliss which over time come more and more often. Nothing feels as incredible as the sweet moments of stillness.
So this is my life right now. I am planning to do another 5 day intensive at the iyengar center next weekend. Other than this, I have been enjoying a lot of time to myself. I taught my first yoga class to 22 students for Bodhi Tree's new course, and it was great! Totally smooth. It was my first full length class, and I really enjoyed it. The focus, of course, was more on the meditation of asana, than physical exercise.
Now the weather is changing. Its starting to rain and soon the monsoons will be here. It's getting cooler again, and I welcome the change as it supports my inner time. I will stay here until the end of the month, and then I will go up high into the Himalayas for a couple weeks. Then... Back to USA in mid-July. Yes, cutting the trip a little short. I am loving it here, and could no doubt stay longer, but there are signs from the Universe encouraging me to change my trajectory... So I heed.. In the meantime... I am Here. And I am glad to be Here.
Deep Practice
I never made it to the Dalai llama... :-)! After all that wait in line to register, I didn't even go and see him. I started a yoga intensive on Thursday, the first day of his teaching which continued through each day he taught. When I signed up, I didn't realize his teaching would end so early (3pm). My class ends at 1:30 and it's a half hour trip to McCloud Ganj. So... I decided it wasn't worth it. There were 5000 people and I wouldn't have been able to see him, but on a screen. I also didn't have a radio, which you need in order to hear the English translation. Ah well... I don't feel like its necessary at this time anyway. He was giving an intro to Buddhism... Maybe if he was talking about the end part (enlightenment) I would be more interested... :-)! ... (g)
I haven't had much to write about.. I've sort of been in retreat right now. I'm really focusing on my three main goals for traveling in India. Yoga, meditation, and music. I am loving my little guesthouse, and the area feels great to me. I have been spending 3-5 hours a day practicing yoga- asana; 3 hours a day with music; and meditation is happening every moment.
I am taking a 5 day intensive course at a reputable Iyengar school which I am completely in Love with. Physically, the style is incredibly therapeutic. It's the most challenging mentally and emotionally as you hold a pose for around 10 minutes. But what I really Love, is the spiritual aspect of the practice. The extended time in a pose not only brings amazing physical benefits, but one of the main purposes is to be in the body and have a chance to really tune in to what's happening in the body...in the mind.... In the energy/prana/chi... To really be with yourself. To observe. Awareness. TO BE IN THE PRESET MOMENT. It's in line exactly with what I am practicing now in my own daily meditation. It takes some time to learn what it means to be in the present moment, and how to do it. What seems so easy, is quite possibly the most challenging thing any of us have ever done. We can take on some of lifes greatest challenges... Physically-like running a marathon; devoting our lives to athletic practice; climbing mountains... We can take on great mental/intellectual feats- starting up businesses; writing books; inventing new technology.... We can even take on the worlds most demanding emotional tasks such as raising children... But.... We just can't seem to stop and close our eyes for 5 minutes, do nothing, and just observe what happens without fidgitting and feeling uncomfortable. We find that when we sit and do nothing, we are faced with greatest disturbance in the universe.... The over-active mind. If we watch our mind, we will see that it changes thoughts every few seconds and never seems to stop. Often our thoughts become random and if someone else were witnessing our inner experience, we may be called insane. But its the same for everyone. So we busy ourselves as a distraction from this crazy mind which is like a wild unruly child which just needs a little discipline. With practice, however, it becomes easier to stay present. By recognizing that we are not the mind, and we can just observe it; it begins to lose power and starts to quiet down. Then, when you find yourself in the present moment with a still mind, you experience the most glorious feeling in the entire universe.... Peace.
This practice of Iyengar has a big focus in training and taming the mind to calm down and become present. I revel in these moments of pure bliss which over time come more and more often. Nothing feels as incredible as the sweet moments of stillness.
So this is my life right now. I am planning to do another 5 day intensive at the iyengar center next weekend. Other than this, I have been enjoying a lot of time to myself. I taught my first yoga class to 22 students for Bodhi Tree's new course, and it was great! Totally smooth. It was my first full length class, and I really enjoyed it. The focus, of course, was more on the meditation of asana, than physical exercise.
Now the weather is changing. Its starting to rain and soon the monsoons will be here. It's getting cooler again, and I welcome the change as it supports my inner time. I will stay here until the end of the month, and then I will go up high into the Himalayas for a couple weeks. Then... Back to USA in mid-July. Yes, cutting the trip a little short. I am loving it here, and could no doubt stay longer, but there are signs from the Universe encouraging me to change my trajectory... So I heed.. In the meantime... I am Here. And I am glad to be Here.
I haven't had much to write about.. I've sort of been in retreat right now. I'm really focusing on my three main goals for traveling in India. Yoga, meditation, and music. I am loving my little guesthouse, and the area feels great to me. I have been spending 3-5 hours a day practicing yoga- asana; 3 hours a day with music; and meditation is happening every moment.
I am taking a 5 day intensive course at a reputable Iyengar school which I am completely in Love with. Physically, the style is incredibly therapeutic. It's the most challenging mentally and emotionally as you hold a pose for around 10 minutes. But what I really Love, is the spiritual aspect of the practice. The extended time in a pose not only brings amazing physical benefits, but one of the main purposes is to be in the body and have a chance to really tune in to what's happening in the body...in the mind.... In the energy/prana/chi... To really be with yourself. To observe. Awareness. TO BE IN THE PRESET MOMENT. It's in line exactly with what I am practicing now in my own daily meditation. It takes some time to learn what it means to be in the present moment, and how to do it. What seems so easy, is quite possibly the most challenging thing any of us have ever done. We can take on some of lifes greatest challenges... Physically-like running a marathon; devoting our lives to athletic practice; climbing mountains... We can take on great mental/intellectual feats- starting up businesses; writing books; inventing new technology.... We can even take on the worlds most demanding emotional tasks such as raising children... But.... We just can't seem to stop and close our eyes for 5 minutes, do nothing, and just observe what happens without fidgitting and feeling uncomfortable. We find that when we sit and do nothing, we are faced with greatest disturbance in the universe.... The over-active mind. If we watch our mind, we will see that it changes thoughts every few seconds and never seems to stop. Often our thoughts become random and if someone else were witnessing our inner experience, we may be called insane. But its the same for everyone. So we busy ourselves as a distraction from this crazy mind which is like a wild unruly child which just needs a little discipline. With practice, however, it becomes easier to stay present. By recognizing that we are not the mind, and we can just observe it; it begins to lose power and starts to quiet down. Then, when you find yourself in the present moment with a still mind, you experience the most glorious feeling in the entire universe.... Peace.
This practice of Iyengar has a big focus in training and taming the mind to calm down and become present. I revel in these moments of pure bliss which over time come more and more often. Nothing feels as incredible as the sweet moments of stillness.
So this is my life right now. I am planning to do another 5 day intensive at the iyengar center next weekend. Other than this, I have been enjoying a lot of time to myself. I taught my first yoga class to 22 students for Bodhi Tree's new course, and it was great! Totally smooth. It was my first full length class, and I really enjoyed it. The focus, of course, was more on the meditation of asana, than physical exercise.
Now the weather is changing. Its starting to rain and soon the monsoons will be here. It's getting cooler again, and I welcome the change as it supports my inner time. I will stay here until the end of the month, and then I will go up high into the Himalayas for a couple weeks. Then... Back to USA in mid-July. Yes, cutting the trip a little short. I am loving it here, and could no doubt stay longer, but there are signs from the Universe encouraging me to change my trajectory... So I heed.. In the meantime... I am Here. And I am glad to be Here.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
2 hours of my life(+)
Waiting in line to register to see the Dalai Llama... He is giving Public teachings this wekend, and you cant enter without a pass.
It's Mayhem! The line is two hours long; cars are trying to get by in both directions on a one way road; a tour bus is trying to get by; all the cars are honking; people are yelling... The funny part is, the road these cars are trying to get down and back on, only goes a 1/2 mile further, and its and easy walk... But it's India!
I have my passport; a copy of my passport; a copy of my visa; and two passport photos... I just hope I have everything I need before I lose the next two hours of my life...
Whoa! The woman in front of me just fainted! Maybe the heat; maybe dehydration; maybe just the intensity of the situation...
A kid keeps asking me for money. We are now brainstorming ideas of what he can do to make some himself. I tell him these people are hot, thirsty and hungry. Maybe he can sell food or water? He comes up with a brilliant idea! Watermelon! So I tell him when I get out of line, I will buy him his firs watermelon. Then it's up to him to keep the business going, but I'm his manager and he owes me 10%. Just kidding.
Oh look! There are two boys selling sliced coconut! I buy some.
What an adventure just waiting in line..
Coconut slices: $.20
Water refill while waiting in line: $.40
Investment in street kid's career: $2
Waiting in line in this sweltering mayhem.... PRICELESS!
...... (actually, can I get my money back for the line waiting??)
It's Mayhem! The line is two hours long; cars are trying to get by in both directions on a one way road; a tour bus is trying to get by; all the cars are honking; people are yelling... The funny part is, the road these cars are trying to get down and back on, only goes a 1/2 mile further, and its and easy walk... But it's India!
I have my passport; a copy of my passport; a copy of my visa; and two passport photos... I just hope I have everything I need before I lose the next two hours of my life...
Whoa! The woman in front of me just fainted! Maybe the heat; maybe dehydration; maybe just the intensity of the situation...
A kid keeps asking me for money. We are now brainstorming ideas of what he can do to make some himself. I tell him these people are hot, thirsty and hungry. Maybe he can sell food or water? He comes up with a brilliant idea! Watermelon! So I tell him when I get out of line, I will buy him his firs watermelon. Then it's up to him to keep the business going, but I'm his manager and he owes me 10%. Just kidding.
Oh look! There are two boys selling sliced coconut! I buy some.
What an adventure just waiting in line..
Coconut slices: $.20
Water refill while waiting in line: $.40
Investment in street kid's career: $2
Waiting in line in this sweltering mayhem.... PRICELESS!
...... (actually, can I get my money back for the line waiting??)
Birthday Trinity
Well I woke up on my birthday, In the mountaintop guesthouse. I ordered a chai and sat on the roof watching the glorious morning sun crest over the mountain top. After a little good morning praise to the valley, I packed up my belongings and hiked down the mountain to my new home at The Lotus. What a birthday present! My room is the bottom corner, next to the bathrooms. The window has a beautiful view of the trees, and it feels to me the most private room. It's small, with green walls, but has a nice energy about it. I love it! I moved in and then headed to town for a birthday breakfast.
I spent most of the day enjoying some peaceful time to myself. I signed up for a five day yoga intensive starting Thursday; and then had lunch with some friends.
I decided to buy myself a birthday present, and went to a jeweler to buy a ring. The one I liked was about $13. I asked if he would take $10 for it, as the jewelers don't bargain much. He completely shocked me when he said he would give it to me for $9 for my birthday... I'm still in shock. I know it's just a dollar, but you NEVER see this happen... The retailer negotiating for a lower price... I told him we were friends for life...
The evening brought an unexpected surprise (a few!). I knew that it was owner of Trimurti guesthouse (where I lived the last month) birthday as well. He runs an international music school, and he was having a classical Indian concert for his birthday. When I arrived, they brought out two cakes! One said happy birthday with MY name on it! They sang to both of us and we blew out our candles and cut our cakes (when did I last have a birthday cake? I have no idea). We were serving the cakes, when suddenly a third cake came out... Just in case the other two huge cakes weren't enough for the guests. Right about this time, a couple walked up who I have been connecting with. Come to find out, it's HIS birthday too!!! I said "well, this must be your cake then!!" so we all three celebrated together. The irony of this, is that "Trimurti" means "trinity"!
After cake, I watched the full moon rise. It was huge and red! What a sight! Soon they cleared the tables and put them in the yard, creating a stage where the tables were (on the front porch). The kids started by showing us their Indian dancing. Then there was belly dancing by a professional dancer who just happened to be there with a costume! The night culminated with the classical Indian music concert while we sat under the brilliant full moon...
When I got tired, I walked back toward The Lotus, and found an open spot on the grass. I sat and looked up at the moon for awhile, and sang to her grace.... It was a wonderful birthday.
They say it's also Buddhas birthday.....
I spent most of the day enjoying some peaceful time to myself. I signed up for a five day yoga intensive starting Thursday; and then had lunch with some friends.
I decided to buy myself a birthday present, and went to a jeweler to buy a ring. The one I liked was about $13. I asked if he would take $10 for it, as the jewelers don't bargain much. He completely shocked me when he said he would give it to me for $9 for my birthday... I'm still in shock. I know it's just a dollar, but you NEVER see this happen... The retailer negotiating for a lower price... I told him we were friends for life...
The evening brought an unexpected surprise (a few!). I knew that it was owner of Trimurti guesthouse (where I lived the last month) birthday as well. He runs an international music school, and he was having a classical Indian concert for his birthday. When I arrived, they brought out two cakes! One said happy birthday with MY name on it! They sang to both of us and we blew out our candles and cut our cakes (when did I last have a birthday cake? I have no idea). We were serving the cakes, when suddenly a third cake came out... Just in case the other two huge cakes weren't enough for the guests. Right about this time, a couple walked up who I have been connecting with. Come to find out, it's HIS birthday too!!! I said "well, this must be your cake then!!" so we all three celebrated together. The irony of this, is that "Trimurti" means "trinity"!
After cake, I watched the full moon rise. It was huge and red! What a sight! Soon they cleared the tables and put them in the yard, creating a stage where the tables were (on the front porch). The kids started by showing us their Indian dancing. Then there was belly dancing by a professional dancer who just happened to be there with a costume! The night culminated with the classical Indian music concert while we sat under the brilliant full moon...
When I got tired, I walked back toward The Lotus, and found an open spot on the grass. I sat and looked up at the moon for awhile, and sang to her grace.... It was a wonderful birthday.
They say it's also Buddhas birthday.....
400 steps
My stay at Trimurti has ended, and I sadly had to leave this place which has become my pseudo home. I love my room, my view, and the shanti (peaceful) little bubble of the garden.
I have spent the week looking for a place to move, and most everywhere is booked up. Of course I am a little picky and don't want to be right in town center, nor in a dumpster.... There was a beautiful little guesthouse called the Lotus, pretty much in town, but tucked away in the trees... Very peaceful... And I fell in love with it. After asking all week, i finally accepted the fact that they are full. So I searched for 8 hours the other day and finally found a couple guesthouses on a mountaintop, way up out of town. Of course they had space. I loved the idea of being on a mountain top, and was looking forward to the quiet... However, my only access to food and water was going to be all the way down the mountain. But, beggars can't be choosers right? So I booked and the next morning, I schlepped my huge backpack, my small backpack, and a drum, all the way up this mountain. After climbing to the top of town (which is already more or less climbing a mountain); I hiked up 400 steps to my new hill top abode. I unpacked everything and then headed to town for breakfast. On the way, on a whim, I decided to swing by the Lotus... And whadda ya know...They have a room open! So I booked for the next night. So I spent one night on the mountain top...
Irony... That night, I woke up to a man yelling. He was another guest, and he was screaming: "you are being too loud and I can't sleep! SHUT UP!"..... The funny thing was, I have no idea what the noise was that was keeping this man awake, but he woke me up! :-) I found this humorous.
Well, so much for a peaceful mountain top home!
I have spent the week looking for a place to move, and most everywhere is booked up. Of course I am a little picky and don't want to be right in town center, nor in a dumpster.... There was a beautiful little guesthouse called the Lotus, pretty much in town, but tucked away in the trees... Very peaceful... And I fell in love with it. After asking all week, i finally accepted the fact that they are full. So I searched for 8 hours the other day and finally found a couple guesthouses on a mountaintop, way up out of town. Of course they had space. I loved the idea of being on a mountain top, and was looking forward to the quiet... However, my only access to food and water was going to be all the way down the mountain. But, beggars can't be choosers right? So I booked and the next morning, I schlepped my huge backpack, my small backpack, and a drum, all the way up this mountain. After climbing to the top of town (which is already more or less climbing a mountain); I hiked up 400 steps to my new hill top abode. I unpacked everything and then headed to town for breakfast. On the way, on a whim, I decided to swing by the Lotus... And whadda ya know...They have a room open! So I booked for the next night. So I spent one night on the mountain top...
Irony... That night, I woke up to a man yelling. He was another guest, and he was screaming: "you are being too loud and I can't sleep! SHUT UP!"..... The funny thing was, I have no idea what the noise was that was keeping this man awake, but he woke me up! :-) I found this humorous.
Well, so much for a peaceful mountain top home!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Yeah Yogi!
Well, it's official. I'm a certified yoga teacher!
The rest of my teacher training was excellent. No doubt for me I chose the best one. The most beautiful guesthouse in Bhagsu; most open and caring teachers... An experience I will always remember and be grateful for. New friends; family... And definitely a transformative experience. I feel relaxed, rejuvenated, and happy :-).
So, what next? I was going to stick around for another month, and enjoy some retreat time up in the mountains, but my little green dream house is not available. I now feel less inclined to just hang around town and feel a deeper call to start venturing further into the Himalayas, and deeper into myself. I'm going to stay around here for a couple more weeks...do a five day yoga intensive; see the Dalai llama; and have a few more lessons with my music teachers. Then around the 12th, I will catch a bus a few hours north up to Manali and surrounding areas. I'm sure it will take me a couple weeks to land my retreat home.., but hopefully by July, I will have my mountain dream home... A sacred time of going inward; deeper into yoga, meditation, nature.
For now, however, I am here... And it's getting a little hot here! The air quality has declined as well. Lots of typical burning, as people just don't know what else to do with garbage. Another reason to head up into the mountains... Fresher air, cooler temps.
I still love it here, however... I'm grateful for all the opportunities I am being given. It's a wonderful life ;-)
The rest of my teacher training was excellent. No doubt for me I chose the best one. The most beautiful guesthouse in Bhagsu; most open and caring teachers... An experience I will always remember and be grateful for. New friends; family... And definitely a transformative experience. I feel relaxed, rejuvenated, and happy :-).
So, what next? I was going to stick around for another month, and enjoy some retreat time up in the mountains, but my little green dream house is not available. I now feel less inclined to just hang around town and feel a deeper call to start venturing further into the Himalayas, and deeper into myself. I'm going to stay around here for a couple more weeks...do a five day yoga intensive; see the Dalai llama; and have a few more lessons with my music teachers. Then around the 12th, I will catch a bus a few hours north up to Manali and surrounding areas. I'm sure it will take me a couple weeks to land my retreat home.., but hopefully by July, I will have my mountain dream home... A sacred time of going inward; deeper into yoga, meditation, nature.
For now, however, I am here... And it's getting a little hot here! The air quality has declined as well. Lots of typical burning, as people just don't know what else to do with garbage. Another reason to head up into the mountains... Fresher air, cooler temps.
I still love it here, however... I'm grateful for all the opportunities I am being given. It's a wonderful life ;-)
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Every day we are born, and everyday we are new
This morning found its birth in the wonder of heart song... On the wall of the garden, bathing in the sun as it crested over the mountain, was a man... Swathed in a wool shawl and singing his praise of glory to the morning. How could I resist but to fall into the sweetness of this moment?? I happened to know the words to the song he was singing, and I joined him in a holy moment of joyful expression. We sat on the wall, sharing songs and moments of meditation; and within us was watered the seed of unity's grace... And the seed grows in the love light of the sun...
Give thanks to the pure moments; the glorious sunshine; the gift of song... Each day, each moment is prescious...
Give thanks to the pure moments; the glorious sunshine; the gift of song... Each day, each moment is prescious...
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Magical Adventures and the Morning Blues
It's our weekend, and yesterday and today have been an adventure full of magic; mystery, and mayhem. The intrigue began yesterday in the form of huge balls of hail raining down from the sky, always a mystical phenomenon. I spent the day wandering around all three towns (McLeod Ganj; Dharamkot; and Bhagsu), enjoying the people and events which I stumbled into or who stumbled into me. I had a sweet connection with a very old Tibetan lady; had a sketchy Indian man try to talk me into going off to sit in the woods with him (yeah right); had a long talk and a cup of tea with an elder American archeologist of Tibet, on consciousness; the soul; and the nature of life.... And I was hijacked by a 90 year old British woman to go bush whacking through the forest. This was definitely the most interesting part of my day. I was just walking up the steps at the Vipassana center, when she sidelined me and told me to follow her into the woods... She is my new inspiration! She hiked all around and she told me that her family was still trying to get her to "settle down"; that she is too old for this... Yeah, my arse. She is as agile and fit as someone my age. She pointed out a house way up in the mountains, accross the valley, where she used to live. She said they rent it out by the month, and I declared I would love to live there! I'm determined to find my way up there and look into this little mountain hideaway... My day ended with a synchronistic meeting and dinner with my good friend Halo, and some incredible guitar work from another traveler who has an amazing style of playing the guitar like a cello... It was a long day that didn't see me to bed until midnight... But I reassured myself with the promise of a long awaited morning sleep in... The first in two long, exhausting weeks. But, as the Universe would have it, my plan was spoiled...
5:30am erupted in an explosion of drums, horns and cymbals, in some kind of dramatic ceremony right outside my window. For two hours I lay in bed, exhausted, wondering what kind of insane Indian event was requiring a marching band at 5:30 am on Sunday morning?!! The procession finally moved on around 7:30 am and unable to sleep, I walked out of my room and asked some of my teachers what the heck that was all about. Apparently, it was a celebration/offering to the deities because some wish had been granted. Unfortunately for my heart and that of a sweet being, they sacrificed a poor goat! If you look at my Facebook pics, you will see a pic of a goat that has funny hair like a wig. The caption mentions that "this goat has a wig on ". It was this very goat who no longer bleats upon the world... Poor goat. This culture has some of the most radical practices and traditions I have ever known. What a crazy world we are creating....
5:30am erupted in an explosion of drums, horns and cymbals, in some kind of dramatic ceremony right outside my window. For two hours I lay in bed, exhausted, wondering what kind of insane Indian event was requiring a marching band at 5:30 am on Sunday morning?!! The procession finally moved on around 7:30 am and unable to sleep, I walked out of my room and asked some of my teachers what the heck that was all about. Apparently, it was a celebration/offering to the deities because some wish had been granted. Unfortunately for my heart and that of a sweet being, they sacrificed a poor goat! If you look at my Facebook pics, you will see a pic of a goat that has funny hair like a wig. The caption mentions that "this goat has a wig on ". It was this very goat who no longer bleats upon the world... Poor goat. This culture has some of the most radical practices and traditions I have ever known. What a crazy world we are creating....
Friday, May 4, 2012
I Heart Yoga
It's my third day of my yoga teacher training, and I am in absolute heaven! 3 hours a day of yoga; breath work; meditation; philosophy of yoga, life and consciousness; anatomy; documentaries; learning to teach... Most of it is how I would want to spend my free time, so it's like being on retreat more than "training" or "school".
The 3 teachers are extremely different in their teaching styles. One of our teachers, an Indian, who is very traditional, is very focused on accuracy of the postures and correct alignment, and very much into breath work. He is in Love with the new age yoga style, and having an indian relate to yoga in this way is so beautiful. Another teacher, also from India, but who is more traditional, is focused on holding postures and bringing awareness into the mind/body to observe. He is in love with the traditional yoga, the vedas and sutras and it is deeply moving. The third, western gal, is focused on free flow and listening to your body and giving space for us to find our own proper alignment. Every style is totally unique and they are all perfect for me. I really love all the ways of yoga.
We all went out for dinner last night and were hysterical the whole time laughing. What a great opportunity to get to know some local Indians. We all get along so well, and it's really a fresh perspective in life.
We are finally seeing some sun here.. It's been unseasonably cold and rainy... Not so fun to do yoga at 6:30 am in 40 degree weather... The mornings and evenings are still quite cold, but the days are warm and beautiful!
So, yes, yoga is going great... I'm sure I chose the perfect course for me. What a rich and beautiful practice in its original and true form, which is not just the asanas or poses... But every moment of life is yoga. From your meditations, to your work and chores. The poses, although good for health, are just a physical expression of your inner experience... Gaining strength, flexibility, forgiveness, patience, compassion, attention, concentration, and breathing(!) in all aspects of our lives. Giving, is yoga (karma yoga), caring for your family; planet; animals... Yoga (Bhakti); contemplation is yoga (raja yoga).... Yoga is a state of mind, of heart, of body and soul... It is irrelevant of age, health, ability, size... Yoga is our nature. It's the movement of life. WE.. Are yoga...
The 3 teachers are extremely different in their teaching styles. One of our teachers, an Indian, who is very traditional, is very focused on accuracy of the postures and correct alignment, and very much into breath work. He is in Love with the new age yoga style, and having an indian relate to yoga in this way is so beautiful. Another teacher, also from India, but who is more traditional, is focused on holding postures and bringing awareness into the mind/body to observe. He is in love with the traditional yoga, the vedas and sutras and it is deeply moving. The third, western gal, is focused on free flow and listening to your body and giving space for us to find our own proper alignment. Every style is totally unique and they are all perfect for me. I really love all the ways of yoga.
We all went out for dinner last night and were hysterical the whole time laughing. What a great opportunity to get to know some local Indians. We all get along so well, and it's really a fresh perspective in life.
We are finally seeing some sun here.. It's been unseasonably cold and rainy... Not so fun to do yoga at 6:30 am in 40 degree weather... The mornings and evenings are still quite cold, but the days are warm and beautiful!
So, yes, yoga is going great... I'm sure I chose the perfect course for me. What a rich and beautiful practice in its original and true form, which is not just the asanas or poses... But every moment of life is yoga. From your meditations, to your work and chores. The poses, although good for health, are just a physical expression of your inner experience... Gaining strength, flexibility, forgiveness, patience, compassion, attention, concentration, and breathing(!) in all aspects of our lives. Giving, is yoga (karma yoga), caring for your family; planet; animals... Yoga (Bhakti); contemplation is yoga (raja yoga).... Yoga is a state of mind, of heart, of body and soul... It is irrelevant of age, health, ability, size... Yoga is our nature. It's the movement of life. WE.. Are yoga...
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Another renegade blog post!! From April 28th
Ben left four days ago already! I had been so busy I have hardly had time to process it. Yesterday I was so tired and run down, I had to come home and just lay in bed. I think my emotions just caught up to me and I was requesting myself to be still and just FEEL. It felt good to tune in for awhile and just rest.
Ben made it home after his long journey, and is now already on his way to his 6 week natural building apprenticeship! The next chapter begins...
For me, I am being coaxed onto the stage tomorrow night to perform a few songs with three other female students! There is another concert of our classical music teachers, and they are having us start off the show. Our teacher is really encouraging us to work on not only our voices, but our stage fright as well. I just learned two of the four songs today, and I still dont quite know how they go... Should be interesting! I'm nervous, but at least we are all singing together.
I have also been taking drum lessons (djembe). Today was my third lesson; it's quite fun... Studying so much here! It's great to make such good use of time. I start my yoga teacher training on Tuesday. What play in the dynamic arts of music, meditation, body and healing.
It's been raining almost everyday here off and on. It's cold and uncharacteristic for the season. Keep having to buy more layers...
So, all is well. The time is moving into deep studies. Will tap in when I can!
Ben made it home after his long journey, and is now already on his way to his 6 week natural building apprenticeship! The next chapter begins...
For me, I am being coaxed onto the stage tomorrow night to perform a few songs with three other female students! There is another concert of our classical music teachers, and they are having us start off the show. Our teacher is really encouraging us to work on not only our voices, but our stage fright as well. I just learned two of the four songs today, and I still dont quite know how they go... Should be interesting! I'm nervous, but at least we are all singing together.
I have also been taking drum lessons (djembe). Today was my third lesson; it's quite fun... Studying so much here! It's great to make such good use of time. I start my yoga teacher training on Tuesday. What play in the dynamic arts of music, meditation, body and healing.
It's been raining almost everyday here off and on. It's cold and uncharacteristic for the season. Keep having to buy more layers...
So, all is well. The time is moving into deep studies. Will tap in when I can!
Monday, April 30, 2012
The New Scene
Well, I did it! Three of us girls sang on stage together at a small classical indian concert. I really have stage fright about singing in front of people, but I was surprised to find that I wasnt at all nervous... Even though I was having serious doubts about whether we should have been up there singing at all! I had just learned two of the four mantras the day before, and still didn't have the words down; another girl had just learned one; we were all a little off key from each other; and our timing was off... But it was really about the experience and working on our fear of singing on stage, so it was good! The audience was forgiving :-)
I have never traveled to a town like this outside of the US. It's really an activated place! Almost every town I have been to has a similar story: there are a couple temples to see; maybe some historical sites; a lot of shopping; some high dollar tourist activities (ie: trekking; camping; and other guided tours)... And not much else to do. Traveling is often spent loafing about restaurants, checking emails, and socializing with other travelers. Here, however, it is very different.... People come here to study. There are classes on every kind of yoga you can think of; voice lessons; drumming and other Indian instrument lessons; meditation; Ayurveda; massage; reiki; language classes; jewelry making classes; sewing and cooking classes; many kinds of dance including: belly dance; classical Indian; contact dance... There are Buddhist retreats; free movie nights; volunteering opportunities; teaching opportunities; hiking... It's a good thing I will be here for awhile, as my plate is already full! The best part about it, is that its affordable to "pig out" on all the activities you always wanted to do, but didn't want to pay $20 an hour to do it! Everyone is bustling about, feeding themselves with new knowledge, and their favorite hobbies. It's a smorgasbord of playfulness and I feel at home here.
Another difference, is that everything here is on a mountainside, so nothing is flat. I spend a minimum of an hour a day (usually more like 2-3) hiking up and down hills. We all do... So everyone eventually ends up in pretty good shape. I love hiking mountains, so integrating into my daily routine of just getting around, is perfect!
Tomorrow I begin my yoga teacher training... Its going to be a big shift to be locked into an all day schedule for a whole month, yet, diving into the rich and fulfilling practice of yoga and meditation are exactly how I want to spend my time, so I am really looking forward to it!!
My new friend Ashley is finishing up her class in Ayurvedic massage today, and she needs a volunteer for her practical "exam". So I am off to do my service with a 2 hour morning massage....
Thursday, April 26, 2012
A renegade blog post!
Ah! Today I found a post I had written a little while ago, April 18tg that never got published! Shucks! Well, better late than never :-)... Here we go back in time...
...........
Being in Dharamkot is like being in heaven...
The food is fantastic, mountains AWEsome, Tibetans are georgeous, little traffic, quiet, GREEN, fresh... I love it here!
We found a Vipassana center about a 3 minute walk from our guesthouse, and have been going for group meditation once or twice a day. We also started taking voice lessons from a really wonderful indian woman who I am rapidly falling in love with. Otherwise, we have spent a few hours each day walking around the hills; paths between towns; and through the woods. It's been relaxing, and lovely.
We had intentions to do a 3 day trek in the mountains, but we have been inhibited by the cold, rainy weather; and an injury to my foot (not a big deal, just took a spill and have a cut on my foot where my shoes rub). So... Hiking is temporarily on hold.
We have been spending a little time with our good friends Halo and Wayve from the US. They are here studying classical Indian dance and drumming together. They will be here until the end of May, so it will be nice to have that company when Ben leaves. They are coming over for dinner and chai tonight. We lured them with brown rice, and fresh vegetables... Having a kitchen is great!
Pretty mellow...
Time for voice lessons... "Do re mi fa so la ti do"! Or in classical Indian, which we are learning..."sa re ga ma pa dha ni sa"!
Tibetan culture and a visit with Santa Claus
After Ben left last night, i (thankfully) had the nice distraction of attending a friend's (Halo our friend from the US) classical Indian dance performance. It was beautiful and she danced like a goddess. Pics to be posted soon!
This morning I met up with a girlfriend Maria from my permaculture course and we went to meditation together, then came back to my place for breakfast. She whisked me off on an adventure to the Tibetan library for a teaching in Tibetan Buddhism. We found a "short-cut" to get there and ended up hiking all the way down a mountain side. We laughed the whole way about how we were really taking the easy way down...
The Tibetan library is a special place. Some years ago, an attempt was made to destroy all the ancient scriptures and texts in Tibet (another old story), but the texts were smuggled out of the country. Many books were saved and now live in different parts of the world in many copies, ensuring their survival. Many of the originals now live in this library here in dharamsala.
After our teaching at the library, we hopped on a bus, and traveled to a town about 30 min away, at the bottom of the mountain. We landed at another temple for Tibetan Buddhism, to meet the famous Karmapa. He has been reborn 17 times now with the awareness of his place as Karmapa. He is a Tulku, which is one like the Dalai Llama, who gives the details of where and to which parents he will be reborn, so that he can be easily found again. He is young now, about 28 or so, and it is quite an honor to meet him... I guess? To me it was like meeting Santa Claus... And never having heard of Santa Claus before. I could tell by the way everyone was acting that he was a "big deal", but to me.. he was a monk who looked kind of bored as people filed by to receive their blessing. Not to say that I didn't admire him... He had a sweet energy, and a special presence. I was like a rookie in line who had no idea what to do. I didn't bow when everyone else did; I didn't have a white scarf to bless; and when I recieved my blessing, I didn't look down and fold my hands in a respectful prayer position.. I looked him right in the eye and smiled. He looked surprised. I realized I had done it all "wrong" but I didn't feel embarrassed. The man looked kind of tired of being bowed to and blessing everyone that walked by... So I gave him a great big grin and blessed him! He looked like he was trying not to smile.. But his eyes twinkled. Well...how can you break "the rules" if you don't know what they are ??? Not that I was trying to make a joke out of the whole thing, I actually have a lot of respect for the Buddhist teachers and practices.
The whole thing happened so fast, about 5 minutes to bless about 80 people. Maria had been so excited all day, and it was so anti-climatic that when we got outside we just burst out laughing!
We got on a bus back to dharamsala, and noticed a typical Indian moment when we saw an old man get out of a bus in front of us to go pee, and the bus took off without him! Our bus stopped to pick the poor guy up, and he looked completely bewildered.
When we finally arrived back in McLeod Ganj, I hit the evening meditation session and then stumbled wearily back to my room. As I was just getting ready to relax I noticed something move out of the corner of my eye... I went to the corner of the room, against the wall, and there on the floor was a scorpion! Without Ben here I had to brave it and captured it myself. As I took it outside, the guesthouse owner drove up. I showed him my unwanted houseguest and he said "oh don't worry! They don't hurt you." what kind of scorpion doesn't sting or bite??? My feeling was that he was afraid I might want to leave because of the creepy fellow (or gal) and tried to quell my fears. But it's gone now, and I'll be lookin in my shoes from now on before I put em on... And under the covers...
This morning I met up with a girlfriend Maria from my permaculture course and we went to meditation together, then came back to my place for breakfast. She whisked me off on an adventure to the Tibetan library for a teaching in Tibetan Buddhism. We found a "short-cut" to get there and ended up hiking all the way down a mountain side. We laughed the whole way about how we were really taking the easy way down...
The Tibetan library is a special place. Some years ago, an attempt was made to destroy all the ancient scriptures and texts in Tibet (another old story), but the texts were smuggled out of the country. Many books were saved and now live in different parts of the world in many copies, ensuring their survival. Many of the originals now live in this library here in dharamsala.
After our teaching at the library, we hopped on a bus, and traveled to a town about 30 min away, at the bottom of the mountain. We landed at another temple for Tibetan Buddhism, to meet the famous Karmapa. He has been reborn 17 times now with the awareness of his place as Karmapa. He is a Tulku, which is one like the Dalai Llama, who gives the details of where and to which parents he will be reborn, so that he can be easily found again. He is young now, about 28 or so, and it is quite an honor to meet him... I guess? To me it was like meeting Santa Claus... And never having heard of Santa Claus before. I could tell by the way everyone was acting that he was a "big deal", but to me.. he was a monk who looked kind of bored as people filed by to receive their blessing. Not to say that I didn't admire him... He had a sweet energy, and a special presence. I was like a rookie in line who had no idea what to do. I didn't bow when everyone else did; I didn't have a white scarf to bless; and when I recieved my blessing, I didn't look down and fold my hands in a respectful prayer position.. I looked him right in the eye and smiled. He looked surprised. I realized I had done it all "wrong" but I didn't feel embarrassed. The man looked kind of tired of being bowed to and blessing everyone that walked by... So I gave him a great big grin and blessed him! He looked like he was trying not to smile.. But his eyes twinkled. Well...how can you break "the rules" if you don't know what they are ??? Not that I was trying to make a joke out of the whole thing, I actually have a lot of respect for the Buddhist teachers and practices.
The whole thing happened so fast, about 5 minutes to bless about 80 people. Maria had been so excited all day, and it was so anti-climatic that when we got outside we just burst out laughing!
We got on a bus back to dharamsala, and noticed a typical Indian moment when we saw an old man get out of a bus in front of us to go pee, and the bus took off without him! Our bus stopped to pick the poor guy up, and he looked completely bewildered.
When we finally arrived back in McLeod Ganj, I hit the evening meditation session and then stumbled wearily back to my room. As I was just getting ready to relax I noticed something move out of the corner of my eye... I went to the corner of the room, against the wall, and there on the floor was a scorpion! Without Ben here I had to brave it and captured it myself. As I took it outside, the guesthouse owner drove up. I showed him my unwanted houseguest and he said "oh don't worry! They don't hurt you." what kind of scorpion doesn't sting or bite??? My feeling was that he was afraid I might want to leave because of the creepy fellow (or gal) and tried to quell my fears. But it's gone now, and I'll be lookin in my shoes from now on before I put em on... And under the covers...
Goodbyes are Never Easy
I said goodbye to Ben last night as he boarded his bus to Delhi... Now he is on his 60 hour journey back to the USA via Delhi and Amsterdam. It was a heart wrenching parting; one we have experienced many times, yet fails to become easy. But we both have things to look forward to in our up coming journeys, and gratitude for the time we were able to spend together here. It was an adventure... Of mind, body and soul..... Something I have learned much from, and will treasure...
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Last few hours
Well... It's bens last few hours in India. We are both a bit weepy eyed, and making the most of our last time together. It's been a wild ride, and India gave him a little love tap a couple days ago, when the Giardia came back and forced him to spend a whole day in bed. Now, he is saying his last goodbyes to friends, Himalayas, music lessons, our cute "apartment", and each other. Soon he will be back there enjoying spring with all of you... Buen Viaje; Bon Voyage, have a great trip Ben! India will miss you...
Music, Astrology and World Peace
I have a Guru! A music Guru anyway... Her name is Anita and she is so beautiful and kind. She is my teacher for voice lessons and I have decided to study with her for my duration here (it was an easy decision to make; Ben and I both adore her). We went to her concert last night, with the three teachers performing classical Indian music. Her husband teaches tabla and djembe and I am going to start studying with him in a few days. The third teacher teaches flute and all three are masters of their craft. I am really loving the lessons and find singing classical Indian deeply enjoyable.
The concert was really wonderful, and I left feeling high and pretty much floated out. We almost didn't make it as it was pooring down rain, and we had a twenty minute walk, but it was our "Guruji" performing so we braved it and were so happy we did.
We have made new friends with a couple from Canada who are studying Ayurvedic massage. Unfortunately, they needed some folks to practice on, so we nobly volunteered ;-). We have enjoyed their sweet energy and it was really a blessing to try out the Indian style of massage after so many Thai massages.
One of our most esoteric adventures, was a trip to a Vedic Astrologer. His name was "Jai"... :-)...Ben went first and I had an opportunity to see if it was something i wanted to pay for. It was about $14, and after he amazed us with his accuracy in Bens reading, I jumped at the chance. He talked about my past, present and future using my astrology and some of his intuition. He was right on! I was really impressed. In Vedic astrology, I am not a Gemini; I am a Taurus, with a Taurus moon and an Aries rising. What he read to me felt so much more accurate (at this time of my life) than previous readings I have had with western astrology. How is vedic different from western? In western astrology, we do not take into account the tilt of the earth... Which makes a big difference! So what did he tell me? That I would make a good clothing designer; and I would be good in the holistic sciences; I cannot be happy if my life does not involve travel and change; that it was a good time to be studying; I would have a long, fruitful life and die peaceful; and some other things which are secret ;-)
We are reveling in the sweet and pure Tibetan energy; embracing these beings and their struggles. We found a nice female tibetan tailor, and had her make us some wool coats. We had tea with her and discussed her experiences in these hard times. She came to India 8 years ago, and had to leave her 3 children back in tibet. She has only seen them one time since came here, and she and her husband are working and praying to bring them here. Being here, really feels as though we are suffering along with these people. It's very tragic, their plight in Tibet... A few days ago, two 20 yr old boys, self immolated in Tibet, in protest to the Chinese occupation. It was very sad here, and we joined a march with the local Tibetans... carrying candles and chanting, for the freedom of their nation and culture. Afterward, we went to our Tibetan monk friends, at the volunteer center, and had Tibetan pizza and watched a movie about the Dalai llama and his current situation with Tibet. It's such an old story... This taking land and freedom from undeserving people, in order to gain power, resources, or control. When will we learn that the way to ever really receive... Is to give? That when we take from others, we take from ourselves?
It's not for us to hate the Chinese either. As the Dalai llama says... It's not about Tibet being its own country .. It's about humanity being united and living together in peace on planet earth. It's about Tibetans and Chinese (and the rest of us) living in harmony without a need to create borders; control culture and religion; fear and fight for power... Its about Coexisting. All of us.
It's time for these struggles to end. The fear that there is not enough... There is plenty for all. When we all stop hoarding what we have in fear that we each might lose out on something... We will find all our brothers and sisters on this planet are warm, fed, healthy and happy. And by we, I mean me too. I am also working on letting go of the fear that there is not enough. How can we share what we have with those who are less fortunate? Can we choose to have just a little less? A few less things, and give to others what will be worth so much more to them than to us? How can we better unite our world, by starting in our own community?
One step, is to care. To remember our brothers and sisters of the world, and to let ourselves care about them as if they were as close to us as our own family... For in fact, they are. They are you....You are them... We are all One.... We can never truly experience peace within ourselves until all beings are peaceful....
The concert was really wonderful, and I left feeling high and pretty much floated out. We almost didn't make it as it was pooring down rain, and we had a twenty minute walk, but it was our "Guruji" performing so we braved it and were so happy we did.
We have made new friends with a couple from Canada who are studying Ayurvedic massage. Unfortunately, they needed some folks to practice on, so we nobly volunteered ;-). We have enjoyed their sweet energy and it was really a blessing to try out the Indian style of massage after so many Thai massages.
One of our most esoteric adventures, was a trip to a Vedic Astrologer. His name was "Jai"... :-)...Ben went first and I had an opportunity to see if it was something i wanted to pay for. It was about $14, and after he amazed us with his accuracy in Bens reading, I jumped at the chance. He talked about my past, present and future using my astrology and some of his intuition. He was right on! I was really impressed. In Vedic astrology, I am not a Gemini; I am a Taurus, with a Taurus moon and an Aries rising. What he read to me felt so much more accurate (at this time of my life) than previous readings I have had with western astrology. How is vedic different from western? In western astrology, we do not take into account the tilt of the earth... Which makes a big difference! So what did he tell me? That I would make a good clothing designer; and I would be good in the holistic sciences; I cannot be happy if my life does not involve travel and change; that it was a good time to be studying; I would have a long, fruitful life and die peaceful; and some other things which are secret ;-)
We are reveling in the sweet and pure Tibetan energy; embracing these beings and their struggles. We found a nice female tibetan tailor, and had her make us some wool coats. We had tea with her and discussed her experiences in these hard times. She came to India 8 years ago, and had to leave her 3 children back in tibet. She has only seen them one time since came here, and she and her husband are working and praying to bring them here. Being here, really feels as though we are suffering along with these people. It's very tragic, their plight in Tibet... A few days ago, two 20 yr old boys, self immolated in Tibet, in protest to the Chinese occupation. It was very sad here, and we joined a march with the local Tibetans... carrying candles and chanting, for the freedom of their nation and culture. Afterward, we went to our Tibetan monk friends, at the volunteer center, and had Tibetan pizza and watched a movie about the Dalai llama and his current situation with Tibet. It's such an old story... This taking land and freedom from undeserving people, in order to gain power, resources, or control. When will we learn that the way to ever really receive... Is to give? That when we take from others, we take from ourselves?
It's not for us to hate the Chinese either. As the Dalai llama says... It's not about Tibet being its own country .. It's about humanity being united and living together in peace on planet earth. It's about Tibetans and Chinese (and the rest of us) living in harmony without a need to create borders; control culture and religion; fear and fight for power... Its about Coexisting. All of us.
It's time for these struggles to end. The fear that there is not enough... There is plenty for all. When we all stop hoarding what we have in fear that we each might lose out on something... We will find all our brothers and sisters on this planet are warm, fed, healthy and happy. And by we, I mean me too. I am also working on letting go of the fear that there is not enough. How can we share what we have with those who are less fortunate? Can we choose to have just a little less? A few less things, and give to others what will be worth so much more to them than to us? How can we better unite our world, by starting in our own community?
One step, is to care. To remember our brothers and sisters of the world, and to let ourselves care about them as if they were as close to us as our own family... For in fact, they are. They are you....You are them... We are all One.... We can never truly experience peace within ourselves until all beings are peaceful....
Sunday, April 15, 2012
New Home
We shifted over to Dharamkot today, about a kilometer from McLeod Ganj. Found a room in a beautiful guesthouse with a view, a balcony with table and chairs, and...drumroll....a KITCHEN!!! Yes! Now we can make food without a ton of oil, and chai without a ton of sugar... Yippee! It is by a beautiful forest and a meditation center. We are happy :-)
Friday, April 13, 2012
The Worth of Trust
It may not look or feel like India, but it is. We were strongly reminded of this today. I came to India having heard many stories.. Most were about how you just can't trust anyone here. The lies, scams, pickpockets, rip-offs, inflated prices for westerners, thieves, sleazy men's schemes to touch unsuspecting tourist women... It has been hard as a result of all the stories to trust people here, but I have been determined to do so. I don't want to judge anyone based on stories, nor is it fair to judge a whole race as a result of the mistakes of a few. Thus far, I have met my share of scams and rip-offs, sleazy men and dodgy folk... But I have met honest and honorable ones too. It has taken courage and the patience to trust them all at least enough to give them a chance. Today, however, my patience began to wear thin.
The day began with a small series of rip-offs, beggars, and "deal makers" as usual. By lunch time, we were waiting 3 hours for my shoes to be repaired (though I found them in a state of disrepair) of which we were promised a 15 minute fix. Walking around town barefoot, I slipped into a store to absorb my frustrated mind in some beautiful Tibetan made clothing. Ben was outside chatting with a teenage boy. When I went back out, he said he was going to buy the boy some food. I walked behind them for awhile feeling uneasy about this, but admiring Ben's desire to give him something. I went into another store figuring it would take them awhile to order food. I assumed Ben was buying him lunch. When I came out I saw the boy standing there with a gallon of cooking oil, a 15 lb bag of rice and 2 large bags of powdered milk. He thanked Ben and walked away. I stared wide eyed at the boy and then at Ben. "Did you buy that for him?" I asked. Ben said "yes, he asked if i would buy food for his family". I felt sick, and sorry I hadnt been paying more attention.
When Alesha and I were I Cambodia, we were approached with a scam in which a few kids and a baby would beg for you to buy milk for the baby. They wanted us to buy a large expensive container of formula. We didn't want to buy formula and tried to buy a smaller less expensive carton of real milk, but they wouldn't have it. We wanted to do it but we both had an intuition something wasn't right so we declined and left. It was bothering me for awhile, so I actually googled it and found our hunch confirmed. It's a typical scam in which they get you to buy a high cost item, then they return it to the store for a cut of the money.
I told Ben about this scam and the possibility that that was what may have happened. His face turned into a look of disappointment, but we decided it may not have been the case. A few minutes later, Ben saw the boy talking to the shop owner and a few minutes after that, Ben was approached by another boy the same age, who asked "would you please buy food for my family?"...
We knew we'd been had. I spent the rest of the day feeling sad. I want to trust people. I especially don't want to walk around distrusting everyone and assuming that if a person is Indian, they are going to lie, cheat and steal. It's not true. But patience wears thin, and it's hard to trust when you have been hurt.
Bens heart was in the right place, and his generosity was well aimed. It was a clever scam meant to take advantage of a persons kindness.
In the evening we had dinner and a movie at the Tibetan volunteer center. We watched a movie on the struggles of tibet and ate delicious Tibetan pizza. The Tibetans working there were kind, humble and warm. I feel somewhat re-inspired toward people and I think we will spend a lot of time there. It was a much needed embrace in the kindness of our brothers.
The day began with a small series of rip-offs, beggars, and "deal makers" as usual. By lunch time, we were waiting 3 hours for my shoes to be repaired (though I found them in a state of disrepair) of which we were promised a 15 minute fix. Walking around town barefoot, I slipped into a store to absorb my frustrated mind in some beautiful Tibetan made clothing. Ben was outside chatting with a teenage boy. When I went back out, he said he was going to buy the boy some food. I walked behind them for awhile feeling uneasy about this, but admiring Ben's desire to give him something. I went into another store figuring it would take them awhile to order food. I assumed Ben was buying him lunch. When I came out I saw the boy standing there with a gallon of cooking oil, a 15 lb bag of rice and 2 large bags of powdered milk. He thanked Ben and walked away. I stared wide eyed at the boy and then at Ben. "Did you buy that for him?" I asked. Ben said "yes, he asked if i would buy food for his family". I felt sick, and sorry I hadnt been paying more attention.
When Alesha and I were I Cambodia, we were approached with a scam in which a few kids and a baby would beg for you to buy milk for the baby. They wanted us to buy a large expensive container of formula. We didn't want to buy formula and tried to buy a smaller less expensive carton of real milk, but they wouldn't have it. We wanted to do it but we both had an intuition something wasn't right so we declined and left. It was bothering me for awhile, so I actually googled it and found our hunch confirmed. It's a typical scam in which they get you to buy a high cost item, then they return it to the store for a cut of the money.
I told Ben about this scam and the possibility that that was what may have happened. His face turned into a look of disappointment, but we decided it may not have been the case. A few minutes later, Ben saw the boy talking to the shop owner and a few minutes after that, Ben was approached by another boy the same age, who asked "would you please buy food for my family?"...
We knew we'd been had. I spent the rest of the day feeling sad. I want to trust people. I especially don't want to walk around distrusting everyone and assuming that if a person is Indian, they are going to lie, cheat and steal. It's not true. But patience wears thin, and it's hard to trust when you have been hurt.
Bens heart was in the right place, and his generosity was well aimed. It was a clever scam meant to take advantage of a persons kindness.
In the evening we had dinner and a movie at the Tibetan volunteer center. We watched a movie on the struggles of tibet and ate delicious Tibetan pizza. The Tibetans working there were kind, humble and warm. I feel somewhat re-inspired toward people and I think we will spend a lot of time there. It was a much needed embrace in the kindness of our brothers.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
We're Not in Kansas Anymore Toto!
After 40+ hours of traveling; a 4500 ft elevation gain; two trains, four auto rickshaws, two jenky buses, and good ole feet... We made it to Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj. Wow. It is NOT what I expected at all. I had pictured a large Indian city crammed tight with crumbling cement buildings, in a dry Himalayan valley, with slightly less trash on the ground and relatively clean air. But THIS... Is incredible!!! I feel more like I am in Switzerland than India.
The town is actually located smack in the middle of gigantic snow capped mountains, with it's buildings cascading down lush green slopey hillsides. There is fruit and fresh vegetables (hallelujah!); cute little Tibetan shops and restaurants; little homes and villages dotting the hillsides; and no auto rickshaws... Which means way less honking! Did I mention the air is crisp, cool and fresh (ah, breathing feels like a luxury)? There is a significant difference in the people here... Their skin is radiant, their eyes sparkle, they laugh animatedly, and they bounce down the street in a healthy gleeful state. Gone are the long, zombie-like, sunken faces of the south; the lethargy; and sullen, hopeless attitudes. Is it the fresh air? The Buddhist mentality? The access to fresh fruits and vegetables? The magical Himalayan mountains and cool air?? Most likely all the above. We feel it too. We have pep in our step again; new inspiration, and we are no longer gagging on hot dusty pollution... I am experiencing shock and amazement and I feel as though I fell down the rabbit hole in "Alice in Wonderland". I have been transported into some kind of blissful dream...
We were met by a few men at the bus station on arrival, the typical swarm of hotel employees wanting you to choose their hotel. This usually evokes feelings of irritation, when you have just gotten off a bus, in a strange land, and there is such pushy energy. Today, however, I saw it from a new perspective. In a country where jobs are scarce and money is little, how can you blame them for wanting your business? It's actually a lovely service coming right to your "bus door-step" when you are travel weary, unfamiliar with the town, and just want to a place to drop your pack and rest. Today, I decided to humor this little tradition and just see what happened. We were only approached by 3 men. One representing an expensive hotel; one a cheap hotel; and one middle range. Seemed easy enough... We chose to walk with the young man from the mid-range hotel. Their slogan is always..."just come see. If you don't like, you don't have to stay. Looking is free." so what the heck? Why not?
He was very friendly, spoke great English. We hiked through the streets, winding around little shops and Tibetan ladies cooking up momos in the streets. (momos are Bens and my favorite food here, they are little vegetable filled dumplings, either steamed or fried). We walked for quite a ways and we both started to wonder if we should just break away and look for a place on our own... But the young man kept us engaged in conversation, and we were riding the wave of trust....
We eventually made it his hotel, and as he took us down the steps and around to the front, we were over-swept by a stunning view of a green valley backed by snow-capped jagged peaks off the balcony of a brand new beautiful hotel. It is spring here and there seems to be a butterfly migration happening; clouds of fluttering fairies fill the gaps between forested hillsides. We looked at each other with wide eyes and broad smiles. He showed us the most expensive room first (a brilliant sales maneuver) at $12 a night, and we fell immediately in Love. The other two rooms were nice too, one at $10/nt had a view but nothing like the first; and the $8 night had no view. It was an easy choice. $1 each more a night for the most breathtaking view I have ever had from a hotel room. We went big. Our balcony wraps around 2 sides of our room and gracefully hovers over the whole valley. It is just on the edge of the small town, and far enough away from the road to be unfamiliarly quiet. Birds of prey circle the skies and the sun rises behind the mountain peaks within view of our bed.
Guided by angels, we have unexpectedly stumbled into heaven...
The town is actually located smack in the middle of gigantic snow capped mountains, with it's buildings cascading down lush green slopey hillsides. There is fruit and fresh vegetables (hallelujah!); cute little Tibetan shops and restaurants; little homes and villages dotting the hillsides; and no auto rickshaws... Which means way less honking! Did I mention the air is crisp, cool and fresh (ah, breathing feels like a luxury)? There is a significant difference in the people here... Their skin is radiant, their eyes sparkle, they laugh animatedly, and they bounce down the street in a healthy gleeful state. Gone are the long, zombie-like, sunken faces of the south; the lethargy; and sullen, hopeless attitudes. Is it the fresh air? The Buddhist mentality? The access to fresh fruits and vegetables? The magical Himalayan mountains and cool air?? Most likely all the above. We feel it too. We have pep in our step again; new inspiration, and we are no longer gagging on hot dusty pollution... I am experiencing shock and amazement and I feel as though I fell down the rabbit hole in "Alice in Wonderland". I have been transported into some kind of blissful dream...
We were met by a few men at the bus station on arrival, the typical swarm of hotel employees wanting you to choose their hotel. This usually evokes feelings of irritation, when you have just gotten off a bus, in a strange land, and there is such pushy energy. Today, however, I saw it from a new perspective. In a country where jobs are scarce and money is little, how can you blame them for wanting your business? It's actually a lovely service coming right to your "bus door-step" when you are travel weary, unfamiliar with the town, and just want to a place to drop your pack and rest. Today, I decided to humor this little tradition and just see what happened. We were only approached by 3 men. One representing an expensive hotel; one a cheap hotel; and one middle range. Seemed easy enough... We chose to walk with the young man from the mid-range hotel. Their slogan is always..."just come see. If you don't like, you don't have to stay. Looking is free." so what the heck? Why not?
He was very friendly, spoke great English. We hiked through the streets, winding around little shops and Tibetan ladies cooking up momos in the streets. (momos are Bens and my favorite food here, they are little vegetable filled dumplings, either steamed or fried). We walked for quite a ways and we both started to wonder if we should just break away and look for a place on our own... But the young man kept us engaged in conversation, and we were riding the wave of trust....
We eventually made it his hotel, and as he took us down the steps and around to the front, we were over-swept by a stunning view of a green valley backed by snow-capped jagged peaks off the balcony of a brand new beautiful hotel. It is spring here and there seems to be a butterfly migration happening; clouds of fluttering fairies fill the gaps between forested hillsides. We looked at each other with wide eyes and broad smiles. He showed us the most expensive room first (a brilliant sales maneuver) at $12 a night, and we fell immediately in Love. The other two rooms were nice too, one at $10/nt had a view but nothing like the first; and the $8 night had no view. It was an easy choice. $1 each more a night for the most breathtaking view I have ever had from a hotel room. We went big. Our balcony wraps around 2 sides of our room and gracefully hovers over the whole valley. It is just on the edge of the small town, and far enough away from the road to be unfamiliarly quiet. Birds of prey circle the skies and the sun rises behind the mountain peaks within view of our bed.
Guided by angels, we have unexpectedly stumbled into heaven...
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
1000 mile journey
Traveling in India is a terrific adventure, full of random experiences and sometimes chaos. Inevitably, it brings up many levels of fear, anxiety, excitement and confusion. "Change-overs" are the most stressful... Arriving in a new place and navigating to the train; negotiating with rickshaws and taxis on prices; crowds; cities; unfamiliar places and cultural norms... There are safety issues; feelings of vulnerability; Ben discovered someone trying to pick his pocket... There is staring, begging, and entrepeneurs vying for your business with whatever they are selling. There is fear that one of your trains or buses will be late and you will miss your connection; and then there's the "time-killing" in the dirty, crowded stations when your train or bus IS late. There's fear of being split up in a crowd; being groped by a sexually repressed man who thinks that because you are foreign, the rules of bodily respect no longer apply. There are lines which are more like mosh-pits, where everyone shoves their way to the front, even when boarding a train in which there is plenty of time and everyone has a seat... Even before people have de-boarded. And then there is all of the above... When you are alone.
But these experiences are fertile ground for growth. It feels good to be pushed beyond our comfort zone. As each experience unfolds, there is the aftermath of grace and ease as you realize it wasn't so bad... You survived, and actually...ironically...it was kinda fun... Funny how the actual experience differs from the perceived experience, and reality rarely ends up the way we expect it to....
We arrived into Delhi on time and made it to the old Delhi train station with more than enough time to spare. We've been at the station for 3 hours now and our train is delayed 2 more hours. We found a waiting room for first class passengers which is only slightly nicer than waiting outside, but at least we have seats and a plug to charge our devices.
The ride from Gaya to Delhi was great! We had an AC sleeper car, and were seated in a compartment with an exceptionally entertaining family. They were quite modern and the young man (probably in his late teens) spoke wonderful English. The "Auntie" was loads of fun and very outspoken for an Indian women. I was quite surprised. There were 2 young daughters in their late teens; two slightly older boys; two Aunties; an Uncle and Nanny. They fired many questions at us about our lives and travels, and wanted us to ask them questions about India. They were shocked that ben was 6yrs younger than I, and appalled that we didn't have any children yet. We should almost be grandparents by now! The exuberant Auntie said that Ben was her new son and that I was her daughter in law, which they call "Babi". The rest of the trip i was referred to by the whole family as "Babi".
My new mother-in-law insisted on dressing me up in a sari, and pulled out a very beautiful light blue 6 meter piece of fabric. She wrapped me in about 6 different styles from different places in India while Ben took pics. The family roared with delight and I was loving this cultural exchange. It was a rare experience to connect with the locals and I was thrilled with the opportunity to finally see how they manage this saree thing. I felt like a princess. They collected their bangles for me to put on my wrists; and my "mother-in-law" annointed me with a red dot on my third eye and a red smudge on my forehead at my hairline. To my absolute horror, she then smeared dark red lipstick on my lips, which resulted in a round of oohs and ahhs at how nice it looked on me. I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror with the cockeyed makeup on and felt like a 5 yr playing in my mothers makeup. I do not think it looked in any way appealing, an though quite mortified, I humored them and chalked it up to a cultural experience. It was fun.
Our new family helped to make sure we got up for our arrival at 5am. Thankfully, as there were no signs at the stations, no announcers, no real way of knowing when you arrive.
We said our goodbyes and exchanged information so we could stay connected on Facebook. If there is one thing Facebook is good for, it's a way to keep in touch with the local people we meet where we might otherwise have no way. They love to get on and see all our pictures; where we have been; what our lives have been like... A pretty neat way to connect culturally!
One hour left to go... Ben is on his third cup of coffee and I, my second cup of chai... Actually, chai just means black tea with milk... The yummy spicy flavorful drink we call "chai" in the states is rarely found here; replaced with its far less tasty (but still decent) double- "a masala chai"... Signifying that you want the spices in your tea.. Then you get a small pinch... Ahh.. Not complaining though! Chai is a great excuse to relax and chat at any time of day, and I'm quite fond of the ritual.
Well, onward and upward! Literally, as we head up to those picturesque and long anticipated Himalayan mountains.... Enthusiastic and inspired, here we come!
But these experiences are fertile ground for growth. It feels good to be pushed beyond our comfort zone. As each experience unfolds, there is the aftermath of grace and ease as you realize it wasn't so bad... You survived, and actually...ironically...it was kinda fun... Funny how the actual experience differs from the perceived experience, and reality rarely ends up the way we expect it to....
We arrived into Delhi on time and made it to the old Delhi train station with more than enough time to spare. We've been at the station for 3 hours now and our train is delayed 2 more hours. We found a waiting room for first class passengers which is only slightly nicer than waiting outside, but at least we have seats and a plug to charge our devices.
The ride from Gaya to Delhi was great! We had an AC sleeper car, and were seated in a compartment with an exceptionally entertaining family. They were quite modern and the young man (probably in his late teens) spoke wonderful English. The "Auntie" was loads of fun and very outspoken for an Indian women. I was quite surprised. There were 2 young daughters in their late teens; two slightly older boys; two Aunties; an Uncle and Nanny. They fired many questions at us about our lives and travels, and wanted us to ask them questions about India. They were shocked that ben was 6yrs younger than I, and appalled that we didn't have any children yet. We should almost be grandparents by now! The exuberant Auntie said that Ben was her new son and that I was her daughter in law, which they call "Babi". The rest of the trip i was referred to by the whole family as "Babi".
My new mother-in-law insisted on dressing me up in a sari, and pulled out a very beautiful light blue 6 meter piece of fabric. She wrapped me in about 6 different styles from different places in India while Ben took pics. The family roared with delight and I was loving this cultural exchange. It was a rare experience to connect with the locals and I was thrilled with the opportunity to finally see how they manage this saree thing. I felt like a princess. They collected their bangles for me to put on my wrists; and my "mother-in-law" annointed me with a red dot on my third eye and a red smudge on my forehead at my hairline. To my absolute horror, she then smeared dark red lipstick on my lips, which resulted in a round of oohs and ahhs at how nice it looked on me. I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror with the cockeyed makeup on and felt like a 5 yr playing in my mothers makeup. I do not think it looked in any way appealing, an though quite mortified, I humored them and chalked it up to a cultural experience. It was fun.
Our new family helped to make sure we got up for our arrival at 5am. Thankfully, as there were no signs at the stations, no announcers, no real way of knowing when you arrive.
We said our goodbyes and exchanged information so we could stay connected on Facebook. If there is one thing Facebook is good for, it's a way to keep in touch with the local people we meet where we might otherwise have no way. They love to get on and see all our pictures; where we have been; what our lives have been like... A pretty neat way to connect culturally!
One hour left to go... Ben is on his third cup of coffee and I, my second cup of chai... Actually, chai just means black tea with milk... The yummy spicy flavorful drink we call "chai" in the states is rarely found here; replaced with its far less tasty (but still decent) double- "a masala chai"... Signifying that you want the spices in your tea.. Then you get a small pinch... Ahh.. Not complaining though! Chai is a great excuse to relax and chat at any time of day, and I'm quite fond of the ritual.
Well, onward and upward! Literally, as we head up to those picturesque and long anticipated Himalayan mountains.... Enthusiastic and inspired, here we come!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Done and Done
Well, today is our last day in Bodhgaya and we are now certified Permaculture Design..."practitioners"? The course was great and we learned so much on so many levels. The last week we had practicals and we were to do a design. Ben and I were on separate teams and it was a good opportunity to explore different areas of permaculture and the needs of Bodhgaya. His was based on an existing farm, and mine was on a street in an urban setting. My team was to design ways to deal with water catchment; utilizing existing resources; growing food in urban settings; community building; business development; composting; waste management; black water treatment; grey water usage; beautifying; pest control..quite a few others as well. It was a real life situation and we had a small group of local clients. It was a ton of work in a short time but the results were well worth it! We presented yesterday and our clients came to the presentation. One of our classmates runs an environmental NGO here and plans to help this group implement the design. Very exciting!!
So, we leave tomorrow to head up to Dharamsala..the home of the Dalai Llama and the heart of Tibetan culture. It is where the Tibetans have set up home after leaving their invaded land up north. Its cool, mountainous, and allegedly clean, with fresh air.... I cannot pretend that we are not thrilled. It's been very challenging to be here...and it's been perfect. Permaculture is not just about waste management, sustainable agriculture and technology. It's about natural healing; holistic nutrition; sanitation; a better way of life, living in balance with mother nature... Bodhgaya, existing in the poorest state in India; the third hottest town on Earth; trying to support a high level of traffic due to tourism... REALLY needs these kinds of designs. It couldn't have been in a better place in terms of Permaculture... And it's been a great opportunity to experience the needs of those who are suffering on our planet. ..... And we are ready to go.
Bens Giardia came back full force and he had to go back on antibiotics. Not just the same ones as before, but also Cipro which is the big daddy of antibiotics and kills everything in the body. A very intense, last resort medicine. A day or two after starting them he was pretty run down as his system adjusted to a high dose of medicine. Today is his last day, and we have our fingers crossed (toes, arms, legs and eyes too), that it doesn't come back when he stops taking them tomorrow.
We have about a 40 hour trip up north... A 15 hour train ride will get us to a 3 hour layover in Delhi which is cutting it VERY close as the trains tend be late, and we have to travel to another train station in traffic...again...crossing our limbs. Then a 10 hour train ride north, to a five hour train, to taxis....
I will write again from the North, when we are recovering in the Himalayan mountains, breathing fresh air...
So, we leave tomorrow to head up to Dharamsala..the home of the Dalai Llama and the heart of Tibetan culture. It is where the Tibetans have set up home after leaving their invaded land up north. Its cool, mountainous, and allegedly clean, with fresh air.... I cannot pretend that we are not thrilled. It's been very challenging to be here...and it's been perfect. Permaculture is not just about waste management, sustainable agriculture and technology. It's about natural healing; holistic nutrition; sanitation; a better way of life, living in balance with mother nature... Bodhgaya, existing in the poorest state in India; the third hottest town on Earth; trying to support a high level of traffic due to tourism... REALLY needs these kinds of designs. It couldn't have been in a better place in terms of Permaculture... And it's been a great opportunity to experience the needs of those who are suffering on our planet. ..... And we are ready to go.
Bens Giardia came back full force and he had to go back on antibiotics. Not just the same ones as before, but also Cipro which is the big daddy of antibiotics and kills everything in the body. A very intense, last resort medicine. A day or two after starting them he was pretty run down as his system adjusted to a high dose of medicine. Today is his last day, and we have our fingers crossed (toes, arms, legs and eyes too), that it doesn't come back when he stops taking them tomorrow.
We have about a 40 hour trip up north... A 15 hour train ride will get us to a 3 hour layover in Delhi which is cutting it VERY close as the trains tend be late, and we have to travel to another train station in traffic...again...crossing our limbs. Then a 10 hour train ride north, to a five hour train, to taxis....
I will write again from the North, when we are recovering in the Himalayan mountains, breathing fresh air...
Saturday, March 31, 2012
States of "Mine"
10 years ago I spent time in Africa, and it was the first time I really saw suffering. Poverty, malnutrition, children wearing the same dirty clothes everyday and drinking dirty water. I had the opportunity to work with them over an extended period of time and really come to know what life is like at the village level in rural Africa. In all my time there, however, it was never I, who suffered. I had what I wanted in order to be comfortable; and my basic needs were met.
India, is the full experience. It is not only seeing the suffering, but experiencing it for oneself. I have experienced many challenges here, as Mama India shows me her secrets about Life and the world in which we live.
Water is a real problem here... You can buy bottled water for drinking, but the bacteria-laden water forges its way into your body through other means. You have little choice but to eat at restaurants, and there they use the water to wash dishes,wash the food, the table mats... You wash your hands with it, brush your teeth, shower in it....its all contaminated. Its a rare thing (if it happens ever at all), that a traveler passes through India without "India passing through them".
Its not just the water that I am suffering from here, it's malnutrition. The food is very low in nutrients as a result of poor soil, lack of proper fertilization, and loss of Life Force as the food degrades over time before consumption. The food is mostly empty carbohydrates (white flour, potatoes, white rice), and watery lentil soup. I can eat until my belly is full... But my body always feels hungry. I feel as though I am starving, even though food is plentiful.
The poor food and water quality lead to a lot of sickness, which Ben and I have been experiencing in various ways. I have pretty much been sick in one way or another since I arrived to the country. I have always been one who rarely gets sick, and have been blessed with a strong immune system. It's the first time I have known what it's like to feel sick all the time. What happens when you get sick and you can't just call up your doctor, who you trust, and get medicine? What happens when there is only one doctor in town, and you know he gives out medicine that has been banned in western countries for having serious side effects? What If you know this doctor gives out medicine without even knowing what, exactly, that medicine is supposed to treat? What do you do? Where do you go? When you are miles from the nearest hospital, in a foreign country, with some unknown sickness?
By far the hardest part for me, however, is the air. This pervasive haze is comprised of smoke, exhaust, vaporized heavy metals and burning plastic (any guesses as to what happens when you breathe in burning plastic?). It's not just something you smell now and then, though for sure you find yourself walking through clouds of it...it's an ever present, stinky layer of ICK that fills ever corner of this country and there is no escape. I feel consistently tired, lethargic, moody, heavy and unmotivated. I crave a long, deep breath of delicious, oxygen filled, sweet old air.... And the tragedy, is that it not only covers all of India...but china, SE Asia, and many other countries who still have no better way to dispose of their garbage than to burn it. As thick as this pollution is over here, and for as many years as it has been happening, there is no doubt that it's also prevalent in the US. Even if the air seems clean, it's not. Our air is slowly becoming more and more toxic by the day.
So, suddenly I find myself in a situation where my basic needs are not being met. Clean water; nutrition; health; healthcare; AIR... And it has been really hard. Truly a challenge.
This is not me complaining. This isn't a "poor me" story. I choose to be here, and unlike those who suffer beside me... I can leave at any point. I have the profound and abundant privilege to just hop on a train, or a plane, and escape to a place of comfort and ease. So why do I choose to stay? Why don't i just high-tail it outta here and head back to those luscious islands in the South Pacific? Because I want to be here. This is not a book; a photograph; a movie or documentary; an Internet website or a story I heard. This is a very intense experience which is very real to many many people. Would it really better me in some way, to just walk away cringing, and pretend like I never saw anything? Would I feel better then?...
It's not that I have some grandiose, idealistic vision of Martyrdom, that by staying and suffering I will save the world... But there is something very important to be cultivated here. Something not worth ignoring, or running away from. It exists within all of us, when we really allow ourselves to experience it. It is Compassion. Living in this environment, experiencing this lack of basic human needs...allowing myself the opportunity to really be challenged to Live... It breeds a new kind of compassion. A kind that can not be confused with pity. Real Compassion...from a place inside of me that says... "I know how you feel. I know what this life is like. And it's hard."
It is from experiences like this, that the fires of passion are stoked and set ablaze... And a new dream is born for the awakening and healing of our planet. From this experience, overflows gratitude for the immense amount of blessings in my life... For the gifts of the Earth and the power of Mother Nature. For my health and the health of my loved ones; the opportunities we all have; nutritious organic food; and every sacred, precious breath of air...
And yet.... Suffering is a state of mind....
India, is the full experience. It is not only seeing the suffering, but experiencing it for oneself. I have experienced many challenges here, as Mama India shows me her secrets about Life and the world in which we live.
Water is a real problem here... You can buy bottled water for drinking, but the bacteria-laden water forges its way into your body through other means. You have little choice but to eat at restaurants, and there they use the water to wash dishes,wash the food, the table mats... You wash your hands with it, brush your teeth, shower in it....its all contaminated. Its a rare thing (if it happens ever at all), that a traveler passes through India without "India passing through them".
Its not just the water that I am suffering from here, it's malnutrition. The food is very low in nutrients as a result of poor soil, lack of proper fertilization, and loss of Life Force as the food degrades over time before consumption. The food is mostly empty carbohydrates (white flour, potatoes, white rice), and watery lentil soup. I can eat until my belly is full... But my body always feels hungry. I feel as though I am starving, even though food is plentiful.
The poor food and water quality lead to a lot of sickness, which Ben and I have been experiencing in various ways. I have pretty much been sick in one way or another since I arrived to the country. I have always been one who rarely gets sick, and have been blessed with a strong immune system. It's the first time I have known what it's like to feel sick all the time. What happens when you get sick and you can't just call up your doctor, who you trust, and get medicine? What happens when there is only one doctor in town, and you know he gives out medicine that has been banned in western countries for having serious side effects? What If you know this doctor gives out medicine without even knowing what, exactly, that medicine is supposed to treat? What do you do? Where do you go? When you are miles from the nearest hospital, in a foreign country, with some unknown sickness?
By far the hardest part for me, however, is the air. This pervasive haze is comprised of smoke, exhaust, vaporized heavy metals and burning plastic (any guesses as to what happens when you breathe in burning plastic?). It's not just something you smell now and then, though for sure you find yourself walking through clouds of it...it's an ever present, stinky layer of ICK that fills ever corner of this country and there is no escape. I feel consistently tired, lethargic, moody, heavy and unmotivated. I crave a long, deep breath of delicious, oxygen filled, sweet old air.... And the tragedy, is that it not only covers all of India...but china, SE Asia, and many other countries who still have no better way to dispose of their garbage than to burn it. As thick as this pollution is over here, and for as many years as it has been happening, there is no doubt that it's also prevalent in the US. Even if the air seems clean, it's not. Our air is slowly becoming more and more toxic by the day.
So, suddenly I find myself in a situation where my basic needs are not being met. Clean water; nutrition; health; healthcare; AIR... And it has been really hard. Truly a challenge.
This is not me complaining. This isn't a "poor me" story. I choose to be here, and unlike those who suffer beside me... I can leave at any point. I have the profound and abundant privilege to just hop on a train, or a plane, and escape to a place of comfort and ease. So why do I choose to stay? Why don't i just high-tail it outta here and head back to those luscious islands in the South Pacific? Because I want to be here. This is not a book; a photograph; a movie or documentary; an Internet website or a story I heard. This is a very intense experience which is very real to many many people. Would it really better me in some way, to just walk away cringing, and pretend like I never saw anything? Would I feel better then?...
It's not that I have some grandiose, idealistic vision of Martyrdom, that by staying and suffering I will save the world... But there is something very important to be cultivated here. Something not worth ignoring, or running away from. It exists within all of us, when we really allow ourselves to experience it. It is Compassion. Living in this environment, experiencing this lack of basic human needs...allowing myself the opportunity to really be challenged to Live... It breeds a new kind of compassion. A kind that can not be confused with pity. Real Compassion...from a place inside of me that says... "I know how you feel. I know what this life is like. And it's hard."
It is from experiences like this, that the fires of passion are stoked and set ablaze... And a new dream is born for the awakening and healing of our planet. From this experience, overflows gratitude for the immense amount of blessings in my life... For the gifts of the Earth and the power of Mother Nature. For my health and the health of my loved ones; the opportunities we all have; nutritious organic food; and every sacred, precious breath of air...
And yet.... Suffering is a state of mind....
Bacteria Buddies
Finally, after about a week of feeling severely sick, Ben is doing better. A lot better! As the week progressed, his situation seemed to be coming and going; coming back each time with more intensity. High fevers, chills, profuse diarrhea... We didn't know what to do. He had gone to a doctor some days ago, the main doc in town, and was diagnosed with Salmonella...a very "fishy" diagnisis if you ask me. He was prescribed medication that had been banned in the US due to its severe side effects. Wisely, Ben researched the drug, and found horrifying info about it. Worst of all, it's not even used to treat Salmonella or any other intestinal infections. He stopped taking the medicine, though I was left with a significant amount of anger and frustration. Finally he went to have a stool test, and the nurse (an american volunteer) gave him some antibiotics for a common intestinal parasite. At this point, Ben had no choice but to take it, as his condition was deteriorating and sleep was lacking. By the time his results came back the next day, and he had completed a cycle of antibiotics, and he felt a lot better. The results stated that he had Giardia. "Wah Wah"... Giardia travels in the water, through a bacteria that lives in animal feces. Yum. Its probably in most of the water in India, especially with all the cows, goats and dogs roaming the streets. Im not sure how I made through as we share water and food.... Luckily, the antibiotics he was given were already for Giardia. He seems to be in the clear now.
Permaculture Design Course (PDC)
Permaculture....I realized I haven't elaborated on what it is exactly. It's not easy to define, but in class we called it a "design approach to create a sustainable human habitat and planet".
Essentially, we have been learning a little bit about many different systems and aspects under permaculture, and how to put it together into a design for sustainability. This could be for one project (ie: making a pond) and how to make it sustainable; or it could be for a whole farm, or even urban living. It would be impossible to cover every detail in this 2 week course, but it is quite extensive and gives enough information to be able to (with practice) create a fully sustainable piece of land.
We are learning about building soil; composting; aquaculture; natural building; rain water harvesting; grey and black water purifying; cropping; seed saving; forest farming; biodiversity; animal husbandry... So much. Though we are only receiving an overview of these individual subjects, the real point of the course is to understand how to "design" the land so all these parts can be connected and work together with as little input from people as possible. It's extremely fascinating, and both Ben and I have been really inspired to learn more. It's really the direction out planet needs to go; creating the skills and resources to be able to meet our own needs at the local community level. To be independent of corporations, synthetic products and imports from china. Everything we are learning makes perfect sense and is much easier than most would expect it to be. did you know that you can get chickens and pigs to till your garden for you? That you can easily build a water catchment system in which you will always have free water and it could be pumped by the kids playing on the teeter totter out back? So many ingenious ideas... Really fun to brainstorm.
The course is taught by an american with a lot of experience in permaculture, especially in the developing world. There are 12-15 students, the 3 in question come and go depending on their schedules. Half the class are locals or native Indians. Very exciting! The rest are fellow travelers, mostly from the states; and then one from Israel and one from Mexico.
We just finished day 5 out of 13 and we both love the course. We have a day off and we are finally going to make it to the temple where the famous Bodhi lives. We still haven't been there! We haven't had a chance having been sick and in class.
Spring is in the [polluted] air, and It's getting really hot here (100+degrees). In the summer, it can get up to 130 dgrees! Admittedly , we are both really looking forward to getting up to the mountains of Dharamsala soon. Hoping for fresh Himalayan air...oh, the mere thought!
Essentially, we have been learning a little bit about many different systems and aspects under permaculture, and how to put it together into a design for sustainability. This could be for one project (ie: making a pond) and how to make it sustainable; or it could be for a whole farm, or even urban living. It would be impossible to cover every detail in this 2 week course, but it is quite extensive and gives enough information to be able to (with practice) create a fully sustainable piece of land.
We are learning about building soil; composting; aquaculture; natural building; rain water harvesting; grey and black water purifying; cropping; seed saving; forest farming; biodiversity; animal husbandry... So much. Though we are only receiving an overview of these individual subjects, the real point of the course is to understand how to "design" the land so all these parts can be connected and work together with as little input from people as possible. It's extremely fascinating, and both Ben and I have been really inspired to learn more. It's really the direction out planet needs to go; creating the skills and resources to be able to meet our own needs at the local community level. To be independent of corporations, synthetic products and imports from china. Everything we are learning makes perfect sense and is much easier than most would expect it to be. did you know that you can get chickens and pigs to till your garden for you? That you can easily build a water catchment system in which you will always have free water and it could be pumped by the kids playing on the teeter totter out back? So many ingenious ideas... Really fun to brainstorm.
The course is taught by an american with a lot of experience in permaculture, especially in the developing world. There are 12-15 students, the 3 in question come and go depending on their schedules. Half the class are locals or native Indians. Very exciting! The rest are fellow travelers, mostly from the states; and then one from Israel and one from Mexico.
We just finished day 5 out of 13 and we both love the course. We have a day off and we are finally going to make it to the temple where the famous Bodhi lives. We still haven't been there! We haven't had a chance having been sick and in class.
Spring is in the [polluted] air, and It's getting really hot here (100+degrees). In the summer, it can get up to 130 dgrees! Admittedly , we are both really looking forward to getting up to the mountains of Dharamsala soon. Hoping for fresh Himalayan air...oh, the mere thought!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Read at your own risk!!! (if you have a tendency to worry about us, you might consider skipping to the next post)
Well the last couple of days have been somewhat intense. Saturday (24th), Ben was sick again... This time he had a persisting fever, as well as other intestinal symptoms. It went up and down, and I made a trip to town to locate a thermometer, more oral rehydration salts, juice and some Tylenol - just in case. We decided not to use the Tylenol right away, as a fever is the body's natural defense to kill bacteria and virus. He let himself fever awhile, but eventually was too hot and achy so he took a Tylenol and felt much better. At 3am, I awoke to noise in the room and the sound of glass breaking. I asked what was going on and he said he had a fever again, and he was trying to take his temperature, and the thermometer fell on the tile floor and broke. We were both quite groggy at this hour, and without thinking about it, we just swept the mess into a small garbage bag.
The next morning, we went to the Internet cafe to google info up on the breaking of thermometers and what to do with the mercury inside. We were horrified to read about the levels of precautions to use, even with this small amount of toxic heavy metal. Back in our hotel room, we squatted down to look at the bathroom floor wih a flashlight, and sure enough... Little balls of mercury all over! We panicked, thinking of how we had walked through the bathroom in the middle of the night to pee; and showered in there in the morning...standing right in the
middle of the mercury explosion!
We spent the next three hours, carefully wiping up the floor with wet toilet paper; and fishing balls of mercury out of the tile cracks. We were careful not to touch it, and wore shoes the whole time. We threw out the broom we had used to sweep the mess up in the middle of the night, and any other questionable objects. We took everything and triple bagged it and then sat down to breathe a bit. We were both feeling highly agitated and worried about our potential poisoning/exposure. I don't know how toxic elemental metallic mercury is; if it can absorb through the skin, or if it emits any harmful vapors when not being burned. Our research was confusing as it didn't always specify which kind of mercury was being discussed, and there are several kinds ranging in forms.
After we grounded ourselves a bit, we came to our next problem... Where and how to dispose of the waste? There are no toxic waste centers; no poison control to call; no waste management of any kind. People just throw their trash right out into their yard (or more likely, their neighbors), and either leave it or burn it. Yes, they burn it all, even the plastic...
So we now have a dilemma. If it gets burned, it will vaporize the mercury... and that is real bad. We can't bury it because the water table is too close to the surface. The only thing we can think of (which by no means leaves us feeling settled) is to leave it in a pile amongst other trash... Which will still likely get burned or pawed through by someone, a cow, a dog a person looking to make use of that broom...
We asked our permaculture teacher what he thought and he didn't have any useable idea either. If anyone has any ideas or advice of any kind, please let us know!!!!
So all of this, and Ben still sick with fever. He had kept his fever down with Tylenol and was mobile though trying to take it easy. By this morning, however, he was still feeling bad. Afraid that he might have malaria or something, we talked to our permaculture teachers and one of them drove him to a local doctor whom she trusts. She has lived here 5 yrs and has also been sick and used this doc. When Ben came back, the doctor had loaded him up with antibiotics, oral rehydration salts, electrolytes, probiotics, prebiotics, and a diagnosis of salmonella poisoning. I was surprised by this and have my doubts, as we haven't eaten any uncooked food; and any eggs we have eaten have also been fully cooked- no runny yoke. Anything prepared on a surface with raw food would have been cooked. I am also skeptical because i would expect salmonella poisoning to come with profuse vomitting, and he never threw up....But then... This is India. Its certainly possible. We will see what happens the next few days and hope he gets better. He's doing fine, no need to worry. He's eating normally (and has been-another fishy sign of food poisoning), moving around and participating in the class. He's an extremely strong individual and his demeanor is positive.
So that is most of our weekend experience... We started our permaculture course today, and we will tune in again soon to let you all know how that is going. So far, we both love it and find ourselves thirsty to learn more! It's all really fascinating and fun and about half the group are locals, including two women! Dad, kendra and Mark- we are bringing a digital copy of the course material and handbook for you guys.. Loads of useful stuff I'm sure you will all love.
Again, please don't worry. We are both totally fine. We will let you know how everything goes soon enough.
The next morning, we went to the Internet cafe to google info up on the breaking of thermometers and what to do with the mercury inside. We were horrified to read about the levels of precautions to use, even with this small amount of toxic heavy metal. Back in our hotel room, we squatted down to look at the bathroom floor wih a flashlight, and sure enough... Little balls of mercury all over! We panicked, thinking of how we had walked through the bathroom in the middle of the night to pee; and showered in there in the morning...standing right in the
middle of the mercury explosion!
We spent the next three hours, carefully wiping up the floor with wet toilet paper; and fishing balls of mercury out of the tile cracks. We were careful not to touch it, and wore shoes the whole time. We threw out the broom we had used to sweep the mess up in the middle of the night, and any other questionable objects. We took everything and triple bagged it and then sat down to breathe a bit. We were both feeling highly agitated and worried about our potential poisoning/exposure. I don't know how toxic elemental metallic mercury is; if it can absorb through the skin, or if it emits any harmful vapors when not being burned. Our research was confusing as it didn't always specify which kind of mercury was being discussed, and there are several kinds ranging in forms.
After we grounded ourselves a bit, we came to our next problem... Where and how to dispose of the waste? There are no toxic waste centers; no poison control to call; no waste management of any kind. People just throw their trash right out into their yard (or more likely, their neighbors), and either leave it or burn it. Yes, they burn it all, even the plastic...
So we now have a dilemma. If it gets burned, it will vaporize the mercury... and that is real bad. We can't bury it because the water table is too close to the surface. The only thing we can think of (which by no means leaves us feeling settled) is to leave it in a pile amongst other trash... Which will still likely get burned or pawed through by someone, a cow, a dog a person looking to make use of that broom...
We asked our permaculture teacher what he thought and he didn't have any useable idea either. If anyone has any ideas or advice of any kind, please let us know!!!!
So all of this, and Ben still sick with fever. He had kept his fever down with Tylenol and was mobile though trying to take it easy. By this morning, however, he was still feeling bad. Afraid that he might have malaria or something, we talked to our permaculture teachers and one of them drove him to a local doctor whom she trusts. She has lived here 5 yrs and has also been sick and used this doc. When Ben came back, the doctor had loaded him up with antibiotics, oral rehydration salts, electrolytes, probiotics, prebiotics, and a diagnosis of salmonella poisoning. I was surprised by this and have my doubts, as we haven't eaten any uncooked food; and any eggs we have eaten have also been fully cooked- no runny yoke. Anything prepared on a surface with raw food would have been cooked. I am also skeptical because i would expect salmonella poisoning to come with profuse vomitting, and he never threw up....But then... This is India. Its certainly possible. We will see what happens the next few days and hope he gets better. He's doing fine, no need to worry. He's eating normally (and has been-another fishy sign of food poisoning), moving around and participating in the class. He's an extremely strong individual and his demeanor is positive.
So that is most of our weekend experience... We started our permaculture course today, and we will tune in again soon to let you all know how that is going. So far, we both love it and find ourselves thirsty to learn more! It's all really fascinating and fun and about half the group are locals, including two women! Dad, kendra and Mark- we are bringing a digital copy of the course material and handbook for you guys.. Loads of useful stuff I'm sure you will all love.
Again, please don't worry. We are both totally fine. We will let you know how everything goes soon enough.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Return of the Delhi Belly and praise to GSE
Every traveler of India has heard of the term "Delhi Belly", and perhaps it is unlikely that any who come here escape it. It is the imminent invasion of micro-organisms, bacteria, that live in the water here and arrive into the body via poorly filtered water, or food prepared in untreated water. It happens. It's part of the experience, and i believe it strengthens the immune system. :-) Sometimes it lasts the whole time you are here; for us it has come in 24 hour periods. It can include vomiting, diarrhea, fever and aching joints.
We both experienced a little "India welcome party" in our bodies, in Rishikesh. It was worse for Ben than I, he having a bit of all the symptoms; I only had a day of aches and low fever. We both fared it well and took it as our homeopathic dose of the little bacteria, similar to a flu shot you get in order to buiid up immunity. It came and went and after a few days, we gained back our courage with the food and water. It seems, however that we picked up some new "friends" in Varanssi before we left. It's no surprise, Varanassi is thought to be the dirtiest city in India. Ben began feeling sick the night before we left Varanassi, and progressively got worse through the next day. It was mild, thankfully, consisting of the runs and some low energy. He began to pull out of it after about 24 hours and I thought I was in the clear. Just as in Rishikesh, however, it hit me exactly a day later than he. This is typical of us. It hit me two days ago in the late afternoon, and took me to my knees.. Literally. I had all the symptoms, with ferocious intensity. It felt like my insides were getting juiced and it was the most pain I have ever felt while being sick. Thankfully, the intensity only lasted that night, and by yesterday morning, I felt only exhaustion. I laid in bed the whole day, unable to peel myself out had I wanted to. By 8pm I felt a refreshing of energy, and we went to a nice place for some brothy soup and boiled vegetables.
We both brought some "grapefruit seed extract" with us.. A natural antibiotic which you mix in water and drink. The taste is horrifying, but it works quickly and efficiently. I am amazed at the healing powers of this little seed. After a half hour of taking it, you begin to feel better, and progressively thereafter. I believe it is the reason our bouts have only lasted 24 hours rather than days, or months. We have also been taking our rehydration salts, medicinal mushroom capsules and Ayurvedic adaptogenic herbs... So we are back on track to feeling healthy and parasite free!
For those who might be worried about us, don't be. This is totally normal...a rite of passage if you will. We are doing fine with it all, and taking really good care of each other. We both feel a lot better now.
We both experienced a little "India welcome party" in our bodies, in Rishikesh. It was worse for Ben than I, he having a bit of all the symptoms; I only had a day of aches and low fever. We both fared it well and took it as our homeopathic dose of the little bacteria, similar to a flu shot you get in order to buiid up immunity. It came and went and after a few days, we gained back our courage with the food and water. It seems, however that we picked up some new "friends" in Varanssi before we left. It's no surprise, Varanassi is thought to be the dirtiest city in India. Ben began feeling sick the night before we left Varanassi, and progressively got worse through the next day. It was mild, thankfully, consisting of the runs and some low energy. He began to pull out of it after about 24 hours and I thought I was in the clear. Just as in Rishikesh, however, it hit me exactly a day later than he. This is typical of us. It hit me two days ago in the late afternoon, and took me to my knees.. Literally. I had all the symptoms, with ferocious intensity. It felt like my insides were getting juiced and it was the most pain I have ever felt while being sick. Thankfully, the intensity only lasted that night, and by yesterday morning, I felt only exhaustion. I laid in bed the whole day, unable to peel myself out had I wanted to. By 8pm I felt a refreshing of energy, and we went to a nice place for some brothy soup and boiled vegetables.
We both brought some "grapefruit seed extract" with us.. A natural antibiotic which you mix in water and drink. The taste is horrifying, but it works quickly and efficiently. I am amazed at the healing powers of this little seed. After a half hour of taking it, you begin to feel better, and progressively thereafter. I believe it is the reason our bouts have only lasted 24 hours rather than days, or months. We have also been taking our rehydration salts, medicinal mushroom capsules and Ayurvedic adaptogenic herbs... So we are back on track to feeling healthy and parasite free!
For those who might be worried about us, don't be. This is totally normal...a rite of passage if you will. We are doing fine with it all, and taking really good care of each other. We both feel a lot better now.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Bartender! Give 'em another round on us!!
Today we went out exploring this small town, and visiting some temples. Upon leaving one of the temples, we passed a row of old women (about 8 of them) begging for change. we didn't have much change on us, and what we did have, we didn't know how to split up among them all. A few feet away there were a few men with machines that squeeze the juice out of sugar cane. A popular treat to which they add lime and sometimes mint. We asked the women if they would be interested in some cane juice, and the response was an emphatic YES!, followed by clapping and celebrating. We ordered 12 glasses of juice, and gave one to each woman; two, to a couple old men nearby, and the last two to some children to share. By the time I got my camera out and had them raise their glasses in a "cheers" gesture... The were all empty! :-) It was such a fun thing to do... We felt so much joy in sharing this moment with these beings, and the joy they felt in return was clear in their smiles and laughing eyes.
Such Joy in giving.... If you want to share this experience with us, find a creative way to give to someone else today....
Such Joy in giving.... If you want to share this experience with us, find a creative way to give to someone else today....
Basking in Buddhist Blessings
We left Varanassi on the train yesterday morning, and had our first experience of traveling second class sleeper. For those of you who don't know what this means, first class is divided into: AC chair, 1 tier AC, 2 tier AC (tiers are berths, or beds, layered 1-3 levels high), and 3 tier AC. Next comes second class sleeper and this is the lowest class, aside from second class chair which is not so common.
It was a short train ride, only 3 hours, so it was a terrific opportunity to travel "local style" and have a more rootsy Indian experience. The first thing we noticed was that, naturally, it was less clean and cozy than first class, and the berths we less cushy... but we expected that. The second thing we found out, was that although we had each paid for a full berth, 2 more people ended up sitting on them so you weren't able to lay down. I am still a bit confused as to how this works out... I'd like to know how we can pay for only one ticket and then share a seat like the locals seem to! But we happily shared our space with other riders and their luggage, embracing the "lack of logic" which is a way of life here.
I always love traveling at this local level, and having the opportunity to enjoy these intimate cultural experiences. We both had fun checking out (and sometimes tasting) the diverse and unusual train fare, which were brought by a constant stream of food peddlers. Every few minutes you would hear: "Tomato soup!", "Vegetable Biryani!", "Lassi!". We let the Chai Walla refill us as he passed back and forth...sipping our tea and taking in all the flavors of India.
When we arrived in Gaya, which is about 25km (an hour in an auto rickshaw) from Bodhgaya, we were met with hustle and bustle and some unexpected intensity. It was surprisingly more like what I expected to be met with in Varanassi. More begging, pushing, and aggressive male energy. Luckily, we were quickly swooped up by a rickshaw driver, who whisked us out of this loud city, and brought us safely to Bodhgaya. Bodhgaya is like a breath of fresh air. Literally. Trash burning is probably the number one reason for country-wide air pollution, and you never really get away from the smell of burning plastic. It is here, in Bodhgaya as well, but the town is much smaller and the air quality is better...slightly. The biggest difference, is the overall energy of being in a Buddhist town, full of temples and grassy parks. The horn honking is on a smaller scale, and a bit further away; the people are more peaceful; and there is an overall sense of open-kindness that can be typical of those who practice Buddhism. Bodhgaya is the biggest Buddhist pilgrimage place in the world, being the home of the famous Bodhi tree where the Buddha became enlightened. It is by no means crowded with people, however, and most pilgrims are monks from around the world. There are temples and monasteries from perhaps every country whose main religion is Buddhism, including: Thai, Tibetan, Bangladesh, Butanese, Japanese, and lots more.
We found a hotel we liked right away, and have decided to stay here for the duration of our time. It's down a side street, a bit quieter than the man road; across from a nice park with a large pond that kids swim in and paddle boats around; and right next door to an international meditation center. The owners of the hotel are sweet and gentle Buddhists, and we feel quite comfortable here. Being in the city of Varanassi had its many merits... but it's nice to have a little reprieve. Yes, definitely happy to be in this auspicious little town....
It was a short train ride, only 3 hours, so it was a terrific opportunity to travel "local style" and have a more rootsy Indian experience. The first thing we noticed was that, naturally, it was less clean and cozy than first class, and the berths we less cushy... but we expected that. The second thing we found out, was that although we had each paid for a full berth, 2 more people ended up sitting on them so you weren't able to lay down. I am still a bit confused as to how this works out... I'd like to know how we can pay for only one ticket and then share a seat like the locals seem to! But we happily shared our space with other riders and their luggage, embracing the "lack of logic" which is a way of life here.
I always love traveling at this local level, and having the opportunity to enjoy these intimate cultural experiences. We both had fun checking out (and sometimes tasting) the diverse and unusual train fare, which were brought by a constant stream of food peddlers. Every few minutes you would hear: "Tomato soup!", "Vegetable Biryani!", "Lassi!". We let the Chai Walla refill us as he passed back and forth...sipping our tea and taking in all the flavors of India.
When we arrived in Gaya, which is about 25km (an hour in an auto rickshaw) from Bodhgaya, we were met with hustle and bustle and some unexpected intensity. It was surprisingly more like what I expected to be met with in Varanassi. More begging, pushing, and aggressive male energy. Luckily, we were quickly swooped up by a rickshaw driver, who whisked us out of this loud city, and brought us safely to Bodhgaya. Bodhgaya is like a breath of fresh air. Literally. Trash burning is probably the number one reason for country-wide air pollution, and you never really get away from the smell of burning plastic. It is here, in Bodhgaya as well, but the town is much smaller and the air quality is better...slightly. The biggest difference, is the overall energy of being in a Buddhist town, full of temples and grassy parks. The horn honking is on a smaller scale, and a bit further away; the people are more peaceful; and there is an overall sense of open-kindness that can be typical of those who practice Buddhism. Bodhgaya is the biggest Buddhist pilgrimage place in the world, being the home of the famous Bodhi tree where the Buddha became enlightened. It is by no means crowded with people, however, and most pilgrims are monks from around the world. There are temples and monasteries from perhaps every country whose main religion is Buddhism, including: Thai, Tibetan, Bangladesh, Butanese, Japanese, and lots more.
We found a hotel we liked right away, and have decided to stay here for the duration of our time. It's down a side street, a bit quieter than the man road; across from a nice park with a large pond that kids swim in and paddle boats around; and right next door to an international meditation center. The owners of the hotel are sweet and gentle Buddhists, and we feel quite comfortable here. Being in the city of Varanassi had its many merits... but it's nice to have a little reprieve. Yes, definitely happy to be in this auspicious little town....
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Tuk Tuks, Travel Agents, Trash and Temples
Over the course of the last three days, the intensity of Varanassi is beginning to set in. What began as novel, slowly is becoming louder and more difficult to breathe. I still love Varanassi, it's very powerful in all it's intense ways. It naturally brings a lot up in a person; mentally, phisically, emotionally and of course spiritually. It's a deeply useful opportunity for One who is willing to meet it and FEEL it.
Two days ago, we hopped in an auto rickshaw (same as a tuk tuk- they use the terms interchangeably). We hired him for the day and had him take us around to 4 Hindu temples: Shiva Temple ; Durga Temple; Monkey Temple (a temple devoted to Hanuman whose form was half human and half monkey... Ironically, there are monkeys all around the temple); and Tulasi Manas Temple. The Hanuman Temple was especially nice, and the "no photography" rule helped to keep the ambiance very sacred and focused. There were many there to sing and pray, and it was a deeply devotional place of worship (Hanuman being the deity of devotion).
On our way to the temples we enjoyed our first auto rickshaw accident. So common, it hardly phases the drivers or passersby... and most travelers have experienced a multitude of them. The rickshaws don't go very fast, so an accident isn't such a big deal to the rider, but the Tuk Tuks are generally quite beat up. The hierarchy of the road is: you can run over pedestrians if they are in the way; bicycles are second, and the pedestrians should watch out for bicycles veering to get away from scooters. Scooters are subservient to the tuk tuks, which are by far the most aggressive vehicles... And though they are extremely aware of their position as "above these "lesser" modes of transport", they seem to disregard the fact that they are NOT above higher vehicles. The cars are not as common as the other vehicles, and neither are buses, which are at the top of the "fuel" chain. This is a blessing, as the law says that if a vehicle lower on the hierarchy is in the way, there is no problem creaming it if it doesn't move for a bigger vehicle... Tuk Tuks are not exactly defensive drivers. There is, however, one level of the hierarchy in which every vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian will diligently avoid.... The highest of the pyramid and King of the road.... The cow! Needless to say, we were fine. It was more amusing than anything.
Yesterday, we had planned a day trip but were foiled when we ended up spending the morning and early afternoon at the travel agent's office. We are not able to do our own train booking as you must be an Indian resident to do this. In some ways it's good as it gives jobs to Indians and makes the process much easier for us. The trains book up 2-4 weeks in advance, so it is good to plan ahead and book early, which is difficult to do when you want a spontaneous journey. The travel agents, however, get a certain number of emergency tickets which they can give to tourists after the train fills up, at an extra charge, of course. Our coming trip in a few weeks to Dharamsala will be a very long journey, and it took hours to sort out train times; ticket availability; and booking. We just kept breathing through it with as much patience as we could muster.
The afternoon we spent wandering through the back alleyways of the Main Ghat, looking at crafts; snacking on dosas; and finally locating the traveler famous "Blue Lassi"... Home of Varanassi's best Lassi. A Lassi is a blend of local made yogurt and fruit. These were extra special...chocolate, banana, coconut... Pomogranite and saffron on top. We went back last night for a second.... Don't tell anyone.
Today, we woke up at 5am, and hopped in a row boat with a sweet and honest man. He took us for a sunrise cruise on the Ganga. Varanassi was born again this morning, in all her rich glory. Bathers littered the ghats, doing their morning wash-up along with their pujas and prayers. Many began their days early with hours of clothes washing. A constant stream of chanting and singing could be heard as well as the laughter of young girls playing in the river. The ashes from the previous day and nights sacred burning of the bodies were pushed into a large pile, and then shoveled into the river... The last remains of the dreams, of the traveling pilgrims come to die in this Holy city.
The close up view of the river gave us the opportunity to see, touch and smell the extreme pollution of this sacred river. Trash, plastic, sewage, dead animals and dead bodies, all find their way to the stagnant waters of the lower Ganges. Here I had to muster the courage to touch it, while locals had no problems swimming, brushing their teeth, and even drinking it! Ack! Ben and I felt the tremendous amount of sorrow for the desecration of such an extraordinary gift of nature. We also felt immense gratitude for the beautiful, clean rivers of the north west... The blessing of living within such relatively preserved wildlife. Infinite gratitude for Mother Nature, may she return to balance and harmony.
This afternoon we went to Sarnath. Fifteen km away from Varanassi, It's the town where the first Buddha gave his very first sermon, and thus the birthplace of Buddhism. We stood in the place of that first sermon and felt the emanating of sweet energy. Inside the temple we sat for awhile, and it was such a peaceful reprieve from the loud, bustling city of Varanssi.
Tomorrow we leave Varanassi on a relatively short journey to Bodhgaya- only 4 hours away. This is the town where Buddha sat under the famous Bodhi tree to become enlightened. We will be there for a few days and then we start a two week permaculture course at a monastery. We will be working with some local community members of Bodhgaya to create a sustainable, no waste project using local and organic means.
Varanassi has been many things.... Rich and beautiful; intense and awful. I love it, I hate it.... Depends on where I am coming from. In the end... It's perfect.
Two days ago, we hopped in an auto rickshaw (same as a tuk tuk- they use the terms interchangeably). We hired him for the day and had him take us around to 4 Hindu temples: Shiva Temple ; Durga Temple; Monkey Temple (a temple devoted to Hanuman whose form was half human and half monkey... Ironically, there are monkeys all around the temple); and Tulasi Manas Temple. The Hanuman Temple was especially nice, and the "no photography" rule helped to keep the ambiance very sacred and focused. There were many there to sing and pray, and it was a deeply devotional place of worship (Hanuman being the deity of devotion).
On our way to the temples we enjoyed our first auto rickshaw accident. So common, it hardly phases the drivers or passersby... and most travelers have experienced a multitude of them. The rickshaws don't go very fast, so an accident isn't such a big deal to the rider, but the Tuk Tuks are generally quite beat up. The hierarchy of the road is: you can run over pedestrians if they are in the way; bicycles are second, and the pedestrians should watch out for bicycles veering to get away from scooters. Scooters are subservient to the tuk tuks, which are by far the most aggressive vehicles... And though they are extremely aware of their position as "above these "lesser" modes of transport", they seem to disregard the fact that they are NOT above higher vehicles. The cars are not as common as the other vehicles, and neither are buses, which are at the top of the "fuel" chain. This is a blessing, as the law says that if a vehicle lower on the hierarchy is in the way, there is no problem creaming it if it doesn't move for a bigger vehicle... Tuk Tuks are not exactly defensive drivers. There is, however, one level of the hierarchy in which every vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian will diligently avoid.... The highest of the pyramid and King of the road.... The cow! Needless to say, we were fine. It was more amusing than anything.
Yesterday, we had planned a day trip but were foiled when we ended up spending the morning and early afternoon at the travel agent's office. We are not able to do our own train booking as you must be an Indian resident to do this. In some ways it's good as it gives jobs to Indians and makes the process much easier for us. The trains book up 2-4 weeks in advance, so it is good to plan ahead and book early, which is difficult to do when you want a spontaneous journey. The travel agents, however, get a certain number of emergency tickets which they can give to tourists after the train fills up, at an extra charge, of course. Our coming trip in a few weeks to Dharamsala will be a very long journey, and it took hours to sort out train times; ticket availability; and booking. We just kept breathing through it with as much patience as we could muster.
The afternoon we spent wandering through the back alleyways of the Main Ghat, looking at crafts; snacking on dosas; and finally locating the traveler famous "Blue Lassi"... Home of Varanassi's best Lassi. A Lassi is a blend of local made yogurt and fruit. These were extra special...chocolate, banana, coconut... Pomogranite and saffron on top. We went back last night for a second.... Don't tell anyone.
Today, we woke up at 5am, and hopped in a row boat with a sweet and honest man. He took us for a sunrise cruise on the Ganga. Varanassi was born again this morning, in all her rich glory. Bathers littered the ghats, doing their morning wash-up along with their pujas and prayers. Many began their days early with hours of clothes washing. A constant stream of chanting and singing could be heard as well as the laughter of young girls playing in the river. The ashes from the previous day and nights sacred burning of the bodies were pushed into a large pile, and then shoveled into the river... The last remains of the dreams, of the traveling pilgrims come to die in this Holy city.
The close up view of the river gave us the opportunity to see, touch and smell the extreme pollution of this sacred river. Trash, plastic, sewage, dead animals and dead bodies, all find their way to the stagnant waters of the lower Ganges. Here I had to muster the courage to touch it, while locals had no problems swimming, brushing their teeth, and even drinking it! Ack! Ben and I felt the tremendous amount of sorrow for the desecration of such an extraordinary gift of nature. We also felt immense gratitude for the beautiful, clean rivers of the north west... The blessing of living within such relatively preserved wildlife. Infinite gratitude for Mother Nature, may she return to balance and harmony.
This afternoon we went to Sarnath. Fifteen km away from Varanassi, It's the town where the first Buddha gave his very first sermon, and thus the birthplace of Buddhism. We stood in the place of that first sermon and felt the emanating of sweet energy. Inside the temple we sat for awhile, and it was such a peaceful reprieve from the loud, bustling city of Varanssi.
Tomorrow we leave Varanassi on a relatively short journey to Bodhgaya- only 4 hours away. This is the town where Buddha sat under the famous Bodhi tree to become enlightened. We will be there for a few days and then we start a two week permaculture course at a monastery. We will be working with some local community members of Bodhgaya to create a sustainable, no waste project using local and organic means.
Varanassi has been many things.... Rich and beautiful; intense and awful. I love it, I hate it.... Depends on where I am coming from. In the end... It's perfect.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
The Beauty in Varanassi
We arrived in Varanassi after a 13 hour train ride yesterday morning. We made a smooth transition into an auto rickshaw, and headed toward town about a half hour's drive in traffic. I have heard many stories about Varanassi...mostly concerning how intense, dirty, loud, dangerous, polluted and unruly this town is.... and it is quite possibly all of these things. But as we rode down the streets and looked at the sewage water running down the gutters; the backed up traffic and non-stop loud car horns; the beggars... breathed in the smokey, polluted air; the smell of cow poop and human pee which permeates nearly ever corner of the city....... I saw only Beauty. The raw-ness of this place feels so real, and I can see the intensity is there, but it just doesn't feel so intense to me. This is a way of life, and through all the grime and garbage, I felt a connection to this place. After two days here... I still see only beauty... so the question then, is, WHERE does beauty live?? Where does it really exist?? Is it the world outside of us in which we are looking at??? Or does it live inside of us? In a place where beauty is eternal...
Varanassi is the kind of place you can only either love or hate. There is no place for logic here. If you approach this place from your mind, and place judgements on everything you see, always wanting it to be different than the way it is... then you will hate it. If you approach it from the Heart, and accept it as it is, and meet it with an open mind... you may find that you Love it.
Ben and I found a guesthouse right away called "Om Home". Its actually quite nice and we like it a lot... the restaurant serves tastey food to the table on the balcony outside our room for very cheap so we are able to have tea and meals right at our room! A luxury I have never before experienced. This being said, its not a resort.. by india standards its quite nice.. by western... perhaps lacking. We like it though, and Ben has grown used to the fact that his knees touch the wall while he sits on the toilet!
We spent yesterday and today exploring the town. We walked along the Ganga (which is FAR dirtier here than in Rishikesh, where I did finally take a swim in her purifying waters), from Ghat to Ghat (a ghat is a set of steps going down to the river). We passed many men asking if we wanted a boat down the river- obviously a big money maker for them. We passed a Ghat which we have coined "Ghat Poop" as it seems to be where poeple come to do their business and PeeU! It stinks. We have heard so many stories about being hassled non-stop by people selling things; scams; sexual harrassment; etc... we have had none of this. We have been met by kindness, laughter, and Varanassi has thus far been very gentle for us. We both love it here.
By late afternoon yesterday, we finally made it to burning Ghat. This is the Ghat where the old and sick go to spend there last days waiting to die. This is where the bodies of loved ones are brought to be placed on pyres. The bodies are wrapped up in beautiful fabrics and placed on big piles of wood, with logs then placed on top of them. The bodies are burned slowly and many gather around to watch. There are upwards of 15-20 pyres burning at a time. We saw only 2 other Indian women there among the few hundred men, aside from a few western women. I am not sure if it a local custom for women not to attend or if they choose it, but I felt blessed to be allowed to see this. Interestingly, I didn't feel or think much as I saw this for the first time. I felt curious and found myself wanting a closer look. I was intrigued by the way in which the bodies were handled and the emotions or lack of, from family members. I wasn't sure how I would feel about this experience, but I actually found it to be very beautiful. Instead of putting bodies in a box in the ground and trying to keep the Earth out... These bodies were being cremated in a very sacred way, so that their loved ones might have a chance at ending the cycles of rebirth and move into the more heavenly realms. It is done from a place of love, and does not feel at all like a horrific scene. It is said that the burning of the bodies is a purifying process. No, pictures may be taken at Burning Ghat, this experience is reserved for pilgrimage only.
It is also the music capital and well known for music and voice lessons, and classial Indian concerts. Ben and I dipped into a very beautiful concert this evening for our first experience of live music in India.
It is a powerful place, Varanassi, unlike any other place in the world. Once must be open to recieve the Truth that lies in meeting all this town has to offer.. When the Truth is met... Great awakening is possible...
Varanassi is the kind of place you can only either love or hate. There is no place for logic here. If you approach this place from your mind, and place judgements on everything you see, always wanting it to be different than the way it is... then you will hate it. If you approach it from the Heart, and accept it as it is, and meet it with an open mind... you may find that you Love it.
Ben and I found a guesthouse right away called "Om Home". Its actually quite nice and we like it a lot... the restaurant serves tastey food to the table on the balcony outside our room for very cheap so we are able to have tea and meals right at our room! A luxury I have never before experienced. This being said, its not a resort.. by india standards its quite nice.. by western... perhaps lacking. We like it though, and Ben has grown used to the fact that his knees touch the wall while he sits on the toilet!
We spent yesterday and today exploring the town. We walked along the Ganga (which is FAR dirtier here than in Rishikesh, where I did finally take a swim in her purifying waters), from Ghat to Ghat (a ghat is a set of steps going down to the river). We passed many men asking if we wanted a boat down the river- obviously a big money maker for them. We passed a Ghat which we have coined "Ghat Poop" as it seems to be where poeple come to do their business and PeeU! It stinks. We have heard so many stories about being hassled non-stop by people selling things; scams; sexual harrassment; etc... we have had none of this. We have been met by kindness, laughter, and Varanassi has thus far been very gentle for us. We both love it here.
By late afternoon yesterday, we finally made it to burning Ghat. This is the Ghat where the old and sick go to spend there last days waiting to die. This is where the bodies of loved ones are brought to be placed on pyres. The bodies are wrapped up in beautiful fabrics and placed on big piles of wood, with logs then placed on top of them. The bodies are burned slowly and many gather around to watch. There are upwards of 15-20 pyres burning at a time. We saw only 2 other Indian women there among the few hundred men, aside from a few western women. I am not sure if it a local custom for women not to attend or if they choose it, but I felt blessed to be allowed to see this. Interestingly, I didn't feel or think much as I saw this for the first time. I felt curious and found myself wanting a closer look. I was intrigued by the way in which the bodies were handled and the emotions or lack of, from family members. I wasn't sure how I would feel about this experience, but I actually found it to be very beautiful. Instead of putting bodies in a box in the ground and trying to keep the Earth out... These bodies were being cremated in a very sacred way, so that their loved ones might have a chance at ending the cycles of rebirth and move into the more heavenly realms. It is done from a place of love, and does not feel at all like a horrific scene. It is said that the burning of the bodies is a purifying process. No, pictures may be taken at Burning Ghat, this experience is reserved for pilgrimage only.
It is also the music capital and well known for music and voice lessons, and classial Indian concerts. Ben and I dipped into a very beautiful concert this evening for our first experience of live music in India.
It is a powerful place, Varanassi, unlike any other place in the world. Once must be open to recieve the Truth that lies in meeting all this town has to offer.. When the Truth is met... Great awakening is possible...
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