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
Sunday, March 02, 2008
THE PEOPLE #1
The People
I just had the idea of keeping track of the different interesting people I meet. I should have been doing this from the start because I seem to be meeting an enormous vfariety of people from many places in the world, each with an interesting story to tell….So I will try to go back to remember all those I’ve met so far, and if some get left out, well, I guess they were not all that interesting in the first place.
The first person I met was a sweet girl from Australia, with that special Australian glow of health about her, and she was my neighbor the first few days when I was so ill, went down and ordered my food for me when I needed it, and even went out and bought some Tulsi for me when I realized I hadn’t brought any with me. She understood my need to be alone but never failed to ask if I needed anything. She was supposed to have come with a friend but in the end the friend couldn’t come, so she braved India by herself, had a great time, and here in Rishikesh met up with a friend of her friend’s, a young Indian guy, with motorbike, and had a lovely time traveling the mountains with him. And she celebrated her 35th birthday here. The young Indian asked her if she likes children, and she said yes…so he made her a surprise birthday party at a local orphanage where all the kids sang Happy Birthday to her and then were all treated to birthday cake. She said it was the best party she’s ever had!
Now, let’s see…Well, I “re-met” a lady I wrote about last year, a really funny
French lady who was doing panchakarma the same time as me and we used to compare notes, but she was SO graphic and it was really funny, with her French accent and limited English. One of her favorite expressions was “ooh-la-la”…Well, one of the first days I was out, I bumped into her and we had a nice chat…she is also here just to relax this year and I actually bumped into her two more times over the next couple of days., when she tried to convince me to come to Varanassi with her. In the end I declined. I didn’t feel like moving anywhere quite yet.
Then there was the sweet girl named Bea (short for Beatrice) from Hungary, who is here just being alone, taking courses, and relaxing after several months of running around India. She invited me to lectures with her at the Sivananda ashram, but they begin at 7 in the evenong and I’m not big on going out at night…so again declined. She is staying up on the Hill Top and very rarely seen.
Then my first group of Israelis one evening, who are staying over in Laxman Jhula and came up here looking for “all the Israelis” and were surprised and disappointed to find that there are none staying here. They had a big dinner, we spoke for awhile, and then they headed back to Laxman Jhula and were hard put to decide where to head to next. When I suggested that they relax here for a few days and just enjoy Rishikesh, they said th”there is noting to enjoy here…nothing to do…very boring town”.
And then the day I was up having a lovely kicheri at the jaipur Inn Restaurant, the day I mentioned there was a political convention, I met this really lovely coupoel from carmel California. They were so California! Named Lynn and Marc, blong, blue eyed, brown skinned and looking so well put together. Turns out they were staying at the Swiss as well and had just arrived that morning after a whirlwind trip around “all of India’. They were exhausted but enjoying themselves. He did most of the talking and we had many lovely discussions ranging from the upcoming elections in America, their views on Obama vs.Clinton (and nothing good to say about mcKane), to talking about the pros and cons of all different kinds of yoga (this one day when Marc came in panting to breakfast after having a session of “Nazi Yoga” as he called it!! They were here for about a week and we spoke a little each day…they had rented a bike so were out and about a real lot, and planning to end their trip in Udaipur….although Lynn actually was ready to either just stay here another week or head home…haven’t seen them since yesterday so I assume they’ve left.
A lovely young girl, probably late 20’s early 30’s with her husband, who basically kept to himself and her really cute 3 year old son. They had been in India for months and this was the very end of their sojourn. The little boy was so outgoing and relaxed (not surprising…his Mom was the same way…soft-spoken but friendly and open and completely at peace with mothering). He spoke English and French and when I asked how that was, she said they had spent 2 months in Goa and their was an American family there with a little girl his same age and he had learnt English from her! Kids are amazing. They left today to go back to Delhi and from there to Brussels to plan their move. Her husband teaches Tai Chi and after being in India, they realized, for the first time in their lives how dark and dreary Brussels is, and have decided to plan to move to New Mexico to get away from the weather and into a healthier life style. They have friends who live there and have been trying to convince them to move for the past 3 years…now they are doing it.
Family from America…Her name is Jean, her husband is Abe and her son named Noah. They are from the States…she says she was lucky enough to marry a “nice Jewish boy”…she is not Jewish. She was 38 when Noah was born and he is now 7…a child/adult who was as much apart of our discussions as his parents were…fascinating child. The father is a professor of Middle Eastern studies and they went to live in Peru where he was offered a professorship at the University there, so that Noah could have a diverse environment, learn a new language etc. They do home schooling and take it very seriously. They rented an apartment just down past Welcome Center which I will check out one day. It is a full complex, and they found a flat available, without kitchen which was OK for them as they enjoyed going from place to place to eat. They had 2 bedrooms, two full baths, and living room and terrace overlooking the Ganga, for only 10,000 rupees a month! I will definitely go down there to check it out as if I ever decide to come back here for any length of time, or even come with a friend, it would be wonderful living arrangement, but I would then want a kitchen as well.
Benjamin (met him the first nite I went down to eat at mamaji’s)…I have a brother named Benjamin so I told him I wouldn’t forget his name easily and he said he has a sister named Jane! He comes from all over the world-left family of 5 sisters and “bitch” of a mother…England (Harlow),malaysia, Australia, mexico, partner killed…he was married and divorced and then had his son taken from him at 25…worked in many jobs…also studied Shamanic healing while living in Mexico and we have been exchanging healing sessions…lovely person….dreams of setting up a healing center and growing trees from seed and reforesting some place somewhere in the world where he could get funding or backing or have some government agency or private person give him the piece of land to do this on…build his own house, grow his own vegetables etc…will be in India until July where he is slowly recuperating from the loss of Marie –Cruz, his partner in Mexico for 3 years, who was killed by a driver while she was riding on her bicycle just 4 months ago. Turns out he will be studying with Swami Dyananda at the same ashram where Akhilesh, my Reiki Master, lives…very small world.
MORE TO FOLLOW
Saturday, May 12, 2007
India Journal 2006-#58 May 11th...and yet another storm...the worst yet!
Snow on the mountain above....
...and rain in town below
Woke again to another storm and after the beautiful weather the last couple of days it is hard to believe I have my winter clothes on again. The picture above doesn't do justice to the storm, but you can see that new snow has fallen again on the mountain. It actually has been raining ALL day...a real first...from 7 this morning, until now, 5 PM, and still no end in sight!
But it was not a wasted day and caught up on some letter writing this morning, then Sara met me (the French Lady) to have me help her with English. She wants to pay me to give her lessons starting next week....hmmmmm.
then we went to Boom Boom for lunch. She had roast chicken in orange sauce with little roasted potatoes and salal and I had a crepe with sour cream, cheese and spinach filling topped with tomato sauce and cheese. Quite lovely. We luckily caught a taxi going back up, I picked up my train ticket and took Sara to the new travel agent to get flights from Delhi to Leh, Leh to Srinagar (her daughter is getting married to a Kashmiri and there were only 2 seats left for the end of JULY!!)...and then back to Delhi from Srinagar.
Then helped her find a new bag and she also made an appointment with the astrologer. All this in the rain, but we were well dressed.
Now back to my room to rest and decide about dinner and where to go....such difficult decisions all the time!!
Did some needlepoint this morning and luckily have my musci as well.
Tomorrow I have a counseling session and another on Sunday...and my own Mantra Therapy session as well tomorrow. (It is already tomorrow and it was much easier for him than the first one and I felt energies moving this time as well...). Since my first one a couple of days ago, my back pain (second chakra area) is completely gone. Even went back to yoga! body \ mind\spirit....powerful stuff.
Now that I know for sure when I am leaving, it seems too soon. I'd be happier if the weather was nice, but still content with each day.
Namaste
Jane
Thursday, May 10, 2007
India Journal 2006-#57 May 10- Very Fruitful Day! and...
MANTRA THERAPY...
Thursday, May 10
Today was a lovely day from beginning to end, but i will, just for convenience sake (for me) begin at the end and then go to the beginning...if you get my point.
It is now 6 PM and just finished up the day with a meeting for coffee with Abdellah...and I had my first iced coffee in over a year...and it was worth the "sin" for the pleasure I received from it! We spoke as usual and laughed and enjoyed...he is leaving tomorrow!! Very sad...andway, helped him finish up his last minute shopping and then we were discussing ways of getting back to Elhi and decided to check up on some leads I've been given about alternatives, which seemed impossible but figured I'd try.
There is a new travel agent hidden away behind some local incense shop (Tara Herbal shop), and I heard that you can get a jeep all the way to Delhi for the same price as the bus...400 rupees...seemed impossible so went in to check. I met a lovely young man, looks 16 but he is all of 21!, and he even has a branch offcie in Delhi right in Pahar Ganj....so before even discussing my own issues, I told him about my plans to bring groups and have now found
someone at this end here who can help me, in addition to my contacts in Rishikesh! This is very important to me for backup and we discussed many options about overland travel, hotels etc. Then, when I gave him my card, he asked me if I work as a Reiki Master here, and when I said yes, asked for some cards and a sign as well, which I will bring him tomorrow....
And then I got down to the nitty gritty of the jeep...seems he sends jeeps (A chevrolet Van) down to Delhi to pick up small groups, and sends them down from here empty. So when he knows he will be sending a jeep down, he is very happy to put even ONE person in it for the 400 rupees he gets...but he generally knows only close to the date. In the end, I asked him about trains from Pathankot (or Chakki Bank) which arrive in New Delhi (as opposed to Old Delhi Station where I usually come in and then have the hassle of getting to Pahar Ganj from there). Up until now, the only trains that did this were day trains and I do not like travelling by train during the day...prefer to sleep the night away and arrive in the morning...also when it is still cool, when I leave at night and arrive early morning. But he said there is a new express train which leaves at 9:30 PM from Chakki Bank and arrives 6 AM in NEW DELHI but it is avery popular train and fills up very fast. So I asked him to check for me for June 14th and there were only a few seats left! I ordered one, lower berth that I like, 2 AC and then asked the price. He told me and I asked how much for over 60 and he said "I thought you were buying the ticket for yourself!!"....well, I explained that I was and of course again this lovely age saved me over 300 rupees....So I now have a train ticket and if, for any reason he gets a jeep going, he will call me, cancel my train ticket and I will get down to Delhi in a Chevy Van, which will stop as often as I like for peeing, and which will be mostly empty so I can stretch out, and it will then only cost me 400 rupees, instead of the 1900 I will have to pay for taxi to the train station plus my train ticket.
And meeting him was wonderful and now have a new resource person here in India for when I begin my groups!
And now back to earlier.....
The Mantra Therapy....well...the astrologer had mentioned to me that he would like to give me a few sessions of Mantra Therapy to help release the impediments from birth which were keeping my 2nd and 3rd chakras blocked all these years, no matter what I tried. He explained that Mantra Therapy is just a fancy name for what the Hindu priests do when ever a child is born in India. They immediately have a horoscope made up and then if there are any problems, the priest will chant certain Mantras during infancy, and again every so often if necessary, to get rid of these impediments....but since I was not born in India, I have lived with this impediment my whole life and so he will do 3-4 sessions to try and get rid of it using the Mantras. I agreed at first but then decided I did not want to spend any more money while here on this kind of thing so left him a message. He never got the message, but I bumped into him "accidentally" on the street the same day, and when I asked why I didn't come I explained and apologized. He said he never mentioned money, had not intention of taking money from me...he only wants to do whatever he can to ease this business and make the rest of my years a pleasant as possible. I was a little embarrassed but he insisted, so yesterday I went for my first of 3-4 sessions of 15 minutes each. He explained what he would be doing, asked my permission and then began. At some point he stopped, asked me to open my eyes, and I saw he was literally dripping with sweat and breathing heavily saying" This is REALLY hard work" I've never done this on someone your age with so many years of blockage before"....he continued then and explained it would take 7-8 sessions he figures, but each one would help and by the time he finishes, I will be cleared! I take his word for it and will keep you updated.
I've noticed that tourist population here is different than from my past experience. There are an enormous amount of Asians...Koreans, Japanese and Chinese here, as well as many from South America, America, all over europe....And I see very few Israelis unless I go up to Bhagsu or Dharamkot where that is ALL I see.!!
I had a full consultation and Tarot reading today with one of my "regulars" and have another on Saturday. And another lady will beginning a meditation/pranayama workshop at the beginning fo the week. For now, my work is covering all my expenses except for my "rent" which I have put aside, and I'm not working hard at all, and enjoying every moment and being energized as well.
Walked up to Bhagsu for a nice Thali lunch today. wonder how the next month will pass...seems like a long time to me on the one hand but hopefully it will go quickly. No matter what, still healthier for me in all respects (except perhaps foodwise) to reamin here the full time. The days are still very changeable weatherwise but never so hot that it gets uncomfortable. Even at the heat of the day like now, 12-2, when I walked up and back to Bhagsu, it was quite comfortable, even in the full sun.
And that brings me to this evening....will have a nice dinner, and if I am not too tired (didn't rest for a minute today) may take in a mover 'Water" at 8.
Tomorrow meeting Sara for lunch and will see Abdellah one more time before he leaves on Saturday evening.
And that's about it
Namaste
Jane
Thursday, April 12, 2007
India Jouranl 2006 #42-Adventures in Delhi April 10-13 #1
Well, here I am in Delhi, a few days after my last post from Rishikesh. Today is thursday but I want to go back to tuesday and start from the beginning ot this new part of my journey. HOpefully I will get it all done today, but if not, tomorrow is another day.
April 10th 16:13
Just got onto the Shabtabdi Express from Dehra Dun to Delhi. We boarded at Hardiwar exactly on time, our luggage was placed on the upper luggage racks by a porter and we found our seats. The train is a little too chilly for me but it is the first time in over 3 weeks that I can complain of being chilly and it is a lovely feeling. Simply put on my shawel which is always with me.
I am using my IPod with earphones for the fist time and have decided to begin the journey with some musicals. I've chosen "Oklahoma" as my first choice,
have put my chair back in reclining position, and have already been brought a bottle of water and a snack on my food tray. "Tea Kit", ladoo (sweet), samosa, apple drink and some crispy masaly snack. I have so much leg room it is unbelievable and am extremely comfortable. The carriage is only 1/2 full (it filled up at the next stop). The sun is setting in the West and this going to be a lovely 5 1/2 hours...quite luxurious!!
Just a "Oklahome" ended we were served soup and roll and butter. Now I'm reclinigna dn resting again and "Camelot" is playing. Even after all these years (I was a teenager when I saw it on Broadway with my friends Jessica Dunsay and Rina Hellman), it still moves me when I hear Julie Andrews, Richard Burton and Robert Goulet as I saw them live on Broadway.
Then I decided to "dance" until dinner is served. it is now about 9 PM. Dinner is over, enormous meal. Aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower), paneer (cheese in sauce), rajma dahl (kidney beans and chickpeas), rice, 2 chapaties, fresh salad veggies and small earthen jug of absolutely heavenly curd for dessert. (At the time I noted that everything in the dinner were things I am not supposed to eat and have been avoiding for the past 6 weeks...little did I know how it would effect me later on....)
Now just "dancing the night away", lovely couples dances, and will probably fall asleep. Have been dozing on and off since the trip started. Anoter 1:45 to go. Really lovely...and then Delhi!!
WOW! Again being served, this time ice cream (and that was my final downfall I think)...it was really delicious! They just don't give you a minute to relax on this train!
Sitting next to me was this sweet young girl. She is 25 years old, lives in Dehra Dun and was just home for Easter Vacation from her job as air hostess out of Delhi for Air India. She is a Christian, quite beautiful and well spoken. Has an MA in economics and is basically just enjoying a few years of freedom before her parents arrange a marriage for her...she says it will be a problem as all the nice guys she meets are Hindu, and that is impossible. She is completely at peace with an arranged marriage, as she will be allowed to pick and choose until she finds one she likes. i mentioned the movie "Namaste London" to her and she said "Yes, just like that" and then we laughted awhile about the movie.
She was dressed in jeans with a plain long sleeve top and shawel and seemed quite conservative, until we neared Delhi and she was talking on the phone to her friend who was coming to pick her up. (She also arranged for him to board the train and take down our luggage for us off the rack). She removed her shawel, and long sleeve top to reveal a very revealing, low-cut, spaghetti strap shirt just short of her belly button line...And then proceeded to put on makeup and do her hair. She looked like an entirely different person!!
Our luggage was taken down off the rack by someone on the train just as we pulled into Delhi exactly on time. The first rickshaw driver who approached us gave us a perfectly fair price, 20 rupees, to our hotel and so we didn't even have to haggle. And I didn't get to use the lovely Hindi phrases I had practiced for the past few days.
In the end, he got both of us and all our luggage into one rickshaw, instead of 2, and took 30 rupees apiece but it was still perfectly OK. I he a lot of lifting of heavy stuff to fit it all into the small space and still have room for us. He left me off first, and Ilse agreed to meet me the following morning at my hotel...and that is the last I've seen of her. I really hope all is well with her, but have no way of finding out as I do not know where she is staying and she doesn't use e-mail at all.
This new Hotel, Anoop, is quite lovely. Simple, but friendly and clean. First room I was given was small but adequate but the AC did not work so they gave me another room which turns out to be a deluxe room, very large, with 3 beds in it, lovely marbel floors, 2 ceiling fans, dressing table and lovely bathroom, for the same price they were charging me for the smaller standard room. The ceiling fan sounds like a truck and the AC like a tank but now I don't need my earplugs as every possible sound is drowned out!!
Had a lovely shower and off to bed. Slept well and now the fresh morning air is coming in the windows i just opened. Will have to close them soon but now, at 7 AM, it is quite fresh and col as it was yesterday at 11 PM when we arrived. And even though it was 11 PM, it was as alive as during the day and no problem with arriving here so late at night.
The staff is really wonderfully accomodating and I am really pleased and thankful I was guided to this place.
Will get dressed and meet Ilse soon for breakfast and at 10 will see to my train ticket to Pathankot.
OK...I will end here and continue tomorrow or later with part 2 of the Delhi Adventure.
Namaste
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
