Back in India!

Hello everyone...can't tell you how nice it is to be back in India again! I missed the craziness...I really did.
Let's backtrack a bit first. Back in Pokhara, Nepal, I felt like I had the same stomach bug as before (pain and bloating) so I went and bought some meds (same meds for giardia as dysentery)...took them...and now I am cured once again. I believe maybe it was giardia this time... But that was over a week ago and I've been feeing fine since. Don't worry, medical help is very much availabe here and I'm a tough cookie! In our last few days in Pokhara, we bought the Tao of Pooh (good easy book) and the alchemist...i's nice to be able to read and think all day in the sun. We also bought journals...to record thoughts and ideas. We hiked up to Sarangkot (4hr) and found a nice homely place to stay in someone's house for the night. We were able to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas the next morning from 5500ft up. Chilly, but glorious. Check out Logan's blog for details on this awesome trip.
Finally we decided it was time to get out of Nepal and go back to India...we took 2 buses (12hrs total) back across the border and caught a train in Gorakhpur, India. After much confusion and spending a fortune to get a bed on the train (and meeting the highly auspicious train conductor personally)...we found ourselves on the wrong train!! Lukily we were able to get off at the following train station and wait for the right one (which was 5 hours late). Scary stuff...we sat on benches until 4am at a chilly train station in the middle of nowehere where no one spoke english. Through we were cold, hungry and tired we managed to say in good spirits. Shaddy characters came up and just starred...Logan and I took turns sleeping while clutching our bags. Scariest moments in India for sure...definetely learnt the meaning of courage when I had to go wander and find a place to pee. Had to avoid showing people that I was a foreign woman...and never let anyone see you're scared...
Finally our train came and my friend the train conductor came and showed us to our seats...I knew there was a reason for our first meeting. The entire next day was spent on the AC train eating Thali, sipping Chai and conversing at length with fellow Indian passengers as we were headed for Haridwar, in Uttar Ranchal. (we were on the high-class train so most were doctors and engineers who could afford he train) Once in Haridwar we stayed in a shitty room...but wait...it had a TV with satellite. (We never had a TV till now) The next three days Logan and I had a movie binge and just relaxed. The Ganga river runs through this holy town and so it was so nice to see it again. There were ghats and so many sadhus everywhere. There was also a huge golden Shiva statue several stories high where we met a pilgrim who proceded to tell us all about Hindu mythology until the sun set. Reminded me of Religious Studies 201 at University except taught by someone who truly believes it all. Since this town was not touristy, people didn't try and sell us things everywhere we went...nice change. However, at one point while walking on a bridge over the Ganga, I was singled out and bombarded with female and children beggars. As they often cut you off, I tried to walk around. Once off the bridge I went to pull out my change purse to help an old sadhu. The pocket was unzipped and the purse gone...maybe 700Rs worth to a lucky woman/child. That is enough for a family to live off for weeks! But to us, it's only about 20 bucks! I didn't mind very much, I just hope it found itself into the right hands. Serves me right for being such a tight-ass sometimes! (I rarely give to beggars...Logan often does) We stayed there three days before taking a 30minute local bus ride to Rishikesh, where the Ganga crashes into the plains from the glaciers. It is colder here and the sun doesn't come over the mountains until 930 or so. It is the yoga and meditation center of India and here are many many foreign people who live here. Good to see.
This morning I took in a 3 hour yoga class at 830am and wow do I ever feel good. We're planning on hiking up the river Ganga sometime and taking a swim...this is where it's cleanest!
For everyone wondering, I'm feeling great! Bought a whole bounch of awesome veggies yesterday for less than a buck and, after cleaning them all with filtered water, made a yummy salad for us. It's nice to have raw veggies again!!
I can't say I really miss Canada...I love it here. I simply wish I could take everyone I love and bring them here...what a peaceful existence here amidst the mountains and the river. Been conversing with folks from Australia, Israel, Austria, Holland, Chile and more and found that they all have such great spirits. In a way we are all pilgrims far from home seeking something beyond. I love hearing different views and experiences. All of it makes me realize how much I love Canada and how fortunate we truly are.
With that, I've been loving all the emails from home and from my sister Danielle who is currently in Thailand. (even hough I can't answer them all) It's amazing how close we are Dani...I'll send you energy in the mornings, as it is plentiful here and I am exploding with love. In every moment I wish to cry and yet I wish to laugh. I want to hug every beggar and tell them they are loved. So from this computer I send these vibes to you all, be open and you'll feel it, it is aways there. Maybe it's hormonal...but for once I really enjoy the excess of emotion. (I did a shoulderstand for 10 minutes this morning and the teacher says this posture increases hormones...)
I realize my writing is all over the place and somewhat dificult to follow but it's all in my head and my experience is so much more than I can explain.
Logan and I are getting along, but everything is so different, our ever-evolving selves find new meaning in each other. This idea of non-attachment to each other and to our relationship is so exciting. Letting things happen and take their natural course is fundamental. Sometimes I slip up and struggle a bit, but that is all part of the journey.
Through all this, I find it very important to keep an inner awareness. Travelling can be stressful...but once you focus on the now, incuding all the "obstacles", that's when you can gain insight into your true self. You (the ego) is only your reactions to environment and thus is not your true self. It is based on the past and impedes your progress. All there is is now. We get carried away thinking about destinations and the future. This will never come. Every moment is the destination and the future does not exist. Trying to create it is futile. These are my scattered thoughts of late.
I hope that makes some sense, I can explain better to those interested, but I can't fully make you understand as any truth must be learnt alone, individually, personally.
So many truths...I will never stop searching as it is the only journey I'm truly interested in, all else is an illusion. The toughest part is committing to growth, because sometimes it hurts. Working out all my inner problems and issues has gotten easier and easier as I let go of who I think I am and embrace what's left. You can't build a palace on a poor foundation and you can't fill a cup that is already full. It's all in my hands.
I'm rambling now...
Peace to all from the land of love...