Like all break-ups leaving India is not without its pains. I got sick, one last round of diarrhea, can't leave India without it! And earlier this week I got yelled at by the Ashram boss. Not exactly sure why I was targeted but I ended up in tears. Long story short it's hard being a yogie. And to further that point tomorrow morning we are supposed to do our final cleansing technique practical. This time we have to eat a long piece of cloth and then regurgitate it, all the while resisting the urge to a.) vomit and b.) swallow it, (since swallowing the cloth requires surgery to remove it. Kids don't try this at home.)
Needless to say that requires a great deal of peace of mind. Unfortunately mine has really been put to the test today. Justin and I had to send home a package with some books that we bought here which got me thinking about how several of my other packages haven't arrived home yet. Even though I sent them in January. The tracking number for one says that it has arrived, so you know figuring that out is going to be a nightmare. Then this afternoon I went online to buy concert tickets for Lo's birthday, (don't worry she already knows) but the tickets wouldn't process, which was odd. So I checked my account and it appears that there is a fraudulent charge on my credit card at a Tesco in Dungannon, UK where ever that is. And of course the VISA fraud claim line is not 24 hours so now I have to wait to get in touch with them till tonight. I don't even know if they have flagged the charge but my card does seem to be frozen so I guess that's a good sign? I know it's no big deal and VISA will sort it out eventually, but man what a pain. And right before we leave for Thailand. So moral of the story is even the most amicable break-up always leave a bitter taste in your mouth, or on the cloth to be precise.
But then again break ups are also a good time to reflect about all the good times you had together, from a safe distance and with perfect hindsight vision. And when I look back I am truly in awe of India. I never could have imagined how much I would fall in love with this place. From the greenery of Bangalore, the overwhelming chaos and energy of Tiruvannamalia. The stunning promenade and grace of Pondicherri, not to mention the efficiency of the St. Joseph's hospital staff. The cliffs of Varkala and the waves of the Indian Ocean. Goa, both good and bad. (Read Arambol - never again. Also worth noting that one of my missing parcels was sent from Arambol, coincidence, I think not.) Then the whirlwind of Mumbai with T and Charlie. And Rajasthan, Rajasthan Rajasthan, where I truly fell in love with India, (also where parcel #2 was lost, so cuts both ways this India.) Agra and the case of the missing monument. Then Riskikesh both with my parents and without. Varanasi where the honeymoon ended for sure. And the ashram which was a bit like that long term relationship both comfortable and challenging, relaxing and infuriating. And now there is nothing left to do but pack...
oh and ps I bought a USB stick so keep your eyes out for a photo post from my glorious love affair with India. Next up Thailand, where Justin and I are going to reconnect with our inner, (and outer) gay queens, relax on the beach and have a drink and maybe even some meat for the first time in months and learn Thai massage. That is if I can get my credit card unfrozen.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
'shram schoolin'
Wow! Being at the ashram is really a lesson in overcoming your psychological attachments. How else would a person be able to go without coffee, chocolate, sleep or toilet paper? Not to mention all those other vices, sex, drugs and rock and roll.* And yes, to clarify that does say no toilet paper. Well they have it but they suggest that you don't use it. It took me a while to get comfortable with the idea, but then one of the guru's explained it to me in a way that it made sense. If you get shit on your face or in your hair are you going to rub it with paper? No you are going to wash your face and hair. Pretty sound logic. Anyway I'll let that sink in a moment ...
Now then, other ashram(ities). You can't talk during meal time. I know! You must be wondering how I am coping since I very much need to talk every five minutes or I will die. But, actually it is not as hard as I thought it would be. And when you don't talk while eating you actually eat slower, chew more - you know so that you aren't swallowing huge pieces of food whole, it really helps with digestion, and surprise surprise you eat less! Not talking while you eat should be a new diet trend. It is also so nice and peaceful and food actually tastes better, well before you chew it to a pulp it does.
We have also been learning lots of other interesting cleansing techniques. Jali neti, which I actually already do at home, because I am a super evolved yogie. In neti you pour warm salted water into your nostrils one at a time and watch the water trickle out the other side. It is very cleansing, especially for people like me who suffer from allergies and over active nasal passages. We also learned Vamandhouti which is a cleansing practice for the stomach where you drink 8 glasses of warm salted water and then vomit it all up. I know yogic bulimia. But actually it is very different for vomiting after food because you do vaman on an empty stomach; so you don't have harmful stomach acids and chemicals at work while practicing. Once you get over the mental blockade i.e. voluntary vomiting it is actually really nice.
This morning we learned another cleansing technique known as a partial cleanse. I can't remember the Sanskrit name because it is so long, wait I'll google it... Ok can't find it; anyway the partial cleanse involves drinking 6-8 glasses of salty lemon water two glasses at a time, and then doing a series of specific asanas or postures to stimulate digestion. This helps to detoxify the digestive system and purifies the body. It also usually makes you go poop a whole lot. Since it is called a partial cleanse I bet you can guess that there is a final step known at the full or master cleanse.
The master cleanse is quite intense and generally has to be followed by strict adherence to a very specific diet. In the master cleanse you follow the same steps as the partial cleanse except you drink at least twice as much of the prescribed water, and do innumerable sets of the exhausting asana series until you shit clear water. Lovely I know. The master cleanse actually strips your entire digestive tract of everything including the mucus lining which protects your organs from being destroyed by your own digestive juices. That is why it is so important to follow the diet.
Four hours after finishing the cleanse you have to fill your stomach, whether you want to or not with ghee, very important and similar to clarified butter, and equal parts mung lentils and rice, known as kichiri. You have to eat two filling meals of the kichiri during the day of the cleanse and for the next three days. The ghee is particularly important because like butter, ghee has lots of bacterial elements which help to line the digestive tract and stimulates the regeneration of the protective mucus. For the next two to three weeks you have to maintain a simple, basic, vegetarian diet devoid of milk, pungent, spicy and rich food. Alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes, narcotics etc are to be avoided for 30-40 days. Your stomach is very sensitive and so it is important to follow the dietary rules to prevent ulcering and to reap the benefits of the master cleanse. Unfortunately I was advised not to partake in the full cleanse because of my past hernia surgeries. The master cleanse puts a lot of pressure on the intestines and although my surgeries were over three years ago hernias represent an anatomical weakness which will always put me at risk for the full cleanse. I was bummed about it, but at least now Justin and I can party like rock stars in Bangkok in two weeks.
So yea, that what Ashram camp is like. I am really into it. Which might seem odd given the above activities. But it has really been a great way to decompress from all of the traveling around, and similarly will help to revitalize us for the next leg of our journey. We have also be doing twice daily asana classes, as well as chanting, pranayama or breathing techniques, and we have four lectures a day on various aspects of yoga therapy. I am finding a lot of the information very useful on a personal level, and I am becoming much more aware of my bodies functions and the connection between the mind and the body. It is amazing to realize how little awareness most people have about their body. Not only do most of us not know how the body functions or where certain functions are happening, people are often not even able to articulate when things in the body are malfunctioning. "Where are you feeling the sensation? And what does it feel like?" It is amazing how few people can answer these kinds of basic diagnostic questions. Anyway it is a trip. But I wont mind getting to sleep in past 5am when we leave. Ha!
*rock and roll is allowed, but that sentence just didn't read right without it. And it's definitely not a blaring sort of rock and roll. More like a headphone murmur before 10pm.
Now then, other ashram(ities). You can't talk during meal time. I know! You must be wondering how I am coping since I very much need to talk every five minutes or I will die. But, actually it is not as hard as I thought it would be. And when you don't talk while eating you actually eat slower, chew more - you know so that you aren't swallowing huge pieces of food whole, it really helps with digestion, and surprise surprise you eat less! Not talking while you eat should be a new diet trend. It is also so nice and peaceful and food actually tastes better, well before you chew it to a pulp it does.
We have also been learning lots of other interesting cleansing techniques. Jali neti, which I actually already do at home, because I am a super evolved yogie. In neti you pour warm salted water into your nostrils one at a time and watch the water trickle out the other side. It is very cleansing, especially for people like me who suffer from allergies and over active nasal passages. We also learned Vamandhouti which is a cleansing practice for the stomach where you drink 8 glasses of warm salted water and then vomit it all up. I know yogic bulimia. But actually it is very different for vomiting after food because you do vaman on an empty stomach; so you don't have harmful stomach acids and chemicals at work while practicing. Once you get over the mental blockade i.e. voluntary vomiting it is actually really nice.
This morning we learned another cleansing technique known as a partial cleanse. I can't remember the Sanskrit name because it is so long, wait I'll google it... Ok can't find it; anyway the partial cleanse involves drinking 6-8 glasses of salty lemon water two glasses at a time, and then doing a series of specific asanas or postures to stimulate digestion. This helps to detoxify the digestive system and purifies the body. It also usually makes you go poop a whole lot. Since it is called a partial cleanse I bet you can guess that there is a final step known at the full or master cleanse.
The master cleanse is quite intense and generally has to be followed by strict adherence to a very specific diet. In the master cleanse you follow the same steps as the partial cleanse except you drink at least twice as much of the prescribed water, and do innumerable sets of the exhausting asana series until you shit clear water. Lovely I know. The master cleanse actually strips your entire digestive tract of everything including the mucus lining which protects your organs from being destroyed by your own digestive juices. That is why it is so important to follow the diet.
Four hours after finishing the cleanse you have to fill your stomach, whether you want to or not with ghee, very important and similar to clarified butter, and equal parts mung lentils and rice, known as kichiri. You have to eat two filling meals of the kichiri during the day of the cleanse and for the next three days. The ghee is particularly important because like butter, ghee has lots of bacterial elements which help to line the digestive tract and stimulates the regeneration of the protective mucus. For the next two to three weeks you have to maintain a simple, basic, vegetarian diet devoid of milk, pungent, spicy and rich food. Alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes, narcotics etc are to be avoided for 30-40 days. Your stomach is very sensitive and so it is important to follow the dietary rules to prevent ulcering and to reap the benefits of the master cleanse. Unfortunately I was advised not to partake in the full cleanse because of my past hernia surgeries. The master cleanse puts a lot of pressure on the intestines and although my surgeries were over three years ago hernias represent an anatomical weakness which will always put me at risk for the full cleanse. I was bummed about it, but at least now Justin and I can party like rock stars in Bangkok in two weeks.
So yea, that what Ashram camp is like. I am really into it. Which might seem odd given the above activities. But it has really been a great way to decompress from all of the traveling around, and similarly will help to revitalize us for the next leg of our journey. We have also be doing twice daily asana classes, as well as chanting, pranayama or breathing techniques, and we have four lectures a day on various aspects of yoga therapy. I am finding a lot of the information very useful on a personal level, and I am becoming much more aware of my bodies functions and the connection between the mind and the body. It is amazing to realize how little awareness most people have about their body. Not only do most of us not know how the body functions or where certain functions are happening, people are often not even able to articulate when things in the body are malfunctioning. "Where are you feeling the sensation? And what does it feel like?" It is amazing how few people can answer these kinds of basic diagnostic questions. Anyway it is a trip. But I wont mind getting to sleep in past 5am when we leave. Ha!
*rock and roll is allowed, but that sentence just didn't read right without it. And it's definitely not a blaring sort of rock and roll. More like a headphone murmur before 10pm.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
'shram life
We've been at the Ashram for one week, feels more like one year. Everyday we get up at 5am for chanting. I usually don't get up till 5:15 but I still manage to make it to the kitchen for a soya coffee, (sans caffeine) before we start at quarter to 6. I know, I am a pro. Then from 6 to 7 we have asana class, that's yoga poses for all of you. Afterwards we usually have half an hour free, for showering or laundry whatever you can manage to fit in. Oh yea and going to the bathroom. Something which can be remarkably difficult to schedule. Then it's time for Karma yoga.
Karma yoga usually involves cleaning or helping in the kitchen, but one day I got to pick flowers, since I am a former professional landscaper. After Karma yoga we have breakfast. Yea we get up at 5 but don't eat till 9, it gets a bit rough. We usually have fruit and rice for breakfast, which took a bit of adjustment. Indians honestly eat curry all the time! They don't even call it curry, just rice, but it is definitely currified. After breakfast we have two lectures divided by 45 minutes of yoga nidra. The lectures are usually given either by Guruji, the head of the Ashram, or by one of several doctors on a variety of health and therapy topics.
In between lectures we practice yoga nidra which is basically glorified napping. It is a relaxation practice that helps to re-energize. You actually aren't supposed to fall asleep but I haven't made it through one session yet. I don't fall completely asleep but I am definitely not really awake either. The first time we practiced it Justin was right next to me and at one point I was feeling very relaxed when I noticed he was gently hitting me. Allegedly I had been snoring. But I don't know how that is possible since I don't snore . The good news is that it was such a manly snore that all the people nearby thought it was Justin. Yoga nidra works amazingly well. I am always very drowsy during our first lecture but afterwards I feel totally awake and focused. It is amazing!
After our second lecture it is time for lunch. And then we have a two hour break before our next two lectures. Those are usually given by a different doctor on some specific health topic, i.e. digestive disorders or lab test diagnostics. It is actually quite intensive. Then we have a second asana class. This one is usually a bit more physical than our morning practice. Followed by another half hour of chanting before dinner. And after dinner we either have time to ourselves, to go to the library, or the ashram store (a very dangerous place for me.) Or we have discussions with Gandhar our course instructor. Gandhar tells wonderful stories and is a wealth of knowledge about a huge variety of topics. Sometimes after discussion they give us hot milk, a real treat and then it is bed time. It sounds pretty intense now that I am reading it but honestly it is very relaxing and after all of the traveling around it is nice to be in one place.
Today is our only day off for the next two weeks which means it is a good time to indulge in the forbidden c's - cheese, coffee, and chocolate cake!
Karma yoga usually involves cleaning or helping in the kitchen, but one day I got to pick flowers, since I am a former professional landscaper. After Karma yoga we have breakfast. Yea we get up at 5 but don't eat till 9, it gets a bit rough. We usually have fruit and rice for breakfast, which took a bit of adjustment. Indians honestly eat curry all the time! They don't even call it curry, just rice, but it is definitely currified. After breakfast we have two lectures divided by 45 minutes of yoga nidra. The lectures are usually given either by Guruji, the head of the Ashram, or by one of several doctors on a variety of health and therapy topics.
In between lectures we practice yoga nidra which is basically glorified napping. It is a relaxation practice that helps to re-energize. You actually aren't supposed to fall asleep but I haven't made it through one session yet. I don't fall completely asleep but I am definitely not really awake either. The first time we practiced it Justin was right next to me and at one point I was feeling very relaxed when I noticed he was gently hitting me. Allegedly I had been snoring. But I don't know how that is possible since I don't snore . The good news is that it was such a manly snore that all the people nearby thought it was Justin. Yoga nidra works amazingly well. I am always very drowsy during our first lecture but afterwards I feel totally awake and focused. It is amazing!
After our second lecture it is time for lunch. And then we have a two hour break before our next two lectures. Those are usually given by a different doctor on some specific health topic, i.e. digestive disorders or lab test diagnostics. It is actually quite intensive. Then we have a second asana class. This one is usually a bit more physical than our morning practice. Followed by another half hour of chanting before dinner. And after dinner we either have time to ourselves, to go to the library, or the ashram store (a very dangerous place for me.) Or we have discussions with Gandhar our course instructor. Gandhar tells wonderful stories and is a wealth of knowledge about a huge variety of topics. Sometimes after discussion they give us hot milk, a real treat and then it is bed time. It sounds pretty intense now that I am reading it but honestly it is very relaxing and after all of the traveling around it is nice to be in one place.
Today is our only day off for the next two weeks which means it is a good time to indulge in the forbidden c's - cheese, coffee, and chocolate cake!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Varanasty
I had a premonition that Justin and I might find Varanasi, one of India's holiest and most intense cities, a bit tough to take after the relaxation of Rishikesh. It was my fear that we would decide that we had planned our travel leg in India, pre-Ashram perfectly except in our decision to visit Varanasi last before entering the Ashram for our month of intense yoga/detox. And surprise surprise I was right! It's not to stay that we didn't enjoy Varanasi. Who doesn't enjoy a place that smells so rank it makes you want to vomit? Or when your sun rise boat cruise comes complete with boast side attractions like dead bodies, which you wouldn't have even recognized because of how gray and puffy they look had it not been for your gondolier casually pointing them out. "Thanks Ji!"
We arrived amidst the relative calm of Holi, the festival celebrating the arrival of spring throughout India. Holi is a very colourful holiday, literally. Everyone throws coloured powder all over one another and particularly love hitting clean unsuspecting tourists when they aren't expecting it. I got my Holi colour at a train station stop on our way to Varanasi. There were very few travelers on the trains and therefore even fewer wallahs hocking chai and snacks. Justin and I were getting quite hungry so when ever we pulled into a station I would open the door to see if there was anyone selling anything to eat or drink on the platform. At one such stop I opened the door on a scene of local boys happily flinging pink powder on one another. They took one look at me, spotless all in white, and came running over. But luckily they were very subdued in their decorating and only put handfuls of powder on my forehead and cheeks. I have heard stories of women travelers who were nearly molested in the name of Holi merriment. I was actually a little disappointing. Why isn't anyone trying to molest me? (I kid I kid.) Anyway I digress, because of the holiday many of the shops were closed and people were at home instead of in the markets, so we got a seldom seen quiet tour of Varanasi as we searched for a hotel.
We also picked up an Australian couple, who we later had to ditch. Hate when that happens. The four of us shared a rickshaw around town as we searched for a suitable guest house for the week. After looking at a few places, including several recommended by our austere driver- much to our dismay, we attempted to have him drop us off near an area of the ghats where we could find something on our own. But instead he dropped us off at the other end of the river, perhaps out of spite but perhaps not, and we had to walk along the ghats with all of our bags for nearly 5kms. By the way Varanasi is blazing hot. Thankfully, because of Holi, it was also relatively quiet along the ghats although we didn't know it until later. We did eventually find the Hotel we were looking for, Hotel Alka.
Alka unfortunately didn't have any rooms with en-suite bathrooms but we were all so drained from the trip and the hike that we decided to stay at least one night. It was our hope that something else would become available there, and if not then we could look for something else the next day when we were more rested. Bill and Nancy, (names changes) our Australian "friends" thankfully ended up leaving for a different hotel and we didn't have to see them again. We did end up staying at Alka but due to a misunderstanding with the hotel manager we ended up in the non-bathroom room for two nights. We spent the rest of the week in a nice room on the third floor. We only had two qualms in the new room . One being how hot it was especially in the evening, and the other, which was a bigger problem for Justin than it was for me because I never heard it, was the couple having loud sex in the room next to us. But Justin did give me very graphic play by play so I was not very appreciative either. Bu hey at least someone enjoyed Varanasi. Although from what Justin heard I am not sure that it was enjoyable for both parties involved.
Anyjackrabbitsex, We did a lot of the usual tourist things in Varanasi, like taking a sunrise boat cruise along the Ganges to watch the local fisherman. The cruise was a little light on fisherman. In fact it was more like a tourist safari. There was a lot of, " O look at those funny Japanese people in SARS masks. " Or, " check out those two, they are very Connecticut." We also did a boat cruise one night to watch the dusk ceremony performed at the main ghat by local Brahman princes. At least that time the water was crowded with Indian tourists and not just a whole bunch of us whities. Justin and I hate being surrounded by whites. Because we are true to our race, totally hypocritical.
There were also a lot of touristy things we missed. We didn't go to the Golden Temple. A.) Because it is constantly under terrorist threats, and B.) because foreigners aren't actually allowed inside. So it seemed like a lot of hoopla for not a lot of action. We did walk by it a number of times and that was enough for me. The shouting and menacing police constantly staked out front patting people down and yelling was plenty of Golden Temple for me. Besides I am very of the mind that once you have seen one temple you've seen 'em all. We also didn't make it to the Fort. We had every intention of going but then the day we planned to go Justin and I both came down with another round of travelers diarrhea. Bet you were missing those stories eh?! So instead of the touristy fort Justin and I took a much less touristy tour of inner-city Varanasi to the hospital.
That actually turned out to be one of our favourite memories in Varanasi. We took a peddle rickshaw being powered by a man who was at least 70 years old. The ride was about 10 kilometers, for which we paid 100Rs or $2.25. I also gave our peddler a generous 10Rs tip. Which I know was appreciated because he dropped us off at the main entrance instead of at the back where he had intended to leave us, before he saw the extra 10Rs. At one point on the trip we had to hide our heads in shame as he peddled us over a hilly bridge. He was great and refused when we offered to get down and walk. I think he was actually a bit offended at the suggestion.
The hospital too was quite an experience. They always are here. In fact I think I could write a very funny travelers guide to the hospitals in India. With regards to the Heritage Hospital of Varanasi it would say -this bustling, no nonsense hospital is a good choice in Varanasi. What they lack in bed side manner they make up for in efficiency. Be advise this is definitely a mid-range hospital, compared with other parts of India. Justin was very quick on the draw when they told us that it would cost us more than 1,200 Rs to both see the doctor. An astronomical fee. He told them that only he needed an appointment, (since we both had the exact same symptoms anyway.) And then when we went in for Justin's appointment I just came along as the concerned wife. (We've stopped trying to fight it, everyone here thinks we're married so we just smile and nod.) The doctor did figure out our little scam but he didn't seem to mind and generously agreed to double Justin's prescription for ATBs -that's antibiotics in case you weren't up on the lingo. So score one for us.
As far as our other activities in Varanasi it was more of the same. A lot of wandering around, usually slightly lost. A lot of eating, our favourite pastime in India. We also took a few yoga classes while we were in town. But after Amit we just couldn't totally get it up for our teacher in Varanasi. I don't know if anyone will ever be as good as Amit. He has spoiled yoga for us forever. We even spent a few days at another more luxurious hotel, Hotel Surya, having massages and facials. On our last day in town we went back to Surya to try and sneak in and use the pool. We had almost managed to get away with it except I was an idiot and stopped at reception on our way out to inquire about grocery stores in town. While I stalled the pool manager called over to the front desk and asked them what our room number was. The jig was up. We ended up having to pay 200Rs to use the pool. Oh well. I think we were more disappointing that we got caught than we were at having to pay. We had been doing such a good job deflecting their questions about room number etc poolside.
Oh yea and we went to see another movie while in town. My Name is Khan starring Shah Rukh Khan. If you don't know who that is you can google him. I guarantee you will recognize him if you do. Anyway most of the movie was in Hindi but surprisingly that didn't inhibit us much from following the storyline. The movie is about an autistic genius (Khan) who moves to San Francisco after the death of his mother and falls in love with a Hindi girl, (he's Muslim.) They marry but after September 11th their relationship is put to the test and he eventually is forced to strike out in search of the US President in order to win her back. He is trying to find the President to explain that he is not a terrorist, you'll have to see the movie to really get it. And besides a few scenes which take place in Wilhelmina, Georgia and grossly stereotype black America and hurricane Katrina we found the film quite enjoyable. We even got some of the jokes. Bollywood films have enough English in them that you can usually follow them pretty easily. And this one was particularly simple in structure, and most of the movie took place in the US, so there was lots of background English.
Monday we caught the train which brought us to Nasik. It was a twenty four hour trip and when we got in we were so happy to have finally arrived at the Ashram and be able to settle down somewhere for a few weeks. Our therapy training starts tomorrow so this is probably my last post for a little while. We do get one day off a week, but I am not sure when that will be. The ashram is very isolated, you know because you are supposed to be getting away from addictions like caffeine and Internet. (I don't know how I will survive. Oh yea the iPhone. Actually I am going to really try and not use my phone) So anyway, yea, we are going to be very busy for a few weeks, and I am not sure that I will want to spend my days off at an Internet cafe but you never know.
Highlights of Varanasi
watching most of the Oscars at 6am. We had to leave before they were over.
Boat ride to watch the ceremony at dusk at the main ghat
walking through the galis - that's alleys for all of you
lotus lounge - where we ate most of our meals. Could have been where we got sick but we'd rather not believe that
Hotel Surya - except for the tipping scandal I uncovered. (The beauty parlour asks you not to tip the masseurs directly. I thought it was curious and I found out that it is because the manager actually keeps the tips for himself. Outrageous.) I snuck everyone a tip anyway. Teehee.
Finally getting to watch the adorable video Natalie sent us from Canada. Thanks Nat!
Lowlights
missing Sandy acceptance speech
getting ill again!
dead bodies, cow shit, garbage, etc
We arrived amidst the relative calm of Holi, the festival celebrating the arrival of spring throughout India. Holi is a very colourful holiday, literally. Everyone throws coloured powder all over one another and particularly love hitting clean unsuspecting tourists when they aren't expecting it. I got my Holi colour at a train station stop on our way to Varanasi. There were very few travelers on the trains and therefore even fewer wallahs hocking chai and snacks. Justin and I were getting quite hungry so when ever we pulled into a station I would open the door to see if there was anyone selling anything to eat or drink on the platform. At one such stop I opened the door on a scene of local boys happily flinging pink powder on one another. They took one look at me, spotless all in white, and came running over. But luckily they were very subdued in their decorating and only put handfuls of powder on my forehead and cheeks. I have heard stories of women travelers who were nearly molested in the name of Holi merriment. I was actually a little disappointing. Why isn't anyone trying to molest me? (I kid I kid.) Anyway I digress, because of the holiday many of the shops were closed and people were at home instead of in the markets, so we got a seldom seen quiet tour of Varanasi as we searched for a hotel.
We also picked up an Australian couple, who we later had to ditch. Hate when that happens. The four of us shared a rickshaw around town as we searched for a suitable guest house for the week. After looking at a few places, including several recommended by our austere driver- much to our dismay, we attempted to have him drop us off near an area of the ghats where we could find something on our own. But instead he dropped us off at the other end of the river, perhaps out of spite but perhaps not, and we had to walk along the ghats with all of our bags for nearly 5kms. By the way Varanasi is blazing hot. Thankfully, because of Holi, it was also relatively quiet along the ghats although we didn't know it until later. We did eventually find the Hotel we were looking for, Hotel Alka.
Alka unfortunately didn't have any rooms with en-suite bathrooms but we were all so drained from the trip and the hike that we decided to stay at least one night. It was our hope that something else would become available there, and if not then we could look for something else the next day when we were more rested. Bill and Nancy, (names changes) our Australian "friends" thankfully ended up leaving for a different hotel and we didn't have to see them again. We did end up staying at Alka but due to a misunderstanding with the hotel manager we ended up in the non-bathroom room for two nights. We spent the rest of the week in a nice room on the third floor. We only had two qualms in the new room . One being how hot it was especially in the evening, and the other, which was a bigger problem for Justin than it was for me because I never heard it, was the couple having loud sex in the room next to us. But Justin did give me very graphic play by play so I was not very appreciative either. Bu hey at least someone enjoyed Varanasi. Although from what Justin heard I am not sure that it was enjoyable for both parties involved.
Anyjackrabbitsex, We did a lot of the usual tourist things in Varanasi, like taking a sunrise boat cruise along the Ganges to watch the local fisherman. The cruise was a little light on fisherman. In fact it was more like a tourist safari. There was a lot of, " O look at those funny Japanese people in SARS masks. " Or, " check out those two, they are very Connecticut." We also did a boat cruise one night to watch the dusk ceremony performed at the main ghat by local Brahman princes. At least that time the water was crowded with Indian tourists and not just a whole bunch of us whities. Justin and I hate being surrounded by whites. Because we are true to our race, totally hypocritical.
There were also a lot of touristy things we missed. We didn't go to the Golden Temple. A.) Because it is constantly under terrorist threats, and B.) because foreigners aren't actually allowed inside. So it seemed like a lot of hoopla for not a lot of action. We did walk by it a number of times and that was enough for me. The shouting and menacing police constantly staked out front patting people down and yelling was plenty of Golden Temple for me. Besides I am very of the mind that once you have seen one temple you've seen 'em all. We also didn't make it to the Fort. We had every intention of going but then the day we planned to go Justin and I both came down with another round of travelers diarrhea. Bet you were missing those stories eh?! So instead of the touristy fort Justin and I took a much less touristy tour of inner-city Varanasi to the hospital.
That actually turned out to be one of our favourite memories in Varanasi. We took a peddle rickshaw being powered by a man who was at least 70 years old. The ride was about 10 kilometers, for which we paid 100Rs or $2.25. I also gave our peddler a generous 10Rs tip. Which I know was appreciated because he dropped us off at the main entrance instead of at the back where he had intended to leave us, before he saw the extra 10Rs. At one point on the trip we had to hide our heads in shame as he peddled us over a hilly bridge. He was great and refused when we offered to get down and walk. I think he was actually a bit offended at the suggestion.
The hospital too was quite an experience. They always are here. In fact I think I could write a very funny travelers guide to the hospitals in India. With regards to the Heritage Hospital of Varanasi it would say -this bustling, no nonsense hospital is a good choice in Varanasi. What they lack in bed side manner they make up for in efficiency. Be advise this is definitely a mid-range hospital, compared with other parts of India. Justin was very quick on the draw when they told us that it would cost us more than 1,200 Rs to both see the doctor. An astronomical fee. He told them that only he needed an appointment, (since we both had the exact same symptoms anyway.) And then when we went in for Justin's appointment I just came along as the concerned wife. (We've stopped trying to fight it, everyone here thinks we're married so we just smile and nod.) The doctor did figure out our little scam but he didn't seem to mind and generously agreed to double Justin's prescription for ATBs -that's antibiotics in case you weren't up on the lingo. So score one for us.
As far as our other activities in Varanasi it was more of the same. A lot of wandering around, usually slightly lost. A lot of eating, our favourite pastime in India. We also took a few yoga classes while we were in town. But after Amit we just couldn't totally get it up for our teacher in Varanasi. I don't know if anyone will ever be as good as Amit. He has spoiled yoga for us forever. We even spent a few days at another more luxurious hotel, Hotel Surya, having massages and facials. On our last day in town we went back to Surya to try and sneak in and use the pool. We had almost managed to get away with it except I was an idiot and stopped at reception on our way out to inquire about grocery stores in town. While I stalled the pool manager called over to the front desk and asked them what our room number was. The jig was up. We ended up having to pay 200Rs to use the pool. Oh well. I think we were more disappointing that we got caught than we were at having to pay. We had been doing such a good job deflecting their questions about room number etc poolside.
Oh yea and we went to see another movie while in town. My Name is Khan starring Shah Rukh Khan. If you don't know who that is you can google him. I guarantee you will recognize him if you do. Anyway most of the movie was in Hindi but surprisingly that didn't inhibit us much from following the storyline. The movie is about an autistic genius (Khan) who moves to San Francisco after the death of his mother and falls in love with a Hindi girl, (he's Muslim.) They marry but after September 11th their relationship is put to the test and he eventually is forced to strike out in search of the US President in order to win her back. He is trying to find the President to explain that he is not a terrorist, you'll have to see the movie to really get it. And besides a few scenes which take place in Wilhelmina, Georgia and grossly stereotype black America and hurricane Katrina we found the film quite enjoyable. We even got some of the jokes. Bollywood films have enough English in them that you can usually follow them pretty easily. And this one was particularly simple in structure, and most of the movie took place in the US, so there was lots of background English.
Monday we caught the train which brought us to Nasik. It was a twenty four hour trip and when we got in we were so happy to have finally arrived at the Ashram and be able to settle down somewhere for a few weeks. Our therapy training starts tomorrow so this is probably my last post for a little while. We do get one day off a week, but I am not sure when that will be. The ashram is very isolated, you know because you are supposed to be getting away from addictions like caffeine and Internet. (I don't know how I will survive. Oh yea the iPhone. Actually I am going to really try and not use my phone) So anyway, yea, we are going to be very busy for a few weeks, and I am not sure that I will want to spend my days off at an Internet cafe but you never know.
Highlights of Varanasi
watching most of the Oscars at 6am. We had to leave before they were over.
Boat ride to watch the ceremony at dusk at the main ghat
walking through the galis - that's alleys for all of you
lotus lounge - where we ate most of our meals. Could have been where we got sick but we'd rather not believe that
Hotel Surya - except for the tipping scandal I uncovered. (The beauty parlour asks you not to tip the masseurs directly. I thought it was curious and I found out that it is because the manager actually keeps the tips for himself. Outrageous.) I snuck everyone a tip anyway. Teehee.
Finally getting to watch the adorable video Natalie sent us from Canada. Thanks Nat!
Lowlights
missing Sandy acceptance speech
getting ill again!
dead bodies, cow shit, garbage, etc
Saturday, March 6, 2010
FC and Emily
http://site.bttoronto.ca/video/?bcpid=2567424001&bclid=4472983001&bctid=69977613001
favourite part was the engagement shoutout!
favourite part was the engagement shoutout!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Fab Four
After the whirlwind of Agra we boarded a train and headed to Delhi to meet my parents who were flying in for the week from Beijing. They were due to arrive at 2am and then a driver was meant to pick us up and bring us to Rishikesh. My parents flight landed on time but no sign of the driver. So I called the hotel to find out where he was and where we should meet him. They told me that he was 45 minutes away. Bummer. Well forty five minutes turned into three hours and 27 minutes of roaming rate phone calls between me and the hotel. Needless to say we were not happy campers when we did eventually locate the driver resting with his eyes closed in his car, without a sign or even any indication that he was looking for us. Luckily I got the back seat with all the luggage and fell right asleep for the five hour drive to Rishikesh. I say lucky because Justin unfortunately had to sit up front and had a near heart attack as our driver pulled some NASCAR-eque moves: passing cars, speeding and swerving to avoid potholes, cows and other road obstacles. When we arrived in Rishikesh Justin was white as a ghost.
We all sleep for a few hours first thing and then went to explore the city and have some lunch. I didn't think so at first but over the next two weeks I came to find Rishikesh exceedingly beautiful. It is in the Ganga river valley, in the north east of India, surrounded by the smallest of the Himalayan foothills and very close to Nepal. (The Ganga is the same at the Ganges but is only referred to in the plural further south were the river diverges into several waterways.) We didn't do much else that first day, but we made up for it over the next week.
My mum is a machine I tell you. She insisted that we cram as many 5 am wake up times into the next five or six days as possible and so we went white water rafting one day, and hiking at sunrise the next. We got up a dawn another day to do a Jeep safari and bike ride along the canal. And everyday Mum would barely be able to walk when we got home but still she said, "Guys, I've signed us up for (blank) at 6 am tomorrow, and were going to walk there instead of taxi. Isn't that great?" The white water rafting turned out to be everyones favourite. I particularly enjoyed the lead up to the rafting when Justin kept saying , "I am not sure your mum is going to want to do that." Or "Jean wont want to do any class III rapids I don't think." Which was a very sweet gesture except that my mother was constantly like, "O lets go rafting," or "We don't really need a safety briefing, it's obvious... don't fall out." Which made me laugh because her enthusiasm was such a hilarious contradiction to Justin's panic masked as concern. There was even a hilarious encore performance on hiking day when after 11km of steep downhill we reached the main road for the final 3km, and Justin said
"I think maybe Jean might like to take a rickshaw back into Rishikesh." Nice try J.
I loved that hike, which we obviously did at sunrise since that is the Jean Amabile special, to a small temple at the top of one of the foothill peaks. From there we could see the sun rising over the snow capped Himalaya in the distance. It was a pretty powerful moment, just ask the girl who was meditating there when we arrived like a heard of elephants. The large noisy American kind. From there we descended along a steep mountain path, and all the time I was thinking, "boy if the foothills are this rough I can't imagine what the actual mountains would be like." Eventually we came to the Neer waterfall, which spilled into a beautiful reservoir where I took a refreshing dip before we had to pick up and continue on our hike. Poor Justin didn't bring any appropriate hiking shoes and he took a couple spills during our hike. In fact although i know he loves my parents I think he could have done without the Mattimore family gusto. We're not actually that fit or adventurous but we sure can fake it. With mum at the helm the week absolutely flew by.
And since we were big pimpin' on Pat and Jean's dime we got to stay in a suite with a TV and watch the Olympics every morning while having coffee and oatmeal in bed! Our suite was fine although way overpriced at 3,000Rs a night and the service at the Tapovan Resort was less than stellar. After our driver fiasco I had a week long feud going with the hotel staff over the price of the ride. And was livid at how much they were planning to over charge us to wait three hour at the Delhi airport. I mean honestly does it really make sense for four white people to try to find one Indian driver without a sign. I think not. Anyway, once my dad threatened to write to every US newspaper about it and I told them I would be contacting Lonely Planet they acquiesced and charged us the standard rate for taxi service. They really should have done more but that's fine we will definitely write to LP about our experience there. There must be dozens of hotels in Rishikesh worthy of a Bible mention instead of the Tapovan Resort.
Before we knew it my parents were off heading back to Beijing by way of Delhi, and Justin and I were headed to our new rooms at a different guest house. I can't remember the name but it is across from the 3rd Eye Restaurant near Laxman Jhula, if you're headed that way. For 250Rs each Justin and I had our own rooms for a week. That was a big splurge for us, since we have been sharing a room, and usually a bed, for the past two months. Anyway I'd recommend that place over Tapovan any day. Although you might ask them to run a duster over the room before you settle in.
During our second week in Rishikesh Justin and I had some alone time, which we probably needed. I took kayaking lessons a few days with Ayodahan, my new Indian boyfriend. He's 20 so he is about the right age for me. If you (the reader) are friends with Justin and me on Facebook you can check him out in Justin's album from our rafting trip. He is in one of the last pictures where we are sitting on the raft and Justy has his arm around him. So cute. We had a good time together. He taught me some Hindi in addition to the basics of kayaking, and I taught him some English. Mostly the importance of cheesy English expressions and puns. Like for example "go big or go home." Good one for rafting. Or
a delicate balance." (I.e. just getting your kayak to go straight sure is a... And also
"Don't make a mountain out of a molehill." Or,
" a fish in the boat is worth two in the river," I modified that one myself. And one of our puns - Surf and Turf. Anyway you get the idea. Ayodahan barely got any of this I was mostly just talking to myself to keep from freaking out about flipping upside down. I am not very good at the Eskimo rolls and waiting for him to paddle over to me for a t-rescue while trying to avoid slamming into a rock was not exactly relaxing. I figured the less practice on the rolls I was required to do the better. Thus don't flip over.
Those rolls are tricky primarily because your instinct tells you to get your head out of the water as fast as possible, what with the whole not being able to breath thing. But in fact when you do rolls you actually want your head to come up last, (how's that for irony) because your kayak will only actually roll if you start with the hips. If you try to pull yourself over head first you simply wont make it, and then you will drown. Or at least that is how it feels. Oh and don't forget you are still in whitewater. (Read shitting yourself.)
If you do have to bale, and I am obviously not speaking from personal experience here, (since I am a star kayak-er) you have to pull off your splash guard, which can be panic inducing in and of it self, (so I am told.) And you have to locate your paddle and kayak so they don't whack you in the head. Grab your paddle if possible. (The guys were constantly telling us the paddles were worth more than we were.) Then, and this is the mortifying bit, you have to grab a hold of Ayodahan's rescue kayak at the front, lie on your back, and straddle the kayak upside down while trying not to choke as you get pummeled with mouth fulls of the Ganga River. Once you have cleared the whitewater looking extremely graceful, believe me, you have to watch as poor Ayodahan hauls your 25 k, plus water, kayak out of the rushing river and swing it back and forth to get as much water out as possible. And to finish off this glamorous water ballet you have to get back into the kayak - you and your helmet, life jacket, splash guard, wetsuit and all. (probably for the third time -or something like that, again I am only speculating here.*) I was pro obvs.
In addition to kayaking on my own, Justin and I took a whole bunch of yoga classes with this super dynamic guy named Amit. Both Justin and I had a crush on him, but since I had already claimed all of the rafting guys Justin got dibs on Amit in our fantasy league. We got to do a whole bunch of yogic stuff that neither of us had ever done before including a whole class of kundulini yoga and laughing yoga. That's right I said laughing yoga. It's great by the way.
We also hiked out one day to the now desolate, former Ashram of the Beatles guru Mandrblahblahblah. (Read I don't/never could remember the dude's name but it started with an M if your googling.) Anyway in the 60's and 70's this guy was huge and the Beatles all went to his Ashram before writing Sgt. Pepper, makes sense now eh? Although I think Ringo only stuck it out for like a week. The place is totally deserted now because the guru pulled a Tiger Woods with a whole bunch of the women devotees and that didn't go down so well in the 90's. (Feminists, always ruining everything.)
It was kind of amazing /really creepy, especially as it started to get dark. It took us forever to find the place, hence the getting dark. Which may have been because we kept asking directions by saying, "Hey Ji (sir) Beatles Ashram? You know, where is?" Maybe if we had ever remembered the guru guys name it would have been easier. It also didn't help that the gate out front was locked and said No Entry all over it. We actually walked right past it and continued on for 500 meters before someone gave us a clue. (Read led us there.) Anyway, it was a pretty awesome Ashram, surround by nature and set into a hillside. It reminded me a really big fancy camp, complete with meditation bungalows, which were a little kooky igloo/solitary confinement-esqu, but they were built in the 70's so I forgave. In one of the dorm rooms we actually found some original cartoon drawings done by who knows who, but let's say the Beatles cause it's cooler, which featured a whole whack of song lyrics and titles from the Sgt Pepper album.
AnyIamtheWalrus, Rishikesh was amazing. Justin and I have been talking about how it was the first place were we were genuinely sad to leave, with no restlessness etc. I mean don't get me wrong I am excited for what's next but I would definitely go back to Rishikesh and hang out there for a while. The only bummer was that I didn't get to do a multi-day trek, because it was still a bit too early in the hiking season and I couldn't find anyone to take me alone or any other groups that I might tag a long with. Oh well something for next time. This week we are in Varanasi and then next week we are at the Ashram. I can't believe that the India leg of the trip is actually 2/3 over.
Highlights of Rishikesh
Mum and Dad
The guys at De N Ascend (spelling is incorrect, will edit later.)
Amit
The food - We ate salad can you believe it!
rafting, kayaking, yoga, hiking, biking, safari-ing and general badassness
THE OLYMPICS
Oh yea and I almost forgot Justin and I went to get our teeth cleaned and each got a new pair of prescription eyeglasses made. Yes all of the health care that is not covered in Canada, (for Canadians, I wouldn't know anything about health care. Health care what is health care?) is super cheap and amazing here.
Lowlights
leaving on Holi
leaving the day of the Canada-US Gold Medal Hockey game - very poorly planned. (And no I don't want to talk about it.)
leaving
oh yea and Tapovan Resort - beware!
*I only had to bale out of my kayak twice, and perform the above mentioned act of mortification once.
We all sleep for a few hours first thing and then went to explore the city and have some lunch. I didn't think so at first but over the next two weeks I came to find Rishikesh exceedingly beautiful. It is in the Ganga river valley, in the north east of India, surrounded by the smallest of the Himalayan foothills and very close to Nepal. (The Ganga is the same at the Ganges but is only referred to in the plural further south were the river diverges into several waterways.) We didn't do much else that first day, but we made up for it over the next week.
My mum is a machine I tell you. She insisted that we cram as many 5 am wake up times into the next five or six days as possible and so we went white water rafting one day, and hiking at sunrise the next. We got up a dawn another day to do a Jeep safari and bike ride along the canal. And everyday Mum would barely be able to walk when we got home but still she said, "Guys, I've signed us up for (blank) at 6 am tomorrow, and were going to walk there instead of taxi. Isn't that great?" The white water rafting turned out to be everyones favourite. I particularly enjoyed the lead up to the rafting when Justin kept saying , "I am not sure your mum is going to want to do that." Or "Jean wont want to do any class III rapids I don't think." Which was a very sweet gesture except that my mother was constantly like, "O lets go rafting," or "We don't really need a safety briefing, it's obvious... don't fall out." Which made me laugh because her enthusiasm was such a hilarious contradiction to Justin's panic masked as concern. There was even a hilarious encore performance on hiking day when after 11km of steep downhill we reached the main road for the final 3km, and Justin said
"I think maybe Jean might like to take a rickshaw back into Rishikesh." Nice try J.
I loved that hike, which we obviously did at sunrise since that is the Jean Amabile special, to a small temple at the top of one of the foothill peaks. From there we could see the sun rising over the snow capped Himalaya in the distance. It was a pretty powerful moment, just ask the girl who was meditating there when we arrived like a heard of elephants. The large noisy American kind. From there we descended along a steep mountain path, and all the time I was thinking, "boy if the foothills are this rough I can't imagine what the actual mountains would be like." Eventually we came to the Neer waterfall, which spilled into a beautiful reservoir where I took a refreshing dip before we had to pick up and continue on our hike. Poor Justin didn't bring any appropriate hiking shoes and he took a couple spills during our hike. In fact although i know he loves my parents I think he could have done without the Mattimore family gusto. We're not actually that fit or adventurous but we sure can fake it. With mum at the helm the week absolutely flew by.
And since we were big pimpin' on Pat and Jean's dime we got to stay in a suite with a TV and watch the Olympics every morning while having coffee and oatmeal in bed! Our suite was fine although way overpriced at 3,000Rs a night and the service at the Tapovan Resort was less than stellar. After our driver fiasco I had a week long feud going with the hotel staff over the price of the ride. And was livid at how much they were planning to over charge us to wait three hour at the Delhi airport. I mean honestly does it really make sense for four white people to try to find one Indian driver without a sign. I think not. Anyway, once my dad threatened to write to every US newspaper about it and I told them I would be contacting Lonely Planet they acquiesced and charged us the standard rate for taxi service. They really should have done more but that's fine we will definitely write to LP about our experience there. There must be dozens of hotels in Rishikesh worthy of a Bible mention instead of the Tapovan Resort.
Before we knew it my parents were off heading back to Beijing by way of Delhi, and Justin and I were headed to our new rooms at a different guest house. I can't remember the name but it is across from the 3rd Eye Restaurant near Laxman Jhula, if you're headed that way. For 250Rs each Justin and I had our own rooms for a week. That was a big splurge for us, since we have been sharing a room, and usually a bed, for the past two months. Anyway I'd recommend that place over Tapovan any day. Although you might ask them to run a duster over the room before you settle in.
During our second week in Rishikesh Justin and I had some alone time, which we probably needed. I took kayaking lessons a few days with Ayodahan, my new Indian boyfriend. He's 20 so he is about the right age for me. If you (the reader) are friends with Justin and me on Facebook you can check him out in Justin's album from our rafting trip. He is in one of the last pictures where we are sitting on the raft and Justy has his arm around him. So cute. We had a good time together. He taught me some Hindi in addition to the basics of kayaking, and I taught him some English. Mostly the importance of cheesy English expressions and puns. Like for example "go big or go home." Good one for rafting. Or
a delicate balance." (I.e. just getting your kayak to go straight sure is a... And also
"Don't make a mountain out of a molehill." Or,
" a fish in the boat is worth two in the river," I modified that one myself. And one of our puns - Surf and Turf. Anyway you get the idea. Ayodahan barely got any of this I was mostly just talking to myself to keep from freaking out about flipping upside down. I am not very good at the Eskimo rolls and waiting for him to paddle over to me for a t-rescue while trying to avoid slamming into a rock was not exactly relaxing. I figured the less practice on the rolls I was required to do the better. Thus don't flip over.
Those rolls are tricky primarily because your instinct tells you to get your head out of the water as fast as possible, what with the whole not being able to breath thing. But in fact when you do rolls you actually want your head to come up last, (how's that for irony) because your kayak will only actually roll if you start with the hips. If you try to pull yourself over head first you simply wont make it, and then you will drown. Or at least that is how it feels. Oh and don't forget you are still in whitewater. (Read shitting yourself.)
If you do have to bale, and I am obviously not speaking from personal experience here, (since I am a star kayak-er) you have to pull off your splash guard, which can be panic inducing in and of it self, (so I am told.) And you have to locate your paddle and kayak so they don't whack you in the head. Grab your paddle if possible. (The guys were constantly telling us the paddles were worth more than we were.) Then, and this is the mortifying bit, you have to grab a hold of Ayodahan's rescue kayak at the front, lie on your back, and straddle the kayak upside down while trying not to choke as you get pummeled with mouth fulls of the Ganga River. Once you have cleared the whitewater looking extremely graceful, believe me, you have to watch as poor Ayodahan hauls your 25 k, plus water, kayak out of the rushing river and swing it back and forth to get as much water out as possible. And to finish off this glamorous water ballet you have to get back into the kayak - you and your helmet, life jacket, splash guard, wetsuit and all. (probably for the third time -or something like that, again I am only speculating here.*) I was pro obvs.
In addition to kayaking on my own, Justin and I took a whole bunch of yoga classes with this super dynamic guy named Amit. Both Justin and I had a crush on him, but since I had already claimed all of the rafting guys Justin got dibs on Amit in our fantasy league. We got to do a whole bunch of yogic stuff that neither of us had ever done before including a whole class of kundulini yoga and laughing yoga. That's right I said laughing yoga. It's great by the way.
We also hiked out one day to the now desolate, former Ashram of the Beatles guru Mandrblahblahblah. (Read I don't/never could remember the dude's name but it started with an M if your googling.) Anyway in the 60's and 70's this guy was huge and the Beatles all went to his Ashram before writing Sgt. Pepper, makes sense now eh? Although I think Ringo only stuck it out for like a week. The place is totally deserted now because the guru pulled a Tiger Woods with a whole bunch of the women devotees and that didn't go down so well in the 90's. (Feminists, always ruining everything.)
It was kind of amazing /really creepy, especially as it started to get dark. It took us forever to find the place, hence the getting dark. Which may have been because we kept asking directions by saying, "Hey Ji (sir) Beatles Ashram? You know, where is?" Maybe if we had ever remembered the guru guys name it would have been easier. It also didn't help that the gate out front was locked and said No Entry all over it. We actually walked right past it and continued on for 500 meters before someone gave us a clue. (Read led us there.) Anyway, it was a pretty awesome Ashram, surround by nature and set into a hillside. It reminded me a really big fancy camp, complete with meditation bungalows, which were a little kooky igloo/solitary confinement-esqu, but they were built in the 70's so I forgave. In one of the dorm rooms we actually found some original cartoon drawings done by who knows who, but let's say the Beatles cause it's cooler, which featured a whole whack of song lyrics and titles from the Sgt Pepper album.
AnyIamtheWalrus, Rishikesh was amazing. Justin and I have been talking about how it was the first place were we were genuinely sad to leave, with no restlessness etc. I mean don't get me wrong I am excited for what's next but I would definitely go back to Rishikesh and hang out there for a while. The only bummer was that I didn't get to do a multi-day trek, because it was still a bit too early in the hiking season and I couldn't find anyone to take me alone or any other groups that I might tag a long with. Oh well something for next time. This week we are in Varanasi and then next week we are at the Ashram. I can't believe that the India leg of the trip is actually 2/3 over.
Highlights of Rishikesh
Mum and Dad
The guys at De N Ascend (spelling is incorrect, will edit later.)
Amit
The food - We ate salad can you believe it!
rafting, kayaking, yoga, hiking, biking, safari-ing and general badassness
THE OLYMPICS
Oh yea and I almost forgot Justin and I went to get our teeth cleaned and each got a new pair of prescription eyeglasses made. Yes all of the health care that is not covered in Canada, (for Canadians, I wouldn't know anything about health care. Health care what is health care?) is super cheap and amazing here.
Lowlights
leaving on Holi
leaving the day of the Canada-US Gold Medal Hockey game - very poorly planned. (And no I don't want to talk about it.)
leaving
oh yea and Tapovan Resort - beware!
*I only had to bale out of my kayak twice, and perform the above mentioned act of mortification once.
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