Almost the end - and going somewhere new
State of mind
A passport filled with stamps. A backpack filled with precious memories. A heart filled with gifts of life. Fulfilled, that is how I feel.
And now, almost time to go back to Rotterdam, just one week left. Letting go this wonderful travel time. Ready for it?
Part of me is scared - Part of me is curious.
Part of me is crying - Part of me is excited.
Part of me wants to stay - Part of me I looking forward to see my beloved family and friends.
Tension of opposites. I wonder how it will be - trying not to create pictures in my head, being open to whatever comes next.
It’s about who you travel with
I would like to share the joy and life lessons given to me by special people, that created the framework of this trip. Without all of you my time would not have been the same. In chronological order:
Judith from Holland: what an unforgettable introduction to India. Observing your spontaneous way of making contact with the people we have met. With me. Being just as curious as the Indian people. Experienced so much together, three weeks felt like three months.
Kuralay from Kazakhstan: sweet roommate with an always positive attitude. Kept my feet on the ground during ashram times in India. What good laughs and conversations we had, especially during the official silent times. Looking forward to my first Kazakhstan wedding.
Martin from Germany: intense friendship from the first moment in the ashram. India. Sri Lanka. We really explored many different landscapes together, never boring. Shared cultural and spiritual perspectives and lived them. And let’s not forget all the food we shared. Always in my heart.
Jacob from Denmark: even without any form of contact during the Vipassana meditation in Myanmar, knowing that you were there got me trough is somehow. Helping each other towards enlightment.
Chris from Germany: also playing cast away on Koh Mak, Thailand. First neighbors, two days later food friends. Really enjoyed the insides in each other lives. Inspiring me to think about a new adventure, working and living in a foreign country. Who knows… Good luck with yours.
Jasemin and Lisa from Germany: my teachers and my students during our yoga TTC course in India. This made teachings so much easier and enjoyable. 108 Om namah shivayas for you sweet ladies.
Juta, a little bit from everywhere: neighbors during our TTC asana classes and later in Rishikesh. Chanting together. If it was not for my expiring visa and limited time I probably would still be in Rishikesh with you, loved all our little moments together. See you in Berlin (or was it Being?)!
Anne from France: Sparkling surf docter who Wouter and I met in Indonesia. Every activity with you was fun and entertaining. Will never forget our karaoke night and scootering through Yogya. Have fun in Thailand. Au revoir.
Karen and Karen from Australia: Watch out, these two ladies will maybe be the coolest Ozzies you’ll ever meet! Bit awkward in the beginning with 50 other people on one boat for five days, but luckily we’ve met you. We’re still enjoying your gift, slowly turning into yatzee addicts.
Wouter: My beloved and so called husband during our time in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Encouraging me to make the big decision to go. Helping me out with all the practical stuff. Supporting me at difficult moments. Making sure I kept realizing how special this travel time was. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, but we are working on every one of them. Facing what is there. Finding each other on new dimensions, how sweet love is. Lucky I am to have someone who makes coming home much easier.
Every one back home: travelling with me. Sending me supporting messages. It was so nice reading them again on difficult days. Without speaking or hearing, I felt your love.
And thanks to myself: being brave. Being fully present in the moment. Opening my heart. Finding myself.
Trust in life
From here…..
Letting go my travel pictures - slowly coming home.
Keeping on to my mind pictures - knowing life will never be the same.
Cherishing and nursing my heart pictures - precious gifts for always with me.
Some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.
One day I red, you only get one life. It is your duty to live it as fully as possible. In India I learned about reincarnation and working on good karma for the next life, until you break the circle of dead and rebirth. The truth? I have not cracked this puzzle (maybe in the next life), but in either ways we have to make the most of it in this life. Living in the here and now. Pursue our dreams. Stepping outside our comfort zone. Choose for adventure. Surround ourselves with people who believe in our dreams. Explore the world.
Morrie Schwartz wrote: “If you have found meaning in your life, you do not want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more.”
Yes travelling in Asia has come to an end, luckily life doesn’t.
So many places to go where I have never been. To be continued…..
With love and an open heart,
Marjolein
India, showed me the life that matters
Om namah shivaya!
With a little pain in my heart left India again, on the last day of my visa. During heavy rainfall and traffic almost missed my plane, but here I am in fancy modern Kuala Lumpur. Arriving in a new country and starting to compare is unavoidable is my experience so far. Kuala Lumpur and the Himalayas of India, the world of opposites. No more cows, temples, woman in colorful saris, power cuts, mountains, Ganges river – but high tech skyscrapers, woman in burkas, girls in shorts, young couples walking hand in hand, top notch clean, wifi everywhere. I notice that I am only witnessing, still in my India air bubble (or at least trying to be).
Just received an email from my dear yoga friend Juta, who still is in Rishikesh, that gave me stomach pain. Seems I just escaped on time, massive flooding in the North of India. The yoga studio on the Ganges river, where we enjoyed our morning asana classes is now completely in the Ganges river! My heart goes out to all the people there.
A personal perspective
Travelling in India in is not always easy, but rewarding. Most people either love it or hate it. There are always two sides here: sun/moon, yin/yang, light/dark.
- Behavior: sometimes people can be extremely rude, like the hustlers at New Delhi train station, trying to rip you off. But most of the time the Indian people are so engaging, like one woman who hugged me after the Aarti ritual at the Ganges river and thanked me for visiting her country. Not just a hug, but one that touches body and soul.
- Smells: the smells here a so strong and can be overwhelming and penetrate throughout the whole body. On one hand you can’t avoid the smells of garbage, dead animals, unwashed bodies, smoke, urine. But the on the other side I love the smell of fresh naan bread, oils, incense sticks, spices, mountain air.
In the end it is always a personal perspective. Same situation, different for everybody. For some people black and white, for others it is in colors. Some people feel the rain, others just get wet. For me, I see India in bright shining colors, definitely the loving part – in love with India.
Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training course
It seems almost impossible to bring this intense month into a small summery. My Indian yoga friend Svati wrote that we don’t chose the events in life, but that the events chose us. That is how this whole travel time feels for me. With no plans I always ended up where I was meant to be, in this case the Sivananda ashram in the Himalayas.
Some facts about the daily life of 32 yogis in the making:
- Every day we got up at 5.20 am and started our day with meditation and chanting.
- There were two meals a day, mostly sattvic food. This means light, natural and easy to digest. According to the yogis this helps to make the body and mind to become pure and ready for meditation.
- Every day there was a Bhagavat Gita lecture, where we got life lessons like: living and working without being attached to the result of our actions and doing selfless service.
- On the day of the Kriyas (cleansing technics) we were all putting ropes in our noses and vomiting on the Ganges river.
We also got lectures about anatomy, philosophy, yoga and teaching yoga. Walking the spiritual path is a way of accepting things like they are, working on your karma, living with an open heart. Being in this ashram in the Himalaya mountains was just wonderful, exploring yet another path of yoga. Knowing this is the right direction for me.
Home is where the heart is
The Japanese Poet, Mashuo Batso said: “Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”
My six months away from home feel like a lifetime and I feel far away from my ‘normal’ life. Happy that I still have two months ahead of me with my love. What an incredible adventures I have had so far. Many places where I have been felt immediately like home. With travel friends I created a ‘home away from home’ and found comfort in a new world.
The question in my head the last few weeks; what does home exactly mean?
A building? The place where you grow up? Where family and friends are? Is it a place where you can relax?
The dictionary tells me:
1) ‘The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.’
Hmmm permanently worries me a little bit. Too much attachment to one place.
The next definition I found is more inspiring:
2) ‘A place where something flourishes or grows.’
Home is not a building or town or country. Home for me is somewhere that you know you are meant to be at that moment. Home is everywhere and anywhere you want to be. Home is a place where you can be true to yourself, relax into lifeand pursue the constant journey to follow your dreams. A long as you carry on chasing what you believe, you will find yourself at home wherever you want to be.
The journey is home.
With love,
Om shanti
Marjolein
Easy to enjoy Thailand
Sawadee-kaa!
Last day in Thailand today - how easy to have a great time here. Sunny, clean, organized, lovely people, good food and so on and so on. Feel a little sadness in my heart about leaving, but at the same time completely relaxed and happy to go further and explore what else is out there waiting for me.
Tropical bliss
Arriving on Koh Mak, I began to suspect that I was in paradise. Every morning I woke with to the sound of the sea breaking gently on the shore, birds singing to each other from the palm trees. My stay here was a rare feeling of happiness at the simple pleasures of existing here - meditation on my private porch, swimming in the sea, eating good seafood, watching the sun sink fiery red into the horizon.
Good company
I met a wonderful person on Koh Mak. We spend hours of hanging out, watching the days turn into nights. Exploring the almost deserted island. Who was this person? Me.
A whole island for myself. It felt like being Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away. So tranquil. Here I could hear my own thoughts. I could almost hear my own heartbeat. I realized that I quite liked it. Slowly the movie of the past months played again on my mind, only feelings of gratitude.
And luckily I was not completely alone. Met some cool warm people, with whom I spend a lovely time with. Thank you Chris, Rod and Ryan.
Solo travelling
Common question from the Thai woman: 'You, only one?' Me: 'Yes, travelling by myself.' Them: 'Ah, very good, you enjoy.' Totally different from the worried look got from the Indian, Singhalese and Burmese woman. I always felt their concerns and sweetness of immediately wanting to take care of me. The reaction from the Thai always gave me a proud feeling - yes I am doing this alone and I totally love it!!
New adventure
Tonight I am going back to my beloved India, where on the 12th of May my Yoga Teacher Training course is starting in Uttarkashi. A new part of India and myself to discover
Wow, what a dream to make this journey, going back to India, doing one month of yoga in an ashram. How special it is to bring my dream into reality.
Much love from Bangkok,
Marjolein
Meditation in Myanmar
Minggala-ba!
Before I left Bangkok, realization struck me. I am on my own again. No more Judith, Martin or Wouter. Realized the last few months that travelling together makes things much easier on a practical level. And far more important, more enjoyable on an emotional level. I had mixed feelings between excitement and being nervous. Going alone to Myanmar.
Not an easy start
The first few days were a real struggle. Within one week saying goodbye to Wouter and found (or lost) myself in three different countries. This was just too much for me. I was doing ok, just lost my happy mojo on the way to Myanmar. Perhaps forgot it at the airport...
I felt alone, didn't meet new people. As it turned out, this was probably my path. Slowly going into silence.
Monkchat
The first night I went to the famous Shwedagon Paya, a stunning masterpiece of a religious monument. Here somehow my second plan enrolled itself (first plan was going to Myanmar without any plans). Watching the pagoda changing colors during the sunrise, I found myself among a group of monks. Who found who? Faith I guess. We talked for two hours and they gave me advice about a meditation center, where I was looking for during this travel time. And if monks gives you this gift, you take it! The next day I visited the center and faith again was working in my direction, within two days an new course would start and there was one place left.
Vipassana Meditation
What is Vipassana? Vipassana means insight; seeing reality as it is. It is a process of self-observation. Ultimate goal: fully enlightment. Hmmm that sounded like a state of mind far away, but hey why not give it a try. The technique focusses on mental purification. A mind without unhappiness, craving, aversion and ignorance. Do you still follow me or already think that I lost my mind here?
This self-purification process takes ten days. Or at least the course, the process a whole lifetime. In some cases probably many lives. Ten days of not talking, reading, writing or making eye contact. No form of communication: noble silence.
Also here, like in the ashram, a strict timetable. Every day following the same schedule. It came down to 11 hours of meditation per day, only sitting meditation. The first two days felt like meditation boot camp, so tough on my body. I almost gave up on my enlightment. From day three it slowly got better and on day seven I was really into it. What did we do besides meditating? Walking, resting, showering three times a day (it was over 40 degrees sometimes) and before you know there was the gong again; back to our cushion.
In the center I lived among only Burmese woman (the man and woman are strictly separated). Interesting. Only because of the noble silence, no talking means no insides in their lives. Just witnessing them meditating, cleaning and doing laundry. You'd be surprised about the amount of burps and farts they relive during the day. Sometimes I tried to join in, I was a weak opponent. Never got I even close enough to their volume.
On the 10th day we were allowed to the speak again. So strange to suddenly hear your own voice again, getting all these impulses from other people. It is so humane to talk, making contact. It felt like reconnecting with old parts. Smiling.
As far as my personal experience, I don't want to get to spiritual on you. Giving the impression that I am turning into a Buddha here. Although, according to goeroe G this is possible for everyone.
I can tell you that since the meditation I found my happy mojo again and it is shining!
More reflections on
Myanmar, land of a thousand temples and a million sunsets. Everywhere you go the golden pegodas are decorating the landscapes. Sparkling in the sun. Specially around sunset and sunrise, these moment the light is always the most beautiful, but in Myanmar it is even more special. Land of gold.
What I really enjoyed were the compliments when I was wearing my traditional longi (long skirt). I had the same reactions in India on my salwar kameez. Local people really appreciate your interest in their country, trying to blend in somehow. But to be honest, it looks far better on them. Still, receiving compliments is just nice.
Dear Myanmar, from heart to heart: let's meet again.
With metta*,
Marjolein
* Metta is a meditation technique we learned on the last day: here we send out peace and harmony into the world. I hope you felt mine.
Halftime - looking back, moving on....
Namaste, Ayubowan, Mingguhlaba, Sawadeekaa. As this point I am starting to mix up all these greetings.
Before I left home I thought I wouldn't even make it to one blog. But I am starting to enjoy these moments of reflection. Thanks to my friend Martin. He encouraged me to write the first one with him. The lovely reactions from family and friends that follow every time after my posts and pictures are so nice. Thank you.
This is my halftime. Taking time to look back, digesting my experiences (past). Enjoying this positive, happy flow (present). Figuring out how all these new perspectives will fit in my new life (future).
How it stared
Back again in Bangkok, the town where three years ago my first big adventure far away from home started. Wouter and I travelled through Thailand, got to know so many people from different nationalities and made experiences that last with me for a lifetime. I fell in love with it. What impressed me? The charm of a new culture, the smells, the food, the ambience. It was like being in a completely new world. Never in my life was it very clear for me how my future would look like, but travelling the world was the only thing that was always on my horizon. Giving me happy body feelings.
Travelling on my own was the other big dream and last year I knew en felt it: it is time! Talked about it a lot and finally I was brave enough to push it forward, booked a ticket, quit my job and left all my securities behind.
The road
The longer I am away from home, my real life, the stronger my trip becomes. It is not about seeing as much as I can, going to as many countries and destinations as possible. It is about my personal journey, what I am experiencing here. Without looking for it, new things keep crossing my path, challenging me, helping me to get new perspectives of myself and life.
Moving forward
On the 8th of May I will fly back to my beloved India, this time to the magical North. While there are so many interesting countries yet to discover, I decided it is time to go again into one of my favorite things; doing yoga. And where else than India. In Uttarkashi I am going to follow an intensive one month Teacher Trainer Course. I am looking forward going into this PP - personal project.
Grateful
At this moment I am reminding myself every day to be grateful that my birthright is in a country filled with possibilities, for example to make a trip like trip. The many situations that I come acrossevery day make me realize, that this is not always that obvious in life. Even in nice surroundings like today at the airport in Myanmar. A Burmese man sitting next to me in the airplane. Me making yet another flight. For him it looks like his first time, making pictures every other second from every angle of the airplane. Being excited like a young schoolboy. Reminding me that it isn't just something to cross hundreds of kilometers in only 1,5 hours. My inner child starts spontaneous jumping up and down too...almost arriving in one of my favorite cities.
Grateful for Wouter, being such an openminded partner. Giving me all this time and space togo out and explore. Grateful for everybody back home, all your little messages, feeling your support. Grateful for the people who I met, building new friendships.
My travel time also makes me realize that the world is yours. If you truly want something, you can have it.
Biggest learning so far? The art of living, being just a beginner.....
Much light and love,
Marjolein
Pieces of Sri Lanka
Ayubowan! (Sinhalese greeting, meaning have a long and healthy life)
The question I asked myself several times last month: how do I feel about Sri Lanka? Before I arrived I didn't know much about this country. In fact before I left home Sri Lanka was not on my bucket list, but Nicole (who I met in the ashram) was so positive that after India going to Sri Lanka felt like taking a holiday from travelling. But I realize (now being my third day in Bangkok) that I am still looking for answers how to define this island, a.k.a. the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.
My reflections on Sri Lanka...
Difficult not to compare
First of all - after my overwhelming travel time in India it is difficult not to compare Sri Lanka with India. The first one and a half week I was still travelling with Martin and we were aware of the big differences. India felt so pure, it is how it is. Poor is really poor and it is there right in front of you.
Sri Lanka is beautiful, but on the other hand...it has two different faces. They are doing serious tourism business, as a result of which it not always obvious to see the real Sinhalese life.
For example - most people go to Negombo when you arrive, so did we. This is a small town along the coast that is about a twenty minute drive away from the airport. It has a long beach strip filled with exclusive hotels, gem shops, restaurants with neon lights and Western menus. But if you go a couple streets behind, where most tourists don't come, there is a lot of poverty. Then it suddenly feels very strange eating two scoops of very overpriced gelato for the amount that most local people don't even earn in one day or maybe even in a week.
Still.....
Sri Lanka is amazing if you love nature, wildlife and beaches with their azure waters. Spotting grazing wild elephants on the road in Habarana was definitely one of my highlights. It is the country where the man always wear nice blouses and the woman skirts with colorful prints. The country where most people in rural areas have red teeth (and sometimes no teeth anymore) from chewing paan.
Wealth and poverty are living next to each other. People go on holiday with a car with a driver to take them to fancy resorts while passing small villages with basic huts and no water supply.
I felt so lucky that I discovered Sri Lanka on two wheels which enabled me to go away from the main roads with polluting busses and gave me the chance to see how the local people really live. This scooter bike experience really made my time here very special. The people were always surprised to see Western people with two backpacks on one bike. This cannot be compared with the Indian staring. Picture it like seeing a ghost. And the moment you start smiling and waving they are even more confused and finally...they smile back.
In the east of Sri Lanka I also had some additional experiences. Although the civil war ended in 2009, you still see many military presence on the east coast. Many camps and lone soldiers keeping watch with machine guns. The government is now building new roads in this undeveloped area, but for who I wonder - most people don't even own a bicycle. Here I slept in a beach hut on an almost deserted beach. Memorable experience on the troubled yet mysterious north/east coast.
Ayurveda
After six weeks of intense travel time together with Martin from Germany and we said goodbye to each other, this was not easy. Surprising how new people in your life can immediately feel like old and dear friendships.
After this goodbye, I decided to give my body a break from travelling. Fully recharge. Here for I found a wonderful Ayurvedic clinic in Kandy.
Ayur (life) and Veda (knowledge) are two Sanskrit words, meaning knowledge of life. People who know it, probably know it from India. But also on Sri Lanka you see it at most places. Ayurveda is the world's oldest system of health science of healing and rejuvenation. Six days I spend with Dr. Kehelella and her staff and I wish I had more time, this was so nice for my body. Every day massages, steam baths, oils, scrubs, herbs and three times a day a healthy and delicious(!) Ayurvedic meal. At that moment I was the only guest who stayed there as a resident, so I felt like a queen. In the morning mister Singe came for private yoga lessons and after lunch the husband of the doctor brought me to beautiful Buddhist temples in the area. I totally enjoyed the rhythm of the days, not having to worry about anything. The only thing I had to do was to surrender. So I did! Afterwards my body felt so nice and soft. Not only because I was healthier, but I also got a little bit peace of mind. I used my free time between the treatments as a chance to listen to and record my thoughts, in my otherwise fast paced life.
Leaving footprints
After my detox I felt relaxed and ready to pick up Wouter from the airport for a short holiday together. Although ready...? Really nervous, like being on a blind date nervous. It was so nice seeing his smiling face and not difficult to miss - him being almost three heads taller that the Sinhalese people. Jetlagged, only one day of rest and one day on the scooter Wouter was brave enough toclimb Adam's Peak with me. At 2,243m with 5200 steps this holy mountain is a pilgrimage up for many religious worshippers and some tourists. The Sinhalese name translates as ‘sacred foot', is sacred for the Buddhist, Christian, Muslim and Hindu. All having their own truth about the peak's rock that looks like a foot. We started at 2.30 am so we would be on time for the sunrise, but did not calculated the enormous crowd of people that hike up in the weekend. We missed the sunrise moment, because of a traffic jam on the steps but had special views along the way. Families with sleeping babies in their arms, groups of teenagers singing and elderly couples with walking problems. All of them coming in the middle of the night to do this meditation walk and pray.
The moment that the alarm clock was waking us up was not the best moment, but when we started we felt immediately the excitement of the climb. At 8 am we finally arrived on the top. We just climbed a mountain, tired but happy.
New sights
Even though Sri Lanka is not that big, it is surprising how many different landscapes there are. Just a two hour drive from the beach to the middle part of the island and you are in the hill country and drive through green forests and tea plantations. The only thing that sometimes stopped us from driving the scooter was the rain. Sri Lanka has a divided seasonal weather pattern - while the sun is shining on the west coast, it's raining in the east coast. I was there one month, saw all the sights and in March it was raining almost anywhere. This slowed down driving, but with the scooter it is easy to find a shelter. Bus stands, a school and sometimes we were lucky and people invited us in for a warm cup of tea.
In the end
If I enjoyed Sri Lanka? For sure! Four weeks was enough time to really explore the island. If you are travelling to Sri Lanka you will be amazed about the amount of nature. And the foodie within me was always happy with the rice&curry meals, fresh fruit and sweets from the bakery.
Wouter and I had a wonderful time together. In the last three months it was not always easy to stay in contact, both having totally different lives and landscapes. So there was so much to tell and share. Despite the short time we had, we really discovered beautiful parts of the Islandand each other.
I feel happy and energized to now continue to my next destination: Myanmar.
Love Marjolein
Pieces of India - by Martin
5 Maart heb ik India achter mij gelaten en nu is het tijd om terug te kijken. Samen met Martin, uit Duitsland, heb ik na onze ashramtijd naar verschillende boeiende plaatsen in Zuid India gereisd. Tijdens het reizen hebben we veel met elkaar gesproken over India. Nu onze reistijd er samen op zit waren we nieuwsgierig om dit met elkaar te delen. Bij deze onze reflecties in het Engels in twee aparte blogberichten.....Enjoy!
Difficult country
Loud and busy: Wherever you go, there are many people. Whatever city you are heading to, it is much much bigger than you expected (even if you feel, that this is in the middle of nowhere it can be easily a one-million-people place). Whenever you are so courageous as to go into the city, there is even more traffic than you ever expected. Beside buses no public transport system exists in the cities. There are just too many people living in this country. 1,2 billions. And still growing.
And if you ever think you managed to find somehow a silent (?) place - in a minute there will be at least two of them looking at you with their dark brown eyes, asking questings .... - and you are back in the middle of it. The only (!) exception are the remote tourist places. Nice hotels, cool guest houses. Sometimes we found them during our travel time - and that was just wonderful. My hut in the guesthouse in Hampi looked directly into the ricefields. No one. No sound. In Mysore a wonderful luxurious hotel where I got a feeling how Maharadschas lived formerly. Or going back to Hippie-Time in Goa. Only some monkeys in the jungle disturbing somehow the peaceful nothing.
Peeing and shitting : My first impression from India, when I just got out from my hotel: a dead rat lying down the 'street' (a dusty gravel-something) and a man sitting there and peeing. Not bothered at all. When you are in a night-train and look outside the early morning, you see them all sitting and shitting (only men - there is my unsolved question about where ....).
Waste and odours: This is very obvious but still extremely challenging for me. There is waste nearly eaverywhere in this country. Along with the waste come the odours. There are always strong smells in the air. As they are constantly burning their waste somewhere along the road, there comes a strong acid smoke along with it.
I discovered three phases of reaction within me to all this special sides of India: Cultural schock first. Then: Being curious and wanting to understand it. And third: being done with it. Not willing to see it any more.
Easy to enjoy
Colours and abundance everywhere. It is just a pleasure to see women in India. Even in the smallest village they wear their beautiful saris and salvar kamez. They are so beautiful with their long hairs, with all the colours on them - joyful to watch them. The same is true for the Hinduism: the temples are all about colours and odours, pure abundance. Once I was at a Shiva-Temple and I really tried hard to go into all the ceremonies supplied. It startet with 108 coins that had to be thrown in baskets, praying every time the 'Om Namah Shivayah'. Than I got some lovely little orange strings; I had to tie them somewhere and say my prayers. Than came the first priest at the Ganesha-Statue. (Genesha is the favourite god of most indians with the elephant head and he provides with help if you face obstacles in our live). So the blessings from the priest celebrated with an open fire brought me in contact with Ganesha´s power. Third I had to pour coconut-milk about a lingam, sort of an impressing phallus (no erotic thoughts although). Number 4: Several altars of different nice gods and lingams to say your prayers. Number 5: throwing a coin in the little lake (and saying what? guess! ) 6: Getting a candle and let it flow on the lake. 7 and 8: I was really exhausted and skipped it - I only wrote a little note with some of my wishes and threw it in a fire-pot at the end. After so many prayers: what ever can go wrong on my trip?
Open faces: I never before was in a country with people being so interrested and curious. They just start to ask questions and really want to know. They don´t hesitate. Taking a bus or a train that is somehow obvious. But when you are a in a riksha and the traffic doesn´t move - and one of the other rikshas nearby starts his little conversation: this is really special.
Special places: Is it easy to enjoy Goa? All the nice hide-aways, some of them really luxurious, some of them very basic but on a wonderful beach in the middle of a perfect scenery? Yes, sometimes this is just wonderful. Even if there were too many people there. Even if it is clear that this is somehow not India but what happened to it in this last years. But having a decent meal under the sky, fresh fruit juice on the beach while watching the sunset, this is no too bad.
Surprises
The variety of food and spices really surprised me. Ok - there is no variety in side dishes. You only have the choice between rice and rice. Plain rice or lemon rice, coconut rice - or whatever rice. But beside that there is such a variety of tastes and smells. Probably difficult to imagine if you don´t know indian food. Even after many weeks we were surprised when a cook prepared for us sort of a starter having nothing to do with everything we had eaten up to this moment.
Second: Indian people are much stronger in language than I thought after my first weeks. I was really impressed to learn that everybody (that is almost true!) learns at least 3 languages with different letters: First their mother language (and there are many in India - many of them are spoken by almost as many people as live in Germany). Then Hindi. Third English. I met many people speaking at least 5 languages fluently - and even 7 is not really an exception. But it took me a time to get acquainted to the special english they speak - and to realize that they don´t speak a bad english but a special one. That the problem is not them but me to understand. I somehow adapted.
It is not really a surprise to know that poor people can be lucky. But it is really one to experience it. And I have no idea how to react to the situation. I feel sorry for them - but somehow that seems not be adequate. There was one key word for me coming in my mind wherever I was and saw them selling something, willing to give advice (for money), starting a little business: desperate. They all seem desparate to somehow survive. Kreative yes. Proactive, not only lying around as you would imagine after having seen to many books about India. They really try hard. But in many cases you just feel sorry - and there you are back again.
Special Moments
A special moment for me was the experience of an overnight bus. I really wanted to go into it. Before that I had travelled with normal buses and a long distance bus, normal trains and an overnight train - but I didn´t know how an overnight (non A/C) bus worked. Now I know it. Expecially in combination with these roads in India, being small and bumpy, allowing a maximum speed of 40 in average. And - this is really special here - there are speedbreakers everywhere, giving your journey a very specific feeling. Especially in a night-bus. I was (un-)happy to have the upper 'bed'. You can´t sit, so you have to lie down - and will lie there for the next 11 hours (what is not true because from time to time there are breaks as there is no toilet in the bus). And you really try to sleep. What is not easy with all the bumps and the driver working really hard on the road. Overtaking, speeding up, speeding down. But after having lied on the floor in the ashram, even that didn´t hold me back from sleeping....
Dolphins and other animals. Yes there seem to be dolphins all around here. I saw them on 2 places and I really like it. Giving the fact that there seem to be less and less fishes this seems to be even more special. I liked it to look at fishermen when they try to catch fish. I saw them alone throwing out a little net (in Tonga I remember them throwing the net and having a catch - and here in India I never saw one succeeding), saw them in Cochi with the famous old huge chinese nets for 5 men (and even after one hour of hard work not one fish came up) and I followed them in Varkala where 20-30 men worked together early morning for hours and the same amount of fish (these 20 fishes were really small - and there was much more waste in the net than there were fishes). Did I mention the monkeys? Probably not even necessary as they are a little bit allways around, but still special for me.
And there is a comment about the cows in India: At first it is just funny to see them walking around everywhere. Than I was puzzled to see them working on the gabbage tons, eating waste (mmmmh - here in India it is really easy not to eat meat anymore). At last it is getting totally annoying when you drive with the scooter and they come out of the nowhere and block the road immediately.
Special moment for me: Being lost in really ugly town. Finally finding sort of a vegetarian restaurant. And there he comes, this old man. His english is poor, but he understands that our energy is even poorer than his english. And he decides about our menu. He is so happy to help us (the only westerners - always very obvious here) - and we enjoy. It is Kerala style, served on a banana leave and eaten with the hand.
Summary
For me, India is a country of intensity. The contrasts are immens. When I came to the point to think 'I just don´t like it' - in the next moment there was this lovely friendly person helping me. When I was done with the smells, I enjoyed a good meal. When all the waste troubled me, there was a wonderful ceremony in a temple. I felt like: If you really want to experience India you can´t avoid it. It is exhausting but rewarding. It is never 'boring', most of the times just too intense.
India talks to the heart - and to the soul.
Martin
Pieces of India - by Marjolein
5 Maart heb ik India achter mij gelaten en nu is het tijd om terug te kijken. Samen met Martin, uit Duitsland, heb ik na onze ashramtijd naar verschillende boeiende plaatsen in Zuid India gereisd. Tijdenshet reizen hebben weveel met elkaar gesprokenover India. Nu onze reistijder samen op zit waren we nieuwsgierig om dit met elkaar te delen. Bij deze onze reflecties in het Engels in twee aparte blogberichten.....Enjoy!
Difficult country
Always staring
Everywhere and always I felt the look of Indian people staring at me. Even when a person is sitting next to you, practically on your lap, they stare. Travelling with fellow travellers and friends this was not an issue for me, but it were the moments that I was alone when the staring was sometimes very difficult for me. For example being in Hassan, a typical Indian town filled with too many people, traffic, dirt and ugly buildings. Three days of seeing no other tourist in a male dominated cultural and being a blond girl is not easy. These were the nights when I was so tired in the evening, but when it was difficult to fall asleep after the many impressions.
Cast system and family life
The poverty is still everywhere. Despite the economic grow from the recent years, this did not reach the biggest population of India. The very small group of the rich are getting richer, but for most people things are changing very slowly or not at all. The cast system is probably one of these costs. Officially the cast system does not exist anymore, but the more people you speak about this the more you are aware that it is still very strong present. For example our guesthouse owner and zoologist in Bikaner. A very nice and smart man, but still cannot apply for a job that would suit his level of university education just because he is from a lower cast. His wife finished her MBA and now lives with her parents in lawn at home. Where here only purpose is to look after their children under the supervision of his parents. No perspective of a career or making her own decisions.
In Bundi Judith and I had an interesting day of insights in the daily family life. In the afternoon we were invited in the house of a family from the lowest cast, the untouchables. The parents lived with one daughter, two sons, grandma, a dog, a rat called Ganesh and a chicken on hardly twenty square meters. Including in this living space is their laundy business, a small kitchen, one bed and no windows. Neither was there a toilet or shower. Their perspective of a better life: zero. Image when the boys will get married that their wives will move in too. But still there was so much joy and happiness within this family and we felt so lucky to be there. The kids are still close in our hearts.
Later that day we visited another family, they were from one of the highest casts. Big house for three generations and every family had their own livingspace. We were invited to see their wedding album. They had a three day wedding with many dresses, suits and jewellery. Obvisiousily no lack of money. They were so friendly and curious about our lives. The oldest son is still spamming us on Facebook and considering us as dear friends of the family now. Their future perspective and of their new born baby is so different from the other family. For us it feels really unfair, but for them is daily life and the accept it lik it is. They pray for more opportunities in the next life. We pray for equal changes and the wealth being more divided in this big country.
Easy to enjoy
Food, food, food
It is written all over India. Everywhere you look and everywhere you go there is food. Indian people love food and it seems that they are always eating and always willing to share their food. The Indian kitchen goes way back and has a lot of influences from other countries. That is why their kitchen is world famous and so rich of different tastes. In no other place is the kitchen as good as in India itself. Every region has their own kitchen with specific flavours and specialities. My advice: try, taste and enjoyas much different dishes as possible!
The meals in the ashram were extra special. Sitting on the floor, eating in silence with your hands. Most Indian people eat with their hands, the right hand to be precise. The left hand is the toilet hand and you do not use this one for eating. Eating with your hands was a true sensation and gives an extra dimension to eating. I loved it!!
The restaurant menu's have at least five pages, what not makes it easy to make a choice. Hindu people don't eat meat and lucky for me that I am a vegetarian. I had wonderful vegetable curries with rice, naan bread and chapatti. But most of all I enjoyed sharing food with travel friends and talking for hours. India is a paradise for everyone who loves good meals and sweets.
On the road
Travelling by train in such a big country is the nicest way to travel. It is the daily transport for many many people. The train stations are used as a public place to sleep and people are doing their toilet needs along the train tracks. Even cows on the platforms are no surprise. I never got bored of the views and fellow travellers. In the trains you get a little bit an insight on how the Indian people live. They always travel with a lot a baggage and even if you have a reserved seat, you still have to push your way in to the train to save some space for your backpack. The Indian people do it too, it seems that there are always afraid of being left out even if there are enough seats for everyone.
The train is a wonderful experience, just sit back and relax.
The ashram life
India is the place for everyone who wants to explore their spiritual site. The opportunities for yoga and meditation are tremendous. You can meet the Dalai Lama or get a hug from goeroe Amma. I spend two weeks in the Sivananda ashram in South India, a very precious time for me. The intensity, many hours sweating during the asana classes, the ongoing stream of thoughts, ayurvedic meals, joyful chanting, meditation, following your intuition, positive energy and making new friends still make me smile.
Surprises
Cultural chock
You read into India, look at pictures, see documentaries and think you are well prepared. But for a country like India you can never prepare yourself enough and you really have to experience the cultural chock. The first moments of arriving in the Delhi, freezing cold and seeing so many people living on the streets without shoes and jackets and making little fires is not an image I knew from home. The roads from the airport into townwere getting busier and busier...Chaos everywhere. Smoking busses, rattling riksjas, cows. Old Delhi is filthy, there are crowds of people and the smells are overwhelming. In no time my sweaterwas grey of dust and my skinwas dirty. Welcome to India.
Still I had a smile on my face. It is surprising how fast your eyes are used to these new sights and how quickly you adapt. I felt adventure!
Indian people
The people in India are beautiful and very friendly. Everywhere you go they ask: Your country madam? Age? Job? How much your salary? Where you go next? You like India? Married, kids?
In big cities and at the main sights a lot of people want to sell you something, but most Indian people are just sincerely interested. I think they feel more comfortable if they know a little bit about you and why you are travelling. The times when I told them that I am not travelling alone and was married they look relieved and happy. Much more than when I told them the real story: that I had a boyfriend, that we are living together not being married and that I was travelling eight months on my own. That is unthinkable in a society where people do not see their partner before their weddingday.
Indian people love to take photos, from themselves but also from western people. Sometimes I felt like a celebrity and never have I been asked so many times: One photo madam? And when it is a big group you know you are never done after one photo. As being a celebrity traveller I took my time and enjoyed the small talk with the always curious Indian people.
Summery
Flashback...India is still under my skin
Travelling in India is intense and hard work. The misery everywhere is so close. The poverty, kids with babies begging for money, cows on the street, bargaining with the tuk tuk drivers, constant power cuts, the strong smells everywhere, people shitting on the streets. Everything is possible and after a few weeks it looked like nothing surprised me anymore.
Two weeks ago I felt I that I was really done with the loud sounds and dirt everywhere. But now, being in Sri Lanka, I feel little India moments. Going through my photos I am surprised by a feeling of missing. ...
I MISS India. I can hardly stop thinking about my impressive travel time in this bizar country. The lovely people with their big smiles, amazing sites like theTaj Mahal, excitement of the kite festival in Rajasthan, tranquillity of the ashram, doing yoga, having delicious food, seeing colours everywhere, making long train rides, witnessing the always ongoing temple rituals, sleeping for budget prices or in a luxury maharaja palace.
With all these beautiful thoughts joining me, I can look back on a very happy period of my life with so many leanings. Leaving old parts of me behind and taking new parts with me.
Namaste India, looking forward to meet again one day......