My Australian mate Lisa had to renew her visa, and a person must leave India to do this. Well, what a great excuse to visit Nepal. All the trains were booked due to the festival Diwali, which meant we had to sit on a bus for three days. First leg of the trip was 14 hours back to Delhi and three hours into our ride I realized that I had forgotten my passport….. “quite a mean tool for the traveler.” (Quote from my Tibetan friend) Well, at that point there was not much that could be done so we must stay in awful Delhi an extra day. Fortunately a friend knew someone who was travelling down to Delhi the next day, who was able to bring my passport to me. My guesthouse owner couldn’t break the lock on my door, which meant they had to break the latch off my metal door. They had to call someone to weld the latch back onto the door, however, that wait was 24 hours. Since my door couldn’t lock, they had to have their staff take shifts sitting in my room. Took a bit of leg work, but 24 hours later, I had my passport in hand and was off to Nepal. What an eventful start to this trip.
Okay only 40 hours on the bus and we will be in Nepal. The lady sitting in front of me had a broken chair, which pretty much meant the back of her chair was resting on my lap. Only 40 hours with no leg room, excellent!
We have a friend that left McLeod Ganj a few months ago to attempt to go back to Tibet. But in the meantime, he was living in Kathmandu. He spent the first few days giving us a tour of the city. We went to various temples and stayed in Bouddah, a beautiful Tibetan community surrounding the famous ‘stupa’ or temple. After a few days, it was time to move on, to Pokhara.
There are many options for transportation on this 6 hour journey, we opted for the microbus. Essentially it is a van that properly seats 16, but we managed to ‘comfortably’ seat 27 people. Nepal and India seem to be void of all traffic regulations, so it was Hawaiian 5-0 through the mountains. Sleeping out, reading out, thank you iPod. As soon as I start to relax, the little girl sitting right next to us starts throwing up, all on the ground by our feet. Just a short pit stop to clean up and we were off. Not even an hour later, it was her brothers’ turn, fortunately he made it into a bag, but the stench of vomit lingered in the air for the remainder of the trip.
Pokhara was great! A beautiful, little, tourist town nestled next to a lake, with magnificent views of the Himalayas. One afternoon we rode our bikes to a waterfall and around town, most of it was basking in the glorious sun, reading books, oh so relaxing. Lisa had to head back to Kathmandu to pick up her visa, so I decided to spend the last few days in Pokhara on my own. We had made a friend and he had invited me to come celebrate “Tihar” with him and his family. “Tihar” is the second greatest festival of Nepal, which celebrates the goddess of money, Laxmi. Nepali’s celebrate this festival with dancing, if you dance, then you are blessed with a year of good finances. We drove to a small village, Fedi, so the kids (ages 11-19) can dance for their family. We stopped at 6 different houses, and each time, they would dance for about 30 minutes, to popular Hindi, Nepali and English songs. When they finish, the family will present a platter with money and selroti, (a chapatti bread). The first two houses I just sat enjoying the festivities, but by the third, the kids told me it was mandatory that I get up and dance with them. Well if you know me, you don’t have to aske me twice! I had a blast; I was up there dancing for their family just as much as the kids were. They were so nice they let me continue dancing with them for the last 3 performances.
The first week of teaching in McLeod Ganj, I began meeting with a Tibetan girl, Sonam Yangzoom. We would meet every day for an hour and she became quite a good friend. While I was in Nepal, Sonam had left to attempt to go back to Tibet. The morning after Tihar, she called to tell me she was in Kathmandu. Well, then I must leave Pokhara, but I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend my last two days, quality time with my girls.
Since the bus ride to Nepal was brutal, no sleep and our bodies sore for a couple of days, we decided to get some sleep aid for this trip back. This time around, Lisa and I had the broken chairs. The second we would put our back against the seat, we would fall onto the lap of the men behind us. We decided we would sit straight as long as possible, but with the help of the sleep aid, it wasn’t too long. Every 5 hours we would wake up the men trying to push us off their lap. Man oh man, I knew how they felt… 40 miserable hours for them, 40 easy, blissful, dreamy hours for us.
01 December 2009
29 October 2009
Buddhism to Bollywood
It has been quite some time since I posted, I have been non-stop since my arrival. However, quite a lot has happened since then. I have been teaching English at LHA, a non-profit organization that was established to assist the exiled Tibetans in this community to further their studies. My students range from 18-35 years old, definitely not the plan I originally had, but I absolutely love it! Would have never guessed that teaching would be so rewarding and a job I am completely fulfilled by. I start meeting students at 9am for private tutoring and finish around 6pm, often times I will carry on til 10, meeting them for dinner.
As previously mentioned, McLeod Ganj is home to thousands of exiled Tibetans and home to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As I this town is becoming home, these people are becoming my friends, I am starting to take an intense desire to learn about the Tibetan issues as well as the culture. Making an attempt to learn the language, a little difficult when I am too busy, or just plain lazy. There have been two peaceful protests that I have attended, which my next post will be on the situation in Tibet, and stories behind the protests.
Last month, after a few months of traveling, the Dalai Lama returned to McLeod Ganj. Word had got out that his plane landed and he was on his way up the hill. The locals began to clean the streets by throwing buckets of water in the street. All along the road, pine branches and incense were burning, which made the road smokey, interesting tradition. After one hour of everyone scurrying to prepare for his passing, the caravan finally arrived. Tibetans held out white prayer scarfs, some kneeling down and others reciting Buddhist mantras. So I was looking at the wrong car, and the caravan was passing through too fast, so I missed the sight. Great pictures of the smoke and people, but no Dalai Lama.
The following day the teachings began. He gave them in Tibetan and we had an English translator, who you could hear eating during the time he was not translating and often times didnt complete his sentences. Honestly, I found Buddhism to be very confusing, but I am finding a real interest in the philosophy of this religion. Its the only that I found that focuses on compassion, the essence of human nature. It was also such at privilege to see the Dalai Lama, he has such an angelic face, not to mention a beautiful smile and contagious laugh.
The following week, a friend asked if a few of us would be interested in an all expense paid weekend to Chamba Valley. Yes, yes we would. The catch is we had to be extras in a Hindi movie. Oh a dream come true for me, maybe I can be a back up dancer. The producer came to pick us up and take us five hours to the movie set. Of course, I am in the one Hindi movie that does not have dancing. I forgot what it was called, but it starts in Pakistan where most drugs are made, and it follows the route all the way to California. SCENE: we are westerners in a hostel and the actors enter the room. My friend Harry was playing the gutair. Adam was rifling through his bag, and I had an intense game of go-fish with Lisa. Yup, that's my 2 minutes of fame. Hopefully I can put this on my resume and finally fulfill my dream to dance in a real Bollywood film.
Some time next week, I will finish my Tibetan issues post as well as stories from my visit to Nepal. Oh and as requested, I will get pictures of my students.
As previously mentioned, McLeod Ganj is home to thousands of exiled Tibetans and home to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As I this town is becoming home, these people are becoming my friends, I am starting to take an intense desire to learn about the Tibetan issues as well as the culture. Making an attempt to learn the language, a little difficult when I am too busy, or just plain lazy. There have been two peaceful protests that I have attended, which my next post will be on the situation in Tibet, and stories behind the protests.
Last month, after a few months of traveling, the Dalai Lama returned to McLeod Ganj. Word had got out that his plane landed and he was on his way up the hill. The locals began to clean the streets by throwing buckets of water in the street. All along the road, pine branches and incense were burning, which made the road smokey, interesting tradition. After one hour of everyone scurrying to prepare for his passing, the caravan finally arrived. Tibetans held out white prayer scarfs, some kneeling down and others reciting Buddhist mantras. So I was looking at the wrong car, and the caravan was passing through too fast, so I missed the sight. Great pictures of the smoke and people, but no Dalai Lama.
The following day the teachings began. He gave them in Tibetan and we had an English translator, who you could hear eating during the time he was not translating and often times didnt complete his sentences. Honestly, I found Buddhism to be very confusing, but I am finding a real interest in the philosophy of this religion. Its the only that I found that focuses on compassion, the essence of human nature. It was also such at privilege to see the Dalai Lama, he has such an angelic face, not to mention a beautiful smile and contagious laugh.
The following week, a friend asked if a few of us would be interested in an all expense paid weekend to Chamba Valley. Yes, yes we would. The catch is we had to be extras in a Hindi movie. Oh a dream come true for me, maybe I can be a back up dancer. The producer came to pick us up and take us five hours to the movie set. Of course, I am in the one Hindi movie that does not have dancing. I forgot what it was called, but it starts in Pakistan where most drugs are made, and it follows the route all the way to California. SCENE: we are westerners in a hostel and the actors enter the room. My friend Harry was playing the gutair. Adam was rifling through his bag, and I had an intense game of go-fish with Lisa. Yup, that's my 2 minutes of fame. Hopefully I can put this on my resume and finally fulfill my dream to dance in a real Bollywood film.
Some time next week, I will finish my Tibetan issues post as well as stories from my visit to Nepal. Oh and as requested, I will get pictures of my students.
26 August 2009
Home Sweet Home
After a stresstul week in the big city, I was more than ready to venture on. It is a 14 hour bus ride to get to McLeod Ganj, 14 LONG hours. I met up with two fellow volunteers in Delhi and made the journey up with them. As we waited for the bus, a young boy repeatedly asked me "one second madam. Please, one second." Finally he said what he wanted for one second, to put his hand inside my shirt! Not sure if I mentioned that majority of the Indian men are very disrespectful and foward, but that was just a bit over the top. So relieved to see the bus. 14 hours in a vehicle, wether its a bus or a car, is just too long. (100 miles is a long drive inside a car- Modest Mouse) The driver was a maniac, he was speeding through these mountains, getting tossed around, sleep wasnt really an option.Once I stepped off the bus, I was stunned by the beauty of this town. McLeod Ganj sits in the foothills of the Himilayas and it is currently monsoon season, so everything is green. You are always passing monks and nuns walking down the street, as well as many westerners coming for meditation and yoga retreats. McLeod Ganj is also home to thousands of Tibetan refugees. (1959 China took over Tibet and wanted to put an end to the lives of anyone who still supported the Dalai Lama. Just about everyone who is now in this town, walked from China, through Nepal and down into McLeod Ganj, India, which is also home to the Dalai Lama).
My first week I began teaching english, and couldn't believe how much I enjoy myself. The students are so eager to learn and they are grateful to everyone volunteering their time to help them. I love seeing their smiling faces and they are soooo funny! They say as Buddhists, its very important to laugh at least three times a day. Honestly, who wouldn't appreciate this philosophy? This past week I started volunteering at Tong- Len in the morning's, however it was 1 hour plus commute each way, and was only teaching 2 hours. So I decided to find a different school/organization in this town.
I have been here two weeks and I must say it feels like home, minus the awsome Visalia music scene. Just sitting in cafes, I picked up two students I will tutor privately. Walking down the street, I run into students and we usually go for tea or some momo's. I was suprised to have such a sense of community here, I must confess, I think I am falling in love with this place, these people.
20 August 2009
Driving Miss Daisy
After my first couple of days in Delhi, I planned a trip to Agra. My friend Prince, gave me an extremely cheap rate to have a car take me to Agra, Jaipur and back to Delhi, and considering I packed one suitcase too many, the train really wasnt an option. It was a 5 hour car ride over to Agra and the driver only knew one word in english, no, at least I had the chaos of the road to keep me entertained. The amount of times we had to come to a screeching halt because of a herd of cows crossing the highway, or the excessive use of horns to let other cars know your changing lanes, no need to use the turn signal.
Alas, we reached the hotel, immediately I was instructed to go to the rooftop to see the view. Oh my! I could not believe I was staring at the Taj Majal, I felt so blessed, so fortunate, so grateful to be there. I quickly unpacked, ate a small amount of fried rice and soup, then off to Taj Majal. I was absolutely blown away how breathtaking every sight was. From the gardens to the stones inlaid on the marble of the Taj. I never knew the Koran was written in arabic throughout the Taj. I dont think the pictures can justify the magnitude of the beauty of the Taj Mahal.
After the visit, my guide took me to the place where they make marble tables, and use the ancient techniques to set the stones. After the explanation I was led into the showroom, marble table tops, jewlery boxes for $80, coasters $100, decorative plates, push salesman. Please madam, we ship. No thank you, I am not interested, I am pretty much homeless, no thanks. You send to momma, poppa. No thank you, I dont even have address. Its okay, we follow you to hotel. Right, finally I just left as he was speaking. Next stop, lets stop at the place where the stitch gems into rugs. Same thing, after the demo, please enter into showroom. No thank you! Purse. Oooh, how much. $100. Right, after a couple of minutes of insisting I dont want anything, I left, frustrated.
Aside from the Taj Majal, there is nothing to do in Agra. It is strongly advised to not go out at night, the town is littered with theives and pickpocketers, so off to bed I go. I woke to a bug crawling on my arm, so needless to say I didnt get much sleep. I did wake up with nausea and heartburn, uh oh, my first illness in India. If you know me, you should be equally impressed that it took a week to get sick. Today is a 6 hour drive to Jaipur, with a pit stop to visit a mosque. According to Lonely Planet and my guide from the Taj, strongly advise to not speak to anyone, carefully watch your bags and the entrance fee is only 260 rupees. Soon as I get out of the car, I was approaced by a man saying he worked for the governement and was a guide. I insisted I did not need a guide and I was fine. Well, guess who didnt stop following me to the gate. He instructed me the entrance was right this way. We entered into the mosque and it was full of locals, selling things, begging for money, peeing on the wall, "accidentally" bumping into you. I asked where to buy tickets and my shawdow said I buy for you 580 rupees. I dont think so. He starts to share some history and again I inform him I did not want a guide. But I am government, I official. Suddenly my stomach is a bit upset, I ask for the toilet, oh yeah, I am going to be sick. A man standing in front of the door is insisting I pay before I enter. "Please I go, then pay." I am rifiling through my bag, man refuses to let me pass, and he is still refusing to let me pass until I pay. I am not sure if it was my dinner, the heat, frustration, but yep, I puked right there. On the sacred grounds of the mosque. (There is your international inicident, whoever wrote that comment). I pay my 10 rupees and turn back to the car. That damn man is still following me, once I get into the car, he insists I pay him the 580 rupees we agreed upon. You entered, government rules. I went in paid to puke and left, I dont think so. My poor driver was so confused, I am telling him to go in the meantime arguing with this man trying to swindle me out of my money. A policeman starts heading in our direction, then shisty (excuse me) bastard leaves. Ok, one more day of tourist hot spots, then I no longer have to deal with these kind of people.
Jaipur has so much to see, I really wish I had more time there. The first place to visit is called Jantar Mantar ( calculation instrument). Built in the 1700's and scientists use to tell time, position of sun, and astrologists use to determine zodiak signs at time of birth. We then entered into the "pink city" walked around there, then had a stroll up to the main palace. I absolutely loved these sights. After a day of sightseeing I had Rajistani Thali, which I must say is the best food I had in India so far. Thali is a sampler plate consisting of soup, a sweet, naan and four different curries.... yum! Oh, but before I head back to Delhi, I have time to see a man who reads auras, no charge!
"Hello madam, I am here to read your aura. Please nevermind we are in my gem shop, it just feed my family, you no buy. First, your grandparent has arthritis?"
"No"
"Are you sure? Have you asked. One of them does"
"No sir, positive"
"But I see one of them does"
"Umm, all of my grandparents have passed away"
"Ok. Mother, father?"
"No"
"Then you do?"
"No"
"ok, well you or your mother or father will have it. First I see big blue aura, but 20%violet. Violet not good, means your tired, physically and mentally"
(really)
I honestly know nothing about auras or chakras, which apparently mine is blocked. He then tells me that I recently told my boyfriend I loved him and didnt mean it.
"I dont have a boyfriend"
"Ok, you like the girls"
"No and I do not have a significant other"
He continues on to tell me that my violet will get bigger if I dont unblock my chakras.
"Please tell me how I fix that"
"I have stone, you wear and it opens up. I tell you how much. 28,000 rupees, $620 us dollars"
"WHAT, Are you serious?"
"Yes madam"
"I am sorry but NO."
"But you need stones, to fix your chakra"
"I am here to work, not to buy gems, marble, $50 scarves. I am sorry but no"
"Not good choice, I see violet getting bigger"
Really, is my blue now masked my the color of fury? I pick up my bag and left.
Those past few days were very trying on my patience, which I realize I dont have much of in those situations.
Alas, we reached the hotel, immediately I was instructed to go to the rooftop to see the view. Oh my! I could not believe I was staring at the Taj Majal, I felt so blessed, so fortunate, so grateful to be there. I quickly unpacked, ate a small amount of fried rice and soup, then off to Taj Majal. I was absolutely blown away how breathtaking every sight was. From the gardens to the stones inlaid on the marble of the Taj. I never knew the Koran was written in arabic throughout the Taj. I dont think the pictures can justify the magnitude of the beauty of the Taj Mahal.
After the visit, my guide took me to the place where they make marble tables, and use the ancient techniques to set the stones. After the explanation I was led into the showroom, marble table tops, jewlery boxes for $80, coasters $100, decorative plates, push salesman. Please madam, we ship. No thank you, I am not interested, I am pretty much homeless, no thanks. You send to momma, poppa. No thank you, I dont even have address. Its okay, we follow you to hotel. Right, finally I just left as he was speaking. Next stop, lets stop at the place where the stitch gems into rugs. Same thing, after the demo, please enter into showroom. No thank you! Purse. Oooh, how much. $100. Right, after a couple of minutes of insisting I dont want anything, I left, frustrated.
Aside from the Taj Majal, there is nothing to do in Agra. It is strongly advised to not go out at night, the town is littered with theives and pickpocketers, so off to bed I go. I woke to a bug crawling on my arm, so needless to say I didnt get much sleep. I did wake up with nausea and heartburn, uh oh, my first illness in India. If you know me, you should be equally impressed that it took a week to get sick. Today is a 6 hour drive to Jaipur, with a pit stop to visit a mosque. According to Lonely Planet and my guide from the Taj, strongly advise to not speak to anyone, carefully watch your bags and the entrance fee is only 260 rupees. Soon as I get out of the car, I was approaced by a man saying he worked for the governement and was a guide. I insisted I did not need a guide and I was fine. Well, guess who didnt stop following me to the gate. He instructed me the entrance was right this way. We entered into the mosque and it was full of locals, selling things, begging for money, peeing on the wall, "accidentally" bumping into you. I asked where to buy tickets and my shawdow said I buy for you 580 rupees. I dont think so. He starts to share some history and again I inform him I did not want a guide. But I am government, I official. Suddenly my stomach is a bit upset, I ask for the toilet, oh yeah, I am going to be sick. A man standing in front of the door is insisting I pay before I enter. "Please I go, then pay." I am rifiling through my bag, man refuses to let me pass, and he is still refusing to let me pass until I pay. I am not sure if it was my dinner, the heat, frustration, but yep, I puked right there. On the sacred grounds of the mosque. (There is your international inicident, whoever wrote that comment). I pay my 10 rupees and turn back to the car. That damn man is still following me, once I get into the car, he insists I pay him the 580 rupees we agreed upon. You entered, government rules. I went in paid to puke and left, I dont think so. My poor driver was so confused, I am telling him to go in the meantime arguing with this man trying to swindle me out of my money. A policeman starts heading in our direction, then shisty (excuse me) bastard leaves. Ok, one more day of tourist hot spots, then I no longer have to deal with these kind of people.
Jaipur has so much to see, I really wish I had more time there. The first place to visit is called Jantar Mantar ( calculation instrument). Built in the 1700's and scientists use to tell time, position of sun, and astrologists use to determine zodiak signs at time of birth. We then entered into the "pink city" walked around there, then had a stroll up to the main palace. I absolutely loved these sights. After a day of sightseeing I had Rajistani Thali, which I must say is the best food I had in India so far. Thali is a sampler plate consisting of soup, a sweet, naan and four different curries.... yum! Oh, but before I head back to Delhi, I have time to see a man who reads auras, no charge!
"Hello madam, I am here to read your aura. Please nevermind we are in my gem shop, it just feed my family, you no buy. First, your grandparent has arthritis?"
"No"
"Are you sure? Have you asked. One of them does"
"No sir, positive"
"But I see one of them does"
"Umm, all of my grandparents have passed away"
"Ok. Mother, father?"
"No"
"Then you do?"
"No"
"ok, well you or your mother or father will have it. First I see big blue aura, but 20%violet. Violet not good, means your tired, physically and mentally"
(really)
I honestly know nothing about auras or chakras, which apparently mine is blocked. He then tells me that I recently told my boyfriend I loved him and didnt mean it.
"I dont have a boyfriend"
"Ok, you like the girls"
"No and I do not have a significant other"
He continues on to tell me that my violet will get bigger if I dont unblock my chakras.
"Please tell me how I fix that"
"I have stone, you wear and it opens up. I tell you how much. 28,000 rupees, $620 us dollars"
"WHAT, Are you serious?"
"Yes madam"
"I am sorry but NO."
"But you need stones, to fix your chakra"
"I am here to work, not to buy gems, marble, $50 scarves. I am sorry but no"
"Not good choice, I see violet getting bigger"
Really, is my blue now masked my the color of fury? I pick up my bag and left.
Those past few days were very trying on my patience, which I realize I dont have much of in those situations.
17 August 2009
14 August 2009
Hello India!
The car ride from the airport to the hotel was insane, however typical for cities like this. No one uses the lanes, cars weaving in between motorcycles, buses, pedestrians, effortlessly and failing to slow down. I was pretty impressed with Delhi, couldn't believe how green this town is, nothing as I imagined. Each tree fenced off with a sign posted "Green Delhi." As I started to soak this in, we turned a corner and entered into the intro of Slumdog Millionaire. The paved road turned into dirt, more narrow and lined with shops. Cows meandering in the road, holding up traffic, and the smell of rain was masked by the smell of sewage. We drove a few blocks and i was dropped at my hotel, right in the middle of the madness.
After I settled in, I went to enjoy some breakfast at the rooftop restaurant. A garden was located in the middle of the roof. The view consisted of a dozen children, flying kites on the roof of surrounding high rise buildings. After breakfast, I decided to step out and see if I can avoid these hagglers trying to lure me into their shops. That did last about 20 minutes and while asking for directions, I got directed into a tourism office and of course, was not very helpful. The gentleman helping me was trying to convince me to spend an unreasonable amount of money for a guided tour, another sucker walked in to this scam. It worked out, because I now had a fellow traveller to wander the streets of Delhi.
First sight was the Golden Temple. I couldn't fully understand the gentleman who explained the history, but it is a place where all religions are accepted, as long as you believe in only one god. The architecture of this building was amazing. Everything was made of marble, including the ground. There is a pool on the grounds where people with an ailment, injury or sickness bathe in and pray for healing.
This day was the celebration of Krishna, so there were celebrations everywhere. Women and children dressed in their finest saris, strands of orange flowers covering entryways of various temples. Inside, there was dancing, and many posing in scenes depicting the history of Krishna. At the Lakishna temple, lights blanketed this enourmous temple, better than christmas.
On the walk home, a slight detour was made. Somehow, we ended up outside of the tourist area, and was surrounded by locals. Since it was late in the evening, all the shops were closed and people were sleeping on the small bit of concrete in between the shops doors and the muddy road. I felt as if I were in a maze, dark, people starting to follow us while asking for money. Feeling slightly uneasy, we turned a corner, and came across another Krishna festival. This time, it was all children dressed up and dancing. As soon as the children had seen us, the started to approach us with warm greetings. The entire group were hams when it came to taking pictures, and of course I have many of those. But before we carried on, ( thought of you Lindsay :) ) I was dancing and shouting with the children!
Finally all my reservations, regrets about this are gone, I do miss everyone, but I am now ready and so very grateful for this adventure! Not to shabby for a first day!
After I settled in, I went to enjoy some breakfast at the rooftop restaurant. A garden was located in the middle of the roof. The view consisted of a dozen children, flying kites on the roof of surrounding high rise buildings. After breakfast, I decided to step out and see if I can avoid these hagglers trying to lure me into their shops. That did last about 20 minutes and while asking for directions, I got directed into a tourism office and of course, was not very helpful. The gentleman helping me was trying to convince me to spend an unreasonable amount of money for a guided tour, another sucker walked in to this scam. It worked out, because I now had a fellow traveller to wander the streets of Delhi.
First sight was the Golden Temple. I couldn't fully understand the gentleman who explained the history, but it is a place where all religions are accepted, as long as you believe in only one god. The architecture of this building was amazing. Everything was made of marble, including the ground. There is a pool on the grounds where people with an ailment, injury or sickness bathe in and pray for healing.
This day was the celebration of Krishna, so there were celebrations everywhere. Women and children dressed in their finest saris, strands of orange flowers covering entryways of various temples. Inside, there was dancing, and many posing in scenes depicting the history of Krishna. At the Lakishna temple, lights blanketed this enourmous temple, better than christmas.
On the walk home, a slight detour was made. Somehow, we ended up outside of the tourist area, and was surrounded by locals. Since it was late in the evening, all the shops were closed and people were sleeping on the small bit of concrete in between the shops doors and the muddy road. I felt as if I were in a maze, dark, people starting to follow us while asking for money. Feeling slightly uneasy, we turned a corner, and came across another Krishna festival. This time, it was all children dressed up and dancing. As soon as the children had seen us, the started to approach us with warm greetings. The entire group were hams when it came to taking pictures, and of course I have many of those. But before we carried on, ( thought of you Lindsay :) ) I was dancing and shouting with the children!
Finally all my reservations, regrets about this are gone, I do miss everyone, but I am now ready and so very grateful for this adventure! Not to shabby for a first day!
16 June 2009
Anticipation
I went to San Francisco last week to pick up my visa, and managed a trip into the city without any parking tickets. Lucked out, because I was parked in a loading zone for about an hour.
When I got back to Visalia, I booked my ticket to India. I am out of here Aug 12th, which is right around the corner. Getting a little stressed when I think about packing, that part is not going to be fun.
When I got back to Visalia, I booked my ticket to India. I am out of here Aug 12th, which is right around the corner. Getting a little stressed when I think about packing, that part is not going to be fun.
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