We arrived to Goa after the trauma of being locked up in Chennai. We found a great guest house, with clean rooms and great rates as the HIGH season was over and done with – “Stick a fork in me Jerry, I’m done.” Its sticky hot here! Phew. But its all good, the beach is a mere 50m from the door, but that distance proved to be blisterfully far one day when I ventured onto the beach in the early morning without my flip flops, only to do the hot sand dance an hour later.

Great meals Indian style. On the beach, squishing the sand between my toes while indulging in a fish feast. Two weeks of eating banana, Nutella, and coconut crepes! Enough said… We decided to stay in Goa for two weeks as Ananda has an old friend who has an Ayurvedic clinic, and has suggested that she undergo a two week regiment of oil baths and back treatments. I ended up going for one session of Ayurvedic treatment. It was nice…

No it was great, besides battling with some male machismo issues, I finally came to terms with the fact that it would be a guy rubbing oil over me, but in the midst of the oils and the message, I decided that “this HAS to be on everyone’s to do list!” The sensations and relaxation was so complete that you really need to look into it if you have the chance.

There were nearby markets on Wednesday and Saturday nights, where all the tourist necessities could be filled. Local and foreign artisans had their wears for sale. In the afternoon heat of the day market, a man approached me saying that I had some soap in my ear. Having almost fallen for the same scheme in Mumbai, I knew that he was offering to clean my ears with a medal scoop, only to demand an exorbitant payment once completed. So I clinched my fist, stared deep into his eyes and threatened to hurt him if he touched me! It was one of the few times that I was able to effectively convey my annoyance. He got the message and backed down.

The town of Arambol is an incredible place, with the most incredible banyan tree. Yogi’s and soul seekers from all over the world come here to meditate and connect with the tree.

I did have one very shocking experience, I saw a guy get run over by a 10 tone truck and the after effects… It really bothered me, and still does. There is ‘something’ about being here in India; I don’t really know how else to describe it other than a “general disconcern for human life.” Now I know that this is not a fair statement, but the feeling has been reciprocated by so many other travelers… For example when Asking people if the guy was in fact dead, people simply said, yes this happens all the time like three times a day here in Candelum… Yes this is it, it is the drivers that simply do not care, be it a private or public bus or taxi, or motorbike, they just go! Blind turn, who cares, “I want to pass.” Argh.

Oh, yeah it is now official, I am a SUDOKU whore! I can’t get enough of these things. Yeah sure they are fun, and they might have mental benefit, but for the most part they suck an hour or so out of every day. And I walk away with the satisfaction that I am edging closer to the “Super Hard” Puzzles. I wonder if all of the mental effort that goes into these puzzles could somehow be harnessed into something more beneficial? Imagine, if for example how fast the human genome could have been resolved had sections been distributed amongst the worlds population as a cross word or sudoku puzzles… hmmm… Food for thought.

Overall, between the beach the food and the scootering around, Goa is a paradise!

Chennai/Madras:

We arrived to the city that is said to be blah…

Chennai was dirty, polluted and basically disgusting. I can’t think of too much to write about. Other than being in a bustling metropolis and being confronted again with the sights of extreme poverty and retched living conditions that so many are subjected to. There were some interesting foreigners staying at the same guest hose; the masters student who was gathering research for his thesis on the pollution and gathers in the sediment of the main river that passes through Madras, the Chilean girl who has been coming to India for 7 years (only returning to Chile, for a few months at a time) as a tour guide and to study the dance of Tamil Nadu, the Indian cosmetic surgeon who has lived in California for the past 30 years and who’s wife refuses to move back to India…

The beach in Madras was a sight to see. The beach is known to be one of the biggest in India. We chose to hit the beach a dawn, and found that the beach is almost 1 kilometer wide… When you start walking on the sand, you cannot see the sea, but only sand. It was crazy to see the thousands of Indians and the hundreds of Card readers offering to read our fortunes (without any English!) with the aid of their parrots. The parrot pulls the fortune cards from the deck, while the Tout interprets the cards… Then there were the small “human powered” marry-go-rounds, the endless fish and ice cream stands, it was like a monstrous carnival on the coast.

After a week in Madras we hopped on a flight to Goa.

Behold the “TIM TAM SLAM”

A “TIM TAM” is like a Chocolate Peak Frean that is covered in chocolate. They are from Australia, but are also sold here in India. The cookies are so so by themselves. But by some miraculous Devine intervention or some marketing lackey’s dubious genius this mediocre cookie has been elevated to complete bliss. some marketing dude came up with the “TIM TAM SLAM”

Firstly you bite of a small corner of the cookie, then repeat on the opposite corner (creating a diagonal across the cookie – connecting the two bites). Now you put one of the bitten off corners into a coffee/tea and use the Tim Tam as a straw. As soon as the coffee tea reaches your mouth you stop sucking and bite the Tim Tam. The coffee/tea will have warmed and melted the Tim Tam from the inside out, and the whole thing then melts in your mouth… Pure heaven!

For those who have been to Australia and did not share this with the rest of us, shame shame. For those who know it; are blessed. Those who do not; better luck next time.

Pondicherry

When it was time to leave the yoga ashram, I felt sad that this chapter of the trip was ending, knowing that we were leaving the tranquility of mountains. I was not looking forward to the hustle and bustle of India – the rickshaws, and their endless horns. But after a few bus rides, we arrived in Tamil Nadu to find that the rickshaws are not electric but squish operated. Like the old school horns, these are no where near as annoying as they are so much quieter. We arrived in Madurai and headed to the train station to see if we could head out that same night. The station attendant initially said that it was impossible to leave that same night, sticking to her guns, she repeater herself 5 times. But then decided to call someone, as it turned out we were very lucky, as there was a train going close to Pondicherry. (kind of odd, as ALL trains were passing by…) Yup, this is defiantly India, no intentional deception, just the way things go.

We headed off to check grab a bite to eat and check out the Sri Meenakshi Temple – Madurai’s main attraction. As with most time limiting sight seeing expeditions, the temple was far too much to absorb in only 2 hours.

We had decided to go to Pondicherry as a friend of ours had been here and gone to “The School for Perfect Eye Sight.” So we were here to check it out and see if we could improve our vision. The school walks you through about 2 hours of exercises, both in the morning and afternoon. But the most important thing is to curb the use of your glasses and eliminate using contacts. But I found that walking around a strange town in a different country lead to some interesting conversations: ”is that an elephant? I don’t know I can’t see….” Or ”is that a cow? Oh yeah, sure is.”

By the end of 5 days my prescription was reduced, and I was reading two and a half more lines on an eye chart from a distance of one meter. The spherical and axis portions of my prescription have now been completely eliminated, and the overall prescription was reduced by 0.75 in my right eye. Not too shabby for 5 days. I also had a pair of reduced lenses made for my glasses. All this makes me want to confront my optometrist; “why create a dependence? As opposed to encouraging the eye to see better?” I so distinctively remember being told as a 12 year old to wear my glasses when in the class room and when watching TV and movies…

Pondicherry is a former French colony and the influence that the French have left here is very predominant. There are loads of pseudo French restaurants and tons of colonial French architecture – if you are into that kind of stuff :) Much of the appeal was the tranquility of the town. As a large portion of the city resembles a small European town, this is where the Sri Aurobindo Ashram is dispersed (actually the Ashram is not very prominent in the town at all). But crossing the Canal road, would instantaneously through you back into India.

We wanted to check out Auroville, and so decided to take some scooters and check it out. The super friendly receptionist from our guest house offered to lead us there on his bike. We had also picked up a straggler that particular morning, a strange character who claimed that is was his birthday and he was visiting friends, he turned out to be harmless but gave us all an uneasy feeling. Oh well, no harm, no foul. So we were on our way and took in the sight of a couple of banyan trees, and the famous golden meditation hall (golf ball). We were about to leave, slightly dissatisfied, but we found some friends, and checked out the Tibetan pavilion, saw some art and checked out the awesome architecture of Auroville.

The Mother and the philosophy of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Enlightenment and the a new consciousness. Yeah its kinda scarry to write about these types of things as they seem so far out there, but there might be something to it, as it seems that Pondicherry was 'spared' from the effects of the Tsunami... Things that make you go hmmmm.

Yoga in the Mountains of Kerala – Yoga the quest for Enlightenment

An American couple from Seattle recommended that we check out this recently started yoga ashram in the mountains of Kerala. It turned out to be the greatest introduction to yoga imaginable.

The ashram sits at top of a mountain and boarders the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary in the Southern state of Kerala. The facilities are basic and simple, but anything more would remove you from the beauty of the mountain. With our arrival we were greeted with fresh herbal water, knowing that this would be a great stay. The ashram really only consists of the two incredible hosts; Sudarsh and Harilal (the is also a cook). The relationship seemed kind of strange in the beginning – Sudarsh had chosen Harilal as his guru, having given up his life as a Brahman and now devoting himself to his guru. Harilal seemed a little cold at the beginning, but we then found out that they had had some guests that were not ideal.

The food was phenomenal. We were given two meals a day with a small snack in the afternoon – tea and cookies. The meals were traditional South Indian, simple and yet so great. I will have to do some research to find some of the recipes, but the two best meals were a plantain and semolina plate and secondly a steamed rice powder dish that marries to curry… Ohhh The food also served to keep the ISL at bay. The food is quite specifically aimed at keeping the digestive system calm.

The days started with a morning meditation session that was held outside provided the wind was not too cold. (I hear it is -35 back home, here we meant not so cold that you need more than a long sleeve shirt on…) The morning meditations as the sun was still rising were incredible. We would then break for tea followed by a yoga session. This would then lead to a nice and long anticipated brunch… The afternoons continued with Karma yoga (see Amma’s Ashram – previous post) and an evening yoga session and meditation. The days flew by with the rhythm of life focusing on meditation and yoga. We also really connected with our hosts, finding a wealth of knowledge in the little hideaway.

The asanas (or postures) are what I associate with yoga are only one of the eight branches (branches, not levels, that may be studies simultaneously) of yoga. I learned that the goal is to reach a better state of consciousness through the various branches. But here the focus was much more on the meditative side. Something that I preferred, as it would have been a feeble waste of time to try and master the asanas. I began to see this trip to India taking the form of a spiritual learning journey. This idea is still very strong some two weeks later now.

If you are interested, check out their web page at: www.arshayoga.org Arsha Yoga Gurukulam Yaga Ashram.

Alleppey

From Amma’s we headed to Alleppey to meet up with Lucia and her sister for a house boat tour… The South of India was proving to be a real break from the hustle and bustle of the North. The boat trip was total relaxation. We had everything taken care of and didn’t need to think about food or transportation.

Think about the size of an insect, for you to be able to see it in the dark! Then think about its size when he sees you, and try’s to run away – and you HEAR him running. Now picture this insect as a cockroach that is in your room on a house boat! I had just walked out of the bathroom, and turned off the light, when I saw a dark spot on the wall. For fear of spreading roach eggs everywhere (when you crush them) or worse a surprise attack later on in the evening, I let him to his business. But that wasn’t the macho story that I gave the ladies...

After the boat trip we hung out in Alleppey. It was so hot, that when we stumbled across a movie theatre we went in to avoid the heat. They were showing “Ghost Rider” a movie that fit the bill; English, simple to follow, and some mind numbing action. For a while it felt like being back home, getting into the movie but there were some subtle differences, take for example the ear drum bursting volume of the sound system. Like a teenaged kid borrowing his parents car, it was way to loud for the quality of the system… Then there were the shrieks from the boys in the audience when ever the sexy actress would come on screen, man these kids need some serious sexual tension built up. But the clincher, was seeing the rats scurrying between the aisles every 20 minutes or so. “Yup, defiantly still in India” I thought. But seriously, those poor rats they couldn’t find a seat that fit them, the whole movie they were running around trying to find a seat where they could see.

Amma’s ashram

From Varkala we were headed North to visit another Ashram, this time it was Amma or the Hugging Amma’s ashram. We took a boat trip up the backwaters of Kerala to get to the ashram. The ride was pretty cool, there are the old style Chinese fishing nets, that are still used and loads of great views from the water. It was a welcome break to be a peaceful waterway compared to the stressful roads.

The ashram really didn’t strike a cord with me, I think it was because of the blind devotion and hysteria that I saw while there. Everyone was completely obsessed with Amma, asking if we know when she was scheduled to arrive, or weather she had given me darsha (a hug). On the boat ride to the ashram we met a Chilean woman, who seemed kind of interesting in the beginning, but later proved to be a quite fanatical guru chaser. Well let’s just say that there were a few people whom I met, that did more to turn me off to the idea than anything else. It seemed to me that many of the people are not grounded, and need to devote themselves completely. But the 4 days spent there were relaxing and fulfilling.

To help with the daily operations of the ashram, they ask that visitors volunteer two hours a day. They call this Karma Yoga – or chores for you and me. I decided to try my luck at the garbage duty, even though it was at 7:00 am, I thought it better to get it over and done with, then not have to worry about it the rest of the day. Wow, it was a learning experience, I have a new appreciation for the people who do this around the world. It was neat to find that so many other people have the same neurotic note writing habit that I do, almost every garbage can was a testament to note scribing on ANY possible piece of paper. Then there was the elephant incident. We were chased by an elephant during garbage duty, while pushing the garbage cart around, the local elephant (with trainer) were basically running us down. It was so surreal – pushing this cart of garbage around and constantly looking back to see if this huge animal was going to trample you!

Then as it turned out, I did meet Amma, not at the scheduled darsham, but when she arrived from her trip to Sri Lanka. I was waiting in the queue for lunch and she walked by giving a high five to everyone (well it was more of a touch of the hand, but high five sounds cooler!!!!). From that point forward, I told everyone that she gave me a high five… I don’t think very many people got the joke, oh well, their loss (I think its funny).

I must say Amma is a good mother, as I got FAT in those four days. It was because of the scheduled eating, you could only eat at the canteen and bakery during set hours, so even if you were not hungry you had to eat because everything would be closed in a little while. A lot of carbs, phew. Again being on the cost, there many sun sets that were seen. I also took the time to practice some Jiu-Jitsu in my room.

Varkala was cool

Varkala is a small beach town on the South Western Cost of India, in the state of Kerala. It proved to be a great place to recover from the ISL of the past few days. We met up with a Swiss couple that was in Trivandrum at the same guest house, they were sick too!

The town is situated at the top of a sea-side cliff, with beautiful views every evening of the spectacular sun sets, something that we tend to forget about unless it is laid down in front of us. Being on the coast, naturally lent itself to walks on the beach. Is there anything quite like the feeling of sand beneath your feet? The food in Varkala was also great, we found a great Tibetan restaurant which had awesome fish momo’s (we found our selves going there almost everyday).

Many of the restaurants would display fish to lure in potential clients. But this doesn’t mean that they are fresh, as one couple pointed out that a calamari had been on display for 5 days. But for the most part you could tell the better restaurants had a lot of traffic and the fish displays would be empty by the end of the night. It did hurt to see the Blue Marlin’s on display, such a beautiful fish. But this was really the first place that we were non veg. on the trip. Being on the coast you have to enjoy the sea food.

We decided to brave the roads and rent a scooter, getting a wicked sunburn, and enjoying the Indian traffic. Wandering through the streets at your own pace is the best way to get a feel for the local ambiance. And it helps to keep cool, by simply hitting the gas, and feeling the power of the 20 HP zipping you to 40 Km/hr. OH YEAH!!!!!

There is a local in Varkala who has written a book on the Da Vinci Code, stating that he has discovered the REAL code, but after watching the video and listening to some of his theories it seems like a little too far fetched. We were suckered into buying the books – the ever popular conspiracy theories! We did manage to catch a few flicks at one of the cliff side restaurants – which begs the question; how good is a restaurant that needs to show two free movies a night??? Well I’ll tell you BBBBAAAAAADDDD. But the movies were alright, Da Vinci Code and Borat! Watching Borat on the cliff side, while in the midst of some yanks was quite memorable.

I had to try smoking a cigarette to get the bowels moving… It didn’t send me to the bathroom, but my head did spin quite a bit. Yeah I can see how people can get addicted to this. Here in India they sell “Bidis” that are all natural whole tobacco leaf cigarettes. I’ll bring some back for who ever wants to give them a try.

TRIVANDRUM

It was time to leave Pune and head South, we took a taxi to Mumbai to catch a flight to Trivandrum. The flight proved to be difficult as the ISL stuck again. Good thing we opted for the plane, as the alternative was a 44 hour train ride…. On the last 20 minutes of the 90 minute flight, we could see an endless sea of palm trees. It reminded me of the ‘Palmar’ national park North of Buenos Aires. But this was a true sea of palms!

The ISL hung around for a few days and forced a visit to the hospital. We tried to hail a rickshaw to get to the hospital, but we could not find one that understood ‘hospital’ or ‘doctor.’ So we went to hotel to try and find someone who spoke English to help find a rickshaw. Funnily enough, he hails a rickshaw, and says ‘hospital’ and we are off. Our Canadian accent does seem to cause a little trouble with some Indians; after several attempts to ask for something, they say “Oh! Yes.” So we reached the hospital and were admitted quickly. We saw the ‘casualty’ doctor right away. The synonyms are great aren’t they!

Before long I was lying down on a bed with some iv. Within minutes I was feeling better. But once it was all pumping though me, I headed back to see the doc, and started to feel dizzy, the next thing I knew I could hear an old time radio that was in another language. “No, he is OK” someone said suddenly. I opened my eyes as I thought that they were talking about me. I had fainted and was totally dreaming and came to when they were trying to lift me onto a bed. It wasn’t scary at all, but the body just shut down for a second. They decided to give me another iv just to be sure that I would get all the water and minerals back into my system. They also called for a blood test and prescribed some probiotics. Without knowing all that was wrong they wanted to stimulate the good bacteria in my stomach and make sure that I would get rehydrated. That pesky ISL really had it in for me. But since the hospital experience things have been great! In retrospect it was really cool to have had that experience in the hospital, it was clean and super efficient, not to mention the fact that the doctors stayed clear of anti-biotics.

It was almost reminiscent of those American Express adds:

Price of Rickshaw to hospital – 30 Rs. ($0.85 CND)

Two iv’s – 120 Rs. ( $4.00 CND)

Probiotics – 80 Rs. ( $2.10 CND)

Not having to run to the john every 55 minutes –

PRICELESS…

Our time in Trivandrum was short, but with all the associated issues, I was happy to move on. Next stop the beach town of Verkela.

Random Ramblings

For those don’t know a Cornetto is an ice-cream, it’s just like a Drumstick back home just better. While the Cornetto’s in China and South America are just divine, sadly they are not the same in India :( But that is alright, as there are plenty of other treats to discover. Take the “Metro” chocolate bar! Yes that’s right, now you can be fashionably sensible and fix a car at the same time! And the endless Indian sweets made with milk, pistachio, and fried goodness.

Forget "Delhi Belly" the one to worry about is "ISL" – Indian Stomach Leviathan - If I need to explain it to you, then you would not understand. Enough said.

“Oh so that’s what fell on my head…. A gecko turd…” Just one of those things that you wouldn’t hear in Canada. Said when we were almost pooped on by a little gecko in a store. But said in reference to when we WERE pooped on earlier!

Pune - Osho

We arrived to Koregon park – the local back packer hang out – by about 11 at night. We headed to the busy German bakery, and found an old friend of Ananda’s. Things seem to have a way of resolving themselves in Pune. They ‘just’ work out. Interestingly, I have been having many déjà vu experiences here… Maybe it’s the energy? What ever it is, it is very intense.

Pune provided a location to settle down for two weeks and not need to worry about where we were off to next. Pune is also home to the Osho Meditation Resort. After taking a quick tour of the grounds and getting all the details about fees and the general rules, I walked away with a sour taste in my mouth – and two books… I talked to a few people who have been to the ashram and found that many people who have been avoid talking about it because of the negative image that so many people have of it. I think that this is partially due to negative publicity that the ashram has received in the past 30 years, as well as the alternative approach of many of the ideas and meditative techniques that are used. But as my dad used to say; you have to try everything once. So after debating and procrastinating go to the ashram I took the plunge and went to the welcome morning introductory class.

For all first timers they suggest taking the “Welcome Morning” tour so that you get a little introduction to the activities in the ashram. Well our group was fortunate enough to get a great guide, an Italian from Rome who moved to India some 25 years ago. He was incredibly charismatic and funny, and there was something in his voice that was reminding me of something… But what was it?

The “Welcome Morning” introduced us to the three main types of meditation that is done at the resort: Dynamic, Kundalini, and Nadabrahma meditation. Before anyone of the group could say it, the guide was describing our thoughts; “I could be in Goa right now, what crazy things are these people going to do to me, what would my mother think if she saw me doing this?” Almost as if he was reading my mind! But after the awkwardness of the first few exercises things really started to take flight.. (Then I realized what it was that the welcome morning instructor was reminding me of – his voice was identical to that of Triumph the Insult Dog. It was almost unbearable to keep myself from laughing… “For me to poop on!”) The guide described meditation as not allowing an “idea” or “thought” to grab your mind and go for a walk. Attempting to distance oneself from your thoughts, and just watch them go by, like a movie reel! This doesn’t mean that you need to be still, but in the beginning it is easier this way. This definition really resonated with me, as this what happens when mountain biking and practicing Jiu-Jistu.

After the introduction I went off to lunch. There is a local tali restaurant where you can eat all that you want and it only costs 35 Rs. ( $1.00 CND)! Interestingly, everyone there was wearing a maroon robe – they were all Oshoites. Then I was off to try some of the meditations in the Osho Pyramid. The Nadadrahma Meditation was a total trip! The first stage consisted of sitting for 30 minutes. I knew something powerful was happening as my leg fell asleep, then all of a sudden it stopped hurting, then I wiggled my toe and bam, then pain came back! Dam I was taking control of my mind then I let an idea bring me back, Then maybe 45 minutes into the meditation, I felt these orbs of heat in my hands, followed by an almost instantaneous warmth in my lower belly – but that might have been the tali…

The walk home was great, really chilled. Sure some of the things were a little hokey, but you can’t judge, you just have to do it. I will defiantly enjoy the next week at the ashram, looking forward to Zen Archery and getting deeper into the meditations.

The second day at the Ashram was with Ananda, we went and did the Dynamic Meditation, followed by the Tai Chi, then Laughing Drums, Lunch then Nadabrahma then the White Robe with the Audio talk and a little Dance…. It seemed to be a little too much as it was almost 7 hours of intenseness! But Monday and Tuesday gave an opportunity for relaxing and reflection on the past few days.

It was defiantly a positive experience but on my final day at the ashram things took a bit of a nose dive. The meditations did not seem to be affecting me in the same way. But that it to be expected and one cannot get upset about that, simply practice a little more. But then at the white robe and audio talk (where they show a video recording or one of the countless Osho talks) it totally fell apart. The talk was about genetic engineering and how beneficial it would be to the future of human beings. But the silliness and verbal diarrhea that was being said was too much for many, as they were walking out… Kind of a sour note to end on but our time was up, and we had to move on. As we had a flight to catch to Kerala!

I’ll post some pics next time!
Ciao for now!

Udaipur

We arrived to Udaipur after spending the night on a sleeper bus. Luckily we were in the first set of bunks, so we did not get tossed around as compared to the back of the bus, we actually fit quite nicely with our packs and all. Thank goodness for portable music. Udaipur immediately proved to be was the most chilled out place thus far. Very good vibe, and it is where Octapussy was filmed!

We stumbled into a guest house at about 5:30 am, praying that they would have some rooms available… We crashed in a room until 10:00 am, changed to what has been the best room thus far, lake view, clean and white. But at 700 Rupees it was a little pricey. We were in the heart of the tourist hood, with loads of restaurants at our fingertips. We stumbled on a hotel with cooking classes, and were reeled in when the teacher gave us a taste of her cooking! Wow, by far the best Indian food we have had. Good thing wee tried the food, as the price of the cooking class was steep - $25 for 3 hour lesson, and lunch included, hey that is expensive for India! But it was so worth it.

We met a couple from Australia in Sudha Guest House, on the ‘other’ side of the river. Which proved to be even more authentic, with less hagglers and less stores. The cook at the Sudha guest house proved to be one of the finest that we have encountered thus far. Like almost all India kitchens that I have seen, there is only one burner, tucked into a room the size of a small closet. Yet the feasts that these little kitchens can produce are out of this world! Absolutely phenomenal.

The tuck shop owner who had to rub my shaved head – perhaps for good luck??? Its alright, Ananda didn’t seem to mind. The owner proved to be a good talker, we ended up buying an expensive bus ticket to go to Mumbai, and it proved to be a disaster, but we arrived, so that is what matters. We did discover some good toothpaste: “the best one” - according to the tuck shop owner - drew out attention as it is made from “the pure extract of the Meswak plant” hmm, sounds interesting. Hmmm, it is made from all natural ingredients. Cool. Hey, wait a second, it lists only the “key ingredients” well W.T.F. does that mean????

“Best Price!” Whenever you are buying something here, you hear that expression, well either that or “Best Quality!” I am going to go nuts when I get back home, there is no negotiating with that bloody interact machine, I wonder if the north American society would be better off with a little more negotiating? Yeah I think so, we would talk more!

I have seen many tanker trucks that say ‘Non-Flammable’ on the back. I think that the jury is still out on this one!

In Udaipur, it was so cool to see the old traditional irons that are heated with coals. WOW. It really takes you back to see the non-electric original way of doing things. Especially as night when there are people ironing on the side of the road, and you see to glow of the coals…

The street dogs in India for the most part are really chilled out dogs. It seems like the “shannti shannti” of the locals has worn off on the street dogs. They are completely passive, and look around to see if there is something coming that will cause them to relocate. I think that the relaxed nature of the people is due to the positive energy and that shows itself in the animals. Lets see if I keep this throughout the journey.

We caught a free Shakespeare play at the castle, it was reported to have a ‘mixed’ cast. But after thirty minutes of hearing prefect Shakespearian English, a local actor made an appearance and reminded us that we were in India. It was so awesome to be in an open courtyard sitting on small pillows on stone seats, watching an old play being preformed in the open air while stray dogs would wander around take a peek then go about their business. It must have been like this originally!

From Udaipur we headed to Mumbai. I will skip the Mumbai entry as we will be going back in about a month or so… So the next stop was Pune for two weeks.

Pushkar - Rajasthan

We arrived to Pushkar, a holy city that is where the mountains and deserts meet in Rajasthan. It is a real shame, but it seams that Pushkar has changed into a busy bazaar city. From what I am told, it used to be quiet and really very spiritual. But now it has been transformed into a city where the people are ruthlessly trying to scam tourists and motorcycles bus around narrow laneways without any regard for others – even for Indian standards. But there were still some great people. Our first day we arrived to a great guest house, Mayur. We sat and chatted with the owner about the monsoons that have virtually disappeared over the past 20 years. It used to rain for day without end, but now it is only a few hours a day. It was interesting to talk about environmental issues with someone from the dessert. Apparently the monsoons today have nowhere near the intensity that they did a mere decade ago.

Puja at the temple:
Being a Holy City, we were accosted daily for the Puja ceremony. This is a ceremony that is done by a “supposed” Brahman and they bless you at the holy lake. After a few days we were walking by the main temple and thought, ah, why not? We had been given an hour long tour, by a Brahman and he was offering to give us the Puja. We were pushed into doing it, but at the same time it is better to take advantage of the situation and enjoy! It was a nice ceremony, and provided a, the dude was kinda peeved that we contributed 300 Rs. Total, falling far short of the thousands that were expected. But as it has taken a few weeks to get used to, you can’t make everybody happy when it comes to donations. Especially when you are asked hundreds of times a day. This was something that was a great nuisance in the beginning, but by the third week you begin to develop calices to the continuous prodding. But to be fair it was more the pushy store owners who were continuously interrupting “the moments” We were trying to enjoy.

The topic of arranged marriages has come up quite a few times and I wonder if the secret to surviving an arranged marriage lies in the IHW (Indian Head Wobble -01.05 wiggle it the ihw) It works great, in discussions and never fails to leave both parties equally satisfied, as the wobble can mean so many different things. As an Indian newbie, I am still left scratching my bald head when ever I get the wobble, not knowing if my answer has indeed be answered, or if I have just been told that I am crazy. Hopefully with some experience I’ll be able to master this calming technique. I think that I will try it on some customs officers when they ask me what I am bringing back with me from India. HA. Or maybe I’ll practice on Ananda! Wobble Wobble Wobble…

We went to visit a Mosque in Dargah in Ashmir, it was a really scary experience. I thought that I was going to get trampled on. The crowd turned violent and just going crazy to get inside to touch the vial that covers the Sufi Saint’s Tomb. There were 72 people inside who’s sole job it was to get money from the pilgrims who visit.

While in Pushkar, I went for a shave. Getting a straight edge shave on both head and face was absolutely incredible. The trust that you need to have when someone else has a knife edge on your throat is intense. It is interesting the relationship that men have in a barber shop, hmmmm. Well after the shave, I got a head and face message. It bordered pain, but when it was all said and done I was warm for days, I guess it helped improve the circulation throughout my whole body. After the head message, he proceeded to massage my back shoulders and arms, when he went by my biceps, he said “Oh good muscles” and started asking me in broken English how I train, I tried to explain martial arts, and all he understood was wrestling, then the whole shop shouted out “WWF.” They thought I was a wrestler!!!! HA HA. (I don’t think that bald mango would be intimidating enough…)

First Impressions

Well, the first two weeks we have been sleeping in both our silk liners and our sleeping bags. It has been dam cold here. Oh yeah and with our tooks! Not to mention walking around most of the days in our fleeces. Burrr, not quite what I expected, but defiantly warmer than back home.

The first week has been a lot of adaptation, but in a pleasant way. In 7 days I have completely forgotten what side of the road to walk on. I need to stop and concentrate on how we drive back home then flip it over to the British/Indian style.

Everyday, I go through this ritual of showering, but for some strange reason it is very different here in India. Since the first day it has been puzzling me. Maybe it has to do with the pollution and how dirty things are, but washing is more of an event. Or perhaps it is because now there is more time, and the bathing is not done under pressure to finish? No I don’t think that is it. It must have something to do with the fact that you need to squat to bath, and that the water in not hot-hot, but warm. Yeah I think it is the squatting, it is like playing simultaneously. And the few places where they have had western style showers, the experience is totally routine. I am sure it sounds weird, but hey it has been a highlight since arriving.

Try Crossing a Busy Road in India:
Crossing the road is reminiscent of the old “Frogger” Video game. I would say that the drivers here in India are probably amongst the worst in the world. I don’t know if they are worse than in China, but they seem to have the same type of chaotic mentality. The speed limit in between 30 and 40 kilometers an hour, so they are not going extraordinarily fast, but the distances between rickshaws and cars and bikes and pedestrians is centimeters. Most cars have their side view mirrors folder in as to prevent them from being broken off! No real loss, I don’t think they really care what is going on behind them, it is more important to focus on the next time that they can use their horn. I can’t figure out weather the horns of the bikes, cars and rickshaws are somehow remotely connected to the eye blinking of the driver, or if the government has set up some sort of credit system that compensates drivers for using their horns. No joke, they beep at everything – Beep – I am coming – Beep – I am now closer – Beep I am about to pass – Beep Beep – you just let me pass – Beep – Oh wow the horn still works – Beep – I just blinked – Beep – Oh I forgot to turn the Iron off. You get the idea. But every car no matter how fancy has a dent or a scratch on it. But that being said, the driving here is based on a simple principle – that all moving objects will continue to move in a straight line, while maintaining their current velocity. I think that for the most part this seems to work. But when a bright eyed tourist shows up on the scene, traffic goes amuck, for we pitter patter and run around like the little frog from Frogger and often back track! But what we should do is simply keep on moving forward and close our eyes. It is daunting to be standing in the middle of the road and hope that everyone keeps their line and doesn’t hit you – so far so good.

The next stage in the progression of crossing the street is the Jedi Master: Locals seem to have this ability affect traffic simply by raising their hand and making eye contact. I am sure that they to themselves “You will not hit me, you will not hit me…” mmmm I still have not tried this as I don’t think that my mind is able to manipulate the law of conservation of momentum. Hopefully soon though, India is the place for the impossible!

Not since the days when I was working at the mechanics garage – where the air was filled with diesel and asbestos particulate – have I blown my nose and seen the black soot come out. But the Black booggies, have been back. Yuk I hate to think what is going on in my lungs!!!!!

Finally a Blog posting!

The flight over proved to be full of surprises. After days of moving house and scrambling to get everything done – including a very literal last minute dash to Europe bound to grab some power adapters and stuff sacks, which by the way don’t work in India (Bumboclots)- we arrived at the airport to find out that the flight was postponed by 2.5 hours. Four months of travel and adventure I can’t wait, but the pressure cooker cap was released and all of the running around and counting of the minutes was finally over. Ppppssssshhhhhhhhhhh. We board after an incredible feeling of joy and calmness overcomes me.

After 13 months of flying every week, I was just expecting not be fed enough food. Boy was I wrong. We had three meals between Toronto and Zurich, then another three meals from Zurich to Delhi. We were getting prepped for the India experience as the majority of the plane consisted of Indian’s for the second leg. The food was also a great prep

The first hours in Delhi proved to be quite stressful as we had to fight and negotiate for everything. The rickshaw driver from the airport wanted to take us to a hotel that he knew – yeah he knew he would get a commission! But even before that the price went up from the prepaid voucher that we had purchased, arg, it was going to a long night indeed. After over an hour of searching for the mystery hotel in the back alleys of Delhi, we finally struck gold. And to boot they had an extra room for the Swiss friend whom we had made while waiting for our luggage, sweet. After the long journey and the stress of getting to the hotel we realized holly cow, we’re in INDIA!!!

On our second day we made the move to the Tibetan colony – Majnu-ka-Tilla - that is in Delhi. One where the constant hustle and bustle of Delhi is left outside the walls. There is a calmness and sense of security within the colony. Not to mention great Tibetan food!!! Tibetans have this billiards like game that is played on small tables and they use their fingers as opposed to a pool cue. But the most amazing sight was the monks walking around in their orange robes. But something seemed a little different. Some of them had cell phones, something that doesn’t really fit in with the image, right? Well the one that took the cake was the monk with his iPod! Oh yeah all generalizations flew out the window at that point – ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN INDIA!!!!

In Delhi we went in search of the train station and found it easy enough, but as we were a mere steps from the entrance, we were intercepted by a would be ‘helper.’ He said that we were about to enter the ticketed area, and that we needed to go to another building that was down the street. We were handed off to another person and reassured that the tickets are now taken care of in another location…. Long behold we are corralled into a rickshaw and taken to the ticketing building – we felt like something was a little fishy at this point but decided to go along for the ride… Surely enough wee were being taken to a travel agent, not the central ticketing for the train station. But once inside and after a few failed attempts of selling us higher priced bus or taxi tickets he ended up being a cool guy.

The initial impact of Delhi, was not as bad as I had imagined, or was told to expect. But that might be because of the other places that I have traveled to. What is overwhelming though is the amount of motorbike and rickshaw traffic. Considering that most of these vehicles are 2 stroke, there is a phenomenal amount of blue smoke everywhere. The garbage is another thing that really stands out. But this stems from a culture where they were used to throwing used items on the streets like chai cups and plates. In the past the chai cups were made of clay and the plates were made out of pressed banana leaf. So a cow would come along trample the chai cup into the road, eat any left over food and the banana leaf plate, take a poop and then the poop was collected and dried and used as fuel to heat! What a perfect system, but then plastic came along and buggered it all up. Now there are cups all over the place and the cows are getting sick because they are eating plastic. On the pollution note, though, it is funny to see how some of the cars here proudly display the engine badge of a “V2.” I can’t see that going very far in North America!

After our two days in Delhi we were off to Rajasthan.

In the Lonely Planet they describe India as “a million different experiences, all at once.” That has got to be the most accurate way to describe this incredible place. Having traveled to a few places, I must say that the most impactful thing has to be the poverty. Comparing to the slums of Venezuela or Brasil, or the villages in China or Cambodia, India throws a more desperate spin on the situation. Not letting you forget for a single moment that there is suffering and people who really have only the shirt on their backs. Arriving to Mumbai at 5 in the morning after an overnight bus ride, we could see how thousands of people start their days in the endless towns that are right beside the highways. Tin houses with no running water and make shift electricity, and heaps upon heaps of garbage overflowing onto the streets. Again, I think that this is India’s draw for the traveler, as it makes you question.