Breathedreamgo
Please visit my new site Breathedreamgo.com for updates. I continue to write about India, travel, yoga, spirituality and other topics on Breathedreamgo. Please visit me there. I am dedicated to sharing the beauty of India's culture and ancient wisdom with the world.Breathedreamgo
I began planning to go to India in January 2005, during yoga teacher training in Toronto, and left for my first six-month trip on December 4, 2005. I have been back five times since then, for a total of 14 months in India ... so far ...
Travel Blog Posts
January 27th 2010
It's the day before departure -- my fourth journey to India. I am leaving tomorrow and I will be in India for three months. I am now blogging on my own travel blog, BreatheDreamGo.com, and I invite you to join me there. You can sign up for RSS feed or get an email subscription. For my itinerary, check this page: http://breathedreamgo.com/2009/11/winter-2010-india-trip-itinerary/ Thanks for following, hope to hear from you on the road! Mariellen ... read more
July 22nd 2009
I am continuing to write about India on my blog at BreatheDreamGo http://breathedreamgo.com/ And Twitter about India using the name @breathedreamgo Thanks for following! Mariellen Ward... read more
India Thrice: My golden triangle -- Jaipur, Delhi, Toronto
Published: April 16th 2009Asia » India » Rajasthan » Jaipur
April 16th 2009
April 16, 2009, Toronto I am actually writing this from my home computer in Toronto. I didn't get a chance to write a last entry -- mostly about my few days in Jaipur and Delhi -- before leaving India. I spent my last day in Jaipur being a tourist. I went to the Amber Fort with Frances, another guest at Rawla Guest House. Although we left quite early, at 9 a.m., it was already growing hot. I am lucky I like the heat, especially the dry heat of north India. (Of course, there are few things I don't like about India ... the only thing that comes to mind is the habit of eating supper very late at night, especially true in Delhi. That is my number one pet peeve. For me it's even worse than ... read more
April 6th 2009
Poolside in Jaipur I've had some down moments in India (especially recently!), but this isn't one of them. I am sitting beside the lovely cool pool at Jas Vilas hotel in Jaipur drinking chai and using their wireless internet service. I stayed at this gorgeous place, run by a warm and aristocratic Rajasthani couple, three years ago when I was here with Caryl (my Canadian diplomat friend). I can't actually afford to stay here so they have arranged for me to stay with their niece, "Dimple," at her homestay guest house nearby. And I can come over and swim in the pool and use the internet and have dinner, also, by the pool. They are such nice people! The morning I left Pushkar, a wedding started amassing outside my window at Inn Seventh Heaven at about ... read more
April 2nd 2009
Leaving Pushkar Tonight is my last night in Pushkar, I am leaving tomorrow after eight days here staying at the wonderful Inn Seventh Heaven. There is a wedding across the street from my hotel, which is of course loud. Every night, it seems, there is a celebration of some kind here. Several nights ago was a big religious celebration, devoted to the god Vishnu, and we were treated to a noisy and colourful fireworks display. We had a perfect view form the rooftop restaurant. My eight days in Pushkar have meandered along like a lazy river. There is a very strong "chill out" vibe here, which is bound to infect the most hardened traveller, methinks. When I arrived I had just been hit hard by events in my personal life, and I felt very unwell (a ... read more
March 29th 2009
Pushkar Blues March 28 Today is apparently the second day of the Hindu calendar year and I am in Pushkar, a very small town ringing a circular sacred lake in central Rajasthan. Pushkar is famous for three things: the (supposedly) only temple dedicated to Brahma in India; the annual camel fair (held in November); and the “vibe,” which attracts hippies and other foreigners to this laid-back town. I was in Pushkar three years ago, but only for lunch as I was driving from Jaipur to Jodhpur. I remember thinking I wanted to spend some time here and get to know the place a little better. Pushkar is not a beautiful city, it is no Jaisalmer, but when the lake is full of water, it can be very charming. Unfortunately, the lake is not full of water. ... read more
March 25th 2009
Aurovalley Ashram, Rishidwar, March 22, 2009 It’s my last day (for now) at Aurovalley Ashram and I am sitting on the marble terrace in front of my room listening to John Lennon on my iPod singing “imagine there’s no heaven,” and I can’t because I have found it. Parrots are flying in the trees in front of me, one of the beautiful young Indian women who lives and works here just hugged me and told me I have a big heart, cows are grazing in the nearby field, the butterflies are dancing among the flowers in the meadow, an assortment of different birdsongs fill the air, the scent of jasmine wafts by on the breeze, the sun is shining and there is absolutely nothing for me to do but smile and write. I feel content and ... read more
India Thrice: Ashram Life in Rishikesh
Published: March 18th 2009Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh
March 18th 2009
Ananda Prakash Yoga Ashram, Rishkesh Ashram life is not for everyone, but it sure suits me. I love the quiet focus on introspection, increasing awareness and various other healthy pursuits. The people are kind and thoughtful, the food is delicious and healthy, there’s lots of time to just BE and of course there’s yoga! At Ananda Prakash Yoga Ashram in Rishikesh the day starts at 6 a.m., before the sun rises, in the beautiful third floor yoga hall with a yoga class led by Yogi Vishvketu (Vishva). The room is graced with large picture windows that frame an unbelievable view of the sun coming up from behind the foothills of the Himalayas. It’s an incredible way to start the day. This ashram is new, just two years old, and started by my friends and teachers Vishva ... read more
India Thrice: Back at Aurovalley Ashram
Published: March 6th 2009Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh
March 6th 2009
All life is yoga Two days at Aurovalley Ashram and the peace, joy and wisdom of this place is already filling my soul - and this in spite of a raging head cold, cough, fever. I really am detoxifying, and I can’t think of a better place to do it in. I am sitting in my simple, lovely, perfect ashram room writing; the birds are chirping outside my window, a gentle breeze wafts through the screened windows, and the sun is streaming across the lawns and gardens and marble terraces. This is another of those perfect places, perfect moments, that I have found in India. My heart feels it has found a home - and in fact, Swami Brahmdev (Swamiji) says this is my spiritual home. He makes me feel so welcome, and so free to ... read more
March 3rd 2009
Tonight my friend Ashish and I took a boat across the Ganga to the flat, wide sandbank on the other side to watch the sunset over the city and the ghats. About 20 minutes or so after the sun disappeared behind the ancient buildings on the other side of the river, the pink sky ebbed away leaving behind a pale glow that made the entire scene appear delicately soft, like a pale unearthly watercolour from a past century, or the dove grey underbelly of an iridescent bird. It was an indelibly beautiful scene. The softness of the colours, impossible to describe, rendered the physical world - the palaces, temples, ghats, river - a ghostly mirage. Nothing seemed concrete; everything seemed to be gently pulsing with its spiritual, energetic essence. The veil between the worlds was obviously ... read more
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