Our last week in the mountains

Friday 19^th June 2015

A pack of monkeys hanging out next to a dumpster sometimes they are friendly most of the time not so friendly...

since the rains started there have been loads of these horrible flying daddy long legs everywhere these two decided to have all the sex on our table while we tried to eat dinner. 

As usual we got up and had breakfast at the tea shop it was super busy in there despite the late hour so we had to squash in at somebody else’s table.

After eating we headed back to the guesthouse with the notion of having a chilled day reading and what not (and me hopefully finding flights!)

We headed out to the Thai restaurant and I spent some time working on a blog post before searching for flights it took an age but I finally found two flights that were somewhat affordable if not very long winded. I booked and paid for them and felt relief that it was sorted.

We ended up leaving the restaurant in a rush to get to Tai Chi and at the worst possible time it started pouring with rain luckily it was a short burst of rain and then hail before easing to a drizzle and we didn’t get too soaked.

We ran back to the guesthouse to grab our shoes and then headed to the nearby rooftop where we meet for class. Today was day four of five and by the end of the lesson we had learnt almost all of the form with just one last bit to add tomorrow before polishing it off.

It feels like it is beginning to flow nicely now and was quite comfortable. I had wanted to go to Kirtan tonight but as the class finished we saw Sandeep and he said that a bunch of people were meeting to have some goodbye drinks so we decided to head to that after some dinner.

We went and ate just the two of us and then I got cake for the road knowing I wouldn’t want to drink and that everyone else would. We didn’t end up staying too long as most of the conversation was in Hindi and we didn’t really know what was going on, then a huge storm started and we couldn’t hear anything over the thunder and the rain on the tin roof and then there was a power cut and we were all sitting cold and in the dark.

We headed home when the rain eased off slightly but were still soaked on the short trip home in complete darkness. Luckily the water was still a bit warm and the laptop had some battery so we showered and watched a movie in bed.

Saturday 20^th June 2015

After a slow start this morning we had breakfast and then did some cleaning and laundry as usual there were a ton of beetles crawling around or dead in the corners!

After booking my flights last night and receiving a confirmation email when I checked my mail today I had an email saying that I needed to send a copy of my passport and credit card for the e-ticket to be issued. The email was worded very unprofessionally with many spelling errors. I booked my tickets around 4pm and this email came at 7pm giving me until the end of the day to send the documents. Obviously I had missed the deadline but I wasn’t even sure it was a real email.

After booking the flights yesterday I logged straight on to request a vegetarian meal and to choose my seat when I logged on today the frequent flyer points I had used to buy the flight were gone but my booking wasn’t there I checked my banking and the money was gone as well.

I emailed Qantas customer care (as I’m writing this three full days later I’m still yet to get a reply from them despite a 24 hour promise) but having emailed them in the past with not a lot of joy I also decided to send them a message on Facebook unfortunately for me the fb page is manned in Australian time and so everyone was done for the day. (When I did receive a response they were somewhat useless)

As annoying as that was I wanted to just get on with my day. We went to McLeod Ganj and had lunch with Sandeep at the Japanese restaurant where they had huge custard filled doughnuts straight from the oven they were selling out quick and we were lucky to get one.

After lunch we strolled about for a bit and stopped off for Mark to get a coffee before heading back up the hill to rest a bit before Tai Chi we managed to get a very quick practice in but it wasn’t very productive as Mark was on a sugar high and was bouncing off the walls. By the time we got to class he had crashed.

Class started a bit late as it was a bit rainy but luckily it cleared and we even got a rainbow which we had also got the first night. Start with a rainbow end with a rainbow!

It was our last chance to get the moves right so I knuckled down and focused on everything Tony said by the end of class I was fairly confident that I had the steps but that I wasn’t exceptionally graceful about it.

We headed for food at a café I had a curry that id had a few times before and loved but tonight it was a bit weird tasting (and later made me sick) the café had live music downstairs but there wasn’t anywhere to sit so we sat upstairs which only has a tarp roof it was windy and cold and pretty drizzly again.

We ate and headed downstairs but it was super packed with nowhere to sit. We saw a friend and chatted a bit but decided we would rather get home before the rain really started to come down.

Sunday 21^st June 2015

Happy International Yoga Day!!

We had planned to rise early and head down to McLeod Ganj to the Dalai Lama Temple as it is his 80^th birthday and they had a long-life puja and the Dalai Lama did a speech. However I was up most of the night with a sore stomach and when the alarm went off at 6am and it was pouring with rain I really didn’t feel like it.

I woke up much later feeling disappointed that we didn’t just jolly ourselves and go but my stomach was still sore and so I sat around in the room while Mark went and had breakfast.

We didn’t do much today just hung out reading and generally mooching about and doing some Tai Chi on the terrace. After the heavy rains and thunder and lightning storm of last night/this morning the day had cleared up to be really nice.

We went out for a late lunch at a pizzeria and sat there for far too long. I continued to try and resolve the issue with the flights I booked on Friday but still Qantas weren’t playing ball and being the weekend it’s unlikely anything will be resolved anytime soon.

After eating we chilled out back at the guesthouse for a short while and then headed to a lecture at the Himalayan Iyengar School the topic was “the importance of the cleanliness of yoga” a special talk on for international yoga day the lecturer was the founder of the institute and he spoke of the five precepts of yoga. Much of his talk was Vipassana teachings which became clear at the end when he said he studied it for years. The talk was interesting but was nothing I hadn’t heard but it was good to have a recap on it all. I was also feeling extremely tired and struggled to stay focused.

After the lecture we spoke to some friends who had also attended and then headed off to get a small dinner before heading back for an early night.

Monday 22^nd June 2015

This morning I was still feeling a bit rough but went and had breakfast anyway. After eating we came back to the guesthouse and I checked my email to see if the Qantas saga had been resolved but it hadn’t. We headed to a café where the Wi-Fi was good enough for me to try and use skype to call the Mumbai office, but when we got there it turns out you can’t call landlines or mobiles in India from within India using skype.

I had another go at emailing them and messaging them on Facebook with much the same result as yesterday. It stated pouring with rain so we were stranded for a while but when the rain ceased we went to the local internet shop to see if they had a phone but had no joy.

It was starting to rain again so we headed back to the guesthouse where we chilled out for a while. The rain started again and didn’t look as though it would stop anytime soon so we watched somethings on the laptop.

In the afternoon the weather cleared and we headed out to have a late lunch. The food was exceptional and the fresh air was beautiful we stayed there a while reading before heading back to do a bit of Tai chi at the guesthouse.

Later on that evening neither of us were particularly hungry but felt we might be so we headed to the Thai restaurant and nibbled on food while abusing the Wi-Fi. Back at the guesthouse we chilled out until it was time to go to sleep.

Tuesday 23^rd June 2015

We started the day off with breakfast as we always do, then spent some time cleaning our room and doing some laundry. After a burst of Tai Chi out in the sunshine we walked down to McLeod Ganj. First stop was a coffee mostly so I could get on the Wi-Fi and check my flight status. Good news that when I logged onto Qantas my flight was there waiting for me. Still the potentially scam email has not been dealt with and when I asked the fb contact for an official email where I could complain she simply sent me to the same customer care form that is still yet to respond to my initial query five days ago.

After I had sored things out as much as I could we headed to some shops having a look at a few bits and pieces before going to the Japanese restaurant as it was sushi day. It was super crowded in there but we found a table in the corner and ate our food. Best of all was the chocolate mousse they had as a special today.

After eating we headed to the temple where we did a circuit the place was rammed and there was a huge line of people waiting for an audience with the Dalai Lama or maybe the Karmapa. There was also a display of all the awards the Dalai Lama has received as well as pictures of him with notable persons and all the books he has written. It was interesting to look at but hard to see much for all the monks with their ipads taking photos of every single item.

We came out of the temple and the clear blue sky that was there when we went inside had been replaced with a thick mist that had rolled in off the mountains and made visibility even a few metres in front of us difficult.

It looked as though rain would be coming soon so we decided to head back up the hill. We meandered up and to our delight when we reached the top the skies were clear and we had mostly blue skies. We stopped for a chai at the tea house and then headed back to the accommodation.

We didn’t have anything to do so we headed to a café and had another drink while we read and then had a ridiculously early bird dinner. We hung around for a while reading and then headed back where we watched a movie.

Wednesday 24^th June 2015

I woke up starving this morning after such an early dinner yesterday. We went and ate our peanut butter toast like we do every day and then came back to let it digest a while before doing some Tai Chi.

Feeling a bit more energised we decided to head into town there was a film showing in the afternoon that we wanted to see and we decided to get some lunch first. We walked down and started off with a coffee so Mark could get his caffeine hit. We ended up having lunch there as the food is actually pretty good.

After lunch we felt like something sweet so headed to the pancake shop and shared an apricot crepe. After that it was time for the film. It was called Kundan and is a Disney adaptation of the Dalai Lamas life. Interestingly the entire cast are Tibetan refugees although it’s all in English.

The problem was it was shown in a busy restaurant and from the start we struggled to hear what was going on over the loud groups of young Indian guy’s subtitles would have been good but they didn’t seem to know how to turn them on. We persevered although it ended up being a waste of time as just over an hour into the film it cut out and the guy who organised the even apologised saying his copy was damaged and that was all he had.

Why they decided to screen a film that they didn’t have in its entirety baffled me but it didn’t stop them handing out their pamphlets and asking for donations to their cause. I don’t think anyone donated.

When we came out it was raining so we hot footed it up the hill and back to the guesthouse where we chilled out for a while waiting for the rain to stop before heading out for a small dinner.

Enjoying Rishikesh

Monday 4^th May 2015

I woke up early this morning and took the time to finish the terrible book I had been reading. Once that was done I chilled on the roof for a bit so that Mark could do his laundry. Eventually we headed out around lunchtime to get some breakfast.

We ate at a little Indian place that was cheap as chips and then headed into town to have a geez at Rishikesh and to take a swim in the Ganges. We crossed Lakshman jhula (the suspension bridge) and then walked along the far side of the river. We stopped off in a few shops along the way and then made our way down onto one of the beaches.

On Lakshman Jhula

Selfie with a cow

The Mighty Ganga

We paddled our feet in the icy waters but couldn’t swim there as it was a no swimming spot (many people drown each year when they get pulled out into the deep current filled river) after sitting a bit too long in the sun we walked along the beach and back up to the town.

We were just having a nosy at the bathing Ghats when someone grabbed my arm form behind, it was Sandeep from the Ashram way back in December we stood about chatting for a bit and then Gita (also from the Ashram) also turned up.

We all went down the road where the boys got fruit salad and the girls had juice. We sat in the juice shop all afternoon catching up and finding out the best things to do in Rishikesh.

Eventually about 4.30pm we decided it was a good time for a swim and Mark, Gita and I headed back to the beach where we had a quick dunk (the water is so cold all you need is a dunk) we felt cooled down by the icy fresh water and headed back to the guesthouse dripping (we had to swim in our clothes)

Once we were showered and clean we headed out for dinner we wanted to go somewhere that had good Wi-Fi so I could upload some pictures but we didn’t have much luck finding anywhere as the place we wanted to go was closed and by this stage we were starving. We ended up having a cheapo thali and then heading into a café for a cup of tea and an abuse of the Wi-Fi but it turned out to be quite slow and we spent ages in there with little result.

On the plus side we didn’t get chased by dogs on the way home so we were pretty pleased about that.

Tuesday 5^th May 2015

We woke up today feeling rather lethargic and so moved very slowly towards breakfast. By the time we found somewhere to eat it was lunchtime and so we got falafel plates and spent the next two hours picking at food and reading.

Eventually we got moving and took a walk past the bridges out of town and found a semi secluded beach where we spent the afternoon chilling out and paddling we didn’t really swim as we were on a section of beach that was designated no swimming and neither of us really felt like drowning.

On the way back to our guesthouse we stopped to get our palm read by a wise little raisin of a man. He spent an age studying all the lines on our palms before eventually coming up with his verdict. He was pretty good and very informative but I think we will still check out someone else as well to see if the readings match!

We walked across the bridge and went and got huge ice-creams as a treat. Despite being about 5pm it was still so hot that they were melting as fast as we could eat them so they didn’t last long.

We headed back to our accommodation and showered and got clean then headed out for dinner we managed to find somewhere with good Wi-Fi and sat and rinsed it for a while before heading home to bed.

Wednesday 6^th May 2015

This morning we had breakfast at one of the Indian places we have been frequenting before taking in an epic walk to a waterfall. We had been told that it was 3km away but it was more like 6km the walk took us along the road above the river which had spectacular views but more than a few times we looked up to make sure there were no rocks falling on our heads.

It took us about 90mis to get there the last part of the walk was up a steep rocky dirt track which opened out into a little clearing at the base of the waterfall. In the monsoon season it must be a sight to behold but as it was there wasn’t too much of a flow coming down just enough to make a little pool at the base that was about thigh deep.

There were a few other people there all sunning themselves in bikinis despite it being a holy place and there being a big sign to treat the area accordingly. It was quite peaceful dipping our toes in the fresh water and then chilling out being cooled down by the mist that was blown in our direction.

We sat there enjoying the tranquillity for a while until a big group of Indian tourists came and ruined the silence they were loud and boisterous and very drunk on some hideous whiskey and coke combo. I think the sanctity of the holy waterfall was definitely defiled by the smoking, drinking and littering going on.

The space wasn’t big enough to move out of the way so we ended up packing up and leaving as they were all so spatially unaware we were constantly being stood on and caught in the middle of their raucous conversations they also had a very beautiful but very smelly Alsatian who kept standing or sitting on me and its stink was enough to make one throw up!

The holy waterfall

The walk back took a bit longer as we were tired and my shoe was rubbing giving me an almighty blister. At one point Mark mocked this huge monkey who took great offence and chased us for a short distance we made it back into town and crossed over the bridge to our side of the river where we were stopped by a man selling bindi stamps I have seen them before but always managed to run away before they could get me but today I was so slow, he ended up stamping them all over my face an hand and arm and in the end we walked away with three packs. (They were ridiculously cheap though so we weren’t complaining) once we got away from him we had a thali for lunch (even though by this stage it was 4pm)

Two Mules enjoying the shade

Crazy tree on a tree

Feeling full we started back to the guesthouse to chill out for a bit and have a shower but got distracted by a café as Mark wanted coffee the view was amazing and the place had Wi-Fi so we took advantage of it and chilled out for a while.

View of The Ganga

In the early evening we went to meet Sandeep to watch the arti it took us longer to walk there than we expected but we weren’t too late. We chilled on the bank of the Ganges on the steps of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram chatting and watching the world go by until the arti started and we moved closer to see it.

Arti

After watching we got our shoes back from the shoe keepers and a family asked me to take a photo with them Mark was doing up his shoelaces behind us and grabbed the ankle of the little girl scaring the shit out of her which was rather funny but also rather mean.

We met up with Gita for dinner as it was her last night in India we went and had dinner at one of the Ashrams I had a pumpkin curry which was sensational. After that we headed down the road to a café for something sweet I had this chocolate ball that tasted quite a lot like a brownie with chocolate melted on top and then it was drizzled with honey it was rather amazing if not completely indulgent.

We ended up sitting there until quite late and by the time we had to walk back everything was closed and it was very dark. Luckily we didn’t run into any angry dogs (or people for that matter) but it wasn’t a fun trip in the dark.

Back at the guesthouse we were so pleased for a shower after spending the whole day in grime covered sweaty clothes (it was close to 40 degrees when we walked to the waterfall!) and after so much walking we were happy to be in bed!

Sivanada Ashram Our last few weeks in India

Sunday 16th June 2013

DAY ONE ASHRAM: Today was the first day of our Ashram programme. Everyday this is what the schedule looks like

·         05.20 The first bell rings

·         06.00   Morning Satsang (Meditation followed by chanting and some spiritual readings followed by Aarti and Pasard)

·         07.30 Cup of tea

·         08.00  Two hour Asana class (Yoga)

·         10.00 Breakfast

·         11.00 Karma Yoga (basically cleaning)

·         12.00 (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) Optional meditation coaching

·         12.30 (Everyday) optional Asana coaching

·         13.30 Cup of tea and a snack

·         14.00 Philosophy lecture

·         15.30 Two hour Asana class

·         18.00 Dinner

·         20.00 Evening Satsang

·         22.30 Lights out

So this morning we headed to the Siva hall for morning Satsang  it started with a silent walk which is usually to the dam but as it was raining we did laps of the hall with Shanti the resident dog following us about after that it was chanting and then  as it was Sunday today we did the Sunday prayers. At 7.30am when we had tea we chatted to a few people also starting the course and said goodbye to Claire who was flying back to Australia that night. At 8am it was time for our first Yoga class it was really slow paced compared to what I am used to and there were a lot of demonstrations and a lot of savasana (complete rest laying on your back with your eyes closed) in between each exercise.by 10am we were so hungry so were pleased that Claire was right that breakfast was the better meal of the two great meals a day. The Ashram follows a sattvic diet which is completely vegetarian as well as cutting out any foods that might excite or depress the body such as onions or garlic. This morning at 11am we had our orientation we were given a tour of the Ashram  and learnt all the rules then at 12pm we were given our Karma yoga tasks, Ayla and I along with two other girls had to clean the dorms we split it in half and then Ayla did the floors and I did the bathrooms. At 13.30 we had a cup of herbal tea and a banana before our first lecture. It was by a guest speaker Colonel Naire who comes in every Sunday to do a lecture.it was hard to pay attention as I was feeling sleepy and really uncomfortable sitting on the floor. The afternoon’s yoga class was very similar to the one this morning with just a few progressions here and there. We took the time between yoga finishing and dinner starting to shower and potter about a bit dinner was really simple just dhal and chapattis. After food we went to the shop and got a few things (we already brought yoga mats the day before) then at 8pm we headed to evening Satsang we are slowly learning a few of the chants which makes it a bit more fun.

 Monday 17^th June 2013

DAY TWO ASHRAM: I woke up this morning after a horrible night’s sleep in which I had severely violent dreams! My eye headache was back and bizarrely it had swollen up. We went to Satsang and throughout meditation I sat staring at the floor as if I moved I felt a bit nauseous. By the time 8am rolled round and it was time for yoga I did feel a bit better but still struggled with some of the inverted positions. At breakfast we were starving so luckily it was a satisfying meal. We did our Karma yoga and then in the free time we sat in the hall and I did some writing. At 12pm we went to the meditation coaching to get a few tips it was just me and Ayla for the most part he explained the reasoning behind the cross-legged position for chanting (by sitting in this position your feet are facing upwards ready to receive the Prana energy around you it’s the same for sitting with a straight back the prana and apana can travel up and down your spine) we also gave us a counting exercise to help calm the mind and slow it down which was really helpful. The lecture this afternoon was on Yogic principles so we started with what yoga meant to us and then learnt about the different elements and incorporating them all to live yoga as a lifestyle. The afternoon class progressed a little and I began to feel like I was getting a little bit more of a workout. We headed to dinner and then spent our free time before Satsang browsing the books in the shop and doing some writing.in the evening satsang I still struggled to find a comfortable seated position but did find the counting exercise cleared my mind more.

Tuesday 18^th June 2013

DAY THREE ASHRAM: this morning after another rubbish sleep I stayed in bed until just 15mins before Satsandg then got up dressed and rushed over to the hall. We started as usual with meditation and I was pleasantly surprised when 25mins went by quite quickly (and I don’t think I was sleeping) Yoga this morning was still moving at a pace that was to slow for me but the intermediate class is actually more of an advanced class so I am reluctant to change. Breakfast was a welcome meal and fuelled us ready to get our Karma on. We got on our hands and knees and got rid of every cobweb and spider, ant or other insect we could find! We walked over to the Sivnanda institute of health which is an ayurverdic clinic we wanted to know the price of a massage but it was actually a bit pricey so we sacked it off. We then checked out the library I withdrew a book about vegetarianism as I am exploring the idea of staying vege all the time (since leaving England I have only eaten fish and seafood…ok and one bit of chicken at the closing part) the snack this afternoon was a muesli type thing but was full of clumps of brown sugar and nuts which I tried in vain to avoid the lecture today was on bhakti yoga which is the expression of love to god through music. We practiced some chanting and I played a drum. The yoga class this afternoon was encouraging as I began to notice some improvements in my flexibility. At dinner we had these weird pancake things which were phenomenal apparently they are made of the same ingredients as chapattis but the ratio of flour to water is different , however they are made they tasted amazing and I had to go in for seconds. In Satsang we meditated for 30mins but my hip was hurting which made it hard to concentrate. During the night Shanti (the dog) was running up and down the dorm corridor howling and barking at something unknown so it was hard to get a good sleep.

Wednesday 19^th June 2013

DAY FOUR ASHRAM: this morning I was awake early but no one else was up and I couldn’t see the clock so I didn’t know what time it was I think everyone must have been tired as no one turned on the light until moments before the second bell rang. We rushed to get dressed and headed over to the hall just in time for Satsang again I was finding it really difficult to get comfortable but concentrated on my breathing and using the counting exercise we learnt helped. I didn’t feel properly awake until after yoga by then I was feeling really stretched out and ready for breakfast. We got through Karma yoga and has some time to kill before meditation coaching I used the time to get some laundry done whilst Ayla took a nap I woke her up for coaching but she was narco-ed and so stayed in bed we did a activity to help with concentration in which a candle was placed in front of us and we had to stare at it for as long as we could until tears were coming then we shut our eyes and imagined the candle in our minds eye in full detail. I found the image faded quite quickly and that I had to give myself commentary to remember what it looked like which defeated the purpose of visualisation somewhat. The lecture this afternoon was about Ayurverdic medicine the Doctor from the Sivanada institute of health came and told us about the three Doshas and about imbalances in the body causing illness it could actually have been really interesting but he was a bit bland and relied on his slides too much. The whole concept is at once extremely simply and vastly complicated. In class I found myself feeling a little frustrated as there is only so far I can physically push myself without the help of props which for some reason the Ashram is firmly again I want to be seeing improvements each class but it’s just not happening. In the evening I had an interesting conversation about positivity and negativity with one of the senior staff members his view is that every time you have a negative thought you should chase it away with a prayer or positive affirmation it’s a good idea but I’m not sure it’s plausible in real life outside the ashram. We were supposed to have a silent walk up to the dam but again it was raining so instead we just had a shortened satsang and then headed to bed to do “self-study” in silence.

Thursday 20^th June 2013

DAY FIVE ASHRAM: last night I had really bad dreams again they were really violent and scary which is strange I thought being at an Ashram would calm my mind… meditation was difficult this morning as I kept having flashbacks of my dreams so eventually I just stared out at the sky until it was time to chant. Today in Yoga I was feeling frustrated with my lack of progress and so sulked a little bit throughout. The morning passed normally with breakfast and then Karma yoga. About 11.30am we took a walk down to the lake to see if we could spot any crocodiles we were sitting at the bottom of the temple and the only wildlife we saw were two beautiful kingfishers and a local cat. We sat by the lake until it was afternoon tea time. The lecture this afternoon was a little boring and so I was feeling restless the lecturer had one of the teacher training students on stage and was demonstrating the postures and explaining the benefits it was useless information to most of us though as it was all intermediate and advanced postures. In the afternoon I again felt frustrated with my lack of progress. After class I left straight away and had a shower before dinner this evening we were helping with the food service so had to wait until everyone was finished before we could eat. Annoyingly we were then rushed to finish our meal by the guys who wanted to clean the dining hall as their karma yoga. At Satsang chanting cheered me up a little but I still headed to bed as soon as it was over.

Friday 21^st June 2013

DAY SIX ASHRAM: as it was a Friday today was a day off if you are in the Ashram you still have to attend Satsang so we were up early we followed the schedule until after breakfast when we had a quick shower and put on our worldly clothes. Ayla, Katja, Jessamine and I planned to go to the lion park that is across the lake as we can always hear them roar. We were joined by Anand and his sons who were also going there. We walked (the long way) across the dam to the ticket office with Shanti following us the whole way we stopped and had some salted mango which I wasn’t sure about (but is delicious when it’s in a pickle) we decided to get tickets to the lion park, the antelope park, the crocodile rehab centre and a boat ride. We got aboard and sailed across the lake on the lookout for crocodiles (we didn’t see any) the lion park was first and was amongst one of the weirdest things I have ever done, we got on board a school/prison bus and drove through a gate which was locked behind us then the gate in front of us opened Jurassic park style and we drove into the park the track around the park was more suited to a four wheel drive then a bus and at several points it came close to tipping over or getting stuck in the mud (the driver found accelerating to be the most useful tool in his box) we saw he lions chilling out in their home in silence it was probably the only time during our stay at the ashram where we didn’t hear the lions roar. They were Asiatic lions so slightly smaller than African lions but they look pretty much the same. We were only in the park for 10mins tops which was disappointing we were then sheparded back to the boat to see the antelopes they had just eaten and were taking shelter on the far side of the park under some trees from there we walked to the “Steve Irwin crocodile rehabilitation centre” whether or not Steve Irwin knew he had a croc park in India named after him was a hot topic with the majority ruling that no he had no idea. The crocs here are rescued from the river if they are injured nursed back to health and then rereleased none of them were noticeably hurt except for one which was separated from the others and had half his face missing due to fighting with other crocs. We then went back to the boat and back across the lake to the start point. We had left shanti there but she wasn’t around although she did catch up to us along the road so who knows where she had been. It was still early so we piled into a couple of rickshaws and went to the closest village for a cup of tea and some snacks we enjoyed onion bharjis and vadas  which are little doughnut shaped buns made of lentils. We decided to walk the 3km back to Nayar Dam and then the last 1km uphill to the ashram. We arrived back with enough time to relax for a bit and then head to dinner. Satsang was a bit quiet this evening as many people had still not returned to the ashram after a day out.

Saturday 23^rd June 2013

DAY SEVEN ASHRAM: I was pleased with myself this morning as I managed to sit in the same position for 30mins during Satsang we chanted and then had some readings. The yoga class and the morning meal went by quickly and soon it was time for karma yoga after missing just one day the floors in the dorm were so dusty it was as though they hadn’t seen a broom in ten years. We all sat about chatting for a while and then I went to meditation coaching we did some more trata (staring at the candle concentration exercise) and some more breathing I spoke to the dude about how to get more comfortable in a crossed legged position but he just said in time it will become more comfortable. The afternoon snack was a coconut pastry thing which was rather nice and went perfectly with tea. This afternoon’s lecture was on breathing some of it was interesting and some I think I missed the point the lecture overran and so class started late. I got a really good hamstring stretch when the teacher pushed me into it from behind. We had dinner as usual and then tonight’s Satsang was once again the talent show. Anand sang a beautiful version of “wonderful tonight”  and there was an American guy who told a “story of the ghost” which made everyone jump (except me as I have nerves of steel) there was a Bollywood dance lesson and a Tamil dance show and Dana read some poetry which was almost not ashram appropriate but very beautifully worded. Raj led everyone in a few games and then it was time for Aarti and bed.

Sunday 23^rd June 2013

DAY EIGHT ASHRAM: this morning we had a silent walk instead of Satsang we walked to the dam and watched the sunrise we sat on the wall overlooking the water (and a fed up looking man who was taking a bath in the lake) we sat and meditated for about 10mins before singing the daily chant it was hard to concentrate though as there was a local girl hovering just behind me asking repeatedly if I would give her a pen (I would have if I’d had one which is what I said the first time she asked) we sang one more chant and then headed back to the ashram it was a great start to the day and I felt really awake by the time we got back for Aarti. Before Asana class this morning we learnt about neti pots they are one of the six kriyas which are body purifications. Neti pots are like mini watering cans you fill them with warm salty water and pour it through one nostril it drains through removing all the gunge that’s in your nose if you want to take it a (disgusting) step forward then you take a rubber bandy thing and stick it up one nostril pull the other end out of your mouth and floss your nasal cavity needless to say there was a lot of gagging going on by the participants and I don’t think anyone successfully flossed their nose. Class started a half hour late but we still managed to introduce a new posture the headstand. After class I rushed to breakfast more hungry then usual from all the fresh air after Karma yoga we did some asana coaching I wanted to work on my halasana (the plough where you go from a shoulder stand to bringing you toes touching the ground behind your head) and my bridge (again from a shoulder stand to come straight into the bridge) the afternoon lecture was about positive thinking and mind control (control of your own mind not as I thought and was excited about controlling someone else’s mind) ironically the lecturer kept losing his concentration and going off on random tangents. This afternoons class was really good we tried the headstand and with a little help I was able to get into the posture. At dinner we had curried peas its bizarre how my tastes are changing as I loved the peas and have also been enjoying the beetroot we often have. After dinner I had a Reiki session with one of the other guests it was really relaxing and peaceful at times she was actually touching me others just hovering near me but I could always feel where she was. Afterwards she said I had a blockage in my root chakra (which is what the astrologer in Varanasi and the crystal man in Goa both said as well) she said that Reiki will help to unblock it as well as chanting lam which is the mantra of the root chakra, as well as wearing red (the chakras colour) or using the crystals that the crystal man gave me. She said a blocked root chakra is often caused by instability in your life a lack of ‘roots’ as it were. It can also be caused by a traumatic event in your formative years. After satsang I felt totally relaxed and mellow and went to bed and crashed.

Monday 24^th June 2013

DAY NINE ASHRAM: this morning durning Satsang I was being plagued by insects so was wishing the time away so I could put some tiger balm on all my bites. During class it was the same mozzies were attacking me from every angle. Breakfast and Karma yoga passed by quickly and then I had to do some laundry but at least I had some good company in Dana who was also scrubbing her clothes. Then I went to meditation coaching we practiced more of the concentration exercises we have already covered. This afternoon’s lecture seemed topic less instead it seemed to be a re-hash of everything we have already learnt. Afternoon class whizzed by and I was super hungry and super pleased when I realised we were having the pancake thingy’s. Before Satsang I sewed the hole in Aylas trousers which was hard as she had still been wearing them and the hole was huge. Satsang was good we all got our chant on and I got well into my tambourine drum. The passard tonight was fried banana which was right up my street so I went to bed happy

Tuesday 25^th June 2013

DAY TEN ASHRAM: I was awake super early this morning but had no idea of the time I thought it was about 5am but in reality it must have been about 3am I got up as soon as the firs bell rang and headed to the Siva hall. Anand had a crack at the chanting in Satsang which was cool. I didn’t really feel like yoga this morning but I actually really enjoyed it and managed to get into a headstand twice the second time I held it for about 15 seconds which I was pleased with. Breakfast also made me happy as I have loads of chillies in my meal. After Karma yoga we headed down to the lake and I did some writing and took some photos we tried to spot some crocodiles but even splashing around ankle deep didn’t make any appear. In afternoon class I smashed out the tree and easily balanced the entire time I can safely say it’s the one posture I dominate at. I also held my headstand a bit longer this time.  We watched a movie about the life of Swami Vishnu-Devananda he reminds me of Baloo from the jungle book he’s so cute and smiley. He taught us that boundaries are just manmade he flew his own plane called the peace plane and although he didn’t have a passport he was never refuse entry to any country (except France) he even flew over the Berlin wall as a protest to the divide between the east and the west. As the film was short we got a bit of an early night.

Wednesday 26^th June 2013

DAY ELEVEN ASHRAM: this morning I felt like I was in the zone with my meditation and felt really peaceful throughout the chanting. The morning went by as normal I did all the Karma yoga as Ayla took to her bed with a migraine. Meditation coaching was just me and the teacher it was a different guy to normal and he made introducing meditation to your normal life so much more practical which was positive. Coaching was just 30mins today so I had time to sit in the sunshine but as soon as I got onto the lawn it started to rain so I went and sat in the hall to do some writing and read about Chakras. The lecture this afternoon was a film about water and about how it can retain its chemical composition but can change its substance basically the film was saying that water had feelings and memory interesting in a hoky kind of way. The afternoon Asana class was good I made more improvements on my headstand. After dinner we sat in the hall and sang songs like a pack of hippies which was good fun. Tonight’s Satsaang was silent walk to the lake. It was to beautiful to concentrate on meditating as the sky was alight with starts reflecting on the water the houses on the far side looked like they were in the trees as the light was shining through the trees from the far side. We walked back for Aarti and then it was time for bed.

Thursday 27^th June 2013

DAY TWELVE ASHRAM: I started off with some solid meditation this morning but I lost it after I realised I was being mozzied did managed to stay still though only shifting from half lotus into a cross legged position. This morning’s Asana class was challenging my headstand was shaky today but I did manage to get into Halasna (the plough) and feel a bit more stable. Before breakfast one of the visiting swamis took a liking to me and gave me a card with a god on it he showed me all his photos and was really sweet apart from his one really long creepy fingernail. The weather was really good today so we relaxed on the grass in the sun. Rumour had it that we were getting food in today’s lecture which was on sattvic diet. Disappointingly they turned out to be only rumours but the class was still interesting it was all about what foods excite the mind/body and which ones make it lazy etc. I took it a bit easy in the Asana class this afternoon as I felt like my hamstrings were over stretched. After dinner having eaten to much I relaxed in the hall and chatted about postures with people before Satsang. Satsang was chanting as normal and then it was time to hit the hay

Friday 28^th June 2013

DAY THIRTEEN ASHRAM: Today was another day off but same as last week we wanted to get the morning class in so we got up for Satsang did the morning class and then headed to breakfast after which we headed off on a jolly hike. From the Ashram you can see a temple way up on a hill and that was our destination we set off with a map drawn from the memory of a lady who once hiked there five years ago needless to say the map was neither factually correct or to scale and we did get slightly lost ending up in some jungle folks back yard. Thankfully they were extremely helpful and friendly and they soon put us on the correct path. The last 15minutes of the hike is a steep incline on smooth rock if it had been wet there’s no way we would have made it up even though someone has kindly installed handrails on the steepest parts. We reached what we thought was the top only to be confronted by a band of monkeys we nervously walked past them unsure if they were the friendly kind or the kind that throw faeces and then eat your face off. To our delight they were pretty scared of us and scattered as soon as we got to close to our disappointment this wasn’t even the top just a resting place I guess., so we headed onwards the steepness was well worth the amazing view awarded to us when we reached the summit. We sat and took in the 360 degree view of wonder we could see the lake, the dam, the surrounding villagers and rolling green forests and hills for miles it was spectacular. We then took a host of photos, mostly of us in various yoga poses which was good fun we stayed up top for about an hour and then wandered slowly back down and back to the ashram. We arrived back just in time for tea which we drank whilst chatting to some newbies and then we showered and put on our worldly clothes for a trip into town. We all crammed into a taxi and told him to take us to the best barji shop in town. No sooner had we sat to eat when Ayla spilt scalding tea all over her arm luckily just down the road was a random tap and she spent a good long while running her burn under the water whilst being harassed by school children. In the mean time we chowed down on barjis and disappointingly gross fried bananas. We then headed to the pharmacy for some burn cream and next door I was delighted to find the world’s biggest bag of magic masala (crisps) needless to say they didn’t make it back to the ashram and just to top myself off I followed them with two fried bananas and a bounty bar. Feeling stuffed we headed back to the ashram (just in time for dinner) then we all had to sit in a digestion pose in the hall until satsang.

Saturday 29^th June 2013

DAY FOURTEEN ASHRAM: Today was the last day of the yoga vacation and so people started to leave today other than that the day was much the same as always we got up for Satsang and morning class and then went for breakfast. After Karma yoga we sat in the sunshine soaking up rays for a while before it was time for tea. At 2pm we were delighted to get raw food snacks in the lecture there was ‘mock tuna’ on crackers which was made with cashew nuts with seaweed in it to give it a ‘fishy’ taste the other thing we had was a cheesecake made again of ground nuts although it didn’t taste anything like nuts both snacks were entirely vegan which was good. After the lecture was the final class of the yoga vacation it was really sad as most people were leaving the following morning. As it was a Saturday it was the weekly talent show. Which was quite fun during another Bollywood dancing lesson Gobish got his knees out and was severely embarrassed. Katja did an impromptu dance with Anand on drums and the bearded old dude who plays guitar on guitar which was amazing! Other than that the highlight of the night had to be George crawling into the room with a scarf on his head roaring. After the talent show we all climbed onto the roof of the dining hall for a spot of star gazing which was absolutely beautiful and full of treats that the boys smuggled in.

Sunday 30^th June 2013

DAY FIFTEEN ASHRAM: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOO! This morning’s satsang was a silent walk to the dam we sat on the wall and meditated and then sung the daily chant it was a perfect end to the yoga vacation and a said goodbye to loads of people as they packed up and left after tea. We did the morning class which was huge as it was a combined class with the last stragglers of the old vacation and the newbies that had arrived for the new course. After class, breakfast and Karma yoga I called Mum to wish her a happy birthday I spoke to her and Sian for a while which was really good and the whole convo cost the equivalent of 40 pence! We didn’t have to attend the afternoon lecture as we had finished the course but we decided to anyway as it was colonel Niare the lecture was interesting as he was talking about the Bhagavad Gita but he got distracted and actually forgot to tell us the end.  The afternoon class was also mixed and was good. After dinner we went shopping in the boutique and go some oranges which was a proper treat. Then it was time for chanting and bed.

Monday 1^st July 2013

DAY SIXTEEN ASHRAM: This morning was same same until we got to morning class we moved into the intermediate class and so had new teachers and assistants when I was in the shoulder stand one of the assistants pulled me up straighter but when she dropped me back down all my weight was on one side and I felt  horrible pain in my shoulder I tried to come down but she was still holding my feet when she let go I rolled out and left the room as my shoulder hurt so much I went and put some bio freeze on it and sat out for a while when I joined back in I couldn’t do anything that put weight on my shoulder. We went to breakfast and did out Karma yoga and then decided to sack off the rest of the day and go to the beach we signed out saying we were going to the lake and jumped in a rickshaw our driver was called Albert and we haggled hard to get a bargain he drove us there waited and then brought us back. All for the low low price of 700 Rupees (about £8.50 split between three) it took about an hour to drive to Kovalam and when we got there we dipped our hinges in the sea and then took a walk along the length of the board walk before picking somewhere to eat the food was great but the service was slow so that by the time we finished gorging ourselves we needed to head back to Albert. He was such a sweetie and drove us to several shops in search of mangos bananas and chocolate. When we got back to the ashram we paid him and extra few hundred and he was chuffed. . Luckily our absence went unnoticed as we slunk back in. Back at the ashram we did what we do best and went to eat dinner. It was weird in the evening with all the new people about and all our lot mostly dispersed. In satsang we went nuts on the drums and tambourines to make up for the quiet chanting of the newbies.

 Tuesday 2^nd July 2013

DAY SEVENTEEN ASHRAM: today was our last full day in the ashram I wanted to make the most of it so concentrated hard during meditation and satsang (this wasn’t easy as someone kept farting loudly and being the mature person I am it was hard not to laugh.) My shoulder was still hurting so I took it easy in class it was frustrating as I had been doing so well with my headstand and had wanted to perfect it before we left. Breakfast this morning was so good with a strange but delicious pineapple curry in the mix. It was the last day of Karma yoga and it flew by with a bunch of new peeps to help out. We did all our settling our final bill and checking out etc. and then we had loads of free time as we didn’t go to the lecture. Katja and I walked around the ashram getting loads of photos inside all the halls and temples etc. and then as it was raining a bit we sat in the hall and chilled out. The afternoon class was much the same as the morning one with most movements pretty limited. After dinner we helped Kata clean the dining hall and then it was time to pack. it was sad to have our last evening satsang but as it was a movie we had already seen we snuck out after meditation and went and chilled on the roof there wasn’t many stars as it was a cloudy night but it was peaceful being away from everyone in the absolute darkness.

Wednesday 3^rd July 2013

DAY EIGHTEEN ASHRAM: Exactly three months ago today we arrived in India and by some crazy coincidence not only are we leaving today but we are also flying out of Cochin, the airport we landed in. we woke up for the very last Satsang during which we led a three way chant and then Katja recited the universal prayer in Dutch then we had to sneak out and grab our bags we were just leaving as Satsang ended so said all our goodbyes and then hit the road. We walked down the hill to Nayer Dam with all our bags and jumped on the bus to Trivandrum. Once there we went straight to the train station and got sleeper tickets to Kochi. Then the three of us went and had some breakfast back in me and Aylas favourite joint. We walked with Katja to the internet café and left her there checking two weeks of emails whilst we went back to the station it was a sad farewell and it was just dawning on us that today was our last day in India. We got on our train and found our seats we were surrounded by friendly interesting people who shared their food and their stories with us for five hours until we arrived. From there we jumped in a rickshaw and took our final rickshaw run to the airport to wait for our flight. We got some food and some munchies and then changed the last of our rupees into Ringet we were horrified at the exchange my 700 rupees became just 31 Ringet! Eventually we could check in Aylas hand luggage was to heavy so we had to put some things in my bag and then it was through to the lounge. I got a reader’s digest magazine so sat reading that whilst Ayla was on the computer and then before we knew it, it was time to get on the plane. We were both excited to go to Malaysia and terribly sad to be leaving India with its amazing culture, people and food. We got on and tried to sleep for a bit as the flight was only four hours.

Shillong to Darjeeling

So as you know we finished the run in Shillong it’s a mountain town and the capital of Meghalaya situated somewhere in the north east of India above Bangladesh, it was once one of the wettest places on earth but due to a lot of pollution (and someone said the building of a concrete factory?) the rain patterns have changed, with that said it still rained a lot while we were there and was rather cold especially after the intense heat of the plains. Its lush rolling hills reminded the British of one of their own and so it’s nicknamed “the Scotland of India”

Sunday 21^st April 2013

Our first day in Shillong we opted to do not much other than eat and mooch around the city , we weren’t really in a state to take on the sights and even an offer of a second night on the Shillong mix was enough to send me scurrying to bed.

Monday 22^nd April 2013

We figured since Shillong is listed as an “it” tourist spot we should take in some of the sights, we clearly picked the wrong one,  I’m going to put it down to our laziness in not actually researching the place we decided to go. We booked a taxi and all clambered in for the long drive to the hot springs we were counting on some beautiful thermal pools where we could soak away the last two weeks on the road. Imagine our disappointment then when we arrived, we payed the meagre entry fee and walked down the hill to be confronted with a sign we had the choice of toilets (5 r/s for the latrine 2 r/s for urine which in either case was invalid because they were locked) tourists bathrooms, local bathrooms or swimming pool. We followed each of the signs but still no hot springs we then went off the path in a search for them but alas still no hot springs since it was the only unlocked building we decided to check out what was in the male tourist bathroom, here we found the “hot springs” a pipe a knee height that pumped out a trickle of hot water. Luckily the beautiful scenery made up for the fact that we had just driven 2 hours to see a pipe of hot water. Back in Shillong we decided that the time to say goodbye was upon us so with that in mind we got in another taxi to drive us down to Guwahati. We made it there by about 8pm and bumped into another team of runners who were to become our travel companions for the next wee while.

Tuesday 23^rd April 2013

Today we had our last Indian day with Kurt before he jetted off to continue his travels in the real Scotland. We had an amazing dosa for breakfast before piling in a rickshaw to head up the hill to see a temple despite the fact that we knew better (having driven these babies ourselves) the drivers insisted we were too heavy to go in one Shaw and so split s into two. I’m not sure if it was to prove his point or because he didn’t actually know how to drive but our Rickshaw man stalled about four times and each hill start sent us rolling back about 3m I would say it had something to do with him trying to drive a steep incline in fourth gear. At the top of the hill we took in the view and watched some monkeys before heading into the temple it was a sacred affair and I left after just a few minutes as I felt I was intruding on peoples prayers. Outside there were millions of monkeys and goats eating offerings left to them presumably by the worshipers. We took a seat under a tree and monkey watched for an age before heading down the hill to the river side, on the way we met an Aussie dude named Tim who was living in Guwahati with his sister he walked with us to the river and showed us the markets and various other things along the way. Down by the river the others took a boat across to an island to see another temple whilst I opted to sit on the river bank under a tree and do some writing. Fairly soon I was approached first by a couple who had been together for seven years but were unable to get married as she is Hindu and he is Muslim and her family will disown her if they marry. Next I spoke to some young university students both were girls and wanted to know how I felt as a women travelling in India I told them about the run but I’m not sure they believed me and when they asked what I studied at uni and I said I had never been they quickly lost interest in me. I had a few more conversations along the way until I was approached by five little girls, they were sweet but after an hour of being climbed on, fingers up my nose, pulling my earrings and stroking my hair I was feeling claustrophobic so it was good timing that the others reappeared. That night we all went for a meal and then to have coffee at a real coffee bar which a few of the girls were gagging for as for me of course I had a chocolate brownie covered in ice-cream.

Wednesday 24^th April 2013

This morning we headed to the train station praying to Ganesh that we could get on a train to Siliguri we headed into the station and went up to the enquiries counter they sent us to counter 12, there we had to fill in a reservation form and take it out across the car park to another building there we were ushered in and out of some tiny office long story short we had to wait until 11.30am and then take the slip back to counter 12 where we would be issued our seats. We left the station and went and got some breakfast and picked up our bags from the hotel. Back at the station we were issued seats and had just an hour to kill before the train left. We sat on our bags in the middle of the station trying to pretend we didn’t notice we were being stared at like freaks in the circus. About 15mins before the train set off we could board we had tickets for sleeper class but as our section of the journey was only six hours and it was during the day we didn’t need to utilise the beds. I can’t quite work out the system of Indian trains as there always seems to be far more people then seats but when the ticket collector comes round everyone holds a valid ticket. There was a man in my seat so I sat in someone else’s seat and no one ever turfed me out so I stayed there for the entire journey.  Whilst we were sitting on the train a man dressed in a sari with full make-up on he approached everyone and they all handed him 10 rupee notes it was so bizarre that they so loosely handed over cash to a lady boy by steadfastly ignored the beggars. Alex and Ayla were crammed in with about a million people all jammed into the six person berth. I spent the journey writing and dozing whilst listening to music so the time past quite quickly. We arrived in Siliguri not long after 7pm and walked out of the station and straight to a jeep to drive us up to Darjeeling the journey took about two hours and was quite scary in the dark but at least the roads are really good as the driver was going so fast and overtook anything that was in his way. We got to Darjeeling about 10.30pm and went to a hotel that had been recommended to us unfortunately it was full apart from some super deluxe room for a million rupees a night our jeep driver offered to take us to his friends hotel called  “home sweet home” as we drove up the hill we weren’t sure whether it was going to be a hotel or someone’s house, it was a hotel and we checked in. we felt bad as they looked to be shutting up shop for the night but reopened the kitchen for us and made us omelette chapattis before we wrapped up warm and went to bed.

Thursday 25^th April 2013

We had a late start to the day this morning as the majority of our little party was feeling a bit under the weather. When finally we had dragged our arses out it was almost midday and so we headed straight for food, we massively overindulged with a full cooked breakfast followed by pancakes it started off a crazy few days of constant eating. We spent the afternoon wandering about Darjeeling town and sampling the tea in its many tea houses interspersed with snack stops to the many street food vendors. We had a lingering look at a bookshop and got some postcards before stopping off in a bakery, then went and had dinner before heading back to the bakery for cake we then passed out in food comas.

Friday 26^th April 2013

We were up before the sun this morning with the intention of watching it rise unfortunately it was a hugely cloudy morning so there wasn’t much to see although we could see the very tip of Everest peaking its enormous head above the clouds. Although seeing the sun rise would have been amazing the atmosphere certainly wasn’t the hillside was absolutely teeming with tourists there was litter everywhere despite the rubbish bins, it was so bad the hill below the viewing platform resembled a landfill, there was also a horrendous smell coming from the public toilets and the air was polluted with the cries of the many touts and they horrid hacking spit that seems to be an audible treat here. We rode back to the hotel and our driver took some random windy route which left me feeling hugely carsick in the nick of time we arrived and with a few gulps of mountain air I was feeling ok again. Back up in our room we all crawled back into our beds and tried to regain feeling in our numb limbs. When we were ready to face the world again we went to our new favourite breakfast haunt before heading off to see a tea plantation. We went to the Happy Valley Tea Estate which is the plantation that provides the tea for Harrods along with a few other European buyers it’s not available anywhere in Darjeeling or even in India which is a shame. We went on a tour through the factory and then walked back to town through the tea fields. We decided a caffeine fix was needed and so headed to a coffee bar where we sat watching the wrestling on an enormous TV for a while before trekking down to the Tibetan refugee centre and workshop the walk down was a steep windy path that took far longer than anticipated and so we arrived just as they were closing they kept it open long enough for us to have a quick wander through and a chat with some of the beautiful people living there. The walk back up was quite a workout and by the top we were all in need of some food it was our first Indian meal in a few days and it was amazing how much I had missed it.