India 2010

So here I am, Friday morning in a internet cafe in the south of Bombay trying to find the right words to describe the last week. It has been so incredible!

It's so easy to meet friends on the road, and the old saying rings true "like attracts like". After meeting Sabine and Melanie (Germany) and attempting to do some shopping at the Anjuna flee market we met Aashish, who was an instant friend for life. He showed us around the area, gave us some tips for the travels and helped us to find the party place. Soon after we had the privilege of meeting Siobhan...and then the chaos started. Our group was inseparable, and Aashish, Siobhan and I were always together. Last Friday we had a great day of beach life and club vibes, dancing and having fun until the early morning. Although Aashish had a condo 30kms away we could still count on him meeting with the group every morning at Dunes for great food and good laughs from the previous night (more like from a few hours before).

Sunday was a day to remember, we had all intentions of taking in some local attractions like Chapora Fort, which we did, but when we stopped for the best fruit juice ever we noticed a poster for the grand opening of a new club, and how could anyone say no to that. So off we went. Well the club was the club of Bombay's rich and famous. We we graced with the presence of two models from Bombay (no our class would not dare to speak to them) but we really enjoyed the atmosphere. Only in Goa would you find the super elite dancing with the old hippies that clearly missed their flight out many decades ago. Unfortunately the night was cut short because when you are at an open air club and the rain is harder than you can ever imagine you cannot expect the party to go on. So we made friends with a couple girls from Moscow and proceeded back to our beach (1am at this point). Expecting to find no one around we arrived at one of the beach restaurants where Siobhan frequented and found some other friends chilling out. Great, 7 beers please. By 4am we were swimming in the Arabian sea. The conversation finally ended when we all fell asleep on the restaurant floor. What a night!

Aashish left on Tuesday and Wednesday morning had Siobhan and me feeling a little lost because it was also the day that Sabine and Melanie were leaving. It was to soon to leave everybody, so out of one thought we were packing quickly and checking out of our rooms so we could catch a 5pm flight to Bombay and surprise Aashish with our group. We made it just in time to get a flight and when we called him to let him know we were in Bombay he couldn't believe it, but we couldn't get a room where Melanie and Sabine were staying. So in true Indian hospitality Aashish tells us to taxi our way to the Venus building at the Worli Sea Wall, yes that is the famous sea wall that you see a picture of in every travel magazine. He took us up to the 15th floor where we have a great view of the sea and the city, WOW!

Last night I said goodbye to Melanie, Sabine and Siobhan and woke up to quiet, but the adventure isn't over yet...the Russian girls are on their way to Leopold cafe in 45 minutes so this is where the story ends for now...

It's been a great week in Goa. I have met many friends and even 3 people from Winnipeg, weird! I have visited Arambol a couple of times to do some shopping and see the hippies. Not really a great place. Somewhat dirty and the people are a little shady. I have been back to Curlies with a different group of friends each time but I think last night will be the last. Feeling just a little tried today.

I'm starting to think of the last leg of the journey and what I should do. I have no domestic travel booked right now but I should get something arranged soon as my time is running out.

I'm planning on seeing St. Francis Xaviers church in Old Goa. This is where his remains are still kept. It is told that a woman bit his toe and it started bleeding, gotta love these old stories!

I must be back in Kolkata for November 15th, until then not even I know where this place will lead me.

So a little catch up here. I have moved to a popular beach hut resort called Dunes. Paying next to nothing and about 200ft from the water. I have some new friends from Frankfurt named Melanie and Sabina. Every Wednesday there is a big market in a town called Anjula which is 30 minutes away so we ventured off to check it out. However when we arrived a wicked storm moved in and everybody was forced under shelter. All good until a bolt of lighting struck the electrical pole in front of us and caused a few fireworks. It rattled everybody!!! While recovering from our near death experience we met Aashish on vacation from Mumbai with his bother and a few friends. He gave us some info about the area and took us to this great bar called Curlies. This place is right on the beach and has a second level with mats and pillows for lying down and looking at the ocean. They played some great house music and we danced and met some fellow travelers from Germany and Bangalore. A fantastic night! Oh, wait, it was until I got a good shock from the light switch because here there is clearly no electrical code, so when they put the main room switch on the outside, which is exposed to really nasty rain, there is a good chance you might get a little more light than you wanted.

Tonight I will be taking Sara and Heidi over to Curlies for their last night in Mandrem. I'm not sure where my next few days are going to lead me but I like this place a lot. People are chill and places are cheap.

Ok, I owe everyone a good update to what has been going on and some of the experiences I've been having. So lets start with ashram life.

Note: I will hopefully be uploading some pictures in a couple days.

October 18-30

Arrived at the ashram late on the Tuesday night. It was a long 9.5 hour bus ride that was very comfortable but very tiring. Once we arrived we were shown our rooms which made my room at cadet camp feel like a 5 star resort. The room was sparse with nothing more than 2 simple beds, a steel locking cabinet for mine and my roommates belonging and a very small night table that could barely hold some books. But there was a fan!! The bathroom was in typical dorm fashion with 6 toilets, western style with footpads and bucket and water in place of toilet paper, and 5 showers, well more like a stall with a tap a bucket and cup. This felt like luxury after the bus.

It was so late we had a small dinner and it was straight to bed for a very early wake up call. Our 1st day was very relaxed, we had an orientation and secured our money and passports with the office.

The start of ashram life. This is not a course for the faint of heart. It is intense even though it doesn't seem like it at the beginning. Our mornings started with a 4:30am wake up call. Morning asana class at 5-6:30. Breakfast for 45 minutes then Karma yoga. Karma yoga is working. We had to clean the entire dorm everyday, garden, and any other job given to us. This lasted for 1.5 hours. Class started at 8:30 that focused on a different chakra everyday with practice. Yoga nidra at 10am (This is like a waking sleep. It is very relaxing and 30 minutes of this is the equivalent of 3 hours sleep, very nice). We then walked 20 minutes every day, twice a day to the main ashram where the kitchen is located for lunch and dinner at 10:30 and 5pm. These meals were always delicious and made in an open air kitchen. We ate with our hands, which is now a hard habit to break out of. You don't realize the connection you have with your food when you have to be conscious about how it will get to your mouth. After lunch we walked back to the school for 2 more classes and a short break where were had time to wash our clothes in buckets (I loved this). We would go back to the main ashram for 1.5 hours of karma yoga that was kitchen duty or gardening followed by dinner. We would have an evening program of chants or song then walk back to our rooms in silence, which was the best part of the day. Because we were in rural India, the sky was lite up by an amazing view of the stars. It was so peaceful to walk with 60 other people in complete silence for 20 minutes.

So that is the average day, here are the ups and downs. This experience brings out all the good and bad in a person. It requires a person to witness what they are feeling and acknowledging their feelings. In one week I think I touched on every emotion. My first few days I was very excited, but by the 3rd day I hit a wall. I had much of my past come up and had to be very honest with myself. But this is what this is about. My teachers were there for every emotion. I wanted to leave on several occasions due to the mental stress I was going through. By the end I felt like a new person. I have left with skills to help myself through very good times and very bad times. It helped me to realize past mistakes and take responsibility for them. The odd part is, you don't realize that you are doing all this, it just happens.

In all this my understanding of yoga has at a higher level and the help that it could bring people is incredible. Most know it as a collection of stretches to become more fit, although it does a good job of that, each asana (posture) is meant to open a chakra and bring energy into it. Asana's were not a focus of the course, breathing practice was the majority, and it was wonderful. The worst part was kunjul, which is the practice of drinking several cups of salt water until there is a waterfall coming from your mouth. I was unable to get the water down and was not graced with this experience, I can't say that I'm disappointed.

Our last day was bitter sweet. We had to part ways with the family we had created but also look forward to a hotel room and a hot shower. The train ride back to Kolkata was comfy but long. There was a cargo train that derailed ahead of us and we had to wait for a while for a crew to pull train away. Oh, I forgot, I almost didn't get on the train. The group I was travelling with had ported bring their bags onto the train, so I waited outside to make sure every bad got on, well it took so long that the second I stepped foot on the train, it started moving.

October 31-today

I decided at the last minute to travel with 2 of the girls from my group to Goa for a little beach life. Goa was settled by the Portuguese and it still has a lot of Portuguese influence in the major cities. Kinda feels like home. It is very tropical at hot. We are staying at this great yoga retreat called Ashiyana. Two yoga classes a day and meals. But I'm only staying for two night. Tomorrow I will be relocating to a cheaper place. We are close to the beach but the resort (if you can call it that) where I am using this computer is only $20 night. It's right at the beach and the huts have showers and bathrooms. Although they don't have any availability tomorrow night so I might have to wonder the beach for another place, or I might just sleep on one of the chairs on the beach. We are in a small place called Mandrem in the North of Goa. Tomorrow night we will be heading a little more north in search of some nitelife. This is after all the home of the beach rave

Well I just arrived back in Kolkata after a my 11 days at the Rikhia ashram south of Deoghar. What an incredible experience!! I had highs and lows but the lifestyle was one of a kind.

I will post a full blog but right now I need to book a flight to Goa to explore the south a little, and a little beach life .

Steve