A journey to remember
Leh has been in our itinerary since we left Canada, however the big question was always how will we get to Leh. Leh is a city 3000m high isolated in a Himalayan desert. To get to Leh you can take an expensive flight from Delhi, drive through the politically unstable Kashmir valley or drive a breathtaking but bumpy, narrow, windy Leh-Manali road through 5 mountain passes. When we arrived in Manali we were disappointed that the roads were still closed for commercial vehicles. We entertained ourselves in Manali and a few days slipped by. One day I haphazardly stepped into a travel agency and found out the roads were opening that evening for commercial jeeps. I rushed to the cafe to met Amelia and said, "Do you want to go to Leh at 2am tonight?" She jumped up and suddenly we were shopping for provisions and warm mitts for the 22 hour ride that was supposed to be freezing. The 22 hour bus ride turned out to be the most incredible ride and the hours passed quickly. At 2:30am we boarded the bus, curled into our sleeping bags and fell asleep. At the break of dawn I felt my ears pop and I opened my eyes. All I could see was a 200ft drop below. The landscape continually changed throughout the drive. Each type of geography seemed more dramatic and remote than the last. Sometimes it felt like we were driving along the moon instead of Earth. I have never seen such barren yet beautiful scenery. Several times throughout the drive we stopped either for hanging prayer flags at Buddhist gompas or to get chai from shops in the small villages.
When we arrived in Leh we were greeted by a friendly Nepalese guy, Raj, who brought us to his guest house. Normally, we avoid the people who greet buses since they are often overly persistent and far from the best deal in town. However, Raj's friendly approach convinced us to follow him to his guest house. The guesthouse was run by Raj, his brother and friend. They were super accommodating and provided endless chai and live guitar music. We ended up becoming good friends with Raj because he also was our guide for our trek. However, we couldn't go trekking right away. We could barely walk 15m before feeling out of breath. The change in altitude required a few days for acclimatization. Luckily, Leh itself was breathtakingly beautiful. Buddhism is the predominant religion so prayer flags decorate the streets, large and small prayer wheels are ubiquitous and ancient gompas perch on the surrounding hills.
One day before our trek we went on a trip to Pangong lake. We shared a jeep with an Indian family and bumped along the windy roads for a few hours. The scenery and the road signs kept us well entertained. There is a safe driving campaign that painted warning signs all over the road. For example, "speed is a knife that cuts through life", "after whiskey driving is risky", "safety on the road is safe-tea at home", "if you sleep your family will weep", "check your nerves on my curves" etc. The drive included the second highest motorable pass in the world. We stopped at the top and taught the family from Mumbai how to build a snowman. After we descended into a valley and arrived at probably the most beautiful lake in the world. The highest altitude glacial lake was crystal clear. When the sun shone the water turned a brilliant turquoise blue near the shore and a deep royal blue farther out. The lake was surrounded in large barren orange mountains. It didn't take Amelia and I long before we were enticed to go swimming in the beautiful water. It was absolutely freezing but lots of fun.
Triple birthday
Back in Cochi we had met another Canadian, Jaz, and had spent a fun day together. Then when we were walking through the streets of Leh we bumped into him again. It turned out he had the same birthday as me. During my birthday day Amelia, Raj and I did a trial hike for our trek to check our acclimatization. We hiked over the mountains surrounding Leh to a nearby village. Then in the evening we met up for dinner with Jaz and some other travellers. Soon into our night we overheard someone at the next table say, happy birthday. We had discovered another birthday boy and joined our celebrations.
Marka Valley
Trekking the Himalayas was one of the most incredible experiences. We crossed two passes over 5000m high. Reaching the passes was a highlight. The climb up is steep and the air is thin so often we were out of breath. Each time we stopped we just stood amazed at the stunning view. As we climbed higher and higher the view became more and more spectacular. The mountain ranges seem to go on forever. The lower ranges were jagged and barren. The higher ranges had snow capped peaks that glimmered in the sun. At the top of the pass we are greeted by prayer flags and a 360 degree view.
To trek in the Marka Valley you have two options for accommodation: camping or homestays. We opted for homestays rather than hire a dozen horses, a cook, poneymen and a guide. For camping lots of horses are needed because lightweight packing is a notion that doesn't exist. They bring a whole kitchen, cosy quilts, chairs, adorable but massive Harry Potter style tents etc. Staying in guesthouses while backpacking initially seemed like a crazy idea but the homestay trekking turned out to be a really neat experience. In the late afternoon each day we reached a village and found a homestay. Upon arrival we had copious amounts of chai and Maggi soup (the Indian version of Mr. Noodles). Then after a nice break we would explore the village. Most villages were along a river and a couple had beautiful old monasteries. In the evening we would join the family in the traditional Ladhaki kitchen. The kitchens all had shelves full of beautiful pots and teapots meant for important Buddist festivals. The dinners were delicious and exposed us to a whole new diet. Barley is a staple of the region so we had lots of barley breads. One of the most interesting was tingmomoms, which is steamed barley bread served with delicious soup. Dinner also came with an unlimited amount if tea. The traditional Ladhaki tea is very different than the regular milk and sugar Indian tea. It is a salt butter tea that is made in a 5 ft long cylinder. The salt, butter, water and tea leaves are all placed in the cylinder and then they moved a long stick up and down inside to mixed the ingredients making a schloosh, schloosh sound and delicious savory tea. Some of the homestays were families. At our favorite homestay there was two adorable kids who loved playing with us.
We had many adventures along our trek. One day we did a day hike to a different village. We had the objective of getting tea in this village 11 km away but it turned out this picturesque village had no shops open. There was only an old lady on the top of a hill but she couldn't even make tea. We headed back to our village but when we arrived to the cable car for the river crossing we found out it was stuck on the other side. Raj was fairly worried but Amelia and I just laughed, we had learned in India anything is possible. Sure enough someone eventually came along on the other side and released the stuck trolley.
Along the trek we made friends with a solo trekker, Alex, and his guide, San Paulo. We became a trekker trio with 2 guides. One afternoon we arrived early. We still had plenty of energy so Amelia,Alex and I headed towards the base of a stunningly beautiful peak, Kangazee. We gain altitude with every step. The lack of oxygen and the steep slope made every step difficult. Eventually we collapsed on a rock, laughing hysterically and unable to go any farther. We enjoyed the incredible view, it was well deserved. The sun was shinning on the snowy peaks and there were mountains for as far as I could see.
Mountains and momos
We drove back south over the passes and then continued to McLeod Ganj, home of the Dali Llama and the tibetan exiles. The temple complex is surrounded in prayer flags, prayer wheels and monks walking around. There is also a cute little cafe with a view watching the monks and tourists walk along a path with the Himalayas and setting sun in the background. We found a copy of Harry Potter and spent our relaxing time reading the 2nd half of the last book aloud.
The streets of McLeod Ganj are narrow, busy and full of vendors selling Tibetan and Buddist souvenirs. We joined the tourist hustle bustle and took a momo cooking class. Momos are a delicious Tibetan speciality and not too hard to make.
After momos we took a few steps away from the touristy main street and suddenly we were hiking up yet another beautiful mountain. We passed through farms, pine forests, and a rhododendron forest. We stopped for chai and wild strawberries along the way. We hiked into the mystical looking clouds. When we arrived at the top we found accommodation in the chai shop kitchen. Soon after we arrived the clouds cleared and we had great views of the city on one side and deep valleys and far away peaks on the other side. We had an amazing dinner cooked by the chai shop owner. Dinner was followed by a campfire under the stars with some other hikers. We impressed the Indian hikers when we sung along the the bollywood tunes and showed them our pictures with the big bollywood stars.
By this point we've hiked several mountains in 3 different states. So the next morning it was time to mix it up a little. It was time to try flying. We drove to the top of a different mountain and then got suited up with large parachutes. All of a sudden the guides said run and I ran towards the edge of a cliff. Suddenly my feet were not touching the ground and I was hoisted up into the air. I flew higher and higher. Once I relaxed I enjoyed the incredible sensation of flying. We paraglided amongst the birds, soaring in the current. What an incredible feeling.
The Golden Temple
Coming from Surrey we figured it would be an embarrassment if we returned to Canada without seeing the greatest monument in the Punjab, The Golden Temple. Throughout India we've been surrounded by the incredible Indian hospitality and the Sikhs are certainly no exception. The Golden Temple provides free accommodation for both pilgrims and tourists. Although they certainly give foreigners the royal treatment. They have an impeccably clean AC room guarded by 3 very friendly volunteers. One of the cleanest rooms in India. However, the most impressive Sikh hospitality is their kitchen. Like any Sikh temple they provide free meals but unlike other temples they mange to flawlessly serve between 60-80 thousand people daily. The kitchens are filled with massive vats of dal and vegetables. Each vat is about the size of a hot tub. The dining hall is three stories high and has a continual flow of people arriving, eating and leaving. Many volunteers cook, serve and wash dishes. When you leave you hand your dishes to a man and they instantly fly into an assembly line where they are scraped, tossed into a giant bucket, and passed to the dish pit. There is a constant sound of clanking of the metal dishes being moved through the dish pit. The whole process is astounding and incredibly efficient.
At dawn we went inside the Golden Temple and were dazzled by its beauty and peacefulness. There were many pilgrims bathing and walking around the perimeter. In the inside was a the massive pool of nectar for bathing. A walkway projected into the center of the pool and in the middle was the beautiful Golden Temple.
The Golden Temple is in the city Amritsar, close to the India-Pakistan border. Every dawn and dusk there is an ornate opening and closing of the border ceremony. We jumped in a shared jeep with one of our Ashram friends that we had run into and a group of other foreigners. We joined the masses of Indian tourists heading to the border. Our foreign passports were enough to get us VIP seats and a great view of the border and the stands of Indian tourists. Although since it was the border there were security checks and the rule was no bags of any type. This meant that the bags of popcorn we had just bought presented a problem. Our forever useful dupattas came to our rescue and the border guard said to use them to hold the popcorn. When we sat down excitement and nationalism was exploding from the crowds. You could line up for a chance to run down the road to the border holding the Indian flag. Many women filled the street and starting dancing to the bollywood tunes. It was like a scene from a bollywood film. Everyone was dancing and singing in the streets. Color and happy cheers were bursting from every corner. Then the border guards cleared the street and begun the hilarious ceremony. They had traditional uniforms, complete with funny hats. They walked with perfected unison in many strange routines that involved high kicks and little jumps. The flags were lowered as the sun set and we left amused but a little hungry. Luckily our jeep driver had an amazing food recommendation. We feasted on the most incredible Punjabi food. It was bursting with spice and flavor.
General seating
There are many ways to travel by train in India. The most comfortable way to travel is in the AC cars. The seats are cushy, there is an abundance of leg room, the temperature is perfect and the railway staff are continually offering cooked meals and chai. At night you can get an excellent night sleep. The cabins are shared with 4 or 6 people depending if it is 2 or 3 AC. It seems there is also almost always an Indian mother who insists on sharing her packed meal.
Second class is chair cars during the day and sleeper at night. The seats are only slightly padded, the leg room more limited and elbow room is minimal. Every adult has a ticket but somehow there are often more people than seats so lots of people fill the aisle and children fill their parent's laps. There is a constant hum of fans and the wind rushes against your face. There is a combination of railway staff and boys from the stations that make their way through the aisles to sell food, deep fried snacks, chai etc. 2nd class is a fraction of the price of AC cars and how the majority of people travel. The people are also very friendly and most speak good English. We travel 2nd class by day and AC at night. It may be 7 or 8 times the price to travel AC but the good nights sleep is worth it.
Now there is a way to travel even cheaper than 2nd class. I imagine most people don't even have a ticket. We had a last minute change of plans in Amritsar and we were too late to buy regular, emergency or tourist tickets. The only tickets left were general seating or buses. We were tired of buses so we opted for general seating. Each train has a few cars without seat numbers where it is first come, first serve. Our 10 hour train ride to Dehli cost us 100 rupees ($2.10). When we arrived at the station all the seats in our car were already full but we managed to get a seat in the luggage rack. Over the next ten minutes the luggage racks became jammed full of people and luggage. The aisles also filled so there was no walking room or much wiggle room at all. Then the train jolted and started to move. Suddenly about half a dozen boys ran along the side and jumped on. The last two or three hanging out the door as the train gathered speed. Every stop was a hustle bustle of people shouting and pushing to get on and off. Always at the last minute more people hopped aboard. People watching was at the optimum. Although conversation is limited because hardly anyone speaks English, just friendly smiles. There were all sorts of people of all ages. There was no railway staff and no room for anyone to walk down the aisles so boys at the station sell deep fried and processed snacks through the windows. Luckily after about 4 hours windows seats became available below us and we hopped down and pushed our way into them. It was squished but a bit more comfortable than the luggage rack. The ride was long but it was a fascinating way to travel.
Shopping at last!
Throughout our trip we refrained from buying souvenirs because we didn't want to be burdened by massive packs or carrying multiple bags. Besides, everything is available in Dehli. Finally at the end of our trip we loaded our pockets full of rupees, bought an extra suitcase each and went shopping. We found the perfect shopping spot in New Dehli. The main bazaar forked, on one side was tourist shops and one was the local fruit, vegetable, spice and household markets. We bought all the kitchen supplies to make chapattis. I dug out my list of all the hindi names for spices from Usha. I bought several kg of spices for cooking and tea. The spice stalls are so brightly colored and have mountains of different spices. Each one gives off a powerful aroma. We continued wandering through the shops bartering and buying until the end of the day when we were so exhausted we could no longer bear to stand.
Going on a tiger hunt
Our days in India were numbered but we still had an a few outstanding hopes. The most ambitious: see a tiger. Corbett National park is supposed to have 164 tigers amongst many other cats, mammals, reptiles and birds. However it is also supposed to be full of Indian tourists and jeeps and ride bumper to bumper next to each other. We had received very mixed reviews from other travellers about Corbett. The lack of wildlife sightings and exorbitant foreigner prices ($40 each for a 4 hour safari) weren't encouraging. On the other hand Dehli was hot, it was an easy overnight train away and we had a couple days to spare for a frivolous tiger hunt. Our train arrived at 5 am and we followed the crowd of tourists walking to some unknown destination. It turned out to be the reception center and everyone seemed to know what they were doing. We sat down still sleepy and confused while everyone else shouted and pushed. Turns out it was the queue for getting park permits and some people had queued up as early as 3 am. The crowd disappeared and the permits sold out. We were left sitting with about 10 jeep drivers who wanted to be our driver so they were desperate to help us. We slowly started to figure things out as we woke up and tool turns asking the reception and drivers a series of questions. We realized all the permits were sold out but the drivers insured us it was no problem and just wait. We waited and sure enough reception came across a cancellation and we got a driver and a permit. Our luck was good so far. We also convinced our driver to meet us early so we could be first in the gates.
We successfully arrived first and enjoyed the drive into the center of the park. We saw the elegant spotted deer and the large Saumba deer. Massive ant hills bordered the road and monkeys and birds filled the canopy. The forest yet again was completely different than all the others we had explored. When we arrived at the center of the park we were disappointed to find out despite our first place the ranger's kids got priority to ride the elephants. We had to settle on a jeep ride to explore the park instead. There were many paths but we continually were running into other jeeps. We realized our chance of seeing anything cooler than a deer was pretty much nil. We stopped the jeep and just sat awhile. Nothing much was happening and Corbett was turning out to be as predicted, humans and deer were the only visible mammals. Then suddenly our driver said get down, hold on. He was transformed from a slow sleepy driver to giving out a roar and driving top speed through the jungle. He had received a call from his buddy, a Tiger was spotted. We bumped along as fast as possible, only slowly down for the awesome Monterey lizard that scuttled in front of us. Then we arrived. We saw it, the beautiful cat about 20 m away in the long grass. Its tail rose into the air, flicked back and forth a few times. It turned to look at the crowd and then snuck away into the grass. We were filled with excitement and joy. We actually saw a tiger! Our luck was incredible.
Setrawa memories
While playing with the kids in Setrawa we learned some clapping games. One in particular we remember and have sung it (complete with actions) several times since Setrawa. Each time we sing it I remember the smiling faces in Setrawa. It goes:
Tom and Jerry, Tom and Jerry
Christmas merry, Christmas merry
A la ho, ho, ho
A la see, see, see
A la ho, a la see
Pila pepsi, chala taxi (pila-drink & chala-drive)
Pila Merinda, chala Hero Honda
Pila Frooty, chala Scooty
Pila Limeca, tumka (tumka-you & the action is to bump hips together)
After leaving Setrawa we made a goal to try all of the drinks and ride all of the modes of transport. Pepsi & and taxi was easy. We rode taxis on a few occasions, such as to and from the airport. I don't normally like pop but after walking the ancient ruins in Hampi I craved the cool, sweet carbonation of pepsi. Frooty was a delicious mango juice. We bought juice boxes and they were part of our picnic lunch on the hills in Manali. Scooty we accomplished by driving a scooter through Hampi's countryside. Limeca was similar to sprite but with a strong lime flavor. An excellent refreshment one hot day. Merinda turned out to be a nasty, super sweet orange pop. After sampling Merinda in Mumbai we only had one item outstanding: Hero Honda. Hero Hondas are the most common motorcycle in India. According to one person there was 10 million sold last year and they are the most reliable. They are great for transport in the cities although they are really wimpy looking next to any real motorcycle. Either way it was just a matter of getting the courage to ask someone for a ride. We got close in Manali but our guy was out of petrol. Then in Leh there were no Hero Hondas, they probably couldn't make it up the passes. Finally when we were in Ramnager ( the city outside Corbett Tiger Reserve) we were successful. The guys who helped us get our park permits left at the same time as us. We saw they had motorcycles and we were delighted when we realized they were Hero Hondas. We asked for a ride and it was mission accomplished!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Meditation and adventures
Bend the knee, bend the knee
On the edge of the holy Ganges, 5 km from Rishikesh, is Phool Chatti ashram. It is in an incredibly beautiful location in the Himaylan foothills. The ashram runs week long programs for tourists looking to try out ashram life. The day begins with meditation at 6:00am and includes 3 hours of yoga, meditative walks, a lecture/discussion, guided mediation, chants, Hindu prayers, breathing exercises and nasal cleansing (pouring warm water through your nose and then blowing your nose with 30 other people in the garden). We were so lucky to have the most amazing group of people in our week. Everyone was incredibly open, fun, insightful and respectful. The huge diversity of culture and backgrounds made the group discussions and tea time really interesting. Part of the Ashram life is to maintain silence from bedtime until after lunch. This lasted through the first few days but as we became closer the silence began to fail. Lolita-ji, the yoga instructor, told us at the end that we were such a happy group and we made her happier, but during tea time we reminded her of a railway station. We spent all our spare time bathing in the Ganges or the warmer river that ran into the Ganges. Every evening after 1.5h of yoga in the afternoon heat we would immediately go cool down in the river and watch the sun set between the mountains. On the walks we went to nearby waterfalls and rivers. One day we took a holy bath in the Ganges and followed the proper Hindu protocol for bathing. Another day we found a secret spot in a river where it was appropriate enough to where Bikinis and all the girls enjoyed the opportunity to wear bathing suits instead of clothing in the water. At the Ashram it was neat to learn about Hindu philosophies. It made some of the bizarre and completely different elements of life in Setrawa make more sense. On a whole the ashram experience was really interesting. I learned a lot about several practices which previously were entirely foreign to me. We were the last week of the year so on the last day we all piled into jeeps and drove up a windy road through the mountains. When we arrived we walk up 250 steps to a beautiful temple on the top of the hill. The 360 degree view was incredible. We did pooja (hindu word for prayer), a fire ceremony and had a special feast. From the ashram experience I gained the ability to touch my toes (even sometimes touch my head to my knee!). I enjoyed being able to reflect a little. Never before have I allotted time in my life to doing nothing but thinking or in the case of meditation trying not to think.
So much for non-attachment...
Despite our great discussions at the ashram about non-attachment we all had difficulty detaching from the friendships we had made. The nights following the ashram we lingered in Rishkesh, the nearby city. We enjoyed some great group dinners and some of us went rafting down the Ganges. It was quite the transition from chanting holy mantras about the Ganga to floating down the Ganga while screaming and laughing with excitement. The rapids weren't super extreme but it was still thrilling. Of course it wouldn't be India if half way we didn't stop for chai. The chai shop happened to be by a cliff perfect for jumping. We joined the pushing, laughing crowd of Indians for our chance to plunge into the Ganges. One evening a group of us went to explore an old abandoned ashram. It had a crazy design, the rooms were cylindrical with egg shaped domes on top that were meant for meditation. It was the place that the Beatles stayed when they supposedly wrote the White Album so we hung out and listened to some Beatles tunes.
Rishekesh is a fascinating city to walk around. It is a holy city filled to the brim with orange clad holy men, temples and pilgrims. At sunset when I walked through the streets I could hear temple bells coming from every corner of town. The ghats are filled with Indian visitors having spiritual baths and many local women, men and children who are relaxing or viciously beating the dirt out of their laundry. I went down to one ghat to wash my pants and suddenly I found myself in the middle of a splashing fight with a family of girls (the daughters, aunts, sisters and mothers). None of them can swim so they just stand or sit on the first or second step splashing each other. I felt surrounded by color, water and joy. I was even able to impress them with my little Hindi (tota, tota Hindi).
Back to Surrey
After a couple days we were ready to hit the road again. Nathalia, a charming Colombian, and Luis, a happy Brazilian, joined us for the bus ride to Chandigarh. When we arrived in Chandigarh it felt like home. It is famous for being a planned city because in India a city like a grid is an enormous novelty. Normally the streets are a twisted mess and rarely have commonly known names. However, the grid like streets combined with the punjabi population and simple apartment buildings made it feel exactly like central surrey. A downpour began shortly after we arrived to complete the home feeling. We had a 6 hour layover here. Nathalia was doing an internship here so she invited us all to her flat and made us fantastic Colombian soup and shared some of her precious Columbian sweets.
3 towns, 2 great hikes and 1 new sport
When we arrived in Manali we instantly knew we weren't going to leave anytime soon. Maybe this was because we didn't want to take another bus anytime soon. Our semi deluxe bus should have been named pokey terrible bus. However, it was more so the magical view of the Himalayas that captured our hearts. Our place, apple view, was surrounded by apple orchards and our room had two massive windows with views of the mountains towering over us. The rooftop was the perfect spot for morning yoga and evening star gazing.
The town was divided into three parts and was separated by parks and rivers. New Manali was full of Indian hustle bustle. The markets were exploding with clothing, restaurants, wool, food, and everything the local people needed. There was a beautiful wooden temple in the center of the busy street. Visheshet was the farthest away, it was on the top of a cliff and across the river. Visheshet was a mix of tourist and local. It had all the tourist shops selling regional souvenirs but it also had some great restaurants tucked away at local prices. There was also a beautiful temple with hot-springs inside. The hot-spring bath was too hot to touch for more than a couple seconds but there were taps with slightly cooler water running for bathing. It was fun to sit around the edge amongst the Indian women. There is also a nearby waterfall that draws many foreign and Indian tourists. We climbed high up the bank to get close to the roaring fall. It was incredible to feel its power. We got soaked without actually going in the water. Then it started to rain so we retreated to a chai shop with a tarp tent. We enjoyed our chai as we listened to the rain on the tarp and the slightly crazy chai man tell us about his life. Despite Visheshet being far away we seemed to end up there at least once a day. Firstly because of the hot-springs and waterfalls and then because our favorite travel agency was based there. Top rock was run by a group of French women who import European adventure and climbing gear to India and lead many adventure activities. We were also enticed to come back to Visheshet because our favorite restaurant, the Tibetan Kitchen, was there. It first caught my eye when I saw two ladies sitting in the sunshine out front. One woman, the cook, had a great smile and good English. She cooked us up a variety of momos. Momos are a bit like perogies, they have a filling surrounded in dough and can be either deep fried or steamed. We had the typical momos that you can find anywhere: chicken, veg, cheese and spinach. However, she also cooked a unique, to die for, chocolate momo. It was absolutely delicious. The other woman was older and she remained seated with us. She spent the whole time knitting as many older women here seem to do. Before we left Manali we each bought a pair of her woolen socks to keep our feet warm at night. After a few visits to top rock we successfully organized canyoning. Amelia and I headed out with two fantastic guides and spent the day rappelling and sliding down 15 waterfalls. The biggest were 75, 70 and 50 meters high. It was a beautiful day and an incredible, adrenaline filled experience.
Lastly, the third town was Old Manali. Its main road was completely dedicated to foreign tourists. It was filled with guesthouses, souvenir shops, cafes, travel agencies, and cosy restaurants. Although once you step behind the main street you find yourself in a maze of paths that wind between traditional houses and small farms. One day amelia and I wandered through these streets and it lead us to a mountain. We climbed part way up through pine forests and alpine meadows. At an amazing view point we enjoyed yak cheese sandwiches. They were delicious and it was great to have a cheese more flavorful than paneer (cow cheese). We spent our evenings here in Old Manali. Luis, Amelia and I ran into several other people from our Ashram as well as some people we all had met in other cities in the south, west and east. It seems everyone left in India was ready to flee the heat for the cool mountain air. Amelia and I wear our long johns at night. We are relieved we didn't carry them through India for nothing!
On the edge of the holy Ganges, 5 km from Rishikesh, is Phool Chatti ashram. It is in an incredibly beautiful location in the Himaylan foothills. The ashram runs week long programs for tourists looking to try out ashram life. The day begins with meditation at 6:00am and includes 3 hours of yoga, meditative walks, a lecture/discussion, guided mediation, chants, Hindu prayers, breathing exercises and nasal cleansing (pouring warm water through your nose and then blowing your nose with 30 other people in the garden). We were so lucky to have the most amazing group of people in our week. Everyone was incredibly open, fun, insightful and respectful. The huge diversity of culture and backgrounds made the group discussions and tea time really interesting. Part of the Ashram life is to maintain silence from bedtime until after lunch. This lasted through the first few days but as we became closer the silence began to fail. Lolita-ji, the yoga instructor, told us at the end that we were such a happy group and we made her happier, but during tea time we reminded her of a railway station. We spent all our spare time bathing in the Ganges or the warmer river that ran into the Ganges. Every evening after 1.5h of yoga in the afternoon heat we would immediately go cool down in the river and watch the sun set between the mountains. On the walks we went to nearby waterfalls and rivers. One day we took a holy bath in the Ganges and followed the proper Hindu protocol for bathing. Another day we found a secret spot in a river where it was appropriate enough to where Bikinis and all the girls enjoyed the opportunity to wear bathing suits instead of clothing in the water. At the Ashram it was neat to learn about Hindu philosophies. It made some of the bizarre and completely different elements of life in Setrawa make more sense. On a whole the ashram experience was really interesting. I learned a lot about several practices which previously were entirely foreign to me. We were the last week of the year so on the last day we all piled into jeeps and drove up a windy road through the mountains. When we arrived we walk up 250 steps to a beautiful temple on the top of the hill. The 360 degree view was incredible. We did pooja (hindu word for prayer), a fire ceremony and had a special feast. From the ashram experience I gained the ability to touch my toes (even sometimes touch my head to my knee!). I enjoyed being able to reflect a little. Never before have I allotted time in my life to doing nothing but thinking or in the case of meditation trying not to think.
So much for non-attachment...
Despite our great discussions at the ashram about non-attachment we all had difficulty detaching from the friendships we had made. The nights following the ashram we lingered in Rishkesh, the nearby city. We enjoyed some great group dinners and some of us went rafting down the Ganges. It was quite the transition from chanting holy mantras about the Ganga to floating down the Ganga while screaming and laughing with excitement. The rapids weren't super extreme but it was still thrilling. Of course it wouldn't be India if half way we didn't stop for chai. The chai shop happened to be by a cliff perfect for jumping. We joined the pushing, laughing crowd of Indians for our chance to plunge into the Ganges. One evening a group of us went to explore an old abandoned ashram. It had a crazy design, the rooms were cylindrical with egg shaped domes on top that were meant for meditation. It was the place that the Beatles stayed when they supposedly wrote the White Album so we hung out and listened to some Beatles tunes.
Rishekesh is a fascinating city to walk around. It is a holy city filled to the brim with orange clad holy men, temples and pilgrims. At sunset when I walked through the streets I could hear temple bells coming from every corner of town. The ghats are filled with Indian visitors having spiritual baths and many local women, men and children who are relaxing or viciously beating the dirt out of their laundry. I went down to one ghat to wash my pants and suddenly I found myself in the middle of a splashing fight with a family of girls (the daughters, aunts, sisters and mothers). None of them can swim so they just stand or sit on the first or second step splashing each other. I felt surrounded by color, water and joy. I was even able to impress them with my little Hindi (tota, tota Hindi).
Back to Surrey
After a couple days we were ready to hit the road again. Nathalia, a charming Colombian, and Luis, a happy Brazilian, joined us for the bus ride to Chandigarh. When we arrived in Chandigarh it felt like home. It is famous for being a planned city because in India a city like a grid is an enormous novelty. Normally the streets are a twisted mess and rarely have commonly known names. However, the grid like streets combined with the punjabi population and simple apartment buildings made it feel exactly like central surrey. A downpour began shortly after we arrived to complete the home feeling. We had a 6 hour layover here. Nathalia was doing an internship here so she invited us all to her flat and made us fantastic Colombian soup and shared some of her precious Columbian sweets.
3 towns, 2 great hikes and 1 new sport
When we arrived in Manali we instantly knew we weren't going to leave anytime soon. Maybe this was because we didn't want to take another bus anytime soon. Our semi deluxe bus should have been named pokey terrible bus. However, it was more so the magical view of the Himalayas that captured our hearts. Our place, apple view, was surrounded by apple orchards and our room had two massive windows with views of the mountains towering over us. The rooftop was the perfect spot for morning yoga and evening star gazing.
The town was divided into three parts and was separated by parks and rivers. New Manali was full of Indian hustle bustle. The markets were exploding with clothing, restaurants, wool, food, and everything the local people needed. There was a beautiful wooden temple in the center of the busy street. Visheshet was the farthest away, it was on the top of a cliff and across the river. Visheshet was a mix of tourist and local. It had all the tourist shops selling regional souvenirs but it also had some great restaurants tucked away at local prices. There was also a beautiful temple with hot-springs inside. The hot-spring bath was too hot to touch for more than a couple seconds but there were taps with slightly cooler water running for bathing. It was fun to sit around the edge amongst the Indian women. There is also a nearby waterfall that draws many foreign and Indian tourists. We climbed high up the bank to get close to the roaring fall. It was incredible to feel its power. We got soaked without actually going in the water. Then it started to rain so we retreated to a chai shop with a tarp tent. We enjoyed our chai as we listened to the rain on the tarp and the slightly crazy chai man tell us about his life. Despite Visheshet being far away we seemed to end up there at least once a day. Firstly because of the hot-springs and waterfalls and then because our favorite travel agency was based there. Top rock was run by a group of French women who import European adventure and climbing gear to India and lead many adventure activities. We were also enticed to come back to Visheshet because our favorite restaurant, the Tibetan Kitchen, was there. It first caught my eye when I saw two ladies sitting in the sunshine out front. One woman, the cook, had a great smile and good English. She cooked us up a variety of momos. Momos are a bit like perogies, they have a filling surrounded in dough and can be either deep fried or steamed. We had the typical momos that you can find anywhere: chicken, veg, cheese and spinach. However, she also cooked a unique, to die for, chocolate momo. It was absolutely delicious. The other woman was older and she remained seated with us. She spent the whole time knitting as many older women here seem to do. Before we left Manali we each bought a pair of her woolen socks to keep our feet warm at night. After a few visits to top rock we successfully organized canyoning. Amelia and I headed out with two fantastic guides and spent the day rappelling and sliding down 15 waterfalls. The biggest were 75, 70 and 50 meters high. It was a beautiful day and an incredible, adrenaline filled experience.
Lastly, the third town was Old Manali. Its main road was completely dedicated to foreign tourists. It was filled with guesthouses, souvenir shops, cafes, travel agencies, and cosy restaurants. Although once you step behind the main street you find yourself in a maze of paths that wind between traditional houses and small farms. One day amelia and I wandered through these streets and it lead us to a mountain. We climbed part way up through pine forests and alpine meadows. At an amazing view point we enjoyed yak cheese sandwiches. They were delicious and it was great to have a cheese more flavorful than paneer (cow cheese). We spent our evenings here in Old Manali. Luis, Amelia and I ran into several other people from our Ashram as well as some people we all had met in other cities in the south, west and east. It seems everyone left in India was ready to flee the heat for the cool mountain air. Amelia and I wear our long johns at night. We are relieved we didn't carry them through India for nothing!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Mountain, elephants and movie stars
Mountains of tea
On our way to the hill station, Kumali, we had one of the most incredible bus rides. I quickly learnt that aggressive Indian driving is no different on windy roads that are full of switchbacks and blind corners. However, our driver seemed both skillful and experienced so I spent the 8 hours enjoying the incredible scenery. There are no windows on the buses so the refreshing wind blew in our faces. We travelled up and down mountains covered in lush jungle. From the tops of the mountain passes we had stunning views of the deep valleys. After we climbed high into the mountains the jungle was replaced with hillsides of tea plantations. We had discovered the source of all the great Indian tea. The next day we met two Spanish girls and the four of us rented bikes. The bikes were ancient, heavy and only had one gear but we had a great day biking through the tea plantations and jungle. We stopped to check out a tea plantation and were instantly surrounded with a gang of curious kids who live on the plantation. One little rascal deflated the tire on one of the spanish girl's bike. It became quite the spectacle but somehow a bike pump appeared and eventually the tire was pumped up. After 13 km of biking down a mountain we arrived at a tea factory. It was neat to see how tea is processed from bright green leaves to a fine black powder. We learnt how different kinds of tea are made and sampled a few different types. It was the first time in India I've been served tea without milk and copious amounts of sugar. Then after wandering through the tea plants we began our climb back up the mountain.
Europe in India
Tucked away from the chaos of India is fort Cochin. Fort Cochin has been ruled by the Dutch, Portuguese, and British. The European influence here is still very obvious. There is a beautiful basilica, quiet streets and hints European architecture. It felt like Europe but with amazing Indian food and rickshaws.
You people
May 12 was one of the few dates that we planned for in advance because there was supposed to be the biggest Elephant prossesion at a temple festival in Thrissur. We day-tripped from Cochi and arrived around noon. We wandered the extensive temple grounds and ran into several small crowds and groups of 4-7 elephants. Each group of elephants had a musical accompaniment and riders that danced on the elephant's backs. There was even day time fireworks. I orginally thought it as a typo when I saw fireworks scheduled for 1:00pm. They shot things into the air. Each one exploded with a bit of color and a parachute that opened. The brightly colored parachutes all got caught in the breeze and floated in the sky above the temple.
Around 4 o clock we contemplated leaving but realized a large crowd was beginning to form outside the entrance of the main temple. The energy of the crowd was too exciting to leave. The police had a large rope holding back the crowds so that the road to the temple entrance remained clear. We weren't really sure where to stand so we asked a police officer. He looked at us but was unsure of how to respond. Then finally he replied that there were chairs for "you people". We quickly headed up the hill leading to the temple and were seated in a roped off platform protected by police officers. There were several other western tourists, a handful of Indian women and people from the press also sitting down. We were lucky to be seated by a lovely local Indian woman. She explained that 15 elephants would come out of the temple, walk down the streets, turn around and then have a face-off with 15 more elephants that would come out of the temple. The goal of the competition was to have the riders change the parosals that they were holding on top of the elephant heads. The first set of elephants alone was beautiful. They showed off a few sets of beautiful parosols. They changed parosols in time with the music and enthusiasm from the crowd. When they began to walk down the street the new elephants emerged from the temple. Simultaneously the rope holding back the crowd gave away and people flooded the road. Never in my life have I seen a crowd of so many people. I feel like a million may be a conservative estimate. The police force lost a lot of ground but by holding hands they were able to hold back enough space to fit the new 15 elephants. Somehow the first 15 elephants made their way through the sea of people and turned around.
Now changing the color and type of parosol in unison while standing on an elephant is impressive. However, when you have a million people in between the sets of elephants who are dancing and screaming with excitement then it becomes one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen. From the elevated platform we had the best view of the procession and were quite happy to be out of the crowd that was probably 90% male. Sadly dusk was quickly approaching and we knew that we should head back to Cochi. The festival continued until 3am and eventually there would be 107 elephants. We were ushered down and out of the thick crowd by the police officers. We arrived back in Cochi exhausted but estatic from the festival.
Hampi
Giant boulders are scattered throughout Hampi. Sometimes they pile into mountains and often they balance on top of each other precariously. They create the most unique and dramatic landscape I have ever seen. Between the mountains of boulders are lush valleys of banana plantations and sugar cane fields. Ancient ruins from an abandoned civilization are scattered throughout the region. There are ancient markets, temples, palaces, homes and ghats. The ruins are too many and too far apart to fence them all off. Instead some have become modern day homes, some are resting spots for shepherds, some are lunch spots for locals and many others lie abandoned to be explored by children, Indian and foreign tourists. Only the most spectacular temple, the elephant stables and part of the Queen's palace are gated and require entrance fees. The idea of seeing an elephant stable was irresistible so we splurged on the world heritage site fee. We spent a day wandering through many of the ruins.
A river flows through the valley and near the city the ancient ghats are still used today for washing clothes, people and even the temple elephant, laxmi. The many happy bathers and the colorful laundry and saris make the ghats a beautiful sight. It looked like so much fun that Amelia and I spent a full afternoon also swimming in the river and floating in the gentle current.
Ever since Europe Amelia and I have wanted to rent scooters but the timing was always wrong or the roads were too dangerous for us. Finally Hampi seemed like the perfect destination. We took turns driving down the quiet country roads where the only danger was running into herds of cows. It was an incredible day. We went to the Durga temple and then followed a quiet path up the mountain. We climbed up to a spectacular view point. Giant boulders leaned up next to each other and between them the cracks created a neat network of caves.
We also drove to the base of another large hill and climbed up hundreds of stairs to reach the monkey temple. It was a really neat temple and we were able to impress them by properly entering the temple as we had learned in Setrawa. There was even a couple of monkeys running about.
As we were driving we saw a sign that said: cave paintings. This brought us to a gentle man who lead us behind his sugarcane fields to more piles of boulders. He showed us several spots with neat cave paintings. Finally, we were feeling hot from all the steps and climbing so we headed to the lake. We had a refreshing swim in the surprisingly cool water.
Hampi is a spot that many travelers recommend and many end up staying for weeks. Now I understand why. If we hadn't already booked an onward ticket we would probably be stuck lounging in hammocks or in the cosy restaurant filled with cushions and small groups of travelers. However, we managed to leave and we are on the night bus to Mumbai. We are leaving Hampi relaxed and ready to face the city chaos!
Mumbai madness
Anyone who has read Shantaram can imagine Mumbai. Leopold's cafe, Colaba, the slums, bollywood and chowpattty beach is just as the book describes. By the end of our 3 days in the city we had connected with a fun, diverse group of travellers. It felt a little bit scripted from Shataram when on our last day we were enjoying a drink at Leopold's when we haphazardly ran into one of our friends. We were soon joined by others for a sunset walk to boardwalk beach.
Mumbai is such an interesting city. It has the famous bollywood stars, posh restaurants and clubs, a rich upper class and many member only cricket fields, pools and libraries. The same city is filled with legal and illegal slums. This includes the largest slum in Asia, 1 million people in 1.75 square km. We did a tour of this slum and learned about the fascinating industries within that generate $650 million in legally taxed revenues alone. It is incredible how much recycling occurs in the slum. There is no such thing as non recyclable plastic. Almost any type of
garbage is converted into profit.
Amelia and I spent one of our mumbai days shopping and eating our way through the city. We followed a recommended walking route which guided us past stunning examples of British Architecture. The high court, the university, banks and many other majestic colonial buildings retain their original function today. The streets are filled with honking traffic like anywhere in India but old fashion black and yellow taxis have replaced rickshaws. The sidewalks are filled with vendors eager to sell you anything. We bought new flip flops, headphones and restocked our book collection. The book stalls have the most amazing selection. There are the many popular Indian novels as well as the best of English literature. Pretty much all the books that I've ever intended to read are available for $3-5. The sidewalks are also filled with a smorgasbord of delicious street food. All day we sampled various dishes including sugar cane juice, Chinese noodles, sandwiches of deep fried items, bel puri ( a snack mix of dried noodles, puffed rice, tomatoes, onions, lime juice and lots of spice), dosas, and fresh mango ice-cream. Of course we also stopped for chai a few times along the way.
We ended our day with a sunset walk down the marine drive boardwalk to chowpatty beach. The board walk was filled with families, groups of teenagers, young lovers and old couples. People walked along the boardwalk or sat on the edge. There was even a few speedwalkers and runners along the side. The beach was packed and full of people, vendors and amazing food stalls. Many people waded along the edge of the sea. Amelia and I impressed some kids with our sandcastle making abilities. When the sun set streetlights light up the 3km long boardwalk which curled around the bay.
On our second day Amelia and I were recruited to become the next two bollywood stars! Well, that is a slight exaggeration but we were recruited to spend the day as extras on the bollywood set Desi Boyz. We were lucky to be filming with one of the with one of the biggest bollywood stars, Ashake Kumar. He had happened to also star in The Patala house, a film we previously saw in Jaipur. The set was an English underground salsa club so we spent the day holding fake alcohol and chatting with the other Western recruits. It was actually the closest we've been to a club in India. However, instead of loud music there was cheorographers, the lighting and sound crew and the directors organizing everyone in a mix of hindi and English. The assistant director kept moving us around the set. Sometimes we stood at the bar, other times we were leaning against a hollow pillar or standing in a crowd. It was neat to get a glimpse of the film industry and see how movies are shot. Our girls in Setrawa would be dying in envy if they knew that we may have been caught on camera with one of their favorite stars. It was a long day but quite social and there is a decent chance I may have a second or two of glory as an actress. After the shooting finished we joined the other extras and went out to celebrate our fame. We all put our hard earned 500 ruppees towards a fantastic dinner and a real drink.
On our way to the hill station, Kumali, we had one of the most incredible bus rides. I quickly learnt that aggressive Indian driving is no different on windy roads that are full of switchbacks and blind corners. However, our driver seemed both skillful and experienced so I spent the 8 hours enjoying the incredible scenery. There are no windows on the buses so the refreshing wind blew in our faces. We travelled up and down mountains covered in lush jungle. From the tops of the mountain passes we had stunning views of the deep valleys. After we climbed high into the mountains the jungle was replaced with hillsides of tea plantations. We had discovered the source of all the great Indian tea. The next day we met two Spanish girls and the four of us rented bikes. The bikes were ancient, heavy and only had one gear but we had a great day biking through the tea plantations and jungle. We stopped to check out a tea plantation and were instantly surrounded with a gang of curious kids who live on the plantation. One little rascal deflated the tire on one of the spanish girl's bike. It became quite the spectacle but somehow a bike pump appeared and eventually the tire was pumped up. After 13 km of biking down a mountain we arrived at a tea factory. It was neat to see how tea is processed from bright green leaves to a fine black powder. We learnt how different kinds of tea are made and sampled a few different types. It was the first time in India I've been served tea without milk and copious amounts of sugar. Then after wandering through the tea plants we began our climb back up the mountain.
Europe in India
Tucked away from the chaos of India is fort Cochin. Fort Cochin has been ruled by the Dutch, Portuguese, and British. The European influence here is still very obvious. There is a beautiful basilica, quiet streets and hints European architecture. It felt like Europe but with amazing Indian food and rickshaws.
You people
May 12 was one of the few dates that we planned for in advance because there was supposed to be the biggest Elephant prossesion at a temple festival in Thrissur. We day-tripped from Cochi and arrived around noon. We wandered the extensive temple grounds and ran into several small crowds and groups of 4-7 elephants. Each group of elephants had a musical accompaniment and riders that danced on the elephant's backs. There was even day time fireworks. I orginally thought it as a typo when I saw fireworks scheduled for 1:00pm. They shot things into the air. Each one exploded with a bit of color and a parachute that opened. The brightly colored parachutes all got caught in the breeze and floated in the sky above the temple.
Around 4 o clock we contemplated leaving but realized a large crowd was beginning to form outside the entrance of the main temple. The energy of the crowd was too exciting to leave. The police had a large rope holding back the crowds so that the road to the temple entrance remained clear. We weren't really sure where to stand so we asked a police officer. He looked at us but was unsure of how to respond. Then finally he replied that there were chairs for "you people". We quickly headed up the hill leading to the temple and were seated in a roped off platform protected by police officers. There were several other western tourists, a handful of Indian women and people from the press also sitting down. We were lucky to be seated by a lovely local Indian woman. She explained that 15 elephants would come out of the temple, walk down the streets, turn around and then have a face-off with 15 more elephants that would come out of the temple. The goal of the competition was to have the riders change the parosals that they were holding on top of the elephant heads. The first set of elephants alone was beautiful. They showed off a few sets of beautiful parosols. They changed parosols in time with the music and enthusiasm from the crowd. When they began to walk down the street the new elephants emerged from the temple. Simultaneously the rope holding back the crowd gave away and people flooded the road. Never in my life have I seen a crowd of so many people. I feel like a million may be a conservative estimate. The police force lost a lot of ground but by holding hands they were able to hold back enough space to fit the new 15 elephants. Somehow the first 15 elephants made their way through the sea of people and turned around.
Now changing the color and type of parosol in unison while standing on an elephant is impressive. However, when you have a million people in between the sets of elephants who are dancing and screaming with excitement then it becomes one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen. From the elevated platform we had the best view of the procession and were quite happy to be out of the crowd that was probably 90% male. Sadly dusk was quickly approaching and we knew that we should head back to Cochi. The festival continued until 3am and eventually there would be 107 elephants. We were ushered down and out of the thick crowd by the police officers. We arrived back in Cochi exhausted but estatic from the festival.
Hampi
Giant boulders are scattered throughout Hampi. Sometimes they pile into mountains and often they balance on top of each other precariously. They create the most unique and dramatic landscape I have ever seen. Between the mountains of boulders are lush valleys of banana plantations and sugar cane fields. Ancient ruins from an abandoned civilization are scattered throughout the region. There are ancient markets, temples, palaces, homes and ghats. The ruins are too many and too far apart to fence them all off. Instead some have become modern day homes, some are resting spots for shepherds, some are lunch spots for locals and many others lie abandoned to be explored by children, Indian and foreign tourists. Only the most spectacular temple, the elephant stables and part of the Queen's palace are gated and require entrance fees. The idea of seeing an elephant stable was irresistible so we splurged on the world heritage site fee. We spent a day wandering through many of the ruins.
A river flows through the valley and near the city the ancient ghats are still used today for washing clothes, people and even the temple elephant, laxmi. The many happy bathers and the colorful laundry and saris make the ghats a beautiful sight. It looked like so much fun that Amelia and I spent a full afternoon also swimming in the river and floating in the gentle current.
Ever since Europe Amelia and I have wanted to rent scooters but the timing was always wrong or the roads were too dangerous for us. Finally Hampi seemed like the perfect destination. We took turns driving down the quiet country roads where the only danger was running into herds of cows. It was an incredible day. We went to the Durga temple and then followed a quiet path up the mountain. We climbed up to a spectacular view point. Giant boulders leaned up next to each other and between them the cracks created a neat network of caves.
We also drove to the base of another large hill and climbed up hundreds of stairs to reach the monkey temple. It was a really neat temple and we were able to impress them by properly entering the temple as we had learned in Setrawa. There was even a couple of monkeys running about.
As we were driving we saw a sign that said: cave paintings. This brought us to a gentle man who lead us behind his sugarcane fields to more piles of boulders. He showed us several spots with neat cave paintings. Finally, we were feeling hot from all the steps and climbing so we headed to the lake. We had a refreshing swim in the surprisingly cool water.
Hampi is a spot that many travelers recommend and many end up staying for weeks. Now I understand why. If we hadn't already booked an onward ticket we would probably be stuck lounging in hammocks or in the cosy restaurant filled with cushions and small groups of travelers. However, we managed to leave and we are on the night bus to Mumbai. We are leaving Hampi relaxed and ready to face the city chaos!
Mumbai madness
Anyone who has read Shantaram can imagine Mumbai. Leopold's cafe, Colaba, the slums, bollywood and chowpattty beach is just as the book describes. By the end of our 3 days in the city we had connected with a fun, diverse group of travellers. It felt a little bit scripted from Shataram when on our last day we were enjoying a drink at Leopold's when we haphazardly ran into one of our friends. We were soon joined by others for a sunset walk to boardwalk beach.
Mumbai is such an interesting city. It has the famous bollywood stars, posh restaurants and clubs, a rich upper class and many member only cricket fields, pools and libraries. The same city is filled with legal and illegal slums. This includes the largest slum in Asia, 1 million people in 1.75 square km. We did a tour of this slum and learned about the fascinating industries within that generate $650 million in legally taxed revenues alone. It is incredible how much recycling occurs in the slum. There is no such thing as non recyclable plastic. Almost any type of
garbage is converted into profit.
Amelia and I spent one of our mumbai days shopping and eating our way through the city. We followed a recommended walking route which guided us past stunning examples of British Architecture. The high court, the university, banks and many other majestic colonial buildings retain their original function today. The streets are filled with honking traffic like anywhere in India but old fashion black and yellow taxis have replaced rickshaws. The sidewalks are filled with vendors eager to sell you anything. We bought new flip flops, headphones and restocked our book collection. The book stalls have the most amazing selection. There are the many popular Indian novels as well as the best of English literature. Pretty much all the books that I've ever intended to read are available for $3-5. The sidewalks are also filled with a smorgasbord of delicious street food. All day we sampled various dishes including sugar cane juice, Chinese noodles, sandwiches of deep fried items, bel puri ( a snack mix of dried noodles, puffed rice, tomatoes, onions, lime juice and lots of spice), dosas, and fresh mango ice-cream. Of course we also stopped for chai a few times along the way.
We ended our day with a sunset walk down the marine drive boardwalk to chowpatty beach. The board walk was filled with families, groups of teenagers, young lovers and old couples. People walked along the boardwalk or sat on the edge. There was even a few speedwalkers and runners along the side. The beach was packed and full of people, vendors and amazing food stalls. Many people waded along the edge of the sea. Amelia and I impressed some kids with our sandcastle making abilities. When the sun set streetlights light up the 3km long boardwalk which curled around the bay.
On our second day Amelia and I were recruited to become the next two bollywood stars! Well, that is a slight exaggeration but we were recruited to spend the day as extras on the bollywood set Desi Boyz. We were lucky to be filming with one of the with one of the biggest bollywood stars, Ashake Kumar. He had happened to also star in The Patala house, a film we previously saw in Jaipur. The set was an English underground salsa club so we spent the day holding fake alcohol and chatting with the other Western recruits. It was actually the closest we've been to a club in India. However, instead of loud music there was cheorographers, the lighting and sound crew and the directors organizing everyone in a mix of hindi and English. The assistant director kept moving us around the set. Sometimes we stood at the bar, other times we were leaning against a hollow pillar or standing in a crowd. It was neat to get a glimpse of the film industry and see how movies are shot. Our girls in Setrawa would be dying in envy if they knew that we may have been caught on camera with one of their favorite stars. It was a long day but quite social and there is a decent chance I may have a second or two of glory as an actress. After the shooting finished we joined the other extras and went out to celebrate our fame. We all put our hard earned 500 ruppees towards a fantastic dinner and a real drink.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Start and Finish
Khusi
Khusi in hindi means happiness and could not be a more appropriate name for 1 year old baby Khusi. She is the cutest and happiest baby I have ever met. She only ever fusses when she is provoked and teased by the neighbor boy. Every time I saw her she light up with a great big smile. One of her party tricks is that if you blow her a kiss then she'll blow one back to you. So whenever I see her I get a smile, a kiss and usually a cuddle and some playtime. It was definitely mentioned a few times that they should be watchful because we wanted to take Khusi back to Canada.
Morning in the desert
The middle of the day can be crazy hot but the evenings and mornings are a beautiful temperature. In the last few weeks Amelia and I started waking up early to take advantage of this morning bliss. Some mornings we would run along the highway which winds between large golden dunes. Other mornings we would run along little side roads that went through the desert crops and past small houses on the outskirts of town. Sometimes the heat would begin early so our run would be slowed to a walk. One warmer morning we climbed to the top of a dune and were awestruck by the stunning vista of the desert that surrounded us. The view was complemented by a family of antelope bounding up the dunes and disappearing into the rolling sand dunes.
Goodbyes
The sun is setting over the desert and my heart feels like it is bursting with love, joy and sadness. We just had the most heartfelt send off from Sambhali. It is a moment I want to remember forever. We walked hand-in-hand with the afternoon girls to the bus stop. The afternoon girls have had many volunteers come and go but their goodbyes were still heartfelt. Each girl is so unique and I wish the best for each of them. At the bus stop we were joined by the morning boys. The looks on the faces of Jeetu, Jhoba Ram, and Anil was a mix of genuine sadness and appreciation. They have only been coming to Sambhali for a month but they love it. These boys spend the rest of their day at the hot bus stop selling water and snacks to bus passengers. They are role models to the younger boys and girls, they are keen to learn and they sing the prayers and rhymes with incredible heart. I hope they will continue coming to Sambhali. Earlier in the day I had had a particularly hard time saying good-bye to the regular morning girls. Pintu's eyes filled with tears. I think if she had stayed around much longer she would have convinced me to stay. She is so confident and is able to communicate so much with her very broken English. Goodie too, amazes me with her communication. Goodie is so smart and I hope she will become educated. She has the confidence and leadership skills to make a change in her world. Goodie's confidence and intelligence is rivaled by her kindness. This morning told me to close my eyes and open my hands. She gifted me a little ring. Another hard goodbye was Jitu and Cowerie. They are the most regular in my morning English class and have worked their way into my heart. Cowerie has an unforgettable smile that is filled with warmth. I love seeing her smile. Jitu is smart and incredibly caring towards the younger kids. She can be quite reserved, especially around Mool Singh, but I cherish the many moments when she came out of her shell and laughed, danced and played. It is amazing how many inside jokes you can have despite a massive language barrier.
My last night in Setrawa was so special. I went for dinner at Amelia's house. Pushpa made a feast, including several special dishes. I had my last play with Kushi and enjoyed the antics of Amelia's family. When I returned home I spent the evening with Usha, her mom, and Moti. The evening was going along as normal until suddenly the power cut out. Without the fan it is too hot to stay inside so we moved up to the roof. On the roof Usha and I enjoyed the stars and the cool air. It was so nice that Usha quickly decided we should spend the night on the roof. We went downstairs and threw all the pillows and blankets up through the large hole in the ceiling. We spread out all the mats on the roof and fell asleep under the starry desert sky. In the morning I enjoyed a wonderful final breakfast with my family. We all sat on the floor around the stove enjoying my one of my favorite spicy Indian breakfasts. Then I asked if I could take a picture of the family. Moti and Usha's mom quickly retreated to the side room. Costelli changed her sari and put on a new Bindi dot. Moti had to fix his his hair and change his shirt. Finally they were ready and I snapped a couple family shots. Soon after breakfast I said my goodbyes and received lots of warm hugs from my family and neighbors. I may never see any of them again but I will be forever grateful for their generosity and acceptance. It was an incredible experience to be welcomed into their lives.
A wish come true
Our flight to the south we went Dehli-Mumbai-Trividadum. However when we went to check in for our connecting flight in Mumbai we were informed that it no longer existed. The airline had stopped flying to that destination. Amelia and I could barely exchange worried glances before the woman at the counter came up with a solution. She said, "this is what we will do: you will fly on another airline, we've upgraded you to first class and here is a valet to take you to the other terminal because your flight leaves in 45 minutes". It was the first time either of us had flown 1st class and we enjoyed all the leg room and luxeries.
A new pace of life
When left the airport in Trividadum I think I had the biggest culture shock of the trip. Could this really be the same country that we just spend the past two months in? Everything was different. Even the air smelt and felt different. Kerala is a jungle oasis, filled with palm trees, flowers and dense, lush jungle. The people are darker skinned and the brilliant colors of northern saris don't seem to exist in the south. The men wear lungis (essentially a towel/sarong) instead of dress pants. The markets are filled with fruits and all sorts of new tasty snacks I am keen to try. Our Hindi is useless in the south but the local people's English is excellent. We bused to a small beach town, Varkala. All the hotels and restaurants perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. There are several sets of steep stairs that lead to the beach where big waves crash. Amelia and I were jumping with joy when we saw the ocean. Within minutes of finding a room we were in the sea. The next days became a blur of bodysurfing, boggy boarding, eating amazing keralan food and hanging out with travelers. The monsoon is supposed to start in a couple weeks so the tourist season is essentially over. This meant a normally overly crowded beach destination only had a smattering of tourists. It was interesting to see the town starting to close up. One night we joined a group of people for their favorite dinner spot. We walked off the main boardwalk, down some dark winding paths and arrived at "Mamma's" house. We sat down and she laid out big banana leaves. Then she brought out rice and two dishes. They looked delicious. Then she brought out more and more dishes until there was about 15 different dishes to try. It was an amazing feast of curries and new vegetable dishes. I didn't eat until late the next day and Amelia didn't eat for 3 days (although that was also due to a stomach bug).
An ideal Jen and Amelia day
Our day begun with a windy bus ride through the Kerala jungle. We arrived in Kollam and within an hour we were sailing on a massive house boat through the backwaters. Initially the canals were wide but as we progressed they got narrower and narrower. The banks were lined with palm trees, banana plants and many other types of tropical vegetation. When we arrived at a very narrow canal we boarded an ancient canoe. A local man guided us through the inner network of canals. It was amazing. Every moment was incredibly picturesque and completely peaceful. We stopped in a few places. One stop we observed boats being made. It was fascinating. They sew palm tree planks together to make all the canoes and even the house boats. At another stop we saw some villagers processing coconuts to make coconut oil. We sampled some delicious coconut. As we moved through the canals we saw a variety of homes and people. We passed through several fish and prawn farms which triggered our marine biology thoughts. When our canoe exited the narrow canals the sun was low in the sky which made the lighting beautiful. Indian music was mysteriously coming from the jungle. Combined the sights and sounds made me feel like I was in a beautiful movie scene. We climbed aboard our houseboat and began to sail into the sunset. I mused to Amelia about how wonderful a sunset swim would be right now. Seconds later the boat stopped and the captain said we could swim. We jumped into the surprisingly warm water and watched the sunset over the palm trees. Now I am lying under the stars, listening to the far away Indian music and smelling a wonderful seafood dinner being prepared.
Khusi in hindi means happiness and could not be a more appropriate name for 1 year old baby Khusi. She is the cutest and happiest baby I have ever met. She only ever fusses when she is provoked and teased by the neighbor boy. Every time I saw her she light up with a great big smile. One of her party tricks is that if you blow her a kiss then she'll blow one back to you. So whenever I see her I get a smile, a kiss and usually a cuddle and some playtime. It was definitely mentioned a few times that they should be watchful because we wanted to take Khusi back to Canada.
Morning in the desert
The middle of the day can be crazy hot but the evenings and mornings are a beautiful temperature. In the last few weeks Amelia and I started waking up early to take advantage of this morning bliss. Some mornings we would run along the highway which winds between large golden dunes. Other mornings we would run along little side roads that went through the desert crops and past small houses on the outskirts of town. Sometimes the heat would begin early so our run would be slowed to a walk. One warmer morning we climbed to the top of a dune and were awestruck by the stunning vista of the desert that surrounded us. The view was complemented by a family of antelope bounding up the dunes and disappearing into the rolling sand dunes.
Goodbyes
The sun is setting over the desert and my heart feels like it is bursting with love, joy and sadness. We just had the most heartfelt send off from Sambhali. It is a moment I want to remember forever. We walked hand-in-hand with the afternoon girls to the bus stop. The afternoon girls have had many volunteers come and go but their goodbyes were still heartfelt. Each girl is so unique and I wish the best for each of them. At the bus stop we were joined by the morning boys. The looks on the faces of Jeetu, Jhoba Ram, and Anil was a mix of genuine sadness and appreciation. They have only been coming to Sambhali for a month but they love it. These boys spend the rest of their day at the hot bus stop selling water and snacks to bus passengers. They are role models to the younger boys and girls, they are keen to learn and they sing the prayers and rhymes with incredible heart. I hope they will continue coming to Sambhali. Earlier in the day I had had a particularly hard time saying good-bye to the regular morning girls. Pintu's eyes filled with tears. I think if she had stayed around much longer she would have convinced me to stay. She is so confident and is able to communicate so much with her very broken English. Goodie too, amazes me with her communication. Goodie is so smart and I hope she will become educated. She has the confidence and leadership skills to make a change in her world. Goodie's confidence and intelligence is rivaled by her kindness. This morning told me to close my eyes and open my hands. She gifted me a little ring. Another hard goodbye was Jitu and Cowerie. They are the most regular in my morning English class and have worked their way into my heart. Cowerie has an unforgettable smile that is filled with warmth. I love seeing her smile. Jitu is smart and incredibly caring towards the younger kids. She can be quite reserved, especially around Mool Singh, but I cherish the many moments when she came out of her shell and laughed, danced and played. It is amazing how many inside jokes you can have despite a massive language barrier.
My last night in Setrawa was so special. I went for dinner at Amelia's house. Pushpa made a feast, including several special dishes. I had my last play with Kushi and enjoyed the antics of Amelia's family. When I returned home I spent the evening with Usha, her mom, and Moti. The evening was going along as normal until suddenly the power cut out. Without the fan it is too hot to stay inside so we moved up to the roof. On the roof Usha and I enjoyed the stars and the cool air. It was so nice that Usha quickly decided we should spend the night on the roof. We went downstairs and threw all the pillows and blankets up through the large hole in the ceiling. We spread out all the mats on the roof and fell asleep under the starry desert sky. In the morning I enjoyed a wonderful final breakfast with my family. We all sat on the floor around the stove enjoying my one of my favorite spicy Indian breakfasts. Then I asked if I could take a picture of the family. Moti and Usha's mom quickly retreated to the side room. Costelli changed her sari and put on a new Bindi dot. Moti had to fix his his hair and change his shirt. Finally they were ready and I snapped a couple family shots. Soon after breakfast I said my goodbyes and received lots of warm hugs from my family and neighbors. I may never see any of them again but I will be forever grateful for their generosity and acceptance. It was an incredible experience to be welcomed into their lives.
A wish come true
Our flight to the south we went Dehli-Mumbai-Trividadum. However when we went to check in for our connecting flight in Mumbai we were informed that it no longer existed. The airline had stopped flying to that destination. Amelia and I could barely exchange worried glances before the woman at the counter came up with a solution. She said, "this is what we will do: you will fly on another airline, we've upgraded you to first class and here is a valet to take you to the other terminal because your flight leaves in 45 minutes". It was the first time either of us had flown 1st class and we enjoyed all the leg room and luxeries.
A new pace of life
When left the airport in Trividadum I think I had the biggest culture shock of the trip. Could this really be the same country that we just spend the past two months in? Everything was different. Even the air smelt and felt different. Kerala is a jungle oasis, filled with palm trees, flowers and dense, lush jungle. The people are darker skinned and the brilliant colors of northern saris don't seem to exist in the south. The men wear lungis (essentially a towel/sarong) instead of dress pants. The markets are filled with fruits and all sorts of new tasty snacks I am keen to try. Our Hindi is useless in the south but the local people's English is excellent. We bused to a small beach town, Varkala. All the hotels and restaurants perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. There are several sets of steep stairs that lead to the beach where big waves crash. Amelia and I were jumping with joy when we saw the ocean. Within minutes of finding a room we were in the sea. The next days became a blur of bodysurfing, boggy boarding, eating amazing keralan food and hanging out with travelers. The monsoon is supposed to start in a couple weeks so the tourist season is essentially over. This meant a normally overly crowded beach destination only had a smattering of tourists. It was interesting to see the town starting to close up. One night we joined a group of people for their favorite dinner spot. We walked off the main boardwalk, down some dark winding paths and arrived at "Mamma's" house. We sat down and she laid out big banana leaves. Then she brought out rice and two dishes. They looked delicious. Then she brought out more and more dishes until there was about 15 different dishes to try. It was an amazing feast of curries and new vegetable dishes. I didn't eat until late the next day and Amelia didn't eat for 3 days (although that was also due to a stomach bug).
An ideal Jen and Amelia day
Our day begun with a windy bus ride through the Kerala jungle. We arrived in Kollam and within an hour we were sailing on a massive house boat through the backwaters. Initially the canals were wide but as we progressed they got narrower and narrower. The banks were lined with palm trees, banana plants and many other types of tropical vegetation. When we arrived at a very narrow canal we boarded an ancient canoe. A local man guided us through the inner network of canals. It was amazing. Every moment was incredibly picturesque and completely peaceful. We stopped in a few places. One stop we observed boats being made. It was fascinating. They sew palm tree planks together to make all the canoes and even the house boats. At another stop we saw some villagers processing coconuts to make coconut oil. We sampled some delicious coconut. As we moved through the canals we saw a variety of homes and people. We passed through several fish and prawn farms which triggered our marine biology thoughts. When our canoe exited the narrow canals the sun was low in the sky which made the lighting beautiful. Indian music was mysteriously coming from the jungle. Combined the sights and sounds made me feel like I was in a beautiful movie scene. We climbed aboard our houseboat and began to sail into the sunset. I mused to Amelia about how wonderful a sunset swim would be right now. Seconds later the boat stopped and the captain said we could swim. We jumped into the surprisingly warm water and watched the sunset over the palm trees. Now I am lying under the stars, listening to the far away Indian music and smelling a wonderful seafood dinner being prepared.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Setrawa stories
A brand new birthday
Ten girls from Sambali are being sponsored to go to school beginning next month. The administration in Jodhpur and their private schools require basic information such as parent's name, age and birthday. When we began to collect this information we found out that 8 of the girls didn't know their birthday! Even their parents didn't know. We asked Mool Singh, the principal, what to do and he responded casually, "just give them a new birthday". Apparently making up birthdays is common when kids start school. So the next day we sat with the girls and made up birthdays. Jitu was quite happy when we decided she had the same birthday as me. "Same-same" is an expression many of the girls use so Jitu pointed to me and herself and exclaimed, "birthdays, same-same!"
My pet scorpion
The onset of summer heat is also the beginning of scorpion season. We were sitting in the kitchen making chapattis when all of a sudden I saw a scorpion running across the floor of the main room. Usha ran to get the neighbor who trapped it in a bucket. Then to my surprise it was released into the garden inside our house! I asked Usha why it wasn't released in the bushes outside our house. I found out apparently there are lots of scorpions living in our garden! Usha said to be careful at night when I brush my teeth and go to the bathroom because the bathroom/shower rooms are right next to the scorpion garden!
Easter in Setrawa
Chocolate is virtually non-existent in Setrawa which makes it a highly desirable treat. My host family loves chocolate and couldn't believe there is a holiday in Canada where parents hide chocolate around the house for their children. On the morning of the 25th I called home to wish everyone happy Easter. It was fun talking to everyone but after I missed being part of the family gathering. When I came down from the roof Usha flew by me. This was strange because it was only 7:00 am and normally Usha sleeps in for as long as possible. She never moves that fast in the morning. However, today she was excitedly and frantically preparing for the arrival of her sister and all her sister's inlaws. Over the next few hours the house was tidied and a feast was prepared. The kitchen was full of neighbors who were helping chop vegetables, roll chapattis, and cook. It was complete chaos and rapid fire Hindi. Then a neighborhood kid appeared at the door and suddenly everything became calm and relaxed. A minute later a jeep pulled up and Usha happily greeted her sister. The men and women/children sat on mats in two separate rooms to socialize. Then we had the most amazing feast. First there were my favourite Indian sweets. In India they usually eat their sweets before their main meal (the north American kid's dream). Then piles of chapattis, rice, daal and many different types of spicy vegetable dishes. There was a potatoes dish, a spinach dish, a ladyfinger dish, a typical Rajestani vegetable dish, and one with just hot chilies! Each one had lots of spice and flavor. It is all served on a big tray and every sits in a circle sharing from a communal plate. It was definitely the spiciest and most vegetarian Easter meal I've had but it was certainly a delicious substitute.
Ten girls from Sambali are being sponsored to go to school beginning next month. The administration in Jodhpur and their private schools require basic information such as parent's name, age and birthday. When we began to collect this information we found out that 8 of the girls didn't know their birthday! Even their parents didn't know. We asked Mool Singh, the principal, what to do and he responded casually, "just give them a new birthday". Apparently making up birthdays is common when kids start school. So the next day we sat with the girls and made up birthdays. Jitu was quite happy when we decided she had the same birthday as me. "Same-same" is an expression many of the girls use so Jitu pointed to me and herself and exclaimed, "birthdays, same-same!"
My pet scorpion
The onset of summer heat is also the beginning of scorpion season. We were sitting in the kitchen making chapattis when all of a sudden I saw a scorpion running across the floor of the main room. Usha ran to get the neighbor who trapped it in a bucket. Then to my surprise it was released into the garden inside our house! I asked Usha why it wasn't released in the bushes outside our house. I found out apparently there are lots of scorpions living in our garden! Usha said to be careful at night when I brush my teeth and go to the bathroom because the bathroom/shower rooms are right next to the scorpion garden!
Easter in Setrawa
Chocolate is virtually non-existent in Setrawa which makes it a highly desirable treat. My host family loves chocolate and couldn't believe there is a holiday in Canada where parents hide chocolate around the house for their children. On the morning of the 25th I called home to wish everyone happy Easter. It was fun talking to everyone but after I missed being part of the family gathering. When I came down from the roof Usha flew by me. This was strange because it was only 7:00 am and normally Usha sleeps in for as long as possible. She never moves that fast in the morning. However, today she was excitedly and frantically preparing for the arrival of her sister and all her sister's inlaws. Over the next few hours the house was tidied and a feast was prepared. The kitchen was full of neighbors who were helping chop vegetables, roll chapattis, and cook. It was complete chaos and rapid fire Hindi. Then a neighborhood kid appeared at the door and suddenly everything became calm and relaxed. A minute later a jeep pulled up and Usha happily greeted her sister. The men and women/children sat on mats in two separate rooms to socialize. Then we had the most amazing feast. First there were my favourite Indian sweets. In India they usually eat their sweets before their main meal (the north American kid's dream). Then piles of chapattis, rice, daal and many different types of spicy vegetable dishes. There was a potatoes dish, a spinach dish, a ladyfinger dish, a typical Rajestani vegetable dish, and one with just hot chilies! Each one had lots of spice and flavor. It is all served on a big tray and every sits in a circle sharing from a communal plate. It was definitely the spiciest and most vegetarian Easter meal I've had but it was certainly a delicious substitute.
Talents and Camels
3,2,1 Action!
Every week we introduce a "word of the week" at Sambhali. Then after prayer we have an activity that reflects the word. Last week our word was "Talents" and our Saturday workshop was a talent show. After prayer everyone would break up into small groups to practice their talent. Saturday morning Amelia and I discovered that old saris make for excellent decorations and we transformed the dusty, dingy upstairs into a performance space. Many girls, especially the dancers, arrived in their fancier salwaar suits. The show was fantasic. There was a huge variety of acts. There was recitations of poems, singing songs, skipping, telling stories and jokes, clapping routines and of course bollywood dance routines. The little kids were adorable when they recited the school rhymes. One tiny quiet boy, Mool Chander, surprised me by standing up on the stage and belting out the alphabet, A for apple, B for ball etc. I don't know if i had ever heard him speak before! I really enjoyed watching the dances. The girls use music videos played on TV from the popular movies to choreograph their dances. At home, Usha often leaves the music channel on in the morning while she is doing morning chores. A few times I've seen her leap up from her task and run to the TV to practice the dance moves. The talent show ended in a class performance of the makerena and some prizes.
Sandcastles, luxury and camels
This weekend Amelia and I decided to head to Jailsamer for a weekend getaway. We went even farther into the desert and arrived in Jaisalmer, the golden city. It is called the golden city because all the buildings are made of sandstone. This makes the massive fort in the center town look like the most amazing sandcastle. The old city has many winding streets inside the sandcastle fort as well as many temples. There are a variety of Jain and Hindu temples at least 850 years old. The temples have beautifully sculpted sandstone with an incredible amount of detail. We luckily woke up early and had the chance to explore before the heat of the day and before all the much too friendly Indian men started competing for our attention and money. Although sometimes their eagerness is genuinely helpful. At one point we were walking down a street and a man said "panani? Water?". We replied instinctively, "no thank-you" but then he responded, "but mam your water bottles are empty". We laughed and realized we were carrying around empty bottles and we really did need water. As a tourist it seems impossible not to have all your needs immediately or even preemptively satisfied. In the heat of the day we decided to splurge a little and took a rickshaw to a 5 star luxury hotel. We paid 200 rupees ($5) to use the beautiful pool. It was so much fun to swim around and a strange feeling to show so much bare skin! Completely refreshed we headed out on our camel safari. My camel's name was lal (red in English) and he was an excellent camel. I love the way the camels sit down and then it is quite the thrill when the stand up on their knobby legs. We walked and trotted through the desert and over a massive sea of dunes. The piles of golden sand were stunning. In between the dunes we trotted across plains scattered with small clumps of trees and other desert plants, sheep, cows, goats and antelope. We stopped for chai in a tiny picturesque village with about 50 mud huts filled with children. We continued to another dune where we stopped to set up camp. Amelia and I wandered barefoot on the soft sand as the sun was setting. Then we sat with our camel driver, Duger, who made us a fanatasic meal. He made an oven out of cow patties (dried poo) and baked the most delicious bread. While we were waiting for the bread we sipped some "wine". This wine was actully a homemade alcohol made from sugar cane extract buried for a month in the sanddunes. Amelia and I ate hot bread, spicy vegetable and rice until we could not possibly eat another bite. Then we curled up in blankets under the stars, exhausted from a magical day.
The continual hug
Before leaving for India one of my biggest concerns was coping with the heat. In Setrawa it can get very hot but it is such a dry heat that it is completely tolerable. Often there is a breeze and walking around town it feels like a continual warm hug. Everyday is like the nicest summer day back home. It is wonderful to have blue skies everyday and beautiful starry skies everynight.
No spell check
I am teaching the "advanced English" class in afternoons. Although, advanced means working on basic sentence structure, pronouns, conjuctions etc. However, the lack of spellcheck sometimes leaves me questioning my spelling. A couple of times my students have corrected a mistake. The other day I used an example with my name "Jen is the tallest" and Sonu put up her hand and said "you spelt Jen wrong". Everyone else began to voice their agreement! When you write "Jen" in Hindi you use the J, ai, n characters so to a Hindi speaker my name spelt phonetically is "Jain".
Every week we introduce a "word of the week" at Sambhali. Then after prayer we have an activity that reflects the word. Last week our word was "Talents" and our Saturday workshop was a talent show. After prayer everyone would break up into small groups to practice their talent. Saturday morning Amelia and I discovered that old saris make for excellent decorations and we transformed the dusty, dingy upstairs into a performance space. Many girls, especially the dancers, arrived in their fancier salwaar suits. The show was fantasic. There was a huge variety of acts. There was recitations of poems, singing songs, skipping, telling stories and jokes, clapping routines and of course bollywood dance routines. The little kids were adorable when they recited the school rhymes. One tiny quiet boy, Mool Chander, surprised me by standing up on the stage and belting out the alphabet, A for apple, B for ball etc. I don't know if i had ever heard him speak before! I really enjoyed watching the dances. The girls use music videos played on TV from the popular movies to choreograph their dances. At home, Usha often leaves the music channel on in the morning while she is doing morning chores. A few times I've seen her leap up from her task and run to the TV to practice the dance moves. The talent show ended in a class performance of the makerena and some prizes.
Sandcastles, luxury and camels
This weekend Amelia and I decided to head to Jailsamer for a weekend getaway. We went even farther into the desert and arrived in Jaisalmer, the golden city. It is called the golden city because all the buildings are made of sandstone. This makes the massive fort in the center town look like the most amazing sandcastle. The old city has many winding streets inside the sandcastle fort as well as many temples. There are a variety of Jain and Hindu temples at least 850 years old. The temples have beautifully sculpted sandstone with an incredible amount of detail. We luckily woke up early and had the chance to explore before the heat of the day and before all the much too friendly Indian men started competing for our attention and money. Although sometimes their eagerness is genuinely helpful. At one point we were walking down a street and a man said "panani? Water?". We replied instinctively, "no thank-you" but then he responded, "but mam your water bottles are empty". We laughed and realized we were carrying around empty bottles and we really did need water. As a tourist it seems impossible not to have all your needs immediately or even preemptively satisfied. In the heat of the day we decided to splurge a little and took a rickshaw to a 5 star luxury hotel. We paid 200 rupees ($5) to use the beautiful pool. It was so much fun to swim around and a strange feeling to show so much bare skin! Completely refreshed we headed out on our camel safari. My camel's name was lal (red in English) and he was an excellent camel. I love the way the camels sit down and then it is quite the thrill when the stand up on their knobby legs. We walked and trotted through the desert and over a massive sea of dunes. The piles of golden sand were stunning. In between the dunes we trotted across plains scattered with small clumps of trees and other desert plants, sheep, cows, goats and antelope. We stopped for chai in a tiny picturesque village with about 50 mud huts filled with children. We continued to another dune where we stopped to set up camp. Amelia and I wandered barefoot on the soft sand as the sun was setting. Then we sat with our camel driver, Duger, who made us a fanatasic meal. He made an oven out of cow patties (dried poo) and baked the most delicious bread. While we were waiting for the bread we sipped some "wine". This wine was actully a homemade alcohol made from sugar cane extract buried for a month in the sanddunes. Amelia and I ate hot bread, spicy vegetable and rice until we could not possibly eat another bite. Then we curled up in blankets under the stars, exhausted from a magical day.
The continual hug
Before leaving for India one of my biggest concerns was coping with the heat. In Setrawa it can get very hot but it is such a dry heat that it is completely tolerable. Often there is a breeze and walking around town it feels like a continual warm hug. Everyday is like the nicest summer day back home. It is wonderful to have blue skies everyday and beautiful starry skies everynight.
No spell check
I am teaching the "advanced English" class in afternoons. Although, advanced means working on basic sentence structure, pronouns, conjuctions etc. However, the lack of spellcheck sometimes leaves me questioning my spelling. A couple of times my students have corrected a mistake. The other day I used an example with my name "Jen is the tallest" and Sonu put up her hand and said "you spelt Jen wrong". Everyone else began to voice their agreement! When you write "Jen" in Hindi you use the J, ai, n characters so to a Hindi speaker my name spelt phonetically is "Jain".
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Weddings & Setrawa
Weddings galore!
During our time at Sambali we have been invited to be a part of two weddings. The first was in our small village, Setrawa, and the second was in the city, Jodhpur. Both were big celebrations and a lot of fun. Pooja's wedding had a week of celebrations that happened in her home. Every evening many women from the village would gather and sing marriage songs after dinner. After a while the younger girls would slowly drown out the singing by blasting Hindi tunes. Then the dancing would begin. Either solo or in small groups the girls danced for the audience. Before each song the girls would debate which song to play next. The beginning of several songs were played until they settled on one. The night before the wedding a group of mothers and relatives cooked dinner for everyone. Pooja and ten of her friends all shared a common dish and feed each other. Although later during the dancing despite the excitement surrounding her marriage, Pooja needed her friends to comfort her. The idea of being 18 and leaving all your friends, family, moving to a new village and marrying a complete stranger must be overwhelming and at least a little scary. However on her wedding day she looked absolutely stunning. It took 3 hours to have her make-up done and put on her jewelry and beautiful red wedding sari. It is strange but the wedding night Pooja spent all evening getting ready while everyone else enjoyed the wedding dinner, the arrival of the groom and a variety of different celebrations. The dinner was wonderful but chaotic. We were herded into a relative's home, told to sit in on room and then seconds later moved somewhere else. Tonight men were serving and cooking. Delicious food was piled up on our plate and we ate amongst many other women in their beautiful fancy saris. Finally at 11:00 Pooja was ready and came out to meet her husband. They exchanged flower necklaces and then many religious rituals begun. I snuck off to bed around 1:00, but apparently the ceremonies continued for many hours.
The wedding in Jodhpur was for Govind's brother. Govind is the founder of Sambali so he invited all the volunteers to the wedding. It was neat to see a wedding from the groom's side of the celebrations. Usha let Amelia, Kerry (another volunteer) and I borrow some of her fancy clothes and jewelry. It took us at least an hour to get ready and one of Govind's relatives to properly pin the clothes and choose the appropriate jewelry and Bindi dots. Everyone was driven to the wedding which was held in a beautiful open tent but divided in two. One side for the women and one for the men. Each side had a long buffet with many vegetable dishes and sweets served in gold pots. Each side also had a band playing classical Indian music. However the men's side also had tables, chairs and an open bar. We enjoyed dinner with the women in the sea of colorful saris. After dinner we wandered over to the men's side (it wasn't a strict gender divide) to visit Mool Singh, the principal/teacher of our school, and Moti, my host brother. Around 11:00 we headed back to the guesthouse/Govind's house and the party was kicked up a notch. The dj blasted Hindi music and everyone danced together bollywood style. It was a lot of fun and somehow I fell asleep despite the blaring music around 3:30. The next night began with a parade down the street. The groom, Shakti, rode a horse behind a marching band. About 10 people each carried a large light. The lights were connected to each other and then to a car with a generator. We paraded down the street and then when we got to the end we were piled into cars, the lights and their porters into a vehicle and someone else climbed up on the horse. We drove about 3 minutes, got out of the cars, the string of lights and marching band reassembled and the horse galloped over for Shakti to re-mount. The parade continued down this street. We arrived at the wedding location, an even bigger open tent, with a fountain, a small temple, and a stage inside. Now the wedding rituals begun. Shakti met his wife for the first time, although because of a previous exchange of emails it was considered a love marriage. The cermonies were very similar to the other wedding. Although this time we befriended two 11 year olds who attended English immersion school and had amazing English so they explained what all the rituals meant. They told us that they spoke English all the time at school because if they don't they have to pay a fine. It reminded me of all my French. Immersion teachers constantly trying to make us speak French to each other.
First Aid, Indian style
Every Saturday at Sambali Amelia and I lead a fun educational workshop. This week's topic was first aid. From all our lifeguarding we both enjoy teaching first aid, although we had to modify a few things to make it appropriate to Setrawa. First topics like hypothermia we quickly eliminated and instead focused on heat exhaustion, heat stroke, malaria and bleeding. For heat exhaustion in Canada we say give them Gatorade for the fluid/electrolyte combo but since Gatorade doesn't exist here we switched it to water and a small salty snack. We brought bandaids from Jodhpur but many girls had never seen one before so we also taught wrapping wounds in cotton. We tried to stress throughly washing cuts because we've seen many of the girls with infected cuts. My favorite difference is that all the girls have an ideal mouth to mouth barrier with them all the time. Dupattas are long scarves worn so that they cover your chest and the ends hang down your back. It is inappropriate not to wear them.in public when you wear a salzaar suit. They are often a very thin material that is perfect for blowing air through but also acts as a barrier. The girls really enjoyed the workshop, especially when I dumped a whole bucket of water on Amelia during our skit for treatment of heat stroke. She also appreciated this because it is hot mid day. The spring in Setrawa is as hot as our hottest summer day...I can't imagine what their summer is like!
Many hands make colorful work!
Sundays are normally a day off Sambali but today we decided to work on painting the school. Recently the school had moved to a new location so previous volunteers had initiated painting the school to brighten it up. Mool Singh had asked us a few times if we could continue the painting project. I think he was getting worried we wouldn't because we were busy doing other things. On the way to school we saw some Sambhali girls, we invited them to come paint. We started painting on our own but soon word spread on the street and we suddenly had 10-15 keen painters. The off white walls with cracking paint became red, yellow, blue and green. Designs, school rhymes and even a peacock filled the previously empty spaces. It was a lot of fun and ended in the challenge of removing all the oil based paint from our hands and arms. The best method ended up being rubbing our hands in the sand. We left the school much more colorful and our hands exfoliated!
During our time at Sambali we have been invited to be a part of two weddings. The first was in our small village, Setrawa, and the second was in the city, Jodhpur. Both were big celebrations and a lot of fun. Pooja's wedding had a week of celebrations that happened in her home. Every evening many women from the village would gather and sing marriage songs after dinner. After a while the younger girls would slowly drown out the singing by blasting Hindi tunes. Then the dancing would begin. Either solo or in small groups the girls danced for the audience. Before each song the girls would debate which song to play next. The beginning of several songs were played until they settled on one. The night before the wedding a group of mothers and relatives cooked dinner for everyone. Pooja and ten of her friends all shared a common dish and feed each other. Although later during the dancing despite the excitement surrounding her marriage, Pooja needed her friends to comfort her. The idea of being 18 and leaving all your friends, family, moving to a new village and marrying a complete stranger must be overwhelming and at least a little scary. However on her wedding day she looked absolutely stunning. It took 3 hours to have her make-up done and put on her jewelry and beautiful red wedding sari. It is strange but the wedding night Pooja spent all evening getting ready while everyone else enjoyed the wedding dinner, the arrival of the groom and a variety of different celebrations. The dinner was wonderful but chaotic. We were herded into a relative's home, told to sit in on room and then seconds later moved somewhere else. Tonight men were serving and cooking. Delicious food was piled up on our plate and we ate amongst many other women in their beautiful fancy saris. Finally at 11:00 Pooja was ready and came out to meet her husband. They exchanged flower necklaces and then many religious rituals begun. I snuck off to bed around 1:00, but apparently the ceremonies continued for many hours.
The wedding in Jodhpur was for Govind's brother. Govind is the founder of Sambali so he invited all the volunteers to the wedding. It was neat to see a wedding from the groom's side of the celebrations. Usha let Amelia, Kerry (another volunteer) and I borrow some of her fancy clothes and jewelry. It took us at least an hour to get ready and one of Govind's relatives to properly pin the clothes and choose the appropriate jewelry and Bindi dots. Everyone was driven to the wedding which was held in a beautiful open tent but divided in two. One side for the women and one for the men. Each side had a long buffet with many vegetable dishes and sweets served in gold pots. Each side also had a band playing classical Indian music. However the men's side also had tables, chairs and an open bar. We enjoyed dinner with the women in the sea of colorful saris. After dinner we wandered over to the men's side (it wasn't a strict gender divide) to visit Mool Singh, the principal/teacher of our school, and Moti, my host brother. Around 11:00 we headed back to the guesthouse/Govind's house and the party was kicked up a notch. The dj blasted Hindi music and everyone danced together bollywood style. It was a lot of fun and somehow I fell asleep despite the blaring music around 3:30. The next night began with a parade down the street. The groom, Shakti, rode a horse behind a marching band. About 10 people each carried a large light. The lights were connected to each other and then to a car with a generator. We paraded down the street and then when we got to the end we were piled into cars, the lights and their porters into a vehicle and someone else climbed up on the horse. We drove about 3 minutes, got out of the cars, the string of lights and marching band reassembled and the horse galloped over for Shakti to re-mount. The parade continued down this street. We arrived at the wedding location, an even bigger open tent, with a fountain, a small temple, and a stage inside. Now the wedding rituals begun. Shakti met his wife for the first time, although because of a previous exchange of emails it was considered a love marriage. The cermonies were very similar to the other wedding. Although this time we befriended two 11 year olds who attended English immersion school and had amazing English so they explained what all the rituals meant. They told us that they spoke English all the time at school because if they don't they have to pay a fine. It reminded me of all my French. Immersion teachers constantly trying to make us speak French to each other.
First Aid, Indian style
Every Saturday at Sambali Amelia and I lead a fun educational workshop. This week's topic was first aid. From all our lifeguarding we both enjoy teaching first aid, although we had to modify a few things to make it appropriate to Setrawa. First topics like hypothermia we quickly eliminated and instead focused on heat exhaustion, heat stroke, malaria and bleeding. For heat exhaustion in Canada we say give them Gatorade for the fluid/electrolyte combo but since Gatorade doesn't exist here we switched it to water and a small salty snack. We brought bandaids from Jodhpur but many girls had never seen one before so we also taught wrapping wounds in cotton. We tried to stress throughly washing cuts because we've seen many of the girls with infected cuts. My favorite difference is that all the girls have an ideal mouth to mouth barrier with them all the time. Dupattas are long scarves worn so that they cover your chest and the ends hang down your back. It is inappropriate not to wear them.in public when you wear a salzaar suit. They are often a very thin material that is perfect for blowing air through but also acts as a barrier. The girls really enjoyed the workshop, especially when I dumped a whole bucket of water on Amelia during our skit for treatment of heat stroke. She also appreciated this because it is hot mid day. The spring in Setrawa is as hot as our hottest summer day...I can't imagine what their summer is like!
Many hands make colorful work!
Sundays are normally a day off Sambali but today we decided to work on painting the school. Recently the school had moved to a new location so previous volunteers had initiated painting the school to brighten it up. Mool Singh had asked us a few times if we could continue the painting project. I think he was getting worried we wouldn't because we were busy doing other things. On the way to school we saw some Sambhali girls, we invited them to come paint. We started painting on our own but soon word spread on the street and we suddenly had 10-15 keen painters. The off white walls with cracking paint became red, yellow, blue and green. Designs, school rhymes and even a peacock filled the previously empty spaces. It was a lot of fun and ended in the challenge of removing all the oil based paint from our hands and arms. The best method ended up being rubbing our hands in the sand. We left the school much more colorful and our hands exfoliated!
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