March 29, 2008 -
Sitting in the airport in Delhi with much too much time to kill. It is the now 4:30 in the morning and my flight is not until 6:30, (was actually delayed until 7:30), but I can’t sleep so figured I do something useful.
This will be the last post for this trip, aside from the videos I will post this week from home.
Overweight for first time!! I always have a few KG over the allowed weight but have never been asked to pay for it in the past. This time I wound up paying $70 for my overweight.
And after having a fairly uninteresting trip travel wise, now, my last day, I actually have something interesting to write. I jotted the things down on paper so as not to forget, but will now see how many of them come to mind.
They are basically about the changing face of India. Just as the rest of the world is
changing, so is India. The changes have been very subtle over my last couple of trips, but this trip the move forward seems to be quite drastic…almost as if the country is trying to catch up with the rest of the world over night…to make up for lost time. I know this is inevitable, but I know that each future trip will bring more and more changes, and, aside from the women’s clothing, hopefully at least, India will very soon find itself “caught up”. This of course is superficial at best as the deep seated problems of the country remain….but it is truly overgoing a “face-lift” so that what you see from the outside, is quite amazing. So, below, just a very few of the many things which caught my attention this trip, many of them just now on my way back to Delhi. (I imagine that on my next trip, when I plan to stay in Delhi for awhile, there will be even more things worth commenting on).
The thing I found most outstanding during this entire trip, was the new relative “freedom” I see among Indian couples. It was always an outright taboo for Indians, even married couples, to show any signs of affection in public and in the years I’ve been coming here, except for a couple of Muslim couples, I never saw any Indian couple even touching in public. This trip, I have seen over and over again, couples holding hands, cuddling in rickshaws, husband protectively putting his arm around his wife’s shoulder, and this was not just for very young couples. Also older married couples seemed to have gotten past the long-standing taboo. I even saw unmarried younger people doing this. And this all in the sacred city of Rishikesh. I imagine in the large cities it is already a given and taken for granted.
Since I spent my entire 7 weeks in Rishikesh, and slept through the taxi ride from Delhi to Rishikesh when I first arrived, this evening was the first time I got a glimpse of anything else, and there were many things to see. First of all, lots and lots of more modern cars on the ride. It is now a truly rare sight to see the old faithful Ambassador on the road. Aside from the local Tata cars, Indica, Indigo etc., there are many Suzukis, as well as Chevrolets and others I don’t recall. I even came today in a taxi which was a Chevy 4x4. True luxury for India! But this seems to be the growing trend. For the country’s huge population living in poverty, life remains the same, but for those on the move upward, things are moving forward very quickly.
OK..getting tired of writing…will continue when I get home I guess…
It’s now a week later and I am getting back to this. So, we continue with the changing face of India. I imagine in other places of the world there have been rest stops all along highways for years. Here in Israel it is a new growing trend and it seems at every junction a mini-mall sprouts seemingly overnight. There are so many of them the last few years it is almost comical. Well, I’d never seen anything like this in India, until this last ride back to Delhi, where, starting from about 2 hours outside the city, every few minutes we would pass what is called here a “shopping complex” on the side of the road. Many were already working, and others were being built, but I asked the driver about them and he said now, outside every large city, there are many of them, and they attract shoppers from the city who come to shop in AC comfort and to find all the latest shops all in one place.
And then there is the new approach to the Delhi airport which is just as complex and confusing as the one to the new airport in Tel Aviv. And not only that, you have to pay to get into the airport area..there is a toll booth. 11 rupees!! Even the driver was surprised and he had made this journey recently and it wasn’t yet working!
Once getting INTO Delhi itself, there were also roadworks everywhere. It seems like the whole city is getting a face lift, not just the airport. The airport itself has a new look…real international duty free areas, modern toilets, freezing AC and coffee and sandwich shops offering horrible food at ridiculous prices!
All in all, this trip to India was completely hassle free as I didn’t travel anywhere and stayed put in one lovely place. It was a perfect vacation, and with my newfound freedom from fears, quite pleasant actually. Going home, I asked that all be provided for a perfect and easy flight and also asked that Raphael, who appeared in the first card I chose you may remember several weeks ago, to remove any physical obstacles which may appear along the way. Well, the taxi ride was easy, even though I tried not taking travamin for travel sickness…and I was not sick at any point along the way, even managed to fall asleep in the taxi. I really believe that all the years I suffered with travel sickness in cars, busses, planes etc., was a physical manifestation of my fears of travel…and it seems now I am finally past them.
The flight was lovely…I even had two seats to myself. Even managed to sleep on the plane which I have NEVER done before, despite delays in both Delhi and Amman and even upon landing in Tel Aviv…I was relaxed and happy the entire way. Never felt stressed or uptight. Quite lovely.
And that’s about it. I am now home..been home for a week already, and it’s almost as if I never left. I am going dancing tonight for 3rd time since getting back…have been to visit all my children, traveling to them by car…even went to see a friend on the way home. Putting together new workshops and sharing groups, working on new energy exercises and pranayama as suggested by Dudi, and look forward to a lovely 6 months at home before going back to India in October.
Namaste for the last time this trip. Hope you’ve enjoyed the videos I uploaded, even though they are very small and the quality is not really good. Sorry about that…don’t know any other way of doing it.
See you all in October. I will now get back to posting on the Mindfulness Journal, which I got away from some time ago and have many interesting things to already write about.
Jane
Sunday, April 06, 2008
#21- April 6, 2008- Finally Something Interesting to Write About
Monday, February 11, 2008
#1 2008 - February 11th- BRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
BRRRRR!!!!!
Just when I was sure there would be nothing much new to write about on my journal blog, Indian again comes up with something new!
First of all, I am sitting in my room, quite tired but not aable to sleep, after a lovely 5 ½ hour ride from Delhi to Rishikesh. The room I had last year was in some ways nicer than this one, but this room has other advantages and for now I am happy with where I am.
So, back to my arrival early this morning in Delhi. After an safe and uneventful journey (I started this trip with a very bad head cold which began 2 days before my flight and has been quite annoying- I used up the roll of toilet paper I brought with me before we even got to Amman! So when I got on the plane in Amman, I went into the bathroom and took all of the tissues they had there. This, after culling a horde of toilet paper in the Amman airport!). By the time we were only 2 hours in the flight to Delhi, I had already used this supply up and had to check out the bathrooms again for a fresh supply)
OK…so we arrived in Delhi only to find a mess of a terminal due to renovations, with signs all over proclaiming “A world-class airport awaits you!”. Well, something was awaiting us and it was a throng of people trying to get out of the airport. When we descended the stairs leading to passport control, people were simply swarming all over the terminal hall, up to the staircase, so that people who came later could not even descend and had to wait ON the staircase. Seems that for the hundreds and hundreds of people waiting to leave the airport, there were only 2 clerks on duty, 2 Indian clerks at that, who were in no hurry to go anywhere. It took 1 ½ hours to get through passport control, something which usually takes 10-15 minutes.
I felt bad for the taxi driver waiting for me but there was nothing I could do. And at least the luggage had all arrived by then and I just had to go and pick up my bag where they were all waiting.
Then I went to the bank to get money changed…waited on line about 15 minutes, only to be told when I got to the window “Sorry Madam, I have no more money left!”… So I went over to Thomas Cook, paid a handsome fee, and changed some money before heading out to my taxi. And sure enough, a nice driver with a “welcome Jane” sign was waiting for me. I apologized for the delay but he didn’t seem phased in the least. And then we headed out into the Delhi COLD. And I mean COLD! It couldn’t have been more than 5 degrees outside, and I was certainly not dressed for it. We finally got to the taxi, and the first thing the driver, named Deshraj, did, was pull out a full size very warm woolen bed blanket from the boot and give it me to cover up in the car. It truly saved my life…I was wrapped in the two shawls I had with me but this was not enough. Together with the blanket, I lay down and feel asleep…I had not managed to sleep at all on the plane which was also freezing. By about 10 in the morning it started to warm up, but the truth is, it is cold here and I will have to buy some kind of warm jacket.
And now to sleep…I am done in but very happy. Will finish this up later on today.
I slept soundly for a couple of hours and will now continue the story of the first day. This driver was superb, one of the best I’ve had in India. The trip was comfortable, not “jerky”, and quite fast as he was an expert in sizing up the situation on the road and passing whenever possible without taking undue risks. The thing I found most interesting thought about the ride, was the new roadworks being done all over India, and the roads from Delhi to Rishikesh are no exception.
First he took me on a new “road” which most people don’t know about which bypasses the main highway for about ½ of the journey. It runs right along the Ganga and is quite lovely. It was basically a strip of asphalt about the width of 1 ½ cars, with “shoulders” on either side of the road made up from bricks laid into the sand. Every time a car came from the other direction, or he had to pass, ONE of the cars had to get partially off the road onto the shoulders. It was fascinating to see this work without arguments or anger, and most of the way I slept anyway. When I woke up he was so proud to show me this new road. And then, when this road ended and we got back on the main thoroughfare, he was even more excited and proud to show me the roadworks in progress to make this two lane highway into a 4 lane “real” highway. Meaning 2 lanes in each direction. By next year it should be done.
When I arrived at Swiss cottage, it was truly a homecoming, and Amir, the guy in charge, handed me a beautiful flower arrangement to my great surprise. Coming home to friends is a wonderful feeling. There was hugging all around, still lots of guys here from last year. I’ve since found the things that were missing in the room and made a small list for Amir and just now, 5 minutes after giving him the list, everything showed up in the room, aside from the heater which is on the way from the Narayana spa resort. (By the time I came down to post this the heater was already working in the room and everything is toasty warm.)
And that is it for today.
As I said, I am tired, not really over my flu symptoms yet, but happy and looking forward to resting for a couple of days and then getting out and about.
I am going to now try posting this directly to the blog at the internet café and I will soon see if “shlepping” the laptop all the way to India was worth the effort. Perhaps tonight I will turn on my heater, get under my 2 quilts and blanket, and watch a movie!
My love
Namaste
Jane
Monday, February 04, 2008
New Rishikesh Market Video
I am trying a new way of uploading videos before I head off to India next week. am now using YouTube. Want to see if the quality is better. If you wouldn't mind taking the time to look at this post, and the one previous and comparing them and letting me know what you think, I'd appreciate it. Want to decide how to post the new videos I plan taking during my upcoming stay in India.
Waiting to hear from you....
Namaste
Jane
Friday, April 13, 2007
India Journal 2006 Adventures in Delhi #3
Thursday April 12th
Did ALL my shopping1 Anokhi was badly low on stock. Maybe that's better...couldn't spend so much money. I pay by Visa anyway but still managed to get a few really nice things. Some will need lsight alteration but will serve me for some time to come. They are really chic and I am pleased with my purchases. If I feel like it, I will take one more trip over there when I come back in June, if I can manage the weather then. Also found a shop for great sheets which
I will have to try out next time. FabIndia was also good, and managed a few nice things there as well. I know more now what I make best use of at home so it is easier to shop than it used to be.
Nice lunch at fancy restaurant...the Big Chill...ate there once with Abdellah and Avik on my last trip to India...But I don't have much appetitie so I had a small grilled chiken salad which was light and refreshing.
The weather is in no way debilitating and it is now 2 PM and I did lots of outdoor walking...also in my little slip in fancy sandals. Felt really nice. I usually feel so scrungy (is that a word) and clumsy and unfeminine in my closed sneakers....even if the rest of me is nicely dressed. And with my polished toe nails I fell like one of the fancy Indian ladies waling around the fancy shops here! Much nicer I must say, and I will just have to wash my feet more often but they arenot all hot and sweaty! Didn't even feel funny about going in a window shopping at some of the designer shops. the clothing is lovely, colorful, brilliantly stylish and really expensive...well for me at any rate. The stuff was between 150 and 150 shekel per item which is really not alot for the quality of the stuff, but I simply cannot allow myself that amount of money. I bought 5 full pieces in Anokhi for 200 shekel!
Went into a couple of book shops as well but went crazy so only bought one..."Chaos", which I've seen my kids reading. I don't remember the names of the books my daughters recommended. If I did, icould have just asked for them, but to search through thousands of titles was impossible. They have everything you can imagine in these shops.
I am also reading a new book I purchased yesterday called Sister of my Heart by the author of Mistress of Spices (you can see a list of all the books I have read, or am still reading on the sidebar...). She seems to have written many novels, and actually (today is friday in the aftewrnoon , I have almost finished the book10.
Now just have to decide what goes finally into the parcel for home with the beads and incense, and I'm done. (Took care of that later in the afternoon and another 17 KG package is on its way home).
I also checked out, by this time after dark, a couple of hotels still in this area but off the main road...Prince Polonia and Cottage Yes Please, for my groups. The second one is brand new and absolutely inviting, and the prices are really quite reasonable for the luxury of the place. The Prince Polonia is older, not quite as nice, and alot more expensive. So now I have a good place for my groups to stay here in delhi as well.
Friday, april 13th
Got up early and had an easy breakfast. Checking out other rooftop restaurants but nothing is really great in this warm weather. Sam's is still best as it is AC or room service of course.
got myself a couple of croissonts for the train and for breakfast tomorrow, as well as an apple and some dried fruits so I am set for the train. Have finished packing, everything is ready to go, and I will rest the afternoon away now and be ready to leave for the train at 7:30 this evening.
A good test of full acclimatiation to India perhaps would be the comfort level felt in Delhi and in dealing with the city. And I would have to give myself a high passing grade this time. Part I guess is experience, part my new perspectives onlife in genenral and really learning how to take each moment as it comes, without worry, and part, the little bit of HIndi I've been using. When a rickshaw driver gave me a price and then tried to change it after we'd left, I told him in plane words that that was not nice to do. And then he suggested my shopping someplace he knew which is "better than Khan Market"...and I simply said again, "don't do that...go straight to Khan Market" in my best Hindi, and with a smile, he zipped of at the original price and directly there. No arguments etc. Even a single phrase like "nehi chaiyie" easily gets the touts away without being nasty, and everyone really seems to appreciate the effort of my trying to communicate...It immediately brings a smile (or perhaps they are just amused at my pronouncitaion) and together with it a more relaxed mood and way of relating to me.
shop keepers, rickshaw drivers etc., just seem nicer!
I am simply enjoying these 3 days in Delhi just as much as I enjoyed my days in rishikesh, even going so far as to be out exploring after dark (everything is lit up here) which I've never done before. I wanted to try the Metro but think I will pass. Also wanted to film some street scenes on video...maybe later today, and if not, it will still be here next time I come!
Namaste.....see you in Mcleod in a couple of days
Jane
Friday, March 02, 2007
India Journal 2006 #16 March 1-2 - Doctor, Walk and Baba on the Bridge
March 1st
Well, it is still raining but not as hard as yesterday and not quite as cold so decided to get out anyway. (Yesterday I spent the whole day near my room, with everyone else...we had some fun, lots of laughter etc...rainy days can also be fun). I was still interested in seeing another Ayurveda doctor here so decided it would be a good day to do this. I hadn't written about this before, but I've had some kind of gut feeling that, despite all the wonderful changes I have felt since my treatments, that something was still not complete...don't know WHY I felt this way, just did, and decided to check further.
There is a local clinic just 5 minutes from where I am staying which I had originally tried contacting be e-mail while I was still deciding where to do the threatments. They never replied and this gave me a bad feeling so I forgot about it. (Turns out the contact information I was given was out of date...
but I believe that there is a reason for everything and that I was directly to Vivek's place for a definite purpose...) So, I went over and asked for an appointment, and he was able to check me then and there as I purposely went before breakfast...He is a well known doctor here with many credentials and highly regarded by the local people as well. He apologized for my not being able to contact him and was very gracious and spoke English very well and gave me a comprehensive consultation.
I mentioned to him immediately that I had already done Panchakarma and finished just a few days ago. He proceeded to check me...gave me his diagnosis, and then I asked him if he thought I needed to do further Panchakarma (after what he told me...bare with me). His reply was "Not to worry...what you did is good...enjoy your life and good health...not to worry...next year you come back and then do again here with me...not to worry...no need to worry now..." etc. So first he put my mind at ease and basically told me that what I did was good, simply not enough for my age.
What he told me was, aside from telling me about my body type etc., which I already know, and giving me further diet advice (I have a further session with him on Monday for a more in depth discussion of diet)...was that 2 weeks of Panchakarma is fine for a healthy person, under 45, who simply wants to detox. Over 45 you need a minimum of 3 weeks and over 6, 6 weeks!!! to get the full benefit. He said the treatment I did detoxed me about 75% but "not to worry...you will be OK for long time"...Didn't want me to be upset and said it will still be OK for a long time as long as I eat properly. Just to enjoy the benefits and my freedom from pain and stiffness...
He also charges much less...charges foreigners the same price as local people so it is about 1/2 the price per session, or even less.
Truth is, I could not have done a 3rd week here even if I had originally decided to...next year, I will prepare myself in advance for a longer period of time...and if I really need it sooner, will come back in the fall instead of a year from now.
I am in no way disturbed that I went where I went this trip, and look forward to seeing him next year.
He says I am basically healthy and not to be too concerned about eating. Just do the best I can and enjoy life. Similar to what the other doc told me. Says the beauty of Ayurveda is that it is made to work for normal people who enjoy life and food etc., Just make sure I drink enough water each day and keep away from cold stuff which I usually do anyway. If you make a big deal out of eating habits, you loose the zest for life and this is very unhealthy.
I also asked about the matter of dairy products being bad for arthritis as I came to believe from my knowlege and study of Western naturopathy etc. and yet in ayurveda I am always told that cheese is fine...he said as a matter of fact, that the only dairy product NOT good for me is yogurt...the exact opposite of what I've been following the last 15 years. And then he said something interesting: "You've been eating like that for 15 years...how much has it helped your arthritis? Now try ayurveda eating for 15 years and see what happens!!".. I thought that was a good point and so decided to get out of my old eating habits and try something completely new (which is why I am having the further session with him for more specific advice).
I look forward to my further session with him on Monday...I will also be doing several more massages, just on my back, which he says will remove further toxins from the arthritic hip and will give just a little bit more balance to my system. He originally didn't want to do this, explaining that I should just relax into what I already did, but agreed with me that these back, particularly lower back, massages would help. He explained that these type of toxins are stored, and released through the lower back area and the massage could do alot for me...so Monday I will have a few more massages for a few days as well. At 200 rupee (20 shekel) apiece!!
Following this meeting, I went upstairs to the restaurant we ate in that night and waited 1 1/2 hours for our food...but figured at that time of the day it would be fairly empty..which it was.
And since the doc said that cheese and tomatoes were both good for me, I ordered a tomato cheese omelette for breakfast and thoroughly enjoyed it.
So, looking forward to new ideas and approaches to living...will make things interesting to say the least.
March 2nd
Today dawned beautiful and sunny and decided to get out. I had eaten dinner thali at a nearby guesthouse run by Mamaji for the past two evenings, and met this interesting Canadian man that I think I mentioned is travelling the world after retiring with the not so easily offered consent of his family. So I met him this morning just before breakfast and we spent some time together over breakfast which was fun.
Then I went out. Just exploring...and the weather was so perfect, that I was out for several hours, walked at least 5 km. mostly flat but some up and down...bascially easy walking to one bridge, down and over to the other bank than 2 1/2 km. to the next bridge but I continued down the Ganges as far as I could go, don't know how far it was, finally ate lunch at a nice restaurant and then all the way back up to High Bank. I didn't realize how much sun I had gotten as it was not hot, just breezy and beautiful, but I am feeling it a little now with a heavy head. Also didn't drink enough I guess but who cares. I had a GREAT day! No camera again, but always so many things to photograph.
A funny think happened to me on the Laxman Jula bridge...a baba approached me (like a Holy man) with his puja (ceremonial) tray and without asking, put vermillion on my forhead, asked me to take marigolds as an offering, tied a string to my left hand, had me repeat some mantra after him and throw the marigold offering into the Holy Ganges...and then gave me my personal blessing in the form of a dried out rose (still smelling lovely) and little white things which looked like popcorn (but of course aren't)...this all happened in a zip and then of course he asked for money, which annoyed me so gave him 20 rupees, which annoyed him, so I felt better!
But it reminded me of the Chabad guys who hang around in airports, bus stations and city centers, stopping men to put on Tefillin and say the blessings...It was just a pleasant experience...another fun thing in India.
And now I am here, and then off to dinner...it's Friday night. Tomorrow begins the holiday of Holi here which I mentioned involves throwing colored chalked mixed with water on people...but the main shenanigans are not until Sunday...will let you know how it goes.
Namaste to all
Jane
Sunday, February 18, 2007
India Journal 2006 #9 Feb. 16-18 Just Thoughts on the Banks of the Ganges
The truth of the matter is, there is nothing very interesting or exciting to write so far, as most of this trip up until now is taken up with the treatments, which you get to read about in separate posts.
But there are a few things which I've jotted down in my notebook which you might, or might not, find interesting, so I'll post them quickly here today. The treatments are in full swing, quite difficult and tiring, but almost over. After that, I will begin my real explorations of Rishikesh and hope to have something a little more interesting to write.
INDIAN TIME ZONE: Have you ever wondered, like I have, why India has a time zone which includes a 1/2 hour?? Like it is now 3 1/2 hours ahead of Israel. Where in the world does the 1/2 hour come from? There is no such thing as a half a time zone. I've been asking this question for years now and have never received a answer until this week when someone finally explained it. It is a purely political thing
and a decision made by government, much the same as we decide to have Daylight Savings Time...it seems India decided they want to be AHEAD OF PAKISTAN (!) so moved the time up by 1/2 an hour!! And that's the answer!!!
Sunday, Feb. 18th, 11 AM
Sitting on the banks of the Holy Ganga. I arrived as usual for my treatment to find the place closed. Only Babita, the young girl who does massages and also cooks the meals was the only one there and she doesn't have a key. She asked immediately if I would call Vivek on my phone, assuming that I have my mobile with me...when I said I didn't she was quite amazed.
So, I found a nice bench to sit on and enjoy the view until the rest of the guys get here. Today would have been a good day for me to have the camera with me...maybe I'll just start carrying it around...The river is crystal clear with a perfect refelction of everything on the shore. The trees, the buildings, the colorful sites along the banks....
People are doing laundry, cows roaming, birds singing, chanting on the loudspeakers of some record shop across the bridge or perhaps a temple or ashram...don't know. Babita just came to tell me "5 minutes" but that's the only phrase she knows in Enlgish to indicate "Please wait patiently"...so it could be 5 minutes or 30 mintues....I really don't care...the weather is just perfect and I am content just sitting here, mindfully enjoying the moment.
I'm still trying to figure out the allure of Rishikesh. Perhaps next week when I do more exploring I'll figure it out. But is is definitely a town built around 2 things. The Holy Ganga, puja's, temples, yoga, etc. and of course, in the wake of these things, tourism. But it seems to be a different tourism than Dharamsala...the whole town seems less "active"...less busy then Dharamsala...more relaxed and layed back. I could be wrong...perhpas the "religious" nature of the town...don't know. I really find myself enjoying the quiet energies here.
The town is also very spread out, not all concentrated in a couple of small alleylike streets....and so not crowded and confining like McLeod. There are 2 banks to the river and 2 bridges spanning it...about 2 km. apart. and by each bridge is a small center...a smaller one by Ram Jula (the newer, smaller bridge), and a larger one reaching up the side of the mountain by Laxman Jula (the famous bridge everyone sees in pictures of Rishikesh). This means there is an enormous amount of area to wonder around so people are not confined in one small central place. In McLeod, I can only get away from the crowds by going up in the mountains. Here, I can walk wherever I want and not be surrounded constantly by people....very pleasant.
Perhaps it's the reverence for this Holy River which adds quiet dignity to the town as well as the desire to keep it clean....
I'll close for today...
Namaste to all
Jane
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
India Journal 2006 #8 Feb. 14th 2007- Took a Day Off from Treatments!
Is it my imagination or is Feb 14th Valetine's Day? Isn't it funny what useless information our brains drag up once in awhile??
Well, back to yesterday evening. I got a small heater for my room from the guesthouse, then spent a couple of hours chatting over chai with other travelers. Lovely couple from Umbria, Italy. He's originally British but has been living in Italy for about 10 years teaching English. Lovely couple together 8 years, married for 4, deeply spiritual via intense yoga practice. REally pleasant company.
then to my room, with heat, and it was quite lovely. Chopin, a good book and off to sleep. Decided when I went to sleep that the next day, today, I would "take rest" as suggested by Vivek. I think I need
a day or 2 off. I've actually been up and out early every day since I arrived and the days are long. It's been rainy and cold, so figured some time off might help my cold.
Woke up this morning to SUN!! Turned on the heater, ordered breakfast in my room, real hot shower, dressed in some clothes I hadn't worn yet, brought all the other stuff into the laundry (and I've already picked them up, beautifully clean and folder and smelly lovely, for only 6 rupee per item!).
the clouds are already rolling in-it is only 11 AM or so, but I am up the roof of the guesthouse soaking in whatever bit of sun I still can. The view up here is lovely. The mountain in front of me is dark velvety green and nestled in a curve off to the left are clusters of neat houses rising up from the river into the mountain side. The hills seem to blend into one antoehr and sweep up and down in small peaks. The further range on the right is misty where the clouds are coming in (think it is west)and the range on the left is bright with sunlight reflecting off the few spaces of bare rock showing between the green of the forest.
This whole High Banks area is an enclave unto itself, with may guesthouses to choose from. Above the din and bussle of the town below, offering a true atmosphere of mountain retreat.. Fresh air, birds, flowers, grass, trees all around, completely surrounded by mountains with the river below. To think that I've been lucky enough to arrive in this place, and have the luxry of staying here as long as I choose....God's blessings are abundant and His Universe and its workings miraculous.
I find the Indians here in Rishikesh, extremely friendly...not because they want to sell you something or "get" something from you, but just because they are people living in a lovely, relatively peaceful place, with strong positive energies which can only effect all who are here in a good way. They seem to be happy, relaxed, the place is also so clean. Tehy are possessed of a great sense of pride in the special spirituality of their town. Despite the fact that there is much charletanism here obviously, but there is also much REAL and TRUE sense of higher energies here as well.
You just have to sit quietly and absorb them!
There is no liquor of any kind available here and it is supposedly completely vegetarian but I've seen chicken on a couple of menus. There also doesnt' seem to be as much widespread drug use here-at least not out in the open as it is so prevalent in Dharamsala. I guess people do their smoking in private here.
So, I will enjoy the rest of my first vacation day abefore getting back to the "work" of panchakarma tomorrow.
Napped for awhile...now out for lunch. sopme of you may be surprised that I have not spoken of my meals-but truth be told, I've been eating well and nothing spectacular to speak of. When there is, I will let you know. Now it is just plain porridge with melted butter for breakfast (or brown bread toast), and masala chai and hot ginger honey. Lunch is whatever I get at the clinic and dinner usually vegetable soup with brown bread toast (if I didn't have it in the morning). My appetie is not great anyway and the couple of treats I tried were nothing to "write home about".
I am now sitting on the terrace of a restaurant waiting for lunch and the sun is still stubbornly holding its own against the very theatening dark grey rain clouds looming over the mountain tops. so, hopefully I will have sun through lunch.
The rest of the day went by quietly...with lots of resting and reading and it is now evening and I am feeling definitely better than yesterday.
Will continue tomorrow and hope the treatments go well and the weather stays normal.
Namaste
Sunday, February 11, 2007
India Journal 2006 #5 Feb. 6-9-My New Home in Lovely Rishikesh
Well, I will make this short, just to let you know where I spent the first two days and then see if I can get caught up. We were taken by taxi to an Ashram (I hopefully will write a little more about Shantam, the guy I met at the airport who spent the first couple of days with me, but only when I have the inclination), and this was Ashram in its extreme I imagine. I'm sure there are some places which are quite pleasant, but this certainly wasn't one of them. First of all, no one there spoke one word of English which also prooved to be very problematic. It was quite isolated which could h ave been nice, but there was NO hot water whatsoever, the bed was board hard and did bad things to my back, and the food, well, the food. It was standard Indian food but with no flavor as they use no salt, no garlic, no spices of any kind I could taste. Just chapati, dahl and rice, which is fine if it has some flavor, and in the morning some horrible cooked grain also with no flavor. and of course we sat on the floor to eat, which is also OK, but on the cold, damp hard floor with not even a sheet to sit on. The room was also dark as they had no lights and only one tiny candle
so that you could not even see what you were eating. And NO spoon at all for either of us and the dahl was liquid...in short...not pleasant and certainly not satisfying. In addition, meals were at certain times and if you missed them, you are out of luck. And of course we were expected to wash our own dishes, which basically is also OK, but for all the above luxury we were expected to pay 400 rupees per day for the room and another 200 rupees a day for the food!!!
So on the morning of the second day both of us met after my meeting with the doctor and found our way up to Bhandari (New) Swiss Cottage and picked our rooms after much deliberation. I have a very nice room at the very end of the guesthouse so it is completely quiet and surrounded by foliage. And, wonder of wonders, there is a swing right outside my room, just like the one I always had in my own garden and have missed for the last 2 years in my city home. and no one ever seems to want to use it except me! Either listening to the birds, or reading, or using my IPod to hear lovely music...it is a true treat and blessing. Wonderful shower with pressure and I can heat the water any time I want any time of the day and it is BOILING hot! I've set up the room very comfortably and even have plenty of floorspace to do my yoga etc. And all this for only 250 rupees a day!!
So now to the morning of the 6th after sleeping not very soundly but actually starting my needlepoint which I bought to take with me at the last minute. It was really a good idea for relaxing when you don't even feel like reading. Put on some nice music and drifted away. And then morning finally came and vivek, the guy in charge of the place I am doing the treatments came to pick me up and take me to the appointment with the doctor.
And, to my great surprise, we were doing this on his motorbike. Thank goodness for my experience in 2003 when I spent 5 weeks on Ravin's motorbike in Chennai. He took me on a quick tour of Rishikesh to get me orientated and that was a good idea for me later on in the day, and then we went to meet the doctor. You can read about that in the posts re: my treatments which I am keeping separate.
I am not sure of the day but I think I am now talking about Thursday....The place I am doing the treatments was also a good choice in the end. It is small and austere, very basic but also very clean and VERY personal . I get 100% full attention from everyone and this pampering is a true luxury for me.
My cold and cough are just about a thing of the past as is that strange pain I had the last couple of days in my scalp running down to my neck etc. But that disappeared miraculously the second I found myself on the plane to Delhi....
Slept beautifully and had a nice hot hower this morning and my first of 2 daily doses of 3 TAB of melted butter with my porridge this morning. Walked down to the treatment center. It is very similar to walking down from Bhagsu... Mountain rising up on one side and falling off down the other, but not Pine forest like in Dharamsala. It is the type of foliage Ruskin bond describes in his books, but not sure what the trees are. Perhpas spruce and some maple? Don't know but still wonderfully green and embracing. And of course monkeys everywhere, but here also the beautiful white ones (lemurs?) are also found in addition to the aggressive Rhesus.And the birds...so many birds singing, outside my room, while walking, everywhere...
The big difference is of course that once the mountain slopes all the way down, it reaches the Ganges and this is lovely. The color of the water changes each day, but it is clean and clear and quite lovely. I am surprised by the beauty of it, and it is very low this time of the year. And of course when you finish the walk down you arrive at one of the two bridges, Ram Jula and Laxman Jula...Laxman being the original built in 1939 I believe and Ram Jula built fairly recently further downstream where there was previously only a ferry. They are both very crowded at all times and even motorcycles go across them and they vibrate. You really have to get used to the feeling.
I did lots of walking after my treatment taking the very long way around home through Laxman Jula...I had started on the far side of Ram Jula...I know this means nothing to most of you but I had to walk along the bank from one bridge to the other, and then going up Laxman Jula after getting back to the other side of the Ganges and up to town is all uphill, with lots of steps...and then my guesthouse is even further up hill...quite a climb. But I enjoyed it and hope once my treatments are over and I am not expected to rest alot, I will do lots more of this. I was even told there is a waterfall up in the forest so eventually hope to get there as well.
OK, I will end here and finish catching up tomorrow... I actually lost a whole day as someone came up to me while I was eating dinner and "Shabbat Shalom" and I said "What do you mena? today is Thursday!!" The only way he could convince me that it really was Friday was to ask all the other people in the restaurant what day it was!! So now I just have to write about Shabbat and today, Sunday, but will do that next time.
The next post will contain little impressions etc., as well.
Namaste for now
Jane
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Journal 2006 #4 Feb. 4-5-Flight and Arrival
I am sitting comfortably at an Internet Cafe just outside my guesthouse and it is a chilly rainy day so what better time to do my best to catch up on this whole week. I have simply not had the urge to write at all, contrary to my previous journeys, but know that I will hate myself at a later date if I don't at least get the bare impressions down here. So let's quickly take a step back in time to last Sunday, Feb. 4th, 2007 when I left home for the airport to fly to India for the 4th time.
Just a quick aside: Leaving home this time was difficult. Everyone kept asking me if I'm excited and I never got to a point of excitement. (Actually, the excitement, which brought me to tears, was felt just as we landed in Delhi)... it's almost as if I am watching myself do all this. Very strange feeling.
Leaving my Mother was particularly difficult-but leaving my grandchildren was also hard as they are all grown up (most of them) and "real" people now...and of course my kids! I've spent more time with them the past while and of course Shlomit is living WITH me now and even Aviva the past 3 weeks. I will particularly miss Shlomit I think...and it is really difficult for me leaving my Mother all alone, but I guess in time I will come to terms with all of this.
The whole trip this time was surreal. I had a very weird feeling from the time I arrived at the airport...as if I was watching a movie of myself doing this and I myself am not really present. The only way I can think of to describe the journey is by using the Kabbalistic term "kfitzat Derech"...a leap in space so to speak...a technique used by Holy men, Kabbalists, certain Chasidic sages etc., to instantaneously get from place and time to another distant place and time. One minute I was sitting in the VIP lounge with my son-in-law Shmulik at Ben Gurion airport, and the next minute I was sitting in a taxi with Shatntam on my way to Rishikesh!
It's as if, except for a few impressions, the entire flight never took place...I remember this red headed fellow with bright blue eyes on line ith me in Amman asking if anyone was going to Rishikesh and would like to share a taxi with him. So of course I told him I already have a taxi waiting for me and he could share with me. Seems I also got a very fair price as he usually pays on his yearly trips to Rishikesh about $100 (about 4000 rupees) for the journey and the price I was given was 2500 rupees!
So we agreed to find each other at Delhi airport, and then boarded the plane. This was an unusual flight as it was filled first by about 250 pilgrims returned from Haj in Saudi Arabia. Muslim Indians of all ages, male and female, who boarded the plane first and just sat whereever they wanted to. so when the additional passengers, about 50 in number, began to board, there was a holy mess, as everyone's seat was already taken, no one spoke Hindi, and none of these guys spoke English or Arabic and it took alot of doing to get them to move to their proper seat. In the end, who wound up sitting next to me? The red=headed guy I had planned to look for in Delhi! The first of mnay synchronocities which have already presented themselves this past week.
Well, food was served fairly soon and I ate and then drifted in and out of sleep and all of a sudden, we had landed in Delhi!! We landed at 4:45 AM and believe it or not were already in the taxi and leaving the airport at 5:15 after having found our luggage, changed our money and found the driver waiting for us outside.
The ride to Rishikesh was much simpler than I expected it to be. We stopped for breakfast at the Cheetah restaurant...a very modern roadside place with gorgeous surroundings...breakfast and toilet and then the next 3 hours to Rishikesh were over in a blink of the eye. I had thought to take a few minutes of video with my camera but the kamakazi drive was just too bumpy to even try and hold the camera! And I actually managed to sleep a good part of the way.
It was a great idea not stopping in Delhi...and this proved even more so after a week here. This is the first time I am in India with no terrible cough and cold immediately upon arrival lasting for about 3 weeks. I always suspected it was the pollution of Delhi which did that to me, but now I am pretty sure it is so. I am fine with no sign of anything, even though I left home at the tail end of a cold and cough.
The drive was fine and after of 3 hours of pea soup fog the sun finally came out and it is warming up a little, but still was quite chilly.
OK...will end this post and begin a new one so as to keep them readable and not too long. I will post them one by one I guess over the next few days and hopefully all caught up soon.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
India Journal 2006 #3-January 30, 2007-Saab Kuch Milega
Well, as you can see, I did not make it to India in 2006 as originally planned, but I will be leaving this Sunday, February 4th with Royal Jordanian Airlines via Amman and reaching Delhi the following morning. From the airport I will be whisked off by taxi to an Ashram in Rishikesh which has an Ayurveda Clinic. I will spend a few weeks there doing personalized panchakarma treatments for my health in general and my my arthritis in particular and will keep you updated re: the treatments and results.
I then will probably hang around Rishikesh a little longer to explore the area and when I have had enough there, imagine I will head off to Delhi to do some shopping and then up to McLeod for as long as I feel the need.
I am planning to stay in India until June, so much can happen. As they say "Saab Kuch Milega".
This all is happening just a few days after my 60th birthday and the lovely "almost" surprise party my family made for me...
Below a picture of all that I leave behind, and the only thing which makes these trips to India so difficult. 
If not for these amazing, lovely, wonderful people, I would probably never feel the need to leave India for more than a couple of weeks at a time.
So, I will keep you all updated as to all the surprises this new journey holds in store, and hope we enjoy this trip as much as we all enjoyed the previous ones.
The blog gives me the option of labels, so I will be labeling each post, and those that contain lots of details re: food for example, will be labeled "food" so if you do not want to read about what I eat, just don't read those posts!! This will also make it possible to pick and choose what you want to read from the labels on the sidebar.
So enjoy, and write back. I LOVE to get letters while away.
My love to all - Namaste
Jane
Friday, October 27, 2006
India Journal 2006 #2-Aug 19, 2006
Well, almost 2 months have gone by since my first post here and things have taken shape, although not as I had imagined they would. Well, not entirely true. Some things have happened as planned but there have been new scenes added to the script which I was not expecting, although, perhaps I should have been.
I have finished working, this past Tuesday, August 15th, to be precise. And I am very pleased with that. I have already signed up for unemployment and, assuming there will be no hitch from Bituach Leumi (who have to approve my claim for unemployment) I will be collecting on a regular basis, against a once a month visit to sign in. However, things being what they are in this world, signing in is very different from what it was last time I had to. I put my ID number into a computer, had the computer record my fingerprint, and now, once a month when I arrive, I just have to click in my ID number and place my finger on the designated place. I then receive a note, which has either a picture of a house on it (meaning, "go home, we have no work for you") or a smiling lady (which means "come in to see me, I might have something for you"). The whole thing takes 5 minutes, once a month, and for the next 8 months I should be getting a regular income, about 70% of my full income for the past 3 months. Not a bad deal at all.
The unexpected thing was, about 2 months ago my father 
was admitted to hospital...
for a couple of pints of blood to relieve his serious anemia, and while there, for one day, apparently picked up a vicious staph infection. He wound up spending 6 weeks in hospital and then rehab and, bottom line is, this seems to have finally "done him in". He has left the apartment where he lived in assisted living with my mother and is now in permanent geriatric nursing care (in the same building) He is in a very bad state, unable to do anything for himself...needs diapers, wheelchair, help to even sit up and is being fed blended food. It is all very trying for everyone involved and will not go into details here, as I really cannot put into words the devastation we are all feeling and experiencing at his situation. I never in my life imagined my father would end his days in this state and we are not as yet succeeding in coming to terms with it.
For the time being, I have postponed my September 15th ticket to October 6th. Only time will tell what happens between now and then. I have not spoken to my parents yet about my going away for 3 months, because as of now, unless something changes drastically, I will not be able to leave them for any extended period of time. I am sure this situation will not go on for long, and if I don't go in October, I will take the loss, cancel my ticket, and plan to go in February or there abouts.
I have not changed my plans for India, nor lost sight of the final goal of semi-retirement there. I have just put the final implementation on hold for now to see where things lead.
We are all going through a transitional period now, myself, my mother and my father, each of us in a different stage of our lives. We will now have to learn the lessons of this transition, and then move on to wherever we are directed by Higher Wisdom and Love.
So for today,
Namaste to all
India Journal 2006 #1-June 28, 2006
Well, I am starting this new blog and for now it will remain private, as I really must get all this down on "paper" but there are still those who are unaware of these things and I would not like to trouble or worry them at this early date, so for now, it will just be a place for me to begin with this new journey of mine. Eventually I hope to transfer my previous 3 journals here as well, but this will be lots of cutting and pasting and it will indeed be a project. I imagine in the end it will be worth it however.
So, where to begin this entry. Hmmmmmm....Well, it actually goes back some time to when I came to the definite conclusion that when I retire, with the very meager savings I have and ridiculously low pension I will receive from Bituah Leumi (Israeli version of Social Security), the only way I could truly manage would be to spend a good part of each year in India. Even with my flights, living there would be about 1/2 as much as living in Israel, and even less if I really cut back and live simply. But I could live very comfortably there on about $700 a month INCLUDING my air fair, and that is much much less than it costs me to live here in Israel.That would mean that my savings would last that much longer...at any rate, this idea has been going around in my head for quite some time and it has become obvious to me that this is what I will do.Now, originally, I was supposed to officially retire at the age of 60... 6 months from now, but when Bibi became Minister of the Treasury, he changed all the laws and moved the retirement age up on a gradual scale. My new retirement age is 62 and 8 months, 3 years from now, but I seriously doubt that there is anyway I can continue working and living the way I am now for another 3 years. That would also mean 3 years stolen from me from my life in India, and who knows what will be in 3 years, how my health will be, etc.
Soooooooooooo....
I made the definite decision that I have to find some way of making a major change and getting on with my life.And then of course the serendipities began happening. This all goes back almost a year in time actually when I began projection of these definite thoughts and pictures towards "India at 60" out to the Universe on a regular level.Now, one of the problems involved in doing this type of "part here part there" living is what do you do with your household here while you are away? And where do you live when you are here? I don't own a home and live in rentals always, which makes it complicated. I can't leave my house shut up, or rent it out while I am away as I don't own one, and to keep paying rent for the months I am away defeats the purpose of saving money. So where does my "stuff" go? Well, as I said, things are put into place in mysterious ways and this problem was solved very easily, but quite surprisingly, one day. I was talking to my daughter Shira in Uruguay who will be returning to Israel with her family shortly, after 3 years of living abroad. And she simply mentioned in conversation that when they come back and build their new house (they are evacuees from Gush Katif as well), wherever it may be, they will add on a separate unit for me and I could live with them!! I never thought of this option, never contemplated it, and was astounded when she spoke to me about this, as it is the perfect solution. The few things I own can be kept in a small unit attached to their house, and when I am not there, they can even rent it out if they choose to, and when I am home, I have someplace to "rest my weary bones".Then, the second serendipity came about. I was reading, as I very often do, the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Travel Forum, and came across someone looking for people to work for a few months in his travel agency in Manali. I will make a very LONG story short...after some correspondence he offered me a full time job there as his partner and office manager if I could come live there. I will leave all the details out, but in the end, I decided to take a months leave of absence from my current job and try it out first to see if it suited me, and him, before making any hasty decision. All this was set to happen in July of this year, but in the end I decided for many reasons to postpone it to September, as many family upheavals are taking place this summer (Shira and family coming home from Uruguay-homeless and jobless, Aviva moving to Boston to open a clinic there, Shlomit moving in to live with me, Elisheva and family moving to Kfar Pines) and felt it would be better for me to be here at that time.So postponed it to September, have not yet mentioned this at all at my work place, and the initial plan, up until about 1 month ago was to still take a one month leave of absence and see what the job was like. I had taken into consideration that if my place of work was unwilling to give me a month's leave, I would go anyway even if I had to quit. Then, if things didn't work out in India, I could come back and collect unemployment until I got my life back into order again. So, I went out and booked a ticket for September 15th and for awhile all seemed fairly straightforward.Several months ago, during the winter, I began feeling overwhelmed by my work. Not the job itself, as I generally enjoy the work day here, but by the fact that it had taken over my life. I get up early each day, around 6, to do my "morning stuff"-Qi Kong, pranayama, sun salutations and some other simple easy yoga asanas for the stiff morning body and meditation, and if I have time, even some Reiki-and get home from work around 6:30 in the evening. I began finding that I could do NOTHING else with the day. No dancing, no yoga, no visiting my kids, nothing...just eat a light meal, get into bed, and be alseep by 8:30-9:00 in the evening on a regular basis. And then I found that I couldn't even get up any more at 6 and found myself skipping my morning stuff on many days, and this was really bad for me. Terrible way to spend a life but I thought perhaps it was due to the winter which is always energy depleting for me. But winter, and spring, have come and gone...it is light until quite late in the evening, but I am still in the same situation.I have given all this much much thought, deliberated, meditated, asked for guidance, clarity, direction, wisdom form the Universe, G-d, my guides, the angels...and have finally made a serious decision about exactly where my life will be going now.Once I made the decisions, the rest was easy. I first wrote to the guy in India asking for further details re: eventual salary, working conditions etc., in the event I stay on to work for him, and after all kinds of elegant hemming and hawing, it became apparent that the guy was just out to exploit people and had no serious intention of paying me any form of working wage which I could live on in India. So if I would have to live from my own money, why would I want to work? Soooooooo....I will be QUITTING my job the end of August or September, going to India as planned with the ticket I have, but will stay for 3 months, in the place where I always pictured myself spending these days, McLeod, with good friends, good food, my wonderful mountains etc. When I get back, I will begin collecting unemployment and at the same time, will probably begin a job where I will work from home, as I saw a friend of mine doing on the computer(I went especially to her house last week to see what it is she does and it if it suits-and it does), earn about 1/2 of what I need to live on doing that and then perhaps begin again developing my clinic at home for extra money. I basically do not yet have all the details, and I don't need them. I know WHAT I must do, the "hows" will be provided by Higher Powers who have greater intelligence than I do to decide what is best for my Higher Good and how this will all fall into place. So, as Reiki teaches me, and as I repeat daily with my morning stuff, "Just for today I will not worry".So, this is pretty much the first episode in this new Journal. I am off to India (will probably move my ticket up to October since Abdellah will be arriving in November and want to spend time with him as well-perhaps even go to Mysore with him to check out a new place-and that will still give me time for myself before Abdellah arrives...), will speak to my boss sometime this month about my plans, will let my parents know probably in August to give the least amount of tension and worry over my being away (just let them continue to be well-the last few days have been hell with my father in the hospital again...but that's for another journal-not here)...Shlomit will be living in my house by then so I will have to find a way to cover the rent for those 3 months that I am away...and hopefully, when I get back, all else will already be in place for whatever is meant to happen next.Namaste
