Bonjour all. Vanakam means "Hello" in Tamil. I have finally left rishikesh & came down south to the state of Tamil Nadu. I trained to Delhi where I stayed in this ok place & got up @ 330am to catch a taxi for a flight to Chennai on spicejet. Wow. Instead of the planes with the connecting walk ways, one has to be taken on a bus to the actual place that the plane is parked. anyways, landed in chennai & had a rickshaw that TOTALLY rip me off & left me on the side of the street to cross one [View Full Entry]

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Aaaaaaaaand I'm still in rishikesh. Quick update: I completed & received a certificate of completion of trika/agama yoga. Yay for me! I moved 2 rooms down from me - the room has a kitchen. I also adopted a new doggy named Maya. She is the sweetest ever! she likes milk & puppy food in the AM & the baba next door gives her chopatis for lunch. So very cute. pics to come... I was also initiated into Kriya yoga yesterday by Swami Shankarananda Giri. An amazing, powerful & beautiful swami that awoke our chakras so that we can learn to purify [View Full Entry]

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Hello all. It's been a few weeks since you've received any blogs of my travels. It's b/c I've been stationary for nearly a month in rishikesh. What a beautiful city! 1 of the 4 holy cities of Indian pilgrimages. anyhow, I've been running around hiking up to small villages, waterfalls, swimming in the ganges, meditating, reading, etc. It's been absolutely perfect & divine. But sadly to say, there was a young Turkish boy that checked out of the ashram the day before. And later that day, he was taken by mother Gange....pulled under the current & never came up. A neighbor [View Full Entry]

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I finally have some free time to update my blog. I am now in Risikesh, aka yoga capital of india - thanks to an 8-page spread by vanity fair & currently, a 7-day international yoga festival (which consisted of mostly LA'ers). But it's been great! I've been doing yoga everyday, either with an instructor or in the outdoor pavilion @ the Ved Niketan Ashram (where I'm staying). The ashram is great - very quiet. & I've met some amazing people who are on this path of personal evolution. Many amazing swamis pass through Rishikesh. I've been lucky enough to attend 2 [View Full Entry]

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The last few days have been fabulous (once i got over the shakes & the sh*ts)! 3/2: We (Agi, Jamie (from berkeley), & I) went hiking @ the foot of the Himalayans 2 days ago, in search of the Bhonsu Waterfalls. & boy - did we find it! A bunch of maroon & burgundy robes scattered all over the rocks to dry. What a sight! Needless to say, Agi was very excited @ seeing half-naked monks. =) Some of them weren't so bad ; ) LOL The rest of the time, we've been finishing up the last of the DL's teachings [View Full Entry]

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I saw one of the most unbelievable things in my life - a moon rise from the Himalayans. It was one of the 1st clear nights - the sky was scattered with stars. Breathtaking. And then peaking between the mountains, was the MOON. WOW. We watched it rise & illuminate the sky. Pictures couldn't have captured the moment! On a different note...I am finally sick. I had the shakes, couldn't get warm, and my body was achy all over. Not sure what I ate or drank...no one else seems to be displaying any symptoms. 1st time for everything right? On that [View Full Entry]

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Oy. Today is my first day of teachings with the Dalai Lama. Yesterday, my new found buddy, Aggie (Hungarian/german but lives in Israel), awoke @ 530 am from the train, & hopped on a 4 hour bus to Dharmsala. We then proceeded to search for a room to stay in - which was a hard feat, as all rooms were booked due to the teachings & prices were DOUBLED. We are in a dank & cold hotel room that slightly resembles a penitentiary. But the view can not be beat...the himalayan mountains were RIGHT there. BREATHTAKING & beautiful. Today, day started [View Full Entry]

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I have now been in India since 2/4. Since then, I have been sheisted at the Delhi train station, overpaid for the Taj Mahal, walked around at the old castle ground of Fatepur Sikr (shi-kri), watched the puja from a boat with a few beers, twitched in bed from an opium cookie from the government bhang shop, had a whole-body experience on Bhang, and attacked by a baby monkey in Varansi. I've also met some fantastic ppl.... Aaaaaaaaaaaand now I'm in Bodh Gaya - home of the Bodhi Tree where the Buddha sat under to reach enlightenment. I am staying at [View Full Entry]

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Agra - not as fab as one may think. It has been the priciest of all the cities. But hey - had to see the TAJ =). Also the Agra Fort & Fatepur Sikri. See pics. Fatepur is a walled in Muslim mosque - gender differences were very evident in the procession of prayers & burials. Women are no longer allowed to pray at the mosque & they were buried outside & not inside. Met Rae, Clara & Ryan @ Agra. Rae is from Canada & taught english in Seoul. Clara was just a happy Aussie who was vacationing on her [View Full Entry]

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