No time for meditation Monday morning, was busy finishing up my packing. Went out for street chai at 8:30, then down to meet Cindy and Loraine for Ashish's Iyengar yoga class at 9. It was packed! Probably because the yoga festival had just ended and people were looking for new teachers to try out. They both loved his class, his precise teaching and his humour. Then they came to my room to help me carry my bags about 5 minutes away to Ananda guesthouse, my home for the next couple weeks. My room was still occupied when we arrived, so I just dropped off my luggage and we got on with our day. First stop was Oasis Cafe for an Israeli brunch (pita, hummus, falafel, shukshuka & shabiklafa), then we were off to the Beatle's Ashram. Like Ramana's Garden, this was a spot I had yet to visit, and like Ramana's, it became one of my favorite places in Rishikesh. It's about a 20 minute walk out of town, in the forest, up a hill. The weekend had been all sun and blue skies, but today was a little cloudy, making the already spooky atmosphere there even more eerie. Run-down, overgrown, crumbling stone huts and grey buildings dotted the grounds. Old and new colorful paintings and "hippie" quotes covered the interior walls. Haunting and enchanting place. (Check "Beatle's Ashram Rishikesh" in Google images for a sneak peak.) Walked back and went to Swati's for tea and to show C&L her wedding album. I'm amazed every time I see it. The outfits and festivities are so elaborate, and Swati looks so spectacular. C&L then went back to their room for a quick break, and I went back to mine for a bit of unpacking in my new lovely and clean (unlike arriving in an ashram!) room. Met back up with them for some web time and Maaza (yummy mango juice - Papa, je t'en ramene un autre?), then went to the "Thali Ashram" for dinner. It's not actually called Thali ashram, but it got that nickname because the resto there has famously cheap and delicious thali (large plate with many small bowls/sections for different dishes, like your own personal Indian buffet). Another new discovery for me, another great one! Amazing meal for 60 rupees ($1). And that was it for Monday. Said goodnight and went back to our rooms.
(A little side note from yesterday before I move on to Tuesday: after satsang at Prem Baba's ashram, we used the onsight toilets - squatter holes in the ground, C&L's first, and Cindy later commented: "It was kinda hard to pull my pants down yet hold them up at the same time!" Hahaha :) Indeed, it's a manoeuvre that requires a little practice!)
Tuesday morning I was up at 6:30 after a great sleep in my comfy, quiet, dark new room. I wrapped myself in my shawl and walked up to roof (2 floors above me - I'm on the 3rd). Lovely spot for meditation, reading, yoga, sunbathing, but I only stayed a couple minutes since light rain started coming down. Back in my room, I had a shower. That's right, just shower - no bucket! Felt like a 5-Star hotel! Shortly after, I received a text message from Loraine, telling me they would not be meeting me for breakfast as Cindy had gotten sick during the night and still was. They had been doing so good with the food and drink! Not sure what caused it, but it was nasty for a while. She had come well-prepared, so didn't wait too long to take meds and antibiotics - especially since they were traveling that evening: taxi to Haridwar and train to Delhi. Luckily, the meds helped and after resting all day, she was feeling much better when I went to her room mid-aft. Earlier, I had breakfast on my own at the Health Cafe then went to Swati's where I watched her make kitchri (ayurvedic dish made of lentils and rice). After taking some cooking notes, I helped Arnav study for his final exam in English the next day, and then he helped me with my Hindi. I told him I'd give him 10 rupees (20 cents) per class if he'd be my teacher. After my first lesson with him, he tattooed a sticker that said "Great!" on my hand :) Then I went down to meet Loraine at Amit's shop so she could pick up a few things before leaving. (We actually had a lot of shopping planned that day in LaxmanJhula, and C&L both had astrology appointments with Prateek, but the pouring rain and Cindy's health kept us from a 4th very busy day. Maybe it was time for a break. Surely the Delhi markets will more than make up for the missed purchases here.) The two of us walked back to their room, Cindy was doing well, they finalized their packing, and we had a final tea together. Walked them down to their taxi in the rain, waved them off, and I was once again on my own.
But there was no sadness or feeling of loneliness. Instead, I felt deeply grateful for having had their wonderful company, and excited about what I had left in my last few weeks here. As two beautiful people walked out of my Rishikesh life, one walked in. At dinner that night, I met John, a 63-year-old francophone (odd name for a francophone - who barely speaks English - I know, but I got the story behind it on my way here tonight... I'll save it for another time) Montrealer (first I've met here this year), who now lives in Mont-Tremblant, and it was a magical meeting. Again, more on that later.
I had been sloshing around in wet shoes and socks for about 7 hours before getting home that night, and taking my socks off has never felt so good! To finish off today's post, here's what I would guess Cindy and Loraine would take home from Rishikesh if they could: Loraine - the stray puppies, without a doubt. Actually, that's not really much of a guess - she actually inquired about the procedures if she wanted to do so! And Cindy, hmmm... Ashish? (the Iyengar teacher!) And both together: the Health Cafe. The loved the food. They loved the waiter ;) And as I had predicted in my first blog about them, when they were still a little freaked out by this strange and crazy place called India, both confirmed before leaving that its charm and magic had seeped in, and they even talked about coming back! So, until next time!
(A little side note from yesterday before I move on to Tuesday: after satsang at Prem Baba's ashram, we used the onsight toilets - squatter holes in the ground, C&L's first, and Cindy later commented: "It was kinda hard to pull my pants down yet hold them up at the same time!" Hahaha :) Indeed, it's a manoeuvre that requires a little practice!)
Tuesday morning I was up at 6:30 after a great sleep in my comfy, quiet, dark new room. I wrapped myself in my shawl and walked up to roof (2 floors above me - I'm on the 3rd). Lovely spot for meditation, reading, yoga, sunbathing, but I only stayed a couple minutes since light rain started coming down. Back in my room, I had a shower. That's right, just shower - no bucket! Felt like a 5-Star hotel! Shortly after, I received a text message from Loraine, telling me they would not be meeting me for breakfast as Cindy had gotten sick during the night and still was. They had been doing so good with the food and drink! Not sure what caused it, but it was nasty for a while. She had come well-prepared, so didn't wait too long to take meds and antibiotics - especially since they were traveling that evening: taxi to Haridwar and train to Delhi. Luckily, the meds helped and after resting all day, she was feeling much better when I went to her room mid-aft. Earlier, I had breakfast on my own at the Health Cafe then went to Swati's where I watched her make kitchri (ayurvedic dish made of lentils and rice). After taking some cooking notes, I helped Arnav study for his final exam in English the next day, and then he helped me with my Hindi. I told him I'd give him 10 rupees (20 cents) per class if he'd be my teacher. After my first lesson with him, he tattooed a sticker that said "Great!" on my hand :) Then I went down to meet Loraine at Amit's shop so she could pick up a few things before leaving. (We actually had a lot of shopping planned that day in LaxmanJhula, and C&L both had astrology appointments with Prateek, but the pouring rain and Cindy's health kept us from a 4th very busy day. Maybe it was time for a break. Surely the Delhi markets will more than make up for the missed purchases here.) The two of us walked back to their room, Cindy was doing well, they finalized their packing, and we had a final tea together. Walked them down to their taxi in the rain, waved them off, and I was once again on my own.
But there was no sadness or feeling of loneliness. Instead, I felt deeply grateful for having had their wonderful company, and excited about what I had left in my last few weeks here. As two beautiful people walked out of my Rishikesh life, one walked in. At dinner that night, I met John, a 63-year-old francophone (odd name for a francophone - who barely speaks English - I know, but I got the story behind it on my way here tonight... I'll save it for another time) Montrealer (first I've met here this year), who now lives in Mont-Tremblant, and it was a magical meeting. Again, more on that later.
I had been sloshing around in wet shoes and socks for about 7 hours before getting home that night, and taking my socks off has never felt so good! To finish off today's post, here's what I would guess Cindy and Loraine would take home from Rishikesh if they could: Loraine - the stray puppies, without a doubt. Actually, that's not really much of a guess - she actually inquired about the procedures if she wanted to do so! And Cindy, hmmm... Ashish? (the Iyengar teacher!) And both together: the Health Cafe. The loved the food. They loved the waiter ;) And as I had predicted in my first blog about them, when they were still a little freaked out by this strange and crazy place called India, both confirmed before leaving that its charm and magic had seeped in, and they even talked about coming back! So, until next time!
I don't know if it is because you are my daughter, but I find you write incredebly well. With a bit of editing and cropping, I think you could publish your India journal...
ReplyDeleteAnyone agrees?
Merci Papa :) Comme a chaque annee, lorsque je suis ici, je pense a mon livre...
Delete