Stacey In India: February 2010

Monday, February 22, 2010

Kumbh Mela from a passive perspective

Well it's probably best to start with, what is Mela? Great question indeed. If you really want see the info go to Wikipedia, Kumbh Mela, as they have the facts about when, what, and how many (that last being the most impressive). But I can give you the quick run down from a passive perspective and you can do with it what you please.

So basically there are 4 sacred towns in India (well there are really more than that,. but these are the most, most, most holy) which host Pilgrims from all over the sub-continent for the religious festivals called Mela. Every six year they throw a really big Mela as the stars align in some way that makes the Ganges water have a little more umph than the average day. Every 12 years though is the biggest festival or Kumbh Mela and yep you guessed it, the next one occurs in 2010. I guess I can keep that in the present tense since Mela goes on from January to March. The destination for this years Mela is Haridwar.

Haridwar is located about 20km sounth of Rishikesh. If you read the last post you already know that we stayed in Rishikesh so it should seem like a no brainer that we would travel the 20km south to the holy city of Haridwar; it's actually the official city sponsored by the Ganges River as that is where it flows out of the Himalaya. Anyway, after finding more out about that festival and the fact that astrologer's had predicted the "first bath" for 2/12, we thought that traveling a small distance to see some 20 million religion crazed Hindi's dunk themselves in flowing pollution would be a wonderful sight. Duh!

So we tried to book transportation to the city early morning of the 12th. Unfortunately it turns out that there was no good transport there. The travel agent could not guarantee that he could get us there; which i gotta say was the most honest thing we had heard form a travel agent. He said there were taxis but because of the crowds we may have to walk 5-10km into the city. Only 10km? No problem. We'll pass.

Well we didn't pass technically because we did the next best thing, we went on the 13th. Still the same fervor but with less people!!! Sounds good to us. We were definitely stopped before the city by the Indian army and general crowd control personel.

(not our photo)

We walked about 1km to the main entrance and got our first taste of what full bathing ghats really looked like (sorry Varnassi). Everyone is scrambling for space and tries to find something to hold onto as to not get swept away by an fast moving river.

From Rishikesh

The pictures show some of the queue that ushers these pilgrims into the area (look like an American Fair Grounds) as well as the bridges over to the Western shore where all of the action is.

To break up the day, we walked about 1.5km south to a ropeway, also know as a Gondola or Cable Car.

This little slice of India amusement park which goes to the top of the facing hill to the Maya Devi Temple had a 3 hour line fopr tickets and then you could get in the real line to wait for the ride. Must be a big mela if they're drawing line like that. We were figuring out what to do about the line ( I got in it), when Stacey met the acquaintance of a wonderful Indian family who had already been queueing for a while and offered to by us two tickets so we wouldn't have to wait.

From Rishikesh

So I guess a little pause here to express gratitude for this and expand it to the bigger concept of just how nice your everyday Indian is. I don't know if it is specifically to foreigners or if they do this for everyone. But after a month of challenging my very American sensibilities of being suspicious of people's primary motives, I was finally able to just let these people in as they were doing for us. What kindness!

Not only did they purchase the tickets for us but they ushered us along the 2 hour line by pushing their way through the crowd and cutting the line as deep and far as possible so that we wouldn't have to wait. So maybe kindness for some turns into frustration for others...glad we were on the good end this day!

After a solid bit of walking and some urges to bathe myself in the river, Stacey new it was time to head back to Rishikesh for our final day of relaxing; included in the schedule was Ayervedic messages, yoga, and a beginner's meditations class!!! Looking forward to coming home but not to leaving India...

From Rishikesh

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Rishikesh

From Rishikesh

Here we are in what is arguable the most spiritually-minded cities in all of India. You are more likely to see a yoga or meditation center than you are to walk on a pile of cow shit, and let me tell you - in India that is really saying something.
As this is the last of our stops in India, we are excited to be in a place for a few days and to really get the flavor of the city and what makes it tick.
That being said, it has been a very different experience for us here! There are plenty of places to sit on cushions, chill, read a book, and look out onto the sacred Ganges (actually a shade of green here, as opposed to the retch-inducing brown in Varanasi).

From Rishikesh

However, it has a bit of a cult-ish feel with all the ashrams and their students. No offense to ashram-goers...I would genuinely enjoy that experience at some point in my life and I certainly think that this would have enhanced our stay in Rishikesh. But if you are not an ashram-goer, but merely a backpacker, you are looked at with disdain if you are looked at at all. After a month of travels we were shocked to land in a place where we couldn't get anyone to smile at us, let alone engage in conversation. There are also a TON of Americans here, and frankly in all my travels I think Americans are the least friendly of anyone. I will give the Rishikeshers the benefit of the doubt: Perhaps people here are so interested in delving into themselves via constant self-reflection that it's not that they are being rude by not smiling or talking - maybe they are just trying to 'center' themselves.

Anyway, the area itself is beautiful and Steve and I have had a wonderful time here - it's definitely the most alone time we've shared on this whole trip and it was quite romantic (as much as anywhere in India CAN be). And oh my goodness, there are monkeys here. A TON of them. I am obsessed with them and have taken 4000 pictures of them. They eat right out of your hand - I can't get enough.

From Rishikesh

We did take advantage of the city and took both yoga and meditation classes. The meditation class was quite amazing and our teacher was really something special.

We are also here during the largest spiritual festival in 12 years, the Kumbh Mela....but that is another post all together! (coming soon)

So I got that going for me....

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

Steve and I are now in McLeod Ganj, a small town in the Himalayas which for the past 50 years has been the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile. Before I go into anything else, I will say it's f**king COLD HERE!!!

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

I will not go into the awful harrowing tale of the Tibetan people, as I am sure most of you now it well by now. I will say that despite the oppression these people have faced for so long, this town is one of the most happy and joyous we've come across.

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

We happened to arrive on a particularly cold day, and the next morning we woke up to snow - and lots of it! The locals told us that it was the first time they had snow in 3 years, so there was a lot of celebration. Young Tibetan men in the middle of the street were throwing snowballs at eachother (and us!) - and Steve even engaged in a snowball fight with 3 guys standing on a balcony (they kicked his ass).

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

We walked around and visited the Buddhist temple and the Tibetan museum.

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

But everything we have done on our trip has paled in comparison to the experiences we had in meeting one man: DK.

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

Steve started up a conversation with DK because he was working on a Mac while we were eating breakfast. One thing led to another, and as one Mac geek is always attracted to another, a long conversation ensued. DK has the most amazing and natural way of blending the tenets of technology into Buddhism, life, love, and a mixture of everything in between. We found out that DK is the Managing director of the Norbulingka Institute - the only Institute in the world that is dedicated to preserving Tibetan Culture. Please check out their website HERE. It is an incredible place.

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

Now, the reason this was all so special is that DK, as the managing director of the Institute, needs quite a bit of technical assistance. So, as his honored guests, we were escorted up to the Institute where we got a private tour. Then, of course, Steve went off to work as his new technical advisor! We saw their artisans at work creating original Thankgka paintings, brass statues of Buddha, and ornate wood carvings.

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

Oh, and no big deal, really...but we also saw His Holiness' bedroom when he stays at the Institute. Like I said, things you see everyday, right?

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

Then Steve went off about his merry way helping them to find systems to... what am I talking about? Why am I going to try and explain what he helped them do? I don't understand it, so let's just say he helped them with some really smart people stuff. When he finished and got them all situated, they said that the problem he fixed was one they had been working on for five years. Then Steve comes along and it's done in 2 hours. If the key to a happy and fulfilled life is all about being constantly impressed by your partner, then I am golden.

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Amritsar and The Temple of Gold

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

No time for love Dr. Jones, and certainly no time to hang out in another congested city. After researching Amritsar, our vagabond couple decided to once again do a stop over in a major Indian city en route to somewhere else. We thought about skipping it all together but knew from pictures and reading that this sacred Sikh temple was not to be missed.

So after leaving Jaisalmer on a 17 hour train ride bound for Delhi, we took hot showers and immediately turned around for a 10 hour overnight train to Amritsar. Why go back to Dehli? Well for those of you who know the map of India, that is a good question. We had to drop off the spoils from the desert! And I digress.

We arrived in Amritsar at 6 a.m. and headed immediately to the main bus station to arrange travel for our next destination in Himachal Pradesh; more on that in the next post. We stored our bags and by 7:45 were off to our destination, The Golden Temple.

The town was quiet as the sun was just begin to light the sky, but the area around the temple was already busy with many religious pilgrims. Amritsar is also in the Indian state of Punjab, something new for us, and the cultural heart had a different beat. Maybe it was more spiritual or maybe the horns just weren't honking this early in the morning; but the temple itself commanded respect.

We both covered ourselves to make the entrance to the temple and took the first steps of washing our feet in the holy waters surrounding the main edifice. Once inside we were greeted by a rhythmic soul awakening music that oozed through the surrounding speakers. We took some pictures and made a full walk around the temple before venturing inside. Two things to note were the kitchens that surrounded the temple as well as the gurdwaras. The Sikh faith believes in equality and charity and this is most evident with these two things. With only a small donation (or none at all), they will feed and board their pilgrims should they choose to stay in the gurdwaras.

From Amritsar and Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

Unfortunately with most holy places, pictures are not allowed inside the temples, so there are no pics. The last thing to say is that the music we heard the whole time, came from within the temple itself. There were throngs of people inside on all 3 floors of the marble and gold structure. On the main level they were surrounding the holy men and 3 musicians who must have continued their chants for hours on end. We left after only two for our bus to the mountain town of Dharamsala in the state of Himachal Pradedsh. Dalai Lama anyone?

Camel treking in the Thar Desert

From Jaisalmer

This experience is best summed up by the pictures, so we will just do a quick rundown of our time on a camel:
1) It's quite beautiful
2) A bit painful
3) After 30 minutes, it's pretty much all the same
4) After 8 hours, it's definitely all the same
5) It helps if you have the soundtrack to Ishtar or Lawrence of Arabia.
6) Camels fart and burp. A LOT.
7) The sand dunes are more beautiful and wonderful than almost anything you can imagine.
8) Unless you are in a space shuttle, it's impossible to imagine that stars ever get brighter than laying under them in the middle of the desert.

From Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer - a desert oasis

So before I begin this post I must make mention of my (Steve's) travel booking blunder and the quick game-time thinking that kept us on our course. While in Jodhpur waiting for our train to Jaisalmer at a nearby hotel, we decided to take a peek at the boarding time and see if we had time to finish some odds and ends. The current time was 9PM and the ticket said 5:40 AM. Hmmm? Not what we had expected. In fact the time was 5:40AM for that morning. A train already left with neither of us on it. Arggg! The booking agent messed it all up, but you've gotta stay on your toes to make sure that you get the right docs...I have been extra careful since.

So with some quick thinking, we ran to a travel desk and found an overnight bus which departed in 45 minutes. Yes, 2 please! And before we knew it we were in a sleeping compartment of a bus bound for Jaisalmer.

From Jodhpur

Okay, now it's Stacey here. Now that we have arrived, we are able to see Jaisalmer and its incredible beauty. Many believe that it is the oldest continuously habitated fort in the world, and unfortunately time and those living in it are helping to show its age. The fort, having been built so many thousands of years ago, was not built to withstand the modern plumbing that the restaurants, guesthouses, and museums now use. The fort is now on the 100 Most Endangered Monuments list. We are not proud to say that we stayed inside the fort, but we did. As much as we both truly believe that it is everyone's duty to do what they can to help save the fort, the onus is on the Indian government to shut it down and temporarily move the thousands of families so they can restore it - our room was going to be rented out to someone whether we stayed there or not. May seem like a cop-out on our part, but the opportunity to experience life inside the fort (and the views from the windows!!) was something a bit hard to pass up. Okay, guilty explanation finished now.

From Jaisalmer

Next on our list of things to do in Jaisalmer - the Bhang Shop. If you don't know what Bhang is, google it. We had heard about this particular shop from tons of travelers, and even saw Anthony Bourdain visit it in his Rajasthan episode of NO RESERVATIONS. This is a goverment authorised shop, and was clean, had a great view, and had a wait inside the shop at all times. Nothing more popular in town, it seems! Now, those of you who know me, Stacey, know that I don't much partake in Bhang, but Steve really wanted to try it so I went along. And decided to have a sip of his Bhang Lassi. Mmmm, Banana - that's tasty. I'll have another sip, please.

From Jaisalmer

Before you know it we are both pleasantly 'happy' and have a seat on the cushions at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the fort.

From Jaisalmer

Next we were off to visit the City Palace, where the current Maharaja of Jaisalmer still lives (off and on). Since we had so much fun the previous night, and also because we have seen WAAAY too many palaces to see another one sober, we headed to the Bhang Shop in the afternoon (not morning, OK??) and then went off for the coolest Palace tour we've seen. This is really the way to do your 100th palace and fort tour, let us tell you.