Back in Europe

I'm in London. Back home. Kind of. I'll be staying at my frind's and parent's place as I don't have my own flat and, since I spent money on travelling not gonna buy a new house soon. In London everybody is busy. As usual. So don't ask me why I don't wanna stay here. But I'm happy. Happy to see you my friends (lackily a bunch of you was waitiing). Happy to having seen and experienced what I did. Happy to have learnt SO MUCH on this trip.
For a detailed story ask me later as I'm going to type my journals.
Om shanti


THE END

Himachal Pradesh

It's been a while haven't written here. So: From Rishikesh I was going to Manali, a tourist hub in the Himalayas. On the way I stopped in Shimla (2200 m), which turned out to be a very charming town with Indian tourists walking along the main promenade which was on the top of the hill. There I met a special person: a man who can read aura, past present and future. Having met him I didn't sleep the whole night and then I left for Manali.
I stayed in the nearby village - Vashist. Still off season , the village was quiet, charming place, snow capped peaks around, hot springs in the centre of village were used as a place for bathing, doing laundry and dish washing. The whole north of India has completely different feeling than the places I've visited so far. Many Tibetans and Tibetian influence, not many beggars, cleaner, people seem to be more honest, foreigner-friendly and peaceful. From Manali I stopped in the Parvati Valley: picturesque valley in Himalayas. Gorgeous walks. Back to Shimla to meet the aura-reader for some therapy and teachings on how to be happy.

Now I'm in Dharamsala - a place where His Holiness Dalaj Lama lives.
In 8 days I fly back to Europe so it might be my last post. Probably I will tell you the rest in person. When I remember begining of my travelling in India I see how much my perception of this country has changed. Now I say: maybe I will come back here. One thing is sure: despite it was the most difficult country to travel it was here that I learned and experienced the most.

So thank you my Dear Friends for following my blog. I was always happy to know that you are with me. I will see you soon.

Rishikesh

Rishikesh is probably not only Indian but world's capital of yoga. It became famous when the Beatles and all other famous people came here in the 60's. It's a great place: peaceful, quiet (for Indian standards of course), laying in the feet of Himalayas on both sides of Ganga river. Yoga courses, reiki, any kind of healing, ayurvedic pharmacies and food everywhere. You will see all spiritual and over-spiritual exaggerated Westerners here. There's plenty of Ashrams with old tradition reaching back the 60's. But rarely they are as strict as my ashram in Kerala.Music with mantras all over the place: hari rama and Om namashivaya aver and aver again. This is really unique place.
It looks also like a capital of sadhu's - homeless Indians wandering in search for spiritual enlightenment and realisation, which means they are everywhere along the way and on the bridge and since Rishikesh is such a peaceful place they can lead quite a peaceful life. They are also clever as when you pass them by they say "hare om" - kind of blessing - which puts you in uncomfortable situation: Am I suppose to give them money since we are all peaceful and God loving here and they great you in this blissful way or just ignore like all other people who hassle you in the streets. If give money then they are sitting next to each other so whom should I give? all 50 of them? These are dilemmas you face in India all the time.

I got cold again and actually I can't wait to see my friends back home.

Holy city of Varanasi

Varanasi is a very special place. It's a holy city as a Ganges river is a holy river and although it is extremely dirty thousands of people have bath in the river. It is also, due to Hindu religion and believes, the best place to get buried or rather burned - cremation. So you can take a boat and watch fire in which bodies are burnt, lots of "holy" men, brahmins etc wandering on the banks of the river. There are also special ceremonies, such as Aarati, fire ceremony in the evening - really unforgettable performance. Watching the Ganges either on the sunrise or evening is unforgetable and quite unbelievable experience.

leaving the ashram

So I left the ashram and you may get worried now that I went nuts here but...after 1 month in the ashram I feel so happy! My last week I felt like flying, not walking on the ground. You may laugh that now I gonna be one of these over-spiritual frics but I feel like yoga is my way and I'm considering yoga teacher's course in the nearest future. Already missing my ashram.

ashram to be continued

Life is strange: I'm waking up 5.30am and...actually I enjoy morning meditation and watching the sun coming out and the day starting. Yoga, which I knew b4, is a wonderful thing although after 4 hrs per day body hurts sometimes. On our days off we going to the beach resort and I found out thet the ashram is like a shelter. Shelter from all the nocis and hassles of outside world. All these sellers on the beach are so anoying. I was...happy to be back to our hasle-free place, to silence and birds. I met some wonderful people here and i feels good to stop after 10 months of continuaous changing buses and beds.

Welcome to the ashram

After rajastan, Carolina and me got back to Delhi. We said good bye to each other, hopefully we gonna meet one day somewhere and I took a flight to Kerala, very south of India.
I'm in sivananda yoga ashram. First days are tough - to get to a new routine:
6am - satsang: meditation and chanting, organisation matters
8am - asanas - means yoga exercise for 2 hours
10am - meal - of course indial and vegetarian
2pm - lecture
3.30pm - exercise another 2 hours
6pm - meal
8pm - satsang
10.30pm - lights off but by this time we are all dead tired already so no problem with lights off.
Well, one must be very determined in getting into yoga to be here. But the good things are that the centre is located in a national park, among palm trees and in the morning we hear lions roaring. And it is CLEAN. We all walk bare foot and no problem with it! Cleanest bathrooms I've seen in India so far!