I’m finally settling into Goa. I’m more comfortable on the scooter. On Christmas Day I got caught in an Indian cluster fuck. I thought I would go South and try to find Calangute Beach, close to where my Delhi friend is staying. Boy was that a mistake. I had to get on a major highway, which was manageable, but when I turned off to go to the beach, it was an Indian nightmare. It was bumper to bumper traffic with car, motor scooters and people everywhere and going in all directions. Luckily, there were no cows to worry with! I gave up and turned around and finally made it out of the mess. I now feel initiated to driving in India. I am use to walking more, but here you pretty much have to drive your scooter everywhere. It gives me a boost of confidence when I can drive on the main roads and not be terrified.
Yesterday I explored the northern coastline of Goa. Arambol Beach, seemed more hippish to me, Mandrem and Morgim were overrun with Russian tourists. I hear there is even a Russian mafia here! Anjuna Beach, close to where I am located is my favorite beach of the area so far. Goa has over 108 kilometers of coastline. I am pleasantly surprised for India how clean the beaches are. Everything else in India is filthy.
I have met a few people to talk to at the beaches, but no real connections to go beyond that. For four months I have has something to do almost everyday I wake-up. Now in Goa, I don’t have class or a program. I think it is good for me to have the structure and to learn something new. It does not take long to get out of the routine of doing yoga everyday. I am thinking about talking an Ayur Yoga Massage Class. But I want to try the massage to see if I like it and it is something I want to incorporate in my massage practice. It combines Ayurveda Massage with the stretching of yoga. I am imagining similar to Thai massage. Anyway, the class is expensive and a long time commitment, so I am unsure at this point. I attended a yoga class which was taught by 7 soon to be graduates of the yoga school. Each student took 15-minutes to teach. It was a free class and quite good.
I met my Delhi friend for coffee. We meet in the darnest places; under highway signs, in the airport, at a church, on the street. Thank goodness for cell phones. He was a bit grouchy. I think he needed a massage, but I am unable to give him one since I am staying with my friend. I didn’t feel it was appropriate to bring him here.
I have been drinking a beer or two on the beach just about everyday. I shouldn't complaining as you can get a Kingfisher for just under a dollar. It is really cheaper to drink beer than a soda. The Sizzlers are good. The prawn and veggies one was delicious! It comes out sounding like fajitas on the grill. Boy a margarita sounds good, but they are expensive here.
Yippie…………the USD has increased from 42.5 rupees to the dollar to now 51 since I have been here. I heard it went to 53 for one day. That’s over 20% increase for us. I didn’t realize how large until I looked at an old spa menu and they gave prices in dollars, rupees and Euro dollars. Definitely better to pay in rupees! The airfares are expensive in India now though. I think because the middle Indian class is so huge. 300-million Indians are now considered middle class. That’s the size of the US population. The last few days the beaches are now overrun with Indians!!!!!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Now in Goa
I have completed my 24-day course, Level I Yoga Intensive with Agama Yoga in Rishikesh. It was another wonderful experience. My neck feels better with the long term issue I have had, but it has a long way to go before I have a day without pain. This is one reason I gave up my business. I could no longer work without being in pain.
I've met some great people. Surprisingly I was the only American in the class. We had several exciting sessions with a cow that kept trying to get in the yoga hall every night. He was determined to get in. The last evening for our closing and graduation ceremony we were asked to perform. I didn’t perform but several classmates did. We had singers, a fire and scarf dancers, a juggler and quantum physics lesson and a RAP that pertained to the class. It was hilarious. By the way, I still don’t understand quantum physics and how it relates to spirituality.
I loved the class but it was freezing in Rishikesh and I could not get warm. My room stayed between 55-60 degrees all the time. And the yoga hall was miserable, especially for our morning class. You know it is cold, when my classmates were doing yoga poses in their sleeping bags! Now I am toasty and my skin is nice and supple again.
A private taxi arrived to take me to Dehradun airport for a short flight to Delhi to connect to Goa. I met my Indian friend who lives in Delhi at the airport and he took me to lunch. It was great to see him again! I took another long taxi ride to get to my friends house in Anjuna Beach Goa. Karen is the American who has lived here for 40-years; a hippy that came here in the 70’s and never left. There are many of them here! I am having sticker shock. Everything is at least double the price we paid in Rishikesh.
Karen got me all lined up with a scooter and oriented me around town. She left the day after my arrival and will be gone for almost 2-weeks. She is a volunteer yoga teacher at an ashram 12-hours away from Goa. I’m house and cat sitting for her. I was really nervous when she took me to a busy town called Mapusa. I hadn’t been on a scooter since 2005 and I was shaking with nerves and apprehension. We parked our scooters while we shopped in the market for an hour or so. We came back to the lot where the scooters were. I put the key in the ignition and the steering column locked up. In a panic I got people around us to help. People thought I needed WD -40, so I shopped for that after I called the owner of the bike to come rescue me. I came back with the WD-40 and tried again. To my pleasant surprise the key now worked! The parking lot attendant came over and said, “I think you were misguided. You put the key in the wrong bike”. I had looked at the license plate and it said G-003. Well, they all say G-003! What a ditzy blond I can be. I was so embarrassed. I called the owner back and told him I got it started, but I didn’t tell him what I had done. I have finally settled down and am more comfortable on the Honda Activa. There are a ton of tourists here for the XMAS and New Year’s Holiday. The Russians have landed! They are every where. I guess it use to be a big Israeli hang-out, but they are all gone now. I think it has gotten too expensive for them.
Today I rode the scooter to the beach for the large flea market they have every Wednesday. I had a beer and bought a couple of bindis, the jewelry for the third eye area. I hate all the bargaining. They are asking a fortune for mostly junk stuff! I cooked myself a meal of fresh veggies and rice today. First time I have cooked in 4-months. I enjoy cooking! I had a chicken momo, the Tibetan Dumpling at a nearby restaurant my second night here. I think it was more of a mystery meat than chicken. It made me sick. My body must be use to being a vegetarian. I have not been sick in India until now. I have also eaten several salads. And it is probably not a good idea, even here.
I am missing the camaraderie in Rishikesh. It is hard to meet anyone here because it is so spread out. But on a positive note, I love having a house to my self. I have even been watching TV, Animal Planet and cooking shows. Karen’s kitty is so affectionate. It has made me miss Sagan and Nubio. I know they are happy as I recently wrote their new owner!
My time in this area will be almost a month. Then my visa expires for India. I’ll head for Level 2 Yoga in Ko Panagan (mispell) Thailand.
I need to start doing yoga here. But I’m having a hard time paying $10 for a 2-hour class! In Rishikesh, we paid this price for 2 each, 2-hour classes and a 2-hour lecture each day. It doesn’t feel like I am still in India. I’ve only seen a couple of cows! I did see a few on the beach today where I enjoyed a most spectacular sunset and Kingfisher Beer with a young American boy.
No plans for the rest of the week. In four months of trveling, I now have a break from all the classes I have taken. It feels good.........yet I prefer staying busy with little down time.
I've met some great people. Surprisingly I was the only American in the class. We had several exciting sessions with a cow that kept trying to get in the yoga hall every night. He was determined to get in. The last evening for our closing and graduation ceremony we were asked to perform. I didn’t perform but several classmates did. We had singers, a fire and scarf dancers, a juggler and quantum physics lesson and a RAP that pertained to the class. It was hilarious. By the way, I still don’t understand quantum physics and how it relates to spirituality.
I loved the class but it was freezing in Rishikesh and I could not get warm. My room stayed between 55-60 degrees all the time. And the yoga hall was miserable, especially for our morning class. You know it is cold, when my classmates were doing yoga poses in their sleeping bags! Now I am toasty and my skin is nice and supple again.
A private taxi arrived to take me to Dehradun airport for a short flight to Delhi to connect to Goa. I met my Indian friend who lives in Delhi at the airport and he took me to lunch. It was great to see him again! I took another long taxi ride to get to my friends house in Anjuna Beach Goa. Karen is the American who has lived here for 40-years; a hippy that came here in the 70’s and never left. There are many of them here! I am having sticker shock. Everything is at least double the price we paid in Rishikesh.
Karen got me all lined up with a scooter and oriented me around town. She left the day after my arrival and will be gone for almost 2-weeks. She is a volunteer yoga teacher at an ashram 12-hours away from Goa. I’m house and cat sitting for her. I was really nervous when she took me to a busy town called Mapusa. I hadn’t been on a scooter since 2005 and I was shaking with nerves and apprehension. We parked our scooters while we shopped in the market for an hour or so. We came back to the lot where the scooters were. I put the key in the ignition and the steering column locked up. In a panic I got people around us to help. People thought I needed WD -40, so I shopped for that after I called the owner of the bike to come rescue me. I came back with the WD-40 and tried again. To my pleasant surprise the key now worked! The parking lot attendant came over and said, “I think you were misguided. You put the key in the wrong bike”. I had looked at the license plate and it said G-003. Well, they all say G-003! What a ditzy blond I can be. I was so embarrassed. I called the owner back and told him I got it started, but I didn’t tell him what I had done. I have finally settled down and am more comfortable on the Honda Activa. There are a ton of tourists here for the XMAS and New Year’s Holiday. The Russians have landed! They are every where. I guess it use to be a big Israeli hang-out, but they are all gone now. I think it has gotten too expensive for them.
Today I rode the scooter to the beach for the large flea market they have every Wednesday. I had a beer and bought a couple of bindis, the jewelry for the third eye area. I hate all the bargaining. They are asking a fortune for mostly junk stuff! I cooked myself a meal of fresh veggies and rice today. First time I have cooked in 4-months. I enjoy cooking! I had a chicken momo, the Tibetan Dumpling at a nearby restaurant my second night here. I think it was more of a mystery meat than chicken. It made me sick. My body must be use to being a vegetarian. I have not been sick in India until now. I have also eaten several salads. And it is probably not a good idea, even here.
I am missing the camaraderie in Rishikesh. It is hard to meet anyone here because it is so spread out. But on a positive note, I love having a house to my self. I have even been watching TV, Animal Planet and cooking shows. Karen’s kitty is so affectionate. It has made me miss Sagan and Nubio. I know they are happy as I recently wrote their new owner!
My time in this area will be almost a month. Then my visa expires for India. I’ll head for Level 2 Yoga in Ko Panagan (mispell) Thailand.
I need to start doing yoga here. But I’m having a hard time paying $10 for a 2-hour class! In Rishikesh, we paid this price for 2 each, 2-hour classes and a 2-hour lecture each day. It doesn’t feel like I am still in India. I’ve only seen a couple of cows! I did see a few on the beach today where I enjoyed a most spectacular sunset and Kingfisher Beer with a young American boy.
No plans for the rest of the week. In four months of trveling, I now have a break from all the classes I have taken. It feels good.........yet I prefer staying busy with little down time.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Trikka Agama Yoga
My 24-day yoga program is called, Trikka Agama. Agamayoga.com
It is an intense foundation to traditional yoga. Our teacher says, “It’s not gymnastics yoga like done in the west”. We learn a simple pose everyday then you go into the pose for up to 5-minutes at a time. Touching your toes sounds pretty simple, but try it for 5-minutes and see how simple it is for you. The original yoga teachings say you should be able to stay in this pose for 3-hours and 48-minutes. After much practice, you might be able to reach Samadhi.
So our program is a brief lecture in the morning about our new pose for the day, then we do about one hour and 45-minutes of yoga. In the afternoon, we meet again for 2-hours of yoga, preceding a 2-hour lecture on yoga, diet, lifestyle and health related topics. Some of the stuff they talk about is a bit bizarre for me to partake in, like “urine therapy”. They said the old Prime Minister of India drinks his own urine for health reasons.
There are approximately 25-people in the class from all over the world. Once again, I am the oldest! I think it is going to take years for me to be able to do a headstand and backbend. With all of my cervical and spinal issues, many poses are a challenge and painful. But the good news…………….every day I am feeling better and in less pain. I actually sat still for 25-minutes cross legged for meditation. I only moved twice. It was a major break through for me.
One of my classmates is a young Indian, 22-year old. He is in a class of all westerners and I was the first to talk to him. We have become friends. It is amazing to see him come out of his shell. After an intense heart chakra meditation, he really opened up and hugged over twenty people. You should have seen the smile on his face. He said he had never hugged so many people in all his life.
We rented a motorcycle on Sunday for the day, our day off, and toured a temple and some of the surrounding countryside. I love riding motorcycles. It makes me feel liberated, young and free!
I have met several other really nice people here and we have dinners and lunches together in between our yoga practice. We had a dancing meditation session………loads of fun, a sing-a-long, and a jam session. I know it sounds like I’m at a summer camp! Everyone went into a trance while at once people were chanting, playing a dijeredo, guitar, flute, drums, singing bowls and several weird instruments I had never seen. One of our classmates, a German is joining a circus and traveling throughout S American soon. He can do about anything and is a fascinating artist!
So my plans are to fly to Goa, down South, in 2-weeks for my remaining time in India. Then I will go to Thailand for Level 2 of this same yoga program. They have 24-levels and it takes 5-years to complete this university level program. We shall see how involved I get after Level 2. Last night we had an Introduction to Tantra which they teach a couple of times a year. Unfortunately I will miss this workshop, but perhaps I can learn this in Thailand at their affiliated school. I have always been interested in Tantra. I know in the west, we think it is all about sex, but there are so many aspects of Tantra. It was even discussed in my Buddhism class about the scriptures of Tantra.
It is an intense foundation to traditional yoga. Our teacher says, “It’s not gymnastics yoga like done in the west”. We learn a simple pose everyday then you go into the pose for up to 5-minutes at a time. Touching your toes sounds pretty simple, but try it for 5-minutes and see how simple it is for you. The original yoga teachings say you should be able to stay in this pose for 3-hours and 48-minutes. After much practice, you might be able to reach Samadhi.
So our program is a brief lecture in the morning about our new pose for the day, then we do about one hour and 45-minutes of yoga. In the afternoon, we meet again for 2-hours of yoga, preceding a 2-hour lecture on yoga, diet, lifestyle and health related topics. Some of the stuff they talk about is a bit bizarre for me to partake in, like “urine therapy”. They said the old Prime Minister of India drinks his own urine for health reasons.
There are approximately 25-people in the class from all over the world. Once again, I am the oldest! I think it is going to take years for me to be able to do a headstand and backbend. With all of my cervical and spinal issues, many poses are a challenge and painful. But the good news…………….every day I am feeling better and in less pain. I actually sat still for 25-minutes cross legged for meditation. I only moved twice. It was a major break through for me.
One of my classmates is a young Indian, 22-year old. He is in a class of all westerners and I was the first to talk to him. We have become friends. It is amazing to see him come out of his shell. After an intense heart chakra meditation, he really opened up and hugged over twenty people. You should have seen the smile on his face. He said he had never hugged so many people in all his life.
We rented a motorcycle on Sunday for the day, our day off, and toured a temple and some of the surrounding countryside. I love riding motorcycles. It makes me feel liberated, young and free!
I have met several other really nice people here and we have dinners and lunches together in between our yoga practice. We had a dancing meditation session………loads of fun, a sing-a-long, and a jam session. I know it sounds like I’m at a summer camp! Everyone went into a trance while at once people were chanting, playing a dijeredo, guitar, flute, drums, singing bowls and several weird instruments I had never seen. One of our classmates, a German is joining a circus and traveling throughout S American soon. He can do about anything and is a fascinating artist!
So my plans are to fly to Goa, down South, in 2-weeks for my remaining time in India. Then I will go to Thailand for Level 2 of this same yoga program. They have 24-levels and it takes 5-years to complete this university level program. We shall see how involved I get after Level 2. Last night we had an Introduction to Tantra which they teach a couple of times a year. Unfortunately I will miss this workshop, but perhaps I can learn this in Thailand at their affiliated school. I have always been interested in Tantra. I know in the west, we think it is all about sex, but there are so many aspects of Tantra. It was even discussed in my Buddhism class about the scriptures of Tantra.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Tushita Experience
The 8-day retreat on Buddhism was an awesome experience, as all of my travels through India have been. The silence part was easier than expected. We did get to meet in daily 1-hour discussion groups to talk about various aspects of Buddhism, and we could ask the teacher questions. Our teacher, an American who moved to India 40-years ago as a hippie. He never left! He learned Buddhism, became a monk, left the monkhood to get married, and now is divorced. Quite an interesting fellow! He was always kidding about sex, drugs and rock & roll. It was interesting to hear his personal stories about the Dalai Lama, before he won the Nobel Peace Prize. So even though I did not get to hear the Dalai Lama speak, I still have satisfied. This was one "to do" thing on my long bucket list!
We had 38-people in the class (a small one for Tushita)from ll over the world and ages 18-70 years old! I was impressed with the young ones who were part of a youth group on a gap year between high school and college.
I did not understand all the profoundness of Buddhism,and they talked a lot about suffering. I think mostly it's about suffering in your own mind. But I do feel connected about the "compassion" to others aspect of it. Emptiness is form, form is emptiness". It took me a few days to figure out what that was all about. Everything in life is interdependent and impermanent.
We were all given jobs around the monastery. My job was to ring the "gong" in 5-places, 3-times each around the monastery. Starting at 6 am for a wake-up call and then the other two times were for class sessions. I had fun with it, gonged with a smile, enthusiasm, and took my job seriously! I really tried to make the gong sound pretty. Several people came up to me the last day of class when we could talk and thanked me for waking them up every morning!
I left with a better impression, appreciation and understanding of the Tibetans and their plight. We got to meet a pretty famous lama and oracle. He talked to our small group during our discussion time. We also had a re-incarnated llama toddler staying with us. He would see me and say "ding, ding"! The nuns were a bit talkative around the toddler and the staff apologized as it is suppose to be silent there for everyone. Lama means teacher. Dalai means "ocean of wisdom". Our timing was also during a special Buddhist holiday so I attended one of their ceremonies in the gompa, a temple. I didn't understand a dam So I left and thought, I'll watch it from the outside looking in. Shortly after I left, everybody got a bag of goodies, with food. I wanted to go back in and grab a bag, as dinner was pretty minimal that night. But I thought it would be pretty rude to do so, so I went to bed hungry! n thing and it was too loud and intense for me with all the chanting. I'm glad I went for the experience though.
Coming back to Rishikesh, I took an all night sleeper train. A lady from Quebec came with me as she was a bit frightened to take a train alone her first time in India. I slept okay, but 1st Class was not available, so it was jammed packed and dirty and we got tons of stares.
So I am back in Rishikesh and taking another class. This is my favorite thus far! It is a one month long yoga program. More later......... I'm starving!
We had 38-people in the class (a small one for Tushita)from ll over the world and ages 18-70 years old! I was impressed with the young ones who were part of a youth group on a gap year between high school and college.
I did not understand all the profoundness of Buddhism,and they talked a lot about suffering. I think mostly it's about suffering in your own mind. But I do feel connected about the "compassion" to others aspect of it. Emptiness is form, form is emptiness". It took me a few days to figure out what that was all about. Everything in life is interdependent and impermanent.
We were all given jobs around the monastery. My job was to ring the "gong" in 5-places, 3-times each around the monastery. Starting at 6 am for a wake-up call and then the other two times were for class sessions. I had fun with it, gonged with a smile, enthusiasm, and took my job seriously! I really tried to make the gong sound pretty. Several people came up to me the last day of class when we could talk and thanked me for waking them up every morning!
I left with a better impression, appreciation and understanding of the Tibetans and their plight. We got to meet a pretty famous lama and oracle. He talked to our small group during our discussion time. We also had a re-incarnated llama toddler staying with us. He would see me and say "ding, ding"! The nuns were a bit talkative around the toddler and the staff apologized as it is suppose to be silent there for everyone. Lama means teacher. Dalai means "ocean of wisdom". Our timing was also during a special Buddhist holiday so I attended one of their ceremonies in the gompa, a temple. I didn't understand a dam So I left and thought, I'll watch it from the outside looking in. Shortly after I left, everybody got a bag of goodies, with food. I wanted to go back in and grab a bag, as dinner was pretty minimal that night. But I thought it would be pretty rude to do so, so I went to bed hungry! n thing and it was too loud and intense for me with all the chanting. I'm glad I went for the experience though.
Coming back to Rishikesh, I took an all night sleeper train. A lady from Quebec came with me as she was a bit frightened to take a train alone her first time in India. I slept okay, but 1st Class was not available, so it was jammed packed and dirty and we got tons of stares.
So I am back in Rishikesh and taking another class. This is my favorite thus far! It is a one month long yoga program. More later......... I'm starving!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Preparations: Introduction to Buddhism
Today is my last day in Mcleodganj. Tomorrow I leave for Tushita for my introduction to Buddhism, an 8-day residential course done in silence. Tushita is about a 10-minute richshaw ride up the hill and located at about 700 feet above sea level. tushita.info
I am re-reading their extensive website to make sure I have everything in order and what to expect. I won't be able to have any communication for 8-days. I am mentally preparing myself for living in a dorm room as single accommodations are hard to come by. Although, being over 50 in this case has its advantages. Being silent is a chance to shut-out the distractions of everyday life and come face to face with yourself. Buddhism is about compassion and kindness!
I have not enjoyed the town of Mcleodganj as much as I had hoped. Generally, the Tibetans are not as warm and friendly as the Indians. I think it is culture. I have rarely found any Asian that gives me the warm fuzzies!
My room here smells of mold and mildew and the streets smell like a sewer. It has been hard to meet people. I think if I where here longer I would like it more.
I was looking forward to going to yoga yesterday. When I got there, I realized it was a 2-hour class. Yikes...........I had to go to the toilet and knew I couldn't make it two hours. It was a long walk straight up the hill. I had also wanted to attend a film on the "Yogis of Tibet" which interfered with the longer yoga session. So I bolted before the class started!
I think I have missed Rishikesh/Laxman Julia as I know where all the yoga places are and where are the best toilets! Here, I am centrally located and can usually walk back to my room pretty easily. Me and my teeny bladder! At least I have not had issues with diarrhea. Knock on wood!
I'll write more when I return from silence!
I am re-reading their extensive website to make sure I have everything in order and what to expect. I won't be able to have any communication for 8-days. I am mentally preparing myself for living in a dorm room as single accommodations are hard to come by. Although, being over 50 in this case has its advantages. Being silent is a chance to shut-out the distractions of everyday life and come face to face with yourself. Buddhism is about compassion and kindness!
I have not enjoyed the town of Mcleodganj as much as I had hoped. Generally, the Tibetans are not as warm and friendly as the Indians. I think it is culture. I have rarely found any Asian that gives me the warm fuzzies!
My room here smells of mold and mildew and the streets smell like a sewer. It has been hard to meet people. I think if I where here longer I would like it more.
I was looking forward to going to yoga yesterday. When I got there, I realized it was a 2-hour class. Yikes...........I had to go to the toilet and knew I couldn't make it two hours. It was a long walk straight up the hill. I had also wanted to attend a film on the "Yogis of Tibet" which interfered with the longer yoga session. So I bolted before the class started!
I think I have missed Rishikesh/Laxman Julia as I know where all the yoga places are and where are the best toilets! Here, I am centrally located and can usually walk back to my room pretty easily. Me and my teeny bladder! At least I have not had issues with diarrhea. Knock on wood!
I'll write more when I return from silence!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Mcleodganj visit
As I sit in this internet cafe typing in my blog, I am reminded of the land of contrasts in India. Looking out the window, I just saw about 6-cows stroll by. Across the street, is an Indian man repairing shoes. Backpackers walk by. Dogs are sleeping everywhere. They outnumber the cows by ten to one I am guessing. The poor still beg. Monks walk by in their maroon colored robes. A contrast from the sadhus in Rishikesh who wear orange. It's quieter here. I read that 16-people were killed in Haridwar, not far from Rishikesh. They were trampled to death in a religious festival. I saw a documentary in a coffee shop about all the Tibetans who trek for 6-weeks without enough provisions over the Himalayas through Nepal and India to reach freedom from persecution from the Chinese.
I hired a taxi for a half hour beautiful drive out of town to a Tibetan Cultural Center. It was peaceful! I visited the Dalai Lama Temple and have strolled past all the tourist shops. Later today and after my yoga class, I'll get a Tibetan massage. I have enjoyed a couple of Kingfisher beers too!
I took some pants to be altered to an older Tibetan. It is hard to tell how old he is, but I am guessing in his late 70's. I love his demeanor and smile. I think he is quite taken when I disrobe in his little shop area! You should see his smile.
I have not really met anyone here, which is always a struggle. But in a way, it is good, as my 8-days of silence is coming soon.
I hired a taxi for a half hour beautiful drive out of town to a Tibetan Cultural Center. It was peaceful! I visited the Dalai Lama Temple and have strolled past all the tourist shops. Later today and after my yoga class, I'll get a Tibetan massage. I have enjoyed a couple of Kingfisher beers too!
I took some pants to be altered to an older Tibetan. It is hard to tell how old he is, but I am guessing in his late 70's. I love his demeanor and smile. I think he is quite taken when I disrobe in his little shop area! You should see his smile.
I have not really met anyone here, which is always a struggle. But in a way, it is good, as my 8-days of silence is coming soon.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Hello Mcleodganj
I have finally left Rishikesh after spending most of my time there since late August. I will return in 2-weeks though. My guest house manager who has been so sweet took me and my luggage by motorcycle across the Laxsman Julia suspension bridge. It was wild! The bridges are about 4-feet wide with lots of human foot traffic. Cows camp out on the bridge and it is impossible to get by. They should really not allow motorbikes. My luggage kept knocking people over due to narrowness of the path. There was a troop of monkeys on each side of the bridge at about eye level traveling in the opposite direction as us so I had a clear view of their eyes. Many were moms with their babies on their backs. The babies hang onto the mother's belly.
I took a 10-hour train ride in the night, then a 3-hour private taxi ride to Mcleodganj. It is not a good idea to arrive anywhere without a reservation at 5:30 in the morning! The train ride was good, thanks to Tylenol PM! The only place open was a dive with a not so friendly guest house host. I crashed for a few hours and just woke up and had a delicious breakfast next door. I'll explore the town shortly. So far I don't see any cows,(probably won't see many, not sure what the Hindu population is here). But I see lots of dogs, mostly Tibetans and some tourists.
My last few days in Rishikesh were nice. I was a bad girl and drank vodka tonics on my deck with an American neighbor I have seen several times for dinner. I pulled out the laptop and we listened to "The Police", while drinking and viewing the holy Ganga River!
A highlight was a crowded yoga class. During the relaxing portion of the class, at then end where you lie in Shivastana, corpse pose, the instructor starts playing the Sitar. It was priceless!!!!!!!!!!!
One of my classmates from Italy, was also taking additional classes in Indian Relaxing Massage. She wanted to practice on me. My first time to get massaged outdoors and on concrete! I had brought my laptop, but you couldn't hear any of the music because of the loudness of the taxi stand across the street! But I enjoy just about any massage and for free is even better. She did a good job for her first ever massage!
My last night in town I went to the Ganga Aarti Ceremony (religious Hindi ceremony held nightly on the river) with the American lady who takes care of the animals. There was free entertainment after the ceremony by a Colombian Sikh who was here for the expensive Kundalini Festival. He was playing his guitar and singing about 4-people away from us. All the sudden my friend yells, "Toni give me some biscuits". I looked down, and some how a dog she had tried to find earlier to give medicine to sneaks past security and finds her sitting in the crowd. Security guards come over and pull out a stick to beat the dog. She gets in the middle of them so they can't. She starts yelling at them and we get the dog to follow us out with the biscuits as a ploy. I thought we were going to have an international incident over it! But thankfully the dog will be okay. His ear was almost bitten off my another dog in a fight and she is giving him antibiotics. I saw him in the road asleep earlier and he looked pretty pitiful.
I took a 10-hour train ride in the night, then a 3-hour private taxi ride to Mcleodganj. It is not a good idea to arrive anywhere without a reservation at 5:30 in the morning! The train ride was good, thanks to Tylenol PM! The only place open was a dive with a not so friendly guest house host. I crashed for a few hours and just woke up and had a delicious breakfast next door. I'll explore the town shortly. So far I don't see any cows,(probably won't see many, not sure what the Hindu population is here). But I see lots of dogs, mostly Tibetans and some tourists.
My last few days in Rishikesh were nice. I was a bad girl and drank vodka tonics on my deck with an American neighbor I have seen several times for dinner. I pulled out the laptop and we listened to "The Police", while drinking and viewing the holy Ganga River!
A highlight was a crowded yoga class. During the relaxing portion of the class, at then end where you lie in Shivastana, corpse pose, the instructor starts playing the Sitar. It was priceless!!!!!!!!!!!
One of my classmates from Italy, was also taking additional classes in Indian Relaxing Massage. She wanted to practice on me. My first time to get massaged outdoors and on concrete! I had brought my laptop, but you couldn't hear any of the music because of the loudness of the taxi stand across the street! But I enjoy just about any massage and for free is even better. She did a good job for her first ever massage!
My last night in town I went to the Ganga Aarti Ceremony (religious Hindi ceremony held nightly on the river) with the American lady who takes care of the animals. There was free entertainment after the ceremony by a Colombian Sikh who was here for the expensive Kundalini Festival. He was playing his guitar and singing about 4-people away from us. All the sudden my friend yells, "Toni give me some biscuits". I looked down, and some how a dog she had tried to find earlier to give medicine to sneaks past security and finds her sitting in the crowd. Security guards come over and pull out a stick to beat the dog. She gets in the middle of them so they can't. She starts yelling at them and we get the dog to follow us out with the biscuits as a ploy. I thought we were going to have an international incident over it! But thankfully the dog will be okay. His ear was almost bitten off my another dog in a fight and she is giving him antibiotics. I saw him in the road asleep earlier and he looked pretty pitiful.
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