A Sacred Journey

Woke up this morning to clear blue skies and birds chirping, seems like the storms finally left us. Two nights ago it rained very hard and got quite cold. There was an amazing thunder and lightning show which is very fitting as it was also the first day of Diwali, the festival of lights. This festival is huge...reminds me of Christmas in ways. Everyone hangs string lights and sets up candles everywhere (unsafe places seems to be the preferred space!) and beautiful fresh marigold garlands that the women so careful string. There are carolers and dancers (some with music that makes your head spin) and firecrackers are heard near and far every few minutes. They sure party hard. The weather is still fairly nice in the day...it's like Christmas in the fall. Except of course, Diwali is the celebration of the God Rama coming back victorious from battle with the "evil demons". Way back before Jesus's time.
Our first few days in Kathmandu we simply oriented ourselves, scoped out the best and cheapest restaurants and we ventured to Swayambhunath. This is a large stupa (but not the largest) and a very important site to the Tibetans Buddhist refugees in Nepal. We hiked up a huge set of stairs (steeper than 50degrees!) and were rewarded by amazing views of the Kathmandu Valley (with mountains all 'round) and an impressive white-washed stupa. It was also nice to see, amongst all the tourists, shops and restaurants, some saffron-clad monks spinning their prayers wheels and making offerings. This temple is also known as the monkey temple, not because it belongs to the monkey god hanuman, but because it is full of monkeys. Definetely the highlight of the day. What fascinating creatures to observe, especially these ones. They were totally unfazed by us. We could get so close. Logan and I had bought some fruit for our day-trip and decided to sit down and snack. Next thing we knew, the monkey were on to us. Logan decides to feed a banana to the nearest monkey and in no time at all we had 5 monkey sitting right beside us on the bench, slowly imposing themselves on our large bunch of tasty plantains. So I got scared. A monkey grabbed my arm and I quickly got up and booked it...leaving the bananas. The monkey proceded to peel and gobble up about 8 bananas while the rest watched and scrapped the peels. Disaster averted I thought...but damn, those were good bananas! Gave us a good laugh none the less. I can see how the monkeys have stolen tourist's cameras and such!!!
A few days later we went to Patan, a smaller village on the south side of Kathmandu. We took some public transit...chaotic but efficient, as usual. We headed over to the zoo and vene though it was tiny and pathetic, it thouroughly loved it! Asides from the poor conditions some of these animals were in, it was quite magical. They don't seem to have to same safety standards so I got within 2 meters of a leopard. There were monkey and tigers, elephants and leopards, rhinos and hipposk, eagles and a huge selection of colorful birds. And all this within 300 square meters! What a day that was...I felt like I was 6 all over again, seeing some animals up close for the first time!
Many days have passed I see since my last blog but we're really been taking it easy. Logan's finishing his nasty cold (he's still half-ogre through) and I got a bit of a cough also. We've had to stay in on the cold nights but now that we're both got warm wool jackets, we're toasty! I'm still feeling bloated at times...but I discovered that doing very slow, stretchy, yoga after meals helps a whole lot. Wouldn't that be funny, all this time my body has simply been telling me it needs a bit of yoga!!!
We're doing a little more shopping but trying to keep it light.
In the next few days we're going to see Bodhnath, the largest Tibetan stupa and then we're off to Pokhara. If we're feeling up to it, we'll do some hiking for sure! We're really enjoying taking it easy. Not having to get up early, go to work, make breakfast or do anything really, is a great feeling. Not to rub it in or anything...
Oh I almost forgot, I got myself a 1 hour Thai massage here. It was quite amazing! Hurt a bit, but my muscles were pretty sore. I don't know if it's the beds or what, but both Logan and I have been having some nasty neck and back pain, so massages everynight is in order!!
Happy Diwali everyone! (And Halloween I guess too!)
Haven't heard from some of you guys in awhile...I miss you!!
Namaste

Posted by Dominique at 11:59:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

First off, Danielle you have got to go to Nepal!! Anyone with a love of mountains, valleys, jungles, waterfalls and the like must make this journey. It is glorious!!
The early morning bus from Varanasi to the Nepal border was brutal, however. They basically take one seat, split it in two and there you go...your seat! I didn't even fit in one seat and I was definetely the smallest tourist on the bus! Ten hours later (and much uncomfortableness and nauseousness) we got the Belahiya border station and signed immigration paper and obtained visas. Our overnight accomodation in Sonauli (border city in Nepal) was a major dive but the 7hr bus ride to Kathmandu the next day totally made up for it! So luscious! So calm and fresh! I love this place.
Logan and I found a decent deal at a hotel and proceeded to check out a book house. We picked up a lonely planet for Nepal, bought it, and instantly decided that Nepal is worth a few weeks of our trip, not just a week like we had planned. We're looking into trekking the himalayas, white-water rafting, doing a safari and Logan even mentioned bungee jumping (160m into a canyon). Not my thing, I think, perhaps I should do a smaller jump before attempting one of the largest in the world!!
Kathmandu city is very interesting. The people are not as pushy in their business and generally more friendly than the Indians (if this is possible!). Also, the men are much better looking and more mature!! The weather is nice but cooler, a jacket is nice at night. It's so nice to not be sweating profusely all the time. There is quite a bit of pollution and garbage, but you always know that you are surrounded by mountains on all sides. Shops are fairly cheap but in general things are 10-30% more expensive than in Inida. We're having to get used to the Nepalese Rupee which worth less than the Indian Rupee. Approx. 100INR=160NPR. Makes me think we need to find a cheaper hotel if we're staying here longer.
I had a pot of organic Nepali green tea yesterday and it brought tears to my eyes. It has been over a month since I've had green tea,let alone this delicious cup! I also had a salad (washed in purified water) and that made my day!
So I'll keep this blog short and I'll give an update once I know more-so what we're going to be up to here.
Our ideas for an itinerary are going all over Kathmandu, busing to Royal Chitwan national park and seeing all sorts of wildlife, staying there a few day then busing to Pokhara, further west and north. From there we'd do a few days of trekking in the Himalayas (checkout the annapurna range) and some rafting (class 4+). Then we'd exit Nepal through Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. This is tentative, and dependent on the good deals we may be able to get. I am so thankful we decided to break our India trip for Nepal, it's a very nice change!
Health update: Mom maybe you can help. Since leaving Varanasi I've been feeling bloated all the time yet I'm not eating that much. I get somewhat painful stomac cramps in the afternoon and evening, especially after eating. It isn't really a problem, just uncomfortable more than anything. If it doesn't go away in a few day, I'll seek some advice. (Probably just a little gut bug) Logan is still doing great tho!
I thought I had much more interesting to say...but I have forgotten, I think I'll buy a notepad for such things!
Although I must say that I've noticed lately that all my insecurities are out in the open. There's no where to hide them really. Thus I am feeling a little low at times but I also realize I'm working through these things, which was one of my intentions in doing this trip. Oh the complexities!!
Hope you are all doing well at home and I enjoy hearing from everyone!

Posted by Dominique at 12:34:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Hello friends.
Change of plans. We liked Varanasi so much we decided to postpone our
journey to Kathmandu and stay in Benares another 4 days. We are
starting to get to know the streets and where everything is. We've
been doing alot of chilling in our guest house room just reading and
talking. Due to being a white foreigner, it is difficult to find a
quiet place to read outside where you won't be bothered by someone
selling you something, children asking for rupees, or a tour guide
pressing his services on you and then demanding pay for it. We'd leave
our rooms for meals and generally went to the market everyday and
walked around. Finally the guest house stopped treating us like
tourists because they realie we have been there a long time and have
seen all the "sight-seeing". I am defientely exctied for a change,
however.
One morning we got up at 530 and experienced the sun rising over the
Ganga river (smoggy but beautiful) while sitting in a boat. I did a
puja (lighting a candle and letting it go in the Ganga) and thought
about all those I loved and missed and about the circmstances that have
brought he here. How lucky am I to eat a wonderful fresh-cooked meal
three times a day and stay in guest houses while just outside others
cannot feed or shelter themselves. Their dignity remains only in their
day to jobs and contributing to their small communities.
Logan gave several children some toys and they were so happy. There
couldn't have been much sleep that night as the next morning, bright
and early, about 7 children were laughing and playing with some plastic
race cars from MacDonald. It's beautiful but disturbing all at once.
Made some phones calls the other day...sorry about the boring one to
the entire family...so many people and the delay made me unsure of what
to say. My apologies for a disapointing call...I walked away realizing
that I really did not feel that I connected like I wanted to. Seems
like your reality is so far and so different than mine that
communication is difficult to do without formality and distance.
I awoke at about 5 am this morning feeling sick...but a few bathroom
trips later I seem to be doing better. Don't worry or anything...I
tried to eat well today...I want to be in good shape for Kathmandu
tomorrow. Well actually, Kathmandu won't be for two days as we're
staying the night at a hotel on the border.
Varanasi has been great. Logan and I are getting along better than
before (finally settled into travelling together) and we seems to meet
all the right people.
Due to a OSHO book I've been reading (The psychology of the esoteric)
I've been focusing on energy levels/centers and different phases of
consciousnesses lately. I like lying in bed and listening to the
never-ending sounds of the Indian night. My body falls asleep but my
mind is deeply involved in these sounds. Women talking, men yelling,
children crying, cows mooing, dogs fighting, distant hums of riskhaws
and cars and the drone of crickets is the basis. It's unbelievable the
patterns and sequences that occur. It's almost like music. It's
amazing trying to be aware of everything, in every moment. Something
new is constantly occuring, but this is only noticeable if you can be
conscious. Stop running tapes in the mind and simply be. Stop being
attached and you ease the let-down. Life is about compromise, you must
be un-attached. As Logan tells me often, "sometimes you must ride the
horse in the direction he's already going". I've realized that I have
some very obssesive aspects to my behaviour. Little things (like
Logan's stuff lying around) annoy me and I feel the need to plan our
days. I've been focusing on leaving these parts of myself and falling
in love with spontenaity and compassion as well as the silence of my
mind. Wish me luck!
Much love to all those who search for the truth,
the inward seeker is the only truth seeker.

Namaste

Posted by Dominique at 9:45:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Varanasi (aka Kashi, Benares, Baranasi) is wonderful! The bus ride to Jnansi was rather tedious and rough but we got it done. Luckily no one had to use the washroom however because the bus doesn't stop for a few hours! From Jnansi we took a night train to Varanasi and, surprise surprise, it was late. We got on (with some difficulty due to a very large box we had to carry...) and found our bunks. We manage to communicate with those around us so that Logan and I could sleep on nearby bunks instead of further! We locked our things up and had a decent sleep, it's amazing how smooth the ride is. It was about 10 hours I believe so we pulled into Varanasi around 12 noon. WE hitched a tuk-tuk and we to our pre-reserved Hotel India, very nice, but unfortunately everyone thinks we're rich because we're staying there. We managed to get rid of our large burden at the post office (finally!!!) even through we had to part with some hefty bills. But hey, as the Indians say,it's done, it's over, so forget it and be happy. And that we are!! PS: on that note, if a package arrives soon at Logan's house, wait till we get back to open it...it is top-secret!!
First thing we did in Varanasi was meet this very nice young Indian man, Raj. We had a tuk-tuk and showed us some good cheap restaurants. It's so nice to eat for under 200Rs again! The next day we ventured 30 minutes out of town on a bad road with the tuk-tuk (i swear my breasts will be down to my ankles by the time I return!!) to nearby Sarnath; the place of the Buddha's first teaching. Among the buddhist temples there was a Tibetan one, a Thai one, a Japanese one and burmese too! There was a huge park filled with ruins from the ancient monasteries that were setup after the Buddha's teaching there. This is where (for those who know some Buddhism) the Buddha first spoke of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold path.
There was a huge stupa on the spot where this happened. Unfortunately, like many things here, it is under reno and so pictures weren't so good. (It is just an old pile of bricks anyway). We fed some deer some sort of cucumber tomato veggie and I had to stop Logan from eating it himself a few times! After a nice museum of ancient (1-10th Century AD) carvings and architecture as well as many Buddhist temples, we saw the Bodhi tree, with the Buddha's teaching in about 20 languages all around it. But, hold up wait, it isn't THE bodhi tree were Buddha attained enlightenment but rather a clone of a twig that King Ashoka's daughter took from the real Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya. So here is a twice cloned tree and people love it!! Oh the enthusiasm is never lacking here! Back to Varanasi we got coned into seeing a silk factory and then their showroom. It's such a formula I tell ya!! We got away with some free drinks and some cheap stuff. After a glorious meal we headed down to the ghats, the stairs that lead directly into the large river, Mother Ganga.
We observed a ceremony (as it was a festival in honor of the god Durga, incarnation of Shiva) and then raj took up to a cremation ghat. We witnessed about 6 dead bodies burnt about 5 meters away. The heat was intense but in that moment you feel like you are watching something so sacred that you can't walk away, not that we wanted to anyway. They get the untouchables (usually young, dirty children) to build a pyre and then set the body (on a bamboo stretcher) on top. Depending on what fabric the individual died wearing and how rich they were, they are covered in silk or cotton and such then set on fire. And hey, it doesn't stink one bit. Raj says that's because Shiva blessed this ghat (2 creamtion ghats out of 80 ghats) and so it doesn't smell. He explained how the holy men are not burnt but rather sunk with some stones (along with those who died from leprosy and those who were pregnant) but those that died from Cobra bites (cobra is a sign of Shiva) are put on a floating banana tree and sent away on the river to be dealt with directly by Shiva. Wonder how often that happens...some shores must get a fair bit of dead bodies. The 2 cremation ghats in India run 24/7 with new bodies burnt every 3-4 hours, I guess that's how long it takes. When a body is burning, one of the fire keepers hits the skull 3-4 times to open it as the skull takes a long time to burn if it isn't opened first. Throughout the 3 hours, they poke and pry at the body to get it to burn correctly. When it is done, they take the remaining "strong" body part (a rib piece from men, a hip bone piece from women) and throw it into the Ganga. Then, the next body comes. What an amazing sight. Women of the deseased are not allowed to witness the burning as they apparently feel such grief that they'd throw themselves on their husbands pyre. This is called satee and was outlawed many years ago, but still happens to this day. Being a widow here is a great burden. It's unfortunate that certain aspects of the long-gone caste system are still in place and making life difficult for some Indians. The following evening (I apologize but I can't seem to remember things chronologically) we took a boat ride up the ganga to witness the end of the Durga-fest where they throw all their statues of Durga into the Ganga. What a sight. Dancing, music, chanting, shouting...so crazy! They sure party hard I think.

The next day, so yesterday I think, we ventured out and found the pilgrims book house...so nice. We got some more books and spend alot of time there having chai and reading books by the fountain. After our stint in fancy hotel india, we found a guest house at Rs.100 per night...with attached washroom...what a deal! The food is also cheap and delicious. However, I was awakened this morning first by a fellow tourist being very sick in the next room and then by a ridiculous amount of birds yelling at us around 7am. Oh well, that is life. Time to start the day. Get this, best breakfast ever, veggie omelette, banana porridge, 2 slices of jam and toast and tea, all for Rs.50!! Life is good, maybe we'll have enough money afterall. This is making me hungry...but we're always hungry.
During our meal an old man approached us and offered his massage services, and, having nothing to do during the hot afternoon hours, we accepted. Next thing we knew we found ourselves in just our underwear bottoms (me too!) receiving an intense full-body oil massage. Unexpected, but wonderful indeed. And very respectful of my female body parts, nice change from many of the men I've seen here who act as if they've never previously interracted with a female. Seriously, every man here is like 14. Even Raj, our 24-year-old friend was asking tips on how to get a girlfriend. Ahaha, he made me promise to bring you, Danielle, if you're still single when/if I return to India. haha.cute.creepy at first,but all in good fun.
We did some more wandering around and found this internet place, maybe we'll have dinner in their restaurant as well.
We thinking tomorrow morning we're going to wake up at sunrise (530am) and catch a boat and go North on the Ganga and see the other cremation ghat...but it is bad luck to take photos of this. Sunrise is good for photos, so I'm sure it'll be fun to catch people in the Puja in the scared river! Then it's off to the Hanuman temple (where we're sure to see more monkeys) and then we'll chill out and get ready to move on. Early morning of the 7th we're catching a bus to Kathmandu, Nepal. Longest ride we'll ever have I think. At least we get a free hotel halfway through it. Nepal is going to be so awesome. All the Indians are jealous that we have included this in our travel plans. Maybe we'll do some trekking, stay in an ashram or just soak up the vibes...who knows.
So health wise: Logan is doing very well, his hair is getting long and the hasn't shaved since he left...so you can imagine...
I'm feeling real good too, showered today (like 5th or 6th since Calgary;ya I know, that's gross) and i've never felt better. My nose is bit congested but I've convinced that if I take it easy, by body can battle anything. We're both eating alot more these days so that's good and we're dealing with the heat better. Although I must say the heat in Uttar Pradash if much more moist than in Rajasthan...we always keep a sweat rag handy!!
It's strange, I don't really feel homesick, but logan and I both dream about Calgary alot and especially about our families. (Logan says Kalan, his brother, is in every single dream he has, usually doing something silly) So yes, that says something.
I think that's all for now, I'll be calling home my time Monday morning (your time sunday night) hopefully.
Much love everyone

Posted by Dominique at 5:03:00 AM | Permalink | Comments