Life in a bubble

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, I am sitting at my regular coffee shop and coming to the realisation that my time left in the bubble of McLeod Ganj is soon drawing to a close. I can't believe that in less than a week, I will be heading onto my next adventure. Now don't get me wrong, I am very much looking forward to my 3 weeks meditation workshop with Swami J, in fact I can't wait. But part of me will  leave with some sadness as McLeod Ganj has been like living in an idealic bubble for nearly a month, and I have loved every minute.  I am not sure if it's the "feel" that this places has as it certainly has a specialness that you can't quite describe. On a walk today with my friend Catherine, we found whilst it was nice to get out and explore, we really missed McLeod. The lively nature of the small streets, the monks casually chatting over chai, the random animals on the street and dare I say it, the honking of the cars and bikes. There is something in the familiarity of the streets, the locals that you walk past and greet not through politeness but through recognition, the sun shine that whilst has not been a regular feature today graced us with her presence...I can keep going. It is just simply put lovely.

And then of course, I am never sure if it is a place that is truly special or the people, maybe it is a combination of both. But I have been blessed with meeting some really lovely people which makes a significant difference to my time here, and helps keep the bubble fun and interesting. I met Catherine I think in my first few days in McLeod and we hit it off instantly - we have managed to while away hours over breakfast or coffee, enjoy the many great places to eat in McLeod, take in a movie and venture out to enjoy the scenery (to work off the food we eat I think!!)  And even dusted off the disco shoes at "Black Magic" (a story unto itself, but perhaps we will leave that one for in person)

Then you have the Manzoor - the Kasmiri guy I met on my first day who always looks out for me, John - the guy who runs the cinema who changes the schedule for us when we need it, the Nepalese guys at our Sunday favourite Carpe Diem restaurant, the monks who come to my conversation class every day, the guys I am working with at CHOICE - PC, Dondul and Norbu - all doing amazing work with the prevention of HIV, the Cafe Budan guys Jamphel and Ta Bo....So is it the people or the place? I am still not sure, but either way it makes for a really great way to spend a couple of weeks, or as some do, a couple of months. Life in the bubble. So my last week will be spent soaking up the atmosphere, maybe venturing out for a day trip but mainly hanging out in a place with some pretty cool people.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

A favourite from Dr Seuess, I couldn't have put it any better myself.....

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don' t
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

A few of my favourite things

A friend of mine has a great blog (http://www.innerpickle.com/, you should check it out) She has a regular section called "this moment"....it's about noticing a moment and remembering it. (I love it Fi) But it got me thinking about the moments I am having here. Whilst on the outside, day to day life can be the same anywhere, routine, and maybe even boring. But when you start noticing each moment, and the little things that make up the day, it makes you realise how truly special a day can be and well, almost magical.

So I thought I would share with you a few of the "moments" from my day, that are fast becoming the nuances of McLeod Ganj, but are the things that bring a smile to my face and a warm fuzzy feeling in my belly. (Note, many of them are related to getting warm!)  It starts with the view from window in the morning, the snow on the mountains; getting my morning coffee from my regular cafe (whilst I am supposed to be letting go of routine some habits die hard); reading an English newspaper; walking up the hill; walking down the hill; a smile and thank you from a student; humbleness, gratitude and humility of people; a tibetan asking me to explain dictatorship; the same tibetan not knowing who Adolf Hitler is; a monk saying hello every day and noticing my hands are cold; a colleague making me steaming hot tea everyday; a guy going to the temple to get a name for his nephew that is about to be born; the monk who comes to class everyday but can't speak English but he perseveres; the cows; the monkeys; the dogs; the views from every angle; the heater in my room and warming my feet; the hot hot shower; porridge with banana and honey; momos; early morning at the temple; explaining what a platypus is....the list is endless....

I always thought it was a great talent to remember these moments, the little things that often pass you by, but I have realised the talent lies not in remembering but noticing in the first place. 

"Home" Sweet Home

A week can seem like a long time in some circumstances, or sometimes it flies by and you wonder where on earth the days went. For me, the week has literally disappeared before me and I find myself on a Saturday trying to recall what it is I actually did all week. McLeod Ganj is such an easy place to be and you find yourself very quickly in the day to day routine - I now see why it is a haven for travellers and people who find themselves drawn back to this place year after year. Life is simple. It is easy. And to top it off, you are surrounded by beautiful mountains, smiling Tibetans and I can get a good coffee. Well, maybe not Melbourne Degraves St style, but they have an espresso machine and cakes to die for, so the days blend into one another and the hours pass without too much trouble.

The view from my bedroom window

The beginning of the week saw dark storm clouds loom and the day literally turned to night and the heavens opened, I did say we were closer to God, but it did feel a little too close. With the wind and the rain like that for 24 hours, it left not much to do. And when the power went, keeping warm was the priority. The power cut in and out for nearly 24 hours. Something that the locals said never happens but I am learning very quickly that it is not unusual for daily outages. It is ok, you make do. Candles and a warm blanket, a trusty head torch and things are fine. Even sitting in the Cinema last night and the power went, we sat and chatted for awhile waiting for the Kings Speech to resume but alas, after an hour, we called it quits and headed home. "Come back tomorrow, we will finish the movie!" the guy said, so tonight, we go back to see the last half of the movie. No one seemed to care, it happens. At home, you can imagine the disgust, but here, it is part of everyday life. And the "cinema" , well a few chairs, a projector and makeshift screen, but given it is low season we got to pick the movie so for $3 it's not too bad really.

"Greetings" from Mcleod Ganj

I started work on Monday with an AIDS prevention organisation doing some editing work on a magazine they are producing. AIDS/HIV is a problem in the Tibetan Community so the work they do is extremely relevant and spans all Tibetan communities across India. I am also tutoring English to a girl and then my favourite part of the day is conversation class - between 4pm-5pm each day, any students wishing to improve their English arrive to practice with a teacher and converse. There would be up to 40 people crammed into the tiny class room for 60 minutes of chatting. Each day you have a different group of people and different topics to discuss, the people and the conversations are wide and varied. My first day, a group of 6 monks and I chatted about movies and music - one of them says, I love action movies and hip hop. Who would've thought that these guys that dedicate their lives to studying buddhism could tell you about the latest Hip Hop release. Oh, and Justin Beiber is a favourite, I can't even tell you what songs he sings but they seem very knowledgeable. The age of internet I guess. They are so grateful for your time and it is loads of fun, I learn about their country and they learn how to wolf whistle (I had to show them a special talent yesterday and they had never seen whistling with your hands before). I told them it's how you round sheep, they loved it.  The smiling faces, their embarrassed attempts at describing their favourite sport and the heartfelt thanks really do make it worth while.

Tibetan Cultural centre

It is low season at the moment so the town is a buzz with locals but limited with tourists. There are a few other volunteers here so I have some people to explore the area with and also have a bite to eat. Everything is in walking distance and we are spoilt for choice with places to eat - Italian seems to be a favourite here so pizza options are endless. Today we hiked up to a waterfall and tomorrow is more of the same - as I sit here and sip my latte, eating my chocolate & banana cake I think, I can get used to this :)

I have finally added some pics, check out the past posts and I will also add a flickr link for more....

Closer to God

Being in the mountains can often give you the feeling that you are closer to God. On one hand, you are literally “closer” (if you believe God is above us) but then on the other, being closer to nature, immersed in the beauty and wonder of sheer cliffs, snow capped mountains and crisp mountain air, can also bring me a sense of calm and peace that I can not find anywhere else. I think it must be in my blood. It also helps when you are living up the road from his Holiness the Dalai Lama I guess. I am now in McLeod Ganj, a small village of 20 000 people on the foot of the Himalayas. It is most famous for the residence of the Dalai Lama and as I learned yesterday, the base for the Tibetan Government in exile. About 50% of the population are Tibetan refugees who have fled their homeland never to return. The town is a blend of multiple religions, cultures and nationalities. All living in peace together in a community that has a deep respect for the Tibetan people and the Buddhist religion.

This small town, perched on the edge of a mountain, will be my home for the next month. Part of my trip this year was to travel to different places and immerse myself in their culture as well as contribute back to local communities. Volunteering was a large driver for me and after some research into various opportunities I decided to spend my first month with an organisation that supports the development of Tibetan people and helping them in learning languages and various skills. I will be primarily tutoring English 5 days a week and potentially teaching yoga (however that is mainly to tourists). On my arrival I was guided around the town and surrounding area by a local guy who fled Tibet 20 years ago. Knowing that as he made the 30 day trek across the Himalayas on foot into Nepal, he would never see his family again. It gives me some perspective when I think I was sad at leaving my family for one year. Rabsel (my guide) has helped me find a room – I have splurged and opted for a spacious room with a heater, tv and stunning view of the mountains – all for 450 INR per night, I think a total of $10 AUD. My entire months board here is not even one week of my rent in Sydney. It is almost embarrassing....and again, a reality check of how lucky I am to be in a situation where I can afford to spend a year travelling.

The town is home to many Buddhist monks so it is not uncommon to see a table of maroon robes and shaved heads chatting over a cup of chai. This morning in a grocery store, I waited while a young monk, perhaps 14 or 15, purchased some chips and lollies and topped up the credit on his mobile phone. It made me smile, I guess they are human and 14 year old boys are the same all over the world. It is really quite surreal, but yet it has a beautiful sense of peace and calm about the place. This area is incredibly popular with tourists so I am not limited for choice of cafes and places to eat or even have a beer....I think there is even a discotheque....look out. There are also daily screenings of movies in a small cinema and a number of yoga places which I am yet to check out. The advantage of this time of year is the place is not yet heaving with tourists and it gives you more of a chance to meet local people. It is quite cold (it may even snow still) and some places are closed until March when the season starts to pick up, but there are not 100's of backpackers crawling everywhere which is quite nice.

Tomorrow I start my volunteer work, so I am excited to see what it will entail and who I will be working with. I am looking forward to learning more about the Tibetan culture and of course Buddhism. I will post something later this week about my first few days of life in McLeod Ganj.

The Tale of Two Cities

After our incredibly relaxing week at our Ayurvedic Health village, Stella and I embarked on our next adventure knowing full well, it was going to be a little different. Our week of peace and calm seemed like a distant memory after no more than an hour of Bombay traffic, a driver who did not know where he was going and our first real experience of beggars. We arrived in Mumbai (or Bombay as it was previously known) mid afternoon to be greeted by our driver – I love having my name on a card at an airport, it makes me feel important – who had been kindly arranged through a friend back home (thanks Sheldon!). Our poor driver had a little trouble understanding where exactly we wanted to be going, so after some negotiations, many stops for directions, and Stella and I getting slightly frustrated as the guy who would simply not listen, we arrived at our hotel in the Fort area. I have come to the conclusion that I must have been a Indian taxi driver in a past life as on a number of occasions now I seem to have more success at finding places than our drivers do....strange but handy skill to have.

 

Mumbai is a city of unique sights, smells and experiences. The traffic is constant and perhaps like nothing I have ever experienced (until I went to Dehli, but more of that later). Taxis painted like bumble bees, rickshaws, motorbikes, pedestrians, cars, buses that look like they fall apart at any minute and cows fill the streets in no particular order or fashion. And then you have the noise. Constant, unrelenting and some times eardrum bursting horn honking. At home, honking your horn is typically a sign of anger or warning, in India, it is more like, coming through, here I am, watch out for me! So everyone, and I mean everyone, sits in traffic with one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on the horn. At first it is intriguing, then it becomes annoying, and then, I guess like most things in India, it blends into everything else and becomes the norm.

Mumbai traffic, and cows

Being in Mumbai was really our first time of full on sight seeing – for me I am intrigued by cities, I love the energy and the pace they run at, the different experiences you can have perhaps more so than the buildings and monuments themselves. Wandering the streets of Mumbai is confusing for the senses, the architecture is heavily influenced by the English so it is in ways very European, but then you are smacked with a smell of unexplainable description, piles of rubbish, a cow in the middle of the road and you are reminded, you are in India. It was also in Mumbai, we were introduced to the saying “one more photo”. It seems, whilst we are intrigued by the local people, they are perhaps even more so intrigued by us. Visiting the infamous gateway to India, Stella and I were treated like celebrities as people covertly filmed us, took photos and then the game ones even asked “can we take your picture?”. At first it was somewhat amusing, even flattering, then it became outright weird. I think I counted 8 guys at one time taking a picture of Stella. And this continued on to Delhi, where the hordes of school children, actually school boys, competed for our attention using winning smiles to convince us to pose for just “one more photo”.

Mumbai for me was very much about the food. Something that runs in my family is a fine appreciation, or you could say love, of food. So to be able to taste and try so many different things was a real treat. I had my best ever Chicken Tikka sandwich, a pretty amazing banana and strawberry smoothy, sublime pistachio Kulfi at Chowpatty beach (like ice cream), and to top it all off stunning tandoori fish and prawns accompanied by a Bombay Sapphire on our final night. Yum....and so farewell to Mumbai and now on to the other city, Delhi.



Pista Kulfi

Limited time in Delhi meant we opted for a guide and driver for our two days – one at the Taj Mahal and the other in Delhi itself. We watched as the day began to break over the skies of the majestic Taj Mahal, one of the seriously amazing sites I have ever seen. It really is breath taking. The early light is magical as it begins to subtly change the colour of the marble, at every angle it looks different, surrounded by a slight haze it simply appears. As the sun reaches further into the sky, the deep blue mixed with the stark white forms more of the picture you see so often but does not really prepare you for seeing it with your own eyes. Our entertaining young guide Deepak explained in detail the history of the sight and took us on a tour of the rest of Agra. Our other highlight for the day perhaps being Deepak sharing his rendition of “Smack That” by Akon – too funny for words it had us in stitches. We have some footage so will post it on FB. We bid farewell to Agra and commenced the drive back to Dehli. And I thought Mumbai traffic was bad, it had nothing on Delhi – and you can add to the mix of modes of transport, bulloaks, horse and carts and camels. Yes, we saw camels.

 

The magnificent Taj Mahal - and a couple of yogis :)

Delhi flew by in a haze of sights, sounds and mad traffic. One day is not really enough to see such a big city, but then on the other hand, one day was plenty of the noise and chaos of Delhi traffic. Somewhat more developed than Mumbai, Delhi has a completely different vibe. Big, bustling and filled with all of your western mod cons, New Delhi is like any other city. It is in the back streets of Old Delhi where you truly experience the life and soul of this city. And again, the craziness of traffic. A seemingly organised chaos that appears to just work, I still don't know how, but it does. It was here I bid farewell to my travel buddy Stella. We had 3 amazing weeks together and I could not ask for a better travel companion....for a first time traveller, she never once freaked out over the things that moved, the things that didn't or the weird and wonderful sights, sounds or smells. The toilet at Singapore airport I think provided the biggest shock....so well done Bella, you are amazing and I am missing you already!!