Day 22: The journey was supposed to take one day.Three days and many unexpected events later (roads under construction, strong winds, heavy rain and HAIL, plus other things not to be mentioned here), we finally made it to the Holy land – the Golden Temple!
And that’s when my jaw dropped… 🙂
Day 23: Enough of crazy experimenting – tried a face wash with turmeric powder, and ended up looking like a carrot. Totally unnecessary, as even without it i’ve been stared at more in the past 3 weeks than i have in the past 25 years… I feel like there’s permanently someone on my shoulder shouting at the top of his lungs: “And here, ladies and gents, from the land of crazy hair, we have exhibit number…”
Day 24: Time to kill? Have some chai. Lost your way? Have some chai. Had a bad day? Have some chai. Happy? Chai. Tired? Chai. Alone? Chai. With friends? Chai. With strangers? Chai. Morning? Lunch? Dinner? Chai. In between meals? Chai. Middle of the city? Chai. Top of the hill? Chai. River bank? Chai. Highway? Chai. No reason at all? Chai chai chai!!!:):)
Day 25: ‘All scientist say, this food good for health, this one no good… all much confusion. My guruji says, eat whatever you want!! Because in the food, no secret. In the mind, have the secret. If you happy, no matter what food you eat, you will shine! If you eat all the best food, but no happy, you will still sick. So health not about food. But about how you are inside…” (Quote from my yoga teacher). Maaaan, i knew i’d like this place!!:p
Day 26: Never thought i’d actually be at the footsteps of the Himalayas, on the banks of the Ganga river, during a glorious sunset, chanting “Hari Krishna” and “Hari Ram” with some hundreds yogis…
Day 27: Yoga, chai, talks with swami ji, divine music, yoga, apple samosa (!!!), Ganga, walks, chai, cool people… apple samosa :p
And now i think there’s a monkey snoring outside my window… oh please let it be just a monkey… please…
Day 28:”But EVERYWHERE there is GARBAGE! Even in the most beautiful palace, there is also a toilet. Inside of you, you have garbage – when you see it, you are disgusted! Every palace has a toilet, which is much needed… but what we have to do is NOT TO STAY IN THE TOILET ALL THE TIME!”
Best metaphor I’ve ever heard for choosing whatto focus on and where to settle in life… thank you Puyja Swamiji 🙂
Day 29: Woman: ‘Do you have take-away cups for the chai?”
Guy (thinking)… ‘Take… away… Mam, I give you cup, you bring it back!’
How adorable can this place be?? And that’s definitely one good way to save the planet:)
Woman: ‘Your tea is the best in town! What do you put in it?’
Guy: ‘Well, the usual… cardamom, cinnamon, cloves… and too much of love!’:):):)
Day 32: One last chai in Rishikesh and one last ceremony by the river. Saying goodbye to the Ganga and the people she has gatthered around her was definitely not easy, but the decision to go back there again had already been made, so knowing that the ‘goodbye’ was a ‘see you later’ made it all much easier!
Day 33: After taking good care of me for the full duration of the trip, making sure i was safe and comfortable, and that i was aware of all the good spots to photograph, the bus conductor handed me a piece of folded paper: ‘I want go to Europe, this my contact’. After saying our good byes, he paused… looked deep into my eyes… and whispered; ‘Miss… you want kiss?
Day 34 was my last day in India. A great day. And a hard day. The sky in Delhi was breaking and the rain was washing all there was… My ego took it as Mother India’s way of telling me that she will miss me as much as I will…:) THANK YOU Varun Jain, for opening this country to me like this… It would have not been possible without you!
