Jyotir Lingum Yatra |
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A travel log for my journey to 10 Jyotir Lingums throughout south and central India, November-December 2002 with my yoga group, Dhyanyoga Centers.
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Friday, December 27, 2002
Stay Tuned! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and enjoy New Year's festivities next week. As many of you know, I sent NO postcards from India (did I ever tell you that it was easier for me to find a Cyber Cafe than Post Offices in India?!), but I shot about 70 rolls of film. I took the first 5 in today. I have a goal of getting 5-10 rolls processed per week. So, I want to invite you to stay tuned to this weblog, as I will be posting links and commentaries to some of my pictures as I get them back. Tuesday, December 24, 2002
Home for the Holidays Well friends, after over 36 hours of seamless travel, I am back in my cozy condo in Gastonia, NC. I am trying to dodge jetlag by not thinking about what time it's supposed to be in India, Singapore, Seoul, San Fran, or any other place than NC. My sister flies in for Christmas this afternoon, so I am back to that airport once again! I have some catching up to do to this blog, and luckily I have lots of personal journal entry notes in my Sharp Organizer to fill in the blanks. I just wanted to throw up a quick blog entry to wish everyone Happy Holidays! and let it be known that I am home safe, and feel like I have had a fabulously successful India adventure! Namaste! Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Omkareshwar, Mamaleshwar, and the Narmada River About 50 KM from Indore, on an island surrounded by the Narmada River, is the Jyotir Lingum Omkareshwar. Here's a good link that describes it very nicely http://travel.indiamart.com/pilgrimage-in-india/omkareshwar.html. The hands-on puja done by the group was performed at Mamaleshwar on the mainland side of the river. I am told that since the river itself floods and makes the actual Omkareshwar lingum inaccessible at times, along with the logistical issues of the Jyotir Lingum itself being in a very small inner sanctum, the lingum at Mamaleshwar is the one that is regularly worshipped. I very much enjoyed the boat ride to the island to have the darshan of the actual Jyotir Lingum. It was also a very good day in terms of photography. I got to shoot 3 rolls of 120 outside the temple, and several more rolls of color of the ceremonial goings on. Actually, I am out of color film, so I am mooching a could of rolls to get me through tomorrow, where we visit Mahakaleshwar, the last lingum we'll see on our trip. Today was also the day I finally released the ashes of my beloved dog, Bear into the Universe by way of the magnificent Narmada River. He went on to the Happy Hunting Grounds shortly after my last India trip in 1995. Hopefully my efforts will ensure a happy rebirth for him, if you believe that sort of thing. It certainly couldn't hurt! Monday, December 16, 2002
Cyber escape in Bombay Because we had 4-5 hours to kill in Bombay before our flight to Indore after flying in from Pune this morning, the tour director thought that the group would like to shop in a department store. Sounds like a good idea, right? WRONG! Yes, it was a department store, but the sales clerks descended on us like vultures on fresh kill, and I found it all too overwhelming. I thought, o.k. I'll see if they have any short style salwaar kamez in my size. I didn't think they would have anything that I had to have, and I get annoyed when they suggest I could let something out. I would sooner have a taylor just make me something to size, which I have already done with reasonable success. So I escaped on foot, knowing I had about one hour to catch back up with the group. There was a university close by teaming with students, and I was told there was a cyber cafe near it. Yes, I found the place, and I have to admit that it's about the worst cyber cafe I have been in, full of loud PC gamers using expletives I have not heard used so liberally in months. It definitely looks like an operation put together by students on a shoestring budget, but for me it's better than being stuck in a shopping hell. At one point it was getting so loud and obnoixious with excited PC gamers that I just about gave up the idea of updating the blog today, simply because I could not heard myself think. The guys that run this palce were nice enough to move me to the back room. Gamers are a breed unto themselves no matter where in the world they are! Bhimasankar Despite being only 95 KM from Pune, Bhimasankar was a rather remote town tucked in the Maharastra foothills with clean air, sweet people, and lots of charm. Places like this are some of what I like best about India, despite the 4 hour drive on twisty roads through pastoral countryside. I don't mind it at all when people as me where we are from with simple curiousity and a welcoming attitude. The children were happy and friendly without expecting anything from us. The temple priest was delightful and pleasantly helpful through our puja to all of us, and I did not hear one argument about baksheesh (the charge for services). Even the sadhus and beggars were not obnoxious, which makes me inclined to me much more generous. I may have even got some of my trademark shots of some of these children. Up to this point, I did not find any of the children, except maybe at this girl's school a couple of weeks ago, charming at all, let alone worth photographing. These little girls were different, with a simplicity and, if you will, purity, that I find so compelling photographically. I gave them candies to thank them for letting me take my picture, but fell one candy short. I discretely slipped a rupee into the hand of what I would guess to be a 2 year old girl that I did not have candy for, mainly because I did not want her friends to snatch the money from her. She looked down, opened her hand, and broke into a small, yet knowing smile, and closed her hand back over the coin. I surely hope my portrait of my little Lakshmi comes out well! Sunday, December 15, 2002
Pune Gold I am such an amateur when it comes to shopping for gold in India compared to some of my fellow travelers. Because we had a local friend of the group willing to take us shopping, I made it a point to mention that I wanted some more gold. I was thinking primarily of Christmas presents and special items that folks back home asked me to pick up for them. Essentially, I went into this establishment expecting to spend a certain amount of money, and I am please to announce that I kept within that. I picked up four pairs of earrings and a gold ring for myself. The most stellar pair of earrings goes to a friend of mine, and I can't give out all the details because she reads this blog! However, among the people I went with, I watched at least four people make large purchases that I know they were not planning on, including gold ankle bracelets, a long gold chain, and an India style pendant which floats on a gold cord. All these items were stunning and precious. There is a popular Hindu deity, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Put into practice, some people espouse the idea that you have to spend money to allow more money to flow into your life. I appreciate the confidence with which some of my friends can let wealth move through in their lives, but personally I am more cautious and timid about my resources. Did I mention that it took about 3 hours to make my purchase?! This was due partly to the fact that I had to have the backs changed on one pair of the earrings because Indian ones come with very thick posts that I could not get through my ears. However, the shop was packed, and transactions here are still handled pretty manually, credit card or not! Incidentally, gold here runs about 500 rupees a gram, and most of the earrings I purchased were about 3-4 grams, and the ring was roughly 5 grams. The one odd thing I wanted to mention about gold in Indian is even though it is 22K, sometimes they will set jewelry with cubic zirconium...that's just too shabby-chic for my tastes! Saturday, December 14, 2002
A picture of me in India! http://photos.yahoo.com/kaylee.rm Click on the "Lydia in India" folder. More about shopping for gold in Pune soon... Friday, December 13, 2002
Roads, Buildings, and a Cyber Mission Our travel by bus to Pune seemed to take a rather long time, about 7 hours to travel 227 km. Granted, we stopped for lunch, but otherwise I have to assume that the ride was that much slower because the bus was loaded down with all the baggage. The roadways here are nothing like the U.S. or Europe. There are no highways with exits. Even driving from one major city to another requires going through every little village in between. Even in the major urban areas there are not many traffic lights and every town and hamlet has these wicked speed bumps. Imagine being in the back of the bus when it goes over one of those! One major aspects of the roadways that I still have trouble with is driving on the opposite side of the road. Coupled with that is the extensive use of horns by the drivers, Tata truck and rickshaw drivers alike, to signal passing. Let's just not discuss the issue of how narrow the roads are and how must practical passing distance there really is! When I cross the street on foot I have to pay extra special attention because my mind has not flipped over to driving on the left side of the road, and I am prone to walk into traffic! While on the bus today, I was making a mental note of buildings and housing structures. Other than temples, I would estimate that 85% of all structures seem very imperminant. Ranging from corrogated metal shacks and grass huts in the middle of a field to industrial buildings and apartment complexes, the lion's share of buildings look like they would collapse in a moderate storm. It's just a way of living that I will never completely comprehend... All that said, we got into the Taj Blue Diamond in Pune about 5:00 pm this evening. As per usual, on of the first things I ask is where is the hotel's business center and how much is Internet access. After being told that access was 300 rupees ($6) per hour, I was insulted and resolved to hit the streets and find a Cyber Cafe. What I ended up finding was an Internet Cafe associated with an Osho ashram here. Do you all remember Rajneesh? They refer to him as Osho now. This place is like the United Nations, refreshingly filled with people of all races. Osho's Internet Cafe gets a big thumbs up from me, not only because it's only 40 rupee per hour, but access is excellent! P.S. I got all my tayloring in last night with reasonably good results! Thursday, December 12, 2002
Girsheshwar and Ellora Caves My feet are really tired, but I had a terrific day. Days where there is a mix of temple-going and sight-seeing are some of my favorite. Girsheshwar is #12 of the Jyotir Lingums. If you have noticed that we are not going in order 1 through 12, you would be correct. Girsheshwar is the closest Jyotir Lingum to Aurangabad, so it seemed a little more built up for the tourists, which can be annoying when all the hawkers peddling their wares descend upon you! I did get a good deal on a couple of nice Shiva pictures. He started out at 100 rupees, but dropped to 50, so I took two. *giggle* The puja was a little crowded and rushed, since there was a steady flow of locals coming for darshan of the lingum, and doing their own pujas while we as a large group working in shifts of 7-10 were trying to do ours. There was no photography allowed in this temple, as is typical, but I cut off the flash on my point-n-shoot Pentax and took a couple of discrete snaps in any case. Then they told me I could take a picture with Anandi Ma with the Lingum, so I got a couple shots that should come out well. Speaking of taking pictures, as some of you know I have not been shooting as much as I had hoped, especially in black-n-white, because we have been so rushed in and out of the temples, and usually photography is not allowed inside. Well, today I shot 4 rolls of 120 at the Ellora Caves, a really fabulous historical treasure. The Caves are a system of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Caves that have always been known about, as I understand it. Not like the Ajanta Caves that were rediscovered in the 19th century. At first I did not even take my Mamiya camera with me, because I did not realize the degree to which the statutes and carvings and columns were visible in the sunlight. Upon going back to the bus for my 645 camera, I had to hunt down the bus driver who had tied the bus door shut (don't ask), and evidentally went to lunch. Happily I did not give up and got my camera and back to the group. I think I will have some shots taken today that I will be very happy with. Some of the carvings and the "Kailash" temple, especially, were absolutely stunning! Did I mention that it cost foreigners 250 rupees (about $5) to get into the Caves, but only cost locals 10 rupees? Do the math! The group is headed to Pune tomorrow morning by bus. In route we are going to stop at a Saint's tomb. I will report more to you soon. Wednesday, December 11, 2002
Where I have been Check out this cool map to get and idea of where I have been and where I am going http://www.shubhyatra.com/htm/roadmaps/jyotirlingas.htm Some of the names on the map are different that what I have noted in this blog. I think sometimes I use the names of the cities instead of the names of the temples. This is all an educational process for me! The group will not be going to Kedarnath (I was there in 1988) and Varanasi (the group went there in 1997, but I missed that trip). Also, I think there might be some debate about where all the Jyotir Lingums are, so if you are confused, know that I join you in the confusion! Vaijnath Pareli Although it was another long day in the bus, I especially enjoyed the Shiva Temple at Vaijnath Pareli. The most straight-forward reason for this was that everyone was allowed free reign with their cameras, not only inside the colorful temple, but also the inner sanctum where the Jyotir Lingum was, so I got plenty of pictures of the group doing puja. As usual, there seemed to be some issue at the end of the puja concerning the payment all the priests were due. Since most of us don't understand Hindi, we are grateful that we have several people with us to handles these matters. The priest did offer to do additional pujas for healing for our family members, so I went ahead, pulled out the rupees, and wrote my sister's name in their little black book. After we finish in the temples, many of us want to shop the temple area stalls for postcards, trinkets, and other mementos, but we always have to do so in a hurry, since in a blink of an eye were all requested to hop on the bus. I have been trying to pick up pictures and postcards, since I often have not been able to take pictures inside. I was just thinking today about how nice it has been to have spent the last several nights in one place, as opposed to unpacking, repacking, and dealing with airport security. I prefer the bus rides to those things! We will be driving from Aurangabad to Pune (Poo-nay) on Friday. Tomorrow we will be seeing Girsheshwar temple and hopefully the Ellora caves. These places are not a long drive, and I am glad for that since I am feeling tired about now. More soon... Tuesday, December 10, 2002
Better shopping luck in Aurangabad Last night, some members of the group, including myself, were talking about going to the Ellora Caves today, on our 2nd free day here in Aurangabad. Some people on the trip have seen the caves, and preferred the idea of resting, but the rest of us tried to make arrangements, until we found out that the caves were closed today. (We are going to try and fit in going to the caves Thursday afternoon, which may work out better in the long run in any case.) So, I had another free day, and thought I would give shopping in this place one more chance. I found that when I asked to go to a specific place I get better results from the rickshaw drivers than when I tell them just to take me to a general area. For instance, when I made it clear that I specifically wanted to go to the Timex store in Nirala Bazaar, I actually GOT there without being driven in circles! Imagine that! Maybe he understood it when I said I was not going to pay him unless he got me exactly where I wanted to go! So besides being successful in the watch store, we were dropped off in a more upscale shopping area where I was able to not only find nice men's dress shirts, but also an appropriate silk saree for a friend back home, Kris. It's really a lovely lavendar with a pink and gold border. I think she will look completely elegant in it! I also had this same friend's measurements to make the cholee top with me, so I was able to give them to a taylor right away. Usually when you purchase a saree, it not only needs some finishing, but it also come with extra material to make the matching top. This matching top fabric is just cut off by the taylor. It is past the very decorative part of the end of the saree, called the paloo. If all goes as planned, not only will I have a complete outfit for my friend back home, but also two more punjabi pants suits for myself. Since I cannot buy anything off the rack because I am too large (by India standards at least), I usually will have a taylor make me something custom fitting when I get the chance. I asked that one of the outfits be made "short" (i.e. the top) so hopefully it will be something appropriat to wear to work back at the library. Keep your fingers crossed for me, as my order is supposed to be finished by Thursday evening! Motorcycles I don't think I have mentioned yet the degree to which India is a country of motorcycles. I think I am more aware of this phenomenon due to the fact that I became a motorcycle owner again last summer. I would say that 75-80% of the vehicles here are motorcycles. My 650 bike is a giant compared to all the 110 cc bikes that families of 3-4 ride here, usually with no helmets or eye protection! Names I have noticed include "Honda Hero," "Mahesh TV", Suzukis, Kawaski, Splendor, among others. No Harleys here! It's just kind of interesting to imagine myself on my bike here. They would get out of my way! Nageshwar Yesterday we traveled by bus to the 8th Jyotir Lingum at Nageshwar. Happily, they overestimated the length of the bus ride, which was closer to 4.5 hours vs. 6 hours each way. The driver was really hauling butt, though. I certainly could not read or knit with all of the bumps! In any case, we arrived shortly after noon, and did not have to wait very long at all to be accommodated by the priests. Dozens would have been happy to help us, but for whatever reason we were lead by what seemed to me to be a team of brothers. I smiled at what to me seemed like a little sibling rivalry. This temple was set up in something of an usual fashion. Where the lingum is usually visible while one is in the que, this lingum was actually in a sort of underground chamber that we had to all climb down to get into for darshan. The chamber itself was a steam bath, very chaotic and crowded. Again and again I am grateful for our teachers, Anandi Ma and Bapuji, because there is no way otherwise I would ever have access to these kinds of places and experiences otherwise! Even the orientation of the temple was unusual, and if I heard the legend correctly, the temple shifted from facing east due to some yogic phenomenon, but I will have to get all the details at a later date. Undoubtedly, though, the effects of centuries of worship were absolutely pallatable in this place, and many members of the group, including yours truly, enjoyed meditating here. There was a point where the chanting of the priests, the recorded "Om Namah Shivaya" loop, babies crying, people yelling, and bells clanging was overwhelming, and I could imagine how one's sanity could be challenged in this environment. Being able to quiet one's own mind would be crucial. Sunday, December 08, 2002
Aurangabad This is my first time in Aurangabad. It is the home base point for several of the long day trips we are going on over the next couple of days. Today was a free day, so I went for some shopping in the Gul Mundi market area with one of the Indian woman on the trip. Actually, she and I kind of snuck away on our own at first, figuring that we could cover more ground more effectively just the two of us, but the group eventually caught up with us! This was due partly to the fact that the rickshaw driver was taking us on a "Mr Toad's Wild Ride" (I hope you all remember Disneyland!) driving us around in circles, it seemed, which is typical Indian rickshaw driver behavior. In the market itself, I was unimpressed with most of the quality of the merchandise, but I did buy a few fun odds and ends, like funky/fancy shoes to play dress-up with, for about $4-5 each. I did get an addition piece of luggage to bring presents home in, since my suitcases were getting maxed out. I should be able to make some more room in them after I get rid of sheets and towels at the ashram. From Aurangubad we are taking several days trips over the next 5-6 days. I will keep you posted about those places, as the itinerary I sent many of you has changed. The Saturn temple we visited yesterday was pretty neat. It was unusual in that it was open air, and only men were actually allowed to do puja, another situation where the women watched from nearby. We were given several tokens after the puja to help protect us from the negative influences of Saturn in the future, including, interestingly enough, a horseshoe to mount over our front door, in the same fashion that cowboys might mount a horseshoe for good luck. These kinds of parallels are very interesting to me. Also, there is a little black doll, along the lines of a voodoo doll, that we can hang in the doorway to also ward off negativity. I am just wondering what my neighbors back home might think! *giggle* More soon... Friday, December 06, 2002
Trambekeshwar It was a relief today not to have to endure a long bus ride, and we actually got to enjoy an extended amount of time at the Trambekeshwar Temple. Once again we "hired" a group of young boys--I think they were bramacharya, or students--to chant the Rudrum for us. There chanting was different from yesterday with more harmonies, but not as polished as the priests in Somnath. Women were not allowed to do puja to the lingum at this particular temple. Each temple has its own peculiarities. We all were allowed "darshan" or the chance to see the lingum, but it was a funky set-up where you got a better view of the action looking in a tilted mirror. Someone explained to me that the entire Trambekeshwar structure was hewn from one piece of stone. It certainly seemed much more ancient than Somnath, which we know was not. I hunted down booklet in English that explains all the Jyotir Lingums so I hope to look at that after dinner tonight. The group had a little time for temple shopping, which everyone enjoyed. I think we have a longer drive tomorrow, but are going to a Shani Temple on the way. Shani, astrologically in India, is Saturn. Translated, it means "slow-moving" I believe. Often, this can be a strong aspect in an individual's birthchart, as it is for me, so anything that can be done to appease Shani is a good idea as far as I am concerned! Thursday, December 05, 2002
Back to a Taj Hotel in Nashik Today was strictly a travel day, first with a flight from Rajkot to Bombay, then a long busride from Bombay to Nashik. We are back in a Taj Hotel, which is much much nicer than the Hotel Aditya in Rajkot, Gujarat. I was left under that impression that Rajkot was not especially economically developed. In my mind, one example of evidence of this would be that very few of the signs for businesses were in both English and Gujarati (or Hindi as in Bomday). However, we were not in Rajkot to study economic opportunities, but rather it was a place to land before taking the 4.5 hour bus ride to Somnath. Somnath is the location for one of the Jyotir Lingums. As I understand it, however, the original lingum (a representation of Lord Shiva) was destroyed by the Mogul Invaders. The last invasion was in the middle of the 18th c. The present temple was not rebuilt until the 1950s. What disenchanted me intially was the incredibly high level of security. Not only were cameras forbidden, a common frustration for me in most of the temples we have gone too so far, but simple electronics, like my organizer, and even coconuts. I guess the message this should send back to everyone at home is that even though we are all being very inconvenienced by security in airports and temples, I guess I should feel safer...I do sometimes, but after the fact. The big Somnath temple by the ocean was beautiful, and the noontime arati was very exciting with lots of ghee lamps, clanging bells, and the beating of drums, but along with this was a rather typical pushy crowd. I notice that many people in our group get out of the way for the locals, but my attitude is a little more chavalier, in that we are the ones to have traveled a great distance to see this place. What was special about Somnath was a smaller temple nearby which is now considered the home of the Jyotir Lingum. It seemed to be run by a team of younger priests, all very helpful and enthusiastic about our desire to do a puja. Also, these gracious men were renounded for their ability to chant a beautiful Rudrum, a hymn to Lord Shiva, which we all enjoyed. Granted, we rewarded them for their services handsomely, but supporting them was a pleasure. Tomorrow we visit Trambesheshwar...more soon. Monday, December 02, 2002
Bombay shopping report If you are ever in Bombay around the Mangaldas Market, and some guy hands you a card with the words ZAMEER Silks on it, throw it away and run the other way! These shops have bait-men, who lure you into their shops, saying come to "my" shop (it's not their shop at all), and then trying to sell you all kinds of stuff you aren't interested in. My complaint was that I wanted a punjabi pantsuit that fit. It was taylored well, but not lined, so it is see through. Properly done, it should have been lined without me asking. I plan on calling this morning, and complaining, but it's a good story to tell for less than $20 (the cost of the sheer punjabi). I had good success finding gold earrings, fabric trim, some cotton mercernized yarn (which is much more expensive in the US), a couple silk scarfs and the like. I cannot seem to communicate that I would like to buy silk for spinning, though, because every time I ask, I get shown fabric. Also, I do not think it's too likely that I will be finding a charka spinning wheel in Bombay. Besides that, my suitcase is full...I may have to purchase another one of those! This afternoon we fly out to Rajkot, to the Somanoth Temple. I may not have PC access for a couple of days, so I will check in with you all as soon as I can. Monday morning in Bombay Both my roommates were up and down all night, one of them remaining very ill, not being able to hold down even water. A doctor is supposed to come to the hotel this afternoon to check on several members of the group. Again, I am grateful to be feeling well. Yes, getting out of the hotel and away from some of the drama of the trip itself was important to my mental health this morning. Walking around the streets of Bombay solo is a little scarey, but I try to keep on the move. The vibe here is much like New York City. I ducked into this CyberCafe not only because it was much for affordable at 20 rupees per hour very 250 for a 1/2 in the hotel, but to also get my bearings and cool off a little bit before I head back out to do some shopping. So far this trip has been pushing the boundaries of my patience, somewhat to my chargin. Of course I want this experience to be magical and uplifting, but the reality is a little different sometimes, especially when there needs to be a revolving door installed for the bathroom in our hotel room! Trying to share a small hotel room with two other people here in Bombay has been especially hard. You would think given the granduer of the hotel that the rooms would be more spacious, but this is not the case. Tucked away in this little cybercafe has been the most comfortable I have been in days...*enjoying a deep breath* Most of the folks on this trip are rather plain, granola-y types, so the grandeur of these Taj Hotels is rather discombobulating to them. For instance, I feel uncomfortable NOT tipping the bellhop 10 rupees per bag (about $.25), whereas my roommates might think this is unnecessary. I get aggitated that these small amounts of money are even an issue. It is not worth my time to even debate whether or not to tip, if I want to, I do. However, the fact of the matter is that we all feel more comfortable in the more pastoral parts of India, despite the fact that these areas take hours to drive to. For instance, the distance to Srisailam from Hyderabad was 235 km (about 146 miles) but it took about 6-7 hours to get there. Granted, we stopped about a 1/2 hour for lunch and another couple rest breaks, but the real issue is that there are no highways, per se, in India, at least none that I could determine. Driving through Bombay last night was the fastest we've traveled, since the roads here, though busy, are in good repair. On the regular roads not only are slower vehicles as issue, but often the bus must slow or stop for a herd of goats or a few cows. Well, after a little drink of water, I think I will try to shop again. Wish me luck! Namaste for now. Sunday, December 01, 2002
Well, since the business centre gentleman said I had 10 more minutes to use, I thought I would try to blog a little more. The trip so far has been hard on many of us, and unfortunately it probably will not ease up for another week. The constant traveling is taking its toll on many of us, including one of my roommates. I feel rather fortunate. Other than a cough, which I attribute in a large part to the pollution, my health has been very good. Looking around at the ground in the Hyderabad airport tonight, everyone looked quite wiped out, but everyone was glad for the Srisailam puja experience. I hope to find someone to go fabric and fiber shopping with me tomorrow, but I suspect that most people are more interested in books and gold. I wouldn't mind a nice pair of earring though....hmmmmmm More soon. Greetings friends, We arrive late in Bombay tonight, after leaving Srisailam after breakfast this morning. It has been a long day, but visiting the Shiva Temple in Srisailam has been the high point of my trip so far. One of the reasons I come to India again and again is that I feel deeply connected to it. Well, I went through a couple of days of disenchantment, mostly due to airport security (I have had to fight with them not to put my film through the Xray machines--maybe a couple of times through is o.k., but not over a dozen times, as we are taking at least that many flights inside India), long bus rides, and some roommate issues (we are sleeping 3 to a room to save money). Srisailam brought me back to experiences I treasure from the Himalayas. While Srisailam is in Andhra Pradesh, it is a foothill like area. We stayed in a guest house that was very basic, but clean and comfortable enough to suit me. It was refreshing compared to the veneer of the fancy Taj hotels we are staying at in the bigger cities. The very area itself was permeated with sounds a chanting and the smell of incense. People here were still very curious toward us. As I understand it Westerns are very rare in Srisailam, but they were not as pushy. While it took some time for our guides to negotiate our being able to actually get a close-up experience with the Jyotir Lingum at the Shiva Temple, it was well worth the wait. The next time you see me, ask me about the electric drum machine there. It was wild! Shopping in Bombay tomorrow. Wish me luck. Until next time.... Wednesday, November 27, 2002
In the Madras airport, at an Internet station, checking email, and even getting to chat with Scot back in NC who happened to be on MSIM. I guess it's about 7 am in the U.S. I think we both surpirsed each other being about to check in with chat. It is so cool to be able to check in with home! A lot of travel in India is hurrying up to wait. However, right now I did hear some sort of boarding call for our flight, but I dont see folks in my group moving yet. Hopefully I will be able to right at length soon. Last night we visited the wealthiest temple in India, called Tirumala in Tirupati. I will write more about it soon. I have been taking lots of notes. We'll see if the wish I put in there gets answered in 2003! Monday, November 25, 2002
Well here I am in a little hole in the wall Cyber Station in Madras. Paying 15 rupees for a half hour in here was a much better idea than 150 for the same in our fancy hotel! I like getting appropriate value for my money here in India, but because I am a Westerner, that assumption always is that we can afford more. To me, blogging from here is more "real" than in our five star hotel. Everything at the hotel is very wonderful, don't get me wrong, but I am so happy that some of us decided to go three to a room to save money. The hotel rooms are surely large enough for us, and full of eminities, like a baday (I am not spelling that right). I have to admit that I like those creatures a lot, and you dont get them to often in the U.S. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for us, going to Tirupathi, an auspicious place of Vishnu. I hope to get lots of photos there. I still have to get in gear with respect to taking pictures. Until next time... Sunday, November 24, 2002
Oh No! I just put together a nice long entry from the email station in Singpore, but it did not save! ARGH! OK, let's try this again... I was trying to blog about sitting next to a young man going back to India to get married. He was delightful, telling me about how his maternal grandfather was a Gandhian, after I expressed my interest to him in fiber arts. His grandfather was in charge of an ashram, and was a proficient charka spinner. He also has a connection to Charlotte in that he works on contract for Wachovia, so I had to mention to him that my boyfriend did as well. We asked him a little about his wedding, excitedly wanting to know if he was going to get to ride in on a horse. He smiled shyly in response and we were all thrilled for him. Traditional Indian weddings last 3 days. We are traveling to his hometown of Indore, but not until after his wedding. Too bad, I joked, otherwise we could have crashed it! He did give me great information about where to go shopping for fabric and fiber there, though. Saturday, November 23, 2002
Here I am on lay-over in Hong Kong, about to get back in flight to Singapore. Luckily the bulk of the flying is behind me for the moment, as it was truly like a cattlecar. [We think a lay-over here is required in hopes that we will shop at the duty-free stores. *giggle* ] The stewardesses keep feeding us to keep us pacified! I am at a Samsung Free Internet station in the airport. Internet browsers are strange here in HG. They don't seem like they are going to allow pop-ups of any sort. Forget about my Yahoo email address book here! I said something to a friend about, "Don't ask me about the time...I'll think about it later!" in response to thinking about jet-lag. She thought that was awfully funny, as I have a habit of popping up with profound idioms when I am not trying. Thursday, November 21, 2002
Greetings or Namaste, At the suggestion of some of my blogger co-workers, I am setting up a weblog to document the yatra, or pilgrimage, that I am going on with my yoga group, Dhyanyoga Centers. |