TravelStream™ news feed for member kalsi_kaur on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/kalsi_kaur en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:45:24 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1249489919/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1249489919/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1249489919/tpod.html Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:45:24 -0400 From Canada to Asia and beyond......for the next 12 months....

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Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

We finally landed on Canadian soil July 2nd in Vancouver. We stayed with friends for a few days while the van was serviced and checked over for our drive back to Ontario. It came back with a clean bill of health and after all the work done on the van last year, the westy ran beautifully. It was actually a pleasure to drive it (that's coming from me, Bobbie...).

The highlight of our drive back to Ontario was Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, a world heritage site, 2 hours outside Calgary. Leaving Calgary, we drove through rolling prairie farm-lands and yellow mustard fields, all very pretty and reminding us somewhat of India - well maybe just a teeny weeny bit, with the farmland and yellow fields, but minus the mud huts and sari-clad women. Once we got near the park and without warning, the road made a dip into a valley and we were in another world altogether – the badlands. The name badlands comes from the voyageurs who transported furs and goods across the country in the 18th and 19th century. When they got to this barren, dry, inhospitable area, they called it "mauvais terre," bad land. The name stuck.

The transition from farmland to badlands was surreal. It was like being on a different planet, one surrounded by red rocks and sandstone sculptures in all shapes and forms. The strange land formations sculptured by rain created beautiful shapes which could make your imagination run wild. The formations could resemble dinosaur feet - which is the first thing that came to my mind- to faces, animals, flowers, or mushrooms. This is a haven for photographers, archaeologists, kids and artists.

We went on a guided “Centrosaurus Bone Bed” Hike one morning through an area of the park not open to the general public. A group of about 30 people got into 2 vans and were driven to the start of the hike. The guide was very good at telling us the history of the region, and of how archaeologists pieced together the events of what happened to create the stunning landscape, and also how so many dinosaurs ended up dying at the same time. The most interesting part of the hike, apart from seeing dinosaur fossils, was listening to the kids on the tour who knew so much about dinosaurs. This park would captivate anyone interested in dinosaurs and history. We highly recommend visiting it.

The weather was cool but dry in the West, but once we hit Ontario the rains started. Just a light intermittent drizzle while we camped at Rushing River Provincial Park near Kenora, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park just outside Thunder Bay, and finally, Lake Superior Provincial Park, our last camp stop. It was only when we got to London and Toronto that we were hit with torrential downpours that have signified this summer of 2009 in Ontario.

Toronto and London was all catching up with family and some of Rajiv’s friends. We had the van listed for sale on Kijjiji in London, Toronto and Ottawa. The most interest came from Ottawa and yes, the van is finally sold. As much as I would have liked to have it sold in Vancouver, it was nice to be able to drive the van back to Ottawa and come back full circle. We drove from the Conservation Co-op in Sandy Hill last year in August and on Wednesday, July 30th, we drove the van back to the Co-op where we are renting our apartment.

The van has gone to a wonderful home and that made it a little easier for Rajiv to give it up. Perhaps, when we have more time to travel in the future, we may consider getting another one.

It has been an amazing year and we are grateful that we were able to give ourselves this gift.

For anyone interested in stats on the van, here goes.......

Total kms driven within Canada 2008 & 2009 – 22,480kms
Total fuel cost - $3,586
Total litres used - 3,000 litres
2008 - average fuel cost/km - 17 cents/km (due to high gas costs)
2009 – average fuel cost/km - 14 cents/km
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1243243200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1243243200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1243243200/tpod.html Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:24:47 -0400 From Canada to Asia and beyond......for the next 12 months....

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Singapore, Singapore

Leaving the colourful, sometimes chaotic Indian streets for clean, efficient, and orderly Singapore was a welcome change, but we did miss the energy and vibe of India.

We were planning to travel out of the country for a few weeks, maybe to Cambodia,Vietnam, Laos, or Australia, but then the H1N1 flu virus hit, and we were concerned that coming back to Singapore, we will be quarantined, and hence miss our flight back to Canada.

For me (Rajiv), being in Singapore for an extended period of time gave me a chance to get to know it better, by travelling on its transit system, and signing up for Iyengar Yoga classes, which I attended 3 times a week. I also started learning some Punjabi from Bobbie's father, who took me under his wing and got me started on story and exercise books, as well as some religious CDs, for an all-round cultural experience...hey its never too late to learn, I guess.

We also fit in some trips to the Zoo...a good zoo as far as they are concerned, but came away feeling sad at all the animals going extinct due to human encroachment and habitat destruction.

Musically I indulged in my interest in the Ukelele by attending a concert put on by Canadian James Hill, and his Cello playing partner Anne Davidson. They happened to be passing through Singapore after touring Japan, and we were able to catch the show. The duo were brought here by a store called Ukelele Movement that is dedicated to raising Singaporean interest in the humble Ukelele. There were several fine Ukeleles on sale at the concert, but sadly I wasn't allowed to add to my collection of instruments.

Another neat event we got to attend was a viewing of the documentary film of the 1967 Monterey Pop festival. This was one of the first outdoor music festivals that showcased many of the top artists of the time, including The Mamas and the Papas, Simon and Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, and a great performance by Ravi Shankar, as he introduced the sound of the sitar to Western audiences. The sound and video quality of the film was excellent, and it was great to be able to watch it here.

Singapore is known for its strict laws and lack of individual freedom for the sake of a stable and safe country, which I suppose is true, but as a visitor here you don't feel that. People here do work long hours and kids get stressed out at school, but the trade off seems to be a safe environment where anyone can go out at all hours and not feel threatened. Although, speaking to my sister-in-law, a Canadian who has lived here for 7 years, a lot of the rigidity and conformity expected by citizens shows itself in the number of bars and clubs that get filled nightly by people, as a form of release or protest, I'm not sure which.

Its also a tough life for migrant workers who do a lot of the construction work for low pay, and the maids who also work for low wages with very little protection from abusive employers. I guess the old saying that all that glitters is not gold is true.

We started taking long walks while here...the climate and good parks system makes it enjoyable, and it is something we hope to continue regularly in Canada. We visited some wetlands – mangrove forests that haven't disappeared due to development, although only a fraction of what used to be here is left, and took an interesting walk over a series of bridges in an area of the city that offered great views.

All in all its been a good way to wrap up our tour of South East Asia. Next stop is Vancouver, where we will get re-aquainted with our van,and prepare for the long drive back to Ontario.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1240646940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1240646940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1240646940/tpod.html Tue, 19 May 2009 04:35:01 -0400 From Canada to Asia and beyond......for the next 12 months....

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McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, India

We are parked in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala, which is the home of the Dalai Lama and many fellow Tibetans. Clean, fresh mountain air, a vibrant Tibetan community and peaceful surroundings all made it conducive for an extended stay here - 3.5 weeks. McLeod Ganj is quite unlike the rest of India that we have seen to date and has a different energy about it. The majority of the population here is Tibetan, with a small Indian community who call this place home. Add to that mix the many foreigners who stay- some to study Buddhism or yoga- and others just to hang out and/or volunteer, plus the local Indian tourists that descend here on week-ends - all in all it makes for an interesting and colourful crowd. It is a little touristy but hassle free.

Our first week was spent trying out the Iyengar Yoga classes in Dharamkot, a neighbouring town. It was about a half hour walk up into the hills. A great way to start our morning and get our exercise at the same time. It took a couple of days for me (Bobbie) to warm up to the yoga classes, or maybe to the teacher. The teaching method was somewhat different -very technical -and the teacher a little intimidating. But at the end of the classes, I have to admit he was very good. A lot of emphasis on bringing your awareness within, which paralleled our Vipassana meditation teachings.

Food and water is not a problem here. There are filtered water stations throughout the village which highly support re-filling water bottles and the use of less plastic. There is also no shortage of international cuisine, all very authentic and good. We have tried Japanese, Korean, Thai, Italian plus the usual Indian, Tibetan, Chinese and Western. Food is very inexpensive here. Most meals are under $6 Cdn for both of us, not including the occasional beer for Rajiv on a Saturday! That adds an extra $2.50 to the bill. Also lots of cafes for afternoon coffees and cake.

We spent the last two weeks of our afternoons volunteering at ROGPA, an organization that works with newly arrived Tibetan refugees. We volunteered at the Baby Care Centre (BCC), like a day care. The service is provided free to the parents, so that they can work and get on their feet. The BCC has about 40 kids under 3 years of age. Don't know what we were thinking of when we signed up. But 40 kids in different stages of biting, spitting, fighting, pulling hair and all that fun stuff that kids do.

The work we did was nothing glamorous - changed nappies, emptied potties, fed the kids their afternoon snack, played with them, sang nursery rhymes and made sure they didn't kill one another. When the kids fought, sometimes, its like in the NHL, (okay, maybe that's stretching it, but that came to mind one afternoon) we let them have it out until it got a little rough before separating them. Even then, the feisty ones were usually clawing and waiting to give that final hit. As Rajiv said, these kids sure teach you equanimity and patience.

This is our last stop, before we head off to Delhi on May 20th to catch our flight to Singapore and then onward to Canada on July 2nd. And it looks like we will be driving the van back to Ontario (a big yipee from Rajiv). I have conceded that it may be fun doing that. I might regret my decision but hey......this will be the last leg of our journey, might as well make it memorable!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1239787500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1239787500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1239787500/tpod.html Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:58:45 -0400 From Canada to Asia and beyond......for the next 12 months....

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Nainital, Uttarakhand, India

Nainital is a popular hill station in the Kumaon Valley. We had not planned to stop here but have friends in Toronto from the Nainital area and it was on the way back from R.O.S.E so decided it would be good to break-up our travel and check out our friend's hometown.

Another winding, bumpy 9-hour bus ride brought us to this laid back, modern and quite westernized hill station. The town is quite compact and houses are stacked on the hill surrounding Naini Lake. We ended up staying 5 nights and it was a relaxing 4 days of exploring the town, eating, doing a bit of a hike, and checking out some of the walking trails. Either we are out of shape or it's the altitude, but just a little bit of walking up the many steep hills would get us winded.

The main street, Mall Road, along the lake is closed to traffic every evening from 6:00pm - 9:00pm which made for a very pleasant walk and NO COWS, so no stepping on cowdung!! - what luxury :) and great weather - cool evenings and warm afternoons. There is a community of Tibetans in town, and we found many places that serve a Tibetan delicacy called momos, a type of steamed dumpling filled with either meat or vegetables with a hot sauce on the side......very good.

From here, we headed out to Corbett Park, renowned for its tigers. We did a 3 hour safari with the hopes of seeing some wild life, but not expecting much because our safari was in the hottest part of the afternoon. A tiger was sighted early into the safari and we felt quite privileged since tiger sightings are getting rare. There are 165 tigers in Corbett and given the land area (about 3 times the size of New Delhi), that is not a lot. We also saw some wild elephants, monkeys, deers, birds etc. A very very hot and humid afternoon. We definitely felt the onset of summer in India, and are making our way to North India where hopefully it will be cooler.

Our last unscheduled stop before going to Dharmsala was Haridwar. We had passed through this town before, but I (Rajiv) wanted to search for my family Panda. My father said that I could find information about his visit here when he was 9 years old, when his father (my grandfather) died and his ashes were put into the Ganges river. A Panda is a priest who maintains records of a familys history, dating back hundreds of years.

I was eager to try to find this information because I know so little about my familys history. It seemed like a long shot just finding my Panda, but we decided to try. We had no idea where to start the search and asked the hotel owner where we were staying for some leads. He told us to go to one of the bathing ghats, where the real and apparently not "phony" Pandas could be found.

So, the next morning we took a cycle-rickshaw to the ghat. There were some people bathing in the Ganges and not a whole lot of activity was going on. A man in a white kurta looked like he was ready to bathe and saw our bewildered looks, and when we told him what we were looking for he made us follow him through some alley ways as he asked around. I was armed with the name of my father's village and his father's name which was information I needed. Apparently each Panda is assigned a district/village/clan and that is how they figured out where to direct us. After a couple of stops and some discussion and questions that we sometimes could not answer, they got us to a priest with a bunch of file cabinets and rolls of paper which looked very ancient but in good condition.

It was really quite interesting. He thumbed through one big role, and, within minutes, read out the names of my uncles, my father, my grandfather and grandmother. It was amazing that we so quickly found this record of a visit my father and his family made to this place over 60 years ago. The Panda also had a record of my great grand father, great great grandfather, and several generations before that. He also updated the record and noted my mother's name and that of my oldest brother, along with me and Bobbie, so that maybe in another 60 years a descendant can find the record of our visit. I find that's the amazing thing about this country of over a billion people, how you can find records like this, improbable as it may seem.



]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1239439980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1239439980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1239439980/tpod.html Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:24:25 -0400 From Canada to Asia and beyond......for the next 12 months....

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Bageshwar, Uttarakhand, India

Our stay at R.O.S.E. (Rural Organization for Social Elevation) was more of a homestay than volunteering. There are opportunities to volunteer but as we found out you need to plan before-hand and figure out where your expertise might be best used.

We stayed with Jeevan Verma and his family near the town of Kanda, in the Kumaon valley, close to the Himalayan mountains. Getting there was a bit of a challenge. We took a train from Haridwar to Kathgodam, and then rode in a shared taxi (these are jeeps that serve as mini buses picking up passengers going to specific destinations) which is a popular mode of transport in the mountains, since there are no autorickshaws.

The ride was through the mountains with spectacular scenery along the way, which somewhat compensated for the continuously winding, hilly climb for the7 hours it took to reach our next transit stop. It is quite common to see heads sticking out of the buses/taxis as people throw up from motion sickness. Our trip was no exception, although luckily it was neither one of us who got sick. The taxi took us to Bageshwar and then we got into another shared taxi to Kanda Market, and from there the locals pointed out Jeevan Verma's house, which was nestled in the valley, amidst paddy fields and other homes. Very few tourists seem to visit this area, so when locals see foreigners or backpackers they know they are volunteers with R.O.S.E. The location is absolutely beautiful and peaceful and worth the 24 hours it took us to get there.

We stayed with R.O.S.E. for 4 days and got a sense of rural life in the Kumaon Valley and some of the challenges faced by the farmers. Jeevan mentioned that life in the village has changed, in that where at one time, entire households would pitch in and work the farm, today, most men have jobs outside, kids go to school and so the farm work falls on the women. And the work these women do is just amazing. They are up at the crack of dawn and take care of the farming, cooking, household and day-to-day stuff. Most of the work they do in the field is hard physical labour. We saw women carrying large loads of wheat or grain up and down steep hills, threshing wheat by hand, and plowing fields. All of the work involved manual labour, with little mechanized practices. We were not sure if that was by choice or due to the income levels of the farmers.

We saw some projects that had been completed by previous volunteer groups, like solar lighting for houses that could not afford electric light, and construction of a community centre and provisions store where low-income farmers could purchase supplies. Seeing what could be done by volunteers working with the local community made us realize how important it is to have a plan or project to work on rather than just showing up and hoping to make a difference. We decided to leave R.O.S.E. earlier than planned because we felt somewhat useless as we had no specific tasks to do.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1238423340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1238423340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1238423340/tpod.html Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:35:33 -0400 From Canada to Asia and beyond......for the next 12 months....

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Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

We thought we would include a blog about our stay at the yoga ashram - two weeks of yoga, meditation, reading and exploring. I was going to describe it as "idyllic" but Rajiv said two weeks of downward dog, spinal twists and contorted asanas, honey bees and lion sounds is definitely not "idyllic" or "relaxing" - my other description. I guess he's got a point.

We stayed at the Anand Prakash Ashram which is run by a couple from Ottawa who also have a yoga studio in Beechwood - they live in Rishikesh 6 months of the year and return to Canada in March/April. We weren't too keen on the location initially because it wasn't by the Ganges and all in all it didn't feel like a great area. It is located in a bit of a valley, surrounded on 3 sides by the Himalaya mountains which is quite spectacular, but there is some construction going on next door, a half renovated building sitting in front of the ashram, and a 5 storey condo building next to it, so all in all not too appealing except for the mountains. But we liked the way the day was structured - 4 hours of yoga (2 hours in the morning and 2 in the evening), a fire ceremony in the morning after breakfast and kirtan (singing) 2 nights a week. This allowed us enough free time to practice our Vipassana meditation, plus do a little reading etc.

But after a few days of being in the ashram and exploring the area, we ended up really liking it. The ashram is a bit of an oasis, away from the bustle of the market and tourist crowds. It's small and intimate with beautiful grounds to sit in and relax/read/contemplate....or just watch nature. The room rate includes all meals - fabulously healthy ayurvedic meals meant that we didn't have to go out looking for food, which can get quite exhausting.

About 90% of the guests staying at the Ashram are Canadian - the first time we've seen so many Canadians in one place in India. A family from Quebec is currently staying here, 4 kids and the parents. Our hats go off to the parents for exposing the kids to this world, and not going crazy in the process.

In our explorings, we discovered little neighbourhoods around the ashram. There are some residential areas with narrow laneways, minus the usual traffic of cows, scooters (and cow dung!!) that lead to the market and another one that goes to a little gem of a cafe serving organic food - the Ramana Cafe, tucked away in the grounds of the Ramana Orphanage. The cafe is run by volunteers and proceeds go to the orphanage. There are about 60 kids on site and others who come from outside for lessons.

The cafe had a great lunch menu and cakes for dessert, plus a little mini library. Rajiv also discovered "The Beatles in Rishikesh," a book that he has been looking for since coming to India but hasn't had much luck finding until now. The book is filled with great photographs of The Beatles when they spent time at The Maharishi's Ashram here in early 1968. The photos were taken by a guy from Canada who happened to end up at the Ashram at the same time as the Beatles. So, some of our afternoons were spent at the cafe, sitting on their low cushions, having chai and dessert while Rajiv browsed through his Beatles book and the book "Stillness Speaks" by Eckhart Tolle grabbed my attention.

Our room at the Ashram had a little balcony which faced the front garden and the construction site next door. Some of our time was spent watching the activities outside. It was construction indian style - one afternoon we saw a worker loading bricks on his head, first creating a base with two bricks and then loading another six on his head and then slowly moving behind a half brick wall before disappearing. Another afternoon, we saw a man at the bottom of a ladder throwing one brick at a time to a guy at the top of the ladder. Things go slow here.

One morning was spent visiting a waterfall nearby. Pretty much everyone staying at the ashram went and enjoyed the walk up the montain and the refereshing dip in the very cool pool at the top. At times we think we could live like this forever, doing yoga and meditation (attempting to), getting three meals a day, a clean room to sleep in, and no real expectations or demands from anyone, all for $12.50 Canadian per person/day!

Our next stop is Kanda village and R.O.S.E., a volunteer organization where we hope to be put to work.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1236933540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1236933540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1236933540/tpod.html Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:15:18 -0400 From Canada to Asia and beyond......for the next 12 months....

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Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

We have completed our 10 day Vipassana meditation course. This was done in Dehra Dun. The town was totally uninspiring with the usual chaos and noise. Thankfully the site for the meditation was about a half hour drive from the town. It was at a higher altitude and the scenery got more mountainous and the air felt cleaner as the driver made his way past some beautiful homes, through a military base, and then onto a dirt road, down a valley and across a stream before we arrived at our site.

Only half an hour from town but it seemed like a world away with its peaceful and quiet surroundings. Fruit trees, bouganvillea plants, palm trees and others that we didn't recognize provided a natural haven for the many birds and monkeys in the area.

The army base is also close by and during some of the meditation sessions we could hear the sounds of practiced gun fire in the distance, plus the odd music playing and wild dogs barking - it is India after all :)

As usual, the hardest part of the 10 days is the sitting - for the 10 hours each day, which can be quite painful. I (Rajiv) also realized that 10 days of silence is a dangerous thing, because the mind starts churning over past events and regrets, and it doesn't stop! It was good that we were in such a remote area because there was no chance for escape. We stuck it out for the full 10 days. Rajiv and I are both determined to keep up with the practice this time, meditating 2 hours per day, as recommended. It is hoped that after some time the practice will get easier, and the mind will get calmer...more equanimous.

After that, we stopped in Haridwar for one night to check out some ashrams but they were not for us so we are now back in Rishikesh. We will stay here for about 2 weeks to do some yoga and continue with our meditation. We are presently staying at the Parmarth Ashram, which is one of the largest ashrams in India - they have about 1000 rooms. It's well set-up to accommodate foreigners. Our room rate includes all meals, which is wonderful because we are getting tired of the constant going out and trying to figure out what to eat each day. After this we move to the Anand Prakash Ashram where we start our yoga. This is a small intimate ashram run by a couple from Ottawa who spend 6 months of the year in India teaching yoga.

After this we travel to the Kumaon Valley to volunteer with ROSE (Rural Organization for Social Elevation). This is quite a remote region so we have no idea about network access. It might be end of April/early May before we blog again.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1238274240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1238274240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1238274240/tpod.html Sat, 07 Mar 2009 02:07:10 -0500 From Canada to Asia and beyond......for the next 12 months....

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Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

We arrived in Rishikesh around 5:30 in the evening after a 7 hour dusty ride over bone-jarring roads. It's always interesting to figure out where to put our luggage on buses in India because most of the public buses do not have storage compartments. This was the first time our bags ended up on the roof. Getting the bags up there involved the use of a porter who used his head, literally, to transport our bags. Getting the bags down was another story altogether!

There are 2 riverside communities in Rishikesh situated around the Ram Jhulla and Laxman Jhulla bridges which are suspension bridges. We found out that the Ashram where we had our room reservations was in a traffic free zone, which means no auto-rickshaws are allowed. So we lugged our backpacks and Pradeep's suitcases down a steep staircase and then across the Laxman Jhulla bridge. Apparently the traffic free zone area does not apply to motorcycles so they are constantly whizzing across the bridge, a big nuisance.

Our accommodation at the Sant Seva Ashram was basic but for the price and location, no complaints. The room was huge and it had an equally big balcony overlooking the mountains, with the Ganges River running through it - very scenic. The ashram had yoga at 8:00am every morning and the ganga arti (river worship) ceremony performed at sunset by the Ganges. Some of us made it to yoga and Rajiv and Pradeep signed up for music (tabla and sitar) lessons.

The riverside community is very quiet and peaceful. The only sounds are the occasional chatter of the ashram staff, people bathing in the ghats and the sound of temple bells clanking and chantings of devotees and bhajans.

Rishikesh is beautiful and also relatively hassle free of touts which was a welcomed change after Varanasi. The International Yoga Festival was also happening that week at the Parmarth ashram in the Ram Jhulla area, so lots going on.

On the to-do list was to check out the Maharishi Ashram where the Beatles stayed. The ashram is now abandoned,and we tried to sneak into it through the back door and got kicked out by the security guard. If we make it back to Rishikesh in a few weeks time, Rajiv might try to get in again, this time through the front gate and hopefully the guard wont recognize us. Although I (Rajiv) am realizing that I put too much importance on seeing where past events like that took place.

We are now in Delhi catching up with family and our next stop is Dehra Dhun where we have signed up for a 10 day Vipassana Meditation course. This is the same course we did in Canada a few years ago - the one done in silence. All will be quiet on the blog front for a while after this.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1235126400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1235126400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kalsi_kaur/1/1235126400/tpod.html Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:17:58 -0500 From Canada to Asia and beyond......for the next 12 months....

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Amritsar, Punjab, India

Welcome to Punjab - land of the Sikhs! Not so much sightseeing as reacquainting myself and introducing Rajiv to family. The last time I visited India was 14 years ago and I haven't seen some of my relatives for 25 years, so a lot of catching up to do.

Rajiv got a taste of village life in India, with a real working farm. The five days in Punjab was also a bit of an overload of Punjabi speaking relatives for Rajiv. Some of my relatives spoke English but not many so it wasn't the easiest for Rajiv to communicate, but he survived. He also had offers from my relatives to stay in India for a couple of months, learn farming, and the language. He is considering it!

We also witnessed the India-Pakistan border ceremony in Attari which is pure theatre of antics and bravado as they border closes every evening at 5:30pm. The crowds from both countries chant patriotic songs as flags are lowered.

We caught up with Rajiv's brother Pradeep in Chandigarh who is here for sitar lessons. We stayed with his sister-in-law's family who were very warm and hospitable for a few nights before we headed out to Rishikesh.

Chandigarh is a very modern city with sidewalks and wide boulevards. We visited the Rock Garden - an amazing work of creative genuis in using recycled materials.The creator Nek Chand was a road inspector during the building of Chandigarh in the late 1950's. Struck by the amount of waste generated as villages were cleared to build the new city, Chand took the waste material home and used it to sculpt figures resembling people and animals. The rock garden is still being constructed from waste materials, and it is one of Asia's most significant recycling programs. Visit www.nekchand.com for more information.

We were able to celebrate Pradeep's birthday in Chandigarh at a great South Indian restaurant.



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Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Varanasi, formerly known as Benares and Kashi (City of Life) is one of the holiest places in India, where Hindu pilgrims come in droves to wash away their sins in the Ganges river, and to cremate their loved ones. This is the most auspicious place for a Hindu to be cremated.

The old city of Varanasi is lined with bathing ghats (steps leading to the river). Almost 80 ghats border the Ganges River. Varanasi is one of the most relgious and spiritual places in India but for us, not understanding the rituals or the significiance of the Ganges, we did not feel that spiritual vibe. It was also quite touristy with touts constantly trying to sell you a boat ride, trinkets, or services like massages or shaves, so that didn't help either. I (Rajiv) consented to getting a shave one morning, which turned into a face, head, and body massage. I finally got the guy to stop before he went on to "cracking" my bones.

It is however, an interesting place to people watch. There are sadhus (holy men) in orange and yellow robes with various forms of hair-dos and make-up, visible around the ghats. It is also a place where the most intimate rituals of life and death are put on public display. People come here for their ritual bath, to wash their clothes, their buffaloes, while some practice yoga in the mornings, kids play cricket by the ghats, men play cards - it's a place teeming with life.

Our guesthouse was located next to Manikarnika Ghat, the main burning ghat where the cremations take place. We had to walk pass the burning ghat at least twice a day - not a very pleasant experience. Mornings and evenings is when most of the cremations occur. The bodies are wrapped in white cloth and strapped to bamboo stretchers. There are wood piles around this ghat, with men chopping wood for the cremation. The corpse is dipped in the Ganges just prior to being cremated, which is part of the ritual. We usually averted our eyes when walking by the cremations but sometimes that was hard to do. At one time, we noticed feet sticking out of the burning wood piles. Some people stop and watch the cremations, but for something so private, it feels very intrusive. Even walking by that gath did not feel right.

On the lighter side of things, Rajiv had some time and signed up for an hour of sitar lesson just to get a sense of whether this is something he would be interested in taking up. We were also able to listen to some live classical music at dinner for a couple of nights. We made friends with a tea seller near one ghat who would always make sure that we were looked after with tea. They serve tea in small clay cups - just enough for a couple of sips which is perfect, and only 2 rupees which is about 5 cents. It allows you to have about 10 cups a day which adds up to about 1 western cup.

Walking the back streets of Varanasi was interesting, for lack of a better word. The alleys are too narrow for cars but motorcycles zoom through them as their drivers honk their horns for people, buffaloes, goats, dogs and cyclists to get out of the way. Residents of Varanasi seem to be allowed to keep buffaloes outside their homes. We had to constantly scan the ground to avoid stepping in fresh dung. In India it seems, anything goes, and people just accept it as a part of everyday life.

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