India- Part 3

During the past month I have been to some of the most amazing places in India.  As I mentioned, I find India to be an easy and appealing travel destination.  Obviously there are aspects which many people find difficult, but if you can roll with it India offers the full spectrum.  I feel like I have experienced more than I can wrap my mind around.  So it is only fitting I am heading to the Sivananda yoga ashram in Madurai (India) for 4 weeks.  I will have plenty of time for contemplation there- while I am supposed to be thinking of nothing

On the surface, spending a month at the Sivananda ashram sounds really great.  Picture dozens of like minded people practicing asana and meditation; dissolving bad karma with good deeds; and living in a state of love, light, rainbows and lollipops.  In reality, experiences like this have a way of changing you forever, even if only subtly.  Once you explore the dark corners of your heart and mind there is no going back.  The more you study the more unanswered questions you have.  And the more awake you become the more you recognize suffering and pain in the world.  But I have never been someone who believes ignorance is bliss.

There is a good chance I will be offline for the next month.  As bizarre as it feels to write this I wish you all a Merry Christmas.  I promise I will be in good company over the holidays at the ashram.  Thinking of home but happily abroad,

Carrie

Mumbai- The most beautiful city in the world???  My favorite anyways.

India- Part 2

Much to my surprise India has turned out to be my favourite country.  What makes India so incredible?  For one, the variety.  Mountains, beaches, jungle and desert.  Adventure, history, culture and nature.  It is all here for your enjoyment.  India is easy to travel around, inexpensive, the food is terrific, and the people are really lovable.  

But beyond the tourist attractions is a country that will touch your soul.  You can feel enthusiastic, dismayed, inspired and saddened in a matter of moments.  You will cringe at the cow eating a plastic bag then smile as people walking by touch the cow and then touch their forehead.  The poverty is shocking, the pollution appalling, yet life goes on.  Yes, India forces you out of your comfort zone but the reward is realizing how wonderful life is.

Below are some things I have learned to get used to but they aren’t necessarily unique to India nor can they be used to stereotype the whole country.  Mostly they are just a bit of fun.  Also pics from Hampi, Hyderabad, Ellora and Ajanta where I saw spectacular Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples.  Thinking of home but happily abroad,

Carrie

• Personal space, what’s that?  Tamil Nadu (state in India) is smaller than Vancouver Island but has more than 2x Canada’s population.  One day I was in a jeep with 25 people- a jeep!  It was hilarious so I was laughing and the locals were laughing at me...It was great.
• Tourist scams are good fun.  You have to be smart in places where the price is different because you are a tourist.  The price you have been quoted is outrageously high, so you say no and give an outrageously low offer.  Eventually you meet in the middle.  It’s a kind of game. 
• Freak or celebrity?  I stand out as a solo female with light skin, hair, and eyes.  Strangers want my picture, want to touch me, want to speak to me, and always seem to be staring.  One woman said to me “you are so white and bright”.  Huh. 
• I keep telling myself I do not hate rats, mice, roaches and bedbugs...But I really do hate bedbugs, gross!

India- Part 1

My first visit to India with Bri was one of my favourite trips.  I knew the adventures of Miss Carrie x2 could never be matched, so I mentally prepared for some disappointment.  But wow, Kolkata is a gem.  Dare I say it could be my favourite city?  It has everything I love- culture, history, beautiful green spaces, bridges(!), a dash of craziness and friendly people.  I love Indians.  They always offer a smile and ask “What is your good name?”  I love their accent, their easygoing nature, their confusing head wobble- does it mean yes, no, maybe, or something else entirely?  Kolkata was the perfect place to begin my Indian journey because it gave me the confidence I needed to tackle this sometimes trying country.  If it had not been for Kolkata I may have abandoned India after visiting Chennai... 

Chennai is my real life experience of hell on earth.  Monsoon season is over so the city is under only 8 inches of water.  It is hot, humid (understatement), polluted, destitute, and the mosquito’s are unbearable.  People walk the streets in flip-flops seemingly unaffected through shin deep stagnant brown water.  OK, I can do this too.  But when I almost step on a drown mouse my composure crumbles.  I retreat to my hotel- where I spend the next 24 hrs in semi-consciousness.  Was it a parasite in the water flooding the streets?  A virus in the tap water?  Bacteria in the street food?  Or maybe a mosquito transmitted disease?  I think Chennai damaged me physically and mentally.

I ditch Chennai and catch a train to Tirupathi where I visit Venkateshwara Temple.  This is the most visited pilgrimage site in India which translates to more people than Mecca, Rome or anywhere else in the world.  Pics are not allowed and it is impossible to comprehend crowds like this.  I was not sure if I should laugh or cry as I moved with the thousands of people to the temple.  A man near me fell as we were on the stairs and without his body to fill the space the crowd started to list to the side.  It was very scary as people started to topple over but we got our bearings and the crowd stabilized again.  All this in hopes Vishnu will grant us a wish.

It may sound like India is a traumatizing experience; no it is more like an awakening.  India is full of life and loss.  Beauty and horror.  Abundance and scarcity.  It is the best possible reminder to appreciate my life and the people in it.  Thinking of home but happily abroad,

Carrie

Kolkata 

Tirupathi

 From the train near Mysore

 Mysore

This is recited daily at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Kolkata.  I wanted to share it with you.

Litany of Reconciliation

The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class

Father, forgive

The covetous desires of men and nations to posses what is not their own

Father, forgive

The greed which exploits the labours of men, and lays waste the earth

Father, forgive

Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others

Father, forgive

Our indifference to the plight of the homeless and the refugee

Father, forgive

The lust which uses for ignoble ends the bodies of men and women

Father, forgive

The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves, and not in God

Father, forgive

Nepal

The moment my plane landed in Kathmandu I knew I was in a totally different culture.  The wheels had barely touched tarmac when people were out of their seats pulling luggage from the overhead compartments while flight attendants hopelessly tried to maintain order.  Nepal brings back memories of my time in India with Bri.  But the Nepali people hate to be compared to India- bragging Nepal is Never Ending Peace And Love whereas India is I’ll Never Do It Again.  I disagree...  

Kathmandu is a frantic city where once again my main safety concern involves automobiles.  Passenger or pedestrian, your life is at risk trying to get from point A to point B- and here they drive on the left side!  This is part of the attraction for me, a totally different way of life that is assaulting and fascinating at the same time.  Kathmandu has a long legacy on the tourist trail.  But after a few days I begin to realize the Kathmandu from 20yrs ago is gone (someone should tell this to the sad looking hippies still moping around Freak Street).  So, after visiting a number of Hindu and Buddhist temples in the valley, I take a break from the cultural in exchange for the scenic.  At first glance Pokhara is the Nepal I imagined.  Surrounded by jungle in a small mountain range before the Himalayas, it is quite a beautiful place.  But I feel like package tourism has ruined Pokhara- and Nepal.  The kind, honest and respectable nature of the Nepali people has been replaced by an addiction to the all mighty dollar.  It is not fair to characterize a whole country like that, but this is my impression.  Even worse was the sheer quantity of Gortex laden, lingo dropping, yuppie-cum-hippie tourists.  It seems like everyone and their dog is doing Everest Base Camp- excuse me, EBC.  And why not?  Simply hire a guide, and a porter, stay at the numerous teahouses (lodges) along the way, and eat in the trailside restaurants too.  

You could argue Egypt has the same problem.  All I can say is Egypt- and Egyptians- have that special something.  More importantly, this is my blog and I don`t need to justify my feelings ;)  Nepal will not be remembered as one of my favourite countries, but I still enjoyed the experience.  Diwali (Festival of Lights) coincided with my time in Pokhara (link below) and I took myself on some impressive day hikes.  Truely, I have no complaints because I am living a surreal life.  Thinking of home but happily abroad,

Carrie

Diwali Info:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/culture/2011-10/25/c_131211298.htm

 Kathmandu Valley- various places and sights...

 Burning ghat

 Pokhara: animals get blessings during Diwali

 Himalaya's

 You have to look close to see the Himalaya's through the clouds

 From the plane...the Himalaya's are as high as we are!