India!

Here in India things are going quite well.

After a few days in Delhi, I made my way up to Amritsar. This is not too far from the Pakistan border as well as Kashmir. Here you will find the Golden Temple. This temple is Sikh. It was a very great experience where I learnt quite a bit about Sikhism. This temple was quite stunning. A gold temple in the middle of sort of holy pool. At the temple there is a dorm for foreign tourists provided based on donations. There is also a "free" kitchen that runs completely by the work of volunteers. You are able to eat at any hour as it is open 24 hours. We got to see the entire workings and not only visit but also participate in the making of chapatis. You can peel (red) carrots, wash dishes, stir pots of dal...so many different things. There are big halls where people eat by the thousands. You sit on the floor and someone comes by slopping food in your plate. Then when they come with chapatis you have to put your two hands out and they will put it in your hands. It was quite an experience. It would be a great place to spend some time volunteering and getting to know the people.

Here I met up with a friend from Nepal. I stayed at the golden temple for 3 nights then we headed to McLeod Ganj (Dharamasala). This is the home of the Dalai Lama. It is quite a calm and beautiful place. Not really like the rest of India. More like Nepal. The population is mostly Tibetan as this is the home to government in exile.
We got a nice room with a few of the valley and mountains. So far I have been here 5 days. Tibetan New Year (Losar) was on Feb 14. For this occasion we were lucky to see the Dalai Lama at his temple. It was just amazing to see him so closely and hear him speak, although in Tibetan. He is a beautiful human being.

Since being in this town I have relaxed a lot. We took an Indian cooking class where we made Paneer Butter Masala, Aloo Gobi (Potato Cauliflower), Dal (Lentil) and Chapati. After cooking this all we got to enjoy the amazing meal. It was so tasty and I can't wait to make it when I return home.

Today Dai and I went to a Tibetan cooking class. We made the all famous momos. These are like dumplings filled with various veggie fillings. I love these!! Not only did we make savoury ones, but we also made a chocolate filled one. This was just amazing. Another thing to make when I get home. Who wants some??
Tomorrow I am heading to the Tushita Meditation Centre. I am taking an 8-day residential course. Introduction to Buddism. This will include some meditation, yoga and teachings in Buddism. I will be cut off from the outside world. I think this is going to be a very interesting experience.

I have had a bit of a hard time over the past few weeks due to various things. Being in a new country, being lonely from time to time and the loss of my grams have all played a big part. Being in this place has allowed me to relax and think and just enjoy living. That is something that I think people forget to do a lot. Enjoy Living. We don't do that enough in the western world. We get so caught up in jobs and everything else. For those of you at home, take a step back and think about it. You never know what the future is going to hold. Make sure you enjoy your life. Take some time out for yourself and really enjoy it. Do something for yourself...maybe get a massage. Have that piece of chocolate cake (I did today). Whatever will make you happy. Make you smile. Enjoy life. Work to live. Do not live to work.

I am thinking of all of my family and friends. I hope you are all well.

I am going to be disconnected for the next 8 or 9 days, but my thoughts are with you all.

A long awaited update

So...Since Ridi Festival...
What have I done since then...a short visit to Pokhara and then to Bandipur.
Bandipur.
This is a little town between Pokhara and Kathmandu. Very peaceful and quite. A village in the hills. Typical Newar village. The houses seem so typical. Pretty much everything shut down by about 8, and there was usually no power as the power cuts were about 9 hours a day. So bed by 8. I had a really relaxing time. Not too much to do, not too many tourists. There were many hikes you could do from this place, but I just relaxed. Played with some children, wandered around and enjoyed the town.
Bhaktapur.
This is the last of the Durbar Squares. Before 3 kingdoms, and if I'm not mistaken, 3 brothers who wanted to all outdo the other by building something better. This was by far the best. Though it was about 10 dollars to enter, you could get a pass for a long period of time. I spent 2 nights here and enjoyed soaking of the town. Meeting some locals and wandering through the narrow streets. Saw the Kumari (living goddess) in some ceremony thing one night there.
Changu Narayan.
After Bhaktapur I thought I would work my way by foot to this temple on a hill. When I got to the fork in the road I decided I would take the bus. I climbed on and off we went. 30 minutes later we arrived at the top. I started walking over to the temple when a man started talking to me. I tried to just "blow him off" as I had a plan for a couple days and wanted to carry on. It didn't really work. He convinced me to have a "chiya", masala tea, with him. We got talking and he told me about his plans to start a homestay at his place. He insisted on showing me his home, so we hoped on his motorbike (Honda Stunner) and off we went down hill on a dirt road. No helmet. I was holding on for dear life. I met his wife, and he convinced me to stay one night and to spend the day with him showing me around to a few places. Off we went again on the motorbike. This time he got a helmet, but I didn't. It's only necessary for the driver. We went to a few different places. It was definitely an adventure...the driving was difficult and I was nervous at times, but all went well.

Over the next few days after I didn't do too much. I was in Kathmandu and really ready to leave though had to wait for my Indian visa.
On the 29th I got my visa and instead of taking my pre-arranged flight to Delhi I headed over land to Varanasi.
Varanasi.
I ended up spending about 5 days here. It was quite an interesting time. I had a hard time over the first few days but it got better. I am sure most of you know of Varanasi and the Ganges and the burning ghats. A place to see. I met some interesting people. Got henna for free and finally met up with a friend.
Agra.
Saw the Taj Mahal. Amazing place. Really enjoyed this. It still looks fake in the photos. Like it's photoshop or something.

I am now in Delhi. I have been here for 2 days now and tomorrow I am heading to Amritsar. This is north, near the Pakistani border. There is a golden temple here which I will stay at before heading to Dharamasala. This is the home of the Dalai Lama. Feb 14 is Losar, Tibetan New Year. I will actually be here for about 12 days as I am going to do a course in Intro to Buddism and Meditation. Should be quite cool.
Try not to leave it for so long the next post as it is not very exciting. I am just breezing through briefly of how things are.
I have had a hard time adjusting to India. Things are just so different and I am not finding it as easy to meet people as in Europe. Not really the same as hosteling. I will survive! Keep on moving. Something new tomorrow!!

Slack

I am really bad at sitting down and writing. Not sure what has happened over the past while.
INDIA...got here on the 30th. Varanasi, Agra, now in Delhi.
Stomach has been up and down....frustrating. oh well.
tray and write soon.