A Sacred Journey

Namaste friends,
Currently we're in Delhi, the big crazy capital, enjoying the weather and honestly, the craziness as well!
Before we left the peaceful himalayas, I received a killer massage from my massage teacher, Mahinder, for free of course. Finally got rid of that "crick in me neck" caused by endless uncomfortable pillows! We a whole lot of shopping and consumming goods in Macloed Ganj and we even ventured out to Dharamsala, but discovered it was simply a busy, dirty town with nothing to do! We spent most of our time eating tasty Japanese food (Cory got food-poisoning from the Egg-Udon!) and hanging out around our hotel reading and sharing ideas and thoughts. Saturday, one of the first sunny days in the week, I headed out on my own and hiked down to the river bed, a steep but rewarding descent filled with cows, goats, village people and fascinating plants, some of which I think were mint. I met an India man cutting up rocks to build houses by the river and (because his English and my Hindi were limited) we shared Indian cigarettes while listening to the gushing of the small waterfalls between massive boulders. I picked a whole bunch of silver sparkling slate stones to smuggle back to Canada as a reminder of the beautiful river and the connection I felt to it.
Finally, the time came to leave this serene town and head to Delhi. It poured madly all day, resulting in slush and snow all over the road to the bus stand. We boarded the sleeper bus, which was truly luxurious I thought, although the beds were narrow. Lukily I only had to share with Cory and we're both small people. I slept well but Logan and Cory felt the need to paint the lower windows with Dal and Chapati from a few hours ago...I am so glad I don't get car sick...ewwww.
Our first day in Delhi was devoted to Cory's shopping needs since he was catching a flight to New Zealand that evening. It was difficult parting with him, even though we had been apart for 2 months previously and then only together for 2 weeks. He'll be in New Zealand for 3 months at least and I am so happy for him, what great adventures he will have. All good-byes are the start of new beginnings and therefore I welcome them, the foreshadowing of change.
So once again, it was just Logan and I in this wondrous country with about a week to spare before we fly home. We visited the zoo first (so nice to be with someone who considers zoos a major attraction not to be missed...kids at heart I suppose) and saw many animals for the first time in the Delhi zoo. It truly is a really nice place, huge enclosures and mostly happy animals, except for the escaped badger-type animals who tried to each our ankles!
Another day we visited the Jama Masjid, a huge, glorious mosque that some of you may have seen in movies or books. Logan sad and conversed with some Indians about politics while I wandered and had to turn down many marriage proposals! Soon it was prayer time (muslims pray 5 times a day) and all non-muslims had to leave (at least it was free to enter, so we came back later). After listening to the Imam's nasally, droning rendition of the Koran from outside the mosque, we headed over to the Red Fort. It's size was quite impressive, 4km I believe and the large, spacious water gardens were very inspiring.
Recently, we made the journey to South Delhi to the newly-build Lotus Temple. It is a Baha'i temple devoted to all believers of all faiths. Search on google for photos, there is a wonderful energy about the place. We were privileged to hear some chanting in the acoustically perfect dome which is usually silent. However, after visiting the Baha'i interpretive center, I kind of got the impression that their religion was slightly cult-like. There were prophets and great men who form the basis of everything Baha'i. Oh well, nice temple nonetheless.
My last few days have been mostly devoted to reading fiction and non-fiction India books while soaking up the Sun's warm rays on our lovely rooftop terrace while sipping Hot Ginger Honey drinks. Logan went out for a Delhi-mon snap adventure, which, like the video game, consists of hiring a cycle rickshaw to drive you around while you take photos of Indians, cows, markets, beggars and everything India.
We did a bit more shopping here, before realizing that we needed to tone it down if we were going to eat for the next few days! As we speak, a camel leather belt is being custom made. I designed everythin about it with the help of the shop/factory owner. (Don't worry, they wait for camels to die in India before taking their skin, otherwise it's illegal). I can't wait to see it!
Well, here it is, my last blog before returning home. A gruelling 48 hour journey it will be from the time we leave our hotel to when we land in Calgary, but I'm going to love every minute of it! I'm feeling better than ever, it seems my body has fully adjusted to India, what a shame I have to leave this beautiful land so soon!
I'll be back Mother Ganga, Sister Himalaya, Father Sky and Brother Desert.
I love you all very much and will never forget my experiences in this sacred land.
Thank you for showing me a part of this immense planet and with it, more of myself.

See you all soon!!
PS: I'm going to try and make it to the Solstice II gathering party on the 22nd. Hopefully the jet-lag's not too bad, I want to see everyone!
You're daughter/friend/sister/lover/fellow traveller
Dominiku

Posted by Dominique at 9:21:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Currently it is raining in Mcloed Ganj, a small Tibetan town North of Dharamshala. It's getting cold here, especially at night when we couldn't make it without our 5 dollar space heater. It's supposed to snow soon say the locals, maybe I'll be used to the snow when I get back after all! This is also the place where the Dalai Lama (spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists) has been residing since his exile when China took over Tibet in 1959. We were fortunate enough to see him when he was doing a talk...but it was all in Tibetan so we didn't understand a thing!

Back in Rishikesh, afetr an early morning yoga class, Logan and I decided to follow-up on a contact we got from a 60-year-old Danish man in Kathmandu. He was a wise man and claimed to have sustainable farming units in Australia and planned to buy and in Nepal. He also has a small ayurvedic garden just outside Rishikesh. Our hotel manager, after a crazy and wild motorcycle adventure, brought us to the home of Nautiyal. He spoke little English but we could feel he was very excited to have us in his home, us being friends of Dadu's (the old man), which he referred to as either Mr. Cook or my guru. His wife wipped up a fine meal (everything from their farming) and served us fresh lemon grass tea from the garden....so delicious! He talked about agriculture, Dadu and medicine. I was so fascinated, this man truly lived off the land. He then showed us Dadu's garden, maybe 100 sq feet, and explained that all that plants were for. I realized Dadu must have been a very healthy man! Seeing my enthusiasm, he took us on a 2km walk to the government herb garden up the road. I have never seen such a garden, almost a km worth of aloe vera plants. Everything that could grow in that climate was there, with little signs saying what the plants were and what they were used for. At that moment I realized that herbal medicine was my passion. I suppose I already knew this, but seeing it in action made me decide that, come this spring, I'm building a greenhouse and I'm growing things. There's something powerful about growing and watching a plant and then harvesting it. From there, the possibilities are endless. Teas, tinctures, infusions, concoctions, poultices, rubs, oils, capsules....oh I love it. I bought a book on ayurveda that all bookstores seem to recommend and can't wait to get home to do my research. (So Pa, this is why I asked for a greenhouse for Xmas, even if it's just a stick with some plastic!)
In our last day in Rishikesh (we wasted some days due to food poisoning...I think) we wondered down to the River Ganga...this was the last time we would be so close and it was the purest place other than the glacier itself. I collected some water, some sand (which was so sparkly silver) and several insteresting stones. I soaked my feet and watched the sunset, feeling like a lost child who finally found home. It's difficult to leave such a beautiful place, but once the sun sets it gets awfully chilly.
Onwards to Mcloed Ganj, it was another CRAZY trip. From a bumpy bus ride back to Haridwar then a night train to Pathankot, we were once again put to the test. (I love these little tests!) Thankfully, a large group of Indian teenage girls shared our space (there's 8 bunks per room) on the train and they sang beautiful songs and spoke good english. Logan sang for them (which, of course, they loved) and I declined and showed them some pictures I had drawn. they didn't seem to understand that people don't just sing to themselves in Canada like they do here and so I didn't feel comfortable singing in front of them. Really exposed my insecurities that's for sure. Then, realizing that we hadn't packed supper for the train ride (apparently most people just don't eat!) they pulled out some home-cooked chapati and curry and offered us a serving. Can't tell you how nice it was to eat some food that was made by this young girls mother...you could almost taste the love. Finally we settled (you know how it is with a group of girls!) and woke up at 3.30am to get off at our stop. Wasn't so rough until we found out that the bus to Dharmsala only comes at 630. So we sat around at the train station in the wee hours of the morning...hum, this is familiar, I thought! Three hours later, we go out to catch our bus and see it pulling away, apparently it was 6, not 630. Never trust an Indian who only nods his head. So instead of waiting for the next one, another hour, we splurged on a personal taxi. But after realizing how crazy the switch-backs were on the road, we were glad we opted out of the 4 hour bus ride for the 2 hour taxi. I honestly hadn't slept more than 1 hour the entire night so I was beyond exhausted, to the point were I was feeling sick. All-nighters are not very cool! We arrived at a cold hotel run by buddhists monks and stayde there one night until we found the place of our dreams!
It's on the edge of town, and has huge windows that look over the forest so it's very quiet. It's got a gas burner which is my favorite part, we can now boil our own water and even cook some rice and curry. all this for Rs.400. ($10) Actually, the very best part is that we get to share it with Cory, our long-time friend who decided to spend a few weeks in India before he goes off to New Zealand for 3 months. He's a wonderful cook, it works out nicely as I clean the dishes and pick the veggies at the market and he cooks some amazing dishes! Plus we always have tea on the stove!
We've been here for almost a week now and all three of us took a Indian cooking class, and Cory and I are taking a 6-day universal massage course. Our teacher, Mahinder, is such a good guy! We've been keeping busy with lots of reading, exploring our forest and doing some shopping.
Can't tell you how nice it is to have another person to talk to, just having a new energy around (especially Cory's!) is so refreshing.
On a side note, I want to say how amazing the mind is. I had convinced myself (and Logan) that we had giardia. All the symptoms were there so finally we brought some samples to the hospital to get them analyzed. turns out there's nothing there. This took me by surprised...but I instantly started feeling better, and by the end of the next day it had all cleared up. It's crazy how powerful the mind is.
We've also been doing lots of shopping...so many beautiful things!
So this blog was rather dull and narrative, but I'm feeling really good. Just trying to stay myself and interact with that world without judgement and pre-conceived ideas. Living in the now is just so much more fun!
Much love everyone!

Posted by Dominique at 5:32:00 AM | Permalink | Comments