Hooray for strong internet connection!!!!!

So here are some shots of Chennai.  Ursula, Kristina and I met up at the Woodlands hotel for a day before heading on out to the Temple and Oneness University…

South Indian food and no, I have no idea what most of it is except – Yummo!

Spent the day sightseeing/shopping – temple of color, only allowed to take photos from the outside…

Apparently, getting your picture taken by Americans is the thing!!  They pulled up beside the cab and wildly gestured to get my attention and even primped before we all took off on the green light and I managed to barely snap this photo.  It was a thumbs up success from me to them which made them laugh delightedly…

On the way to the Temple…just pretty countryside.

We stopped at Amma’s ashram for a special blessing on our way to OU – that was amazing!

My first sight of the Temple!

Day One…We finally made it!!

Next up, the sights of the Oneness University campus for my 28 days…

Elephanta Caves/Island

When we got to the island and discovered exactly how long and how steep the climb (including 120 stairs) was – Beth and I opted to ride in the chairs.  Well, ride isn’t exactly it, we were carried.  Beth asked one of them if they ever dropped any one and he said, “no, madam, never drop, is too expensive”  One of my other favorite quotes was when one of them flexed his muscles after being told they must be strong and saying “oh, yes, madam, local boy, no gym”!

Monkeys everywhere – look cute but don’t eat or drink near them!!  Grabby little suckers!

The island itself is interesting/beautiful…

And focused on the tourism – the entire trip up from dock to caves is lined with vendors…

Including fine dining *wink*

But the caves, the caves are so worth it…

Then the ferry back to Mumbai which by now feels a little like coming home 🙂

Last full day with Beth and Joel in Powai…

We’ve had a leisurely b-fast (eggs benedict with smoked salmon instead of ham…yummm), grocery shopped for dinner (homemade minestrone soup w/ garlic bread and salad), and now in the midst of doing all of my laundry 🙂

Cannot believe I’m finishing up 19 days here and then tomorrow heading out to Chennai and the four week spiritual deepening at OU http://www.onenessuniversity.org/index.php/courses/deepening-process

Here are the photos from yesterdays excursion:

First we had a fabulous brunch at the Taj Mahal Hotel in south Mumbai: http://www.tajhotels.com/Luxury/Grand-Palaces-And-Iconic-Hotels/The-Taj-Mahal-Palace-Mumbai/Overview.html

interior of the new portion of the hotel:

Then we walked through the ‘plaza’ to the Gateway to India http://www.mumbainet.com/travel/gateway.htm

The ferry ride to the island…

We’re actually docking to another ferry and had to leap the great divide between boats as well as to the dock – thanks goodness for strong skinny Indians that can heft a curvy white chick!!

We had arrive to Elephanta!! http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_elephanta.asp

Photos of the island itself and the caves up next…

 

Pictures from Goa

On the drive there.  It really is much more like a jungle than anything I’ve seen so far – the palm trees are huge!

The buildings are painted with color as compared to all the nuetral in Mumbai.

The casinos!  (just like home)

I just loved the flying saucer water tower…

And this steeple…

My hotel room…

And the view from my balcony…

Not sure if they are keeping ‘us’ in or ‘them’ out…

Just out the door and a very short walk was the beach…

I love the little police stations with the ‘May I help you’ message – these things are everywhere in Goa…

This is the walk to back to the hotel…

On the drive out of Goa rice had been harvested and they were spreading it out to dry – love this shot!

 

Thoughts before I leave Goa…

Goa –

Walking around Goa on my own brought a flood of feelings/issues/thoughts/etc. to the surface.  I didn’t really feel scared but certainly ‘on guard’ and a bit uncomfortable.  As Mary Omwake used to say, if your palms aren’t sweating you’re not living large enough – so I guess I’m finally living large enough!  It seems that it takes between 3-6 refusals to get vendors in India to believe that ‘no means no’.  I was never accosted in any way but certainly the image of the rich American, and I realize to this level of poverty I am incredibly rich, is an open door to haggle, entice, encourage or invite to purchase goods and/or services.

I did walk farther than I thought I would down the alleys and street from the hotel and made about a mile (maybe less) circle from the hotel and back to the beach walking along the coast until I reached the hotel again.  It was an interesting stroll and I’m pretty sure the  phrase I’ve heard for the acronym INDIA is true for me:

I’ll

Never

Do

It

Again

This is not my country, my safe place, or where my heart sings.  It has been and is an interesting and fascinating experience and one I will be forever grateful for but it is not a place that I relish coming back to.  So, this one is getting ticked off my checklist…

The beach here is both lovely and far dirtier that any beach I’ve been to on either coast in the states.  Lots of trash.  Did find a perfect and tiny sea shell smaller than my fingertip that has been added to things that I feel I must take with me 🙂  I continue to have my sensibilities assaulted by such visions as watching men just stop by a palm tree on the beach and urinate.  I know that this is not the only place where this happens in the world and it may even happen in my country but it is not something I have actually seen.  And the smell of ‘humanity’ is strong everywhere.

The pull to be somewhere ‘sanitary’ is strong and I still have about 5 weeks remaining in India – my hope is that the deepening process at the temple will have a level of physical comfortableness that will allow me to relax a little bit.  Honestly if truth, real truth be told, I’m seriously considering skipping the deepening and traveling to Australia…I hear the fears and they are loud.

Just spending time watching/listening to the ocean was a wonderful experience.  The whole visit here has been filled with a huge juxtaposition of the magnificence of nature and the beauty of it vs. the press of humanity and the blight humans can be inflict on the earth and each other.  Really, even though I close my eyes to it and have always chosen to live in the suburbs (sterilized America) it is the same wherever I travel to poverty stricken and hope deprived places – and I feel this way even traveling through the depressed portions of my own greater metropolitan area.  Halfway round the world and it’s the same – I have simply divested myself of my security blanket and I’m depending on myself/my divine in ways I have never had to at a depth I’ve never been able to travel.  That’s the whole purpose…travel on the inner and outer landscape to new and undiscovered places.

Now I’m preparing to catch my ride to the airport.  It takes about an hour and I hope to immerse myself in the beauty of the far landscape as the immediate roadside blurs into indistinct images…

Picture post when I get back to Mumbai this evening.

Sitting here on a Sunday afternoon and suddenly there is

VERY LOUD MUSIC coming from the apartment next door.  Apparently there is a rehearsal  happening.  So Beth jumps up and says c’mon let’s go next door and see if we can see what instruments they are playing.  We know the door is open because of how the sound is bouncing around the common area.  So out the door we go…

Her neighbor is Radha (I believe) she has a PhD in Buddhism and teaches ancient Indian religion/culture and there is a presentation at the end of the month and her students are practicing for a music/dance number.  Only instrument rehearsal today.  She’s playing the sitar.  We were invited in and treated like royalty.  Asked to stay, taken to the altar room, anointed with sandalwood and kumkum on the forehead and served fresh pineapple juice.  A beautiful, spontaneous afternoon.

And just as we were ready to leave she presents us both with a little gift bag… 

So now I must make room for my three inch Ganesh.  Auspicious beginnings and remover of obstacles – definitely going with me!

I love my little camera…

Photos of the Dandiya dancing on the last night of Navratri celebrations from the balcony 20 floors up. 

” ‘Nav’ means ‘nine’ and ‘ratri’ means ‘night’. Thus, ‘Navratri’ means ‘nine nights’. There are many legends attached to the conception of Navratri like all Indian festivals. All of them are related to Goddess Shakti (Hindu Mother Goddess) and her various forms. It is one of the most celebrated festivals of Hindu calendar, it holds special significance for Gujratis and Bengalis and one can see it in the zeal and fervor of the people with which they indulge in the festive activities of the season. Dandiya and Garba Rass are the highlights of the festival in Gujarat, while farmer sow seeds and thank the Goddess for her blessings and pray for better yield. In older times, Navratri was associated with the fertility of Mother Earth who feed us as her children.

The first three days of Navratri are dedicated to Goddess Durga (Warrior Goddess) dressed in red and mounted on a lion. Her various incarnations – Kumari, Parvati and Kali – are worshipped during these days. They represent the three different classes of womanhood that include the child, the young girl and the mature woman. Next three days are dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity), dressed in gold and mounted on an owl and finally, last three are dedicated to Goddess Saraswati (Goddess Of Knowledge), dressed in milky white and mounted on a pure white swan. Sweetmeats are prepared for the celebrations. Children and adults dress up in new bright-colored dresses for the night performances.”

 

Six weeks

I got on the bus at the Greyhound station six weeks ago today. 

And now I’m sitting in Mumbai, India.

It still seems surreal to me.

There is a cyclone bearing down on the east coast of India that is aiming for the northern end of the region where I will be heading in 9 days. There is also a political unrest warning for the same area.  Timing is everything.  I will keep a close watch on the area to make sure it is safe before I travel there. 

I’ve never had to check for political unrest dangers in my life.  I had never given it much thought as those kinds of issues never came close to me.  I have always felt relatively safe in my life – even the time when I was living in an abandoned house with no electricity, I still felt mostly safe.  There was never a threat of civil unrest (or worse) anywhere near me.  And yet, here I am reading about demonstrations that have become violent and making sure it is safe for me to travel to my planned destinations.  And keeping an eye on this storm that is now classified as a category 5 expecting to cause severe damage…

No matter how much I want to be in charge, this reminds me that I truly have no control, only choice.  Just be present to what is here and decide in every moment.

 

Taj Mahal

In this case, the pictures are worth all the words… 

We rode to the Taj in style – Our Guide Mr. Chand took the photos and I can’t believe I forgot to snap a picture of him – he was a delight! 

After we left the Taj Mahal, we went to a shop that does the marble inlay in the same style as the Taj –

Then, at last, I bought my pashminas –

Two for $73.03.  I almost bought 10 but I hardly have room for two!!!

At the moment, I’m glad to be ‘home’ in Mumbai.  It’s been a day of catching up and many thanks to those who have sent chatty emails, keep ’em coming!  Just been relaxing while it rained throughout the day.  I feel re-booted and ready for the next stop the adventure bus makes 🙂

Agra

We drove to Agra Tuesday evening and although I know I’ve said this before, the energy of Agra freaked me out.  I felt battered and bruised by the time we drove through town to our hotel.  

Shave and a haircut anyone?

Our hotel… 

…had this huge cistern.  You can’t see the water raining from the cistern very well. 

Ummm, dinner…??? 

Ok, Taj Mahal in the next update – I need to take a computer break and eat lunch!!