We Love India

Gallery: Dodital Trek

bamboozle69 — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:43:00 GMT

Sivananda Kutir - Yoga Teacher Training Course

bamboozle69 — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:37:00 GMT

Well, i just spend 30 minutes writing about it when the power crapped out and i lost it all... so, have a look at the photos and enjoy...

The four weeks in the ashram were wonderful, life changing and filled my mind many dear memories. I am now a Yoga Teacher and so happy for the experience. The people were amazing, the teachers were beautiful and i could have done it for another 4 weeks. WONDERFUL!

om shanti shanti shanti

Gallery: Sivananda Kutir - Ashram Life

bamboozle69 — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:33:00 GMT

Teacher Training Course

Gallery: Gaumukh Trek

bamboozle69 — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:43:00 GMT

Gaumukh Trek

bamboozle69 — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:07:00 GMT

After our snowy visit to Gangotri, I decided to do the 18km each way trek to Gaumukh,the face of the Gangotri glacier & source of the Ganga river... "Jai Ganga Ma" I planned to start on monday 5th of may by going up to Gangotri, resting one day & then heading up to Gaumukh on the 7th, the day that the Ganga Ma temple opens... On the evening of the 3rd at Jaspal's chai shop in Netala, I had the good fortune to meet Marcus, a shop keeper from Gangotri, who informed me that I would now need a permit from the District Forest Offficer to enter Gangotri National Park... New rules had been pushed through the Supreme Court limiting entries to 150 people per day... The District Forest Office is in Tekhla, 2km above Uttarkashi & not open on sundays...

So monday morning I headed to Uttarkashi to get supplies for the trek & my permit... You have to write a begging letter to the Chief Wildlife Officer of Uttarakhand in Dehra Dun detailing your passport & visa number, which the Forest Officer then faxes to him. then you have to wait several hours until hefaxes back your permission number & then the Forest Officer issues you a permit outling the rules & fees, 350rs for foreigners, 50rs for indians for 2 days trekking... Predictably this took nearly all day... It was too late to head to Gangotri, as there are no buses or share jeeps going up at 5pm...

The next morning I caught the bus from Netala at 7.30am. The bus was from Uttarkashi 8kms down & all the seats were full already, so i stood hunched up because of the low headroom, bag at my feet, for the 5hrs to Gangotri (3000 metres). Several times I banged my head on the roof of the bus as it bounced along the bumpy road, some of the other passengers laughed... I spent the night at Manisha Lodge near the bus stand for 200rs, no electricity or running water...

The next morning was the 7th, the day Ganga Ma temple opened, I had breakfast at Bhagirathi Cafe with Zvore, the 20yr old Croatian man that I had met at the District Forest Office @ days before... We left Gangotri a little before 8am, reached the Forest Department Checkpost half an hour later, paid our foreigner tax (300rs more than indians) & received our passes... On this first section of the trail, you have to cross several tributaries on bridges made from 2 pine logs & an ice flow that has covered the trail & filled the valley below. The Bhagirathi as the Ganga is known here flows underneath... We reached the pine forest at Chirbasa (3600m) 9km up at 11am. I shared sweets, biscuits & nuts with my fellow trekkers & filled my water bottle from a mountain stream... We pressed on to Bhojbasa (3800m), a further 5km up & arrived at 1pm, 5hrs after leaving Gangotri. I arrived with sore knees & a blister on my right foot, were my insole had slipped inside my shoe... ouch..! I shared a small room with Zvore at Lal Baba's Ashram for 200rs each, food & chai included...

The next morning, Zvore headed up early around 7am. I left around 7.30am after a steaming black chai or two & choclate biscuits... I walked with a young Indian man named Bhimsu from Mumbai. The last 1km, you have to climb over a huge boulder field & the walk along the side of the river, I arrived just before 9am...

Gaumukh is an awesome sight, over 100m high, the top is covered in rocks that have fallen from the valley sides. The ice is fractured with huge cracks & chasms & glistens blue in the sunlight... I collected some Ganga Jal in a little blue bottle that I had bought in Gangotri & washed my crystals & shrine. I cast two shells from the beach in Goa into the water & collected two pieces of stone from the riverbed... Then I washed away my sins by totally immersing myself in the icy water. "Jai Ganga Ma"... Feeling on top of the world, I descended to Bhojbasa in time for lunch & chai. I decided to spend another shanti night at Lal Baba's rather than walk down the 14km to Gangotri. That night we all sang for our supper... "Sita Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram"...

The next day I took chai & headed down slowly alone around 7.30am. I saw no-one for two hours... "Om Shanti"... I took photos of the ice flows, river & the forest. I arrived at the checkpost at 12 noon, to be told by the Forest Officer that I was a day late & now owed 175rs. I paid up reluctantly & was then further harassed by the cop at the gate. He was accusing me of entering without permission, & looking for a little something..! He got nothing... "Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om"...

A little further down the trail, I saw a Mouse Hare, a large Himalaya only rodent, he stopped to eat under a bush & let me take his photo. Then I saw a green & blue lizard, I had to pursue him a little, but eventually got his photo too... I arrived in Gangotri around 12.30pm, the Ganga Ma temple precinct was busy as I made my way back to Manisha Lodge & checked in. Gangotri had changed a lot in two days... I had to "Om" a lot to maintain my shanti as I sat in the dhaba at the bus stand, surrounded by noisy pilgrims stuffing their faces & shouting out their food orders... Part way through my meal there was a cry from outside. A man had pulled up on a scooter & toppled over the low rail onto a lower level some 20ft below breaking his leg. Most of the pilgrims rushed outside to gawp at the unfortunate man, leaving their meals on the table to go cold... I bought a small statue of Ganga Ma & cleansed her in the river. Later I met with some of the people that I had met in Bhojbasa for a meal at Bhagirathi Cafe & we exchanged tales from the trail...

The next morning I caught the 7am bus to Uttarkashi. I arrived in Netala around 12 noon & had veg noodles at Jaspal's. I went to check in at the guest house that we had stayed at before, only to be told that the rent had doubled to 500rs, now that the pilgrim season had started... I collected my luggage & left to meet Deb. At 2pm I moved down to Hotel Amba in Uttarkashi where I am writing this... Photos to follow when connection is faster... "Om"...

An Incredible Two Weeks

bamboozle69 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:31:00 GMT

Namaste everyone! we hope all is fine and dandy where ever you are...

We have added some photos of our last two weeks. India, the land of extremes, it's either hot or cold, easy or complicated, shanti or chaotic... we have seen it all this past couple of weeks.

In Delhi we did a little shopping, dealt with heavy rains that mucked up the main market where we stay, pampered us in airconditioned coffee shops. We had a couple of days in Rishikesh to take in some lovely waterfalls, yummy food and nice people. The jeep ride to Uttarkashi was death defying and amazingly beautiful at the same time. The town itself was aweful and busy but just 20 minutes away is a lovely little village, Netala... no place is open but we found a simple room and somebody to cook for us while we chill out before debbie's course.

We decided to take a holy trip to the source of the ganga... where shiva is said to have received the ganges in his dread locked hair. The ride up to Dharali was easy if a little cold and wet. We got fed and met 3 really nice men on a pilgrimage to the Gangotri temple. They offered us a ride. On the way we met a white sanyasi (a person who has given up on the material world and wanders the earth)... he was mad of course but also very entertaining. He was wet and cold so we all piled into this little car and made our way to Gangotri. The journey was so wonderful. It's breath taking going so high, the mountains so incredible. The town was simple and nothing was open but we found a room, met 3 other westerners, one being Emily who is also on my course. It snowed the next day so we could not go any place. We just froze a little bit but the guys at the hotel made us food. We got a jeep taxi back down to sunny hot Netala... ready for debbie's big om adventure...

hari om

Gallery: An Incredible 2 Weeks

bamboozle69 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:55:00 GMT

Time For Cooler Climates

bamboozle69 — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:51:00 GMT

Yes, the time has come to head north for cooler climates. It's a bummer too because since the rains stopped it has been brilliant weather.

It is nearly dinner time so not feeling like writing but have a look at the photos - 'Into the Jungle...' to see a bit of what we have been up to.

We love March as there is usually quite a few festivals. Our favourite is Holi. It is like a spring festival. They celebrate differently all over India. Here, in this village, they have a big meal day. The men and boys drum, chant, sing and do this rope dance. The women prepare buckets of food. The dancing moves from house to house then there is a break and everyone sits around eating off leaf plates while gorgeous food is piled on. Sunanda makes a yummy veg masala. There is mounds of rice, fried fish, chicken currey and a sweet made with milk and cardamon....mmmmm.... Everybody goes from house to house having a little food at each... we only managed two places before we felt like we could burst and needed a sleep. This goes on all night. The next day it rained but did not stop the colour. Everyone throws water and coloured paint at each other... we usually manage to avoid this tradition but it looks like fun. Then there is more drumming, singing and firecrackers that goes on until 5am. Phew!

We have mostly been hanging out with our mates Derek & Ilsa. They moved in to the room next door and it is great having friends for neighbours. We went on a scooter trip to the jungle, ate some awesome food at this little cafe on the way, cooled ourselves by the river, saw some wicked ancient rock carvings and took in the beautiful scenery along the winding bumby forest roads. The next day we went with Richie in search of beaches and found two with no people on them. The water was lovely, warm and turquoise... like a tropical paradise. Then after our adventures the rains came. It stormed for about 5 days on and off. Nobody had seen weather like this ever. During the day it was mostly grey and humid with some light rain. But at night the wind picked up and then it poured soaking everything. Then there would be lightning and thunder. This was always amazing to watch. No electriciy so we sat in Jai Ram's cafe around candles, sitting in places where the rain was not dripping through, sipping chai and watching nature. Once the rains finished the sun came out, dried everything off and it is lovely on the beach. We have been swimming everyday, all day... now its time to go.

We are off to Delhi on Tuesday to do a little shopping before heading to the mountains. Then I am off to the ashram and Cal will be heading to Almora to hang out with mates.

So, not sure when we will have time to do photos and stories (maybe end of May) but we all wish you well & happy ... lots of love,

om namah shivaya

Gallery: Into the Jungle, Deserted Beaches and Holi Festival

bamboozle69 — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:31:00 GMT

A Few Hot Weeks in Goa

bamboozle69 — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:04:00 GMT

Namaste everyone!

How is everyone? We hope you are all keeping well & happy.

Well it's taken us a few weeks to get it together enough to write something. Our trip is not much different than any of our other Goa trips. The weather is way up in the 30's and is really humid. It's not much fun writing when you break out into a sweat just looking at your pen.

Patnem beach is quiet, all the tourists leaving or heading to the cooler northern climates. We really like it with less people. It is still a delight to see the dolphins most mornings. They come in really close sometimes.

Last week the air cooled a little bit and we could smell rain in the air. Later that evening, just around dinner time, the skies opened up and dumped a load of rain on us. It was great! The rain was kind of warm, it took the stickiness out of the air. Everything got drenched and the cafe's were all in chaos with wet chairs and matresses strewn all over the place. After about an hour of rain the electical storm started. The sky lit up like a strobe light. The backdrop of palms and the headland was like a black and white negative. The local men were preparing for Holi festival and started to drum, chant and set off firecrakers. It was like nature's rave. Flashing lights, gorgeous backdrops, drumming, trancing... awesome.

We have mostly been busy getting used to the heat, going to the dentist, eating well, hanging out with people and scooter rides to other beaches and rural Goa. (will add those photos later).

Our friend Jai Ram rented us his 2 bedroom house complete with fantastic old style wooden furniture with tacky foam/fabric cushions, a deluxe foam mattress divan bed, kitchen, toilet, shower etc. It beats living in a beach hut for sure. The stove we were given had a big ol' cockroach living in it, was missing the grids and had dodgy pressure. We went out and bought our own little stove burner. It was a proud day walking home from Chaudi with our 'Luxmi, Deluxe Stove'. We were greeted by several people also happy for us and our new home purchase. Feeling a little more like a permanent fixture of Patnem we plan on coming back again later this year and getting a house again. Maybe we will buy us a new 'Magic Mixie' to make our own lassis and juices.

The time has come that I am suffering from Travelers Arse from sitting in these crappy plastic chairs. So, will upload more photos and stories later. oh... here comes the rain again!

Lots of love & light from Goa,

xxdebs & cal

Gallery: Patnem 2008

bamboozle69 — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:52:00 GMT

life in goa