Ganges River

At 5am I went down to the river for a sunrise boat trip. I joined a few other girls in a boat and we went up and down the river for several kilometers, watching the morning activity. It seemed as though the whole city was out. People were washing their hair and bathing, washing laundry and beating it against the steps, going for rigorous swims, and gathering drinking water. I saw a group of men and boys standing on the banks and practicing yoga, and many more people praying. The early morning bustle was lively and exciting to watch, and seeing the sunrise from the river was the best start to my day!

There are a lot of things I dream of doing (I have a written list of over 100 goals), but one of my longest life goals was to bathe in the River Ganges because I thought the concept was so beautiful and compelling. Unfortunately, I voiced that dream to my parents, who then strictly forbade me to do so. After passionately trying to convince them that they were over-reacting, I reluctantly promised I wouldn't set foot into the Ganges (it was only the second time in my life they forbade me to do something, so I knew they were serious).

My reluctance turned to willing consent when I learned that it's not so much the people bathing, or washing laundry, or the dead bodies in the river that make it dirty... it's the fact that over 30 sewers flow directly into the river that makes it unsafe and septic. One study I read showed that while safe bathing water has no more than 500 particles per liter of fecal coliform bacteria, the Ganges river has 1.5 million parts per liter - that's 3000 times what is considered safe!! This information was enough to dissuade me (a fairly intrepid individual) from even touching the water.

While I swore on my life that I wouldn't go in the water, I did venture down to the shore to watch some of the local kids taking an evening dip in the water. They motioned and urged me to come in, and laughed at me when I refused. They cheekily splashed me with water and got me pretty wet... hopefully I won't die of a flesh eating bacteria. A German girl mom and I spent a day with told us she had been offered tea by her boatman, and he admitted that it was Ganges water (what else would he have?) but she drank it anyways... oh, the horror! And I'm certain the sheets at our hotel were washed in the river as well, because they smelled vaguely putrid. Oh well.

So, one may wonder, why do people still bathe in the Ganges River if it's so dirty? Hindus believe that doing so will remove their sins, and that it helps them break the cycle of reincarnation, so it's an extremely important pilgrimage to make during one's life. They also trust that if they die on the banks of the Ganges or that if their ashes are sprinkled into the river, that they will go to heaven. That's why so many ill or old people are seen next to the river, and why there are burning ghats for cremation right on the shore.

The idea that the river has healing powers is actually a little scientifically sound, since the water has been found to have anti-bacterial microbes and a high sulpher content, which slows bacterial growth and supposedly keeps the water fresher. Unfortunately, the positive aspects of the water are overshadowed by all the filth that's poured into it. I hope the Indian government will someday create a solution so that the people can have clean, safe water with which to continue showing their devotion to their religion.

The Sacred City of Varanasi

Although I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Nepal and enjoying its intense natural beauty, I was eager to return to India to explore one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world: Varanasi. The process of heading back into India was tedious. After getting meticulously frisked head-to-tow 8 times at the Kathmandu airport, and having my baggage searched 6 times (including on the STAIRS of the plane), I learned that Nepali airports have super tight security... a thoroughness that even TSA doesn't seem to match.

Stepping off the plane into the holy city of Varanasi, I was hit by a wall of 105 degree heat - a very warm welcome to the desert! Mom and I stayed in the old part of the city, and I immediately fell in love with the extremely Indian ambiance of the place. After all this time, I finally felt like I was seeing the India I came to see! Our hotel overlooked the sacred Ganges River and had a fantastic view of Dasaswamedh Ghat (a flight of steps leading down to the water), one of the busiest ghats on the river. I loved walking the narrow, twisted, cobblestone streets (sometimes dead-ending at old Hindu shrines) and feeling a spike of adrenaline when I realized I was completely lost in the city's maze. But somehow I always ending up back where I started - along the ancient river ghats.

Once, when I was all alone in a dusty alleyway, I thought I saw a small dark figure dash past my feet, but I looked around and saw nothing but food scraps and bits of garbage on the ground. I thought I was hallucinating until I saw the darting shadows again, and I looked up. I saw several monkeys peering down at me from their rooftop perches, while others were frolicking in windowsills, swinging from wires and jumping between buildings high above the narrow streets.

As a non-Hindu, people watching was the best part of being in Varanasi. The strangest thing I saw was an old women walking along a street and scooping up handfuls of cow manure into her bag. Then, when she had a large enough supply, she squatted down and began patting handfuls of it into discs, which she probably used as fuel for a fire.

The majority of people I saw seemed happy and excited to be in Varanasi. I saw hordes of men, women and children eagerly pushing their way through the narrow streets, with their hands full of flowers and incense to offer in the temples. There were many austere looking women with shaved heads, which I was told indicates the highest level of devotion to their religion; most Hindus have their heads shaved at a temple at least once.

Sadhus, or holy men (often yogis), also occupy the river ghats, and they made excellent subjects for many of my photos (they would often pose and then ask for a few coins). With long dread-locked hair, faces painted with spiritual symbols of their devotion to God, and wearing orange robes, their eccentric appearance indicates a life of renunciation and abstinence from worldly pleasures. Sadhus pray, chant, and bestow blessings on people (and sometimes curses), living holy lives as they try to attain spiritual liberation. Many live in ashrams and temples, some live in caves, and others constantly travel from one holy place to the next, on a perpetual pilgrimage. This is why Varanasi, one of the holiest cities in India, is filled with so many colorful and unusual looking people.

My absolute favorite event I witnessed in Varanasi was Ganga Aarti - river worship of Ganga, the mother goddess. Ganga Aarti is a ritual of adoration, reverence, and worship, in which light from ghee butter candles is offered to the Hindu deities, and songs of praise are sung by priests. This beautiful ceremony helps Hindus remember to keep God at the center of their lives. The people I encountered during Puja (the worship ceremony) were extremely happy, since experiencing this place was the fulfillment life dreams and years of planning. Positive energy flowed through the crowd, and some of them eagerly encouraged me to sing and clap and participate so that I could experience the joy as well. When I sat amidst thousands of other people, facing the river and watching the priests perform rituals at Ganga Aarti, I didn't feel much like a tourist anymore; I felt a sense of excitement and belonging.

During Ganga Aarti there were 6 priests on raised steps wearing red and gold clothing, humbly facing the river. They used candles and fire, incense, shells, water, flowers, peacock feather fans, and smoke from lamps, along with very smooth and elaborate hand motions, to perform the ceremony. Their movements were beautiful and precise, almost like a dance. Since the Ganges River is as sacred as a temple, they perform the same basic puja at Ganga Aarti as they do in some of their temples. A few lucky people sitting in the front of the crowd got to participate at the proper time by pulling on strings to ring bells hanging above the priests. I was handed one of these strings, but passed it off to an older woman beside me, since it was a privilege to participate in ringing the bells and I knew she would enjoy it more. My enjoyment came from the sound of people devotedly singing, the smoky but sweet smell of incense, and the dazzling sight of hundreds of little candles and lotus flowers floating gently down the river.

Highs and lows of Nepal...

Nepal was generally awesome, and I spent several days in Pokhara - a city known for extreme sports (totally my style). Sadly, my plans for river rafting, hangliding, or any other activities were ruined because of country-wide strikes (called "bandhs"), and everything shut down. Taxis and buses all stopped running on strike days, because they were at risk of getting their windows smashed in, or the driver getting beaten up. Most shopkeepers had to close up as well, though some kept their lights off but their doors cracked open so that they could still secretly have business. Fortunately, horses were not on strike, so mom and I went on a ride around the hills and the Pokhara Valley, and got epic views of Macchapucchre (Fishtail) Mountain (jagged, snowcovered, and still unclimbed!), towering over a hillside village. We spend another day walking around to all the small hippy shops in town (selling anything from camel leather curly-toed shoes, to nettle and hemp clothing). I found some stinging nettle soup mix... can't wait to try it! Mom and I spent both evenings in Pokhara watching Nepali dance performances at different restaurants, and getting foot massages... not a bad way to spend a strike day.

Since no one knew whether or not there would be a strike until the day of, we decided to fly to Kathmandu, since the airlines wouldn't shut down on those days. Our old crickety airplane was so tiny, that I'm pretty sure a gentle side breeze would have changed our flight path, or pushed us into a spin. Maybe that's why our flight was delayed for 4 hours... waiting for the breeze to die down! Once again, our plans were spoiled by bandhs (kinda ironic, since this is "tourism year" in Nepal), but at least in Kathmandu we got to see some of the action, as hundreds of motorcycles with yelling people waving flags drove by. And when mom and I visited Patan Durbar square (with many artistic temples all around), there was some sort of political rally happening. It's because the people want a constitution to be written, but the government keeps putting it off. I hope things settle down for them soon.

My favorite sight during my trip to Kathmandu was at the monkey temple, which, coincidentally, had hundreds of monkeys running around - climbing on temple statues, hanging from prayer flags, and playfully springing from one tree to another. We found a family of three adults and two baby monkeys asleep together on a temple wall, all cuddled together and holding the babies close. Cutest. Sight. Ever.

In Kathmandu Durbar square, we had some young girls offer to be our tour guides (since schools were closed down for the day), so we got to see the historical sites from a 13 year old's perspective. Something especially unique for Nepal, is that they have Living Goddesses. In Kathmandu Durbar square the Living Goddess, Kumari, is a straight-faced 6 year old, who lives in the temple and blesses visitors through her window. She is thought to be an incarnation of the goddess Taleju (Durga), until she menstuates, and then she becomes "normal" again and another little girl is chosen as the new Kumari. The girls who were our tour guides told us that each year, there is a festival in which 180 bulls and 180 chickens are sacrificed in the main temple, and Kumari is expected to spend the whole night in the temple alone, playing with the dead animals, and she must not be afraid. I don't know if that story is true or not, but it's a horrifying thought.

I decided not to support the system by going to see the Living Goddess, and I know I missed out on a rare cultural experience. However, the concept of a Living Goddess is upsetting to me, since these little girls have no choice in the matter, and they are taken away from their families and basically imprisoned in the temple. Then, if they show fear when playing with dead animals all night, or when they start bleeding, they're no longer a goddess. So what is a failed goddess supposed to do? Can these girls ever have a normal life when they're older? I don't know the answer to these questions, but I wonder if this practice will be allowed to continue for much longer. More info here.

I got to experience some of India's infamous beurocratic bullshit (excuse my French) while trying to get a re-entry stamp. Despite already having a multiple entry visa (which means entering more than once... can someone please define that word for them?), they made me stand in line for hours, fill out redundant paperwork, empty my wallet, and then made me come back later to retrieve my passport with a fresh blot of ink indicating permission to re-enter India. They certainly don't make tourism easy. May I remind them that I'm going there to spend money that will help their country? Grrrrr.

Luckily, I had one activity in Kathmandu that made up for the stress caused by excessive paperwork and frustrating bandhs. I took a flight to see Mt Everest! It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Mom and I climbed into a tiny plane with one seat on each side (everyone had a window), and our plane proceeded to ascend through dense clouds. After 20 minutes of seeing nothing but dark gray mist, our small plane suddenly burst out of the storm clouds and into a bright blue sky, with a jaw-dropping view of the Himalayas. I'm pretty sure my jaw actually did drop as our plane flew alongside the steepest, tallest mountains I'd ever seen. The mountain ridges seemed to simply shoot straight up from the deep valleys below, and the sun brilliantly glistened off the jagged snow-covered peaks in the early morning light. As we began to approach Everest, the flight attendant started inviting passengers up into the cockpit for a better view. When it was my turn (literally standing IN the cockpit), Mt Everest was directly ahead - and I could see her icy, majestic peaks towering above me. I finally understood why Tibetans call Mt Everest the "Goddess Mother of Earth." I unabashedly had tears in my eyes for the rest of the flight, and I felt immensely blessed and completely humbled to have seen the world's highest mountain that closely. Someday I hope to make the trek to her basecamp, and get to know the Himalayan ranges better.

Even though there were a lot of lows for me during my time in Nepal, I really liked the country. I think it's understandable that after three months of traveling I'd eventually end up with some negative experiences. I'm just glad that the best of the best came directly after the worst of the worst for me during my trip. Life has a way of evening itself out.

Nepal and its associated awesomeness

I'm in Nepal now, and it's awesome! Our first day mom and I got a night-bus from the eastern border at Kakarvita to the village of Sauraha, so we could visit Royal Chitwan National Park in the southern lowland plains. The bus ride was looooong and bumpy, with loud Hindi music blasting from old speakers. Since we were driving through rural Nepal, we saw a lot of farmland, mud and grass huts, and women dressed in brightly colored saris carrying huge silver pots on their heads. After a few hours we stopped for a bathroom break, where 20 strangers got off the bus, walked into a field, and peed together. Talk about stage fright, being the only one in the field with neon-white skin. I was surprised to see a man working nearby, pick-axing the ground in total darkness, while barefoot. That's a type of hardcore that not many of us know about. So, after many more abrupt stops and a sleepless night, we finally reached our stop and were let off the bus - just the two of us, alone, in the middle of a dark street at 3:30am. It was dead-quiet, with the exception of a few people walking the streets and coming towards us out of curiosity. I felt extremely vulnerable, so I dragged mom off to a hotel down a side street and sat right outside the door (our safest option) until it began to get light at 5am. I only started feeling safer after I saw children in uniforms walking to school at 4:30am.

Mom and I took a tiny horse-cart to the National Park a few miles away, and checked in to the coolest riverside hotel ever! The balcony had a view of Chitwan NP, and at night we could watch fireflies and listen to barking deer (yeah, they really do bark) across the river. One night there was an intense lightening storm with torrential rain, so I went outside to get wet and enjoy the pre-monsoon tropical storm. I sat in a small grass hut and watched the lightening until it stopped. There were no lightening bolts, but instead the whole sky (all the way to the horizon) would get bright at once, and then flicker like a lightbulb that's close to burning out. The sky would turn blue and light purple with the lightening, and sometimes get so bright that you could see all the colors of the landscape before going dark again. I've never seen anything like it before.

We went to an elephant breeding center and saw a 13-day old baby (so cute!) and a rare set of elephant twins - the first set of twins to ever both survive. While we were there, a wild elephant (that had been run out of his herd because he'd broken elephant social laws) came up to the fence, near the other elephants. Wild elephants are super dangerous, and this one had already killed a few people. We later went on an elephant safari, and rode through the jungle looking for animals. We saw sambar deer and spotted deer (deer are called "goats of the jungle" by the guides), and three different types of monkeys (including rhesus monkeys and hanuman langurs). But, because we were at mid-tree level on elephant back, the things I saw the most were spiders... millions of them. It's just a little difficult to look for tigers when your face is going through spiderwebs with every other step, and you have spiders and ants crawling all over you. However, I enjoyed crossing the rivers on the elephant, so that almost makes up for the spiders.One more highlight was bathing in the river outside our hotel with an elephant. I climbed up on its back and the elephant sprayed water all over itself and me, then shook its back and sent me flying into the water!

During a canoe trip, mom and I saw three crocodiles in the river, and the largest (about 10 feet long) was on the riverbank just a short distance from our boat. During a walk back up river, we heard snorting and grunting and saw nearby trees shaking. A quick burst of adrenaline went through me when I realized that I was within spitting distance (random fact: spitting world record is over 100 feet) of a potentially dangerous wild rhino, and completely unprotected. Later, during an evening jeep safari, we saw more rhinos, and they were closer than I've ever seen them at a zoo. We also saw fresh tiger and leopard tracks in the mud (so they *do* exist!), and termite hills taller than me.

Last night, mom and I are spent the night in the jungle itself, in a tall lookout tower with rooms. The noises of the jungle were spectacular to listen to, with frogs and crickets competing for attention, and barking deer communicating with each other. When the stars came out we could see them brilliantly shining, at the same time as watching falling stars, a distance lightening storm flickering in the clouds, and millions of fireflies everywhere. It was truly breathtaking.

Even though I've only been in Nepal for a few days, I'm already planning my next trip here. It's amazing!

Sikkim!

This week mom and I have been in the tiny state of Sikkim, and the scenery is like heaven! Sikkim became a part of India in 1975, but it was it's own kingdom until then. It's between Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet, so the culture is more a mix of those countries than Indian. Not gonna lie, this is my favorite state I've visited in India because it's clean, peaceful, beautiful (did I mention clean?!) and the people are very sweet and friendly. The terrain is almost completely mountainous, and it takes many hours on narrow, windy, bumpy roads to get from one city to another - even when they're just a hill or two away! I love that there are tons of waterfalls everywhere, and that the roads often go right through them. One guide we talked to said he's never, in his whole life, driven faster than 25 MPH because the roads are that windy and steep! One thing I learned about myself during my drives through Sikkim is that I, the girl who loves fast speeds, and lots of spinning, twisting, turning in just about any context, does indeed get carsick. I didn't think that was possible, but I have been humbled by these roads.

I just happened to visit Rumtek Monastery (near Gangtok) during a huge yearly festival, where the monks perform Chaam dances with elaborate costumes and masks!! Each dance lasted about 30 minutes, and they were symbolic of Buddhist culture and traditions. The monasteries here are painted with vibrant colors and intricate artwork - sometimes with pictures telling stories of various Buddhas, and other times with frightening faces to scare away demons. I have seen many prayer wheels (filled with scrolls of Om Ma Ne Padme Hum) at monasteries, but the most impressive take up a whole room and are twice as tall as me! I especially love the groves of trees with hundreds of weather-worn Tibetan prayer flags fluttering in the wind.

Sikkim requires tourists to get special entrance permits, beyond the Indian visa, and some regions of Sikkim require *additional* permits as well. Mom and I went to one such region in the northern part of the state... but the extra work to go there was worth it! We went to a small village called Lachung, at the base of a massive snow-covered mountain, and slept at a cozy homestay. That night, sitting on small yakskin stools and chatting with the locals, we learned how to make handmade Sikkimese noodles. The next day we went hiking through a rhododendron sanctuary in Yumthang Valley - a pristine place with waterfalls, flowers, colorful birds, prayer flags, and yaks everywhere! The snow came down to the road in some areas, the clouds swirled low through the trees, and the yaks took breaks from eating flowers to come up to my camera and pose for me :)

In a city called Namchi I visited a HUGE Buddha Padmasambhava statue on the top of Samdruptse hill that's 147 feet tall. To put that into perspective, I'm about as big as his toe! The statue is painted with copper, so you can see it glittering in the sunlight from miles away - on a sunny day, it looks like it's made of pure gold. Across the valley, on Solophok hill, there's a 108 feet tall statue of Lord Shiva facing the Buddha. There's a hindu temple complex at Shiva's feet (with replicas of important temples from all over India), and even though the whole project is still under construction, the architecture is incredibly impressive! Shiva, with a cobra wrapped around his neck, is my favorite of all the Hindu gods, and I wish I could see the project when it's finished.

Mt. Kanchendzonga (third highest mountain in the world) is a main attraction in Sikkim, and we were lucky enough to have the clouds part several times for us so that we could see it (that's rare in this humid, cloudy season). Besides the views of the mountains, my favorite part of being here has been talking to Bhutanese people about their nearby country (I want to go there!). Because it's a tiny, landlocked kingdom, the culture is still unspoilt - people still wear their native clothes and live in brightly-painted Bhutanese houses. And the king even takes the time walk through his country and visit each village, just to connect with the people and make sure they are happy!

That type of caring personality is also abundant in Sikkim, and the people I've connected with have been fun, laid-back, and kind. We've taken nature walks, been fed dried-yak milk chunks, and eaten fern-roots (nicknamed "thirsty fruits") with locals. We've been asked by dozens of friendly people to take photos with them, and we were even interviewed and filmed for a Sikkimese documentary (an onlooking man said that my mom is a natural actress and looked more beautiful than me in front of the camera - totally true!). And, I have been bone-crushingly squeezed into jeeps with 14 other people, and one one of those rides I was stuck together for 5 hours with bubblegum... to the owner of the hotel I was heading to! Awkward. My favorite is that everyone addresses me as "sister" and my mom as "aunty," and I think I'm going to miss that.

This is just some of my randomness... I'm definitely enjoying it!

My first view of Mt Everest!

In the small mountain town of Darjeeling, rush hour traffic is from 4:00-5:00... in the morning. People come here from all over the world to get incredible views of the Himalayas. So, at 3:30 AM, taxis are already lining the streets and warming up their engines, and by 4 am, a hundred taxis full of half-awake tourists are making the bumper-to-bumper drive up to Tiger Hill - for a sunrise view of Mt Kanchenjunga and Mt Everest. Mt Kanchenjunga, third highest mountain in the world, and Everest is only 107 miles away (as the crow flies), so it's a beautiful view! Even from my place high on Tiger Hill, I had to look upwards to see the peak of Kanchenjunga in the distance. I felt small, even from miles away. As the sun began to rise, sunbeams hit the mountains first - creating a silver shine on the snowy peaks. The sight was truly majestic!

Mom and I went for a ride on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railroad. It's called the Toy Train because it's very tiny, and the train shares the narrow, winding mountain streets with jeeps and cars. I was surprised at how close buildings and cars were to the train. If you stick your head out the window on one side of the train, you'll probably get smacked in the face by a post of somone's front porch, because the train passes within an inch or two of many of the buildings. If you look out the other side of the train, chances are you'll see the steep mountain hillside, dropping off for hundreds of feet below the tracks. My favorite views from the train were of the expansive, lush tea estates that Darjeeling is famous for, and of the Tibetan prayer flags that line the road, blowing in the breeze. Families of monkeys play in the trees and hang out on the sides of the roads - monkeys seem to be as common as squirrels are at home!

Last week in Meghalaya, I was able to see something truly unique. The villagers in that region creatively grow their bridges instead of build them. They take the roots of large trees and gradually twist them together and train them to grow across rivers. Eventually the roots grow large and strong enough to hold many people, and these types of root bridges are hundreds of years old! Mom and I hiked to one famous root bridge - a double-decker root bridge, with two layers (one above the other) growing across the river. The bridge is at least 500 years old, and is strong enough to hold 50 people at a time. A waterfall upstream provides the water that flows under the bridge, and many local villagers utilize the shallow pond on the other side of the bridge for washing laundry, or swimming. The hike to the root bridge is insanely steep, with miles of small stone steps and pathways to make the trip up and down the mountain incline a little easier. I estimated that most of the steps were about 6 inches tall, and only 8 inches wide - my toes definitely hung off of them as I made the downhill journey. With these steep steps, one is able to gain or lose considerable elevation in a very short distance. And, as if to demonstrate how amazing the locals are, many villagers carrying huge, heavy baskets did the climb in half the time as me. And at one point, a lovely old woman veritably pranced down the steps past me. But hey, if I went up and down 10,000 steps every single day (actual number, no exaggeration), I'd probably be prancing too :)

...Don't tell my grandma

My grandma would definitely not like to hear about this part of my trip... but I'm going to write about it anyways, because yesterday was insane!!!

I've been in several countries with infamously bad drivers, including Mexico, Russia and China (let's face it, everywhere has bad drivers) , but my taxi driver yesterday was the worst, hands-down! I'm a fairly intrepid passenger (I'm trying to cultivate nerves of steel), but yesterday was the first time I've been scared. You know when you're watching a scary movie and something jumps onto the screen that makes your whole body icy cold and your hair stand up on end? Yeah, I felt like that the whole time I was in the car with him. Our taxi driver liked to drive fast - as in, twice the speed limit. Can't blame him, I would drive fast too if it meant getting rid of passengers sooner. He also liked to pass other cars - fair enough, semi trucks are the worst to get stuck behind. But passing on blind, hairpin turns with zero visibility, going double the speed limit on a narrow road through a steep canyon, with one lane of heavy traffic each direction? No shoulder to pull onto, and no bailout plan... see the problem?

Mom and I both asked him to slow down after the first near head-on collision. After the second (within inches of a high-speed wreck) we were both obviously upset and asked him to stop passing on blind corners. Instead, he increased his speed and was driving even worse, just to piss us off. After the third time he recklessly passed on a blind curve and brought us within inches of a head-on collision with a truck, I was done. I told him he was being dangerous, yelled at him to stop, and pounded on the back of the seat when he ignored me. He finally stopped, and we jumped out and started hiking happily down the busy canyon road. We got a ride with a truck full of nice young men who took us to the next bus station, and we traveled in peace for the rest of our 3-hour trip.

Looking back, I thought it was strange that I'd yelled at the driver to make him stop and let us out in the middle of rural India (we had asked nicely several times for him to slow down), and I was surprised that I'd had such a strong reaction to his driving, since just minutes before I had been telling mom that we have to let go of having control because the drivers here are used to this and know what they're doing. Now, other drivers haven't bothered me. I wasn't the least bit concerned when one driver took us on a one-way street through oncoming lanes of traffic, and I wasn't stressed by other drivers who were within inches of cows, pedestrians, and trucks. But the ride yesterday made me extremely upset, and I'm glad we got out. I try to follow my intuition carefully when I'm traveling, and I'm absolutely convinced that my story would not have ended well, or perhaps would not have been written, if I hadn't gotten out of his taxi. I'm glad for intuition to know when to say "enough is enough."

Crazy Indian drivers.

Mom's and my adventures!

Khublei!

My mom is here in India with me now, and it's been a blast so far! We went around the Golden Triangle her first few days here (my second time, but hey... I can deal with seeing the Taj Mahal twice!!!). Now we have flown to the far north-eastern Indian states, and we've been exploring Assam and Meghalaya. We couch-surfed in Guwahati with a super cool family, Krish and Mandira! Their house is amazing, and they had their personal driver pick us up from the airport, how cool is that?! Krish is the most hospitable person I have ever met, and he has effectively cured my homesickness with his kindness. I am so happy to be in this region... it's very different than the rest of India, and the people here are incredibly friendly and laid-back. I LOVE it here.

Krish gave us his personal chauffeur, and we had the most incredible day ever! We went to a museum that showed us what life in the local villages is like (these are cultures that used to have head-hunters, wear loincloths, and tattoo their women so that other villages wouldn't kidnap them!). Then we visited a hilltop temple with a view of the whole valley. We spent the afternoon in Pobitora Nature Reserve and went on an hour-long elephant ride, to look for wild rhinos!!! We saw about 20 rhinos, the birds that sit on their backs (I thought that was just in cartoons), bright yellow and bright blue birds, and wild boars. We also went to an exhibit of puppets from all over India (they claim to have invented puppets thousands of years ago) and we ended up chatting with some puppeteers who were visiting for the huge puppet festival this week. They invited us to come see (and play with) their marionettes, and they gave us a short demonstration of their marionette who played the drums. You never know what sort of people you're going to run into when you travel, and it's so exciting to share even 10 minutes with people who have interesting lives!

As we were driving through the countryside that evening, we passed an Assamese village holding a huge springtime festival called Rongali Bihu, so we stopped to watch the dancing. Some people welcomed us in, and wouldn't allow us to sit down on the ground like everyone else, but instead brought us to the place that the village leaders were sitting, and gave us front-row seats of honor! Then they brought out red and white handwoven scarves called Gamoshas, and presented them to us. Gamoshas are given as a sign of honor and love, and as they put the gamosha over my shoulders I felt extremely honored and lucky to be among such lovely people! Then they handed me a microphone, asking me to tell the hundreds of people gathered there where we were from and what we thought of Assam (we LOVE it). Then they resumed the festivities. They played energetic music with drums and flutes, and the village girls and boys performed elaborate dances with graceful hand-gestures, dancing in a circle around the musicians. I've been to many folk-dance performances before, but none of them could compare to the authentic experience of celebrating with the locals, for whom folk-dancing is an essential part of their culture and lives. The kindness of the Assamese people is something that I hope to always remember in my heart.

Today mom and I went on a helicopter ride! We flew in an old Russian helicopter, and the ride was exciting because we went through a small storm, up and over some mountains to the city of Shillong! Shillong is built on a hill, with brightly-colored houses and narrow winding roads. It's only 60-70 degrees here and it feels surprisingly cold to me, since I was in 108 degree weather just a few days ago. Now I need a jacket! Our day included a trip to a huge cultural museum and some terraced waterfalls. This area is a cultural mix of Indians, Tibetans, Chinese, and many independent villages, so it's a wonderful change. We're spending the next few days in nature to get energy and recover from Delhi and other hectic cities, so I'm grateful that my mother suggested visiting this region!

Updates again next week. Love from India!

Magical Rajasthan

I am finding that India is exciting, but extremely overwhelming. I've had several frustrating days where I had no idea what I was thinking when I decided to come to India, and I just wanted to be done - but then I think about the incredible places I've seen and I realize that the frustrations are worth it. I am now in the Golden Triangle area, visiting famous sites in Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. It's very different than southern India, and I am enjoying the change of scenery.

Some random things I've seen here:
-A man with a bamboo cane and his evil-psycho monkey of doom attacking our car window.
-16 people riding in one tiny auto-rickshaw, three of which were on the roof. Note: auto-rickshaws typically only seat three plus the driver. They are basically glorified riding lawn-mowers that can go fast and weave through roads congested with people, busses and cows.
-Highway traffic was super slow at one point, so people in tractors, motorcycles, rickshaws, and even carts pulled by donkeys crossed the raised median and drove up the wrong side of the road, weaving through fast, oncoming traffic!
-Everyone here does have a water-buffalo. I passed ponds full of water-buffalo, with just the horns and heads above water. And camels, donkeys, and water-buffalo (with or without their owners) share the road with modern traffic.
-I saw a wild peacock sitting atop a bush in the middle of a field, green parrots flying around the countryside, and monkeys running across the road. Exotic animals everywhere :)
-Newspaper is used as tissues and napkins, and to serve food.

Mathew and I spent one day in Agra. We were lucky enough to be there on World Heritage Day, so we got into each of the World Heritage Sites for free! We went to Akbar's Tomb, where there were huge sandstone buildings and vast lawns (with wild gazelles grazing on the property). The tomb had incredible acoustics! A man working in the tomb sang a short melody that echoed through the otherwise silent room and sent chills down my spine. In all the other open-air rooms surrounding the inner tomb, the architecture (pillars and domed ceilings) allows sounds to travel from one corner of a wall to another. When one person faces one corner of the room, and another faces the diagonal corner, you can whisper and hear each other from across the room!

I've seen several world wonders, like the Great Wall of China and the Colosseum, but the Taj Mahal is the most beautiful architectural masterpiece I've ever seen! Built with white marble, it stands out drastically from the sandstone landscape all around. The first site of the Taj Mahal through the main gate is the most stunning, since the gate is built in such a way the opening of it frames the whole Taj Mahal as you walk through - creating an optical illusion that it's even bigger than it is. The marble surfaces are decorated with floral patterns made from inlaid semi-precious stones. When you shine a light into the marble, the stone lights up and the gemstones glow brilliantly. Adding to the exotic atmosphere, there are also monkeys climbing around and parrots flying between flowering trees.

We went to Fatipur Sikri, and ancient palace and mosque. The swirls of color in the sandstone structures are lovely, but even more impressive are the huge carved doors made from solid ebony, and windows made from one solid slab of marble with intricate lace-like patterns cut through them. When you look out the window, it looks a little like stained glass. You can look outside, but you can't seen inside through the cut-marble windows very easily.

In Jaipur we saw the famous Amer Fort and Amber Palace, set on a hillside overlooking the ancient city. There were elephants carrying tourists up to the palace, and people playing drums and flutes. But the best part was the snake charmer!!! An old man with an instrument and a small basket was crouching in the shade on the stairway to the palace. He gestured me over and as he played, a cobra rose up from his basket and opened it's hood! The cobra stood up tall and swayed back and forth for several minutes. And the best part? The charmer let me touch his cobra!!! After he stopped playing, the cobra hissed and moved around, then laid down in the basket again.

As one last activity before he heads home tonight, Mathew and I are going to ride some elephants! I'm off to play, so Namaste!!!

Changes are good :)

I am learning that the only way to travel through India is by being completely flexible with my plans and accepting the inevitable changes. Even if you have every detail planned out, things will change, and plans will not go as expected. For example, distances that are super short to drive in the USA take hours (or days) to drive here, because of heavy traffic, super low speed limits, and cows in the road (or elephants, as I have found out). The government even forces people to slow down on the highways by putting up multiple speed bumps and baricades, so that vehicles are required to carefully go over and around them. I've had several plans fall through or change because it takes too long to get from one place to another. However, something else I've learned is that if you accept the changes and enjoy the journey, sometimes you will even up with something even better than you planned.

Matt and I had a few plans fall through so we ended up coming to Mysore (a completely different state than we were going to visit). But the journey to get here was full of incredible sites and surprises! We took a long-distance bus through the Western Ghats - a steep and dramatic mountain range, covered in dense jungles and tea plantations. We had the best seats on the bus, so we had a perfect view and it felt like we were on a jungle safari. The road was very steep and windy, with huge vehicles flying past each other around hairpin switchbacks. We saw groups of monkeys hanging out on the side of the road, playing and eating bananas! A few hours later the road went through a wildlife reserve, and we saw wild elephants walking around!

Here in Mysore the people are more pushy and less friendly, but there is a huge palace that lights up at night, so it's very beautiful. Walking around the palace and gardens, it's easy to imagine the great sultan that once lived there, parading around in long robes and with caravans of elephants. I wish I could have seen India as it was three hundred years ago!

I'm off to explore the city, so namaste!

Tropical paradise!

My time at the ashram is over, and my best friend, Mathew, met me in Mumbai a few days ago so that we can travel together for two weeks. On my way to meet him in Mumbai, the taxi I was in got pulled over three times, and one of those times we were escorted to the police station! During my hour-long wait while the driver tried to work things out with the police, I was busy thinking of ideas for breaking out of prison, since things weren't looking too good. The walls of the police station seemed to be made of a mud/cement mix (sorta crumbly) and I had a spoon in my backpack, so I figured I could just dig my way out if necessary. The police seemed to be looking for a bribe from the driver, and eventually we were sent on our way.

Now Mathew and I are in the southern state of Kerala! It's gorgeous here, with palm tree forests, bright topical flowers, beaches and backwater canals. I've seen green oranges, orange coconuts, and red bananas - fruit here is amazing. We took an 8 hour ferry from one city to another one day, and yesterday we took a small canoe-like indian fishing boat on a tour of the backwaters. The backwaters are like canals that link many cities and lakes with each other. The waters are completely smooth and peaceful, and there are villages and tiny houses all along the banks. The villagers do everything in the water - playing, bathing, cleaning dishes and laundry, and working. In the evening we saw everyone head to the banks with sticks and string - to go fishing for dinner. Banana, mango, and coconut trees line the banks and hang over the water, and cows, goats, chickens, and bicycles all share the path along the water. The rice fields are below sea-level, and there are many places you can stand on the banks and see that the backwaters and rice fields next to each other are at different levels.

Something interesting about Kerala is that they have elected a communist government, and it truly seems to be working well for the people. The people here are also very religious (they are primarily Hindu, Christian, and Muslim). Since Russian and Chinese communists were primarily atheists, I always thought that communism and religion didn't mix, but apparently they do. They call it God's Country here in Kerala, so who knows, maybe that's their secret.

A few random things from this week:

-My life flashed before my eyes when a huge truck with 5000 watt, concert-grade loudspeakers on top came up behind me and suddenly BLASTED some music. Mathew thinks I jumped 6 feet.

-All the little children wave and say hi when we pass, they're so cute!

-We were served lunch on banana leaves and ate with our hands!

-The one time Matt went barefoot his feet got chewed up by killer bugs.

-Experienced our first monsoon rains (it was so warm and amazing feeling!).

-CRAZY monkeys tried to steal Matt's soda.

-Some tuk tuk drivers literally fought each other for our business.

-Some crazy guy gave us a personal, midnight tour of a hindu temple.

-I got some Indian clothes (but I still stick out from a mile away with my neon-white skin).

Here's a link to just a few of the pictures we took this week http://www.flickr.com/photos/mathewrose/sets/72157626473162176/

I have lots of funny things to write about, but no time because we're headed up to Kochi! This is all for now! Sending love from India!

I woke up this morning seriously craving a bacon cheeseburger. Sigh...

Highlight of the week - I went back to Trimbak, where I saw a beautiful temple last week. This time, just walking down the main street, I looked up and unexpectedly saw another gorgeous temple, with totally different architecture. It was made from dark stone, pyramid shaped, with gorgeous carvings. I had no idea this tiny city has two ancient temples! It was the Indian New Years yesterday, so there were lots of people around. Some ladies outside the temple pushed some bundles of grass into my hands to feed the cows outside the temple, which was a fun experience... except that then we had to pry ourselves loose from them and all the other people begging for money. An eccentric looking monk-type old man then sang us a song with his one-stringed instrument, so we shared some food with him. It was a fun jaunt into the city, and it was nice to escape the ashram for a few hours. As it turns out, ashram life is too mellow for me.

Good news! I completed my course last night and have officially become a certified yoga instructor!!! The exams we had to pass were a little intense: 3 written tests, a 5 page essay, 2 yoga asana exams, 11 micro-lessons, and teaching 2 full lessons. It's not that much, except for the fact that it was crammed into only 3 weeks. I'm definitely going to do more yoga courses and continue my training... this is just the beginning.

Yoga has some very strange practices... we had to drink 7 glasses of salt water (on an empty stomach) and vomit it back out, all together (they say it's a cleansing process that removes toxins from your stomach, and releases negative emotions stored in your body). We also had to pour salt water in one nostril and out the other (to clear the nasal passages), and the examiner had to make sure the stream of water was flowing out of my nose smoothly... I've never had someone look up my nose and grade me on it before, haha.

I went to an Ayurvedic doctor, just because it sounded interesting. After determining my body/personality type, he gave me recommendations for healthy living. He told me to eat lots of honey, pumpkin, figs, bananas, nuts, butter, and yams (yams -> my favorite food in the world). He said that my personality type should eat lots of sweet things (hell, yeah). He also told me to get a massage and a sauna every week - the best prescription a doctor has ever given me!

I have really enjoyed some of the mantras that they have here (they're in Sanskrit, but the translations are nice). Mantras are to help us keep positive thoughts in our minds, and my favorite is the Prayer for Universal Peace:
Let the truth destroy untruth
Let the light destroy darkness
Let immortality destroy death
May all attain peace
May all attain joy
May all become complete
Let everyone be happy
I am not the creator
God is doing everything

I hope this mantra be positive for you as well! Namaste!

Now THIS is India

I'm finally getting to see the types of things I came to see!

I walked through a tiny village last week, with small dirt paths between houses made from mud and stones. Immediately I was approached by a little girl smiling and asking for a photo. Then she took me home and the whole family came out to say hi. Then I came to a group of boys playing cricket in a dirt field with homemade cricket gear, they were very excited for me to take their photos, and after a few minutes I ended up with about 30 little kids following me around and giggling at everything I did. An old woman invited me into her house to show me a baby cow that she was obviously very proud of. She asked for a photo, but first she ran to get a huge, silver bangle. She put it on her arm and very carefully adjusted it - she wanted to look her best for the picture. Her tree outside was full of chickens, and the village was so picturesque.

Today I went hiking to the top of a mountain across the valley from the ashram. On the way I passed a small hut. There were several children and a puppy sleeping right outside it, in the street - and a cow sleeping inside the house! Something seems strange with that picture...

The mountain was very steep, so there were stairs carved from stone most of the way up. At the top of the first mountain there was a lovely lake, and about a hundred cows and several herders. At the top of the second mountain, there was a small temple, dedicated to the monkey god. It was a tough hike but completely worth every sweaty step!

The HUGE event of the month was that the Guru of the Bihar School of Yoga came to visit. Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati is the guru of our school and many other places, and he is very famous in India. His guru's guru (like a lineage passed down) was the main person who brought yoga to the western world, so he's a big deal. We went and listened to him speak and got to chant mantras with him (well, me and like 300 other people). And he gave us all prayer beads and a special blessing. This was also a huge event because he rarely does public events anymore, since he's getting ready to go into seclusion (basically retire) and to focus on reaching enlightenment. Even though I didn't understand a word he said, I was thrilled that I knew several of the mantras and that I could sing along.

This week I am going to teach two full classes, so wish me luck!
Namaste!

Lotus Pose? Maybe in my next life...

Today went to a nearby city, Trimbak. It took an hour of briskly walking on small paths, through huge fields, to get there (didn't see any cobras along the way). There were several tiny houses along the path, and the people were very surprised to see a foreigner walking in such a rural area. I went to a beautiful temple and walked around the grounds for a while - it was made from bright white stone, with beautiful artwork and architecture! This week was also the festival of colors, and there is still powder all over the streets. We didn't throw colors at the ashram, but we did have a bonfire and singing :)

Here are some of the other things that are exciting to me, though they're small and fairly inconsequential: Watching the stars at night (I see them both when I start yoga practice in the morning and when I eat dinner). Drinking cold guava juice when it's a billion degrees outside. Seeing toads, mice, lizards, bats, and owls around the ashram (the mosquitoes are truly evil).Washing up (from a bucket) and putting delicious-smelling coconut oil on my feet after walking around the dusty ashram barefoot all day. Best of all, the fact that I finally stayed awake during one of our meditation-type sessions yesterday (we wake up at 5am, workout, eat, and then they make us lay down in a dim room with our eyes closed, listening to a soft voice... what do you expect?!).


So, I'm halfway through my yoga course, and I wish it was longer because I'm not sure how I'll be ready to teach a full lesson in two weeks! We teach mini-lessons everyday, and so far I have led several prayers and mantras and "Om" chanting (all in Sankrit) and I have taught several poses to my peers. Doing yoga is easy... teaching yoga is surprisingly hard. Every day we have two yoga asana (pose) classes, and we do chanting, breathing techniques, and attend several lectures. It is all interesting, but I have a hard time focusing during chanting and breathing. I love all the asanas, except for Lotus Pose... it's the bane of my existence (see picture below). Luckily, it's not required that I master it here, otherwise I'd be doomed!

Oh, so I injured my wrist and can't put any weight on it... luckily it doesn't hurt at all when I'm not using it, and I have a brace, so it will be ok! At first I was devastated, but we are never supposed to push our bodies too much when we do the asanas, so my teacher is fine with me not practicing the few poses that would make my wrist worse. In fact, she said to use this experience as a learning opportunity, so I'm doing my best!

I have enjoyed learning about yogic philosophy during my time here. Yoga is not a religion - rather, yoga is a philosophy and a way of life that works in harmony with any religion. Practicing the poses (which is the only thing most of us really know about) is a small part of yogic life. The basic aim of yoga is to create balance between our mind, spirit, and body, and they do this through healthful eating, peaceful living, and trying to become connected with God or The Universe through prayer, mantras, meditation, etc. It's an admirable lifestyle, and I am glad to be in this environment! Sending love from India!

First week in India!

Hari Om!

This has been an awesome week! My first morning in Mumbai, I walked outside and the first thing I saw was a cow in the middle of the street :) I went to Elephanta Caves, which is an island off the coast of Mumbai with lots of stone carvings in the caves. There were lots of monkeys on the island, and they were very cute, but kind of crazy. One of them ran up to a lady, jumped towards her, and grabbed a bottle of soda out of her hands. The monkey ran off a little ways, opened the lid, used his foot to prop up the bottle, and drank the soda! It was a strange sight.

It was a 5 hour bus ride to the city where I am doing my yoga teacher program. On the bus on the way to Nashik I saw lots of random things, like houses made completely from straw, and more houses made from sticks (and yes, there are brick houses too, hehe). I saw guys peeing in the streets, little kids staring at me from other cars passing by, and lots of animals everywhere!

In Nashik I am staying at Yoga Vidya Dham, which is an Ashram in the countryside. It's very peaceful there, and it's a nice break from my normal life and from the hectic Indian cities. I get to see the sunrise and sunset every day, and the stars are out in the sky when I wake up and when I eat dinner! The landscape reminds me a little bit of Utah, with mountains that are rounded instead of jagged, like in Central and Southern Utah.

There are lots of snakes here, and I was so excited to find out that there are cobras here! (If we see one we just tell the teachers and they will catch them and release them far away). I saw one snake the second day here, but it was just a non-poisonous one. I also saw a scorpion, toads, ants that are so big they're scary, and a tree full of lizards! Yesterday during class, someone ran into the room, telling the teacher "snake!!!" So our teacher sprinted out of class and went to catch it. When he came back to class he was carrying a jar with a COBRA in it!!! I was so excited that I got to see a cobra!!! It didn't have it's hood raised because it had calmed down, but it was cool. He released it that night, 30 miles away.

We completed our first yoga exam yesterday as well. I think it went great, and I am so happy I'm here. I'm having a little bit of a hard time because I got a hairline fracture in my wrist about 3 days before coming to India... It's hurting pretty badly. But I've got ointment for it and I'm going to find a splint for it today :D

Tomorrow is the Festival of Colors (Holi, the biggest festival in India) so I'm excited for that!
So, today was just a quick post... I wanted to let everyone know that things are going well! I'm sending my love from India!

Why I'm going to India...

In a way, this trip is like a pilgrimage for me. My intent for the first month of my journey is to increase my inner peace and strength, and to create clarity. After 2 years of working up to 4 jobs at one time (often 80 hour weeks) and of having a constant sleep deficit, I am excited to use this time to restore balance and enjoy every minute of my day!

I will begin my trip by studying Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga for a month at the Vishwa Yoga Darshan, an ashram in the mountains east of Mumbai. The program will be intense, but if I study hard and pass the examinations I will come home with a yoga teacher certification. Many people have asked me, why am I going all the way to India to study yoga when I could just take courses at home? So I ask in return, why learn here when I could go to the place where yoga was born, and fully immerse myself in the culture? Indian traditional yoga is more than just exercise; through yoga, one's mind, body, and spirit are connected and balance is achieved. The yoga philosophies of yoga create peace and can enrich one's life. Yoga isn't just a hobby; yoga is a lifestyle. This short article explains what I mean: www.healthtree.com/articles/yoga/philosophy.

The last 3 months of my trip I will be circling the entire country, and venturing into Nepal. I'll be visiting large cities and small villages, tiger reserves and national parks, boating in tropical backwaters and hiking in the Himalayas, seeing the Ganges river and ancient temples. I'll see colorful displays of culture, as well as the heartbreaking sight of abject poverty. Despite the vast amount of research I have done, I guarantee I will get culture shock. But the bitter-sweet juxtaposition of vibrant beauty and upsetting filth, joyous festivals and muffled sorrow, and of solitude in nature and over-crowding in cities... this is what makes the world such an exciting place.

My original plan was to experience this all on my own, traveling solo to push my boundaries. But I am fortunate that I will be sharing segments of this trip with two of my favorite people, my best friend Mathew and my sweet mother. I am excited to take my mom on her first major international trip! I'll be posting some of the pictures of our adventures on flickr. Leaving in less than two weeks, I can't wait!!!

Setting off on a new adventure...

Life is too short to not have adventures — and now is a perfect time to have one!

My childhood dream was to be an explorer, and to see beautiful places all over the world. I used to go bush-whacking through the forest or scramble up a talus slope and imagine that I was the first person to throw pebbles into a particular stream or walk through a hidden canyon. Now, whenever I perch myself on a boulder next to a winding river, or sit with my legs dangling over the edge of my favorite cliff and watch birds play in the updraft, it rekindles my dreams of visiting far-off places to see exotic lands.

I have always wished that I could visit some deep, dark jungle of Africa, explore the banks of the Amazon River, and ski the glorious Swiss Alps. I shed a tear in awe the first time I saw photographs of the dramatic Karst mountains of southern China, emerald green and shrouded in mist. These are the types of images that inspire me, and this passion for discovery is what drives me.

Utah has 27 people per square mile, and India has 960 people per square mile! So as my dad pointed out, there won't be anywhere left to explore for the first time. But I don't need to see any places that have never been seen before; I want to see places that I have never seen before, since any travel brings me feelings of discovery and awe.

In 2010 I decided it was time to create a new adventure for myself. So, after a year of working hard and carefully saving, as well as doing a mind-blowing amount of research and planning, I am heading out to fulfill one of my life-long dreams — exploring India!

I'll be gone for 4 months, and I am very nervous about this trip, hoping I can survive. But I am also more excited for this than anything I have ever done. I'll update this blog every week or two, since it's an easy way to let people know that I am still alive (stop worrying, I'll be safe, promise). And if you'd like to contact me (I would love to hear from my friends!) I'll be checking my email sometimes as well. I hope that all of you have a wonderful spring, enjoy every day, and remember Helen Keller's words that "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."