So my trip is winding down.
Today is my last day in Madras before starting the big trek home.
It's been an eventful week in Madras and really nice to relax and not be back packing for a while.
Getting here from Rishekesh was an adventure. After my last post we all got sick again. We had to take a taxi or "tuk tuk" for an hour from Rishekesh to Hardiwar and catch a sleeper train to Delhi. Outside of the trainstation in the parking lot there were about 1000 people asleep on the ground. It may sound like an exageration but it's not. My first thought was that it was a protest of some kind but Justine assured me that's just how train stations are. Eventually we got to Delhi, wasted the day away there, and flew to Madras.
Some highlights:
Mamallapuram is a 7th century temple ruin on the coast of India that was carved out of a single stone. When we were getting ready Justine walks into my room and hands me a bikini because it's on the beach and we might want to sun bathe..... I love India. We went to an incredible seafood place called Moonrakers, and saw Krishna's butter ball. The butter ball is a 1500 year old boulder that is situated on a hit and looks like it should be rolling down the hill. But it hasn't fallen yet. In the 1800's the British tried to knock it down using an Elephant which didn't work. so naturally I tried... It didn't work either but hey.. when in Mamallapuram.
We've spend allot of the week relaxing, eating good food, getting massages, drinking wine. It's been pretty tough. I don't think I can take much more of it ;)
Home in 48 hours!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
I lost count what number blog this is supposed to be
Today made Rishekesh completely worth it.
I should start by saying that everyone besides me and Caitlin are sick. Even Justine the native has come down with what we think is a virus. No need to go into the details but it's all part of the experience right? I can say this because Caitlin and I were sick yesterday so we've paid our dues.
Anyways, she and I went white water rafting on the Ganges today. It was some of the most fun I've had since being here. We were picked up in this truck that resembled the car from Jurassic park and we drove for about 20 minutes upstream on this road that overlooked the Ganges. We could see the rapids the entire way up the trail. Eventually we got to a beach that about 7 other boats were launching from as well. In the boat were three guides, me and Cait, and this lovely German couple we met.
And then it all started. We went through two rapids and then Ganesh(that was his real name) asked if we wanted to jump out. So the next thing I know I'm swimming in the Ganges and looking really attractive in my bright yellow helmet and life vest. Caitlin brought a water proof camera so we took pictures through the whole ride.
We climbed back into the boat and went through the biggest rapid called "The Golf Course".... That's not what I would name a scary rapid but hey, I'm in India. Halfway through the guide tells us we can jump out in the middle of the rapid.... so I did and went body surfing in the golf course.
We rounded a corner of the river and saw a river bank with a whole group of rafters beached on with a tall rock outcrop to the right. What was really impressive was that there were 3 vendors on the beach. How did they get there?! I don't know.
We beached our boat and my guide asked me if I wanted to cliff dive off of the large rock outcropping. It was so much fun. Then they brought us to a water fall which they called "the water massager"... Again not my choice for a name.
We finished up floating through rishekesh pretty peacefully. It was a beautiful day. I had an absolute blast and I can't wait to post the pictures.
Off to Delhi tonight on a sleeper train, and tomorrow Madras!
Much love
K
I should start by saying that everyone besides me and Caitlin are sick. Even Justine the native has come down with what we think is a virus. No need to go into the details but it's all part of the experience right? I can say this because Caitlin and I were sick yesterday so we've paid our dues.
Anyways, she and I went white water rafting on the Ganges today. It was some of the most fun I've had since being here. We were picked up in this truck that resembled the car from Jurassic park and we drove for about 20 minutes upstream on this road that overlooked the Ganges. We could see the rapids the entire way up the trail. Eventually we got to a beach that about 7 other boats were launching from as well. In the boat were three guides, me and Cait, and this lovely German couple we met.
And then it all started. We went through two rapids and then Ganesh(that was his real name) asked if we wanted to jump out. So the next thing I know I'm swimming in the Ganges and looking really attractive in my bright yellow helmet and life vest. Caitlin brought a water proof camera so we took pictures through the whole ride.
We climbed back into the boat and went through the biggest rapid called "The Golf Course".... That's not what I would name a scary rapid but hey, I'm in India. Halfway through the guide tells us we can jump out in the middle of the rapid.... so I did and went body surfing in the golf course.
We rounded a corner of the river and saw a river bank with a whole group of rafters beached on with a tall rock outcrop to the right. What was really impressive was that there were 3 vendors on the beach. How did they get there?! I don't know.
We beached our boat and my guide asked me if I wanted to cliff dive off of the large rock outcropping. It was so much fun. Then they brought us to a water fall which they called "the water massager"... Again not my choice for a name.
We finished up floating through rishekesh pretty peacefully. It was a beautiful day. I had an absolute blast and I can't wait to post the pictures.
Off to Delhi tonight on a sleeper train, and tomorrow Madras!
Much love
K
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Isn't India supposed to have better yoga?
I know it does. And I've taken a really incredible class but our stay at the ashram was disappointing. Rishekesh is the birthplace of yoga and the ashram that we were stay stay (called Parmeth Niketan) was supposed to be the best and one of the most famous ashrams in Rishekesh.
Parmeth Niketan hosts a huge ceremony everyday called the aarvti which is a fire ceremony worshiping the river ganges. It was beautiful, with hundreds of people there watching on.
Meanwhile back at the ashram...
We were under the impression that we'd stay there and take part in the ashram life which as I understood it meant yoga, meditation, service, and allot of quiet time.
Unfortunately for us that wasn't the case. They asked us for money up front which is not traditional for an ashram. Generally you have your experience and make a donation at the end of your stay. They insisted we pay up front.
Secondly, our rooms turned out to be.... difficult.
We had a cockroach infestation our first night. The night guard came in and had a cockroach hunt while the girls and I cheered him on. They moved our room that night to a much nicer room upstairs.
The next morning at 6 am we went to our first yoga class. It was super super elementary, very gentle, and I noticed that all of the people in the class were foreigners, there were no Indian students at all. I enjoyed it but I was hoping for a stronger more challenging class. I mean I thought I'd be able to twist myself into a pretzel by the end of my trip. but hey, you can't have everything right?
We were then asked for money again and the price kept changing. We eventually paid what we were quoted for the three nights and went out for lunch. Aly and I went to yoga again in the afternoon under the impression that it would be a more advanced class and more of the community from the ashram would be joining. Also there was supposed to be an hour of meditation put in there.
The yoga class was just about the same and the meditation was laying in corpse pose for 40 minutes. It was disappointing. Oh! and there's a curfew. If you don't get back to the ashram by 10 pm they lock you out and you have to fend for yourself against the cows.
We decided we wanted to leave and move across the river to a different part of Rishekesh to stay with a couple of Jus's friends from England .
So Aly, Dyl, Cait, and I went to the reception desk this morning to ask for a refund and check out. Oh forgot to mention there were 2 more cockroaches and bed bugs in the boys room. They put up a big fuss about giving our money for the third night back. I was very stern :) Aly was assertive, and Dyl and Cait were the muscle and eventually they gave our cash back.
So the ashram was a bit disappointing but it Luciana's birthday today (Jus's friend) so hopefully we'll have a nice dinner and tomorrow we're going rafting down the Ganges!
And tomorrow night we take the train back to Delhi so we can fly to Madras for the last leg of our trip
I'll write soon
hope all is well
K
Parmeth Niketan hosts a huge ceremony everyday called the aarvti which is a fire ceremony worshiping the river ganges. It was beautiful, with hundreds of people there watching on.
Meanwhile back at the ashram...
We were under the impression that we'd stay there and take part in the ashram life which as I understood it meant yoga, meditation, service, and allot of quiet time.
Unfortunately for us that wasn't the case. They asked us for money up front which is not traditional for an ashram. Generally you have your experience and make a donation at the end of your stay. They insisted we pay up front.
Secondly, our rooms turned out to be.... difficult.
We had a cockroach infestation our first night. The night guard came in and had a cockroach hunt while the girls and I cheered him on. They moved our room that night to a much nicer room upstairs.
The next morning at 6 am we went to our first yoga class. It was super super elementary, very gentle, and I noticed that all of the people in the class were foreigners, there were no Indian students at all. I enjoyed it but I was hoping for a stronger more challenging class. I mean I thought I'd be able to twist myself into a pretzel by the end of my trip. but hey, you can't have everything right?
We were then asked for money again and the price kept changing. We eventually paid what we were quoted for the three nights and went out for lunch. Aly and I went to yoga again in the afternoon under the impression that it would be a more advanced class and more of the community from the ashram would be joining. Also there was supposed to be an hour of meditation put in there.
The yoga class was just about the same and the meditation was laying in corpse pose for 40 minutes. It was disappointing. Oh! and there's a curfew. If you don't get back to the ashram by 10 pm they lock you out and you have to fend for yourself against the cows.
We decided we wanted to leave and move across the river to a different part of Rishekesh to stay with a couple of Jus's friends from England .
So Aly, Dyl, Cait, and I went to the reception desk this morning to ask for a refund and check out. Oh forgot to mention there were 2 more cockroaches and bed bugs in the boys room. They put up a big fuss about giving our money for the third night back. I was very stern :) Aly was assertive, and Dyl and Cait were the muscle and eventually they gave our cash back.
So the ashram was a bit disappointing but it Luciana's birthday today (Jus's friend) so hopefully we'll have a nice dinner and tomorrow we're going rafting down the Ganges!
And tomorrow night we take the train back to Delhi so we can fly to Madras for the last leg of our trip
I'll write soon
hope all is well
K
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