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Published: December 9th 2011
I arrived in India on Oct. 13 – I think. Flew here from Hanoi. Spent about 3 weeks on a beach in Goa, which seemed to be much needed after the chaos of Hanoi. It was a pretty idyllic setting – a nice open, palm fringed beach – where the sea was perfect for swimming every day. I rented a small, very simple bungalow right on the beach and settled into a routine of yoga every other day and running every other day. Nice to start being healthy again! Cows definitely rule here – they hang out everywhere, including in the middle of the road. Nobody dares raise a finger to them. Traffic simply goes around them.
After about 3 weeks on the beach, I decided it was time to move on – and had heard about an Ashram in the way south that I wanted to check out. This was an experience that I wanted to have in India anyway. So, I headed south and broke up the trip by stopping in a city called Cochin for a few days. I met a Brazilian girl on the bus and we hung in Cochin together. Sought more yoga out there, did a day trip on the “backwaters” of Kerala, decided to try some ink on my body through traditional henna tattoo (temporary) on my hand and forearm. After Cochin headed straight to Ashram where I spent almost 3 weeks. It is a yoga Ashram – Sivananda Ashram – originally started by Swami Vishnudevananda who was a disciple of Swami Sivananda. The basic premise of their teachings was global peace and brought the word around the world and to the west. It was interesting. Quite a schedule – we woke up at 5:30 every day for morning satsang (meditation & chanting). Tea at 7:30, yoga at 8am – vegetarian meal at 10am (we all eat together in a huge dining hall on the floor – and have to eat in silence). We each have a “karma yoga” job assigned to us – which is basically a chore around the Ashram. I somehow got off easy and worked in the Ashram boutique for an hour every day. I did that from 12:30-1:30. Teatime at 1:30 by the cool tree. Lecture (some philosophy) at 2:00 – another yoga class at 3:30. Another vegetarian meal at 6pm – then evening satsang at 8pm. Lights out by 10:30. A couple times a week a silent meditation walk that was always really nice and invigorating. It was highly structured and routine. I like the structure and routine – but don’t think I could do it really long term. Although, I have to say my body feels pretty clean. No toxins of any sort going into my body. The food is decent – although I have to admit that I started to get kind of sick of it – a bit institutional feeling as it was always coming out of huge buckets. Not a lot of spices or salt –nor any onions or garlic – as this is the Ayurvedic way. But traditional style Indian curries and dhal. A day trip from the Ashram included an excursion to the far most southern tip of India to Kanyakumari – and a visit to a highly sacred temple – and where the 3 seas meet – the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal – also a sacred spot – where I washed my feet.
I have to apologize for how disjointed this blog entry is. I’ve had a difficult time getting motivated to update it. I am no longer at the Ashram. Just about 3 weeks there was enough. I met a cool girl, Chrissy, from B.C., Canada who I am now traveling with. We went to Hampi – which is pretty amazing. But first to briefly review what we did right after the Ashram. We headed to a small beach town called Varkala, which was beautiful – but started raining the day we got there and stopped raining the day we left. But it was a good place to retreat to straight from the Ashram – if that even makes sense to retreat from an Ashram? Oh well – was still really nice and we met up with a bunch of other escapees from the Ashram. Also – more yoga in Varkala. Somewhere along the way, I decided that I was going to try and do yoga in everyplace that I visit in India. Seems like a good purpose – and fun to check out different styles and teachers. So far, I have been successful in reaching this goal. After Varkala, we headed to Mysore. This is the birthplace of Ashtanga yoga – and very serious Ashtanga yogis come to Mysore to practice. Madonna’s yoga teacher is from Mysore... So after a few days in Mysore, which is a chaotic big city, but beautiful with old royal buildings, and contorting our bodies we moved on again. Quickly about our trip to Mysore though from Varkala. We took a train from Varkala to a town called Calicut (not to be confused with Calcutta) – but we missed the Calicut stop – so got off the next place, which we had no idea where – and haggled for a rickshaw back to Calicut, where we were going to get on a bus for the all night ride to Mysore. We got on the bus no problem - but all night on this bus was nothing short of a nightmare – as seats were uncomfortable and what was most uncomfortable were the men sitting behind us who literally tried to feel us up. I at first thought (in my sometimes naïve and trusting nature) that it was the guy’s feet that I felt on my lower back – but Chrissy reassured me that it was hands, as she sternly yelled at the guy behind her to get his fucking hands off of her. We happened to be the only westerners on the bus. At that moment, I was definitely glad to have a travel partner. Anyway, we arrived at Mysore at 5am – absolutely spun from no sleep – and no reservation at a hotel. We managed to find one after waking up the staff there.
So – after Mysore, we made our way to Hampi. Getting there was yet another adventure. We thought we would be on an all night train, as we purchased a train ticket at the station in Mysore and we were told that we could upgrade to sleeper class when we change trains in Bangalore. Well, in Bangalore we learned that this was not possible and we would have to sit in general class on upright hard seats for the all night trip to Hampi. So, in Bangalore we decided to scratch the train idea and pursued a bus to Hampi. After quite an ordeal, we found one, which ended up being surprisingly comfortable. We arrived in Hampi early morning, but not too wrecked. We shared a rickshaw with an Israeli guy who we swore was one of the Beatles reincarnated – he was coming from Rishikesh (where the Beatles spent time at an Ashram) and was traveling with an exotic instrument that we thought was a sitar, but was actually a santur (never heard of this instrument – but some sort of grandfather of the piano). It’s actually a beautiful instrument as he played it for us while we sipped some chai, waiting for a boat to take us across the small river to where we found a place to stay. Hampi is beautiful. It’s a huge granite boulder strewn landscape surrounded by palm trees with ancient Hindu temples and structures dating to 15
th century dotted throughout. We wandered through the temples and rocks – rented bicycles (I got my 2
nd flat tire on a bicycle in India) and rode to the Monkey Temple (supposed birthplace of Hanuman – monkey god) where we climbed some 600 steps to get a panoramic view and hang with lots of monkeys. Oh yeah – and yoga in Hampi too.
From Hampi, made our way to Mumbai (aka – Bombay). More overnight travel on 2 trains, but will spare the details. Here are just a few words to describe what I’ve experienced in Mumbai thus far, with another blog entry to come to explain one particular incident in more detail. Cosmopolitan, pan (mouthful of juicy sweetness in some sort of leaf that you chew and has mild stimulant properties), Leopold’s Café, Shantaram (book I’m currently reading), slums and more slums, poverty, SMELLS you wouldn’t believe to include incense, oils, spices, cows, humans, garbage, urine, fish – what am I missing? – And working at an insanely over the top wedding that has just proven to be one of the most surreal things I’ve experienced. More details about the wedding of the century in a separate entry...
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Dan Cady
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Outrageous Goodness
You are as intrepid as you are beautiful, but above all, I'm captured by the ease & clarity with which you write. What a stunning gift to be able to follow your journey while sitting calmly in a chair with a dog and a cup or coffee. Thanks to you rebdavina!!