Hi All,
I am moving to a better blog page where I can post photos too... click on this link
http://www.getjealous.com/l-j
Love to you all
xx
Friday, October 17, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Life is a highway, I'm gonna drive it all night long
Well hello everyone! Been a few days since I have written anything and we have spent 10 hours travelling today so I am writing this with red sore eyes, an empty belly and the taste of dirt and petrol embedded in my tongue. Lots happening since my last entry. We spent 2 days and nights in the amazing town of Omkashwar, where the whole area was going mad on the festival of the goddess Durga. This is a sacred island that is shaped like the symbol Om. Our jeep was stopped for 20 mins on the way in because some men were so enraptured with gratitude to Durga that they jumped off their overloaded tractor and began dancing with ecstacy in the middle of the road! Never seen anything like it and a sign of things to come... I awoke and went to sleep both days and nights to the sounds of singing and drumming floating up the hill and in our window. Took a beautiful boat ride too. Our room had strange looking marks outside the door, which on closer inspection were monkey paw marks!!! I kid you not! They were everywhere (the monkeys that is!). We were told not to make eye contact with them, which we all thought was really cute until one tried to pinch something out of Madelines hand! This place....
Luckily, we have a divine Guide by the name of Chetan who is a hindu, so again blessed we were ushered in a side door in the middle of all the festivities by a priest, and were blessed as we left more offerings for Shiva in yet another very important temple on this island. It was a huge night. We are such a sight here, 4 western women and one Indian man. It is a very strange experience, and a woman nearly lost it with excitement talking to me that evening through Chetan interpreting. I have become quite practised at imagining a white light around me that has me blend in better. It seems to really work most of the time. I am also now pretending to know loads about cricket, as everyone that asks me where I am from imediately says "Ricky Ponting!" to which I talk very quickly in english about how great cricket is blah blah blah... ok Darren, you were right ;-)
The food here is quite another whole subject in itself. I would love to film some of the experiences I am having with food. We all got dinner the other night at the festival, and Lisa said "if my mother saw that woman stiring the rice with her hands like that and knew I was eating it, she would freak!" and I agreeded. It is amazing how quickly you adjust to these things when you are in a different country. We have tried heaps of yummy food as we are all letting Chetan order for us most of the time. I am sure we are all coming back fatter than before... so much for coming home skinny!
Next stop was Mandu, a beautiful place on top of a mountain range that has the most incredible fort and old temple structures. I will have to fill you in on the Mandu leg soon, need to go for dinner. Love to you all, and keep me posted on whats going on with all you. Nice to get the emails!
Your intrepid, smelly traveller signing off!!!!!
Luckily, we have a divine Guide by the name of Chetan who is a hindu, so again blessed we were ushered in a side door in the middle of all the festivities by a priest, and were blessed as we left more offerings for Shiva in yet another very important temple on this island. It was a huge night. We are such a sight here, 4 western women and one Indian man. It is a very strange experience, and a woman nearly lost it with excitement talking to me that evening through Chetan interpreting. I have become quite practised at imagining a white light around me that has me blend in better. It seems to really work most of the time. I am also now pretending to know loads about cricket, as everyone that asks me where I am from imediately says "Ricky Ponting!" to which I talk very quickly in english about how great cricket is blah blah blah... ok Darren, you were right ;-)
The food here is quite another whole subject in itself. I would love to film some of the experiences I am having with food. We all got dinner the other night at the festival, and Lisa said "if my mother saw that woman stiring the rice with her hands like that and knew I was eating it, she would freak!" and I agreeded. It is amazing how quickly you adjust to these things when you are in a different country. We have tried heaps of yummy food as we are all letting Chetan order for us most of the time. I am sure we are all coming back fatter than before... so much for coming home skinny!
Next stop was Mandu, a beautiful place on top of a mountain range that has the most incredible fort and old temple structures. I will have to fill you in on the Mandu leg soon, need to go for dinner. Love to you all, and keep me posted on whats going on with all you. Nice to get the emails!
Your intrepid, smelly traveller signing off!!!!!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Its Getting Better All The Time
Ok, for some reason the Beatles are playing heavily at this stage in my song titles... Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially in love with India! Meet my group on Sunday, and am sharing a room with another chickie by the name of Lisa Williams. So its such a shame my intention wasn't to come to India to find myself.. hehehe... She is great and comes from Sydney. 4 ofus in total, all girls and a fabulous guide by the name of Chetan. We did some market time on sunday arvo, was so nice to have some back up, and Chowpatty beach for dinner where we got completly caught in a massive downpour. We arrived back at the hotel drenched. Was heaps of fun. Much squealing and laughter was heard.
Very early start on monday, as we took a6am 7 hour train trip (which became 8.5 hours india time) wich I totally loved. The country is really beautiful, and the food was fab. Toilet was scary though, everything straight on the tracks. Arrived in Aurangabad and headed straight for the Ellora caves. These were amazing! The monks carved these incredible series of 32 caves and meditation halls straight out of the side of a mountain! Won't bore you all with the details except to say it is the most amazing thing I have ever seen! The energy is incredible. I was teary eyed many times by the sacredness of the energy and the beauty of the Gods, Goddesses and various scenes depicted in the rock. I left an offering at the base of an incredibly old Shiva Lingum withing the main temple and made a prayer from my heart. Then we visited the last pilgrim site of 12 sacred Hindu temples dedicated again to Shiva. It is believed that anyone who finds themselves at this temple are destined in this lifetime to be here. I was struck by that, and it resonated somewhere deep in my heart that this was indeed my purpose for this journey. Again, I bought a beautiful plate of flowers, sweets, coconut, fruit and leaves and joined the frenzied Hindu crowds to enter the very small, hot and pumping temple to lay he offering at the base of yet another old lingum. Wow... was quite a day. By the time I had yet another cold shower, hit the pillow I was out like a light.
Today we visited the Fort which was also really interesting. I had forgotten what a rich history India has as far as royalty and different kingdoms. Facinating stories and the strategy that went into the design of this particular fort was very clever. As our guide was explaining to me, along time ago the men took time for contemplation and meditation, and it as then that these brilliant ideas would have come to them. Today, he told me, everyone is to busy to hear the voice of God. I liked that, and will bring that home with me.
So, I am taking a moment out of the crazyness of the streets to fill you all in on these last couple of days. I am loving it and feel like this will be quite a journey. So, I hope you all are well, and if anyone wants to email me to say hi, please use my gmail. Nice to see them when I go in...
Love you all
xxx
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Nobody Told Me There Be Days Like These!
Sticking with your "use a song title for the heading" theme Therese...
Oh My God!!! This place is totally out of control. I have never been so thrown out of myself before as I have in the last however many hours since I left Sydney. The flight was good, long at 12 hours and not much sleep prior to leaving, but the taxi ride from the airport to my first hotel was UNBELIEVABLE!!! I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or vomit. We nearly had an accident before we even got out of the carpark. I was doing my best to seem like a well worn traveler, giving attitude where possible and making sure I picked a driver that was smaller than me so that if he tried to attack me, I would win ;-). The ride was out of this world, people sleeping on the side of the road, the smell of urine and food and sweat and incense all rolled into one, a woman with the tinest baby you have ever seen sticking her head in the cab beeging me for money... Now, I have read all of this before and I know its cliche, but it is all so true. There were beautiful women won the back of motorbikes with saris flowing behind them, the absolute symphony of horns bombarding my ears and a taxi that was carpeted internally that looked like walt disney had thrown up all multicoloured dreams.
My hotel is a 5 star apparently, and was essentially in a slum area (took a photo from my bathroom window to show you Mum, Rach and Alison... HORRIFIC) and was very dissappointing. Smelly, air conditioning stuffed and no window in the room. Then, I went to the loo and realised something was missing replaced by a funny hose and a bucket. Eeeewwww! Thankfully somebody insisted I bring 5000 packets of tissues. Anyway, you get the idea of my first night in India. I found myself at some stage in the fetal position chanting "Theres no place like home, theres no place like home" without the ruby slippers. So, after seriously melting down this morning and seriously considering sneaking back on a flight and living at Dads till christmas so no-one knew, I decided to have my splerge on a nice hotel tonight and meeting with the group tomorrow. I know that this first stage was always going to be yucky on my own. There are seriously no other white women that I have seen yet since I left the airport, so feeling part of a group is sure to make me relax abit more and begin to enjoy this.
FOR THE RECORD: I, Lisa-Jane Williams, hereby acknowledge that I am a dick and should have brought a few things that you all told me to bring. I am here without my Itinery, an alarm or even a clock, my phone and any phone numbers except a few. Should have listened!!!
Well, my love to you all and I will be online again soon. Thanks for your email Mum, was nice to read. Got yours too Matte, no sweat baby!
Oh My God!!! This place is totally out of control. I have never been so thrown out of myself before as I have in the last however many hours since I left Sydney. The flight was good, long at 12 hours and not much sleep prior to leaving, but the taxi ride from the airport to my first hotel was UNBELIEVABLE!!! I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or vomit. We nearly had an accident before we even got out of the carpark. I was doing my best to seem like a well worn traveler, giving attitude where possible and making sure I picked a driver that was smaller than me so that if he tried to attack me, I would win ;-). The ride was out of this world, people sleeping on the side of the road, the smell of urine and food and sweat and incense all rolled into one, a woman with the tinest baby you have ever seen sticking her head in the cab beeging me for money... Now, I have read all of this before and I know its cliche, but it is all so true. There were beautiful women won the back of motorbikes with saris flowing behind them, the absolute symphony of horns bombarding my ears and a taxi that was carpeted internally that looked like walt disney had thrown up all multicoloured dreams.
My hotel is a 5 star apparently, and was essentially in a slum area (took a photo from my bathroom window to show you Mum, Rach and Alison... HORRIFIC) and was very dissappointing. Smelly, air conditioning stuffed and no window in the room. Then, I went to the loo and realised something was missing replaced by a funny hose and a bucket. Eeeewwww! Thankfully somebody insisted I bring 5000 packets of tissues. Anyway, you get the idea of my first night in India. I found myself at some stage in the fetal position chanting "Theres no place like home, theres no place like home" without the ruby slippers. So, after seriously melting down this morning and seriously considering sneaking back on a flight and living at Dads till christmas so no-one knew, I decided to have my splerge on a nice hotel tonight and meeting with the group tomorrow. I know that this first stage was always going to be yucky on my own. There are seriously no other white women that I have seen yet since I left the airport, so feeling part of a group is sure to make me relax abit more and begin to enjoy this.
FOR THE RECORD: I, Lisa-Jane Williams, hereby acknowledge that I am a dick and should have brought a few things that you all told me to bring. I am here without my Itinery, an alarm or even a clock, my phone and any phone numbers except a few. Should have listened!!!
Well, my love to you all and I will be online again soon. Thanks for your email Mum, was nice to read. Got yours too Matte, no sweat baby!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag....
OK this is Therese here (LJ's sister from another mother), and I am reporting in from the bedroom of Lisa Jane on the eve of her trip to India. She is packing well in a bag that I think is WAY too small but hey I will simply receive a lot more packages back from her of goods she purchases and sends home - so I am excited by that as it will feed my present fetish quite well (ok too much information for you all I am sure!)
Just so you all know that a majority of goods in her bag are toiletries, tissues and chemist goods for those somewhat pleasant experiences that India guarantees to deliver.
Oh and Mama Di - she has a boy in her room too - she wanted to mention he is fully clothed but you would have assumed that or I would not be in here as well......
Anyway LJ has her journal, camera, bits and pieces and most of all she seems to be holding it together quite well. Many tears will be shed tomorrow I am sure, and I promise to deliver the best 'weeping woman' performance of my short career to ensure the send off is a good one.
So I will sign off - just wanted to get this party started - and over to LJ now - the blog is all yours. P.S I wanted to call this blog -getitindia - get it? get it? but I was out- voted boo hiss Darren and LJ!!
xxxxx
Just so you all know that a majority of goods in her bag are toiletries, tissues and chemist goods for those somewhat pleasant experiences that India guarantees to deliver.
Oh and Mama Di - she has a boy in her room too - she wanted to mention he is fully clothed but you would have assumed that or I would not be in here as well......
Anyway LJ has her journal, camera, bits and pieces and most of all she seems to be holding it together quite well. Many tears will be shed tomorrow I am sure, and I promise to deliver the best 'weeping woman' performance of my short career to ensure the send off is a good one.
So I will sign off - just wanted to get this party started - and over to LJ now - the blog is all yours. P.S I wanted to call this blog -getitindia - get it? get it? but I was out- voted boo hiss Darren and LJ!!
xxxxx
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
