Cities want to know.
Villages want to preach.
Hard to nod and smile.
Floating above road
a honeybee block party
steady breath, walk through
WWOOFing
Cows nosh on rice fields
monosyllabic shouting.
I am cow herder.
cutter and big hoe
anything is accompished
with only two tools
"you'll figure it out"
my canal know-how: zero
"one bite at a time"
Cut rice Christmas day
"Jake, you have a woman's back"
re: my squatting skillz
Christmas Eve
tea, sweets, fruits and cakes
foreigner fireside chat
a christmas medley
Cooking
sara's cooking show
"Your idly looks like dosa!"
Indian insult
Snakes
My mind: :Woot, no snakes"
thoughts end, one slithers past me
God, that's not funny
Farm road snake x-ing
Scales of asphalt and moonlight
spared by our driver
River Hike
river rock scramble
reminder of hikes with dad
able to skip stones
Tarzan embodied
I skin the cat from tree vines
then dangle sans hands
Nature's spa treatment
waterfall whirlpool revealed
beware the leeches
Yoga
backlit stone body
teaches ancient asanas
ignore all the flys
Guesthouse veranda
do surya namaskar
and laugh with the moon
Yoga Q&A
"Have you seen mystic powers?"
"Those with them, leave Earth"
love loose ligaments
balanced body on one foot
soon, only one toe
Guesthouse
Dirty skylight game
find Jesus and Rasputin
Even Amy Gray
"Did you dream last night?"
Me: superheroes. Sara: ....?
Asked every morning
Some come for silence
others to embrace culture
It's ok to laugh
Escape to drink chai
moonlit walks guided by dogs
biscuits their reward
Trains
Sara knots bracelets
I write haikus. Train pastime
becomes history.
Read poems between knots
She nods and talks of image.
Wish she'd head-bobble
tufts of earth's blond hair
feed meandering cattle
and toggle cool winds
Flower on the ledge
sticky petals keep its place
pressed between pages
Bikes
Ride past clothes sellers
They ask where's my kerosene
big grin, ring my bell
Sara trades her bikes
For a Purple Hero Empress
Fits her perfectly
Monday, December 31, 2007
goa...
Happy New Years friends, I can't believe we're less than 24 hours from 2008. Stories and photos from Bhaktidevanta are unfortunately going to have to wait (hopefully will happen soon) as Goa is pretty crazy and we don't really have too much time on the internet. So quick update, and then I'm off to yoga class pre-New years insanity.
So back when we were planning this trip, everybody would ask, "where are you going in India?" The only response we could tell them was that we would be spending New Years at Timeless Camps in Anjuna Beach in Goa. Anjuna, known for hippies, ravers, and now commercialism, but still a crazy holiday scene. We felt very responsible booking this place on hostelworld.com back in July since we were told many times that the holidays are crazy times for hotels. We also felt very responsible calling this place on the morning our train was to depart from Mangalore to Goa, to confirm our reservation. Jake had our reservation print out and I called the first of two numbers listed. No answer and no machine. No problem, that's common in India, so I called the second number. Got a man who told me that that was no longer the number for Timeless Camps. Hmm. That's okay, we'll just call the Goa info line. I call and after getting transferred a few times I'm told they don't know of Timeless Camps. Hmm. We call a directory and they don't know it either. Uh oh. We start calling local hotels, and we're given the mobile number of the man who owns the Sai Prasad hotel supposedly across the street from Timeless Camps. I'm a bit worried now, and I call the Sai Prasad. The man who answers very calmly tells me that Timeless Camps doesn't exist anymore. Oh boy. It's 12/29 and our train leaves in less than 4 hours to arrive at Goa in the evening. We don't have a place to stay... But friends, the raver Gods are looking down on us because this man Prasad told us not to worry that he would find us a room for a good deal. And an hour later, he called us and told us we were all set at a place down the road from him. We have no idea what to expect, but we hop on the train and hope for the best. We arrive in Goa at 9:30ish (every train is horribly delayed, I'm finding) and we run to the last bus that will take us from the south to the north. We're psyched, we're in Goa! There's no honking, people abide by traffic laws, there's road signage that makes sense, this is a beautiful place! I relax in the back seated next to a teenager who plays American pop on his music player. Loudly. I think I'm the only one on the bus who is enjoying hearing Usher and Avril Lavigne, but whatever. About 15 minutes into the 45 minute trip the bus slows down. It stops. Everyone jumps up. The bus has broken down. We all shuffle off the bus and me, Jake, and an Australian try to hitch a ride, but everyone is on motor bikes or wants an exorbitant amount of money. Our phone is about to die, and we're hoping we won't have to camp out on the side of the road. But then, a bus appears! We all run on and continue the trip, finally arriving up north to the city of Panjim at around 11pm. We hop in a rickshaw and call Prasad, our savior. We finally end up at the Oasis cafe guest house, about 10 minute walk from the beautiful beach. It's nearly midnight, but we're here. We check in, enjoy some drinks and falafal (oooh Israeli food), and pass out. Ah Goa... Everything works out for a reason.
We've been here a few days, and I'm loving this place more than I thought I would. It's crowded, yes, and the traffic is insane, but the beach is beautiful, and everyone is pretty friendly. Also, I have found two incredible yoga teachers who have a school up in Dharamsala, but they decided to come down to teach in Goa from December to April. They started classes here two weeks ago, and one of them teaches Hatha in the morning and the other teaches Ashtanga in the evening. I've been practicing Yoga for the past 4 years, and my practice is a mix of Hatha and Ashtanga. Even better, they teach right next door to our guest house! Everything happens for a reason. I went over to check it out, and ended up having a 2 hour conversation with the Ashtanga teacher. I've taken one class with him and one with the Hatha teacher and they were two of the best classes I've ever taken. Their philosophy is right in line with what I want in a teacher, and how I practice. We're thinking we might stay here for the next month, and I'm going to learn from them, possibly take a Yoga teacher training certification course (I would be the only student with these two incredible teachers...), and getting an apartment on the beach so we can cook for ourselves. Or I might take classes with them, and later on in the year take the teacher training course in Dharamsala. We'll see what happens, and roll with whatever comes to us. I feel really blessed to have found these two teachers though, so we'll see what happens.
Also, we bought bicycles! And we painted them! (Pictures soon, I PROMISE) They're the hippest cycles around town, no joke. Since everyone drives or rides motor bikes, we're already kind of known as the "cycle kids", which is kind of funny, but makes it very easy to find each other if we get separated. Oh, and we also bought helmets! Indian traffic in Goa is still Indian traffic...
Other interesting things... There are no Americans here, at least none that we have met. Tons of Europeans, some Israelis, other Asians, Australians, Africans, even, but no Americans. We've been looking out for the New Yawk or Joisey or Bahston accents, or anything, but for some reason (and people have asked us about this), there are very few Americans here. I've also been thinking a TON about race and gender (that's the anthro/soci major in me), but I'll save that for '08.
All right, I'm off for now, more in the New Year, be joyous and safe tonight, and blessings to you all!!!
So back when we were planning this trip, everybody would ask, "where are you going in India?" The only response we could tell them was that we would be spending New Years at Timeless Camps in Anjuna Beach in Goa. Anjuna, known for hippies, ravers, and now commercialism, but still a crazy holiday scene. We felt very responsible booking this place on hostelworld.com back in July since we were told many times that the holidays are crazy times for hotels. We also felt very responsible calling this place on the morning our train was to depart from Mangalore to Goa, to confirm our reservation. Jake had our reservation print out and I called the first of two numbers listed. No answer and no machine. No problem, that's common in India, so I called the second number. Got a man who told me that that was no longer the number for Timeless Camps. Hmm. That's okay, we'll just call the Goa info line. I call and after getting transferred a few times I'm told they don't know of Timeless Camps. Hmm. We call a directory and they don't know it either. Uh oh. We start calling local hotels, and we're given the mobile number of the man who owns the Sai Prasad hotel supposedly across the street from Timeless Camps. I'm a bit worried now, and I call the Sai Prasad. The man who answers very calmly tells me that Timeless Camps doesn't exist anymore. Oh boy. It's 12/29 and our train leaves in less than 4 hours to arrive at Goa in the evening. We don't have a place to stay... But friends, the raver Gods are looking down on us because this man Prasad told us not to worry that he would find us a room for a good deal. And an hour later, he called us and told us we were all set at a place down the road from him. We have no idea what to expect, but we hop on the train and hope for the best. We arrive in Goa at 9:30ish (every train is horribly delayed, I'm finding) and we run to the last bus that will take us from the south to the north. We're psyched, we're in Goa! There's no honking, people abide by traffic laws, there's road signage that makes sense, this is a beautiful place! I relax in the back seated next to a teenager who plays American pop on his music player. Loudly. I think I'm the only one on the bus who is enjoying hearing Usher and Avril Lavigne, but whatever. About 15 minutes into the 45 minute trip the bus slows down. It stops. Everyone jumps up. The bus has broken down. We all shuffle off the bus and me, Jake, and an Australian try to hitch a ride, but everyone is on motor bikes or wants an exorbitant amount of money. Our phone is about to die, and we're hoping we won't have to camp out on the side of the road. But then, a bus appears! We all run on and continue the trip, finally arriving up north to the city of Panjim at around 11pm. We hop in a rickshaw and call Prasad, our savior. We finally end up at the Oasis cafe guest house, about 10 minute walk from the beautiful beach. It's nearly midnight, but we're here. We check in, enjoy some drinks and falafal (oooh Israeli food), and pass out. Ah Goa... Everything works out for a reason.
We've been here a few days, and I'm loving this place more than I thought I would. It's crowded, yes, and the traffic is insane, but the beach is beautiful, and everyone is pretty friendly. Also, I have found two incredible yoga teachers who have a school up in Dharamsala, but they decided to come down to teach in Goa from December to April. They started classes here two weeks ago, and one of them teaches Hatha in the morning and the other teaches Ashtanga in the evening. I've been practicing Yoga for the past 4 years, and my practice is a mix of Hatha and Ashtanga. Even better, they teach right next door to our guest house! Everything happens for a reason. I went over to check it out, and ended up having a 2 hour conversation with the Ashtanga teacher. I've taken one class with him and one with the Hatha teacher and they were two of the best classes I've ever taken. Their philosophy is right in line with what I want in a teacher, and how I practice. We're thinking we might stay here for the next month, and I'm going to learn from them, possibly take a Yoga teacher training certification course (I would be the only student with these two incredible teachers...), and getting an apartment on the beach so we can cook for ourselves. Or I might take classes with them, and later on in the year take the teacher training course in Dharamsala. We'll see what happens, and roll with whatever comes to us. I feel really blessed to have found these two teachers though, so we'll see what happens.
Also, we bought bicycles! And we painted them! (Pictures soon, I PROMISE) They're the hippest cycles around town, no joke. Since everyone drives or rides motor bikes, we're already kind of known as the "cycle kids", which is kind of funny, but makes it very easy to find each other if we get separated. Oh, and we also bought helmets! Indian traffic in Goa is still Indian traffic...
Other interesting things... There are no Americans here, at least none that we have met. Tons of Europeans, some Israelis, other Asians, Australians, Africans, even, but no Americans. We've been looking out for the New Yawk or Joisey or Bahston accents, or anything, but for some reason (and people have asked us about this), there are very few Americans here. I've also been thinking a TON about race and gender (that's the anthro/soci major in me), but I'll save that for '08.
All right, I'm off for now, more in the New Year, be joyous and safe tonight, and blessings to you all!!!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
eco-slacker
ok. i was lazy. i wrote no haikus. i'll catch up over the next week or so working from my list. here are a couple in the meantime:
Lemon squeezed in milk
Cheese ready in an hour
Mom would be so proud
Uphill Hike
now sara hates jake
we saved four US dollars.
Equal to five beers.
sidenote: we will be attending an international haiku workshop in bangalore at the end of January
Lemon squeezed in milk
Cheese ready in an hour
Mom would be so proud
Uphill Hike
now sara hates jake
we saved four US dollars.
Equal to five beers.
sidenote: we will be attending an international haiku workshop in bangalore at the end of January
Happy Holidays!! (Hare Krishna Eco-village style)
Much apologies for the delay in writing, but we have spent the past two weeks without internet, on top of a mountain, WWOOFing and living in a Hare Krishna Eco-village, the seventh most bio-diverse place on Earth. Whaaat? As my brother said when I spoke to him after a 30 minute hike up a mountain for cell phone reception (at 5am), "that sounds about right". So yes, there are tons of stories, craziness, and RECIPES to relay onto this here little blog, but they'll have to come in installments, as it would be way too much for one post. (And that's right, we took cooking classes and yoga classes every day in the village, and we've got some fantastic, mouth-watering home-cooked recipes to post up here). For now, a very brief overview of what we've been up to...
We took an overnight train from outside Mumbai down to Kundapura, which is about 16 hours south, on the coast. Funny thing about being on the train- we sat in 3rd class A/C with two other men in our berth, and one man decided to play his cell phone/music player so loud that the whole car had to listen to a strange mix of bollywood tunes, Usher remixes, and the song "Raindrops keep falling on my head". The mix of east and west keeps getting stranger and stranger.
We arrived at 6am in Kundapura, hopped on a bus to Kollur (about an hour of sharing music with the conducter.. He dug on the Pimps of Joytime, and we watched weird Bollywood music viedeos on his phone. Our little walkman looked pathetic next to what he had!) Arrived in Kollur and took an auto up the mountain for what we thought we be a short 18 kms. to Bhaktivedanta Eco-village where we hoped we would be WWOOFing and working for the next two weeks. An hour and half later and a giant snake later, we're still climbing, the air is getting cooler, and we are officially in the jungle. Oh my gosh, what did we get ourselves into? All we see is jungle and some shacks, until FINALLY we pull of the road and pull into a gate to find ourselves in a gorgeous village. Turns out it's a Hare Krishna village! Well, we're open-minded folk, and though my only knowledge of Hare Krishnas is that the Beatles got into it, and they like to sell books and collect money on the street, so why not learn more...
We sit down to delicious prasadam (they eat twice a day, LARGE meals, delicious home-cooked most of it from the grounds itself, totally organic, oy amazing), and there are tons of people, Western, INdian, European, everything. I think we spent the first two days in shock... But basically we lived in a guest house that had a gorgeous view of the mountains and the jungle (pictures soon, I promise), along with some characters such as Lise, the Russian fashion designer from Italy who was traveling through India, Lulu, the Brazilian who has lived in NOLA, and now in Florida, who is a devotee who spends most of her time in Asia with other Hare Krishnas, a German couple who considered themselves "citizens of the world", a couple of Indian families here and there, and two American kids much like ourselves, who stumbled upon the village during their hike up the mountain. We spent our first couple days just hanging out and hiking around (Jake hiked up 7 waterfalls! I only went on the first day hike down the river) with these two travelers, Autumn and Toby, who were just wonderful beautiful dancing happy souls to meet on the road. Oh yeah, there was also Cambodian royalty staying there. They were so laid back and nice!!
After the first few days, nearly EVERYBODY left, and it was literally Jake and I, Lise, a lot of the Indian women, and Krishna Mai and Praymaneedi, the wife and husband who pretty much took over when the founder (an American named Tattva) was off traveling. We spent out days waking up really early, doing lots of yoga, doing some WWOOFING (Jake dug out a canal and fixd an irrigation network, I did everything from cleaning the bathrooms to working in the gardens), taking cooking classes, napping, walking around, and eating. It was wonderful and beautiful. We spent a delightful Christmas eve baking apples on our fire cauldron (needed for hot water in the bathroom), drinking the most delicious chai ever, and exchanging stories with Lise, Lulu, and Praymaneedi. Oh, and did you all see that full moon? It was so bright, we didn't even need flashlights. It was strange, yes, but really sweet.
A lot of things came up during this stay (our longest stay in one place yet!), but I'll leave it for later posts. Definitely will post recipes and pictures when we can... Right now we're in Mangalore, a pretty chilled out city on the coast. To get here, we hiked up the mountain for about an hour (oy vey) until we reached the paved road. We managed to hitch a ride down the mountain in the back of a truck (don't worry moms! It's a common practice here in India and it was TOTALLY safe!) so that made our trip a little more adventurous, and much faster. We leave for Goa tomorrow, so we're going to relax tonight and see I am Legend, that new Will Smith movie (with Hindi subtitles probably). East meets west again... gotta love it!!
Will definitely be able to post more from Goa, in between the raves and beach parties, and buliding of monstrous sandcastles....
We took an overnight train from outside Mumbai down to Kundapura, which is about 16 hours south, on the coast. Funny thing about being on the train- we sat in 3rd class A/C with two other men in our berth, and one man decided to play his cell phone/music player so loud that the whole car had to listen to a strange mix of bollywood tunes, Usher remixes, and the song "Raindrops keep falling on my head". The mix of east and west keeps getting stranger and stranger.
We arrived at 6am in Kundapura, hopped on a bus to Kollur (about an hour of sharing music with the conducter.. He dug on the Pimps of Joytime, and we watched weird Bollywood music viedeos on his phone. Our little walkman looked pathetic next to what he had!) Arrived in Kollur and took an auto up the mountain for what we thought we be a short 18 kms. to Bhaktivedanta Eco-village where we hoped we would be WWOOFing and working for the next two weeks. An hour and half later and a giant snake later, we're still climbing, the air is getting cooler, and we are officially in the jungle. Oh my gosh, what did we get ourselves into? All we see is jungle and some shacks, until FINALLY we pull of the road and pull into a gate to find ourselves in a gorgeous village. Turns out it's a Hare Krishna village! Well, we're open-minded folk, and though my only knowledge of Hare Krishnas is that the Beatles got into it, and they like to sell books and collect money on the street, so why not learn more...
We sit down to delicious prasadam (they eat twice a day, LARGE meals, delicious home-cooked most of it from the grounds itself, totally organic, oy amazing), and there are tons of people, Western, INdian, European, everything. I think we spent the first two days in shock... But basically we lived in a guest house that had a gorgeous view of the mountains and the jungle (pictures soon, I promise), along with some characters such as Lise, the Russian fashion designer from Italy who was traveling through India, Lulu, the Brazilian who has lived in NOLA, and now in Florida, who is a devotee who spends most of her time in Asia with other Hare Krishnas, a German couple who considered themselves "citizens of the world", a couple of Indian families here and there, and two American kids much like ourselves, who stumbled upon the village during their hike up the mountain. We spent our first couple days just hanging out and hiking around (Jake hiked up 7 waterfalls! I only went on the first day hike down the river) with these two travelers, Autumn and Toby, who were just wonderful beautiful dancing happy souls to meet on the road. Oh yeah, there was also Cambodian royalty staying there. They were so laid back and nice!!
After the first few days, nearly EVERYBODY left, and it was literally Jake and I, Lise, a lot of the Indian women, and Krishna Mai and Praymaneedi, the wife and husband who pretty much took over when the founder (an American named Tattva) was off traveling. We spent out days waking up really early, doing lots of yoga, doing some WWOOFING (Jake dug out a canal and fixd an irrigation network, I did everything from cleaning the bathrooms to working in the gardens), taking cooking classes, napping, walking around, and eating. It was wonderful and beautiful. We spent a delightful Christmas eve baking apples on our fire cauldron (needed for hot water in the bathroom), drinking the most delicious chai ever, and exchanging stories with Lise, Lulu, and Praymaneedi. Oh, and did you all see that full moon? It was so bright, we didn't even need flashlights. It was strange, yes, but really sweet.
A lot of things came up during this stay (our longest stay in one place yet!), but I'll leave it for later posts. Definitely will post recipes and pictures when we can... Right now we're in Mangalore, a pretty chilled out city on the coast. To get here, we hiked up the mountain for about an hour (oy vey) until we reached the paved road. We managed to hitch a ride down the mountain in the back of a truck (don't worry moms! It's a common practice here in India and it was TOTALLY safe!) so that made our trip a little more adventurous, and much faster. We leave for Goa tomorrow, so we're going to relax tonight and see I am Legend, that new Will Smith movie (with Hindi subtitles probably). East meets west again... gotta love it!!
Will definitely be able to post more from Goa, in between the raves and beach parties, and buliding of monstrous sandcastles....
Friday, December 14, 2007
Mosquito nets = AWESOME forts
so this will be a two part post of sorts, with two leftover stories from Pune...
we learn something new every day. In Pune we thought it would be really nice to go check out the Empress Botanical Gardens. It was on the map in the Lonely Planet book, and it seemed like it would be a good way to spend a beautiful day. We caught a rickshaw, negotiated a price, and we were on our way. During the ride, the driver kept turning around, smiling, and saying that "the garden is lower". We smiled back, not really understanding, but wanting to be polite. Finally, we arrived, and he was still smiling a whole lot when we collected our money. We figured he was just a happy rickshaw driver, and we venture in. The sky is so blue, the banyon trees are insane, and there are some flowers here and there. We walk along the path, dotted with benches, and then we notice something strange. There is an Indian couple on every bench, and they are all making out, or seriously cuddling. What is this? We have arrived at an Indian make out party? Ooooh, the driver wasn't saying that the garden is lower, he was saying that the garden is for lovers! Ay yi yi. We walked along the path for a short time, but after a while it got really hysterical/awkward. So what did we do? We ran over to playground! Which in due time (and after many confused stares from little kids and parents) also proved to be hysterical and awkward. Not wanting to waste a perfectly good rickshaw ride, we walked a little deeper into the park and found an awesome stage and amphitheater. Of course we had to dance! But unfortunately just minutes into our Indian debut, a security guard asked us to leave. Third time in trouble in India, ah well... We left the gardens, not really seeing much flora, but a little wiser of the Indian teen love scene.
We also went to the annual classical Indian music fest in Pune. We had been wanting to go to this fest since we arrived in Pune, but we couldn't figure out how to get tickets. Finally, on our last day, Deepa, Pravee, and their friend Jack took us to the festival site. We waited on line with hundreds of people, waiting to get in to see the final two acts. However, just when we were about to reach the front, they closed the gates and said that no more people would be allowed in. Ah! There were already thousands of people inside, couldn't they just let in a few more? Discouraged, but not giving up, we went to another gate. Praveen spoke to one of the guards, and tried to explain to him that his American friends came all the way here for this concert! But to no avail, we were not getting in. We stood in front of the gate for a few minutes, trying to guilt the guy into opening the door, when Jack spots a friend of his inside. Jack is a pretty well known musician in Pune (and quite a good drummer, and official rock star!), so he has a lot of music contacts. Jack called his friend over and asked him to let us in, and the guy opened the gate! We ran in, thanked Jack, Praveen, and Deepa, and tried to find a place to sit. The place was dead silent (relatively), and everyone was sitting on the ground. We ended up sitting in the dust behind the stage, but in front of a giant screen, so at least we could see what was going on. The flute player, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, was playing, and it was incredible. Jake wrote some pretty great haikus about it... I'm just happy we got in, and got to experience the concert with so many people...
Off to the eco-resort and a very long train ride!! The yoga retreat was rejuvenating and relaxing.. Mud baths are amazing, everyone should try having their entire body covered in mud and drying in the sun, sometime in their lives.
we learn something new every day. In Pune we thought it would be really nice to go check out the Empress Botanical Gardens. It was on the map in the Lonely Planet book, and it seemed like it would be a good way to spend a beautiful day. We caught a rickshaw, negotiated a price, and we were on our way. During the ride, the driver kept turning around, smiling, and saying that "the garden is lower". We smiled back, not really understanding, but wanting to be polite. Finally, we arrived, and he was still smiling a whole lot when we collected our money. We figured he was just a happy rickshaw driver, and we venture in. The sky is so blue, the banyon trees are insane, and there are some flowers here and there. We walk along the path, dotted with benches, and then we notice something strange. There is an Indian couple on every bench, and they are all making out, or seriously cuddling. What is this? We have arrived at an Indian make out party? Ooooh, the driver wasn't saying that the garden is lower, he was saying that the garden is for lovers! Ay yi yi. We walked along the path for a short time, but after a while it got really hysterical/awkward. So what did we do? We ran over to playground! Which in due time (and after many confused stares from little kids and parents) also proved to be hysterical and awkward. Not wanting to waste a perfectly good rickshaw ride, we walked a little deeper into the park and found an awesome stage and amphitheater. Of course we had to dance! But unfortunately just minutes into our Indian debut, a security guard asked us to leave. Third time in trouble in India, ah well... We left the gardens, not really seeing much flora, but a little wiser of the Indian teen love scene.
We also went to the annual classical Indian music fest in Pune. We had been wanting to go to this fest since we arrived in Pune, but we couldn't figure out how to get tickets. Finally, on our last day, Deepa, Pravee, and their friend Jack took us to the festival site. We waited on line with hundreds of people, waiting to get in to see the final two acts. However, just when we were about to reach the front, they closed the gates and said that no more people would be allowed in. Ah! There were already thousands of people inside, couldn't they just let in a few more? Discouraged, but not giving up, we went to another gate. Praveen spoke to one of the guards, and tried to explain to him that his American friends came all the way here for this concert! But to no avail, we were not getting in. We stood in front of the gate for a few minutes, trying to guilt the guy into opening the door, when Jack spots a friend of his inside. Jack is a pretty well known musician in Pune (and quite a good drummer, and official rock star!), so he has a lot of music contacts. Jack called his friend over and asked him to let us in, and the guy opened the gate! We ran in, thanked Jack, Praveen, and Deepa, and tried to find a place to sit. The place was dead silent (relatively), and everyone was sitting on the ground. We ended up sitting in the dust behind the stage, but in front of a giant screen, so at least we could see what was going on. The flute player, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, was playing, and it was incredible. Jake wrote some pretty great haikus about it... I'm just happy we got in, and got to experience the concert with so many people...
Off to the eco-resort and a very long train ride!! The yoga retreat was rejuvenating and relaxing.. Mud baths are amazing, everyone should try having their entire body covered in mud and drying in the sun, sometime in their lives.
MOoooOooo-re Haikus
Pune
Hawks lead to markets
Could be "Indian Eagles"
Dive bomb the dumpsters
USA Breakfast
Chocolate pancakes and apples
We can stir batter!
Hare Krishna Swami
Electric Blue eyes
Young men give him their train seat
Ask me about God?
I can't help but laugh
Why should someone know my faith?
Or am I frightened?
Sutra-Neti and Jali-Neti
Stick it in my nose
Red rubber tube, go down smooth!
Don't hit the dangly!
Water through nostrils
in the left, out the right.
Don't forget to breathe
Etc.
Content with sitting
water bottle, pad, and pen
hours fall like leaves
Our morning routine
Slowly inhale and exhale
headstands and smiles
crashed oil tanker
cover coasts with slick oil
like face massages
brisk post dinner walks
reminisce about jazz night
and favorite cheesecake
Hawks lead to markets
Could be "Indian Eagles"
Dive bomb the dumpsters
USA Breakfast
Chocolate pancakes and apples
We can stir batter!
Indian Classical Music Concert
no one speaks a word
families with blankets and snacks
men's room is silent
we're let in backstage
master of classical flute
face like platypus
Post-Classical Concert Ride
Drunken cab driver
Tell me how to ignore bumps
and b-wood music.
Driver's lost four times
He wants 110 bucks
There's no fuckin way
Hare Krishna Swami
Electric Blue eyes
Young men give him their train seat
Ask me about God?
I can't help but laugh
Why should someone know my faith?
Or am I frightened?
Sutra-Neti and Jali-Neti
Stick it in my nose
Red rubber tube, go down smooth!
Don't hit the dangly!
Water through nostrils
in the left, out the right.
Don't forget to breathe
Etc.
Content with sitting
water bottle, pad, and pen
hours fall like leaves
Our morning routine
Slowly inhale and exhale
headstands and smiles
crashed oil tanker
cover coasts with slick oil
like face massages
brisk post dinner walks
reminisce about jazz night
and favorite cheesecake
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Never thought I'd go to India to be more Jewish...
I know that Jake wrote a post about being Bar mitzfah'd (his first prose post, yay for Jake!!), but I wanted to write about my first IndianJewish (orthodox, Israeli Jewish) Channukah/Shabbat services. Now I generally consider myself culturally Jewish, (A JewBu if you will, "Jewish by birth, Buddhist by lifestyle), and we have our family Passover, Yom Kippur, Channukah/Jews for Christmas celebrations. I also attended Hebrew School for precisely one day, and my mother may not technically be Jewish, but she is the best Jewish mother that I know. So anyways, after Jake's special Bar Mitzfah, we were invited back to the house for Shabbat services, Channukah celebration, and dinner. I was excited because I love lighting the candles, and the Channukah prayer is the only one I know! So we showed up before sundown, and were met by the giant menorah which they lit with lighter fluid and torches. We then ventured in and met some of the IndianJewIsraeli regulars. There were a few folks from Osho, and we finally managed to learn a bit more about that mysterious place. Seems like lots of dancing meditation, sitting meditation, grunting, and pristine spaces. There was also "Flame", the CRAZY woman who is from 21st street in good old NYC, then lived in Costa Rica for 23 years, then went toIndia to work as a therapist for Osho, subsequently got banned from Osho and told the Swamaji to go "f*ck himself" (her words, notours), had an aneurysm, has been hit by about 3 cars and 2 motobikes, and she's STILL alive and kickin! (kickin rather crazily...) She has a voice box,so every time we looked at her, she would either roll her eyes, and press her finger over her throat to say someting vulgar, funny, or nonsensical. In short, we LOVE Flame!!
It was a really funny vibe, with the family (them other/father/little kids), lots of regulars, and a few stragglers like us. There were lots of prayers which Ididn't understand, then the women and men were separated by a curtain, and the woman sat and smiled while the men danced (I wanted tojoin the men's side really badly!), and then we ate lots of delicious food (mmm Hummos and potato latkes) and drank LOTS of vodka. Whoknew Smirnoff was so big here? About halfway through the meal, this one man started singing in Hebrew, and pouring everyone vodka. A couple of the men kept singing as the night went on, and the continued to make the rounds with the vodka. I didn't realize I was the only woman drinking, and the last round the made, the man skipped me. When I called him back, he started yelling about howwomen just want everything, and he poured me the rest of the bottle. Oy. Needless to say, it was a crazy night. My first orthodox Channukah, what a delight!
No we're on the opposite side of the spectrum, doing a yoga retreat at Kaivladhama, a pretty renowned yoga institute, college, and yoga hospital. Up at 6am, lots of cleansing, breathing, lots of asana, napping, and massages. Not too bad.
It was a really funny vibe, with the family (them other/father/little kids), lots of regulars, and a few stragglers like us. There were lots of prayers which Ididn't understand, then the women and men were separated by a curtain, and the woman sat and smiled while the men danced (I wanted tojoin the men's side really badly!), and then we ate lots of delicious food (mmm Hummos and potato latkes) and drank LOTS of vodka. Whoknew Smirnoff was so big here? About halfway through the meal, this one man started singing in Hebrew, and pouring everyone vodka. A couple of the men kept singing as the night went on, and the continued to make the rounds with the vodka. I didn't realize I was the only woman drinking, and the last round the made, the man skipped me. When I called him back, he started yelling about howwomen just want everything, and he poured me the rest of the bottle. Oy. Needless to say, it was a crazy night. My first orthodox Channukah, what a delight!
No we're on the opposite side of the spectrum, doing a yoga retreat at Kaivladhama, a pretty renowned yoga institute, college, and yoga hospital. Up at 6am, lots of cleansing, breathing, lots of asana, napping, and massages. Not too bad.
Friday, December 7, 2007
...and some Haikus
Alley, broken seat
Mid day pomagranate snack
Eat seeds one by one
Pink shirt boy throws rocks
hits motorcycles and walls
man shoos him away
Bangalore family
Invite us to the marriage!
It never came up.
German Bakery
Run by Nepalese short dudes
Foriegners frequent
"You, chilli powder?
Come on... its the man thing to do!"
"Sure, you?" "Nah, not now"
Shop owner insists
Open thirty packages
I'll buy the first one
Tables and chairs shift
Sheltered by tin and honking
Dust and tea flakes float.
Mid day pomagranate snack
Eat seeds one by one
Pink shirt boy throws rocks
hits motorcycles and walls
man shoos him away
Bangalore family
Invite us to the marriage!
It never came up.
German Bakery
Run by Nepalese short dudes
Foriegners frequent
"You, chilli powder?
Come on... its the man thing to do!"
"Sure, you?" "Nah, not now"
Shop owner insists
Open thirty packages
I'll buy the first one
Tables and chairs shift
Sheltered by tin and honking
Dust and tea flakes float.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
I didn't realize I came to India to have my "first" Bar Mitzvah (and write Haikus (and really long titles))
Well, I was trying to avoid actually writing full sentences. But alas, now that I am officially a man, I guess I should write about it. Sara and I were told that there was a synagogue in the vicinity of the German Bakery, Koreagon Park. So we decided to try and find it. The only direction we were given is that its to the right of the bakery, so we followed the road along all the way to the river, searching, until we came across a pavilion right on the water at which point we decided to chill. We asked a man there who in a Scooby Doo fashion gave us another clue... it's a large white building, a-hah! Also, it turns out we were sitting right next to the ghats (where bodies are burned along the river in according to the Hindu religion) So we walk back up to the Bakery and see right next door is a store is a white building.... but this one has the words "Jew ery Place". Oh Lord. This is a bad joke... right? Sara and I immediately start to think that everyone is convinced that the jewelery store with the missing "L" in the name is the "Jewish Temple" everyone is talking about. So we go in and ask the shop-keep. With a sigh of ironic relief - he tells us it's down the road. We eventually find it, and inside a very warm family welcomes us and immediately begins to question us about our parents and our relationship to Judaism.
Well apparently Sara and I don't know that much. We couldn't identify the man in the painting on the wall (famous rabbi?) and don't know more than three words in Hebrew besides "Shabbat", "Shalom", and "Gimmel" that's on the side of a Dreidel (Yeaaah, a fourth!). Another twenty-something Israeli is starting to put on tefillin when the mom, Rachel, asks if I had that put on at my Bar Mitzvah. Considering I was brought up in a reform synagauge - the answer is no. At this point she is aghast and tells me I was never actually Bar Mitzvah'ed and need to have the tefillin wrapped around my head and arm. I refuse. Five minutes later her son comes up and asks me again. I also refuse. We then start talking to the father (it turns out he was in Pikesville (my hometown) two weeks ago at Beth Tfiliah meeting up with his friend the cantor...the world is way too small) who then asks me a third time. I didn't refuse. (Law of threes, I can't help it). So we went through the motions, he put the tefillin on my arm and head and had me say the Shama and the Viahafta (can't spell). Upon completion, the two sons threw little packets of bread at me and started singing and clapping the Mazel Tov song. We then said the motzi and had some wine. I then said " I didn't realize I came to India to have my second Bar Mitzvah." The father looked me in the eye and corrected me: " Your first Bar Mitzvah". Oy Vey.
Well apparently Sara and I don't know that much. We couldn't identify the man in the painting on the wall (famous rabbi?) and don't know more than three words in Hebrew besides "Shabbat", "Shalom", and "Gimmel" that's on the side of a Dreidel (Yeaaah, a fourth!). Another twenty-something Israeli is starting to put on tefillin when the mom, Rachel, asks if I had that put on at my Bar Mitzvah. Considering I was brought up in a reform synagauge - the answer is no. At this point she is aghast and tells me I was never actually Bar Mitzvah'ed and need to have the tefillin wrapped around my head and arm. I refuse. Five minutes later her son comes up and asks me again. I also refuse. We then start talking to the father (it turns out he was in Pikesville (my hometown) two weeks ago at Beth Tfiliah meeting up with his friend the cantor...the world is way too small) who then asks me a third time. I didn't refuse. (Law of threes, I can't help it). So we went through the motions, he put the tefillin on my arm and head and had me say the Shama and the Viahafta (can't spell). Upon completion, the two sons threw little packets of bread at me and started singing and clapping the Mazel Tov song. We then said the motzi and had some wine. I then said " I didn't realize I came to India to have my second Bar Mitzvah." The father looked me in the eye and corrected me: " Your first Bar Mitzvah". Oy Vey.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Pomegranates and Pullups
(I don't know how to rotate photos, so tilt your head to the left as far as you can) This photo doesn't really need an explanation, but it's in the context of a really nice experience we both had, so I thought I'd write about it. Yesterday we went for a walk in the city of Pune down Mahatmi Ghandi road (the major commercial district) and ended up following what seemed like dozens and dozens of hawks (what might also be Indian eagles) in the sky towards a vegetable and fruit market. I'm convinced that hawks and elephants are our official guardians on this journey, as we always see two hawks in the sky wherever we go. Anyways, we came upon this incredible vegetable and fruit market and bought a pomegranate to share. Turns out that there aren't many public spaces to sit in Pune, so we searched for a bench for a while. Finally, we found a bench in what felt like a tiny village in the middle of the city. There were clothes hanging everywhere, a pick up cricket game going on, kids running around, people biking through, hanging out, talking, and preparing food. It was one of the sweetest moments I've had on this trip, just sitting there eating this really bright and delicious pomegranate, watching the world unfold. We were told that this was a Christian mission, and eventually a group of older teenagers came up and started talking to us. Turns out, a lot of them are related and they're all in town for a big marriage. (We tried to hint that we wanted to come, but to no avail) They asked if they could take a picture with us, and of course we obliged, and then we all watched Jake do pull ups. The hawks were flying overhead the whole time, and the whole thing was just pretty amazing.
On some other notes, Pune is pretty incredible. I mean it (relatively speaking) when I say it feels like Brooklyn, mainly because it's really laid back, pretty happening, and has a great vibe. It's home to the Osho Ashram which is pretty famous for Westerners, so we see a lot of white people in red robes walking around. It's a funny sight. For the first time I feel like I could ventu
re out on my own without my "husband". We're staying with the most awesome couple, Praveen and Deepa, who have taken us in and have shown us really awesome blues music, really delicious homecooked food, and some wonderful hospitality. Yesterday (or this morning) we celebrated Deepa's birthday at midnight with fabulous chocolate cake while we watched Ice Age (I cried, everybody laughed). Jake and I cooked them some chilli and corn bread the other night, and it came out okay! Nothing like good ol' American cooking.We also found out that we've been overpaying rickshaw drivers because we have been thinking that the kilometers is the price (ie: 4.7 kilometers is 47 rupees). When we thought we were smartly underpaying bad drivers by cutting their pay by 10 rupees, we were actually paying them 30-40 rupees more! Silly us, smart drivers for not saying anything. We finally got a super cool driver who gave us a fare card and told us to use it wisely. This was after we paid him 45 rupees for a 20 rupee trip (note that it's about 40 rupees to one dollar, but still). Since then we've been EXPERTS at negotiating our auto rides.
We also got sweet head massages at a barber shop (turns out it's pretty standard and costs less than a dollar), have been drinking lots of tea, and today I went to get a salwaar-kameez (traditional Indian clothing) made out of the most BEAUTIFUL teal cotton material. More later- I'm sure Jake will post his haikus... We'll be here through Sunday and I'm so happy!!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
I can't stop reading "The Adventures of Tintin".... and writing haikus
Outside Pune
Deep eyes stare us down
Buy Bananas - spectacle!
"No, we don't need help"
Dusty mattresses
Rooftop lacrosse stick beatdown
Children point and laugh
"Please, eat my egg soup,
There are four freshly caught fish."
We'll just watch you eat.
Inside Pune
Demand is constant
Water supply changed every hour
Can't flush the toilet.
Never stop building
five years ago, empty land
all corners - condos
Fork and spoon rice here
Our plates constantly refilled
Not used to service
Nighttime - full of life.
Volleyball court among cows.
Daytime - sleep dogs, sleep.
Tour supermarkets.
Fresh produce always comes first.
Housewares at the rear.
Psychic powers test -
I scored five, Sara - seven.
Guess she knows what's up.
Language example:
"He got beaten like chutney."
New USA slang?
Smart pants required
Unless you're a foreigner
Crazy hat theme night.
Enjoy fruit this way -
Guava eaten with black salt.
How to say: "Special?"
Stitch up that large hole
Pants constantly fall apart
More fabric needed
Backyard barbecue
tribute to a fallen hero
Began Pune Jazz
Sunday album time
Gather in the main bedroom
We all bob our heads
American dish
Cooked for fellow Indians
Texan style chili
Deep eyes stare us down
Buy Bananas - spectacle!
"No, we don't need help"
Dusty mattresses
Rooftop lacrosse stick beatdown
Children point and laugh
"Please, eat my egg soup,
There are four freshly caught fish."
We'll just watch you eat.
Inside Pune
Demand is constant
Water supply changed every hour
Can't flush the toilet.
Never stop building
five years ago, empty land
all corners - condos
Fork and spoon rice here
Our plates constantly refilled
Not used to service
Nighttime - full of life.
Volleyball court among cows.
Daytime - sleep dogs, sleep.
Tour supermarkets.
Fresh produce always comes first.
Housewares at the rear.
Psychic powers test -
I scored five, Sara - seven.
Guess she knows what's up.
Language example:
"He got beaten like chutney."
New USA slang?
Smart pants required
Unless you're a foreigner
Crazy hat theme night.
Enjoy fruit this way -
Guava eaten with black salt.
How to say: "Special?"
Stitch up that large hole
Pants constantly fall apart
More fabric needed
Backyard barbecue
tribute to a fallen hero
Began Pune Jazz
Sunday album time
Gather in the main bedroom
We all bob our heads
American dish
Cooked for fellow Indians
Texan style chili
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Pune: The Williamsburg of India
Tall thin guys wearing long scarfs, sweaters, skinny jeans with patches on the back pockets, cigarettes poised on their lips, hair long and perfectly disheveled. Girls stare and then disinterested, they turn away. What, am I back in NYC, hipsterville? No way, I'm in Pune! After spending a couple of days at a farm/meditation resort with some very kind folks about 40 km outside of the city, we decided to cut our time there short, and come into the Pune to stay with Praveen and Deepa, from hospitalityclub.
The farm/meditation resort was beautiful, on a lake, serene,
and very warm, but it just wasn't right for us. We were staying i
n the top floor of a hospital run by
a friend of our host. The view was beautiful for sunsets and hawks, and the neighborhood kids would come up to see us and try to speak English/teach us Marathi each day. They couldn't pronounce my name right, so they started calling me Saia, which actually means "shadow" in Marathi. To be honest, I kind of like the ring of it, and I think I might start going by Saia Phoenix (sweet name, eh?). We spent most of our time hanging out by the lake and having conversations with our host and his friends. We also had A LOT of photos taken of us by who we think was a hired photographer. Sometimes the hospitality is just a little too much though...
More on Pune soon... For now, check out new pictures up on old posts!
The farm/meditation resort was beautiful, on a lake, serene,
and very warm, but it just wasn't right for us. We were staying i
n the top floor of a hospital run by
a friend of our host. The view was beautiful for sunsets and hawks, and the neighborhood kids would come up to see us and try to speak English/teach us Marathi each day. They couldn't pronounce my name right, so they started calling me Saia, which actually means "shadow" in Marathi. To be honest, I kind of like the ring of it, and I think I might start going by Saia Phoenix (sweet name, eh?). We spent most of our time hanging out by the lake and having conversations with our host and his friends. We also had A LOT of photos taken of us by who we think was a hired photographer. Sometimes the hospitality is just a little too much though...
More on Pune soon... For now, check out new pictures up on old posts!
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