Chandigarh

we've had a couple crazy days here. we left mussorie on the spur of the moment. jesse puked 4 times on the way down the mountain :( and then we hesitated about getting on another bus (the idea was dharamsala) and ended up missing it, staying in dheradun for a night and then getting a bus to a place called chandigarh which we really had no idea about but was only 6 ours away and 3 hours by train from delhi. it's more money than we would have liked but... it's the nicest city in india. i hardly believe we're still in the same country, it's so clean and green. the streets are paved and wide and there are even curbs and street lamps! There are 30 some "sectors" which are like little self sufficiant complexes. and the map is all in squares and planned out. anyway, we decided to stay for a day and relax from the hectic and heavy traveling. we went to this Rock Garden which was really like a big maze. It was really unique and interesting. There were waterfalls and swings and sculptures... I'll have to get some pictures up. Tomorrow we're going to delhi. hope to find a cheap guest house and we'll just have a few days in delhi to do errands like burning my cd and stuff. Then off to Israel... i'm so anxious already! Especially after long days on buses and in Delhi - i'm ready for a little break. Miss you all!

Sikkim Beings

Not much going on in this town in a cloud. But the second night we were here we happened upon a public concert which showcased some of this region's folk music and dance. There was some Rajastani singing and dancing, traditional kind of clothing, the men carried axes and they held each others sides and danced around. Then there were the musicians and dancers from sikkim. It was 2 big dog like costumes (two people in each) and they had white and blue fur. they did real doggy tricks like jumping and rolling over! then there were the punjab fighters who had all different kinds of weapons that they swung around and at each other in a magnificant and scary way. if that dude had let go of the HUGE spiked iron ball, someone in the audience would have lost his head. I wish I had gotten pictures of the show.
Since the excitement of that concert, we ate some bad tibetan soup and have been spending time in bed, in the bathroom, and on the floor (practicing and meditating). The net here is pretty slow so I won't be putting any pics up. Maybe when I get to israel I will have a chance. we'll go to delhi for a night and then we fly out on the 3rd. So until then... namaste ji!

Mussorie

I took mom to the train station in Haridwar and said goodbye. It was a great visit, i'm so glad so was here! Anyway, the next day we were going to switch to a different ashram but decided at the last minute to take a taxi to a hill station 3 hours away. so now we are in a beautiful touristy place, paying a bit too much for a hotel but it has a great view and it's big and spacious. The internet here is slow so it's a short update.

Been a long time...

Mom landed and has been hanging on tight ever since... It's not easy to come to india for the first time at age 51 for a week and a half. It usually takes a person, even a 20 something person, a coupel weeks to adjust to the craziness of this country. Only after some time, can you start to enjoy yourself fully. So Mom has been doing the "india experience" in a fast paced sped up style and doing her best to try to understand what jesse and i love about it. I went to meet her in Delhi and we spent two days shopping and sightseeing. Now that sounds simple, doesn't it? Well, you'll just have to ask my mom how simple it was. And now I know the huge benfits of travelling with a man, since i was verbally "molested" a number of times while alone. "I have a big strong one. Shall I cum?" In between the Indian accent and the mere shock, you don't know what to do but laugh. Mom just screamed "GO AWAY" at the top of her lungs. We saw "36 ChinaTown" and new bollywood flick with all the singing and dancing and crazy fun that goes along with it. We went to the Red Fort and holy places: Jama Masjid, The Sikh temple, and the Bahai temple. And finally on the bus to Rishikesh over night. We arrived and Mom was so glad to be somewhere else besides Delhi, it hardly mattered where. Unfortunately a bug got hold of her stomach and as every traveller has experienced, she was in the bathroom suffering. She toughed it out though and agreed to go on a 12 hour bus ride the next morning. Of course, she did not realize that this bus ride was climbing the Himalayas, bumping and winding all the way. Fortunaly, a fellow traveller gave us some motion sickness pills that put her (and jesse) out for most of the ride. Somehow, we made it. It was the ride from hell (more on Jesse's blog about that), but we drove through heavenly landscape up to Badrinath at 3200 M (10400 Ft). It's impossible to describe that place. It was PACKED with Indian pilgrims who had come to bay their respects at the famous temple. I couldn't believe that all of these people had gone through the same rigourous experience to come to this place. Most people stayed for 2-3 days. Well, I'll just have to post some pictures. We have a perfect view of the temple from our guest house. Every morning at 3:30 am there was some kind of loud prayer service and then in the afternoon there was recorded music being played. We ventured into the temple and we squashed in with a huge crowd all desperate to make their offering. We spent the first day trying to relax and get used to the altitude. I was surprisingly at ease with the whole experience, which is a good thing since I had to have compassion for my mom who was not having an easy time of it all. It was freezing up there, and dirty. Anyway, the next day we went 3 Km further to Mana Village to visit the cave where the Vedas were written. Sitting in that cave for just a moment was like a serene balancing affect on my mind and body and when we walked out I felt like I was floating. We walked along the bank of the river there, and for me it was blissful. My time is running out here, I'm going for my last Yoga lesson with Govinda, the teacher we've been studying with for a month. So long story short is that we're back in the heat of Rishikesh, relaxed, mom got an ayurvedic massage and is feeling much better (but i think she's stil gonne be much happier back in her cozy Glendale home). All my love!

Out for the day

Yesterday we rented a motorcycle for the day... I didn't get a shot of the whole bike, oops. Anyway, it was a gorgeous ride along the Ganga up into the foothills. Unfortunately as the years pass I am getting to be more of a nervous person so I couldn't fully relax and enjoy the ride. Jesse is a good driver but the roads weren't great. Anyway, we stopped along the way a few times to sit by the river. We met a cute little calf who was very friendly... a bit too friendly when for a moment he started chasing Jesse and leaped up in a playful yet alarming way. We finally got him to leave us alone and return to his grazing.

Omkarananda Ashram

We are now settled in to a quiet ashram right next to the Laxman Jhula bridge. This means that we are closer to many more restaurants, yoga classes, and beaches. The ashram has two main temples with different gods, and one shiva-linga. There is a preist who does prayers at sunset (probably at sunrise too but i wouldn't know for sure...) We haven't really gotten too close while he is doing his puja (ceremony) but we can't miss when he sings "Om Nama Shivaya" with all his heart and voice over and over. It's nice to be in a holy place where people are showing their respect and devotion to God. we now have two rooms in the ashram so we can practice. the first day i was there we practiced together with the door open and apparently it was too loud. we almost got kicked out but then we just realized that we have to keep the doors closed and be conscientious about the volume.
We have gone to yoga for 3 days in a row since my foot has healed. It feels good to have a routine and feel improvement in our bodies. we are learning and trying to master the 12 basic yoga postures (let's see if i can remember them): corpse (shavasana), shoulder stand, plow (halasana), sitting forward, twisting, standing forward, balancing posture (eagle or something), cobra, headstand, triangle posture... hmm, i'm missing a few. oh well. we start the class with sun salutation. I think within another few days jesse will be able to hold a headstand for a few seconds. i am lengthening the amount of time i can hold mine - i think i'm back up at about 3 minutes. our teacher's name is Govinda. We pay 50 Rs per class. He seems like a good teacher and a good guy but he never smiles which is a bit odd for a yoga teacher.
one more week until my mom comes. i haven't decided exactly what we're going to do yet. good thing she's so laid back!
Who else is coming to visit india? Miss you all.
Namaste