Well, let's see what the news of the last couple of days might be -
We've been meandering about Rishikesh where Sadhus line the paths. One of them was kind enough to offer me up a hit of heroin yesterday (are they called hits? that's how much I know about heroin). I passed, but wished him peace and had a stinking suspicion he wasn't a real sadhu. They are supposed to beg for food, money and hits of heroin to continue their journey...
The town is full of yoga and meditation ashrams, and it's quite laid back. Very touristy - so lots of touts and shops. We can watch the white water rafting from the quiet rooftop terrace of our hotel, it's been a respite from the crowds.
Yesterday was Diwali! Much happiness, marigold garlands, candles and oy vey, firecrackers!
Today we are off the Haridwar, where the Ganges descends from the Himalayas. Once every four years, a big todo occurs here where something like 12 million people pilgrimage to the banks. Apparently it can be seen from space! Luckily, it's not this year, and we should have a normal afternoon. Every night at sunset, people release bouquets with candles as offerings out into the Ganges. It's supposed to be quite lovely at Haridwar. We went to the one here in Rishikesh and it was quite a hoopla - touristy (imagine! that's not us of course!)
Tomorrow we start our way back...I am going to wrap myself in a big Biore Strip to yank all of the dirt off me, and then commence in the Name That Stain Game with my clothes...
PS to Joy: We're looking forward to showing off our new yoga skills in class next Saturday!!!
See you when we get back. I think a dinner out at the India House will be in order for the next Foreign Food Friday.
xoxo dmt
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
From the banks of the Ganges...
Hello from Rishikesh, along the banks of the Ganges. We left our home away from home this morning with a tear-filled goodbye to the Duggals, the sweetest people ever! We had such a lovely time with them and they made us feel so welcome. We wrapped up our yoga course last night with a wonderful party for Patanjali, complete with Veena and Sitar musicians, several chants and unbelievably amazing food all prepared by Swati. Our student that is a chef in New Orleans also helped - along with many others. The grounds were beautiful - lit up with oil lamps, lights and we spent all day stringing marigold garlands. I'll post photos if I can soon. Sue and I were decked out in our new outfits - almost everyone bought something - we were all beautiful if I do say so myself.
So...Jan, a lovely woman from Australia, slid over to me before our last class and said "as you know, I'm quite an introvert and I've spent the whole course observing people. There are 3 people who have lost 10 years off their faces since they arrived and you are one of them." Wow. I wonder if I looked 57 when I started or if I look 37 now? I hope it's the latter, but I told her I was certainly going to take that to heart as to what that is telling me about home! Sue seems to be miffed that she wasn't mentioned !!
We just arrived in Rishikesh, so will start exploring the town. We're here for a few days and will be celebrating Diwali, a big, big holiday, tomorrow from here. It is the festival of lights. For those of you who are Beatles fans, Rishikesh is where the Beatles lived in the ashram and supposedly wrote the White Album. It appears to be quite the tourist town - lots of yoga, meditation, etc. but also white water rafting and all other kinds of activities as well. So far, quite beautiful. It's just kind of cool being near the Ganges - such a holy river for so many people.
Well, off to explore! I'll hopefully find a place to upload photos - I want to show you our outfits and my 37 year young, stressfree, blissed-out face!
xoxo dmt
So...Jan, a lovely woman from Australia, slid over to me before our last class and said "as you know, I'm quite an introvert and I've spent the whole course observing people. There are 3 people who have lost 10 years off their faces since they arrived and you are one of them." Wow. I wonder if I looked 57 when I started or if I look 37 now? I hope it's the latter, but I told her I was certainly going to take that to heart as to what that is telling me about home! Sue seems to be miffed that she wasn't mentioned !!
We just arrived in Rishikesh, so will start exploring the town. We're here for a few days and will be celebrating Diwali, a big, big holiday, tomorrow from here. It is the festival of lights. For those of you who are Beatles fans, Rishikesh is where the Beatles lived in the ashram and supposedly wrote the White Album. It appears to be quite the tourist town - lots of yoga, meditation, etc. but also white water rafting and all other kinds of activities as well. So far, quite beautiful. It's just kind of cool being near the Ganges - such a holy river for so many people.
Well, off to explore! I'll hopefully find a place to upload photos - I want to show you our outfits and my 37 year young, stressfree, blissed-out face!
xoxo dmt
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Photos...
Sue and I went to Mussoorie on our weekend. We did a hike up to a place called Sister's Bazaar (up hill for 2 hours....yow). Along the way, there were a variety of signs ...here is one and the view from the top:
Some snaps of the rangolis in the making for Patanjali's birthday party.
I was a color mixer - it was even better than playdoh!
Some snaps of the rangolis in the making for Patanjali's birthday party.
I was a color mixer - it was even better than playdoh!
Friday, October 21, 2011
The latest happenings
Well - I thought you might be interested in some of the latest headlines from our local newspaper, the Hindustantimes:
- There are a bunch of people dying due to an infected batch of boar meat. They seem to have found the source, but people are not getting treatment in time to recover.
-A tigress was killed in a local game reserve. They have 7 suspected poachers in custody.
-20 local traffic police were relieved of their duty because they were clearly too unfit. 81 officers were called in for a fitness test. 70 showed up and 20 failed. They have been given a month to get back in shape in order to get their jobs back. Their chest has to measure more than their waist!
-One of the famous Bollywood actresses is having her baby shower. The list of attendees was specified.
-An angry husband bit off the nose and lips of his wife. Apparently she refused to return home from her parents house...(I can't imagine why)
-We're fully up-to-date on all of the cricket scores. Apparently they won an argument with the WADA (World Anti-Doping Assoc) to be exempt from the whereabouts clause (big to do)
Meanwhile, back at the Duggals, the monkeys are having serious territory wars. Apparently the monkeys were bothering tourists in Mussoorie, so they trapped a bunch of them and released them down here in Rajpur. Now there are all fighting over territory. We learned that we need to carry a stick when we walk and whatever you do, don't look them in the eye - it's a sign of aggression.
We've started to call the Duggals the Egg Pushers - they keep trying to tell us its ok to eat eggs - that lots of other students do. We're were teasing them that they are trying to get us to go to the darkside and that we were going to report them to Rajiv! They laugh.
As for other news: We've been on a field trip to a place called Purkul where there is what appears to be a very well run organization that has a school for the poorest of the poor children and also trains disadvantaged local women to sew - they then sell their handicrafts and hopefully will be self-sustaining. I'll upload photos when I can.
Our yoga course is going well - according to students who have been here before, Rajiv is in the best mood they've ever seen (yikes) - I'm glad he's my yoga instructor and not my doctor - no bedside manner whatsoever! He bursts out into rants quite frequently, last night we got a lecture on the book Slaughter House Five and what a travesty it is to eat meat. One of our students is a chef from New Orleans - poor guy took the heat for that one.
We're starting the preparations for Patanjali's birthday party. We've made rangolis on the ground - elaborate designs filled with bright colored powders, and wicks that will go in oil lamps. Sue and I got new Indian outfits and sparkly jewelry for the occasion and modeled them for Mrs. Duggal yesterday. We wanted to make sure we didn't have them on backward or something!
Other than that, I don't think I have anything else to report! Neither of us have had any Delhi Belly (yet) - unlike many of our fellow students.
I can't upload pictures at this cyber cafe - I'll do that at my next opportunity.
Until then - I hope all is well at home! xoxo dmt
- There are a bunch of people dying due to an infected batch of boar meat. They seem to have found the source, but people are not getting treatment in time to recover.
-A tigress was killed in a local game reserve. They have 7 suspected poachers in custody.
-20 local traffic police were relieved of their duty because they were clearly too unfit. 81 officers were called in for a fitness test. 70 showed up and 20 failed. They have been given a month to get back in shape in order to get their jobs back. Their chest has to measure more than their waist!
-One of the famous Bollywood actresses is having her baby shower. The list of attendees was specified.
-An angry husband bit off the nose and lips of his wife. Apparently she refused to return home from her parents house...(I can't imagine why)
-We're fully up-to-date on all of the cricket scores. Apparently they won an argument with the WADA (World Anti-Doping Assoc) to be exempt from the whereabouts clause (big to do)
Meanwhile, back at the Duggals, the monkeys are having serious territory wars. Apparently the monkeys were bothering tourists in Mussoorie, so they trapped a bunch of them and released them down here in Rajpur. Now there are all fighting over territory. We learned that we need to carry a stick when we walk and whatever you do, don't look them in the eye - it's a sign of aggression.
We've started to call the Duggals the Egg Pushers - they keep trying to tell us its ok to eat eggs - that lots of other students do. We're were teasing them that they are trying to get us to go to the darkside and that we were going to report them to Rajiv! They laugh.
As for other news: We've been on a field trip to a place called Purkul where there is what appears to be a very well run organization that has a school for the poorest of the poor children and also trains disadvantaged local women to sew - they then sell their handicrafts and hopefully will be self-sustaining. I'll upload photos when I can.
Our yoga course is going well - according to students who have been here before, Rajiv is in the best mood they've ever seen (yikes) - I'm glad he's my yoga instructor and not my doctor - no bedside manner whatsoever! He bursts out into rants quite frequently, last night we got a lecture on the book Slaughter House Five and what a travesty it is to eat meat. One of our students is a chef from New Orleans - poor guy took the heat for that one.
We're starting the preparations for Patanjali's birthday party. We've made rangolis on the ground - elaborate designs filled with bright colored powders, and wicks that will go in oil lamps. Sue and I got new Indian outfits and sparkly jewelry for the occasion and modeled them for Mrs. Duggal yesterday. We wanted to make sure we didn't have them on backward or something!
Other than that, I don't think I have anything else to report! Neither of us have had any Delhi Belly (yet) - unlike many of our fellow students.
I can't upload pictures at this cyber cafe - I'll do that at my next opportunity.
Until then - I hope all is well at home! xoxo dmt
Thursday, October 13, 2011
More Photos
Some more photos of the Taj Mahal...
A view of the Himal from Mussoorie, a hill station about an hour from where we are staying...
A Tibetan Monestary outside of Dehra Dun that has the tallest stupa in the world...and a spin of the prayer wheels to send my prayers up to heaven...
We can't take photos during class, so no downward dog shots for you...sorry. I might snap some during practice....
Hope all is well at home! xoxo dmt
Mornings
Maybe it's because I want to make it this way, but mornings at the Duggals are a magical time. The sun rises about 6:00 am and sets about 6:00pm - dawn and dusk are quick to pass. The day starts earlier for some than for others - for me, I'm laying in bed sleeping when I hear the distant call to prayer from the local mosque. It's hypnotic and conjurs up images of people greeting the day with visits to their house of worship. I think this starts somewhere around 5:00 am.
Not long after comes the ringing of the bells at the also distant Hindu temple. Another group of people getting up to greet the day. I'm up before my 6:00am alarm - it just seems too harsh of a wake up call compared to the others.
I walk out onto the veranda and put the kettle on to boil. The garden is still sleeping as well, but soon, as I'm drinking my first cup of coffee, it starts to stir - chipmunks seem to own the ground - skampering up and down the trees and along the borders. Birds claim the top - chasing and flitting from tree to tree chasing each other...and then...the sun breaks over the foothill, slowly illuminating the beautiful peach roses I've been watching blossom since I arrived. There are 5 in bloom now. The dappled sun bring everything to life. Suddenly, there are an endless number of greens and the rose bushes appear to be strategically planted so the rays of the sun shine like spotlights on their fresh blooms. Or maybe the sun finds them, I can't tell.
It only lasts for about 45 minutes, this perfect, quiet sanctuary. Soon, cars and trucks start passing by and the sounds of everyday life break the spell...until tomorrow....
Not long after comes the ringing of the bells at the also distant Hindu temple. Another group of people getting up to greet the day. I'm up before my 6:00am alarm - it just seems too harsh of a wake up call compared to the others.
I walk out onto the veranda and put the kettle on to boil. The garden is still sleeping as well, but soon, as I'm drinking my first cup of coffee, it starts to stir - chipmunks seem to own the ground - skampering up and down the trees and along the borders. Birds claim the top - chasing and flitting from tree to tree chasing each other...and then...the sun breaks over the foothill, slowly illuminating the beautiful peach roses I've been watching blossom since I arrived. There are 5 in bloom now. The dappled sun bring everything to life. Suddenly, there are an endless number of greens and the rose bushes appear to be strategically planted so the rays of the sun shine like spotlights on their fresh blooms. Or maybe the sun finds them, I can't tell.
It only lasts for about 45 minutes, this perfect, quiet sanctuary. Soon, cars and trucks start passing by and the sounds of everyday life break the spell...until tomorrow....
Monday, October 10, 2011
Namaste from Yog-Ganga
Hello all! Well, I has just composed an amazingly witty blog post when the line went down...I'm not sure I can be amazingly witty twice in a row, but I'll try. We're sitting in the middle of a bunch of Tibetan Monks in the Cyber Cafe by their monestary. We took the bus out of town, what was 10k took forever. We are clearly out of practice in our foreign travels, but have quickly adapted. We have the afternoon off from class so are runnng some errands. Apparently my mother is dispatching dad down to check email on a frequent basis checking for news...sorry for the delay pops! Internet cafe, pens, milk and most importantly, Indian wear, as we found out it is Patanjali's birthday while we are here - quite the big to-do at the center. We can't imagine being seen at the soiree with normal American streetwear....
As for the latest happenings:
1. Sue caused quite the hubbub at the Duggals, our home away from home, by eating a banana while the monkeys "were about". There was thievery and chaos amongst the garbage and throughout the compound. Needless to say, we are more careful now.
2. As some of you know, one of my favorite things to do is to check out what is in the shopping aisles of stores in foreign lands, so off I went to buy some sunscreen, as you see, whities like me can't get by with a 3oz tube as defined by airline standards. I was not disappointed - I picked up a 30 SPF bottle, and not only was the creme tinted a lovely brown, but it came with an Anti-Tan Skin Whitening Face Wash! Good thing I can keep up my fair complexion, because I'm just not getting enough attention on the local city buses with my white skin and blue eyes already!
3. As for our yoga classes, we have 2 teachers. Both are very good and we are learning a lot, but how boring is that to write about on a blog. The man, Rajiv, bascially peppers his classes with rants on the commercialization of yoga and the woman, Swati, kicks our asses for 2 hours. We are enjoying the classes very much. I think I mentioned that there are 40 students in class, which is packed. It basically is a free for all, which I hope settles down. Everyone is trying to find a spot to do whatever the pose of the moment is. Sue and I are amazed at the lack of etiquette - we get ourselves a spot, go to get our props and turn around and someone is in our spot, or someone has taken our props! It's craziness, but all works out, although I did get yelled at for doing the wrong pose. Little did he know what it took to just get to that point! Sue and I discussed the parallels of how countries that potentially are in border disputes may have that deeply engrained in the everyday culture of their people such that it manifests itself other places...just sayin'...
I'll try to add a few pictures. The garden is our view from our breakfast table...as I said before, we're not coming home!
As for the latest happenings:
1. Sue caused quite the hubbub at the Duggals, our home away from home, by eating a banana while the monkeys "were about". There was thievery and chaos amongst the garbage and throughout the compound. Needless to say, we are more careful now.
2. As some of you know, one of my favorite things to do is to check out what is in the shopping aisles of stores in foreign lands, so off I went to buy some sunscreen, as you see, whities like me can't get by with a 3oz tube as defined by airline standards. I was not disappointed - I picked up a 30 SPF bottle, and not only was the creme tinted a lovely brown, but it came with an Anti-Tan Skin Whitening Face Wash! Good thing I can keep up my fair complexion, because I'm just not getting enough attention on the local city buses with my white skin and blue eyes already!
3. As for our yoga classes, we have 2 teachers. Both are very good and we are learning a lot, but how boring is that to write about on a blog. The man, Rajiv, bascially peppers his classes with rants on the commercialization of yoga and the woman, Swati, kicks our asses for 2 hours. We are enjoying the classes very much. I think I mentioned that there are 40 students in class, which is packed. It basically is a free for all, which I hope settles down. Everyone is trying to find a spot to do whatever the pose of the moment is. Sue and I are amazed at the lack of etiquette - we get ourselves a spot, go to get our props and turn around and someone is in our spot, or someone has taken our props! It's craziness, but all works out, although I did get yelled at for doing the wrong pose. Little did he know what it took to just get to that point! Sue and I discussed the parallels of how countries that potentially are in border disputes may have that deeply engrained in the everyday culture of their people such that it manifests itself other places...just sayin'...
I'll try to add a few pictures. The garden is our view from our breakfast table...as I said before, we're not coming home!
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