A Sacred Journey

Hello friends,
Good news, Logan's illness was short-lived and the next day he bounced back to his happy, adventurous usual self!! We shopped alot around Jaipur (probably the first time we've actually enjoyed shopping together) and bought some more garb and gifts.
***Sorry about the comments not working, I must have messed something up by accident...you have no idea how depressed I was when I saw no one commented!! :( ***
Anyway, after Jaipur we went to Fatepure Sikri, further East and visited a mosque. Most beautiful mosque I have seen so far. It was strange, however, because they buried their ancestors in it and we were walking right over top their graves!
Afterwards we headed to Agra,a big, nasty city. Possibly the worst place ever. But I shouldn't say that because it was really just our experience that made it so crappy. First off, I felt soooooo sick in the car. But, as some of you know me, I'm good at suppresing that sort of thing. As soon as we got into Agra (town of the Taj Mahal) we tried to ship all our gifts home at the "government post office" and it was a disaster. The government sucks...Logan and I ended up commiting a federal crime right in the post office..haha, but that's another story I'll save for later.
So then, after much stress and me still feeling sick, we went to our fancy-pantsy hotel (all our hotel are Rs.2000+/night...but we didn't know it was going to be like that) and chilled. Then, for sunset, we went to the Taj. Nice place indeed. But unfortunately, sold to the dollar. Cost us Rs.1500 to get in. That's our budget for like 3 days. And we got ourselves a "government" guide and he wouldn't shut up.
Our trip to the Taj consisted of trying to ditch the guide and take silly photos as he kept saying "here, take photo of this", "take photo of her, there". The Indians must think all we want to do is take photos and that we need to be told what to take pictures of. Grrr.
After the Taj...hum...our driver insisted on taking us to another shop where the pieces were minimum Rs.20 000. As if. It was beautiful art similar to the art of on taj (all inlays of precious stones from around the world) but we weren't interested in the slightest. So we had fun being over-the-top interested (it became a game I tell ya) and soon we were gone. That night was stomach was acting up so Logan and I skipped dinner...it was the last night with Kumar and we knew it wasn't going to be an easy good-bye.
He had told Logan that a 10% tip is tradition. UGH. That's Rs.6000. We couldn't afford it. We gave him 1000 and there was some tears and anger and my god, tough times. I'd rather forget. We'll miss you Kumar but we're glad to be on our own again. That night, I was fairly sick (only threw up once though)...Logan rubbed essential oils on me all night until I fell asleep. I don't know what I would have done without him, probably died!
Next day, bright and early (that's 730 to me!) we headed to the train station and made way to Jnansi; a city south-east of Agra. It was a lovely 2hr30min ride with complementary tea, biscuits and water! Woo hoo!
Off the train we needed to get to Khajuraho, a small town 4 hours away. We couldn't take a bus because we had too many things (all the stuff we were supposed to ship in Agra) so we hooked up with a 50-something year-old lady from Israel travelling by herself (so cool!!) and shared a very crowded taxi. "Eveline" had already been to the North where we're heading and told us many great things. We shared an awesome lunch and she convinced me to try yogurt, which is soooo good. After much convo and sharing, we got to Khajuraho. I love meetings where it seems like it was destined you know?
So here we are in Khajuraho, a small town with 22 temples. Most of which have extremely erotic carvings of any sex act you can imagine. They are all about the tantra and kama sutra here. We will be visitng those tonight, when it's not so hot.
Yesterday (we arrived in this place on the 27 in the evening) we hung out with some boys and they took us to a beautiful river. We spend most the day just sitting, talking, swimming (not me though) and reading. (Logan and I picked up some books by Osho...crazy stuff...he's so controversial!) Then our Indians friend made us a home-cooked, wood-fire meal served on huge leaves from the jungle. A bit sktechy in terms of cleanliness and health but hey...we decided to just go for it. So tasty and we still feel fine today!!
I don't really feel like writting much, I'm sorry. My hormones have been acting up and I feel like a bit of a wreck. I've been a bit anti-social and irritable lately, I feel bad for Logan having to deal with it. I really need to harness my ridiculous feelings and emotions so it stops hindering my experiences. I do feel better today however...being female is so hard sometimes..:S
I've realized that, just like anything else, sometimes you love it, sometimes you hate it. India is definetely one of those things.
Well, tomorrow, we're busing back to Jnansi and the taking a train to...dum dum dum...Varanasi, one of the highlights of our trip. We'll be there for awhile. This is the city of Death (many people go to die) but also of life (as the River Ganges passes through).
Arh, one hour is up! Hope you're all doing well and keep the comments coming!!
Love you all.
Namaste

Posted by Dominique at 12:13:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Namaste y'all.
As the title suggests, this is the order I choose for this post.
First, a heads up to some folks:
Mom - Cad $1 = 41 Rupees in India (although the conversion we've been getting is around 38...darn)
Cassie - Hey, I appreciate all book suggestions, maybe I'll look for that around here to read while travelling. Hope you're doing awesome! :)
Danielle - So with all the crazy coup d'etat shit happening in Thailand are you still going to be able to go? We've been trying to follow the news however we can. The paper today said that although the president admitted he is no longer president things seem to be getting back to normal and the city is working again, even under the new military rule. I'll be looking out for more news...keeping my fingers crossed for you!
Cory – Email me back about the ride to Dharmsala/Rishikesh!! Sweet
All those who comment - Thank you. Much love is felt.

This morning, bright and early, we arrived in Jaipur...but I must backtrack a bit first.
Jodhpur, the blue city, was a very nice place. A fort we visited gave us a beautiful view of the city that really gets into the spirit and everyone paints their house blue... (not like at home where we can say, "ours is the blue one"!!) We stayed in a fancy hotel (well Rs1000 per night (CAD$25)is considered fancy)and everyone there seemed to hang out in the lobby and stare at the white folk, mainly us. Many people have asked about my "sadhu hair" (only religious men have dreadlocks here) and wondered if it means I am a holy woman. Logan says yes..tehe.
Even more people have asked what I have on my chin. I tell them it is a piercing like many of the ladies have on their noses. It amazes them that someone would do such a thing...if only they knew what other piercing I had!!! I even had a guy at a gas station today try and pick it out. Oh man, I made it very clear that I was not to be touched and was insulted. This was the first man who has tried to touch me...and Kumar said he was a stupid man that "did not go to school because his Hindi was very bad". He seemed like a scum-ball to me too. I quickly “Purelled” my chin and labret…ewwww.
Oh mom, you’ll like this. A few of the children have asked me “what happened to your face…mosquitos?” I them explain how in Canada and the US where people have white skin, they get pimples and its very common…like a disease but I can’t give it to them. They think that’s pretty odd. I did a puja (devotional cleasing…ish) in the Pushkar lake yesterday and the man helping me said all will be good, “good life, good family, good love, luck, wealth and even get rid of mosquito on face…” Muahahaha….sweet…I got God on my side now! Yes, the funny part is it’s been better than ever since we arrived in India…imagine if they had seen me a few weeks ago! Ok, enough about my face…
Jodhpur had a delicious retaurant called “on the rocks” where we went several times…looked like an exotic club somewhere in the Caribbean. Cheap too. We’ve noticed the best restaurants are the cheap ones…don’t know if it’s the food or our perceptions, perhaps a bit of both.
After two days in Jodhpur, our journey took us back East to Pushkar, a destination we were very excited for! It is a very spiritually-important place for the Hindus and all is vegetarian-only. Also, drugs and alcohol are banned. We stayed in a very nice hotel with a huge garden in the back. Mostly roses (used as offerings to pictures of Gods) but also chili plants, lime/mango/papaya trees and get this…eggplant plants!!! I have never seen these things before…it was awesome. Logan and I share a passion for growing plants and food. By the end of our walk around the garden, I had roses, eggplant flowers, hisbiscus flowers and other flowers I didn’t know in my dreadlock bun, care of Logan. T’was fun! There was a swimming pool at the hotel, but it wasn’t overly inviting…
Early in the morning in Pushkar, Kumar took us the base of a mountain and said, nice temple, Brahma’s wife. We weren’t sure what to expect but began the trek up this huge mountain. It took us 1.5 hours to climb the darn thing only to realize the temple was a brick house with a scary statue with LED lights all over. Very cheesy. But we made our offerings (given at the base) and took some great pictures. I believe it was about 1500feet up or something….going down was tough on the knees….but it was all worth it I say. Then we went to town and visited a Brahma temple. Also cheesy, but I can appreciate. We bought pomagranates (mmmm very delicious at Rs.10) and Logan got the juice all over his white pants. But, for any of you interested, grapefruit seed extract can do some amazing things. After much scrubbing, I got it mostly clean!
After the Brahma temple the men insisted we put our offering of roses inside the Pushkar lake. So we walked down and were separated (still close tho). A man made me recite a mantra after him and explained all the different things in a place I would be offering, color powder, rice, roses, marigolds, sugar and spice. It was very nice until he asked me to make an offering to the temple. I said ok, 200 rupees. Then, of course he said, no, 3 gods so 3 x 200 or 5 people in your faily so 5x 200. Ugh. I threatened to walk away and told him he was being pushy and so he stopped…for a bit. Then I made my offering to the dirty dirty lake (full of crazy-looking snake-like bugs and large fish) and gave my donation…but he insisted I said 300. I laughed and walked away…man, it’s annoying. Logan got suckered pretty good…but I’ll let him tell you himself. Later in the evening we walked to the lake and listened to some nice music and I bought an anklet that jingles every step I make. It’s fun…many ladies here wear them.
For dinner that night, since we knew if was Kumar’s son’s birthday, we celebrated and Kumar bought some beer (it had to be brought some elsewhere since no booze in Pushkar). Logan and I reluctantly drank it…and ate way too much… J
Ok, here’s the ugly. Logan seems to have gotten sick afterwards. The drive to Jaipur today was difficult for him. We had to stop every hour or so for him to “toss his cookies”. He is mostly dry heaving but that’s because he hasn’t eaten much. He always feels well after though, for a bit, which is a good sign. I got him a fruit salad this morning and he ate the bananas and apples…hopefully he can keep it down. He’s still in good spirits though. If this persists, we will visit a Doctor. We are still drinking a ton of bottle water and today we’re just taking it easy. I will sit outside and read/do yoga and he will sleep. I don’t want to worry you too much, I think it is a mixture of the alcohol, heat and food. I’ll keep you posted and make sure he takes homeopathics and all the other good stuff I brought. Perhaps we will call home soon. Oh, and I am feeling as good as always, just some nasty moon-cramps!
So I should return to the hotel and check on him…
Much love, Namaste

Posted by Dominique at 12:55:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Namaste my fellow Northern Hemisphere creatures.
So there was a power outage and I lost my previous post, so here I will try and re-create it.
Moving onwards from Bikaner into Jaisalmer, we’re getting deeper into the Thar Desert, one of the driest in the world. Jaisalmer was a stop on the old silk/spice route and definitely still holds a reputation as a major shopping center. First thing we did was attempt to visit a the Jaisalmer Fort or the Golden fort (because it is all build out of local yellow sandstone) Jaisalmer is often referred to as the Golden City due to all the sandstone. The fort sits high on a hill and would have been impenetrable in battles. It did not see many battles though because it is only 400 years old; build by a relatively recent maharaj. Interestingly, people actually live in the fort and merchants are a-plenty. Having already seen a retardedly elaborate fort in Bikaner (which I somehow forgot to write about) Logan and I were more distracted by all the shops. We found a great one with lots of Pakistan-style clothing and went crazy. Rs.2500 later we got ourselves 4 pairs of pants, 4 shirts, 1 skirt, 3 scarves, 1 purse, 1 headband and 1 water bottle carrier. When we left the shop it was dark so we said farewell to the fort.
But the next day, we went on a camel trek!!!!!! Oh I love Camels! At about 4pm we got into a jeep with a older, wealthy German couple, drove one hour West and were greeted by our camel guides who did not know much more English than “camel” and “water”. We boarded our camels (I got the little cute one) and headed out on a 4-hour journey, stopping only once to take pictures. The heat wasn’t too bad at all, probably due to my new light garb and head scarf, really helps keep cool. Being atop a camel is wonderful, they are so harmless and delicate, yet strong and intimidating all at once. They made strange noises and they’re farts are even stranger, yet not overly unpleasant. They were well behaved, well, mine anyway and had very furry ears!! We came across some huge sand dunes with very soft yellow sand and saw some crazy flora. Oh and bugs too!!
Eventually we arrived to a small flat clearing with a few small huts. From there the guides proceeded to make us a wonderful desert dinner with rice, chapatti (bread) and curried vegetables. It was delicious. Logan and I watched the sunset from a nearby sand hilltop and even had a Pepsi (crazy times huh?) Then we slept on cots right out in the open under the stars. You’d be surprised how many stars there are out there when there’s no light on. We saw the Milky Way, Gemini and many other constellations I’ve never seen before. Oh Glorious Heavens!
After a great night’s sleep we had a quick breakfast of bananas, tea and bread and departed. The trek back was about 2 hours. (We took the long way around before). I said good-bye to my wonderful camel and hello to some nasty soreness in my inner thighs, worse than ridding a horse. (but all worth it)

From Jaisalmer we headed to Jodhpur, back East.
At this point I’d like to say I’m still feeling great. I did have a few not-so-enjoyable trips to the washroom, but nothing worth complaining about as it passes very fast. I’ve used by first beday (fancy butt wash) as well as my first hole in the ground. Not so bad I say. I’ve also sat on a rock on the Thar Desert to do my business…who else can say that?
So now I shall be going…
But first, let me say we are now in Jodhpur, the so-called blue city, about to enjoy dinner. (I always look forward to food here!!) Earlier we visited the Jodhpur fort and saw great views of the city, it is actually blue.
Alrighty…good day to all and as our driver Kumar would say;
“OHM OHM OHM, very relaxing”

Posted by Dominique at 5:06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Whoa, feels like it's been awhile. Nah, probably just because so much happens in one day here. Going back a bit...moving on from Mandawa we went to Bikaner, a decently large city further west in Rajasthan. Incidently, if I haven't said so before, Raja means king and than means land. So Rajasthan in itself if the land of kings and boasts many palaces, forts and the like.
In Bikaner we were treated to a classy hotel (they even supply toilet paper!!) as well as a romantic rooftop restaurant. We had our first tuk-tuk ride (auto-rickshaw) around town and forgot to negociate a price first so we ended up paying Rs.200. ahahaha...
We visited the Old City in Bikaner (most cities have "old" sections I've noticed) which is before the British moved in build their shitty architecture. The details are so amazing, the Maharajs (great kings) really had good taste. Plenty of courtyards and intricate windows, balconies and door. We've learnt to respond with "Very nice" as this seems to be the only expression the Indians know. Any attempt at beautiful or even wow seems to draw blank stares. Speaking of blank stares, it appears some Indians have selective hearing. "No thank you" or "I don't want it" seem to go completely unheard by roadside vendors selling you things like there's no tomorrow. Annoying at times but mostly amusing.
We visited a glorious Jain temple as well. Of course, every square inch was carved and painted. Logan got some good advice about offerings, and, of course, I was not addressed for I am a white woman. But I'm ok with that. Apparently Rajasthan is known for the fact that "women are not heard nor seen". Hum...they must have thought I did too much talking...
We also visited the crazy rat temple. (Mom you would HATE it!!!muahah) Not only were there rats everywhere, but they were dirty Indians rats eating bad milk and rotten food. Best of all, pilgrims the the devout were barefoot and steping in all sorts of rat/pidgeon nastiness, as well as kissing floors and feeding rats. I kept my socks on of course and was satisfied with taking pictures. The devout believe that the rats are incarnations of the lineage of a certain great individual (name is eluding me) whose chose to keep his soul as long as as his decendants lives' were rat and human alternatively. Logan got to see the highly auspicious White Rat (once again because he's white and male...and also very lucky) and managed to get a shot. Everyone told him "very good fortune" and "lucky man" when he finally persuaded them it was true.
Many other adventures were had in Bikaner, but not those to be put up on the internet...perhaps over a bottle of wine when I get home huh? (haha, no worries mom, we're VERY safe) And to enforce that, we haven't had any safety problems whatsoever. Keep belongings close and nothing goes wrong. Always watch the credit card and ensure passport is always in money belt. All good.
Onward...

Posted by Dominique at 3:38:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

On the evening of Sept 14 we arrived in Mandawa, a small town 6 hours west of Delhi. In reality it was about 300km but with India traffic and crazy driving and bad roads, it takes alot longer. As a rule of thumb, it takes twice as long to get anywhere in India than canada. The next morning, we met Ajer (names are as they sound), a 10-year-old boy who had succesfully learnt german, italian, french and spanish only by interactions with foreigners. His english he learnt at school and his Hindi was perfect. He became our guide (in both english and french with me) and showed us around havelis (decorated painted houses of the rich 250 years ago) and loved showing us the kama sutra paintings all over, always followed by a chuckle. He talked of Krishna, the love God with 6000 wives, saying he is "very lucky man, very busy man". We met many people from the small village (50 000 is considered small) and Ajer's aunt Shantos dressed me up in Saris, painted my nails and decked me out in henna, it was beautiful. The hospitality is beyond anything I had experienced. Everyone offered tea (which we graciously accepted) and wanted to converse even through we had an apparent language barrier. I learnt Danevag for thank you and Kamara nam Dominique. There were many more, but Hindi is difficult to remember. Most are already impressed when we greet them with Namaste.
Oh so many memories and we have only begun, if I were to return to Canada tomorrow, I would feel my journey has been full of joy, learning and understanding. There was a wise man who spoke of God's medicine, the only way to deliver yourself from the inevitable suffering. There were the children, who, having Fridays off of school, loved our visit. We gave them toys and took many photos. We spent most the day with them, it proved to be the greatest day yet. They liked dancing and even the women laughed when Logan danced. Probably thinking "look at white boy dance!!". A young girl, Chopra, maybe 14 or so approached me and asked "is he friend?" and I said no, he's my husband (as we are posing as married to avoid problems) and she proceded to giggled uncontrollably for minutes, blushing and all. Ajer always reminded me, "he good husband, you make good choice" and referred to Logan only as "young man". Although when Logan stepped near the deep well to take a photo Ajer comforted him, "Be careful, you die I take wife".
Oh the women here are gorgeous. They wear saris of rich and brilliant colors just to do laundry and cook. I feel underdressed around them. In Delhi, Kumar took us to a bazaar where I tried on several beautiful saris and dresses only to realize that they were about 5000Rs each, about CAD$125. They pressured me hard into buying a few...giving me a "good deal" of 9000Rs for a green and gold sari and a green dress. I said could not, it was too expensive. They asked how much I would pay, I said max 4000Rs jst to show them I wasn't interested. At first they seemed offended because it is true that alot of work goes into making and sewing fabrics. But then, a few minutes later, the manager comes out and tells me I can take them for 4000Rs. Shit! Now I have to buy them...no, I didn't want to. So I ran out. No joke. Lesson learnt: avoid fancy bazaars with air conditioning.
Scam 3: Averted
So anyway, we found some wonderful handicrafts in Ajer's dad's home and bought a few things...I think we're going to UPS a shipment of stuff home in the next few weeks, if we can figure out how.
At the days end, I showed Ajer and Kumar pictures of my family (thanks mom!) and gave Ajer 100Rs. for his excellent guiding skills. More good food on the the rooftop terrace (this seems to be common) at hotel Shavaswati and them Logan and I went to the highest terrace and spied on people with Logan's new crazy zoom lens. The stars are glorious out here. We did some laundry in the bucket provided for bathing and went to bed, we had to leave at 7am this morning for Bikaner, a larger town further West, towards Pakistan.
Health update: Still feeling good, great in fact. More energy than I've ever known. I got a few mosquito bites (no idea when) so I've doubled my anti-malarial homeopathics for good measure. Logan and I have noticed that after eating we are a tad bit nauseous for about 10 minutes but then it goes away. I think this is a result of both mild jet lag and possibly having to wait hungry for like, an hour, for your food to be freshly cooked. And it's soooo good, ahem.
We've decided to keep drinking bottled water for awhile, Kumar says Rajasthani water is really bad, worse than Delhi, he doesn't even drink it!
Good ol' Kumar (he's got the Gandhi look going on), always reminding me when to tip and what's a good deal and what's not. Plus, he's an excellent driver when you consider how crazy India driving is, it's like a constant game of chicken.
Wow, it's so hot in here...it's strange being to hot and sweaty all the time...but, good news mom, my face is looking clearer!!
So we'll try to get some pics on, I don't really know how...maybe next post.
Hey, by the way, all you people reading my blog, I'd really like responses, it's nice to make a connection when we're so far away in such a different place.

Until next time,
Namaste

Posted by Dominique at 4:17:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Much has happened my dear friends.
The rocky start we encountered did not persist.
Off the plane in Muscat,Oman, the air was thick and warm, my nose ceased to peel and I could really breathe. Sleeping in the airport for half a day caused some confusion for my poor circadian rythms but upon our arrival in Delhi at 730pm sept.13 I felt I had a surreal amount of energy.
After customs we came face-to-face with the fact that we are white and thus, highly desiratble customers. Taxi companies started fighting over who would take us where. We decided to go with the "official gov." one but later noticed that many said this. 450Rupees later, we're driving to Paharganj, a busy bazaar in Delhi. But what ho, we stopped. Driver claimed we had to sign something in this tourist building...seems to me taxi don't required contracts. So as Logan picks up the pen I'm asking why and so they say we don't need to sign anymore. (My time here has already made my english simple) Then the man call our hotel (Vivek) and claim it doesn't have sapce, even though I made a reservation. He gives me the phone and I speak to a man...also involved in the scam. Being tired and having read about these scams I hung up and walked out telling them that I will go anyway. Obviously dissapointed, they made our driver take us to Vivek and we had a room waiting for us, just as I thought. Leaving the scam office, I noticed the man shaking his head to his partner in the back in dissapointement. He won't be sending these tourist to an over-priced hotel. Scam 1: averted.
Of course, then the Vivek hotel manager says our rooms are 800Rs. per night. I had to inform him that it was acturally 250Rs and then he settled for 350Rs. Scam 2: Mostly Averted.
I'm getting good at this.
Our Delhi hotel was right in the middle of a bazaar and had an excellent 24-hr rooftop patio. A good meal came to 130Rs (3$) for both of us. We ventured out into the market that never sleeps, bought water, and observed. The smell of India, as is often talked about, really isn't so bad. There are some wafts that are less-than-desirable but they don't usually last long. Smells like good food, B.O., incense and still water. Vivek was one of the nicer hotels in Delhi, but there were still some icky things. Our bathroom ceiling was peeling some sort of red nastiness and our toilet did not flush, which I realized, when I proceded to tell the hotel attendant, is not uncommon. That's why there's an extra bathroom on every floor, some with toilets, some without.
The next day, we wandered to find some phones to call home and came across a very friendly man who, after charming us, brought us to a gov. tourist office. There we met us with a good deal where we can have a driver take us through Rajasthan, have all our hotels booked and paid as well as our bus and train tickets. (to Varanasi, Jnasi, Kathmandu...) He was very nice and I did not believe he was scamming us to we went with it. Now we have Pavneer Kumar, our driver who only speaks a little english but has a large heart; alawys referring to us as family and that "your problem, my problem". It's nice to travel at our own pace and stop whenever we like. It also helps to have someone who knows the food and the customs so that we can actually understand what's going on. We drove for a long time, then stopped for lunch and I bought my first Indian garb, a dress/trouser combo that is tie-dye brown and tan. (I'm not ready to wear hot orange and pink yet)
Oh, one more thing; the food is sooooo tasty. I haven't felt sick and my BMs (haha) are as good as normal. Hopefully it's the homeopathics and all that oil of Oregano I'm taking.

So there, our journey continues West, to the desert land of Rajasthan.

Posted by Dominique at 3:19:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

So after the somewhat chaotic ordeal of trying to find out how to get to London after our plane was cancelled from Calgary, we hopped a Toronto plane and then arrived in London at about 11pm. Crazily, there was enough time (and enough energy) to find our hostel, set-up, go out for tea and hookah and some good street walking. One thing I must say is that everything is really f**king expensive. It's about double. Who pays $4 (1.99pounds) for a whopper? Not that we had that anyway. We did decide to take the heathrow express from the airport, not realizing that that 15 minutes ride costs us about 30$ a person!!! So ya, I had to take out more pounds.
So we walked all over London today, not feeling too jet-lagged (yet!). At the current moment however, my stomach is unsettled and I had to buy some paracetamol to deal with some sinus pain. I hope it kicks in soon, Logan thinks I'm cranky when my nose hurts!
London last night seemed really cold, we tried asking for directions several times and no one even looked at us, just walked by. Even those we thought were sure-fires to help us turned out not to be. However, today was much better. People here really do keep to themselves...no wonder everyone thinks Canadians are so friendly, we're just not jerks! Haha, really though we had a great day looking at cool buildings, animals, parks and people. Oh, the trees are the best part!!! All sorts of growth I have never seen before, some of these trees have been here since before America was discovered.
So I like the history, our hostel is alright (nice on the outside but quite dumpy) and the food is less-than-heathly, but I'm not sure I could stay here for more than a week. The isolation and unresposiveness is hard to understand. A smile is returned with either a disturbed look or no emotion whatsover.
Strange
But now we have to leave for the airport so...
it's time for a crazy tube adventure.

Posted by Dominique at 9:01:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Oh beautiful beings,
Tonight, at 730, Logan and I shall be on an airliner heading East, with India being our ultimate destination. We have a two-day stop-over in London where we will be staying at a hostel near Buckingham palace, Hyde Park and Kensignton Palace. Then, on Sept. 12th we fly to Muscat, Oman and then to Delhi, India where will stay for 100 days in this sacred land. From there we will begin our circuit which includes Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi, Dharmsala and a ton more places I can't remember (or can't pronounce).
So here I am in Calgary, wearing my western clothes, eating my western food, driving my japanese car and wondering what will "freak me out" first. All these luxuries I may have taken for granted will practically dematerialize before my eyes! I know I'm in for a shock!
Either way, I'm looking forward to the sights, the people, the history, the good conversation, the magic, the food but also the challenges. I'm anxious to leave this comfortable existence in Calgary, along with all those I love to expose myself to a whole new reality. I'm excited to fly (airplanes are fun!) but also to see London in all it's glory before I head over and experience the immortality of India. But, through all these anticipations I remind myself that it is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
I will try to always be aware that I am extremely fortunate to have this experience.
Here is my last day in familiar realms. I am ready, I am focused, but most of all, I am open-eyed/minded/hearted as there has never been better time to be ON FIRE!

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

Namaste

Posted by Dominique at 11:51:00 AM | Permalink | Comments