(Lauren)
Rishikesh is difficult to describe. I think it’s a town that needs to be experience directly or at least look at the pictures. The town is divided in half by the Ganges and the river here is brilliant emerald green and clean! I would have swum in it if it had been warmer. The town is surrounded by the towering Himalayan foothills. The sections of town are connected by two suspended pedestrian bridges so if you have a car on one side of town it takes several hours to get to the other side, but only minutes on foot! We checked into our room at the Jaipur Inn. We splurged for a ‘deluxe’ room with hot water, a balcony, and cable TV. Our balcony view was amazing right on the river and overlooking Lakshman Jhula (one of the suspended bridges).
I got sick on the train ride to Rishikesh (I’m just remembering that now). Getting sick on trains is not fun. First of all, it’s a squatter and believe me your legs begin to ache after a while no matter how much yoga you’ve been doing! I was still fatigued when we got to Rishikesh but the runs had stopped. Steve, however, was going down hill…
We still felt okay enough to take a hike and get out of town. We ventured to the waterfalls north of the town. They were beautiful, but Steve was not having that much fun with Delhi-belly beginning. I put him in bed for the night and that is where he stayed for the following day. We were hoping to get married on the first day of spring, but Steve was laid up. I ran down to the doctor and picked up the anti-biotic, electrolytes, and some mysterious red pill that the doc wanted him to take.
By the following day, Steve was back in action eating solids and walking around the town. We started our wedding preparations with the help of Anand (the yoga teacher and astrologer at our hotel that Karen recommended). He really arranged the whole thing we just showed up the following day. The hotel even took the lead on purchasing all the supplies for us and there were a lot of them!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Train to Haridwar
(Lauren)
We spent our last night in Bodh Gaya with Siddhartha and the orphans. Siddhartha played the sitar and gave Steve a set of Tablas and a kirtan (ritual chanting with call and response) ensued. It was a perfect evening. The stars were huge and the kids were singing as if their lives depended on it. So loud and full of passion. We shared dinner and promised to return to visit them when we are able (I imagine it will be a few years).
Ahhh, woke up the following morning at 3:30am to get to Gaya for our train to Haridwar. Our train was late, surprise surprise, and we sat at the Gaya train station between 4:30 and 6:30 am. To describe Gaya would be to describe my vision of purgatory filled with voyeurs. Not pleasant in anyway, except actually for the amazing chai I had from a random chai wallah.
Our 26-hour ride began. We first met a group of students attending Benares Hindu University. They really wanted to get to know us and crowded up in our compartment. I was still sleepy from getting up so early so was not into it, but Steve made a good friend in one of the guys. After they got off in Varanasi, we had much more room to spread out and rest. Eventually a kid came on who spent the first hour just staring at us and smiling shyly when we turned to look at him. He started asking us questions and turned out to be quite a smart little guy and apparently quite wealthy too. I discussed the poverty in India with him and was amazed that he didn’t seem affected by it at all. I realized to grow up in India surrounded by such widespread poverty one needs to form this kind of attitude to deal with the harsh surroundings. It does seem somewhat strange though when you have so much and everyone else has so little.
Steve is very restless at this point, we slept as best we could, and then woke up to the last leg of the trip. Of course the train was late which meant several more hours on it. We were bouncing with joy when we finally arrived in Haridwar, immediately hired a taxi to take us to Rishikesh. We were both stunned at how lovely Haridwar was. It looks like Varanasi, only clean and the Ganges here is emerald! There was an amazingly large Shiva statue that we passed leaving town.
We spent our last night in Bodh Gaya with Siddhartha and the orphans. Siddhartha played the sitar and gave Steve a set of Tablas and a kirtan (ritual chanting with call and response) ensued. It was a perfect evening. The stars were huge and the kids were singing as if their lives depended on it. So loud and full of passion. We shared dinner and promised to return to visit them when we are able (I imagine it will be a few years).
Ahhh, woke up the following morning at 3:30am to get to Gaya for our train to Haridwar. Our train was late, surprise surprise, and we sat at the Gaya train station between 4:30 and 6:30 am. To describe Gaya would be to describe my vision of purgatory filled with voyeurs. Not pleasant in anyway, except actually for the amazing chai I had from a random chai wallah.
Our 26-hour ride began. We first met a group of students attending Benares Hindu University. They really wanted to get to know us and crowded up in our compartment. I was still sleepy from getting up so early so was not into it, but Steve made a good friend in one of the guys. After they got off in Varanasi, we had much more room to spread out and rest. Eventually a kid came on who spent the first hour just staring at us and smiling shyly when we turned to look at him. He started asking us questions and turned out to be quite a smart little guy and apparently quite wealthy too. I discussed the poverty in India with him and was amazed that he didn’t seem affected by it at all. I realized to grow up in India surrounded by such widespread poverty one needs to form this kind of attitude to deal with the harsh surroundings. It does seem somewhat strange though when you have so much and everyone else has so little.
Steve is very restless at this point, we slept as best we could, and then woke up to the last leg of the trip. Of course the train was late which meant several more hours on it. We were bouncing with joy when we finally arrived in Haridwar, immediately hired a taxi to take us to Rishikesh. We were both stunned at how lovely Haridwar was. It looks like Varanasi, only clean and the Ganges here is emerald! There was an amazingly large Shiva statue that we passed leaving town.
Bodh Gaya
(Lauren)
Okay so it took me a really long time to get settled again in the US and feel like I have even a free minute to finish the blog (well not really even, I’m at work write not writing this). Although it is after the fact, I feel that I have to do the trip justice and give it an ending.
So here it goes….
Outside of spending time with Siddhartha and the orphans (this seems like such an outdated term), we took many naps in Bodh Gaya as the heat was oppressive. When not napping, we were spending time at the Mahabodhi temple or visiting the other stunning Buddhist temples in the town. On one of our trips to visit temples, a local kid joined us. He was very sweet and talkative, but I kept ignoring him as did Steve for the most part. The amount of people that come up to you in India and want something from you can be overwhelming. Everyone deals with this on slot differently, my way is to ignore. I realized after the kid parted ways with us that he wanted nothing more than to be our friend and get to know us. He wanted nothing from us. I still feel guilty as I’m typing this for the way I treated him.
After we parted with the kid, we went to the Japanese temple for an hour of Zen meditation. It began with a Zen monk chanting in Japanese for about 10 minutes and then there was just silence. I realized sitting there how rusty my concentration has become. It was excruciating sitting still for the hour even though I have done it hundreds of times in the past. Steve and I spoke about it afterwards and shared this sentiment. We made a pact to keep up a meditation practice when we return home (so far Steve is upholding the agreement and I am slacking!)
We spent every evening at dusk at the Mahabodhi. There is truly nothing like it. It’s almost bringing me to tears in my cubicle right now remembering it. Such a blend of cultures, nationalities, and practices surrounding a magnificent banyan tree. Just sit below the tree for a while and you will see monks, nuns, and lay people chanting, prostrating, meditating, tourist milling, etc. The lighting is amazing too, turning the whole scene into fire.
Okay so it took me a really long time to get settled again in the US and feel like I have even a free minute to finish the blog (well not really even, I’m at work write not writing this). Although it is after the fact, I feel that I have to do the trip justice and give it an ending.
So here it goes….
Outside of spending time with Siddhartha and the orphans (this seems like such an outdated term), we took many naps in Bodh Gaya as the heat was oppressive. When not napping, we were spending time at the Mahabodhi temple or visiting the other stunning Buddhist temples in the town. On one of our trips to visit temples, a local kid joined us. He was very sweet and talkative, but I kept ignoring him as did Steve for the most part. The amount of people that come up to you in India and want something from you can be overwhelming. Everyone deals with this on slot differently, my way is to ignore. I realized after the kid parted ways with us that he wanted nothing more than to be our friend and get to know us. He wanted nothing from us. I still feel guilty as I’m typing this for the way I treated him.
After we parted with the kid, we went to the Japanese temple for an hour of Zen meditation. It began with a Zen monk chanting in Japanese for about 10 minutes and then there was just silence. I realized sitting there how rusty my concentration has become. It was excruciating sitting still for the hour even though I have done it hundreds of times in the past. Steve and I spoke about it afterwards and shared this sentiment. We made a pact to keep up a meditation practice when we return home (so far Steve is upholding the agreement and I am slacking!)
We spent every evening at dusk at the Mahabodhi. There is truly nothing like it. It’s almost bringing me to tears in my cubicle right now remembering it. Such a blend of cultures, nationalities, and practices surrounding a magnificent banyan tree. Just sit below the tree for a while and you will see monks, nuns, and lay people chanting, prostrating, meditating, tourist milling, etc. The lighting is amazing too, turning the whole scene into fire.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Insanity (steve)
OK, so we had our marriage ceremony in Rishikesh on the 23rd. It was incredible. Two hours long and full of such deep and complicated ceremony it would be almost impossible to describe. We took plenty of pictures.
In other news, I fell down a flight of stone stairs last night directly onto my shoulder/nose. It's miraculous I did not die or break anything, honestly. People around us (including Lauren, whom I felt terrible for) were panicking, with blood pouring out of my face. Lauren says it's the worst fall she's ever seen. Hospital did x-rays and my nose is not broken, how I have no idea. There's still some bleeding and a lot of swelling, but I am fine. I am meant to live longer, obviously. Things here are great otherwise. McLeod Ganj is amazing; it's where the Dalai Lama lives when he's not traveling. Stunning landscape. Life is amazing...
In other news, I fell down a flight of stone stairs last night directly onto my shoulder/nose. It's miraculous I did not die or break anything, honestly. People around us (including Lauren, whom I felt terrible for) were panicking, with blood pouring out of my face. Lauren says it's the worst fall she's ever seen. Hospital did x-rays and my nose is not broken, how I have no idea. There's still some bleeding and a lot of swelling, but I am fine. I am meant to live longer, obviously. Things here are great otherwise. McLeod Ganj is amazing; it's where the Dalai Lama lives when he's not traveling. Stunning landscape. Life is amazing...
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Niranjana Welfare Trust
(Lauren) I cannot write enough of the amazing work that Siddhartha has done since we had last met. Here is a guy for one of the poorest areas of India, when I met him 10 years ago he had big plans to help the children of Bihar. I had my doubts how this would be possible for him, but 10 years later he has surpassed my wildest expectations! He started an orphanage that shelters about 40 children, a school that teaches about 350 students, and a health clinic that people travel from a 30 mile radius to visit. We feel in love with the staff and children and are so passionate to come home and fund raise for them to support this amazing work. I spoke to a woman last night who told me that people might not be interested in what we saw in India and might not give, but we really hope this is not the case. Being in the midst of this kind of poverty and desparation has changed both of us and I am hoping we can help in whatever way we can. It really puts things in perspective: it take about 40$ a month to house a child at the orphanage so how can I return and buy an un-needed dress when a child could be learning in school or performing child labor and we as Americans have so much power with our dollar, yes even in a weak economy. I think the current economic situation can cause a tendency for people to seal up their wallets, but how amazing would it be if we did the opposite. if this time could instead be an awakening that hot water, big houses and cars, freedom are not a right but a priveledge that few are born with? I can no longer turn my back. rant end.
better (Steve)
Feeling much better at the moment after spending all of yesterday in bed and bathroom. It's amazing how many conflicting things happen in this country at any given time. This evening we walked down to the ruins of the ashram where the Beatles stayed in '68. It was very peaceful, a beautiful location at the lower end of town. The sunset over the Ganges there was stunning. Then we had a very relaxing meal lying on some cushions and tomorrow it's the wedding ceremony! Life is crazy...
Bodh Gaya
The train right to Bodh Gaya was a hoot! We decided to take 'sleeper' class which is a cheaper class since we were not spending the night, and boy did we meet some characters. The most memorable was Vivek. Vivek at first seemed just manic. Telling us stories, asking our opinion of Bollywood and Slumdog Millionaire, etc. Another Indian man in our car kept pointing to Vivek and making a 'crazy' gesture when he caught my eye. There were two sweet Japanese guys who did not speak much english. Vivek, it turned out, was actually quite drunk. He had a water bottle and let me smell it at one point and I believe it was filled with a type of straight up moonshine! As he became drunker, he got more out of control and the other Indians kept trying to throw he out, but he would reappear. The strange thing about Vivek was that he was very intelligent and quite witty. He explained that he was the only man alive that could 'bake a birthday cake in a pressure cooker' and offered us as he put it glimpes of 'mind-blowing history' as he recounted the dates and events of both world wars. It turned out also he did not have a ticket to ride so the ticket collector tried to throw him off which started a fight in our car and eventually Vivek passed out down the hall in another berth.
Siddhartha (my dear Indian friend that I met in college in 1999) picked us up from the train station in Gaya and dropped us at the Burmese Vihar (my home for 4 months junior year of college for the Buddhist Studies program) I had returned here in 2003, but it was so nice to come back. Like coming home. In fact, everyone remembered me, not by name, but by face. So special after three hectic large cities to come here! We passed out.
Breakfast was at the 'Pole Pole' (tent restaurant across the street that has been there for ever) Siddhartha's charity picked us up to take us to Sujata village across the 'river' no river right now b/c it is dry season....
Siddhartha (my dear Indian friend that I met in college in 1999) picked us up from the train station in Gaya and dropped us at the Burmese Vihar (my home for 4 months junior year of college for the Buddhist Studies program) I had returned here in 2003, but it was so nice to come back. Like coming home. In fact, everyone remembered me, not by name, but by face. So special after three hectic large cities to come here! We passed out.
Breakfast was at the 'Pole Pole' (tent restaurant across the street that has been there for ever) Siddhartha's charity picked us up to take us to Sujata village across the 'river' no river right now b/c it is dry season....
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