India Journeys - 1.14.07 - Rishikesh

Hola beauties!

Well indeed, I have landed in the Motherland. Without fault, and thankfully by Grace, I navigated the airports, the taxis, trains, buses and rickshaws, and arrived in Rishikesh the same day my plane landed in Delhi. Pack on back, intuitively weaving my way through the Lakshman Jhula area of town, which I'd heard was the gentlest (I am on vacation after all!), a very sincere and peaceful woman approached me. Before I knew it, I was sheltered into her sweet ashram, which I then discovered was only around the corner from my one friend in town who's working at Ramana's Garden children's orphanage.

Gently embraced by the sweet gardens at the ashram, my new friend Turiya, a warm "bath" (ie, buckets of hot and cold water mixed and poured...), I set about to a little exploring...

It is different here! Even Morocco didn't prepare me for this level of "third world." Yet here too is permeated with western influence and luxury. For every cowpie there is probably a celphone. Both sides seem equally pervasive.

A bit of culture shock in my first attempt at a shopping experience (it became quickly clear that I needed some warmer clothes!), so I scurried right back to the ashram, and then to find my friend Aaron for a gentler introduction to this new world...

The shock came mostly just from navigating a different way of relating to people. The smells, the dung and urine in the streets, the simple earthy way of living - these are almost immediately familiar. But the way the people take in your gaze - that's where my soul gets shattered, confused... I don't even know that I have the words for it right now. It's becoming more comfortable. I find solace in how easy it is to meet the gaze of women - sometimes warmly, sometimes playfully, sometimes nothing but just being together... But men. Men are like a different species here. Not all, but so many. I've taken to downcasting my eyes most often in their presence. Not out of shyness or shame, but that it is not worth the energy drain to combat what feels like a fairly invasive way of leering at western women. But not
all. I just had a delightful interaction with a young man in a fixed-price shop where I bought a shawl (I tell you, it is cold here!). Somewhat flirtateous on his part, but mostly just in appreciation of the beauty of life. I loved one thing he said...

I told him I had arrived in India alone, but then came here and met a friend. Then in my next journey, to the Kumbh Mela, I will travel alone but then again meet a few friends. After that, I will travel alone to Varanasi, but once again meet a friend! His response: "like life! We enter and leave alone (birth and death), but in between, so many people!" I liked this analogy, reminded me of the sanctity of these moments of aloneness.

So here I am, Rishikesh. Sheltered between two hills, here the Ganga is the color of pure jade. Temples ring nonstop, monkeys play through the rooftops and playfully terrorize the bridges. Flowers bloom and fall. Small cows wander slowly through the lanes, mopeds zip and beep and craze. Families live their humble existence out front of their tiny houses - tending their cows, washing the clothes... The laughter and shouts of children never seems to stop. Tourists come to shop - shawls, spirituality, yoga... Shivananda Ashram sits in the center, a paragon of virtue...

For these few days, I've stayed at this sweet little ashram with Turiya. So far, nobody else is staying there, but one woman, Puja, comes daily to clean and help with the cooking. It is a simple life. We meditate four times daily in the little temple with the big picture of Jesus pouring water from his heart ("but sir, where is your bucket?"), and the little statues of Shiva and the Buddha keeping watch. Krishna resides over the open-air dining room, and Hanuman embraces Shiva out in the yard, but it is a "Christian" temple. I'm not sure what that means here, but it seems as good an excuse as any to cultivate divine love and pray for humanity. The meals and the tea at the ashram are simple and sweet. I had my first cup of "street chai" today, and was glad for the spice!

But for now, the sadhana and simplicity of the ashram is perfect for me. I am happy to help tend the garden - my main task now being to harvest the seeds of the old marigolds. Nasturtiums weave their way around the yard, some roses bloom, some sprouts of new life I am curious to see...

I'm not sure how long I'll be in this little ashram, as Turiya is traveling soon. But for now, and especially since she found that little "Fairy Down" brand sleeping bag for me, I am happy :-) And it is sweetly comforting that I have a friend just literally around the corner. A gentle, if slightly shocking, introduction to this beautiful new land.

My next mission: take a bus to Dehra Dun to buy a guitar!

As always, the songs are calling me home...

I'm sending my boundless blessings...

Om Shanti ~ A