Arriving at Rishikesh is not too difficult to know when to get off since everyone gets off. After getting off the bus I need to have aTuk tuk conference. It appears I still need to go though the bridge, 300 rupees. As it all turns out the main road was closed and we had to detour. Then a long walk in the heat leads me to an alley way of downward stairs, down, down, down, curving this way and that with tiny shops on each side of the narrow alley. and at last to the Great bridge itself. There are tons of people everywhere due to the Kumbha Mela, but though I knew this, I could not have perceived just what this meant in India. Crossing the swing bring was great. High above the Ganga walking across in the midst of hundreds of Indians, the colors, the smells carried on the breeze over the water was inspiring. I exit the bridge and follow the little road around until a spot a little coffee shop! Wow! I am dripping wet, tired and have no idea of where I am going or for that matter where I need to go. So this is a welcome layover. Air conditioning!! I relax over a great cappuccino, enjoying the cold air and away from the hordes of people and heat. I see that it does not need much thinking to know that I will be spending time here everyday.
As I was leaving the coffee shop and, stepping on to the street, I notice a girl a couple feet away from me is turning to go into the coffee shop. It looked as if she had just stepped out of the wall but as I took a few more steps I saw a door with a sign for a restaurant, but better yet, printed on the sign said, Hotel Surya. Well this is convenient, just 2 steps outside of the coffee shop! So I headed up the stairs to the 3rd floor where the reception area was. I approached the man at the desk and asked for a single. He leads me to a door in the hall and opens it. I did not even go in I just said, How much? When he replied 250 rupees I just took it for 2 nights and was GREATLY relieved. The reality is that it could have been a lot more, but also 150 rupees above my budget. But now I could go and look for something cheaper. Only a few moments ago I was stressed and wondering how I would find a place. India has come to my rescue once again! Little did I know as I sat in the coffee shop that my future room was actually in the same building just above my head.
I left all my stuff in the room then headed out in search for another place. As I passed the reception area I see a lovely Japanese lady sitting on the couch. Her name is Tsugumi. We struck up a conversation pretty quickly and we were both delighted that we were both staying at the same place. We plan on visiting with each other at a latter date. I went down the 3 flights of stairs (why am I always on the third floor) onto the streets of Laxman Jhula in search of a cheaper place. This search took almost 2 1/2 hours. It would be boring to go into details but the Surya Hotel is the best thing going. I had wanted to stay at Ananda guesthouse. I had been planning on for months, but Arjun said there was no room but to contact him when I got here and if there was still no room he would help me find a place. But I did not know how I was going to contact him. I would have to walk and search for him.
I had been walking down the street and there are many little stalls selling wares and I had not stopped at any, then this one tiny one caught my eye selling blank writing books. I talked to the guy that was working and ended up telling him the story of my quest for the ananda guesthouse and how I had been in contact with the owner for some months etc. He looked at me in surprise and said, “My brother is the owner of that guest house.” To my surprise I pulled out the phone number for him to see and he said yes, that is the number. He said it would be impossible to see him now as he was in a yoga class, but that he would talk with his brother for me and I would come back the next day and he would tell me what his brother had to say.
What are the chances of all the tons of little shops that I would have chosen the one that was family with Ajun and his guesthouse? Yet, it should not be a surprise as this is the way things seem to go in India. But…. as though it would seem to me to be a very promising thing, since I actually ran into Argun’s brother, the accommodation would not be available. If I would like to stay there it seems I will have to make reservations some months in advance. I was a bit sad at learning this.
I continued my walk all the way to the second bridge, which leads to Ram Jhula. The places of accommodations were not better than Laxman-Jhula. Besides there is way more noise over here. While exploring Ram Jhula it came to my awareness that I could hear something. Though it was faint and seemed to come and go, I began to listen more intently. Underneath the intense noise of the people, jeep horns and motorcycles buzzing everywhere the familiar sound became more audible in the midst of the clamor of the street. I began following the sound and it guided me toward a little stall of wares. Now it was very clear…it was KD! They were playing one of his cd’s. Absolutely perfect!
While walking back across the bridge over the Ganga my rudshacakra bead bracelet got caught on the sari of a lady and broke apart. Beads went everywhere. With the huge crowds of people crossing the bridge I chanced being run over as I recovered about a dozen of the beads, the rest falling below into the Ganga. I guess if I am to loose the beads what better place could I have chosen to relinquish them.
They have little stands that sell lemon mineral water and it is interesting to see how they are served. There are many bottles on display, all of which have been frozen. Resting on top of the neck of the frozen bottles of mineral water rested a whole small lemon or lime. These displays are quite eye-catching. They are also selling cookies that are cooked right on the street cart. There is also popcorn and ice cream for sell on wooden carts as are all the other offerings of food and drink. All these things are new for me to see.
This morning at the coffee shop I speak with a pretty blond Russian. She is staying at an ashram that I would love to have stayed at. I have seen pictures of it. But this trip it is more than I can afford and it is quite a ways from town, which end up costing me even more with transportation fees. But it was too expensive for me this visit. It is a very beautiful place up the Ganga in a lush green area with beach. It is very peaceful there. If I ever come back this is one of the places I would aim for.
The cappuccinos at the coffee house below the hotel are excellent. The froth is always very thick and lasts past the last drop of coffee. Within the thick froth is a swirled heart. Starbucks, take some lessons!!! A bit expensive at $1.00 a cup but this will turn out to be my treat every morning during my stay here. I sit outside, although there is great air conditioning inside. But I love that outside I am close to the passing crowds of people. I love to watch the people and I get a great view here every morning. The crowds of people are growing every day as the Kumbha Mela auspicious days draw nearer. People are traveling hundreds and some thousand of miles to be here. Literally millions of people traveling on foot walk the days and sleep wherever they find themselves at night. It is a great site to see. It is estimated that 2-3 million people will pass this coffee shop on the narrow little street during my stay. Forget trying to imagine what this would look like. If you have never been to India your mind has no idea of how to picture this.
On the street I see lots of cucumbers everywhere, peeled and displayed. This is a new sight. Also there is sugarcane ready to be juiced.
This evening I eat at Lucky’s as it is close to the Surya. It was the usual plate of grease. I am really tired of that. Just want some food minus the grease.
The next evening I find a nice little restaurant called the Ganga View. The kitchen is open and faces the street. The eating area is through the kitchen to the back. How nice…as it overlooks the Ganga. A great view. I like this place. Now….hmmmm…. the food…will it be more grease?
I had an open-faced sandwich with lots of yak cheese. It was oily but I think it came from the cheese. I will give this place another try tomorrow evening.
A man walked up to me on the street today and said, “I schizophrenic”. I just looked at him as he repeated it a few more times….what is up with this? Every time he said it, it sounded like the same person to me (!) so I just continued on my way. Weird.
The monkeys here look different. Instead of the usual brown they are gray with black faces. The streets are clean for the most part and I even saw, of all things, a garbage can!!!
Yesterday I sat on a curb off the road and a cow standing a ways off saw me then came over and stood sideways right in front of me. He then turned his head around and just watched me. I talked to him and it almost seemed he enjoyed it. Then today I sat down again in a different place and another big cow came over and put his head on my lap!!!!! Is this a usual thing? I scratched him behind his ear and when I stopped he would push on the side of my lap with his head. It was so funny and quite cute. It was just like a dog.
A lovely woman with dark curly hair sits down at my table at the Ganga View restaurant. After awhile she introduces herself, Katatrina from Greece. We talk for a while and I know we are instant buddies. But as things go while you are traveling you do not get to hang out with people you hit it off with, all the time. Katatrina will be leaving soon. But she invites me to coffee in the morning. Words I remember that rang in my ear as she spoke were: The mind plays tricks. Meditation is very important. The mind must be strong and exact in what you want. It was as if it was on purpose she came and spoke with me. The meditation place she told me about is the same one I had considered going to but decided I did not think I was up to sitting for 10 hours a day yet. She was quite animate about it however. This is on my must do list next time I come.
It appears you can get almost anything done on the street here. One man sits on a bucket and gets a shave. Another one sits on a bucket by a sign that reads, “Best ear cleaning”, as another man swabs his ears with a long Q-tip.
At bedtime there is a dog that starts barking unceasingly. Other dogs join in but eventually they give up as this first dog can outlast all of them!
Met a couple from Israel. I like what the man said about India, “It’s a nicer jungle. They are only after your money, not like in other places where they steal and harm you.” Guess I should have told him about my shoes.
This morning I got up and went to check on another guesthouse, hotel. For the price difference it is way better. Very nice, pretty and clean. It is only $1.00 more a day.
Ran into Tsugumi as I was going to move my things to my new place. We ended up spending the day together and having dinner. Then we went for a walk. Tsugumi is 32 and has been to 31 countries. She lived 1-½ years in Paris. She is a reiki master and does energy work. I must say she is showing me some surprising things. She has studied with Buddhist monks. Her hair is just now beginning to grow out as she had her head shave while living at the monastery.
Her first trip was to India when she was a teenager. She snuck away on school break for 3 weeks. Later she did it again. However, on her 3rd trip her parents caught her, but she had already paid for everything. Her parents saw the brochures for Thailand but did not realize she was also heading for Cambodia.
I love this: Tsugumi and I gave rupees to an old toothless beggar and when he saw we had given him several coins he gave a wide smile and mimed a clown. He was very expressive as if to say,” This is great!” I wish I had a video of it. He was hilarious and very enjoyable. His laughter was infectious. We will run into him more times and will get many laughs.
On our way to Parmenth Niketan for the Aarti, Tsugumi and I run into an old Baba that does not speak, by choice, and is well known to the area. He is known simply as Mango Baba as he lives beneath a mango tree. He was sitting on the ground with a small pot of food. Tsugumi said when she saw him she always gave him something. She had 2 cucumbers with her and offered them to him and he was very thankful. I only gave 10 rupees, which I was ashamed of but it all happened so fast. I felt bad all the way to Parmeth and decided tomorrow I would go back and find him and give him more. But it seemed he likes the food better than the money so I will bring him some food instead.
After the Aarti we went to dinner at a restaurant that had absolutely no food…seriously….no food. So we went to another place and upon entering, Tsugumi recognized a man sitting at a table. We joined him. He is Korean. Tsugumi had met him earlier. We had an evening of laughs and good food.
My ears are unsure if they have heard correctly. The Dalai Lama would be in town tomorrow at Paramenth Niketan. He will be at the Aartie and then give a talk. I can hardly believe it! I am going to get to see the Dalai Lama. Out of the clear blue this news comes to me.
Upon our walk back to town after dinner, in the dark, Mango Baba showed up on the road before us with folded hands in Namaste. As we held our palms together to our forehead he took our hands between his hands in prayer form. Then he simply pointed for us to go our way and he pointed back to his place that he would be going back there. It was a beautiful experience.
Still further down the road 4 or 5 guys pass us going in the opposite direction. They were all excited and chatting excitedly. Only moments latter a bull came running down the path heading in the direction of the men. It was hilarious. We stopped and looked back at the bull still on the run with a real purpose in his stride. I wonder why the bull was so intent on catching those guys!!! Later we see 3 bulls going bonkers with each other and still latter one was chasing another one. What was up with the cows tonight!!
We walked off the road and up to the Ganga and listened to the rushing of the water and felt the wind blowing which was a welcome relief from the heat of the day. While we were standing there a man started talking. We looked around to see where the voice was coming from but we saw no one. The we realized he was lying on the ground in bed. He invited us over and the Korean man was talking to him about the number of saddus in the area because of the Kumbha. As the Korean man and Tsugumi were in conversation with the man on the ground another man woke up and I sat next to him. He was a thin man with a long white beard that shown in the moonlight. I asked him if he was a sadduh. He said he was and I asked how long he had been one and he answered that he was now 60 years old and had left home when he was just 17. He told me the story of his life on the farm and being looked at by his family as dull headed because he had so many questions……….What is life all about? At 4 years old he was questioning if we all must die since his grandmother had recently died suddenly. How were we to do what was important about our lives considering that we spend x amount of time brushing our teeth, x amount of time working and x amount of time sleeping etc. So he left with his questions to find the answers that he sought when he was 17. When asked where he lived by the Korean man, he said he did not live anywhere but moved around all the time and always slept under the stars. So is the life of a sadduh. I was talking with him when another man in a white robe walked up through the darkness. I was introduced to this man, being someone of importance. I do not remember what was said. This new man then began talking to me. He asked about my ‘story’ of coming to India and I gave him my quick version. Something was said that brought tears to my eyes and I apologized for it and that it was just that I was happy because there was something inside of me that was so beautiful that when something on the outside matched what was on the inside it always brought tears. The man said,’ It’s just a glimpse of the Divine Consciousness”. Then the Korean man said we had to go, as it was late and beginning to rain. The man spoke out to me offering an invitation to return. But by tomorrow I knew they would be off on their journey and I did not know if I would be able to make it back before they left. As it turned out they were gone when I passed that way again.
The next evening Tsugumi and I make the long walk back to Parmenth Nikiton to see the Delhi Lama. But once there we find out that it was going to be the next night instead. Another long walk home.
The next night we venture back to Parmenth Nikiton hoping that this time would be more successful. Once there we became part of the huge mob of people waiting to see the Delhi Lama. We waited in the mob for well over an hour. We were squished like sardines in a can. And that is putting it lightly! I have never experienced being in such a crowd where everyone is jammed together with no way to get your arm up to even scratch your nose! And the heat only added to the discomfort of waiting in the crowd.
After the event I had the extreme pleasure of seeing the Dalai Lama pass in front of me. The crowd was there of course but my position allowed me a full view up close. I was so grateful for the experience.
We left Nikiton and went to Gita Bhaghu Ashram and just sat where people pay their respects to the Deities. People were asking Tsugumi if I was her mother!!! Do I look Japanese to them?
On our walk back to our hotels we stopped by Mango Baba and brought him some gifts. As always he never let anyone leave emptied handed. He always gave something in return.
Upon leaving Mango Baba we encounter men carrying a white bound body from the brush and river and loaded him into a car.
I need to practice silence more and not speak so much about my thoughts, especially where they concern myself.
We arrive late back to our hotels and were able to get in.
Today I went on a lovely walk in nature through the tress and down to the Ganga. It was really beautiful. I went in the Ganga up to my thighs and splashed water on myself but the water was icy. I lie on the rocks and read for a while then dozed off for a few minutes. It was a nice 3 ½ hours.
I came to a realization. I have been saying to myself and to others that I would not have experienced such fear and anxiety on my trip if I had had more money. Like at the train stations and missing the one. I could not have gotten a hotel and waited for another train. I would be left at the train station to whenever, the next day. But I also tell how each time I was saved from the problem. Now I see that I have been placing my security on money rather than the care of God. He has taken care and provided quick solutions immediately to every problem I have had. Why does God seem to be so more alive and real in India than in the states?
Ehhh….I spent the whole day in bed today. I must have eaten something bad. Fortunately I never threw up but I was down the whole day, except for changing rooms at the guesthouse. I changed because the sun came into my room too much and made it very hot. I moved across to the other side and it was much better.
For the untrained mind, solitude and no one to talk to, nothing to read or do or to listen to can be very disturbing. It is far to hot today to venture out so I am sharing company with the, ‘nothing’. As humans we depend so much on the outer world experienced through our senses. It appears we are addicted to chaos.
The bulls here are so huge that their butts are taller than my head!!
Next to come is my day trip to the Kumbha Mela at Haridwar and then back to Rishikesh.
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