Redback Travels: Live from India

Namaste from India! For those of you new to my postings, welcome. For those of you who are familiar with them...well...I'll try as usual to make things short but you know the drill…you may be in for a book report which I'll quiz you on when I get back.

What can I say....ahhhh.....Mother India. There are so many times I ask myself why my life keeps bringing me back here and then so many times right after that I remember what it is about this country that is so unique and special....the unpredictability, the slowness bordering on laziness, the chaos, the filth, the purity, the soul, the love, the sense of security in having faith in the creator, the ancient history, the roots....this really is where it all began.

So let's begin...Ryan Redman, my fearless partner and keeper of the peace, arrived a week early only to find our hotel reservation missing and his yoga mat stolen from his bag. NICE! After a hectic week of logistics, our group of 14 women and one 5 year old girl (yes, Ryan was in for some serious estrogen) arrived in one piece. Course, 3 people didn't have their luggage come but hey...clothes are cheap here and well, showers aren't really that important anyway.

A five year old in India? People had made me a little nervous about our decision to include her but her mother sounded amazing and said she was a world traveler so we chose to include her to see India through virgin eyes. The first morning Ryan led our group in a nice shoulder opening / hamstring stretching yoga class to get our bodies feeling normal again after such long airplane ride. We began with a meditation and at one point, I peaked and found little Sofie, wearing a pink Indian tunic shirt adorned with a bindi on her forehead sitting in full lotus position with her hands on her knees in meditation. I almost died at the adorable site and knew from that moment that we made the right decision. Sure enough, she has been a real gem to our group and is a truely old soul. I mean, how many 5 years olds would be totally comfortable hanging around a group of old women for 3 weeks? I can only imagine how different our children would be today if they practiced yoga from such an early age. Ritalin would surely be a thing of the past!

The group toured Delhi for 2 days. The early arrivals went to mass at Mother Teresa’s hospital and visited with people who were dying there…quite an intense experience. Some went to the historic Red Fort where the drive was for sure the best part since driving in Old Delhi is about as ridiculous as it gets. Even though there are lines drawn to indicate lanes, they are merely for show and 3 lanes really means 5-6 filled with cows, bike rickshaws, buses, tuk tuks (auto-rickshaw), cars, people and whatever else you can think of. Others went shopping at Fab India and somehow Ryan managed to find a guy on the street who cleans ears using a very small, very sharp tool to actually pull a lifetime of goop out of their ears. Only in India, huh? I am hoping to have this done when we go back….will it make me hear better?

The highlight was visiting Gandhi’s Smriti which is the house he lived in while in Delhi and where he was assassinated. It was so powerful and moving to be there. We walked the path he took to his final sermon, saw his actual glasses and spinning wheel, the house he lived in during the Partition and learned about the story of his life. Amazing!

From Delhi we flew in a small plane up to Dharamsala where His Holiness the Dalai Lama resides along with thousands of exiled Tibetan Buddhists. Nestled in the Himalayas, it is a really beautiful place and while the air pollution has gotten the best of the clear views, the beauty to me rests more in the Tibetan people than anything else. They are such a peaceful group and watching monks walking along the streets is worth the trip alone. It was funny to see monks on their cell phones but hey, we are living in modern times right? The teachings were much smaller than I anticipated and about 1000 people crammed into his residence twice a day for 2 hours at a stretch to listen to him speak. Foreigners could listen to the translation on their own radio since he spoke in Tibetan. Just listening to his voice, watching the Tibetans enthralled by the whole event and hearing all the monks chant was more interesting than the translator. His message was interesting of course, but the translator just didn’t have the voice that HH has. At the end of each teaching he would walk down the aisle with that smile that goes from ear to ear. What a presence and people would bow down as if he were Buddha himself.

Due to the intensity of the teachings, we also had optional daily activities. We began the morning with 2 yoga classes taught by either Ryan or myself (the room was too small for the whole group) starting at 7. A Tibetan named Lhamo taught some of us how to make Momos which are similar to pot stickers only steamed and filled with various stuffings…we made veggie, spinach and cheese and a sweet one. Each momo used a different “pinching” technique which we practiced several times before we actually used the stuffing. We also learned how to eat them authentically with a soy sauce, ketchup, chili powder, cabbage and carrot concoction. Yum!

Another day we hiked to a waterfall that went up to snow line. It was so nice to be on the trails and we even managed to pick up a pack of dogs who followed us for the entire 6 hour journey. With several of the women from Ketchum, it definitely felt like home. But we also had women from Minnesota, Texas and Arizona who weren’t used to that type of activity (or weather) and kicked butt to even be there! It even hailed and snowed a bit on our way down. Nobody even commented on it really…talk about low maintenance. My kinda ladies!

Our local guide was the Colonel who I used last year. He got a little Army us and was a little too organized for our group but he did manage to pull out a really nice day. We first visited a museum of Tibetan medicine and then went to the doctor at the nearby hospital where a few people who were sick wanted to get some medicine. Next thing we knew, the entire group saw the doctor to see what our ailments were and what pills (herbs of course) and teas we needed. They took our pulse to determine our conditions and for the most part, they were pretty close on the diagnosis. Doctor visit + medicines = about $8. That was super interesting and unexpected and we all learned a lot.

From there we drove to a tea plantation to see how tea is made and then continued on to a real local Hindu temple in Kangra. It’s always nice to see India through new eyes and this temple was a real treat for the 8 of us. The brightly colored walkway to the temple was lined with shops selling various offerings to bring to the temple. Some women bought the coconut/rice kit and when we entered the temple, offered it to Lord Shiva. In return, the women received shawls and tikkas on their foreheads. Since it happened to be Tues (holy day) there was a group of women singing who invited us to sing along with them. The women possessed such energy and their soulful music was felt by all. Everyone enjoyed clapping along and listening to the music and just hanging out with them. Course, we later learned that they were singing were about things like if they found their husband cheating on them, they’d ring his neck and all sorts of funny things which gave us a good laugh….

On our last night, we drove to the Colonel’s house for a bonfire. We didn’t realize the extent of the bonfire but it was all set up in his backyard with huge sticks. When he started to pour gas on it, we’re like, are you SURE you need that much gas? A few women lit it with tiki tourches (luckily nothing exploded) and the Colonel’s wife led us through a wedding ritual involving a mantra and throwing rice on the fire. We then ate snacks and Indian treats. It was great to experience a real Indian family’s home life and share stories.

The final morning we all walked to a waterfall just outside town. I had scoped out a really nice spot to do yoga along the river so we ventured out for some morning yoga. We even had 2 dogs and an Indian man selling “head massages” join us. It was so wonderful to do yoga outside at the foot of the Himalayas communing with nature. Even Ryan said it might have been his favorite place ever to teach.

From Dharamsala, we took a 3 hour jeep ride to the train station for our first train experience. I had geared everyone up for Hell and it was probably the easiest train ride of my life. There weren’t even any Chai people to bug everyone? What’s up with that? Normally you are constantly berated by the sound of “Chai, Chai, Chai” about a million times in this high pitch voice. Oh well. No complaints since we'd way rather have travel be smooth since it so rarely is!

Now we are in Rishikesh attending the 2008 International Yoga Festival at the ashram where I stayed last year. I definitely need some time to digest what is actually happening to our group. All I can say is this city embodies the essence of India. It is unlike any other place in the world. What we have experienced in three days most people won’t in their lifetime of studying yoga in the west. It is the true eastern aspect of this ancient science and the reason why people travel here. About 500 people have come together from all around the globe and the positive energy and love surrounding us is infectious. And as Ryan said today, the teachers, swamis and saints are 1st tier which none of us were totally expecting.

India is definitely not for everyone. The people who are here came here for some reason, pulled by a higher power to come experience it. Those who embrace it leave home a changed person. Those who fight it get spit out quickly. It is truly the opposite of our society…the dirt, poverty, chaos, laziness, are all on the surface and some would find it hard to get past this and wouldn’t be able to enjoy themselves. But it is so much deeper than the surface. Unlike our Western culture where appearance is everything and we live too much on the surface, the essence here lies within. There is an openness of heart that sets it apart. It’s not about the outside, it’s about what’s inside. It is about the love and the realization that we are all human beings with a connection to each other. Love will get us through the bad times and carry us into the good times. Finding that inner light and sharing it with others is what life is about. While money is nice, it certainly doesn’t make happiness. Bliss must be cultivated by an internal quest and search for the truth.

Just a side note about our group…I have been traveled with groups in the past and never have I experienced one like this. Everyone has become best friends. There is such a feeling of community filled with respect and laughter and we are just having so much fun! The ages range from 27 – 58 and it so doesn’t even matter. We are all here to share this experience together and the women have been so accommodating and flexible and have made our job so easy. Our plans have changed 100 times at least, our accommodations haven’t been the best, a few have been a little sick and not one person has complained one time. We are so fortunate and I am so thankful for this and can’t wait to pursue our friendships after this is all said and done.

Finally….moving to the jungle... if anyone is interested in going to Costa Rica with Ryan from April 3 –11, please let us know. The Osa Peninsula is truly paradise and it will be an amazing week of yoga, surfing, hiking, relaxing and just being in one of the most pristine jungles in the world. There is more information on our website: www.redbacktravels.com

Til next time….Namaste