Silence please.

July 8 - July 17

Before I get into the details about my 10-day silent retreat, which was an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and meditation, I need to give you a little reminder on the place where I was for two months.  I was in Dharamkot village, which is just above McLeod Ganj (where the Dalai Lama resides), in a place called Dharamsala in the Himalayas.  A very small mountain village.  And as I wrote in a previous post when I initially got there I really really felt out of place.  It's a very spiritual, hippie kind of place and I wasn't initially feeling any of it.

As I mentioned before, a lot of the conversations revolved around Buddhism, Hinduism, meditation, etc., nothing I knew anything about.  But I wanted to learn.  So early on, I bought a book on the basics of Buddhism and meditation to get a better understanding of what the hell everyone was talking about and to be able to contribute to the conversations or at the very least ask some intelligent questions! 

When I first thought about wanting to learn about meditation, I was really just looking for peace-of-mind.  To achieve some kind of blissed-out state where my mind was free from all the daily crap, planning, stress etc.  I learned very quickly that this is NOT what meditation is about.  The word meditate literally means:

1 : to engage in contemplation or reflection
2 : to engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness

*Definition is from Merriam-Webster's Dictionary.

Meditation is about conditioning your mind to be able to focus.  It's hard work.   And people spend a lifetime(s) : ) practicing to achieve an ultimate sate of bliss or Nirvana.  And who doesn't want nirvana?  Sign me up.

My knowledge of Buddhism was very limited at the time. You know, do good things, get good karma, do bad things and well, karma's a 'bitch'; there's something about past lives and meditation; and yoga is somehow mixed in with it all.  While my motivation was driven by learning about mediation, being where I was, it seemed to make sense to take advantage to learn about Buddhism as well.  Why not? (as they say here in India.)

There is a a Buddhist retreat center in Dharamkot called Tushita.  It's a semi-monostatic retreat center, meaning some monks and nuns live there full-time.  It was started by a Lama Zoma Rinophe (he hangs with His Holiness) who learned a long time ago that westerners where very interested in learning about Tibetan Buddhism.  It's a beautiful and simple center located within the forested mountain-side of Dharamkot, overlooking McGleod Ganj.  It's quite serene.  And when the fog rolled in, it seemed almost a little magical. 

It's a simple complex is made up of white buildings (dorm rooms, gompas, temples, a library, dinning room and some residence for monks and nuns) .

The first day was registration, assignment of our karma-yoga jobs, dorm rooms, and a run-down of the rules and of our daily schedule for the next 9 days.  My karma-yoga job was to wipe down the buffet and dining tables and sweep the dining hall floor each day after dinner.  I shared this job with a nice girl from Ladakh (this is where they just had that awful mudslide and flooding).  My friend Lara got the toilets in the morning and Alyssa, the outdoor tables after breakfast (although I can't totally remember because she left after a couple days for work reasons).

Dorm rooms.  My room is at the end on the far right, second floor.

I shared my very small room with three other women (one from Australia, England and Israel).  We all paid more for a smaller room with an attached bathroom.  Nothing to really get excited about, the bathroom literally was a sink and squat toilet.  No mirror and no toilet paper (you needed to supply your own.)  The room had two sets of rickety-bunk beds.  I had the top bunk and the ceiling was so not very high so I couldn't even sit upright.  One night I must have had a nightmare or something because I woke up in a panic and hit my head on the ceiling.  I knew I was going to do that!  Self-fulfilling prophecy? Or maybe it was my karma... The room was adorned with photos of the Dalai Lama and the Buddha.  No surprises there.

There was a water shortage so we were only allowed to shower every three days in the communal shower facilities.  A shower roster gave us 15 minute time slots to get in and out.  Oh and ours was a 'bucket shower' so you had to fill a large bucket full of water and then use a smaller bucket to pour the water over you.  At least it was hot water.  Really really hot.  Luxury.

Before dinner and before the silence started, we had the run down of the rules and our schedule from the program leader, Kunphen, a German nun, who was absolutely hilarious. She poked a little fun at herself, the rules and the course we were about to embark on, which I think made it a little easier on all of who were mostly knew little or nothing about Buddhism.

THE RULES:

1.  Respect all life:  do no intentionally kill any living being, even small insects.  (Okay, I must admit I did kill a mosquito; BUT I didn't kill this huge spider I found one of the girls beds in our room.  I actually, captured it and let it go free outside.  I think that gave me some good karma back.)

2.  Respect others' property: do not steal or take anything not freely given. 


3.  Be honest and straight forward:  do not lie or intentionally deceive others.


4.  Be celibate: no sex (men and women must have separate accommodation).

5.  Be alert and mindful:  avoid intoxicants, such as cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs.

Also, we obviously had to keep silent.  No singing, no talking to yourself (this may have been the biggest challenge - lol), iPods, phones, or electronics of any sort (not even our cameras) were allowed.  We had to dress respectfully as this is a semi-monostatic environment, meaning there are monks and nuns living on the premises.  So far so good.
 
 
THE SCHEDULE:

Day 2 - 7

6:00 am     Wake up (someone had the job to 'bang a gong' to wake us up!)
6:45 am      Mindfulness mediation (45 minutes)
7:30 am      Breakfast and Karma-yoga jobs
9:00 am      Teaching (2 hours)
11:15 am    Yoga/stretching (45 min)
12:00 pm    Lunch and Karma-yoga jobs
1:30 pm      Meditation (45 min)
2:00 pm      Discussion group (1 hour)
3:30 pm      Teaching (2 hours)
5:30 pm      Guided meditation (45 min)
6:15 pm      Dinner and Karma-yoga jobs
7:30 pm      Guided meditation (45 min)
9:00 pm      Lights out

Day 8 & 9:

6:00 am     Wake up
6:45 am      Mindfulness meditation (45 min)
7:30 am      Breakfast and karma-yoga jobs
9:00 am      Guided meditation (45 min)
10:15 am    Guided mediation ( 45 min)
11:15 am    Yoga/stretching (45 min)
12:00 pm    Lunch and karma-yoga jobs
2:15 pm      Guided meditation (45 min)
4:00 pm      Guided meditation (45 min)
5:30 pm      Guided meditation (45 min)
6:15 pm      Dinner and karma-yoga jobs
7:30 pm      Guided meditation (45 min)
9:00 pm      Lights out

Day 10

Class dismissed.

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There were about 40 people in our class, about half of the total capacity.  And after a quick around-the-room introduction, we learned that people were from all over the world, ranging in  age from 19 to late-60s.  A very diverse group.  Most were new to Buddhism and here to learn about it.

After the introductions, it was time for dinner.  We lined up in the dining hall with our bowls and soup spoons in hand ready to self-serve ourselves some vegetable soup from a gigantic vat with an even more gigantic ladle.  No food never looks appealing when served from a huge vat - NEVER.  Although healthy, it just looks bad.  The soup was served with huge dense white buns and home-made peanut butter (yum).  We were only allowed to serve ourselves once.  I never felt that I would ever relate to Oliver Twist... "Can I have some more please?"  Breakfasts consisted of porridge, bananas, the same white-buns, peanut butter and honey - everyday.  Lunches were a mixed bag, but basically rice, dahl, overcooked veg, maybe some pasta, cabbage salad and some fruit.  All served from the same huge vats.  Dinner:  soup and buns - everyday.  I think I ate enough cabbage for a lifetime (I'll eat more in the next one - hahaha).  And hot sauce, soy sauce, and peanut butter quickly became my new best friends at the dinner table.

The silence began at dinner of the first night.  It was very interesting to obverse everyone when the silence began.  In the beginning barely anyone looked each other in the eye.  You realize very quickly how accustomed we are to our 'please and thank-you's, excuse-me's and sorry's', when you are not allowed to use them.  So instead you get a lot of head nods, smiles, and sometimes a lot nothing.  Amazing how quickly you adjust your body language.  Everyone was so serious.  I wondered if people would lighten up after a few days. 

More soon...
xoxo

A day in the life of...

Okay, this time it's been a a very long while since my last update.  You may be wondering how I have been spending my days these past two month. I know my parents have been. The other day on Skype they asked me “what do you do all day?” Hahaha. So here’s a little run-down of what one of my days looks like in the past eight weeks.

I've been staying in the village of Dharamkot - about a 20 or 30 minute walk up the mountain from MG.  It's much more laid back here.  I'm staying behind a restaurant called Trek and Dine.  It's like having the restaurant as my kitchen.  The guys who work there are fantastic.  Sky who owns the place, Sunny and Sunil who work there.  Sunny actually helped me find the guesthouse I'm staying in. (Pictures:  My guesthouse (left); the view from my guesthouse (right).)

5:30 am - Wake up.
I wake up to the sun rising. I usually wake up before my alarm goes off (nothing new there).  I’m still not a morning person so this is never that easy for me but I must admit it’s getting easier and easier. And I actually like getting up and starting my day that early and  really look forward to the day. Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to say that.

6:15 am - Leave for yoga.

I take the short cut down the mountain to the yoga centre. It’s only about an 8 minute walk down the mountain. Until I became familiar with the path (which is super easy but as my mom accurately puts it, I can’t find my way out of a paper bag) I used shapely cow droppings as landmarks - they can be very handy as long as you don't step in them!  “Oh I remember that pile of shit. I’m on the right track.”  Perfect.

I walk past corn fields which have been growing everyday since I got here.  Two months ago, the corn was maybe the height of my ankles and now it's more than 6 feet high.  I get a simple pleasure every time I walk past it and realize it's a foot taller.  One of the joys of village life.

I climb through a barbed wire fence to get to the centre. I do this every day – coming and going. When’s the last time you climbed through a fence, let alone a barbed wire one? It’s actually kind of funny if you think about it.

6:30 - 9:45 am - Yoga.

I hang upside down like a bat for 10 minutes and do some other stretches before Sharat, the instructor comes in.

Doing hand stands and elbow stands. I'm waiting for this part to be over because it kills my wrists!  The picture on the left is my friend Lara in her first hand stand!  She let out a joyful scream of success!  It was a fantastic moment shared by our entire  class! Not an easy feat for someone 6 feet tall!

At least once a week we do a power back bend class. We do about an hour or so of stretches to prepare our backs for bridges. By the time we’re ready to start doing the bridges, I feel I can hardly move my back and will break it if I do any more.  So, the thought of doing a bridge makes me a LITTLE nervous!  However, the bridge is super easy because of all the prep. It’s amazing and I feel really strong.  My chest is so open it feels like I can inhale for days. It's an incredible feeling.  Sharat says that this is one of the best things you can do. I’m a believer.  (Picture below - me in one of the last poses we do in our power back-bends class.)

9:45 am - Israeli Breakfast

We usually end our class a little late and our usual breakfast crew heads up to Trek & Dine for breakfast.  (Pic left:  The Breakfast crew:  Marcos from Brazil, David from Israel, Lara from the UK  and myself at Trek and Dine for our usual fair... Israeli breakfast with eggs (I like mine poached or omelet-style), Israeli salad (cucumber, tomato and cabbage), pita, the best hummus ever (I always get extra) and chai or very strong coffee.

We have the best and most random conversations. Everything from world politics and religion to plastic surgery. Breakfast usually lasts until about 11:30.  David did his studies in Indian/Hindi culture/history and is the most amazing story teller - a true gift. 

[Quick aside:  We would have story nights and just listen to David talk for hours about the political system and Indian mythology like the story of Ramyana and parts of the Mahabrahata (don't worry I had no idea what these were either).  We learned a lot from him.  He really gave us a better understanding of India - these stories are so intertwined with current culture.

And, one day I went with Marcos and David to listen to this old guru talk about some sacred Hindi  texts called Upanishads.  We sat on the grass of an ashram and listened to him read the verses aloud in English and in Sanskrit (I think) and then we discussed the meaning of them.  It was an interesting experience.  The best part was that by the end for it (4 hours later) he was completely stoned.  Then I had a "Is this my life?" moment.  "For real?"  (Picture of the guru, Vidiya)

11:30 am - SIESTA!  'nuff said.

1:30 pm
Okay – it’s sometimes later than this but hey I’m on vacay! I head to Trek and Dine for lunch, hang with Sky and Sunny and some of the regulars and have a very late lunch.

Some days we’ll play Rummikub for hours, especially if it’s raining. We sit wrapped up in blankets drink chai and play the game.

If it’s nice out I’ll head down to McLeod Ganj or to Baghsu to wander about and shop. The other day Lara and I spend 6 or 7 hours meandering the streets. The day goes by so quickly. It’s crazy.

The other week, Lara and I did a jewelery making class.  I made (or I helped a lot) a silver pendant in the shape of a feather.  It's cool.

I've also tried ayruvedic massage, reiki, crystal healing and just finished a 10 day silent retreat and introduction to Buddhist philosophy... sounds crazy, I know, but why not?  Believe me, I've had to let go of passing  A LOT of judgment while being here!  It's been really fun and a great experience.  More on the silent retreat later!

7:00 pm
Depending on the day...

Dinner at, well, Trek and Dine or maybe Om Star cafe.  At Trek & Dine, playing Rummikub (highly addictive) or Sanju will sometimes play the guitar.  Amazing.

(Pictures of the usual T&D crew:  Left is Sky; Middle is Anna and Marta; Right is (l to r) Sunny, Mani, Spike, Sky (standing), Apruv and Sanju).

10:00 pm - Bedtime.
I try to hit the hay after such a long and exhausting day. Haha. Kidding. But I’m done for the day and need to get up early the next day.

Living here is a little like being in a bubble. It’s not very India. In fact, a lot of Indians call this place Israeli-ville. A well-suited name for this place. Lara pointed out that everyone is happy here because no one (tourists) here works. It’s so true. I have yet to see anyone in a bad mood. Not even the staff – who work 18 hours a day and live at the restaurant.  My dad asked me what is it about India that people love so much?  It's a very very good question... one that I need to give some thought to. 

Well, there you have it.  I know it doesn't sound like much but I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.  It's going to be difficult when the bubble pops which is in a few days.

More soon...
xoxo

Looking for my inner hippie... wait... nope, not there.

I arrived in McLeod Ganj last Saturday, so I’ve been here just over a week now. McLeod Ganj is a little town in Dharamsala in the Himalayas.  There are a few little mountain villages above each other, McLeod Ganj (MG), Bhagsu and above that Dharamkot.  MG is where where the Dalai Lama lives in exile, other than that there’s really not much else here. It's pretty grungy here - maybe they should call it Mcleod Grunge. It’s an interesting clash between Indian and Tibetan culture.  There a lot of monks walking around in their maroon coloured robes. Some on cell phones. This is very strange to me. Not sure where they get the money.  A lot of wealthy Punjabi families and honeymooners come here to play on the weekends. MG is a very busy place.
Above MG is Bhagsu (a 15 minute walk up the mountain).  Bhagsu is a popular destination for the Israeli hippie crowd and various yoga and spiritual seekers - mostly Westerners. And above Bhagsu, another 15 minute walk up the mountain is Dharamkot - even less busy and full of Israeli cafes.  All of these towns/villages are made up of narrow roads that switchback across the mountain. It's very beautiful.  And I can see snow covered mountains!

The purpose of me coming here was to do a yoga course for one month. I wanted some time to focus on myself and just relax in one spot, turn off my brain for a while and do something healthy for me, physically and mentally. The second day I was here I made my way up to Bhagsu to find the yoga center I was planning on attending.  And after a long and unintentional hike through the mountains (which was really beautiful) I found it in Upper Bhagsu.  It was amongst loads of other small yoga centers and hippie cafes.  People were everywhere and I immediately started to feel like a complete cliche and very very out of place.  I didn't feel like I fit here mentally or fashion-wise. And now felt a little out of sorts.

I spoke with someone at the yoga center.  She seemed nice and said the course I was planning on taking was "beautiful".  I then spoke with the teacher who gave me a leaflet and when I read the words "mystical" and "telepathy" I knew it wasn't the right place for me.  It also teaches a lot of Tantric yoga, which is fine, but not what I'm looking for at the moment.  Overall, I just didn't get the "beautiful" vibe that was going on there. 

As a non-yoga person and with so much choice here it was very difficult to find a place or even know where to start to look.  I felt a bit overwhelmed and very deflated.  "What the f*#k am I doing here?" was really more like what was going through my head.  But I decided to give it a couple more days and talk to some people and get their recommendations.

I met a woman at Moonpeak cafe (where I hang out often and found the BEST omelet I've ever had in my life) who mentioned another place which sounded appealing and they do both yoga and meditation - which I'm interested in learning about.  So I went to the MG branch and the teacher and I hiked up the mountain, in the heat, to Upper Bhagsu to talk to the head instructor/guru there.  The main instructor was dressed in white, longish hair and sported a bindi.  He asked me to come and sit with him in the studio so he could tell me a little about the practice.  This was all fine but when he started to pause, close his eyes and be silent in between thoughts I had a hard time focusing on what he was saying anymore. Just imagine me sitting there in front of this guy - awww-kward. This and the fact that two students there said this was not a good place for beginners were my clues that this place wasn't for me either.  The two students kindly (and subtly) directed me to another place. Ugh.  On to the next...

The next day I hiked up to the Himalyan Iyengar Yoga Centre between Bhagsu and Dharamkot.  It's stunning location on the mountain side.  Just seeing the place I got a good feeling.  I spoke with the instructor there and signed up for the 5-day beginner class which every new student, no matter how long they've been practicing yoga must complete.  Perfect.

The next morning, I got up early, checked out of my hotel in MG (with plans to move more into the mountains and closer to the yoga center) and to the yoga center by 9am.

A little about Iyengar Yoga:
__________________________

Iyengar Yoga is a type of Hatha yoga which is known for using props like bolsters, blocks, chairs, belts and ropes to help people get more benefit out of the asanas (postures). This is really great for beginners and works very well for people with injuries or health issues.  The instructors are very thorough in explaining postures - how they work, what your body should be doing and feeling.  It's not a meditative type yoga.  The instructors are constantly talking and giving instruction.
___________________________

The first class was really great and the instructor, Sharat, was amazing. He's in his 50s, average height, skinny, long-haired, yogi.  Wears white loose cotton pants.  Totally what you would imagine an Indian yogi to be like. And maybe a little cocky, but fun.

I'm really happy that this place isn't all new agey and stuff (it really makes me uncomfortable) When Sharat asked a student what they were feeling and the student replied that he felt “the energy flowing through his body” and Sharat shut him down saying that energy was just an idea he wants to know what he was feeling in his body... this seems to be my kind of place!

We do about 3 hours of yoga in the morning. And then I have my afternoons free. So I have leisurely lunch with friends I've met in class, have a nap and then take a walk through the mountains or through the villages.. or update my blog :) . There are pockets of peacefulness here. There was a huge thunder and lightening storm last night. The thunder rolled softly for what seemed like ages.  It was amazing.

Right now I’m staying at a little resort directly above the yoga center. I equate it to "Kellerman's" but instead of the Foxtrot and Charades, it's Bollywood and Cricket.  Awesome.  Now I just need to decide what I want... be around more people and move closer to the village center or hang out here. Not sure yet.

More soon... with pictures too...
xoxo

Varanasi

May 17 - 21

Varanasi is one of India’s holiest cities and it’s not for the faint of heart. The Ganges River runs through it.  The Ganges is a very sacred river for Hindus. It’s considered very important to bathe here and it’s a very auspicious place to be cremated. It’s here that they do public cremations.  There are many pilgramages to Varanasi and as a result a very mixed bag of life here - very poor to very wealthy.  Of course, you see the poverty for the most part.  It seems like a very transient and purposeful place.  And as a non-Hindu Westerner, the purpose of coming here is really to see all of the activity that takes place on the Ganges because it’s nothing like you’ll EVER experience anywhere else. So that's what we did.

A little about the activity in the Ganges. This river is considered very sacred, but it is very very dirty.  Now this isn`t meant to take away from the religious importance or be disrespectful, just an explanation of what happens IN the Ganges.  People bathe, shit, wash their clothes, brush their teeth, drink from, put the ashes of their loved ones in it and dead bodies weighted down with rocks (depending on who you are and how you died). I read that in one litre of water, 500 (not sure what the measurement is) but 500x of fecal matter is safe. In some parts of the Ganges the fecal matter is 1.5 millionx per litre. We saw a guy brush his teeth right beside a drain pipe into the river.  Some Hindus will tell you that it’s not the river that’s dirty but the people and what they do it that is dirty. Okay, but I'm still not touching the water.

I traveled here with Sara, one of the girls who was on the tour with me. It was good to have a friend here. To get a taste of what it’s all about, we did both a Sunset and Sunrise boat cruise down the Ganges. They were very interesting and very different from each other.

(Our rower and ``small boss``)

The sunset cruise was our introduction to the Ganges. As the sun set, men (few, if any, women) bathe at the end of their day. Every evening at the main Ghat (a Ghat is any stais which lead to water), there is a Public Puja where the Ghat becomes full of people and surrounded by boats to watch the ceremony. There is incense burning, horns blowing, a metal drums clanking, people chanting and a ritual performed by some men on raised platforms for all to see. It was very crowded, it was loud and this extravaganza happens EVERY day. It was really nice to watch from the water and with all of the lights and fires.

From the water we saw the main burning Ghat where it looked like eight or so fires burned. The burning Ghats are where the public cremations happen. These cremations happen 24/7. And there are no reservations so often there are people (dead people) waiting in line. We couldn’t see much from the water but we planned to walk up there another day.

The morning cruise was all together different. You really get to see India waking up at this time (5:30am).  People – lots of kids, women and men bathed, people washed their clothes and they performed their morning prayer rituals. There are a few stone platforms that are specifically for cleaning clothes and I guess you can hire men, yes men, to do your laundry here against theses stones. From the boat it looked like some hotels get their white towels washed here. I hoped it was not our hotel’s towels... People were also getting their fishing nets ready for their days work (note to self – don’t order fish here).

After our initial introduction to Varanasi we decided to walk up to the main burning Ghat to really see what it was all about. Walking up to it I felt very unaffected by the fires as they where already going and I didn’t see anything or anyone... It seemed very much like a watching a slice of Hindu life.  But then we saw a ceremony take place from beginning to the end, well almost the end, and that had a slightly different affect on me. We learned that the deceased was the wife of one of the men standing around.  He was dressed all in white with a shaved head.

The husband performed the ritual for the cremation.  The person who performs the ritual and evenutally lights the fire is typically the husband, father or brother of the deceased.  This person (always a man) is dressed in white with a shaved head.  The cermeony started with the husband sprinkling sandlewood over the body and then other men joining in. They then poured butter over the body which helps the body burn. Only weathly people can afford to use butter. Then they covered the body with more wood. Finally, the husband walked over to the fire of Shiva (which is a fire that is always lit and has never gone out in however many years) and brought back some lit kindle and performed the final parts of the ceremony. He walked around the body a few times with the lit kindle and then lit the wood on fire. I'm sure I have missed some details and explanation but this is basically what happens. It was absolutely fascinating to witness.

There are no women here, just men. I asked this man who worked there why there weren’t any women and he said they were too emotional to be there. In my head, I was like “whatever, we're not too emotional” ...and then I proved him right a little later on while watching the husband trying to keep it together after having lit the fire.  I also had just learned of my good friend`s sister passing away.  So it was all a bit much for me.  Supposedly the men here aren't supposed to express sad emotions in order to help the spirit leave the body in a peaceful environment.  So much for my contribution to that.  The man who was talking to us looked at me said ``this is not good maam``.  Thanks for pointing this out.

Now this isn’t a clean and organized place. It’s dirty, there are cows, dogs and goats roaming around everywhere and in between the fires. The men took the husband aside and found a "clean" rock to sit on or squatted on their heels to watch the fire, occassionally chatting to each other. We watched for a little while longer and then it was time for me to go. I don’t think I could watch until the end when the husband would then have to take a big stick and help break apart the pelvic bone which doesn’t burn that well. 

I couldn’t help but think – could I do this - start the cremation of a loved one? I don’t think so. But this is a part of their life.  A part of their faith.  And as harsh as this all may sound, there was a sense of acceptance and peace here.  A moment I won't ever forget.

Our last night we met up with Michele and Ronny for dinner at Burger King! Not the Burger King we all know.  Now that I think about it there are often names of stores and restaurants that copy well known brand names like “Top Shop”... and well, of course I can’t think of any right now... go figure.

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Rest in peace Carla.  I said a little prayer for you here.  Much love to the Davison family.

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More soon...
xoxo

India: A sensory overload!

What can I say? India is a sensory overload. It’s hot, smelly, dirty, dusty, loud, colourful, tasty - totally overwhelming! It’s difficult to put it into words really. It’s shocking, polluted, energetic, crowded – it’s  exhausting.  And I absolutely love it.

In the past three weeks I’ve traveled through Rajasthan, meandered through Delhi and tried to absorb all that is Varanasi. I’ve come a long way from day one where I was frightened to even walk out of the comforts of my hotel. Haha! It’s intimidating at first, let me tell you. When I looked outside the hotel and there are people everywhere, mostly men (with moustaches), the streets are turned upside down with rubble, open sewers, street kids begging for money and food, cows, stray dogs, cars honking and it’s searing hot outside – who wouldn’t want to stay inside a clean air conditioned hotel room! I did get the courage to walk around the area, Karol Bagh, and see what it had to offer. It’s a little market area full of people, cars, you name it.

I turned 35 on my first day in Delhi - it’s definitely one I won’t forget! I had curry for breakfast – hello India!

So I’m now into my fourth week here and I sit on the balcony of my hotel room overlooking the Kangra Valley in McLeod Ganj which is at the base of the Himalayas, updating my blog. To my left I can see the Dalai Lama’s residence and the main Buddhist temple. It’s nice to feel the fresh cool mountain air, see snowed tipped mountains and not be sweating buckets (that’s the best part actually). This feels a little surreal.  And the snow covered mountains remind me of Vancouver... sigh...

I was on an organized tour for my first two weeks which took me through Rajasthan. The tour was through Intrepid (my second trip with them and I highly recommend them). Our group met on my second day in Delhi. There were nine of us all together from all over: Sara and Louise from England, Pauline and Adam from Australia, Michele and Ronny from Switzerland, Annie from Texas and our group leader Vinet or “V” from Udaipur, India.

The trip didn’t start with a bang (thank God). Our first day’s activities in Delhi were canceled because of the terror threat in Delhi. The US, Canadian, English and Australian governments all issued warnings to travelers and ex-pats to stay away from all of the tourist places (all of the places we were to visit) so we had a free day. Bummer, but better to try to be safe than sorry. So we went to City Walk – a high end shopping mall for some shopping. I bought some cute white Nikes.

From Delhi we took a train to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. The Delhi train station is one of the busiest in the country. People were everywhere. Garbage was everywhere. People on garbage – walking, sleeping - everywhere. Like you see in the movies but there it is in front of you. Unreal.

The Taj Mahal was everything they say it is. It is absolutely stunning and the experience of actually being there was incredible. We went during sunset and the colours were magnificent. I got the token “Diana” shot sitting on the bench. Awesome. The milky white marble is breathtaking and it was like it was built as a stage to show off all of the colourful sarees that now walk the grounds. There were mostly Indian tourists here, a lot of them having never seen foreigners. So it was like everyone was curious about everybody. We wanted pictures of the Indian tourists and them of us. At one point, we must have stood for 20 minutes in one spot getting pictures taken with Indian tourists who wanted a picture with the foreigners. Papa -paparazzi! It was way too much fun. People would come up to you just to say hi and ask where we were from – kids and adults.

Rajasthan is known as the land of the kings or Rajas. It definitely has that feel of royalty with all of the palaces throughout the state. It’s a bit magical. It’s easy to imagine the palaces in their hay day with billowing colourful fabrics hanging from the ceilings, scalloped archways, marble, mirrors and brightly painted walls and ceilings, huge swings for relaxing and courtyards for visiting. It’s actually quite gaudy but beautiful and so romantic - in a very over the top kind of way. I’m waiting for my Aladdin and his magic carpet...

Next we took a train to Jaipur where we stayed in Diggi Palace, a property that is still owned and lived in by the royal family (any form of Royalty was officially abolished during Indepence but the royal lineage still exits). The staff would bow their heads every time they passed one of the royals - strange to see in person. Our rooms were really sweet but very hot with no A/C! Here we visited the Amber Fort and the City Palace where they support a lot of the arts and culture. We watched our first Bollywood film called “Housefull”. It was hilarious. It was fairly easy to follow because their acting was very see ‘n say and they spoke a combination of Hindi and English. And if you thought Hollywood was just about good looks, Bollywood is 100x more so... Who cares how well you can act when you look this good?  Seriously.

Our last night in Jaipur a few of us went out for dinner at a place called “Red”. It was a more upscale restaurant / bar. We were supposed to leave by 9pm because there was a private party coming in.  We ended up crashing it and got the party started on the dance floor. Good times. Good times. The manager finally asked us to leave around 11pm. Haha!

The next stop on our tour was Ranthambhore National Park where we went on a Tiger safari and actually saw one. It was pretty amazing to see one in the wild just maxin’ and relaxin’. It was a far cry from the Tiger Temple in Thailand (I still can’t believe I went there). At one point the Tiger walked down to some water, dipped her foot in to test the temperature and then once satisfied submerged herself waist down as if she was leaning on the edge of a pool.  Somebody get her a G&T, stat! We also saw tons of wild peacocks, monkeys, deer, kingfisher and tiger birds. It was pretty cool.

This day was also Sara’s 28th birthday so we had dinner in the garden of the hotel and surprised her with a birthday cake which V ceremoniously smushed in her face. It’s the thing to do in India.

We then took a minibus to Bundi - this sweet little town. The people were so incredibly nice. I really enjoyed my time here. Not much to do in here but we visited the palace and then walked around the markets. Louise, Pauline and I got some bracelets fitted for our Western sized wrists. They break, melt and stretch the bracelets. The bracelets I got were totally gaudy but the experience fun. We then wanted to find a place for dinner so we walked up to this tuk-tuk driver to ask for a recommendation. The conversation was difficult and took longer than it should have. By the time we were finished talking with him we realized we were completely surrounded my men, literally on our shoulders, just watching and listening to what our conversation. This was super weird and it happens everywhere! We ended up at this guest house run by three women for dinner. The fact that it’s a women-run business is unheard of here. They have had a few articles written about them, which they are very proud of and should be, really. We ate dinner in their living room and watched the daughter’s wedding video. The mom showed us pictures of previous guests and talked about how everyone who comes to their guesthouse is like family. They do make you feel that way, particularly when the daughter hands you her 2-year old son and then disappears into the next room!

Next up was Bijaipur.  We stayed in Castle Bijaipur and it had a swimming pool! Yay! I could get used to this.  We had some time to “chillax” as V would say. This was a very small town where we visited some local villages - one village known to be criminals. Awesome. While walking around Bijaipur we got invited into an elementary school by some students and their teachers. They took us on a quick tour of their classrooms – no desks, no chairs and the walls were filled with picture posters in English and Hindi. All of the kids wanted their pictures taken, it was hilarious. As soon as you lifted your camera into position they would bud in front of each other to get in the shot.

After Bijaipur was Udaipur – this place was amazing and incredibly romantic. Totally magical with numerous palaces in a surprisingly lush green city.  It was quite the contrast to the dull and dusty background. Octopussy was filmed here. We watched some of the movie one night.  Sweet.  We were in the old part of Udaipur which was made up of narrow and winding streets. Sara and I had some clothes made here. I had some cotton pants and tunics made – I feel like I’m walking around in my pajamas – love it.  Also took an Indian cooking class - yum!  I met some really nice locals whom I ended up having chai with and some good and interesting conversation with. One was a jeweler whom I ended up buying some bangles from.

We took a very early train to Pushkar, one of India’s holiest cities. Sara, Adam and I participated in a Puja ceremony done at the main Ghat here. It’s for respect, good heath and fortune for family, friends and us. We had to repeat a mantra in Hindi. I didn’t get all of the words right - I hope that didn’t wreck the puja! In my mind I said them correctly... I think, anyway.  (Picture is after the ceremony.)

We went on a camel safari and passed a gypsy settlement, which was neat to see. It was sparse and looked temporary as you would imagine it be. My camel was named Johnson – insert joke here [   ]. (Picture of me and Johnson.)

Then back to Delhi were we did some of the sightseeing we were supposed to do on our first day. A Sikh temple, a Mosque, the spice market, then home (or back to the hotel).

Overall the trip was fantastic and it was a great group of people.

More soon...
xoxo

Final thoughts on Laos.

When in Laos do as the Laotians do. Be lazy. And that’s exactly what I did for my last week in Laos. I spent it in the 4,000 Islands, where there’s not much else to do so it was perfect. I met Vanessa and Stephen from Miami on the way down and we hung out over the next few days. We lounged around, rented bikes, went swimming, ate and lounged around some more. I slept a lot. It was so hot - it took everything out of me.

One morning we took a boat ride to see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins. While seeing the dolphins was very cool, the actual “tour” was more memorable. Totally disorganized, we left an hour late. They had a motorbike driver for each of us to get us to the water. Mine broke down two minutes after we left.  The driver just walked away and left me there.  I assumed he was going to get help... and he did. Once I finally got to the water they took us to the worst longtail boat of the bunch. No seats... and the driver was bailing out water as we walked down towards the boat. Then he proceeded to lay a mat over the water so we wouldn’t get wet? Unlikely. They were surprised that we didn’t want sit for 2 hours cross-legged getting our asses soaked in a boat that looked like it was going to fall apart. The kicker was that there were more than a few “better” boats with seats right beside it. [This is my theory – they are so used to young backpackers not knowing any better that they just accept shitty service and think it’s just part of the experience. I think this will change as backpackers become older and have higher expectations. Maybe not. Maybe it’s the return of the Princess Backpacker. Haha!]

We all stayed in little bungalows by the river. It was fantastic. Each night we’d chill on the porch having Beerlaos and chatting. We gained a new friend, the owner’s dog, who we named Snoobs because he looked like a cross between Snoopy and Scooby Doo. The dog slept outside of my door one night. He was cool. We also had a water buffalo visit us one night. Awesome. I love water buffalo. They are so massive but so shy. When you walk by one it’s like they’re thinking “I’m not here. Don’t look at me. I’m not here.”

So some final thoughts on Laos:

• I think it would be a beautiful country when it’s green and not shrouded in haze and not so hot and humid.  Visit during our winter months when it's cooler and lush.  I can imagine it would be stunning.
• It's an outdoor persons paradise.  Lots of opportunities for trekking and water sports.
• The people are friendly even if they are lazy.
• They love their Beerloas! One afternoon during Lao new year and the power was out in our hotel I sat with the staff outside having a few Beerlaos. The staff got hammered. Too funny.
• Be prepared for no customer service of any sort anywhere at anytime.
• You don’t come here for a culinary experience... the food is very dull and unexciting.
• You think people have bad cell phone ettiquette in Canada? It’s nothing compared to the Loation cell phone ettiquette. You will be literally in the middle of a converstaion or a transaction and they will just pick up their phone and start talking. 
• I actually did have a good time here. I met some great people throughout my travels here and had some fantastic and memorable experiences here. And that’s really what it’s all about.

More soon...
xoxo

Water fight!

I took a six hour bus ride to Ponsavanah to see the Plain of Jars. It was a big V.I.P. bus that wasn’t very V.I.P. The driver would only turn on the AC when we were traveling on flat roads or downhill, otherwise the bus would overheat – so we got to overheat instead - awesome. It was on this bus I met John from Ireland (the jolliest Irishman I’ve ever met) and Ester from Switzerland.


The city of Ponsavanh looked like the Wild West of Laos. The city is literally made of up one big long street with not much on it or activity going on. It just needed some tumbleweeds rolling down the street and it would have been perfect. Needless to say, this is the kind of place you get in and out of!

The next day I joined a tour to visit the Plain of Jars. The Plain of Jars are these huge (some taller than me) stone jars, some carved from granite and others of sandstone, scattered through the countryside. I think there are 90 sites all together but only a few open to the public because of UXO (unexploded ordinence). They think they were used as tombs, but there's only some evidence which supports this. Local legend has it that they used to ferment rice wine in them (Laos people are big drinkers, so I could believe that!). But if you ask what they were used for they really don’t know. If you ask how they got there, they don’t know. If you ask who made them, they don’t know. Not the most enlightening tour I’ve ever been on. We visited three different sites, but to be honest once you’ve seen one jar, you’ve seen them all...[a Top Tip if you ever go to see them.]

There could be more sites but because the UXO the discovery has been a slow process. Even around the sites that can be visited there are stones that mark which side of the path is safe and which is not.

On our return we stopped at a local whiskey “factory” whose owner looked like he had had a liiiittle too much over the years. The local moonshine was in a barrel in a hut. Not overly impressive. The old man ladled some of the whiskey into a pop bottle with his very shaky hands in order to serve it to us.  It was painful to watch.  Then he passed around a single shot glass for the 11 of us to try it. It was disgusting, both the taste and the way in was served. God only knows how many people have actually drank out of this one shot glass. The Laos have a saying that if you only have one you can’t walk because you only have one leg, so you have to have another in order to use both legs. No thanks, I’ll hobble home.

We also stopped in at on a local’s house and where invited in to look around. It was big and empty. A little area for cooking with a fire pit in the open on the floor with no proper smoke ventilation. No furniture but they did have an unexploded grenade (without the pin) as decoration... it could technically go off. There were two very very small rooms that were where they slept. The woman was very sweet offering us bananas.

The stable where they kept the animals was supported by old bomb casings. This is supposedly common throughout rural Laos but where really the only ones I saw put to use and not just for decoration.

The next day I took a 4 hour minibus to Van Vieng. This has developed into the party town of Laos in the past four years. The typical thing to do here is to tube down the river and stop at all of the bars along the way – it could be up to a six hour excursion. I landed here with Avril and Yann, whom I met on the Plain of Jars tour.  A super fun couple from Ireland and France, respectively. We learned pretty quickly that Vang Vieng was not our scene. There are lots of drugs – you can pretty much get a “happy” meal anywhere. In the evening people were off their heads. I don’t know how the locals can stand it.

The first day I chilled at watched a Friends marathon (every other restaurant runs back-to-back episodes of either Friends or Family Guy) – surprisingly I didn’t need to be “happy” to do this but it made me very happy.  I caught up on some episodes I'd never seen.

The next day I rented a bike and rode to Tham Phu Kam or the Blue Lagoon for a swim. The Blue Lagoon was just that, blue blue blue and so refreshing. There was this big tree you could jump out of and into the water. So much fun. Yann and Avril met me there on their bikes and I joined them to complete a 33km West Vang Vieng loop. The bike ride was amazing. The roads were not amazing – super rocky but it made for a challenging ride which was fun. We rode through beautiful karsts and small villages. Always greeted by smiles and waves. I didn’t get a lot of pictures because we were on a bit of a time crunch needing to be back before sundown.


This route is suggested in the Lonely Planet. This is where the Lonely Planet can have a negative affect... the locals having become hip to the route and have put a few tolls in place in order to cross a river. This one bridge (if you could call it that) was so tiny and the guy woke up from his nap when he heard us and pulled a small rope across. We came across another bridge – a bigger one. Not sure if they charge locals (I doubt it) but we thought we’d show them and walk through the river. I took two steps into the river and lost both of my flip flops. Haha!  So much for showing them.  I had to laugh.  I caught one but one went sailing down the river. To make matters even funnier one of the kids from the bridge caught my show a few meters away... and of course wanted money for it. Yann retrieved my shoe at no cost.

The next morning Avril, Yann and I went kayaking down the Nam Song river. It was really nice but because the river is so low there were lots of rocks and very little current or rapids. But the scenery was stunning. Our guide rode with me and he was hung over (no surprise there) and turns out laid down and rested a few times while I did all of the work. Nice. LAZY.

The laziness still bothers me when I think about it now and I'm kind of getting irritated as I write this!  haha!  They really could care less if you are a paying customer or client.  A good example of this was the morning we went kayaking. I was checking out that day but wasn’t going to be back until about an hour or two after check-out. I asked if I could keep the room for just a couple of extra hours so I could shower before having to get on a bus... Nope. “There are people coming” they said. (Remember this off-season so it’s not busy and the hotel was far from full.) So I asked that the room is booked. The response “There are people coming. You can pay for an extra day.” "Just a couple of hours?" I ask. “Everyone in Vang Vieng check-out at this time.”  "I’d like to have a shower... " “You can have a shower in our bathroom” FYI this is an outdoor shower. Okay fine, I clearly wasn’t getting anywhere. I get back from kayaking and asked for a towel. “No, you can’t have a towel.” Mmmmk. “We only have enough towels for the rooms.” Ya riiiiiiight. Whatever. I shower in their personal outdoor attached bathroom. My bus is late to pick me up. The hotel sells bus tickets. Do you think you can phone the company to ask where they are? “Nope, we don’t have the number.” Sooooo lazy. Sooooo unhelpful. They were just going to lay there and watch TV.

The V.I.P. bus left late. Typical. The AC was “broken”. OMG. It was an oven. And of course they totally don't care.  We arrived in Vientianne hot and bothered (really bothered).  But it quickly got better.  Avril negotiated hard for us at a cute little boutique hotel.  Nice.  And we set out to prepare ourselves for Laos new year buying water guns!

For Laos new year they spend three days soaking people in the streets. There were five us all together: Avril, Yann, John (the guy we met in Phonsovanh) and Larkin or as we liked to call him "Texas".  We spent 12 hours armed with water guns roaming the city streets soaking people and getting soaked. Super fun! 

We jumped into the back of a local’s pick up truck and cruised down the main drag. I think we got more wet than the people on the streets. When we reached the end of the main drag we thought the locals were heading out of the city to get a refill of water for the big oil drum that was now empty. But we kept going and going... We ended up at the bus stop about 8km outside of the city. (At one point we were thinking we might not come back with our kidneys!) We pulled up to a huge bus and they motion us to get out. mmmmmk. They proceeded to lift this massive and dirty engine out from under the bus and put it in the pick up. We decided we should probably find our own way back at this point. But as we started walking away they called us to get back into the back of the pick up. Okay. We drove two minutes away and pulled into a garage or something only to learn (we think) that it’s the wrong engine. Okay NOW we definitely needed to find our own way back.  But they called us back into the truck again. Back to the bus station... Okay at this point we decided we REALLY needed to leave and the locals agreed so we said good-bye and went to find a tuk-tuck. This task shouldn’t be hard at the bus station. We approached this guy who seemed to be the tuk-tuk manager and we asked for a tuk-tuk. He said there are no tuk-tuks. Meanwhile he was standing in front of three of them. “What about those?” we asked. He said “Laos new year. Drivers drink BeerLaos.” We found alternate transportation. 

That night there was a big celebration and a main-stage set up in the center of the city. There was music, dancers, and some audience participation. The most hilarious thing was that there was this huge space cordoned off for a public foam party.  A constant stream of suds.  Awesome. We danced in the suds – so much fun!

We met some locals and they shared their Beerlaos with us. They would constantly yell “finish” encouraging us to chug back our drinks. They were a blast!



More soon...
xoxo