Shameless plug for Icebreaker undies

Dad, you can skip this blog if you want : )
So a few months ago, I was in a car with some friends driving from a river takeout back to the put-in to pick up a car. I was thinking how happy I was to be wearing my merino wool thermals. It was a cool day and the water (the Nanty) was freezing, as usual. Even though I was soaking wet, my base layers kept me warm from shoulders to ankles. They're soft, they dry fairly quickly, and they can sit wet in a bag for a day or two without getting stinky (you all know how sensitive my nose is to stinky things). My wool thermals are among my favorite items of clothing.

So there I was, sitting in my wet wool on the way back to the put-in when I thought, somebody should make merino wool underwear (and by underwear, I mean panties)? What's the point of a wool base layer if the base base layer was cotton or nylon? I must have been mulling out loud because my friend Eve said, "Icebreaker makes wool underwear!" So two weeks before my trip, I ordered 5 pairs of Icebreaker wool underwear over the Internet. These are the only pairs I brought on my trip and have worn them every day. I have to say, I will never wear anything else. After 21 days trekking (17 without a shower), a few months of bucket laundry and air drying, and about a month of Keralan jungle heat, they are still as good as new. They didn't shrink or stretch, they are not scratchy, they kept me cool in the heat and warm in the cold, they washed easily, and they dried in about 2 hours. Aaaand best of all, they all still pass the non-stinky test : ) Check them out here:

http://www.icebreaker.com/site/catalog/search.html?flag=Underwear&gender=Woman

I ordered them from an online outdoor retailer but I can't remember which one. So there you have it. Icebreaker undies are the best undies ever : ) Now don't get me started on my Icebreaker sweater, which I've also worn nearly every day and still looks like new.

Thanks Eve and thanks Icebreaker!

The Audacity of Hope

I'm spending tonight in Bangalore with a friend I met at the ashram and then tomorrow, I'll be heading back to the ashram. Why did I make this one-day trip? There are no TVs at the ashram and tonight (10PM or so India time, 11:30AM your time), my friend (from DC) and I will be glued to the TV to watch the inauguration. Yay, yay, yay!! Today is Bush's last day in office. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself.

Uniquely Indian (and Nepali too I guess)

Here are a few things I've noticed throughout my travels in India and Nepal.

1. Buckets: Yep, buckets are big here. They have entire shops devoted to buckets and bucket scoops (little buckets with handles that double as a handy hook to hang on the big buckets). What can you use a bucket for? Bucket showers (there are few showerheads in India or Nepal); bucket laundry; food container; regular waste basket; toilet paper waste basket: yep, in some places, TP can't go in the toilet (western or eastern) so the paper is tossed into the bucket next to the toilet. The contents are then added to the burn pile. Yep. Yuck.

2. Sales tags: Tags stuck to bathroom fixtures, buckets, plates and cups, automobiles, etc are not removed...ever. There's a car parked here at the ashram that still has the window stickers and paper strips over the hood. And I don't think I've used a bathroom mirror here that didn't have a sticker on it. I saw a woman on the train that left the tag on her cashmere scarf.

3. The phloem hoark: Hoark and spit. Everyone does it. Women, men. On the train, in meditation class, in the lunchroom. It's loud. It's messy. It's gross. No one cares. Why everyone have so much phleom? And it's not just limited to phloem. There's plenty of burping and farting (men and women) right in the middle of yoga class.

4. Cell phones: Everyone has one and no one knows how to turn it off. I've not had class here (and there are several per day) where a cell phone hasn't gone off. In one meditation class, one person's phone went off three times!!! Seriously?!?

And a little side note. I can't wait to use a shower with a shower head and...a shower curtain. I haven't had a shower curtain since the Radisson in Kathmandu (early November). The showers here are right next to the toilet with no curtain separating the two. If I forget to take the TP out of the bathroom before I take a shower, I end up with a sopping wet roll of mush. And after a shower, the entire bathroom is wet for the rest of the day. Yay for the western shower.

And a second note. Although this post is a bit negative, I really am enjoying my time India : ) I'll send more positive stuff later this week : )

Conversational Indian

Here are a few phrases you should know if you converse with Indians in India. Again, it's more fun if you bring to mind an India accent.

1. Phrases created by saying a common English word twice:
okay okay
use 1. affirmative, answer to a question. As in:
Question: okay?
Answer: okay, okay (accompanied by the head waggle, approximated by making a small figure 8 with your nose)
use 2: term of concession, esp. after bargaining; consider the following conversation:
me: How much to go to the post office?
rickshaw driver: 75 rupees
me: 75 rupees?? That's too much. Yesterday, I paid 50 (yes, had to go twice, separate story).
rickshaw driver: 60 rupees
me: No, too much. 50
rickshaw driver: okay, okay
use 3: phrase used in cell-phone conversations. Overheard:
"okay, okay...okay, okay................okay, okay"

same, same
meaning: this is the same as that, even when it is clearly not. Consider the following conversation between a tailor and me when I tried on a pair of pants he sewed for me:
me: These don't fit the same as the sample I tried on.
tailor: Same, same.
me: No. These are much longer here (length) and shorter here (rise).
tailor: Same, same.
me (upon trying on the sample again): See, these are not the same.
tailor: okay, okay (accompanied by the head waggle)

2. Common phrases heard in areas with many tourist shops.
Just come inside.
Just have a look.
Looking, free of charge.
Just look, madame.
You first customer. I need good luck. Good price.
Morning time. I make you good price.
Evening time. I make you good price.
This is good price, madame.

3. Phrases describing the relative gravity of a situation.
No problem
meaning: what you might consider a problem isn't really a problem.
me: Why has the car stopped running?
taxi driver: No problem, madam. I'll be right back. [he leaves with no explanation. 20 minutes later, he comes back with a can of gas (petrol)].
taxi driver: No problem.

Big problem
meaning: something that you might not consider a problem but which is actually a deal-breaker
taxi driver: 50 rupees, madam
me: I only have 100. Can you give change?
taxi driver: big problem

Not possible
meaning: response to what you might think is a reasonable request
me: Can I have the fruit muesli curd (cereal with curd and mixed fruit) but without papaya?
waiter: Not possible.
me: Is the fruit pre-mixed?
waiter: No madam. Not pre-mixed. Made when you order.
me: Can you not add papaya?
waiter: Not possible. It comes with banana, orange, papaya, and mango.
me: okay okay (accompanied by the head waggle : )

[Side note: since coming to India, I’ve discovered that I really don’t like papaya. For some reason, to me, it tasted like vomit.]

That's all for now : )

Onward in India and then...home!!

After I left the ashram in Kerala, I've had a little time in civilization. I spent about 2 days (with travel) at the Amma ashram and then traveled to Varkala, a beach town with a stunning cliff overhanging a beach on the Arabian Sea. I left there this morning and am making my way to Bangalore in the state of Karnataka, leaving the state of Kerala : ( There, I will visit another ashram that was recommended by my ashram book (yes, I have a book of ashrams: From Here to Nirvana) and by a fellow traveler. Here's the web site to the ashram. I'll have to get up even earlier at this place. Yikes!!
http://www.svyasa.org/arogyadhama/arogyadhama.asp
I'll be there for at least one week and maybe for two, depending on how I like it. Again, I have no idea whether or not I'll have internet or phone. I'm going to try to buy a SIM card for my cell when I get to Bangalore but the ashram is about an hour outside the city.
After Bangalore, I'll be making my way to the state of Tamil Nadu on the eastern coast of India. There, I will be spending about 10 days at the Quite Healing Center in Auroville (in interesting community...check out the web site.)
http://quiethealingcenter.info/index.htm
http://www.auroville.org/

And then....I'm coming home! Yep. I'm heading home on Feb 16th, about a month earlier than I had originally planned. I've decided to enroll in a yoga teacher training course at It's Yoga (now Grow Yoga) that starts on Feb 19. I couldn't pass up the opportunity, especially since I'm not working right now. I'm not sure if Michael (he's subletting my apartment while I'm away) will be able to find a place that soon so I might need to couch-surf for a few weeks after I return. Any takers? I will have been living out of a backpack for 4 months so I guess a few more weeks won't hurt.

Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you about the elephants. No, they had nothing to do with Amma except that we visited an elephant sanctuary the day we left the ashram for Amma's. We were only going to go for an elephant ride but when we arrived, they were bathing one of the elephants in the lake. We got to get in the water to "help" scrub his wrinkly skin with coconut husks. I put "help" in quotes because we probably weren't doing such a good job with the cleaning, what with all the posing for photos that we were doing : )

I'll be in touch when I arrive at my next destination : )

The Hugging Mother

Okay, here it is, my experience with Matha Amrithanandamayi, one of India's few female gurus. She is known as Amma (mother) and is called the Hugging Mother because she hugs everyone who comes to visit her as if they were her own child. When she resides at her ashram (which is only a few months of the year), she doles out "Darshan" (meaning blessing) in the form of hugs on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays (usually, but per the Indian way, not always). In addition to hugging, Amma has amassed a huge, and very well-organized charitable organization which includes a world-class hospital that treats anyone who can't afford it (which is most of India), a world-class university, and an orphanage. I made a last-minute decision to go there. I thought, what better way to spend New Year's Eve than getting a hug from Amma. I've heard her hugs are a spiritual experience and since I haven't had one yet in this spiritual country of India, it was a opportunity I couldn't pass up.

On the day I arrived, Amma hugged from 11AM to midnight. Rumor has it that she doesn't get up once during Darshan but I didn't watch long enough to see whether or not that was true. I'll skip the travel and arrival at the ashram and get straight to the hugging process (yes, process). Because it was New Year's Eve, there were thousands of Indians at the ashram for the day. Day visitors get priority in the Darshan line. Everyone gets a token containing a range of numbers and a digital message board tells you when to get in line. In the meantime, you wait in chairs in the huge, covered but open auditorium. Amma is sitting in an armchair on the stage at the front of the auditorium but you can't see her from the floor as she is mobbed by her attendants and huggees. Queues (lines) form at the left (men's) and right (women's) of the stage and extend to the back of the auditorium.

After 7PM, those who are spending the night at the ashram are allowed to join the queue. The queue consists of plastic chairs. Every 5 minutes or so, everyone in the queue stands up and shifts forward 10 or so chairs. After being in the queue for about an hour, I finally reached the "gift" table (not sure what else to call it) where I was given the opportunity to buy a gift for Amma. Maybe I wanted to present Amma with neck garland of plastic flowers or perhaps some sweets? I didn't bring any money with me so I didn't buy anything. Presenting gifts to the mother isn't necessary for a hug but I felt a little conspicuous without it. Once I passed the gift table, I had another hour or so to go. Sitting in Amma's Darshan line offers people-watching at its finest. Westerners generally wore white outfits (something like a white nightgown and white pants) and Indians came in their finest silk saris. Westerners talked about all the times they've been hugged by Amma...serial huggees who seem to follow her around like groupies. I'm not sure what Indians talked about but something tells me that many don't get the opportunity to see Amma more than once.

To the left and right of the stage are two rooms. When I reached the front of the line, I walked up the ramp to the stage and entered the room on the right. That's when I realized that, like a line in an amusement park, the Darshan line continues on the stage, weaving back and forth among more chairs. But from inside the room, I could finally see Amma! Amma was wearing all white and sitting in a gigantic arm chair. Many have asked me how old she is and I couldn't say. You'll have to google this. I would guess maybe in her 50s. She was surrounded, first, by several attendants. Most attendants were helping huggees move through the line. One attendee massaged Amma's shoulders while she hugged. Another handed her prasad (a blessed sweet that Amma handed to each huggee after their hug). Surrounding the attendees were maybe 100 already-hugged huggees, sitting on the floor cross-legged, meditating. If a huggee wanted to sit, another who had been sitting for a while was tapped on the shoulder and asked to leave to make space for the new huggee. All the while, singing was being played over the loudspeakers. It was quite a spectacle. Since cameras are not allowed, I have no photos. You'll just have to take my word for it : )

As I approached the front of the line, an attendant took my bag and asked me to wipe my face (imagine all the oil and makeup that would accumulate on Amma's white gown after a day of hugging). Another attendant asked me what language I spoke. With only one person in front of me now, another attendant pressed down lightly on my shoulder, indicating that it was time to kneel (the hugging position). When the person in front of me stood up, the attendant pushed me forward and I waddled up to Amma on my knees. Another attendant placed my hands on the arms of the arm chair and pushed my head into her...well, into her chest, and held it there. Now, I must pause a moment. Amma is a busy woman who is very involved in her charitable organizations. She can't give up hours a day to hug when so much work has to be done. So how does she get it all done? She carries out business while she's hugging. Yes, the woman doesn't get up to pee for 13 hours carries on business conversations while she's hugging. So there I am, with my hands on either side of Amma and my head being held against her chest while she's carrying on a conversation with one of her attendants, who's taking notes. Amma is holding me, sort of, but I must wait for the full-on hug until she's finished her thought. I must have stayed in this awkward position for 20 or 30 seconds. And all at once, she squeezed, kissed the side of my head, pushed the prasad into my hand, mumbled something in my ear (I have no idea), and released me. That was it. The attendant pulled me up and ushered me away before I had time to say, "What was that? I didn't hear you." After I left, I realized that I didn't even have a chance to make eye contact.

So that was my experience with Amma, the hugging mother, the living saint. It wasn't quite the experience I'd expected, but it was truly an unforgettable experience (not unlike all travels in India). I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else on New Year's Eve.

Monk video!!! I'm so excited!

Look!! My video posted!! It only took 30 minutes : ) I posted a few blogs (one with photos) in the past two days so look at previous posts too.

Random assortment of paragliding, diners, and monks

I'm catching up. These are from the last weeks in November and the first week of December.

Paragliding over Pokhara: Did I mention that I did this? Did I mention that after about 20 minutes of turning in circles to catch thermals, I puked over Pokhara? Somehow, it didn't occur to me that you can get motion sickness from paragliding. Oh well. It was still fun but I won't do it again.

Remember the roadside diner "gift" shop we stopped at on the overnight bus to Mcleod Ganj? I sneaked (snuck?) a snapshot of the 3-D paintings just before the shop owner came around the corner. Notice the plastic children's tricycle on the floor.

Indian signs continue to amuse me. I was scolded by a drunk Indian for taking these photos of the signs outside the diner. He said it was "very very wrong!"

Monk debates in the courtyard outside the Dalai Lama's residence: The two monks standing are quizzing the two seated monks. The discussions were pretty intense with yelling and scowling but, as you can see, it was all good-natured.

Traffic

It's late and I want to post but I don't have time to do the whole photo rigmarole. So this one is short and sweet. I've been keeping a running list of animals I've seen walking down the road in Nepal and India:
1. Dzopku (yak/cow cross; I would add yak but there were no roads in the Everest region)
2. Horses
3. Donkeys
4. Goats
5. Cows (lots and lots)
6. Water buffalo
7. Oxen
8. Camels (yep...walking along a highway no less)
9. Elephants (again, walking along a highway but was so stunned that I didn't get a photo)
More tomorrow. I'll try to post some photos and I'll tell you about New Year's eve.

Ashram life

Hi all! I finally have Internet access. First off, I'm now in a beach town on the western coast of southern India called Varkala. BEAUTIFUL!!
Now, back to my last few weeks in Kerala, which I've really enjoyed. I spent December 16 through December 30th at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Kerala, which is very near the southern tip of India. The schedule there goes something like this:

• 5:20AM First wake up bell (which I stopped hearing on day two)
• 5:50AM Second wake up bell (which I stopped hearing on about day 7)
• 6AM Meditation (30 minutes), and Satsung chanting, aka Kirtan, if you've heard of that, not unlike hymns in church except these were not in English (30 minutes)
• 7:30 Tea (weak chai)
• 8AM Yoga (2 hours) consisting of 15-20 minutes of pranayama (yogic breathing practice, my new favorite yoga), 15 minutes or so of sun salutations, 60 minutes or so of a specific sequence of hatha poses, and lots of sivasana (relaxation pose) interspersed
• 10 AM Brunch eaten sitting on the floor with my right hand (vegetarian, good food, though a bit dull after 15 days). Side note: real, non-westernized south Indian food is some of the best I've ever had. I would recommend borrowing a south Indian cookbook (Keralan, if you can find it) from the library, especially if you're looking for substantial and varied vegetarian food.
• 11 AM Karma Yoga, selfless service, which consisted of tasks like cleaning, trash pickup, food service, etc. My karma yoga was brunch serving and cleanup of the dining room so I had free time after around 11:30.
• 2 PM lecture, talks on meditation, yoga, and chanting
• 3:30 yoga (2 hours, same as morning)
• 6PM dinner (not as much variety as brunch, usually boiled vegetables over rice with a side of boiled vegetables, which got really old)
• 8PM Satsung (same as the morning, exactly the same, words and all, which are now burned into my brain and I find myself humming throughout the day)
• 10PM lights out

Many of you asked if the ashram celebrated Christmas and indeed, they did. Many Keralans are Christian. The streets and houses were decorated with lights and these beautiful illuminated paper stars and the ashram hosted several different cultural (music and theater) performances on the days before and after Christmas. We even had a visit from Santa, who made an entrance shouting "Happy Christmas" and carrying balloons : )

To end this post, I will share with you my favorite phrases spoken by my Indian yoga instructors. When reading these, it might help to bring to mind an Indian accent :

1. "straight your legs" (as in, your legs are bent and they should be straight in this pose)

2. "feets together" (as in, your feet are apart but they should be together in this pose)

3. "close your left nose", "close your right nose", and my favorite "close your both noses" (referring to holding the breath during pranayama, which I had trouble doing the first time I heard "close your both noses" because it made me laugh)

It's getting late. I had a very interesting New Year's eve (which I'll write about tomorrow) involving elephants and a saint. More tomorrow.