Sneaking in some pictures...

Here are some pictures I can sneak in to show you some of my trip. They're just a few to keep you enticed :-)

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Agra
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Taj Mahal:























Agra Fort:

















Baby Taj:










Here is my taxi driver Rama and I:




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Train ride to Haridwar
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Some pictures that I took outside of my train window while going from Agra to Haridwar. Not that exciting but I'm posting them none the less:








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Rishikesh Town Pictures
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Here are some pictures that I took around the city of Rishikesh. They include Laxmanjula Bridge and Ram Jula Bridge.


















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Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan Ashram
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Here are pictures of the famous Ganga Aarti that is performed every night at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram. You can read more about this festival here:

Ganga Aarti on the Full Moon

Just a quick update to tell you about my experiences today. Again, no pictures (see earlier post) but rest assured I DID take them. I also took some awesome video of the Ganga Aarti ceremony they did at Parmarth Niketan Ashram...

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Wake up, Practice, Get Lost!
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So this morning I woke up around 7:00 am but didn't want to get out of bed of course - it was so cold in the A.M. that I didn't want to move. Remember I have no heat and Rishikesh is in the Himalayan foothills. I waited another half hour or so before I convinced myself to get up and out of bed. I then recalled that the hotel owner (Nicky) was really cool and friendly to me when I arrived yesterday. He showed me around the hotel which, in fact, has its own yoga shala on the top floor. Actually, there are so many yoga shalas and Ashrams in Rishikesh that it seems nearly every building has one of them, so it wasn't surprising. Nicky said I was free to use the space for my personal practice if I wanted to - and today being a Full Moon (so no Ashtanga Yoga classes around), I decided to do a light practice. It was cold, of course, so I didn't push hard, but nice to get back into it...

Afterwards, I came back to the room, showered, and then headed out to the same cafe where I met Rani yesterday (she is my American friend whom I've met recently and who has showed me around a little bit). Rani and I agreed to meet at 11am, but it was already 10:45 and I was still at Ram Jula bridge (near where my hotel was) needing to get to Laxman Jula bridge. What does this mean to you, I know you're asking this. Don't feel bad - I'm normally good with directions and I STILL cannot figure out Rishikesh! Maybe that is common in Asia - I seem to have this problem in Thailand, Malaysia, and India...

So, I decided to experiment - yesterday it took me 45 minutes to walk down the east side of the river to the other bridge, cross it and then find the cafe right at that location. This time, I would cross my bridge first and walk along the other side, thinking I would eliminate some time by taking advantage of the curvature of the river. Yeah right - it took me nearly 1 full hour to get there and some big time hiking up steep roads and stairs. I was sweating by the time I arrived...

At one point, I thought I was lost - nothing was looking familiar, and my anxiety started to rise again. UGH - why can't I find this place? I should ask for directions, but I'm finding that sometimes in India, you ask for something, Indians will tell you they know it or have it or understand you when in fact they don't at all. Take Rani and I's journey yesterday in the Rickshaws - this was her doing most of the talking:

"You take us to Nataranj Shiva - Dancing Shiva for prayer on the Nataranj, you understand?"
"Yes Yes Nataranj Ok 150 Rupees yeah."
"Well I want to be sure - because today is Nataranj, I cannot worship sitting Shiva, only dancing Shiva - you're Hindu yes? You understand the difference?"
"Yes Nataranj"
"Ok. Jeff get in..."
...driving...driving some more... almost hit a cow... driving some more.... SHIT ALMOST OFF THE ROAD AND FALLING OFF THE MOUNTAIN LOUD HORN... ok driving....arrive at a hotel called "Nataranj Hotel".
"Ok Nataranj yes hotel ok please"
"NO!!! Not Hotel!! Nataranj Shiva Temple!"

LOL this went on for like 2 hours, 5 rickshaw riders later, sitting Shiva temple (not dancing), and a bunch of hassle only to find out that the Rickshaw driver didn't really know what Nataranj Shiva was. But he SAID he did. He (and some shopkeepers who do the same, mostly Indians looking for some kind of business) will say ANYTHING to you - you can never take some of them at face value, I've learned. Even when they say they totally understand you, they might not...

Enter a new philosophy of life - what do you do in a situation like this? This has been a subject of discussion between Rani and I, whom herself has spent nearly 8 cumulative years in India (living here). One option - get totally frustrated and upset, yell and scream, storm off, bitch and moan, etc. Another option - see things from a broader perspective. Understand that their life is just that - driving locals, tourists around parts of Rishikesh in a very competitive race to get business. They do have families to feed and bills to pay just like everyone else, so any kind of money will help. Moreover, there is a lot of ego involved, and when you step outside of it by not getting frustrated at their bumbling (in this situation), you can clearly see it. When the Rickshaw stops to ask if any of his buddies know where this temple is (or if it exists), almost IMMEDIATELY 10 - 20 more guys crowd around the Rickshaw and listen in. Then, one of them belts out an answer - "I HAVE IT! I KNOW WHERE YOU NEED TO GO! I AM THE ONE WITH THE ANSWERS!" Then another belts out that THEY are the ones who know. Before you know it (no joke) they're arguing amongst each other about who is correct. Pure ego...

Ok I got off track - where was I? Oh yes, I was feeling lost on the west side of the river looking for the cafe near the Laxman Jula bridge. As I walked I consciously tried to use "Divine Mind" instead of "Egoic Mind" to guide me to the correct location, and believe that I will be taken care of and wherever I end up will be the right place. This has been going on for weeks now - I have seen the results myself, it totally works when you surrender your fears to the Universe. Just keep going, keep being open to possibilities that present themselves, no fear, no worries about being late, just be...

BAM - I found it! I knew I would! Rani was sitting there smiling and waiting for me. I told her about my trek and how going that route was NOT the quickest and I apologized for being late. "You're not late, you're exactly where and when you need to be"... :-)

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Long lunch, Bookstore and Coffee Sadu
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So as we usually do, Rani and I ended up talking for hours at the cafe - also waiting for the guy to bring the check! Rani seems to know him well - he's a very sweet, gentle and open hearted Tibetan kid who supports his whole family with the job at the cafe. Any tips you give him, he distributes among the rest of the workers for their benefit. He smiles all the time at everything and anything you ask him. Rani and I love this guy - such a great energy :-)

Finally, Rani goes and gets some warmer clothes (she is staying in an Ashram nearby) while I wait in the bookstore attached to the cafe. Really cool place - TOTALLY unorganized, you can't find anything, but you have to "stumble" upon it. I ended up buying a book called 'Yoga School Dropout', which looks like a very entertaining read :-)

We walked across the bridge intending on doing some shopping, but instead found a nice coffee shop where we stopped and had a bite. We were making our way to the Parmarth Niketan Ashram (near where my hotel is), but it was too far to walk so we had a coffee before hailing a rickshaw or Jeep to take us there. In Rishikesh, you see lots of swamis, sadus and people who are on spiritual quests just walking around in robes, with wooden staffs, etc. The image you might paint in your mind for a renunciate - sometimes you see exactly that, sometimes it's different. Sitting in the table next to us at the coffee shop, there was a young man who was clearly a spiritual seeker but somehow different from the rest. Rani has an ability to sense that he actually can play with our Kundalini Energy and has been listening in to our conversation the entire time. He realizes that we know what he is doing, and in fact Rani even says out loud "Someone is raising my energy level and he is very near to us!" I don't feel anything at the time but I do think he is listening to us. When we get up to leave, we find a Jeep to take us to the Ashram and while I'm getting in, I look over to him and he smiles at me. We exchanged a lot of information in that brief look - "I know what you were doing!" "I know you know :-) You're welcome :-)" It's actually a good thing, that he can raise our energy level like that - Rani pointed out to me that I hadn't stopped smiling the entire ride to the Ashram, all because of it... Hope that makes sense in description :-)

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Ganga Aarti and Parmarth Niketan Ashram
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So we get to Parmarth Niketan Ashram and start walking around the place, checking out all the statues and scenes depicted in those statues of famous Hindu stories. I don't know the stories but I did see Krishna (of course), Hanuman, Shiva, Sita, and other gods / goddesses doing various things :-) LOL I sound so green. I found it very interesting though, as Rani explained to me what each of them mean...

Then, we found some flowers that would suffice for our Aarti and headed to a section of the Ganges river (which fronts the Ashram) for our little ceremony. Rani told me that the purpose of the ceremony (on this day, the full moon just after Nataranja) was to ask for cleansing and karmic freedom for my ancestors on both mother and father side. You have this basket of flower petals (well sort of a basket), along with incense and a small candle. You go down the ghat up to the river, say a prayer to the river (for Ganga is herself a very important Goddess in Hinduism - and I'm looking at her at that VERY moment, this, the most honored of rivers in India). Then, with incense burning and candle lit, you set the flower basket on the water, and Ganga takes it away. Your family (mostly deceased but also alive) gets immediate benefit from that act - purification of their karmic baggage, their grief, their souls. It was one of the more beautiful moments I've experienced. Because - you have to picture it (as I did not take pictures for this, wasn't feeling appropriate). Ganga River is flowing very strong and fast moving, rippling waves, realtively cool outside, the sun is setting and reflecting off the water, you see backdrops of majestic mountains and bridges and Temples and such. It was amazing...

Then - Rani asked if I wanted to experience a "bath" in the Ganges. Well, not a truth bath as I wasn't going to remove all my clothes and go inside, but at least take a dip with my bare feet. I took off my shoes, rolled up my pants, and went in. Then, you take the water in your hands and "throw" it up and over your head, rubbing the water on your head and on your arms and legs and body. The water is thought to have so much power that you yourself will experience cleaning of sins, of karma, of negativity. Honestly, I did not get that impression at the time. But what I DID get - one of connection. I felt an amazing sense of connection with billions and billions of other people in the history of the world who have done the exact same thing in this exact same river. I felt immense connection with that idea and with them, and it was fantastic...

Shortly thereafter, we walked to the main ghat where they Ashram boys were setting up for their singing / kirtan ceremony. It was soooo cool - and recommended to me from friends earlier, I'm glad I went. I took some good photos and I have the BEST one of me with a backdrop of Krishna statue and the sun setting. Today was a day for connection... :-) Rani left early to go back to her Ashram to attend to some personal business, but I stayed for the entire performance. Afterwards, I could walk back to my hotel (as it was close by this time) but I stopped in another Italian place for dinner that was along the way. It's a SMALL place with like 6 tables but they had a decent menu - mostly foreigners. I've come to realize that foriengers know the best places to eat in Rishikesh - when you see lots of them, it's a good place...

Anyway, I ended up sitting with this nice gentleman named Nicco. He's Italian and does not speak much English, but we had some really great conversation. I hope I get to run into him again before I leave Rishikesh. Then I walked back to my hotel and here I am sitting at the internet station :-)

Hope all is well with everyone - tomorrow has more adventure in store, I'm sure :-) Namaste and Love from India :-)

In Rishikesh, Internet Access Limited

Hi everyone. Well, I know it's been a few days since I have posted anything. Truth be told, I actually have not had internet access in the last few days in either Agra or Rishikesh. I am currently in Rishikesh though, and they do not have Wifi but do have a station where you can either use their computers or hook up your own (but they frown upon picture uploading / downloading, plus it costs me 20 Rupees an hour to use either way). Needless to say, Internet will not be easy to come by as before - not sure how it will be in Amritsar next week though...

Just wanted to let you all know I'm still alive :-) I have continued to write some blog entries on my local computer (stored on the Hard Drive) and maybe someday soon I can find the time / space to post them, but for now I'll try to give a VERY brief analysis. I cannot post pictures (aforementioned reason), but rest assured I have them:

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Train Travel from Delhi to Agra
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I took my first Indian Train a few days ago from Delhi to Agra - second class travel (due to the rebooking I had to do - see previous post) was an adventure for sure! Think only white guy in a train packed with Indians - men, women, children, families, chai wallahs, Acrobatic Children (yes they were flipping themselves up and down the train aisles), Homeless beggers, etc. One of the beggers even hit my leg to wake me up while I was trying to sleep - I was startled and woke up to find her hand shoved in my face and barking "MONEY!!!" to me. HA! Good luck with that lady, I said "No". Then she did it again - "MONEY YES!!" Then I did it again. "NO!!" Then she slaps me on on the shoulder and said something to the effect of "NO MONEY NO GIRLFRIEND HA OK BYE!!" "No protest here!" I wrote more about it in my forthcoming blog entry...

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Agra, India
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Agra - I was expecting the worst, given all that I went through in Delhi. I got absolutely the best! I think the Universe toys with me - all the problems and emotional SHIT that I had on my last night in Delhi were reversed when I met my taxi driver in Agra. Rama (his name) took me under his wing and showed me a really great city. I saw the Taj Mahal folks - perhaps the most beautiful building in the world - it does NOT disappoint! I took LOADS AND LOADS of pictures - I ran the battery out of my camera because I also went to Agra Fort and The Baby Taj. But if I'm going to run out of battery, it might as well be taking pictures of the Taj Mahal!!

Hotel in Agra was blah - kind of dirty, spiders, unclean sheets (I checked for bed bugs - none thank goodness). The Delhi Hilton it was NOT! Was glad to be out of there though - I even called Rama to take me back to the train station the next morning (we're tight like that - I have his cell phone number :-) ). LOL!

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Train Travel from Agra to Haridwar
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The trip from Agra to Haridwar lasted nearly 12 hours (with all delays - 2 hours I think, plus weather delays, etc.) but I got to go on my original reservation which was 2A (A/C first class). WHAT a difference! Like seriously night and day. However, it turned out to be a really good highlight of my journey. Most of that is due to this AMAZING and kind Indian family (father and son) with whom I shared space. They were just so fantastic - they shared food with me (home cooked Indian food - chapatis, Lentils, Some Paneer dish, Okra, etc.) The father was even so kind as to help me get a prepaid taxi in the INSANITY of the Haridwar Train Station upon arrival. I prostrated gratitude to them - I'm leaving out a lot of details but trust me, the two of them are some of the BEST people I have ever met in my life. They are authentic - they have true devotion to others, their faith, humanity in general. I was so impressed - they were Angels to me...

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Rishikesh, India
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Somehow I made it to my hotel in Rishikesh but the journey was difficult. It's a long story but basically Rishikesh is a holy city on the River Ganges and one side is pedestrian only (well you can also take motorbikes but not cars, but even that is broken somehow). So my taxi driver took me to the foot of the Ram Jula bridge and said I had to cross myself (well not so much said as he spoke NO English, but grunted and pointed and said some stuff I didn't understand). You have to picture this to appreciate it - I'm frazzled from Haridwar train station, it's 12:30am (because the train was so delayed), and I don't know where I am at all. I don't even have the address of the hotel (DUH!!) just the name, and no one seems to know where that hotel is. By myself, eventually I find a rickshaw that pulls a contraption that carries my bags (think pulling a wheelbarrel but only a flat surface). He guides me across the Ram Jula bridge and we start to look for my hotel...

At this point I have one of the most out-of-this-world experiences in my life. I am standing hundreds of feet above the mighty Ganges on a bridge, one of the most famous rivers in the world. It's nearly 1 am. The wind is HOWLING through the mountain valley and blowing on my face. I'm shivering and alert and nervous all at the same time. It's like 30 degrees outside (BIG difference in weather, plus it had just rained). This is fucking India, baby! Seeing the blackness of the city and hearing the REALLY strong waves on the Ganga, it was amazingly powerful and I felt so small and insignificant. Hopefully I conveyed it properly - maybe not, I dunno, somethings you as the reader will not be able to understand until you come here yourself...

The rickshaw takes me all around the city looking for my hotel, asking people left and right - well most everyone is asleep but some were awake. No one knows where this is. Where am I anyway??? How do I even know where to start?? Fuck - dude it's 2:30 am by this time and I'm STILL trying to find the hotel for which I don't have a phone number or address. My hotel confirmation letter was a simple email, and I just didn't realize that information wasn't present. So I couldn't even call them...

It was at this time that, back against the wall, I prostrated to God asking for guidance once more. I've been building and intensifying a deeply personal relationship with God on this trip - we have been through a lot together. He sent Angels to help me find my way and I have been letting go of my obsessive compulsive need to control my experience and allowing it to happen as it will. He sent them on the Haridwar train, He sent Rama to me, He sent Arjun, He sent Katja, Petra and Sarah, He sent Verena & Ulla, He sent Raffael & Gabriel. I have to be one of the most blessed people in the world - I am always taken care of no matter what, I know this now. I have people that really care about me, not just my family, but all over the world (and that is now the truth - they ARE from all over the world!) I ask, It is given - I believe this deep within my soul...

FINALLY - an Indian appears who knows the way to the hotel. We are on the wrong side of town. ARGH! Another 20 minute walk back to where we originally were. NOW I see signs for the hotel! Up a little ways, down some dark alleys, FOUND IT! I gave the Rickshaw 300 Rupees (asked for 200) because it was a hard night for him too, pulling that contraption. I'm sure his back was sore...

Hotel is very simple but really nice - no heater though so it's like 40 degrees in my room and the wind still howls. But I have a nice, warm blanket that worked well last night, so no complaints. And I have hot water in the shower, so definitely no complaints!

Rishikesh is unlike any other Indian city I visited. Whereas in Delhi I felt constantly on guard and timid, Rishikesh is all about the yoga vibe. EVERYONE does Namaste to you (hands pressed in front of the chest OR right palm pressed to the heart). There are sadus walking around, sometimes asking for food or money, but not nearly as prevalent. Shopkeepers don't get in your face and harass you - you come to them, they smile - "Hari Om! Namaste!" "Namaste to you! Jai Guru Dev!"...

Today was my first full day in the city. Had a great breakfast at the hotel and then decided to walk around and check things out. I found my way from Ram Jula bridge to the other, more populated Lakshimi Jula bridge to the north. Lots of tourists here, many spiritual seekers too. Very New Age vibe - TONS and TONS of Yoga Ashrams, people do bathe in the Ganges as well, bells ringing, Hash being smoked, etc.

I went to a cafe across the river that was recommended by Lonely Planet. Found myself talking with a very nice woman from Ohio. In fact, she and I connected very well and talked for almost 4 hours. I had originally planned to practice some Ashtanga Yoga this evening but wanted to be open to my experiences as I receive them. So she and I decided to go and look for a Hindu temple (she is a practicing Hindu, actually) and perform worship for Shiva. Today is the evening of the Nataraja, where Shiva is worshiped in dancing form as the destroyer and creator of the Universe. See more here:

Nataraja

It ended up being an adventure in rickshaw haggling - she is so good at it, but we never got to where we wanted to go. It was an adventure of letting go of expectations and just being in the moment - hard to explain right now, plus I'm running out of internet time, so you'll just have to be fine with that explanation :-)

Anyway, enjoying Rishikesh so far. My life has already changed, I know it. You will not recognize the same person when I return, I feel this to be true. I am immensely grateful to the Universe for all that I have experienced so far...

Namaste & Love from India :-)

Drained By Delhi...

Ok, been a few days since I posted, but I have to say this. Delhi is perhaps the most draining city I have ever been in. Maybe I'm just really exhausted right now (I am) but My God - today was really hard. Thank the stars for Arjun's kindness, he saved me from running to the airport and buying a one way ticket right back to the US. I think it was the New Delhi Train Station that did me in - it's just fucking insane, so many people, so much pushing and shoving, so much loud noise and train horns and trash and dogs touts and misinformation. I will try to reflect on the rest of the city, though, now that I have a few hours of downtime...

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Traveling to Delhi and The Hilton Hotel
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So I left Goa for Delhi on Saturday afternoon on a different flight than what I originally booked a long time ago. That original flight was supposed to be direct between the two cities but Kingfisher decided to change it so that I had to go through Mumbai. And I found out that it was delayed by 2 hours at that! So a few days before I left, I booked a SpiceJet flight that was direct and was also the same flight that my friend Katja was on, so we got to travel together. Traveling together seems much more enjoyable than traveling alone, I'm finding...

So we get to the Delhi domestic airport terminal, collect our baggage, and go to the prepaid taxi stand. Katja's hotel was right next to the airport while the Hilton (where I'm staying) is a bit farther away, so we couldn't share a taxi and had to part our separate ways. I got my prepaid taxi, found the guy, and then we were off. He knew where the area was but didn't know the exact hotel, so he had to ask around first. Then, once he knew, we were off...

Delhi traffic is as insane as it sounds - perhaps more so than Mumbai just by the sheer number of people that live in this sprawling metropolis (18+ million). People, People everywhere and all the time - that is the theme in India, I'm finding. I arrive at the Hilton and holy cow - talk about a fortress! Tons of security in this place. They scan every bag you care before you enter, each time you get a full pat down too. But they are polite about it - maybe even overly polite, as everyone in this place is constantly giving me Namaste hands. No one else does that in the city (it's way too formal) but seriously every single Hilton employee does. Anyway the hotel is amazing - check out some pics of the lobby that I took:








I was so tired from traveling and kind of scared to venture out on my own here. That's been a common theme - in Mumbai I was able to figure things out faster, but Delhi is a mystery to me and it's seems more intense. It's not evident where I can even go to eat around here - maybe I'm just in a frazzled state of mind, I have been ever since I got here, I don't know why. So I ended up getting room service and having dinner in my hotel room - which was AMAZING! Check out the pics:







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Day 1 - Humayun's Tomb, Lodi Garden and Qawwali
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So the following day I met up with my friend Arjun. He came to meet me at the hotel and we connected right away - I like him, he's really easy to talk to and quite intelligent, we shared some great conversation over lunch. Check out my authentic Veg Thali I had at said lunch:



We then took the Delhi Metro towards the city center to see some of the sights. Let me tell you, the Delhi Metro was like an oasis of order to me. It's run very well, it's VAST and covers a lot of area, it's clean, it's safe, it's a great way to get around (and not even that expensive). They are very strict and will fine you for many violations if they catch you (at least, the literature on the wall and in my pamphlet says so). But the one factor they can't control is the sheer number of people using it. In some stations, the trains were so packed that you had to wait for the next one. Not so uncommon in big cities (London has the same problem) but here people Push and Shove to get in and out of the train - no one waits for people to exit first, and then the others to get on. No it's every man, woman and child for themselves, it's extremely chaotic from that perspective. But hey, that's Delhi's mantra - chaos that somehow works...

So the first sight we saw was Humayun's Tomb, a Mughal architectural tomb that was first built to house the remains of the second Mughal emperor Humayun in the mid 16th century. However, many other notable rulers in the area's history were buried there as well, and there are a lot of tombs around the place. It's big and a nice place to visit, and we got some pretty good photos too:














Afterwards, we decided to head through Lodi Garden, a really nice park that also showcases some old 15th century edifices (also intended as tombs, I think). But I found the vibe to be SOOOOOO much more laid back - lots of park culture, meaning people enjoying a stroll, laying on the grass, playing cricket, enjoying nature and the scenery. Arjun and I sat in a grassy field in the park and discussed our lives in general - it was so lovely, I really enjoyed it. Here are some pics of Lodi Garden:







Afterwards, we ended up going to an art gallery and checking out some of the local Indian art. Plus they were serving free food and drink - score!! I would have NEVER found that place on my own, nor knew of it's existence. Shortly thereafter we headed over to the India Islamic Cultural Center where they were putting on a performance of Qawwali:




Arjun basically explained to me that it is Muslim devotional music usually sung by a family of brothers or other relatives. They sing mostly in their local dialect but sometimes switch over to Hindi (so I'm told), but none was in English, so I had to pull context clues using the VERY limited vocabulary I could figure out. Qur'an, Masjit (which was also in Malay language and means "Mosque" there), and some others that I can't remember right now. All in all, I appreciated the performance from the artistic perspective (they guys sing for a really long time without a break, and very LOUDLY) but I didn't connect with it personally. I'm sure there are many obvious reasons why I didn't connect with it (partly because I couldn't understand what they were saying but also because I don't resonate with that style of music), but I'm very happy to have gone none the less. We had a short dinner afterwards at a really cool, funky Asian fusion place - think Pacman wallpaper in the bathroom! Check it out:



I got back really late as my hotel is quite far from the heart of Delhi, so it takes almost an hour on the metro for travel. Needless to say, I was beat...

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Day 2 - New Delhi Train Station, Dilli Haat, Bahai House of Worship
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Ok, here is where the real experiences began. Originally I had a train ticket booked for travel to Agra today, but I decided to extend my stay in Delhi 1 more day so that I could see more of it (and limit my time in Agra, only want to see the Taj and maybe Red Fort, that's it). So I couldn't even cancel my train ticket (as I was past the 24 hour limit for cancellation), so I had to let it expire. And I had to pay more money for the extra hotel night (Hilton is EXPENSIVE - just imagine the price, won't go into it :-) ). And all the train tickets to Agra for Tuesday (tomorrow as of this writing) were booked last night. But Arjun mentioned to me that I could go to the International Tourist Ticket office in the New Delhi Train Station and get a reserved quota of tourist tickets that they always keep on hand prior to 24 hours departure...

This meant I needed to venture out on my own to the train station. Arjun (bless his heart :-) ) helped me by providing a hand drawn map of the routes I will need to take on the Metro and on foot, but even with his help I still encountered problems (maybe I was expecting to encounter them??) I have limited orientation in Delhi, it's just so overwhelming to me...

Anyway, I got on the Metro, got off on the right stop, walked through this bizarre Hippy Market and entered into the train station from the back end. However, once I got in, I was lost and didn't know how to get around. The signs pointing you in the direction you need to go are confusing and sometimes not even working - or just plain incorrect. Arriving at Platform 1 is the train from Varanasi, but in reality it's on Platform 4. But maybe everyone knows that already who frequent train travel in India??? Anyway, I looked and looked and looked for the tourist office and couldn't find it. I was on high alert as I'm told touts often confront you directly and try to redirect you to another location besides the tourist ticket office. No way, not going to happen, I am on a mission, I WILL find this office!!!!

I eventually found some tourist information office, but lo and behold, it's not the place that actually issues the tickets. Fine, it's information, maybe they can help me, and help they did thankfully. I even had a nice chat with the guy who gave me the info - he was intensely curious about my profession and where I lived, and repeatedly told me his son is a successful engineer for Airbus and lives in France...

So I head back out through the Platforms looking for the tourist office. Now that I was in the front of the station I actually saw signs that point you to the place - FINALLY!!!!! Thank GOD!! I found it!! Go inside - holy shit, there's an enormous queue of people. Ok what do I do? What is the first step? I don't even know, people are just sitting on chairs with pieces of paper in their hand - what is it I'm supposed to do to get a ticket??? I'm aggravated at this point and hungry (I didn't eat yet). Finally I see a sign that says "Start Here" - fill out the paperwork, and then see another sign that says "Queue Starts Here" Ahhhh ok I get it now. I waited for about 35 minutes in the queue before I finally saw a reservation officer. Sure enough there were tickets available on trains to Agra, and he got me on an express train that leaves around 7:10 am. So this means that tomorrow, I have to be up WAY early and leave the hotel around 5am or so, to get there, figure things out, figure out the platform, etc. Ugh - hopefully it will be ok... It will be ok... It will be ok... Can you tell that I'm at my wits end lately????? LOL :-)

Afterwards I find the metro station nearby and head out to meet Arjun and his friend Marco (who is currently couch surfing with him). We meet at an open air market called Dilli Haat - a nice place, a lot quieter than the other markets but still some high sales pressure asking you to buy scarves, etc. We find a nice outdoor cafe where I have some Tibetan Momo's for lunch. These are the same kinds of Momo's that Sati, Martha, myself, Caroline and Jaime made a few months ago - they were delish! Check it out:




Then We decided to head off to the Bahai temple, only to find that it was closed! We did get a few pictures though:









Marco, Arjun and I walked back through a nice park on our way to the Metro and stopped and chatted while enjoying the scenery. It was nice...

Then I had to head back to the hotel, as I have to get up early in the morning and head off to the train station for Agra tomorrow. I parted ways with Arjun and Marco at the Rajiv Chowk interchange on the Delhi Metro. I am so glad I connected with them during my time in Delhi, it made things a lot easier...

Now - off to bed, try to relax, try to just allow things to happen. Remember the post from yesterday, I can do this, I can find comfort and safety in the midst of chaos... Though feeling shaken, I still send Love from India :-)

Something Profound...

Just a quick note - I was checking Facebook early this morning and I saw a post from a friend of mine. The post she had hit me like a ton of bricks when I read it:

"The mind, the ego, is afraid of freedom. It wants possibilities that it can comprehend, predict, and control. What we must lead our minds to realize though, is that when we are free, when possibilities are endless, we are finally fully capable of creating the life we've always wanted. PURE LOVE."

This is EXACTLY the reason why I am traveling in India. This is a succinct summation of the experience I am meant to have. In my life, I always find comfort and safety in things I can comprehend, predict and control. But recently, my life has been in upheaval with so many changes - I didn't know what was going to happen, how things were to unfold, what I should do to prepare for it. So perhaps now I am free and possibilities are endless, so death to the ego. Hence, the earlier dream about Deconstruction...

Thanks Dani - you have done more than you know :-)

Arrived in Delhi

Just arrived in Delhi - staying at an amazing hotel but I'm really tired so I don't want to write that much. Going to order some killer room service - yum!

Will write more another time soon - all is well. Love from India :-)I