coming .....being......going.....

My last night in Rishikesh and it seemed fitting to attend the aarti one more time.  The gardener who works at the ashram performs this ritual every evening and last night I assisted him under his careful instructions. Standing on the banks of the Gange,  watching the light begin to fade, I was able to soak up the beauty of some of the simple everyday things that happen in India.  The gardener is perhaps one of my favourite characters I have encountered so far. He has that sparkle in his eye that says he gets it. He loves life, is a devoted yogi and something about the flowers that he grows suggests he knows a thing or two about gardening. In his quiet moments, he has been giving us hatha yoga lessons and always has a word of wisdom to offer. With his limited English, it is amazing what he is able to communicate.”Slowly, slowly.” A simple mantra for just about anything. And the guy is right.  If we slow down, everything seems to be easier.  I will add it to my list of sound advice for life.

Hatha yoga lesson

As I come to the end of my Indian adventure, I find it hard to believe I have been away nearly 3 months. One quarter of the year has gone, never to be experienced again. Three months of memories and experiences that will stay with me forever.  As the meditation retreat drew to a close, we were acutely aware of the “end” of something. And it makes me think about how everything comes to an end at some point. As Swami J puts it, everything is coming, being or going. Everything.  Nothing is infinite, everything is impermanent. Like a well crafted story, there is always a beginning, a middle and an end. So I have learnt it’s important to recognise each stage and transition from one to the next.  So India is going. But then Nepal is coming.

The many colours of India

So tomorrow I leave for Nepal to begin my next adventure, but when something is ending or going, it is often that time when you stop and look back.  India is often referred to as a sensory overload, and yesterday walking around Rishikesh, I was reminded of the sights, sounds and of course smells that will always be unique to this country. Sidestepping fresh cow manure, my grubby feet I don’t think will ever be the same. A very kind friend gave me a foot massage the other day and stated “the dirt just keeps coming out of your skin!”. And it really sums up India, it doesn’t just get under your skin, it is in your skin, a part of you.  The bold colours of sari’s, the glistening white smiles of children curious to get a closer look, being greeted by passersby with one hand on their heart and a “Hare Om!” are images that are now firmly etched in my memory.

Pablo getting a Lassi

I have had an amazing time in India and I can see why many travellers come here and find it hard to leave. That said, it is a difficult country to be in. Finding some peace and quiet, a simple salad and ice that you can trust are things I have had to live with as a wistful reminiscence of home.  That’s just part of the deal.  But for all of the dirt, the constant honking of car horns and the random animals that you will find roaming the streets (I can now add pigs to the mix of cows, monkeys, dogs and chickens) there is definitely an energy and vibe that India has that I have not experienced before. Once you find the groove (and believe me it comes) the noise seems to fade into the background, the smells blend into one another to form something not so offensive and you find yourself making your way across a busy street without hesitation. It was yesterday when I was bouncing along in the back of a rickshaw, that I didn’t raise an eyebrow to the cow parade that was holding up traffic, the sadu’s dressed in orange or the pigs scavenging for food on the banks of the Gange that I realised, India was now part of me. I doubt I will ever get the dirt out of my skin, and I am not sure I really want to.  So even though this is the ending of this section of my adventure, I think there is a “to be continued” that is warranted. India, I am sure I will be visiting you again one day.

From one interesting country to another, tomorrow I head to Nepal to have a quick reunion with Catherine before meeting my friend Paul (coming from Oz) to trek the Annapurna Circuit before undertaking a month of volunteer work. So, it will be a few weeks between posts.....but the beauty of the Himalaya’s awaits.