The past couple of days I've done a lot of walking. I've walked to a few nearby towns. I walked to Bhagsu and then continued up a steep hill to a beautiful waterfall. I found a quiet place by a clear pool to read my book, and climbed around on the rocks a little bit. Yesterday, I went to the little town, Dharamkot, I had lunch at a restaurant with a beautiful view overlooking the valley. On the walk back the road was lined with tons of monkeys. Some of them were eating garbage out of a dumpster! They weren't afraid of me at all. I was able to get really close to them and I got some great pictures! Monkeys are everywhere here!
I went to the temple the other day and there were hundreds of Tibetan people lining the road. After about 10 minutes security vehicles drove by followed by a car with the Dalhi Lama inside! He was only about 6 feet away, smiling and waving to all of the people! It was so exciting to be able to see him, even if it was just briefly throught the window of a car. Again, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time!
I've spent some more time at the temple. The ceremony has been going on all week. Today is the last day. It's the first week of April in the Tibetan calender, and it's an auspicious time for the Tibetan's bc it is the month that the Buddha was born. They chant Om mani pad me hung with their mala beads. They count the number of rounds they do, and then the monks come around and take down the numbers. That's about the extent of what I know about the ceremony, but it has been a beautiful thing to witness. Yesterday, a group of old Tibetan women gave me a cushion to sit on and a blanket to wrap around my shoulders. They were so sweet. They insisted that I take the cushion and sit with them!
I received an Ayurvedic massage the other day. It was definitely a unique experience. A little Indian woman lathered me down with oil (including in my hair), rubbed me down, and karate chopped my entire body! It was unlike any other massage I've ever received. It was only $10 for an hour!
I've just been enjoying the beautiful views, eagles soaring over the valley. I've never drank so much tea in my life! I've had it 2 or 3 times a day. My room is very cute and cozy. It's down a narrow alley off of one of the main roads in town. It's clean and quiet, and has a western toilet! I'm going to the Tibet museum today, and I'm leaving tomorrow or Sunday to go to Kashmir with Jhon's dad, Majit. He just got a new car and is excited about driving me in it!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Dharamsala
Because my bag didn't arrive until Thursday night, the train tickets were sold out. I ended up having to take a rickety overnight bus. There wasn't much leg room, but it did have AC. Of course that was the day that my "Delhi belly" hit. I was sick the entire day, and couldn't eat anything. It was a long trip to say the least and I didn't sleep much, but it wasn't all bad. I ended up sitting next to a 29 year old woman named Preetha. We had an instant connection. She is a very unconventional, open minded, beautiful, and independent Indian woman. She was travelling by herself for a long weekend vacation. Travelling alone is unheard of for Indian women. We had so much in common. We're both single, live alone, read the same books, and have very similar beliefs. We had great deep conversations all night long. It was a great distraction from my stomach problem!
Our bus left over two hours after the scheduled time. As we were leaving Delhi a horrible smell hit. I looked out the window and saw a mountain of garbage like I could have never imagined. It was very disturbing. It took forever to get out of the city. Delhi is huge! It was a long bumpy trip with a lot of windy roads going up to the mountains. The bus only stopped twice on 13 hour journey. On one of our stops, I broke out in a sweat and felt like I was going to pass out. Preetha was an angel. She totally looked after me, bought me soda, and made sure that I was OK. At one point Preetha had to go to the bathroom so bad that we had to have the driver stop by the side of the road, and yes we went in the bushes. What are you going to do? When we started up the mountains and the road started getting really windy, I didn't know if I was going to make it, but then the sun started to come up. I saw the sunrise in the Himalayas. It was beautiful! The mountains are as majestic as I imagined them. We even saw dozens of monkeys by the side of the road. There were even tiny little babies in their mothers arms. They were so cute!
I made it in one piece, without any pooping accidents. :) My friend Glenn had introduced my to his good friend Jhon via email. (Thanks Glenn!) Jhon and his dad live in Dharamsala and own a cute little jewelry shop with beautiful gems and minerals. Really great stuff! When I arrived at the bus station Jhon was there to meet me. He had reserved a room for me at a cute little guest house and took me straight there to drop off my stuff, shower, and take a nap. I was exhausted and still not feeling well so I was so relieved to be off of that bus! Jhon and his dad are SO sweet and have totally taken me under their wing.
After I rested for awhile I went and walked around a little bit. I was finally able to eat a little bit of Tibetan food which is much milder than Indian and really good! Dharamsala is a beautiful, peaceful, and magical place. It's very cool here and it rains often. It's a nice change after the intensity and heat of Delhi. The narrow streets are lined with people selling beautiful jewelry, tapestries, statues, rugs, clothes, and much more! It's full of great restaurants with all different types of food. I haven't paid more than $3 for a meal. It is a Tibetan community so there is a nice mix of Tibetan people, Indian people, and tourists from all over. There are monks literally everywhere in their maroon robes. There's a monk at the computer next to me right now! The monks are all ages from as young as probably 5 to wrinkled and hunched over. The mountains are massive and the town is surrounded by snow capped peaks. Colorful prayer flags are hung everywhere. Huge eagles or hawks (I'm not sure which) soar circling over the town all day long. The town is so high the birds are very low and very close. It's amazing! The Tibetan people are beautiful and always have a huge smile.
I've already had so many amazing experiences I don't even know where to start. There's the little moments like watching the sunset over the Himalayas with Preetha while petting the stray dogs. Sitting at a rooftop restaurant with the sound of monks chanting, while the eagles are circling over my head, beautiful view of the mountains jutting up in every direction. Sharing a cup of Kashmir tea with Jhon or his dad in their little shop. Discovering a nest of baby birds in a whole in a rock wall. Walking and talking with 2 adorable monks with huge smiles who want to practice their English. They even gave me their cell phone number! Every day I meet nice interesting and helpful people. Every moment has been magical.
Today I started the day with an Ashtanga yoga class. It was taught by an amazing grey haired yogi named Vijay. He is definitely the "real deal", a real yoga master. I couldn't believe how strong and flexible he was! He did stuff that I have never seen anyone do before and he did it effortlessly. The class was only $5 and he had 2 assistants who were going around and giving adjustments for the entire class.
After yoga I walked up to the temple. The temple is a beautiful building with huge statues of the Buddha, Green Tara, and other deities. The walls are covered in intricate and colorful Buddhist paintings. Platforms filled with candles burn all day long. There are huge prayer wheels that people are constantly spinning. Of course it is surrounded by spectacular views. Much of temple is open air. Today I just "happened" to show up during sacred Buddhist ceremony.
It seemed like every monk in town was there. There were hundreds of them. They were all seated on the floor facing an alter in the center of the temple. Tibetan people from the community sat surrounding them, all facing the center. I not only got to observe this sacred ceremony, but I also participated in it! I took my seat surrounded by very old Tibetan men and women, with deeply creased faces and smiling eyes. We sat there and prayed and meditated. The monks would sing mantras over the speakers, then silence. I could hear the old men next to me praying and chanting softly. Everyone was using their mandala beads, or spinning prayer wheels. At some point the monks came around and poured tea for everyone (hundreds of people) out of huge silver pots. The tea seemed more like hot milk than tea.
It was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had in my life. I sat there for over 2 hours, breeze blowing, the old Tibetan men offering me their cushions and smiling warmly at me. I don't know how all of those elderly people were able to sit so long. As I prayed and meditated with these beautiful, peaceful people I cried several times. I'm tearing up as I write this. I can't even imagine how much hardship these people have seen in their lives, yet they maintain a peaceful and open heart. It was more than inspirational. Being in that beautiful energy, and being able to participate was an honor. As I prayed today and I will continue to pray. I pray for peace, to Free Tibet, and to give these peaceful people their country back!!
After the ceremony all of the monks and people went and walked around this long sacred path, completely lined with prayer wheels of all sizes. It was covered with more prayer flags than I have ever seen and in the center is a sacred shrine. The trail is probably about 1 km and people of all ages walked together spinning the wheels and laboring up the steep hill back to the top. Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful, colorful, magical, and especially spiritual the whole experience was.
It been a great experience so far, to say the least, and I've only been gone a week! Now I'm going to Jhon's house. He's cooking dinner for me tonight. I can't express how grateful and blessed I feel. This is a dream come true!
Our bus left over two hours after the scheduled time. As we were leaving Delhi a horrible smell hit. I looked out the window and saw a mountain of garbage like I could have never imagined. It was very disturbing. It took forever to get out of the city. Delhi is huge! It was a long bumpy trip with a lot of windy roads going up to the mountains. The bus only stopped twice on 13 hour journey. On one of our stops, I broke out in a sweat and felt like I was going to pass out. Preetha was an angel. She totally looked after me, bought me soda, and made sure that I was OK. At one point Preetha had to go to the bathroom so bad that we had to have the driver stop by the side of the road, and yes we went in the bushes. What are you going to do? When we started up the mountains and the road started getting really windy, I didn't know if I was going to make it, but then the sun started to come up. I saw the sunrise in the Himalayas. It was beautiful! The mountains are as majestic as I imagined them. We even saw dozens of monkeys by the side of the road. There were even tiny little babies in their mothers arms. They were so cute!
I made it in one piece, without any pooping accidents. :) My friend Glenn had introduced my to his good friend Jhon via email. (Thanks Glenn!) Jhon and his dad live in Dharamsala and own a cute little jewelry shop with beautiful gems and minerals. Really great stuff! When I arrived at the bus station Jhon was there to meet me. He had reserved a room for me at a cute little guest house and took me straight there to drop off my stuff, shower, and take a nap. I was exhausted and still not feeling well so I was so relieved to be off of that bus! Jhon and his dad are SO sweet and have totally taken me under their wing.
After I rested for awhile I went and walked around a little bit. I was finally able to eat a little bit of Tibetan food which is much milder than Indian and really good! Dharamsala is a beautiful, peaceful, and magical place. It's very cool here and it rains often. It's a nice change after the intensity and heat of Delhi. The narrow streets are lined with people selling beautiful jewelry, tapestries, statues, rugs, clothes, and much more! It's full of great restaurants with all different types of food. I haven't paid more than $3 for a meal. It is a Tibetan community so there is a nice mix of Tibetan people, Indian people, and tourists from all over. There are monks literally everywhere in their maroon robes. There's a monk at the computer next to me right now! The monks are all ages from as young as probably 5 to wrinkled and hunched over. The mountains are massive and the town is surrounded by snow capped peaks. Colorful prayer flags are hung everywhere. Huge eagles or hawks (I'm not sure which) soar circling over the town all day long. The town is so high the birds are very low and very close. It's amazing! The Tibetan people are beautiful and always have a huge smile.
I've already had so many amazing experiences I don't even know where to start. There's the little moments like watching the sunset over the Himalayas with Preetha while petting the stray dogs. Sitting at a rooftop restaurant with the sound of monks chanting, while the eagles are circling over my head, beautiful view of the mountains jutting up in every direction. Sharing a cup of Kashmir tea with Jhon or his dad in their little shop. Discovering a nest of baby birds in a whole in a rock wall. Walking and talking with 2 adorable monks with huge smiles who want to practice their English. They even gave me their cell phone number! Every day I meet nice interesting and helpful people. Every moment has been magical.
Today I started the day with an Ashtanga yoga class. It was taught by an amazing grey haired yogi named Vijay. He is definitely the "real deal", a real yoga master. I couldn't believe how strong and flexible he was! He did stuff that I have never seen anyone do before and he did it effortlessly. The class was only $5 and he had 2 assistants who were going around and giving adjustments for the entire class.
After yoga I walked up to the temple. The temple is a beautiful building with huge statues of the Buddha, Green Tara, and other deities. The walls are covered in intricate and colorful Buddhist paintings. Platforms filled with candles burn all day long. There are huge prayer wheels that people are constantly spinning. Of course it is surrounded by spectacular views. Much of temple is open air. Today I just "happened" to show up during sacred Buddhist ceremony.
It seemed like every monk in town was there. There were hundreds of them. They were all seated on the floor facing an alter in the center of the temple. Tibetan people from the community sat surrounding them, all facing the center. I not only got to observe this sacred ceremony, but I also participated in it! I took my seat surrounded by very old Tibetan men and women, with deeply creased faces and smiling eyes. We sat there and prayed and meditated. The monks would sing mantras over the speakers, then silence. I could hear the old men next to me praying and chanting softly. Everyone was using their mandala beads, or spinning prayer wheels. At some point the monks came around and poured tea for everyone (hundreds of people) out of huge silver pots. The tea seemed more like hot milk than tea.
It was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had in my life. I sat there for over 2 hours, breeze blowing, the old Tibetan men offering me their cushions and smiling warmly at me. I don't know how all of those elderly people were able to sit so long. As I prayed and meditated with these beautiful, peaceful people I cried several times. I'm tearing up as I write this. I can't even imagine how much hardship these people have seen in their lives, yet they maintain a peaceful and open heart. It was more than inspirational. Being in that beautiful energy, and being able to participate was an honor. As I prayed today and I will continue to pray. I pray for peace, to Free Tibet, and to give these peaceful people their country back!!
After the ceremony all of the monks and people went and walked around this long sacred path, completely lined with prayer wheels of all sizes. It was covered with more prayer flags than I have ever seen and in the center is a sacred shrine. The trail is probably about 1 km and people of all ages walked together spinning the wheels and laboring up the steep hill back to the top. Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful, colorful, magical, and especially spiritual the whole experience was.
It been a great experience so far, to say the least, and I've only been gone a week! Now I'm going to Jhon's house. He's cooking dinner for me tonight. I can't express how grateful and blessed I feel. This is a dream come true!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Delhi
I arrived in Delhi on Tuesday night right on time. Unfortunately my bag didn't make it. This was a great lesson in acceptance right when I stepped off of the plane! After filling out the lost baggage paperwork, I went straight to the hotel. I was exhausted after the long flight. My hotel had AC which made it very comfortable in the heat.
One of the first things that I noticed about Dehli is how loud and crowded it is! There are people everywhere! People sleeping and even bathing on the streets. People walking in the midst of traffic. The traffic is crazy! There are auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, dogs, cows, horse drawn carriages, motorcycles, and cars all sharing the road! They don't use lanes here, but they are constantly honking, but it's not out of anger. They do it to communicate with each other and somehow it works. They come within inches of each others vehicles but always seem to know what's coming.
India is also so colorful. The women wear beautiful brightly colored saris, and salwar kameez. The power seems to go out every day here, but it's never for very long. It seems like there is twice as many men as there are women here. My new Indian friend told me that many women abort their babies if they find out they're having a girl. Women get murdered in the slums every day because the are considered a burden. They can't afford dowry or don't want to have to pay it. There's so much poverty here. The slums are huge! There are people of all ages sleeping and begging in the streets. Old women, small children, young mothers with babies, and lepers. It's heartbreaking to see.
I didn't let my lost bag deter me, and I arranged for a tour of Delhi the next day. It was nice to have a driver come and pick me up and show me all of the sights. I definitely saw way more in a day than I would have trying to figure it out on my own. My tour guide was a 22 year old girl named Aanchal. She was so sweet and befriended me immediately. We saw Humayun's Tomb. Built for the emperor Humayun, it was the model for the Taj Mahal. The grounds around it are beautiful. We were there late in the day, and we had the whole place almost entirely to ourselves. It was magical. Jama Masjid which is the largest mosque in India. We were able to see people worshipping in such a beautiful and ancient place. Raj Ghat the cremation site and a memorial for Gandhi. India Gate which is a war memorial. The Red Fort which is a huge ancient fort. The grounds are covered in ruins. Many of these structures were built in the 15th century. They are the beautiful rounded Indian style of architecture, and they're so old! Words can't capture how awe inspiring it was. After my tour I returned to my hotel early. It get's dark at about 7:00 and the area that I am staying isn't safe after dark.
The next day Aanchal risked her job to come and hang out with me for the day. If her boss found out she could have been fired from taking potential business away from the tour company. We started on bicycle rickshaw. I feel so bad for the drivers. They are skin and bone, and have to work so hard to haul people around in the heat and barely make any money. We transferred to autorickshaw, and went to Central Market to go clothes shopping. I bought some Salwar kameez since my bag still hadn't arrived. These are suits that consist of a long shirt or tunic with loose fitting pants. They are so beautiful in virtually every color and design. They take your measurements and then tailor it to fit you. I bought Aanchal one as a gift. It was one that she'd had her eye on. She was very happy! She's trying to save money for her eldest sister's dowry.
Aanchal called me her "American sister" and she gave me a cell phone to borrow for the entire duration of the trip! How generous! We spent part of the day getting my service arranged. It will be nice to have a phone while I'm here and I already have friends to call if I need to! I got henna done on my hand. It's beautiful. The guy did it in like 10 minutes and it cost less than 50 cents. After shopping we went to lunch at a South Indian restaurant. The food here is so good! We had fried bread and rita with like 10 differeng chutneys, curries, yogurts, and sauces.
We met her friend Manoj who is also a guide. She arranged for him to give me a ride back to my hotel on his motorcyle. It was definitely scary, but also exciting! My leg came literally inches from hitting other vehicles several times! On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Lodhi Gardens. Another beatiful ruin from the 15th century in a huge peaceful garden. Then he took me to an underground market. It was crazy! Everyone yelling at you trying to get your attention to come into their shop. It was very chaotic! We stopped at McDonalds to get something to drink. They don't eat beef in India because the cow is sacred so they had things on the menu like McVeg surprise sandwich, and McVeg pizza rolls! Then it was home for the night.
My trip has definitely been an action packed adventure so far! I've met amazing people and seen a lot of amazing things. My bag finally arrived at 2 in the morning last night so today I'm taking a long overnight bus to Dharamsala. I'm excited to get up to the mountains!
One of the first things that I noticed about Dehli is how loud and crowded it is! There are people everywhere! People sleeping and even bathing on the streets. People walking in the midst of traffic. The traffic is crazy! There are auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, dogs, cows, horse drawn carriages, motorcycles, and cars all sharing the road! They don't use lanes here, but they are constantly honking, but it's not out of anger. They do it to communicate with each other and somehow it works. They come within inches of each others vehicles but always seem to know what's coming.
India is also so colorful. The women wear beautiful brightly colored saris, and salwar kameez. The power seems to go out every day here, but it's never for very long. It seems like there is twice as many men as there are women here. My new Indian friend told me that many women abort their babies if they find out they're having a girl. Women get murdered in the slums every day because the are considered a burden. They can't afford dowry or don't want to have to pay it. There's so much poverty here. The slums are huge! There are people of all ages sleeping and begging in the streets. Old women, small children, young mothers with babies, and lepers. It's heartbreaking to see.
I didn't let my lost bag deter me, and I arranged for a tour of Delhi the next day. It was nice to have a driver come and pick me up and show me all of the sights. I definitely saw way more in a day than I would have trying to figure it out on my own. My tour guide was a 22 year old girl named Aanchal. She was so sweet and befriended me immediately. We saw Humayun's Tomb. Built for the emperor Humayun, it was the model for the Taj Mahal. The grounds around it are beautiful. We were there late in the day, and we had the whole place almost entirely to ourselves. It was magical. Jama Masjid which is the largest mosque in India. We were able to see people worshipping in such a beautiful and ancient place. Raj Ghat the cremation site and a memorial for Gandhi. India Gate which is a war memorial. The Red Fort which is a huge ancient fort. The grounds are covered in ruins. Many of these structures were built in the 15th century. They are the beautiful rounded Indian style of architecture, and they're so old! Words can't capture how awe inspiring it was. After my tour I returned to my hotel early. It get's dark at about 7:00 and the area that I am staying isn't safe after dark.
The next day Aanchal risked her job to come and hang out with me for the day. If her boss found out she could have been fired from taking potential business away from the tour company. We started on bicycle rickshaw. I feel so bad for the drivers. They are skin and bone, and have to work so hard to haul people around in the heat and barely make any money. We transferred to autorickshaw, and went to Central Market to go clothes shopping. I bought some Salwar kameez since my bag still hadn't arrived. These are suits that consist of a long shirt or tunic with loose fitting pants. They are so beautiful in virtually every color and design. They take your measurements and then tailor it to fit you. I bought Aanchal one as a gift. It was one that she'd had her eye on. She was very happy! She's trying to save money for her eldest sister's dowry.
Aanchal called me her "American sister" and she gave me a cell phone to borrow for the entire duration of the trip! How generous! We spent part of the day getting my service arranged. It will be nice to have a phone while I'm here and I already have friends to call if I need to! I got henna done on my hand. It's beautiful. The guy did it in like 10 minutes and it cost less than 50 cents. After shopping we went to lunch at a South Indian restaurant. The food here is so good! We had fried bread and rita with like 10 differeng chutneys, curries, yogurts, and sauces.
We met her friend Manoj who is also a guide. She arranged for him to give me a ride back to my hotel on his motorcyle. It was definitely scary, but also exciting! My leg came literally inches from hitting other vehicles several times! On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Lodhi Gardens. Another beatiful ruin from the 15th century in a huge peaceful garden. Then he took me to an underground market. It was crazy! Everyone yelling at you trying to get your attention to come into their shop. It was very chaotic! We stopped at McDonalds to get something to drink. They don't eat beef in India because the cow is sacred so they had things on the menu like McVeg surprise sandwich, and McVeg pizza rolls! Then it was home for the night.
My trip has definitely been an action packed adventure so far! I've met amazing people and seen a lot of amazing things. My bag finally arrived at 2 in the morning last night so today I'm taking a long overnight bus to Dharamsala. I'm excited to get up to the mountains!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Preparation
Hi everyone! This is where you can go to follow me on my trip to India.
The countdown is on! I leave for India a week from today! I'm so excited! This week is going to be busy with getting everything ready to go. It's amazing how many little things you have to do to prepare for a trip like this! It's all coming together. It's going to be the experience of a lifetime!
The countdown is on! I leave for India a week from today! I'm so excited! This week is going to be busy with getting everything ready to go. It's amazing how many little things you have to do to prepare for a trip like this! It's all coming together. It's going to be the experience of a lifetime!
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