Voices In My Head

***Hi All, so there will be more Vietnam to come, I can’t not tell you how I may have gone a little over board when having clothes made for me in Hoi An or how a woman shoved meat skewers into my mouth, vegan doesn’t translate in Vietnamese. But I thought I would get some up to date blogs posted. So stay tuned.

Voices were pounding in my head, news feed after news feed all the reporter could do was talk of death, remembrance of those we had lost and constant cut ins with presidential address updates. More images, the President speaks, and then we jump back to the morning news show and some man is jumping around with the newest dance moves, while everyone else is painfully trying to imitate him. My head was spinning; this was my introduction back into US news and television. I’d been home for a week but my assimilation process was a slow one. When I walked off the plane in Los Angeles and through customs I wanted to kiss the ground, what can I say being abroad has both negative and positive affects on your beliefs of you own country. But reading the customs sign Thank You and Welcome to the United States had me brimming with joy. When the customs agent asked, “why were you traveling in India, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam?” I smiled and said, “I was trying to figure out my life.” Ok yes the smile held a hint of sarcasm and my response earned me a confused look, but then he said, “welcome home,” and it felt so right.

So after the tearful embrace and love from my parents and Lulu I was whisked home where I enjoyed a veggie meal and after 30 hours of travel and very little sleep I fell into bed ready to crash for what I had hopped would be about two days worth of shuteye. Lying in bed wide-awake at 3 am I realized it was going to take time to adjust. So after a week of very little interaction with the outside world I decided to watch my favorite morning news show, Good Morning America with my favorite morning news anchor, Josh Elliott, he is just so dreamy, gotta love those really tall men. Dreamy-ness aside, I was overwhelmed by the images, sounds and entertainment. As I tried to process the fact that my travels had sealed me in a bubble of protection from all things US, my protective layer was now popped. First realization, I’ve missed a lot; see, I used to have a reputation of being the entertainment queen, ask me a question about Hollywood I could tell you who, where and when. Now I was at a loss, but the weird part was I wasn’t that concerned about getting caught up. Instead I became completely overwhelmed with questions of my own unsteady future, as well as images, media reports and social media updates of injustices of the present. While abroad there were many behaviors I experienced that I had to accept because this was “their” culture. Well honey not anymore this is my culture and I was blatantly aware that everything was wrong. All of this culminated into a completely irrational battle of wills in my head. As I drove along trying to process all of these emotions and thoughts I realized I was surrounded by silence, there was no honking, no chaos, and no people. I realized that I while the chaos of the streets, sounds and experiences of South East Asia were gone, I now was facing a new chaos. While the world around me was no longer new and unknown, the chaos was now in my mind and I didn’t know if there was anyway to be free of it.

At that very thought, I realized that the chaos in my mind was all self induced. A major theme in the yoga philosophy is to gain purification through the mind with the right attitude. In yoga attitude is acceptance, and a major part of acceptance is that we need to understand and accept what we can and cannot control. I cannot change the world around me; I cannot change the way that my neighbors treat their neighbors (figuratively). All I can change and control is myself. So first things first, maybe limit my television news time. While I can’t become ignorant to what is happening in this world, I can be more particular about where I get my information from. Second, I can take a breath, relax, and maybe take another breath, and then smile, because I’m home.

 

Oh No Caught In A Scam

In Thailand, and now I’m finding Vietnam there is a saying “Same, Same.” And then occasionally the locals add in “Same, Same, but different.” It get’s confusing because you hear same, same and then you wait for the different and then you get everything mixed up so you don’t know whether it’s the same or it’s different. Well I never really knew how to use this phrase until I got on the train in Sapa to head back to Hanoi. I had paid for a roundtrip train ticket and therefore my expectation would be that the train you arrived in was the train you returned in, Same Same… but no the train I left in was Same Same only because it was a train, but it was oh so different. While I wouldn’t have said my first train was high class, now, in comparison to the return trip, I was blatantly informed that I arrived in style and was leaving in cargo. As I walked on the train I was transported to a frat house surrounded by loud, rowdy men. For some reason these men thought that it was ok to get as comfortable as possible while traveling and stripped down to their boxers. I don’t know what part of a  public sleeping train reads get as comfortable as you do in your own home, but I prayed that none of this rowdy bunch was sharing a car with me and climbed around them to get to my berth. Luckily a old Chinese man was below me and I was thankful that the party wouldn’t be continuing in our sleeper.

That was until the family of eight loaded in. They put all their bags on the top bunk and piled into to the lower bunk. Imagine this,  lying on the bed I barely fit head to toe. I tried not to stare but I was just so amazed that eight people could fit on one bed, and the fact that I didn’t realize purchasing one bed meant you could stick as many people as you wanted on it. Well 30 minutes into our journey at one of the stops two men came in indicating that they were actually the ticket holders for those beds and the family of eight left. Realizing I may be getting some sleep, I put my earphones in and played the soundtrack of Garden State on continuos loop for the rest of the night. Of course restless is the only way to describe my sleeping patterns on a train and when we pulled into the station at Hanoi at 4:30 in the morning I was just so grateful that I had called my previous hotel and paid for a half day stay so that I could get a couple of hours of sleep. Groggily I climbed down from the top bunk and walked out into the hallway. The floor was strewn with cigarette butts and playing cards. I obviously missed quite the party.

And then my amazing travel judgment seemed to vanish into thin air as I stepped off the train into the morning madness. Cab drivers huddled around the entrance just waiting to grab you as you walked off. The first guy to get my attention grabbed me and dragged me out of the station. I should have known, I’d been forewarned not only by the books but also by my hotel. There are only specific taxi services to use in Hanoi, because the rest are scammers. They have fixed their meters so that they run at a high rate. But with the chaos, yelling and lack of sleep I got into the cab with a sick feeling in my stomach.

The minute we entered the empty streets I knew I had been played, the meter read 5,000 then jumped to 35,000 and then hit 100,000. To give you some perspective my ride from the hotel to the train station three days earlier cost me a total of 24,000 dong. My heart started to race. I wasn’t going to pay that. No one was going to take advantage of me. But it was 4:30 in the morning, the streets were empty and dark and I am a woman traveling alone, I needed to be smart. When I started to see some familiar street signs I told the cab driver that the meter was broken and I wasn’t going to pay that amount, it had now reached 143,000 dong. Not speaking English but understanding that I knew what was going on he pulled over. I got out and luckily was able to get my bag from the trunk of the car. Not knowing what to do I started to walk towards my hotel. He got out and told me to pay him (this entire conversation took place in very broken English). I told him that I knew the meter was broken and that I wasn’t going to pay him that price. He countered and said fine 100,000, I told him no he couldn’t negotiate a price that I would only pay 24,000. Now you have to understand at this point I was motivated by principal. It’s one thing to try to sell your goods on the street for a price that may be a little high, it’s another thing to take advantage of a woman, or really anyone at 4:30 in the morning while they are alone. This man may have thought he was in for an easy steal, but no, you don’t mess with me because not only will I not pay you I’ll also kick you in the balls (figuratively). Ok, so no violence was resorted to, but when I threatened to call the cops I then realized that that statement carried no threat at all. I knew I needed a third party to intervene. I went to the hotel in front of me and knocked on the glass, mean while dealing with the driver who was now asking for 50,000 dong. Thank God the man on night watch heard my knock because he immediately became my interpreter. I explained the situation and he told me that the driver was saying he had driven me three kilometers. I asked what the rate per kilometer was and he said 15,000 dong. I then told him to tell the driver I would pay 45,000 dong. Needing change I asked the doorman if he could break a 100,000 and we stepped into the hotel. As I was taking the money out my hands where shaking uncontrollably, mainly from adrenaline rather than fear. But the sweet young man who had come to my aid saw my hands and said “mam everything is going to be all right.” Well all my courage broke and I burst into tears. Whether it was exhaustion or simply being completely overwhelmed I apologized for having to rely on him. He gave me the change and I walked outside and threw it into the cab and told the driver he should be ashamed of himself. While he may not have understood what I said I know I made his job a little more difficult which made me happy.

But then I realized I had put myself in a worse situation because this driver knew my hotel name. Walking back into the hotel still crying the young man told me to sit and when he returned he gave me a warm glass of water to help calm my nerves. He then apologized over and over for taxi driver’s behavior, he said this was not what the Vietnamese people want Westerns to think of their country and that he was so sorry I had to experience it. I told him that up until this point I had truly enjoyed my experience in his country. Looking at his watch he told me his shift had just ended and he wanted to walk me to my hotel to make sure I was safe. For the entire three minute walk he talked about how much I was going to enjoy Hoi An and other parts of Vietnam. His kindness was so overwhelming that any animosity that had arisen due to my scamming altercation completely faded away. Once at the hotel he wished me luck and I wanted to hug him and thank him again for his kindness, but I knew that wasn’t appropriate so I put my hands in prayer form and bowed thanking him again for his help. The kindness of strangers can change your life, something to think about the next time you see someone a little lost.

Needless to say the train ride and taxi were same, same but oh so drastically different. I learned a valuable lesson about scamming, but with some time to reflect on the mornings activities I also realized that I need to be smarter about standing up for myself. This situation could have been drastically different and what for a couple of dollars? But I was riding on a cloud of principal and it was a good lesson to learn. Most importantly in the past a situation like this may have tainted my entire view of the city or country, but I realized that this was just one man’s actions and I didn’t let it spoil my time in Hanoi. Just remember when in Hanoi only use the Mai Linh taxi company which is the green taxis or Hanoi Tourist Taxi, and know that there are plenty of copycats.

Sapa Enlightenment

I don’t know whether it is the fresh mountain air, the energy coursing through my veins from the exercise of the hike or just the majestic waterfall in front of me, but all I can do is smile and enjoy everything that surrounds me. It was a moment of peace heightened by my euphoric state of mind. As I was taking in the view I realized that there seems to be some amazing order to the way in which I planned my travels. With each destination I’ve learned something new that benefits my experience in the next country.
I am amused by how in love I am with the surroundings of Vietnam. I can’t help but wonder if there was a greater power who helped in designing my itinerary to get me to this point of elation. India showed me chaos and garbage that has yet to compare to anything I’ve ever experienced. Thailand showed me the kindness of scam artist and taught me to be polite but not naive. Thailand also taught me to book my room ahead of my arrival, even just by a day or two so that you are not bombarded and overwhelmed by the chaos at every airport, bus station, train station and port, by people trying to lure you into their hotel, dive shop or taxi. Cambodia taught me that a smile with a no thank you is all you need, and that the begging is apart of the countries struggle.

Therefore life in Vietnam has been easy. While my time in Sapa was surrounded by local village woman trying to hoc their wares, I realized that again they are just trying to make a living. It’s funny, they have the same speech planned out for every tourist they meet. I heard it over and over again I begin to wonder whether they just have a script to follow or whether they actually know what you are saying. But it goes like this, “Hello, what is your name, where are you from, did you arrive to Sapa today?” No matter who you run into this is the routine. While I was hiking alone I would be approached by these woman asking the same questions and I would answer and then as they continued to walk with me. I explained that they are more then welcome to join me but I had already done all my shopping and therefore I was not going to buy anything else. There responses varied from “But you haven’t bought anything from me” to “ok, maybe you buy something later.” And yes while this is more of a hindrance then anything else you can’t let it affect you. You can either play along and interact with them or you can firmly say no thank you and continue on.

So my travels have led me to a more calm place. While the occasional bump in the road has taught me many things, I have to wonder whether I would be having the same experience in Vietnam had this been my first destination, because guess what I am in love. This country is so spectacularly beautiful and the people are wonderful, inviting and kind. I am so grateful for all I’ve learned along the way because even if my time in Vietnam is seen through rose colored glasses, I’m just thrilled that I can say that I’m enjoying my time here.

Holy Hanoi!

Vietnam, a country that fills the pages of our history books with controversy and images of death that were the first to be viewed so regularly without censorship on the nightly news. This was how my generation was exposed to this period of our history. We were taught that Vietnam was a war with many different stories and sides and no real victor in the end. Other than my history education and the fact the the country is still communist today I really had no way to gauge where I was traveling. I’d heard many people exclaim how much they had loved their visits. But I had read many blog postings of travelers who fell victim to scams and whose trips were ruined by these experiences. Originally I chose this country because of it’s mystique. The pictures of scenery and culture where so stunning and yet antique as if the culture was trapped in time. And therefore I added it to the itinerary with hopes to experience the same charm and vibrance that radiated from the photographs.

For the first time arriving at the airport I wasn’t full of travel anxiety which I had continually experienced upon every other arrival, maybe I was becoming an old pro. As we started our drive into the city the chaos of traffic settled into a familiar rhythm I have grown accustomed to in this part of the world. The life of the city blurred into my view. My guide gave me some specific advice based on the area and pointed out various landmarks on our drive to the Old Quarter. As we passed a auto accident on the road she informed me that there were about 30 deaths daily due to the traffic and drivers inability to follow road rules. The chaos of the road didn’t fully sink in until a loud thud reverberated throughout the car. Looking around to see what we had just hit I realized the passengers side mirror had collided with a pedestrian crossing the street. The driver barely glanced in his rear view mirror to make sure the pedestrian was ok, and we continued on without pause. Looking behind me with fear and shock I realized that the pedestrian wasn’t too concerned either and continued across the street. I then realized I was again in a world so unknown to what I have possibly missed the most about the United States, order. As I sat in my hotel room I knew I could stay in this air conditioned safe haven or I could enter the chaos and explore this world. Going for the ladder I entered into the streets of Hanoi cautiously looking in all directions knowing my pedestrian status meant very little.

In the maze that is the Old Quarter of Hanoi I blindly wandered the streets on a food mission. Realizing on the plane that not only was there not a vegetarian option but that the salad that accompanied the meal was covered in meat, I knew that my Vietnam food adventure may include some unintentional animal products. But as I wandered through the streets this woman came up to me. Those look like doughnut holes, you can’t go wrong there, I purchased the three different types and immediately begin to sample them all. The darker of the three was the most sweet, with a sugary center. The other two were surprising, a subtle balance between savory and sweet. It may have been hunger or relief that there wasn’t pork filling, but I was content with my first purchase.

My next food stop introduced me to the newest love of my life… Vietnamese coffee, heaven on your taste buds. Vietnam is one of the largest coffee distributors. The Vietnamese tradition is to mix the coffee with sweetened condensed milk. I ordered an ice coffee with just a small amount of milk and I was in caffeine heaven. Every sip was strong and powerful, full of bold flavors I was so happy to be in the presence of real coffee once again.

When it was time for dinner I was on a street food mission looking for something authentic. Finding a kitchen with communal tables I sat in confusion not knowing whether someone would be taking my order or just bringing me food. I found someone who spoke a little English enough to understand that I wanted the noodle veggie concoction without meat. I was brought this, Bun Cha, usually it is sliced pork served with thin rice vermicelli noodles, a heap of fresh herbs and green vegetables, in a bowl of lightly sweetened nuoc mam (fish sauce) with floating slices of pickled vegetables. My order arrived without the meat and I dug into this new find, my culinary delight cost me a grand total of two dollars.

With some food success under my belt or in my belly I felt a little braver to explore the streets further. Wanting a sweet to end my night I found a smoothie shop. I ordered a papaya fruit shake and sat on these little benches that line the streets usually indicating a restaurant space. There I rested and savored all of my day. Thinking about how far I had come from my first introduction in Delhi. It’s amazing how quickly you adapt to your surroundings, I feel like a seasoned travel pro and yet my travel time is quickly coming to an end.

During one of my days in Hanoi I ventured outside the city for a day trip to the Perfume Pagoda, an amazing complex of pagodas and Buddhist shrines built into the karst cliffs of Huong Tich Mountain. Not only was the temple in the mountains and truly spectacular, but the ride to get there consisted of a hour boat trip paddled by these woman who seemed to poses supper power and strength. Then a hike to a gondola which flew you over the valleys and mountain scape to the top. The views and colors of this country are breathtaking, bright green rice fields, lime stone rock features and brown thick rivers flood every inch of view. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On my last day I decided to devote an entire day walking around the Old Quarter of Hanoi, a intricate stream of alleyways and roadways weaving around and around. I tried to follow the Lonely Planet’s walking guide, but realized within minutes that like everything else in the Old Quarter chaos seemed to control the roads and I couldn’t distinguish one way from the other. So my walking tour turned into a eating tour, attempting to sample my way through the day I tried various street foods. The highlight was the bia hoi, Vietnamese draught beer or microwbrew. Brewed without preservatives this light bodied pilsner is meant to be consumed immediately and costs about twenty cents a glass. The beer was refreshing and there was some flavor to it so I didn’t feel as if I was drinking some light American beer. Bia Hoi shops occupy many street corners in Hanoi, again with the little plastic stools and you see then men enjoying the beer together at the end of the day. 
My day ended with another trip to my new found favorite restaurant. Knowing I can get good street food with no meat, I’ve returned to this place nightly. There is just something about the warm noodles and broth mixed with the veggies and herbs, it feels so fresh but filing at the same time.

And with that I said goodbye to the chaos of Hanoi and realized that while the streets are insanely, overly crowded, and the cars and bikes are all consuming, there is something about the energy of this city that makes you smile. Maybe it’s the fact that in the hectic mess of life they have a system that works so well.

Oh My Buddha Belly

Pad Thai, Spring Rolls, Mango Sticky Rice, Thai Iced Tea, the list goes on and on. From Sukhothai to Chiang Mia I have managed to feast for few dollars on some fine Thai delicacies. Yes at the Sukhothai Historical Park I saw these ruins, yes they were incredible and yes for some strange reason I’ve become obsessed with the hands. There is something so beautiful about them, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But look at what I ate. First stop on my Thai culinary tour was to the 7-eleven. I know!!! So very American of me, but to balance out my small purchase of a snickers and almond M&Ms

I bought some Thai snacks as well. First can I just note, look at the serving size of these American sweet treats, about two-thirds the size of our treats in the US, yes I know this is a sore subject for New York and the Big Gulp but I find the difference very interesting.

Ok so back to the treats, I got these. Tamarind is a fruit with many seeds, it is used in cooking as a dry powder or in a paste form. At BLES they use Tamarind to hide medicine given to the elephants because of the sweet flavor. Well this one said “Sweet and Sour” I was hoping for something like sour patch kids but got chili fire meets sugar instead. Even though the taste was so different of spice and sweet in a weird way enjoyed them and ate the entire bag.

Next on my culinary adventure I hit up my first roadside food stand. The vendors peddle a bike with this entire kitchen operation attached to the back to a spot and set up for the night. My first Veggie Pad Thai was greatly enjoyed. Although in the US we may use more of a peanut sauce or heavy sauce, these noodles where light and seasoned well. On my way back to the hotel I came across this waffle concoction, I had walked by it three times and realized I couldn’t resist. This is a waffle with fresh coconut in it. Every bite was as wonderful as you can imagine, fresh, warm, and lightly sweet, my belly was in food heaven, and my wallet was singing a happy tune as well, my noodles and waffle cost a grand total of $2.22. The next day I ate at this place. I don’t know if calling your restaurant Poo is really the best idea, but it was recommended in my guide book so I decided to give it a try. While my meal was good, my street food from the night before was so much better, this actually has been a common occurrence throughout my Thailand experience and the street food is about half the price. But I was able to order papaya salad which like I said before will be a staple in my diet when I return to the US. So that is just the first two days of my food travels. I have managed to eat my way through Chiang Mia as well but I’ll post that a little later. I’ll let you all salivate on these delicacies for the time being. I did end up taking a cooking class is Chiang Mia so when I return it is Pad Thai for all. Of course I’ll be charging more than $2.22 per plate.

Daily Life at BLES

Want to check out my digs, I would call what we are doing “Glamping,” yes I’ll admit I got that name from Real Housewives and while I should be embarrassed admitting I’ve watched that show, the term does perfectly fit our atmosphere. Here is my home, an adorably decorated cabin, or because we are in the jungles of Thailand, hut or teak cottage.

Look at all the elephant features that Katherine has thoughtfully 

placed throughout the room.

 

The bathroom is amazing, see that window at first I was thinking, wow I guess I am going to be quite the exhibitionist, but I was told that it is one way mirrored glass.

So yes, the pictures may make me seem like a outdoors baby but in my defense you can hear all the small creatures crawling around, I’ve seen a gecko scurry into the ceiling and while I know they are friend and not foe I am still trying not to squeal every time I see one.

Our daily routine begins with a 7am banana run, like I mentioned earlier both Lotus and Pang Dow’s diets are full of bananas and the other elephants get to enjoy the daily treat as well. Next we clean out the eating area of Lotus and Pang Dow and if there is an elephant to be bathed we have the option to help out.

Next may be my favorite time of day for three reasons, one my elephants friends waiting for the left over fruit. Two peanut butter, who knew this American staple could become such a delicacy and three hmmmmm coffee, while I don’t need you to wake up, you do make me so happy.

Then it is off to the jungle to follow different groups of elephants on their daily grazing hike and mud bathes. Thank goodness I brought long pants and long sleeves, despite the constant bath of humid sweat, the layers are needed for both the bug protection and the bush whacking!

Lunch is also enjoyed with our friends and the food is fantastic. All food at BLES is vegetarian so I am in heaven. My favorite meals have been this papaya salad a new obsession that will be a staple when I return to the States and some type of noodle dish. 

 

 

 

 

Our afternoon activities have been varied, we started the first day with another trek but the next day I found myself giving a double thumbs up to a class full of students trying to comfort their shyness to speak English with my crazy over enthusiastic hand gestures. God bless all teachers, after only one afternoon of teaching I was exhausted. But once I realized that making them laugh was the easiest way to make them comfortable I became the class clown, sorry fellow country men I don’t think I helped our reputation I became the cheesy stereotypical American teaching them two thumbs up means really good, but they we laughing so mission accomplished.

 

 

 

The next day we got to see some local ruins. While our adventure was rained out I was able to capture one good picture.
Our next afternoon adventure consisted of sleeping in the jungle so stay tuned that will be a very interesting account.

 

Nightly we ate dinner with Katherine and her family, Hope (4), Noah (3) and Aaron (4 months). While the other guests passed Aaron around, I seemed to always have Hope and Noah hanging from my limbs. I kept them entertained by teaching them to play solitaire via iPad and reading to them the English (England) version of Cinderella, which surprisingly is different from our version. It was so wonderful to be a part of this families daily routine and while the elephants were such a joy it was only an added bonus to be a part of such a wonderful family, endless amounts of energy and all!

From OM to Oh My God

India Please Let Me Leave… that is all I could think as I over heard a woman say that she may change her travel plans as the pilots of King Fisher airlines were on strike. I leaned over to my friend and said, “Oh dear God, my flight is on King Fisher tomorrow. But in this new state of calm I am not going to worry about what I can’t change.” I also hadn’t received any email notifications as of that afternoon telling me anything about my flight status. So with that I pushed out the worrying thoughts and decided to focus on my last night at the Ashram.
The next morning presented another bump in my travel plans. Because of the “orange man Pilgrimage” the taxi would not be picking us up at the Ashram, rather we would have to trek our stuff over a mile through the crowded, slime slicked streets of Rishikesh, across a swinging foot bridge to the other side of the river where our taxi driver would meet us. Luckily four of us had teamed up for this adventure so I wouldn’t be alone. We also hired two men to carry our bags as the streets were literally shoulder to shoulder packed with teenage boys all vying and hassling us for photos. If you’ve never been to India you may not know that I am a superstar in this country, probably the equivalent of Reece Witherspoon to you USA folks. Actually anyone with white skin is a photo magnet. I was sitting in the Ashram waiting for lunch one day when an old lady sat right next to me, I looked at her quizzically making a note that there really wasn’t any personal space in this country, especially since the four other benches where wide open. Then her daughter walked up and said “can she have a photo with you?” I smiled and said yes, which is what I tried to do for women and children who requested photos, but the orange teenagers became a problem as they were constantly taking our pictures without our permission. Eventually they started to get physically pushy as well, and that is why I was very concerned about following my luggage through the crowded streets while keeping my head down to avoid the photos.
Well I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the sign in the distance as we were zig zagging our way through the streets, “Leave Sooner, Drive Slower, Live Longer.” As with everything in India it doesn’t totally make sense but you can’t help but smile. So as I climbed into the taxi dripping with the humid air that hung thick in the sky, I was ready to do all three of those things.
After being dropped off at the airport with one of my four travel companions I headed straight for the King Fisher desk, where I was told my flight was indeed cancelled. I was told I would be reimbursed for the fare and that was all that they could do. I stared at the guy yelling in my head, “you have to be f-ing kidding me! No wonder this country is a complete mess you have no customer service, I just want to leave, you can’t just tell me I am SOL and abandon me here in the middle of f-ing nowhere India!” But instead I looked him straight in the eye, and said “please sir you have to help me, I need to be in Delhi tonight and I don’t know what else to do, is there anything you can do to help me, I don’t know who else to ask.” I guess my Karma was cleansed when someone stole my new flip flops from outside the dinner hall at the Ashram days before because he became possibly the most helpful person I have met in India. He got me on the flight that my friend was on and with that I said good bye to Rishikesh.
I think I have Delhi International Airport PTSD because I was a panicked mess when we landed, I was supposed to figure out how to get back into the airport where my hotel was located with no real instruction even though I had emailed the hotel numerous times. This effort again led to a little triad in my head, some yelling on a cell phone and as I struggled to hold back the tears the second most helpful man in India got me to where I was supposed to be. (The picture to the left is the view from my hotel of the international check in desks.) So when my alarm went off at 3am, for my 3:30 check in, I was bouncing with energy and excitement to get the hell out of India.
Don’t get my wrong, as you’ve read time and again, India does hold a special place in my heart, but boy does it do an amazing job testing my patience. I will always think of India as a relationship with a hormonal teenage daughter (mom maybe you can relate!) One minute we are best friends and life is smooth sailing, the next we are both in tears of the floor and I don’t know if I will ever survive this relationship. Well I did survive and as I wandered my way around a crowded Bangkok market, I realized that by going to India first every other minute of my trip is going to be a walk in the park.

The Beatles Ashram

Follow me on a walk through what is known as the Beatles Ashram. It is said that the Beatles stay at the Ashram turned out to be one of the groups most creative periods. They wrote about 30 songs, some of which became part of the album “The Beatles” (aka The White Album) and others appeared on “Abby Road.” You can read the full history here “The Beatles in India”.

Now the Ashram sits alone, entwined with decades of jungle growth. As we walked up to the locked front gates we were amazed that the loud streets of Rishikesh had faded into a erie silence. 

On the other side of the gate was a man sleeping, when we woke him he asked for 50 rupees per person as an entry fee. He then told us to watch our step as we climbed the hill deeper into the jungle.

We left the path and entered into the auditorium which is now a makeshift museum for travelers art and words. As we walked around the room admiring the works we couldn’t help but get the creepy sense of bad energy which quickly washed over you. I felt like I was in the beginning of a remake of “Blair Witch” Indian Ashram style.

But the property is quiet and remote, a nice change from the Ashram we now call home. I would love for them to restore this area to its former glory.

Self Imposed Restrictions

I’ve tried to set some rules and limits for myself to help me better immerse my mind, body and spirit into this experience while at the Ashram:

1. No iPad for videos or iPod for music

2. During Monday through Friday eat only the meals provided by the Ashram

3. No snacking on stash of Lara Bars and Mojo Bars in suitcase

4. Limit internet time and don’t use Facebook

5. No missing any class, especially the 6 am class unless severely ill

By day five my energetic high that I blogged about had faded into the night and my alarm woke my grouchy self. Even the early morning chanting and yoga couldn’t relieve the grouch inside of me. Breakfast was the same old pile of yellow curried grain, and while the flavor isn’t bad, its definitely not a recipe I’ll be asking the chefs for. So after my philosophy class, I came back to room with one thing on my mind, Mojo. Taking out a Mojo bar, I slowly unwrapped the wrapper as if I were Charlie from Willy Wonka and this was my chocolate bar with the golden ticket. The first bite was so wonderful, I felt as if I was at a weight loss camp and I had snuck a Snickers past the counselors, devilish success. Of course all of these restrictions are of my own doing and everyone else is doing what works for them. But as I enjoyed every delicious bite of salty, sweet, crunchy goodness, I looked over my list to see what other self imposed restrictions I could break. Nothing looked as inviting as maybe a second Mojo bar, although I resisted.

After our 4:30 yoga secession I went back to the stash and enjoyed a cherry pie Lara bar and smiled with every bite.

Saturday morning I woke with ease having earned a extra thirty minutes of sleep. Our class flew by and then we were free. I was so ready for a break from the Ashram, and I would start with a breakfast that didn’t contain dinner from the night before. We headed through the alleyway of Rishikesh to a restaurant called The Office, I’m still not quite sure why, as the interior doesn’t resemble an office, but I couldn’t focus on anything but the most amazing Chia I had ever had. The seasoning of ginger, cardamom and cinnamon fused together so well, nothing like the Chia in the states, it was a truly heavenly experience. And then I was delivered this:

I know what your thinking, “No! Why would you eat fresh fruit” because look at it, how can you say no. That combined with the fact that fellow yoga students have been eating this for a week made me know I was safe. Fresh fruit toped with yogurt (curd), honey and musili. Heaven, and the grand total for this amazing meal 100 rupees, about $1.75.

We spent the day walking the crowded streets of Rishikesh trying to avoid the guys in orange. They are young men, who make a yearly pilgrim through Rishikesh collecting water at the Ganga river which they carry back to their home where they will pour it into a fountain for the God Shiva. The streets are crowded with them shouting, chanting and blowing whistles. That mixed with the other shoppers, cows and motorbikes makes it hard to contain the inner calm I had worked so hard on at the Ashram. We walked up to Laxman Jhula which is the town north of Rishikesh known as the backpackers area. We stopped to enjoy a refreshing coffee frappe and air conditioning, taking a break from the heat and honking that seems to have followed me from Delhi with vigor. By the time we started to walk back to the Ashram, a man who had been hassling us to buy his postcards got the harshest no that has come from my lips yet. I immediately felt bad, knowing that he was just trying to make money and persistence probably works occasionally, but my calm had officially cracked and I was ready to seek refuge away from the India I know so well.

We ventured out one more time that night for dinner and I enjoyed a Paneer Butter Masala and Garlic Naan. While I was craving Paneer (Indian cheese which I actually first thought was tofu) I was unfortunately rushed through my meal because we had to get back to the Ashram before the gates closed at 9:30 and I knew being locked out would seriously break my sanity. But through this day away from my routine I realized I still have much to work on, but now I know testing my inner peace in India is the best test I think I can do.