Shirodhara

Shirodhara is an ancient ayurvedic practice where they pour a stream of special oils on your head. It was very relaxing and really helps to clear the mind. The most similar thing that I can think of, is when you get the scalp massage at the hairdressers. You know what I am talking about ladies! Highly recommended. :)

Animals

There are LOTS of animals roaming around India and it seems like they all eat. The dog issue can be a bit disconcerting however and I am a cat person. (Not many cats at all.) So, dogs live outside, as does a lot of the population, but they are not really seen as pets so they often have many battle wounds. I like the monkeys, but they are a little scary; one tried to take off my skirt. Mainly, I have seen cows, water buffalo, chickens, goats, dogs, monkeys, birds, a few cats and a sheep.

Indian Hospitals

Unfortunately, I had to visit the hospital because I was feeling so ill and my poop was bright green. (I'm sorry about all the poop references, but it seems to play such a visible role in Indian life. I guess because as Vanessa said, "Indian life is lived in public." You are not kidding sister!) The interesting thing is that I was seen right away, literally NO WAITING. I was attended to by about 5 doctors and the hospital itself was clean with state of the art technology. The consultation and treatment plan was 500 Indian rupees...about $11-12! My meds were about $3. After a few days of staying in at the hotel, I am feeling better. I tried to postpone my flight to Kathmandu, but ended up cancelling it and now the flights are booked or SUPER expensive. :( There's always next time. Nepal is rather unstable at the moment anyway.

Indian Food

Typical Indian dinner of dal with rice, vegetables and curd (yogurt). It doesn't look like much, but tastes good. It's hard to really know what you are eating without understanding the language. Obviously, going vegetarian is easy which is a plus. The odd thing is the "western" foods that are offered are basically all the same. Other than breakfast, these include: pancakes (really more like crepes), french fries, and sometimes pizza (not very good). Because of the hygiene issues, I haven't been able to eat the many salads and fruits that are appropriate for the scorching heat. As far as drinks, it's basically Coke, bottled water or Limca (lemon-lime soda). I've never drank so many cokes in my life.

Safe and semi-sound

Yes, I am safe and still somewhat sane. My movements have kept ahead of the bombs and any other serious trouble so far. India is so much bigger than it looks on the maps, but then again, you know the American reputation in regards to geography ;)

Frankly, I think I have hit my limit though...I am exhausted physically and rather cranky a lot. In an ironical turn of events, I realized I feel much less spiritual here than at home. Between the communication issues, being a female traveling alone in a "traditional" country, and everyone wanting to get me to go a long with their agendas, I am finding myself feeling like I have to respond very aggressively and with a lack of subtlety and nuance that my inner poet finds appalling. A lot of the time though people are trying to cajole you into doing stuff or buying stuff and "NO" doesn't seem to register. Maybe I better find out the Hindi word for "No, I don't want to buy an overpriced statue" or "No, if you are a rickshaw driver with bad teeth, there is absolutely no chance in us getting married and you getting a green card, no matter how much flattery you try to ply me with."

I'm planning on flying out to Nepal on Wednesday, so there is a lot going on there too. Then back to Delhi, then NJ, and then home!!! I miss my kitty, Almira so much. And my bed, I really miss my bed, and my rum slurpees by the pool. More soon.

Ahhh Civilization

It's very sad that subconciously civilization has come to mean large neon signs and shopping for me; however, after a few rough weeks, I've returned to Delhi to get my head right. IP took me to a large mall and I was inexplicably happy. Ironically I abhor having to go the mall at home. The first of these large malls came about 7 years ago and initially the stores were failing. But the capitalist cancer, which I now fear has been so embedded in my psyche that I secretly love it, has prevailed.

Surviving Your Guide

India is full of helpful people; there are guides and there are psuedo-guides. The challenging part is telling who's who or the professionals from the scammers and opportunists. Everyone has to make a living so I don't begrudge them that, it's just that here people do the job first. If you fail to negotiate a price or you don't realize that they are actually performing this service for you, then you may have problems. Many people showed me around for free or for meals, but that is not always the case. In addition to having no clear way to figure out someone's credentials, the other issue is that here, everyone mixes business and "friendship," making it that much more muddled. Much of what the guides do is to try to get you to shop at the places where they receive commission.
The upshot of this was that I had the most annoying guide ever, that I couldn't shake in Jaipur. They are very pushy and they show up at your hotel and wait for you. He kept trying to get me to go drinking with him (uh, no thanks), everywhere we went his friends and family would show up to meet me, I spent hours having to ward off aggressive sales tactics, and barely saw much of Jaipur. I was so annoyed and a little spooked that I booked a flight out of Jaipur asap. Well, when I went to leave I tried to give him some $, which he didn't deem enough and we got into it. He pulled out some paper trying to tell me that I should pay 1000 rupees per day. I was so fed up with his bs at that point, that I just told him to take the $ or not. He's actually trying to block me from entering the airport, but regardless I go inside. I go do my thing, get my boarding pass, do all the security checkpoints etc. and am waiting to board my flight when an older lady comes and starts reprimanding me and demanding I come with her. Her English wasn't great, but I can tell she is very unhappy with me although I can't ascertain her authority to get me pulled off the plane. They take away my boarding pass and security clearance...everyone is staring as I yell that I want the police. I'm brought into some office where the taxi guy is asserting how I robbed him. I am LIVID at this point. Anyway, I call my friend who threatens him and the guy settles for 500 rupees. I ask for his information and he says he will get it from the car and never returns.
That ended up redeeming me and the old lady apologized telling me that he came to her crying, but now she sees he wasn't legit. I told her that I hoped she remembered that next time she pulled some poor, female tourist off her plane when she is traveling alone and is trying to escape some weirdo. And then I started to cry....

Jaipur

Lingham

The lingham represents the masculine universal force, while the pedestal is the yoni and represents the feminine energies. Combined these two forces are the source of reality according to some Hindu teachings. The lingham is also a powerful symbol of Shiva and, in India, an omnipresent reminder of his abilities to create and destroy and the truth of impermanence.

Mahabodhi Temple, BodhGaya

BodhGaya, or BuddhaGaya, marks the place where Siddartha Gautama meditated and achieved nirvana. The tree is believed to be a direct descendent from the original tree.

Burning Ghat

Visiting the burning ghats is obviously a must, not as a tourist, but as a reflection of our own humanity. Watching the bodies as they burn can become a powerful meditation on one's mortality; however for myself, I was almost immediately drawn into a deep prayer/trance where I was connecting with all the shifting energies and spirits as they navigate their way back home.

Please note: I was given permission to take some photos from a distance, but normally all photos are strictly prohibited.

Sarnath

The Deer Park in Sarnath is where it is believed that the Buddha gave his first sermon after he achieved nibbana. This sermon became the foundation of all Buddhist teachings and is known as Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta or "Setting in motion the wheel of Dharma".

A Rose By Any Other Name or Sacred Shit Still Stinks

Ok, well I have to get candid here. This is a stinky place and I am grateful on a regular basis for my lack of nasal sensitivity. It's cool and all that cows are sacred, but negotiating the poop in the streets, especially with luggage, can be a drag. Even walking is challenging. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I fell again and split open the cut on my right knee. Varanasi is full of poop; there is cow poop, water buffalo poop, cat (not many though) poop, dog poop, goat poop, bird poop, rat & mice poop, and of course, human poop to contend with. No wonder I got sick. After a few days of extreme pooping myself, I finally realized that I had other symptoms of a bacterial infection, such as a low grade fever and sore throat. Thanks Dr. B for the meds. I don't know what kind of shape I would be in without them.

Varanasi Aarati Ceremony From the Boat

Shrawan Mela, Varanasi

Varanasi is Shiva's city and by good grace, I was landed in the city on the full moon prior to the beginning of Shrawan Mela, which marks the month of Shiva. Saffron wearing Kaniwarias make pilgimage while reciting Bol Bom and Har Har MahaDev.

For More info: http://www.sultanganj.info/

Local Transport -- Elephant

Ok, well I was not actually going anywhere, but I just had to add "elephant" to ongoing series about Indian transportation so I paid the guy 100 rupees. I almost fell off too. I guess I am going to need a lot more than a week long yoga retreat to find my balance ;)

Going Native

Here I am while learning how to properly wrap my new sari, which is not the red one btw,
I guess it will be a surprise. I found two lovely ones for me and Lisa.

Sari Making

I had the opportunity to visit a fabric making collective in the Muslim district of Varanasi. It was amazing to watch how the beautiful fabric was made.

My First Indian Wedding

My friend IP brought me to my very first Indian wedding. Very festive affair, I must say. I am told that the bride and groom have events held over a week, or was it a month, and the aforementioned Bollywood Performance is a normal part of the process. I have to say the women looked stunning in their jeweled saris and salwar kameezes and the men didn't look half bad either. LOL

Varanasi

Mother Ganga...I have arrived.

Local Transport - Domestic Flights

Since I spent so much time in the mountains, I decided to fly some places to get caught up on my destinations. Here is a picture from the plane of the Ganges as she winds her way towards the holy city of Varanasi.

Khajuraho

I spent the better part of two days exploring the great temple complex at Khajuraho, which is known for the erotic sculptures that are part of the temples' facades. I also was privy to almost every Indian man in town wanting to sell me erotic card decks, or maybe they wanted to show me the kama sutra. JK. They do like white women here though, but I'll save that for another post, I suppose. Anyway, Khajuraho really was amazing and the whole town had a very deep peaceful energy about it. It probably gave me the grounding that I needed before I came to Varanasi.

Bollywood Live!

Oops....there she goes.

So I am getting out of a taxi, during monsoon season so it's very slippery out, and there are cars, people, rickshaws, and probably dogs and cows coming and...down I go slipping and sliding...right into the open sewer. YUCK! My knee and my arm were scraped and bruised, but boy am I happy I got my shots now.

Full Speed Ahead

I've switched to warp speed now that I realized that I am half-way through my trip. I have much to write about including: my parting gift from Dharamsala, my first Indian wedding, the temples of Khajuraho, arati at Varanasi with the full moon, and probably a few other topics. I've even received a few requests for specific topics. Ahhh, but electricity and reliable Internet access, well my karma (and the Indian electrical infrastructure) isn't quite good enough for that yet. Maybe spending time in the holy city will help improve that ;) Anyway, I'm well and realizing over and over again that the universe is teaching me to trust and surrender. More soon. Namaste, ~E

Syncretism

One of the things I like most about India so far, in addition to the kindness and generosity of the people, is the religious tolerance. Much of what we in the West call "Asian Religions" is based in Ancient Indian beliefs. Check out some Hindu sacred texts. Tolerance and syncretism are two characteristics of Indian religions. Here is an image of Jesus Christ inside a Hindu temple in Bagsu Nag.

Local Hindu Temple

Local Hindu Shrine - Durga

Local Hindu Shrine - Shiva

Mt. Triund & Prayer Flags Carry Prayers, Hopes, and Dreams Up to the Heavens

Local Transport - Motorcycle

Yes, I do look a little worried as I experienced my first ride on a motorcycle in India. The steep rain slicked roads would be unnerving enough, but the fact that there really aren't many guidelines to driving here really made me apprehensive about accepting a ride down to McleodGanj and back from Raj. My fears were overridden by my laziness however--that is one steep hill.
The ride turned out to be fun and much less scary than expected.

Something for Everyone