Sorry to admit – we have had enough of this place. Maybe it was the rain that turned the streets into a mud parade- funny, the same day I noticed a sign for a special Mud skin treatment ! It is possibly the Worst that India has to offer here in this town. Allynn has a keen take on it. He says if they would just get the cows off the street, you wouldn’t be smelling and stepping in cow shit all the time. Good thinking ! We haven’t run into an elephant yet- that will make this scene seem pristine perhaps. So the mud with the cow shit was Hell to us and I took to wearing a scarf over my head with my hat on top so I could cover my nose .
We got in the early morning groove here.There is a gong that starts gonging at 5:15. And we are not in an ashram! It wakes up the community, to come join the early morning sunrise ritual – that goes from 6:00-7:30 every day. And they end with a long session of yoga breathing exercises. I wish they would include laughing yoga. And it is all heavily amplified so you can hear it all a block away- from the rooftop of our hotel. I am always missing coffee because the coffee shops don’t open till 7:00 am – there I go complaining again. So what is there to do here?
Taking pictures is my creative outlet.
It is a photographers dream . There is a sunrise and a sunset and lots of fog and people disrobing, who don’t seem to mind being photographed and the ancient looking stairs and architecture provide interesting backdrops. And there are meals to be figured out and the choices of cafes are limited. We have been eating pizza for dinner and apple pie- so I am looking forward to variety in Delhi.
Also we have been napping a lot. There is definitely a psychic drain being in such a different world. I feel like I am taking a ride on a space shuttle , because everything is so foreign and you feel you have to fend for yourself and figure it all out. And the hotel room is our small world too.
And we kind of get a kick out of that- so we invent our lives each day. Some days I do yoga, some I don’t- I have space here in our room but my stomach has been slightly off kilter. Allynn’s too. I am looking forward to seeing the historical sights and market places in Delhi- maybe time for more retail therapy. I am getting sick of wearing the same yoga pants since we began out trip- the same shirts(2) – oops- complaining again Sorry!
We had a good meditation class back in Kathmandu where it was suggested that we pray for Everyone’s happiness. That is a tall order for this place because so many people look undernourished, dirty and homeless. I offer silent prayers as I pass . I enjoy sending prayers to my family and friends back home; our meditation teacher said it changes your outlook on you own issues. I get that- it helps. So long for now!
Ps I am reading a hysterical book- Yoga School Dropout by Lucy Edge – a better tale than mine about a trip thru ashrams here in India! Oops- complaining again . Namaste, Annie