IIIIIIINDIA!!!!
Trip Start
Nov 15, 2005
1
8
10
Trip End
Jul 31, 2006
McCleod Ganj (Dharamasala), India
Sunday, May 21, 2006
AAhhhhh..... India!! Mesmerizing. Nauseating. Larger than life itself, the Asian subcontinent is a plethora of experiences, the vast majority of which you attempt to enjoy within nearby "toilet" proximity. Discussions around the dinner table regularly shift to the frequency and/or solidity of one's daily ritual. Regular "solids" warrant high fives all round, while the less fortunate usually voice envy, followed shortly thereafter with murmurs re: pharmacist in the morning, or something of the like. I suppose, at minimum, there is always something to talk about.
You'll be happy to know(or not that my bowels, at present, are performing top notch. Stellar. Like a Swiss watch. Hopefully the trend will continue.
One month ago my exhausted body landed in New Delhi, and it became quickly apparent that I was more than a world away from Bangkok. Oily beggars in the streets, a seemingly endless stream of confused cattle, and a pungent odour that grabbed my nostrils with a disturbingly steely grip now greeted me head on. I could not have fantasized worse pollution than China, but here it was, beyond believable. The air actually stank. To my good fortune, my flight was shared with an English bloke who had been to Delhi before, and coincidentally was headed in the same direction as I. With his guidance, we were in Delhi for but a few hours, and our bus slowly scraped it's tired bulk out of the sprawl northwards to Rishikesh - yoga capital of the world.
In Rishikesh, I met up with my NYC friends, Tim and Lesley, whose company I was very glad regain. As I had expected, they had attracted other travellers, and we spent the next 1.5 weeks being a somewhat cohesive group and having similar experiences. Aside from brilliant (and cheap) yoga classes, Rishikesh itself was a tantalizing blend of colour, emaciated holy men, scrumptious chai, and afternoons spent lazing about on the banks of the Ganges - one of the holiest rivers in the world. Many of you may remember that in 1968, the Beatles passed a couple months at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Ashram, writing a horde of songs, most of which ended up on their White Album. This Ashram, which we visited, is in a state of disarray - if you close your eyes and open your mind, you can still hear their melodies.
While in Rishikesh, I was fortunate to attend a "Puja" (Offering in Hindi). It was a massive spiritual gathering alongside the Ganges, whereby many Indians (and a few foreigners) gathered to wear bright orange robes, pass around candles, and sing many beautiful songs. Due to the fact that my Hindi is a little rusty, I understood none of the lyrics aside from the tone of what was being said. Even still, it was gorgeous to watch, and my pictures will likely tell a far better story.
Onwards to McCleod Ganj (MG), where I am currently based until tomorrow. Many of you know that mountains have always tugged on my heart, and MG sits right at the edge of Himalayas and some decent trekking. I have been here for almost three weeks, and the energy here is rather significant. This may be due to the fact that MG has been home to the XIV Dalai Lama in exile since 1959. He is here at present, but unfortunately not giving any teachings until mid-June. As you may have guessed, his influence spreads all over northern India, which accounts for the countless number of monks and nuns I have encountered. The mix of Tibetan/Indian cultures is a truly intriguing one.
Half of my time here in MG has been spent at a Buddhist retreat centre that sits in the forest just above the town. It's called Tushita. There, I was lucky enough to embark on a 10 day introductory course to Buddhism (no, I haven't shaved my head and become a monk!). It was, however, a great opportunity to learn first hand about something that has repeatedly held my curiousity. The classroom time was basically halved between lectures and meditation. It was quite an intense course, as participants (80 of us) were allowed to talk only during the 1 hour daily discussion groups or when questioning the teacher. The rest of the time - complete silence. It was an eye-opening experience, and I learned (at minimum) that I have absolutely no control over my mind. In the silence, however, I began to observe little things about people that went previously unnoticed. For example, the way that they chewed their food or the multitude of ways each individual could communicate without speech. Personally, I found the meditation portion incredibly difficult, as I have a very task-oriented brain that continually plans from one moment to the next. Here, the opposite was the goal, and we were encouraged to just be present and live moment to moment. Throughout the 10 days, I had a few experiences, that I believe, will change me forever. For the better, that is. I won't go into detail on this blog, but if you desire to know more, you can email me personally, or I can talk face to face with you next time we meet.
Tushita is part of a world-wide network of Buddhist centres, and you can find information about all of them at:
http://www.fpmt.org/
My future plans revolve around doing some trekking among the highest peaks on the planet. Tomorrow I embark on a likely rather dusty and bumpy bus ride to what Lonely Planet calls "the most beautiful valley in the Himalaya". I am quite stoked.
If am not responding to personal emails it is likely because there is/are:
1. No internet connection available.
2. An slug-like speed connection available.
3. An ridiculously-priced connection available.
4. A combination of numbers 2 and 3.
And now, for the Canadians among you, I encourage you to write your MP in re: to ballistic missile defence, the Kyoto Protocol, and Canada's role in Afganistan. All I can do at present is send emails, and those have not near as much weight as a paper letter.
It's time for me to go. I need to wash my shoes. The lady behind me is complaining about the stench, for last night I stepped in a big pile of cow shit (it's hard not to sometimes). I tried to clean it off, but this stuff clings like glue. Nasty. Like I said.... aaahhh....... India!!
love and peace to all jordo
