Incredible India

Culture shock is defined as a feeling of disorientation by someone who is subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. So it's plausible to say for the last month I've been going through culture shock. Which to some extent explains why I haven't been able to blog. Most nights I just want to hide under my blankets with a bottle of gin, I'm not a big drinker but like people say, India changes you. Where to begin when summarizing the past 30 days do I start with the first time I saw a herd of hip-cows traipsing about through the street (I later found out these very ugly animals are water buffaloes) or do I start with the first time I saw a kid shit on the road? India is equal parts fascinating and frustrating, never have I been to a country that has challenged me so much mentally and emotionally. It's certainly not for everyone and the consensus from travellers I've met is that yes, India is definitely the hardest country we have all backpacked in.

This is India...
It's loud and it's loud all the time, one of my favourite ways to explore my surroundings is by walking, and in India this is no easy feat. In every city I've been to but one (Udaipur) the minute you step out your door your being harassed by touts and rickshaw drivers, horns are blasting every other second, and the locals scream at one another just to be heard. At night we are often woken up by what we now refer to as the midnight symphony which is countless stray dogs howling away. As I'm writing this I can hear horns blaring, there's two guys talking loudly outside my room, and I think I heard a bomb go off in the distance.

India is dirty with barnyard animals running loose one must watch where they step to avoid stepping in a pile of shit, it's not just the cows and water buffaloes running around there's dirty pigs and donkeys in the mix too. Along with the animal feces is human feces and puddles of urine one must avoid. With no public toilets around I shouldn't have been surprised there was no garbage cans in sight. Remember a few blogs back I wrote about my biggest peeve being litter... well in India garbage is everywhere. I have not caved in and joined the masses, I just can't do it. The other day I asked around for a garbage because sometimes India will pleasantly surprise you, he pointed to the street I said sorry that doesn't sit well with me, he smiled and gave me a head bob. The guy next to him called me over and pointed to a pail that he was using as a garbage I happily unloaded my garbage that I was carrying around for over an hour.

With a population over 1.2 billion I wasn't expecting the people to be one of my favourite things about India. Expect the unexpected in India. There has been some unpleasant experiences in India on account of the crowds, no one loves getting pushed around, having your feet trampled on, and being shoulder checked all the time. Surrounded by the chaos I've had encounters with locals that almost if not completely make up for being a human ping pong ball. I once had a pleasant conversation with a couple of women, all the while I was trying not to get knocked out of the moving train. When traveling I'm always moved by the kindness shown to me by strangers, in Kolkata when part of me fell in between the train and platform two girls came running to my rescue and pulled me up. I hugged them and thanked them as I was sure I was seconds away from a rat nipping at my foot. Walking down the street with hundreds of others going in all directions I'm often surprised when someone greets me with a quick good morning and a smile as they pass me by. In Agra I passed a group of school children one came running up to me said hello shook my hand, and then quickly ran back to his friends. Once they saw that I wasn't so scary, I was suddenly surrounded by little humans shaking my hands and saying hello in between their giggles.

The transportation in India is surprisingly drama free, I've spent countless hours on the Indian rails making my way from south to north then east to west. For the most part I have enjoyed the train rides, I slip on my headphones and let the music take me away. The longest train ride was 28hrs which I spent on a top bunk with a curtain closing me off from the rest of the world, this gave me some much needed recharging time. It was on my third 20hr train ride that the novelty of the train began to wear off and I felt restless. So we switched it up and took buses to get from point a to point b. To date the buses are an acceptable alternative to trains and not unlike Thailand they blast the a/c when it's not necessary and the seats aren't exactly comfortable, but the big windows more than make up those minor inconviences.

The men yes the men deserve their own category. As a white woman travelling through India I was warned beforehand about "Indian men." At first I found it unnerving every time I looked up I saw a man staring at me and sometimes the looks were a bit...intense, they will look you up and down, and lick their lips. On my first train ride one elderly man took it step further and pinched my butt. A close second on my list of frustrating things about Indian men is being ignored, there have been several times Andy would have to order my food for me or book our train tickets as when I tried to do it, it was like I was invisible. Luckily this wasn't always the case, I've had friendly men point me in the direction of my guest house, help me with my monster backpack, and ask my opinion on their hairstyle. Sometimes the friendliness goes to far the other way and I find myself on a rooftop with Mr. Rico Suave's arm around me. The next day I'm bombarded with questions to determine if I'm single by Mr. Rico Suave's younger brother, he also throws in some helpful advice to avoid coming off to strong like his brother. At the end of our stay he gave me a piece of paper that reads "Thank You" I'm still not sure what he's thanking me for perhaps it's the time he came to see how the shower was and I answered the door in my towel?

The poverty is heartbreaking, with India having the second largest population in the world I knew I'd see poverty I just wasn't expecting to see so much of it or have it so in my face. It's hard to walk by it Every Fucking Day and it hasn't become any easier 30 days later. Never have I seen so many homeless children, I smile at them hiding my watery eyes, later at night I sit back in my room and wonder how can I help them, I still have no answers. China's two children policy or whatever it is, doesn't seem like such a bad idea now. It didn't get better or worse as I travelled from south to north, and then east to west. As soon as you get off the train you are making your way through the families that sleep at the train station and once at your guest house you are making your way through the families on the streets. While incredibly heartbreaking it's another reminder of how fortunate I am, and that I need to do what I can to help those less fortunate.

The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, and regarded by many as one of the most beautiful building in the world. Andy and I pay the 750 foreigner price (locals pay 20) and make our way through security. I was given a laughable pat down where she touched my boobs, felt my jacket pockets and then sent me to someone who goes through my bags. I wait for my bag to be handed back to me as I have nothing but my camera, wallet, toilet paper, and frank my stuffed monkey in there. The security guard holds up my monkey and loudly declares that I can't bring this in, I laugh thinking it's a joke and grab it. Suddenly another security guard comes up to me and advises me that no toys allowed, I look at him dumbfounded and ask if he's being for real right now? I begin to get agitated as this makes no sense to me, I stop myself from speaking any further as I know nothing great is about to come out of my mouth and I walk away. I mutter under my breath and consider where I can stash this dangerous toy, when suddenly a shop owner appears and offers to watch over Frank. Crisis averted and believe me I'm well aware that I am a 31 year old woman who almost lost her shit over not being able to take her stuffed monkey into the Taj Mahal. India makes you crazy and crave gin. Anyways... as someone whose obsessive over symmetry I am in love with the Taj Mahal and appreciate the beauty of the details. It feels surreal to be standing in front of it and being able to admire it up close. I'm politely asked on numerous occasions to pose for pictures with Indian males, I oblige and feel my ego start to become inflated.

From Trivandrum to Madurai, a brief stop over in Chennai, up to Kolkata, then Bodhgaya, on to Varanasi, down to Khajuraho, over to Udaipur, up to Pushkar, further up to Jaipur, and then on to Agra, and finally New Delhi. This blog my friends is the short version of the past month. I'm headed to Rishikesh at the foothills of the Himalayas' and will be spending the next however long in an ashram, for some much needed relaxation.

We Are One

"You're from Canada? I love Canada." I've heard this countless times as I've wandered through third world countries. For the past three weeks, while in India my response is usually an enthusiastic "ME TOO." Hearing people express love for a country I call home inspired me to do some research into how easy it would be for them to also call Canada home. What I found pleased me as a multi cultural nation that is represented by more than 200 ethnic origins Canada accepts around 200,000 immigrants per year. There are a few ways in which one can immigrate to Canada, while I can't remember them all the following three are ones that stuck with me: 1. Sponsoring Family 2. Skilled Worker and Professional 3. Refugee escaping cruel and unusual punishment While I'm not sure how the average Canadian Citizen feels about this, I notice from time to time that as I scroll through my Facebook time feed I see posts that appear to not be supportive of Canada's immigration policy. Why shouldn't others be allowed the same quality of life that you and I are afforded? Why shouldn't families be united? Why can't someone who's worked their ass off academically, and has undoubtedly over come many obstacles be allowed to pursue a career in a country as great as Canada? Why should anyone have to endure horrific punishment? I believe what makes Canada great besides hot water and public bathrooms is that Canada as a nation embraces diversity. I've seen what everyday life is like in some countries and for some it's miraculous to me that not only do they get up everyday but they do it with a smile. A lot of people reading this are incredibly privileged and all because of where we were born. My thoughts often turn to my niece when I see little barefoot girls running around on a ground soaked with urine and littered with feces trying to sell me a photo or a trinket. How many little girls lives could be changed for the better if we thought in terms of "we are one" and not "survival of the fittest"? I certainly do not know everything there is to know about this subject, traveling has shown me that you can't see the world as black and white it's extremely grey. I don't mean to be preachy, I thought my blog might be an appropriate forum to write out my thoughts on a subject that is heavily weighing on my mind.

Loving and Hating India

Basic Ashram Schedule 0520 hrs WAKE UP BELL 0600 hrs SATSANG (Meditation/Chanting) 0730 hrs TEA TIME 0800 hrs ASANA CLASS (Yoga) 1000 hrs BRUNCH 1100 hrs KARMA YOGA (Doing a chore) 1230 hrs COACHING CLASS (optional) 1330 hrs TEA TIME 1400 hrs LECTURE 1600 hrs ASANA CLASS 1800 hrs DINNER 2000 hrs SATSANG 2200 hrs LIGHTS OUT The entire schedule is mandatory. I knew heading into the ashram my days would be busy and there was a unique strictness that I would need to abide by. I was fine with the yoga, meditation, and karma yoga. In a weird twist of fate my karma yoga was hauling wood, which I'm sure upon hearing that my bonus dad will break into smile and and exclaim "good, I've got plenty of karma yoga for her here." I thought no problem I can do this for 2 weeks, I lasted 3 days. Was it the lack of hot water, the un-hygienic bathrooms or did my rebellious streak make a reappearance? I'm guessing it was a combo of all three and I naively thought once I escaped the ashram I would be rewarded with copious amounts of hot water and toilets with toilet paper or at the very least hoses. Yes I can be high maintenance at times. We advise the ashram we will be leaving the following morning and are handed 2 exit passes which we were told not to lose or we will not be allowed to leave. After the wake up bell with our precious exit passes in hand we catch a bus to the train station and so begins our journey through India. After being warned that it can be difficult to obtain same day train tickets we were delighted to have 2 tickets to Mandurai. Unbeknown to us these tickets to freedom were the worst possible tickets a foreigner could have. There are 7 different train classes in India 1AC/2AC being the best where you're in groups of 4 and the seats convert to bunks and the worst being unreserved 2nd class with less seats than people. One guess which class we were in? The train journey in unreserved 2nd class is one I won't forget and will be quite happy to never experience again, while there are parts of it I enjoyed there are parts I loathed. Making small talk with the men across from us, seeing the locals reaction to a picture I showed them of snow, and interacting with the children were moments that in the end made the train ride worth it. The gut wrenching moments were when the women and children would smile up at me from the cramped floor. I wanted to offer up my seats to them but didn't want to be even closer to the men that were staring at me or worse have another body part squeezed (earlier I had my ass pinched by an older man). The sad reality is that in the time it would take the closest woman to get to my seat a man would have likely stolen the seat. When I mentioned I was headed to India fellow travellers would often advise me that in their experiences men often treated women like second class citizens. There would be times when I will get ignored and need my friend to communicate for me, other times I will be stared so intently with a look that you know is not pure or they will accidentally on purpose grope you. There not all bad though I was told, often you will be greeted warmly, smiled at politely and treated with respect. I can attest to having experienced all three interactions, and while the first two are annoying and unnerving respectively, it's a whole different ball game over here and it's best to ignore the bad, focus on the good, and accept the cultural difference of the country you are travelling in. For every disheartening moment there is another moment not to far that fills your heart with joy. At the time of writing this I've been in India a week I had a difficult time adjusting to the culture, and the low level of hygiene was making my homesickness even more prevalent. I could have said fuck this and book my ticket home, and trust me I was been on the verge of doing exactly that but for now I am holding off. I will continue riding the roller coaster of emotions going back and forth between loving India and hating it.

Expect the Unexpected in Thailand

When I saw how cheap it was to fly to Bangkok while on this side of the world, I knew it would be a matter of when, not if I'd be returning to Thailand while on this adventure. I spend my first few days revisiting some of my favorite sights in Bangkok such as the Malls, Koahsan Road, and Lumphuni Park as well as finding new favorites like Sky Bar and the Soi 38 night market. After a memorable New Years in BKK I set off to explore Chiang Mai accompanied by a fellow wander luster who I will affectionately refer to as Cheech. We spend our days searching for the best of everything whether it's a fruit smoothie combo (pineapple and banana), pad thai stall, thai massage, or tuk tuk price. In the in-between time we have lunch with a friend of a friend and while I wouldn't trust his salad recommendations (I forgive you) he is well travelled and a wealth of knowledge, so I bombarded him with questions on India and enjoyed hearing about his various adventures. While in Thailand you will undoubtedly come across a few temples, my personal favourite is Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai. Way back in the day a white elephant climbed up a mountain trumped his horn 3x and then died on the spot, King Nu Naone ordered that Doi Suthep be built in this sacred spot. The aura of this temple left us feeling calm, and while there we were splashed with holy water, blessed by a monk, found out our birthday Buddha, given our fortune, and granted 1 wish. Legend has it that your wish will be granted if you are able to elevate an elephant statue with your pinky two times consecutively. Cheech decides to rent a scooter for a day and I decide I have had my thrill of scooters and do not want to tempt fate anymore than I have already, so we set out on our separate ways for the day. I return to the hostel a few hours later and am told by the hostel manager that Cheech has been in an accident I search her face for a smile, something to tell me she's joking, but she's serious. I feel sick and am not given any reassurance that she is ok. Finding the hospital she was taken to proves to be a bit of a challenge as there are "many, many hospitals" in Chiang Mai. I finally track her down and rush to be by her side, I am relieved to see no casts or body parts hoisted in the air, there is an ice pack over her eyes, a bandage on her cheek, and a few stitches under her lip. The first words out of my mouth are "Cheech what the fuck dude", she smiles and lifts up the ice pack and I see the baddest black eye I have ever come across. Cheech gives me the low down on what happened and true to form she is all zen about the incident. The next morning I head back to the hospital to pick her up, before she can be released the bill needs to be taken care of. We are both unsure of what to expect but in Thailand expect the unexpected, the ENTIRE medical bill came to $1350 baht, which is about $45 Canadian. A few days later I choke back tears, bid Cheech farewell and head to Ayutthaya. My cousin and his wife have graciously offered to let me stay with them for a few days. Despite not remembering the last time I have seen my cousin (he's been out of Canada since '91) it's easy to spot them at the train station. They take me out to eat and then back to their house which after months in dorms feels and looks like a palace. The next day we embark on an overnight road trip to visit the Amphawa Floating Market. After a 4hr car ride were on a boat exploring the market and surrounding area. Later that evening we enjoy an amazing dinner at the hotel and eat river prawn that is as big as my hand. With a bottle of wine in hand we board another boat for a night river cruise hoping to see fire flies. What an incredible sight it was to see them, it was like twinkling lights. Once back at the hotel I say goodnight and decide to go for a little walk. As I exit the hotel property a golf cart comes racing towards me with a hotel employee in it, he asks where I'm going I let him know that I'm just going for a walk and I'll be ok. He looks hesitant and asks if I want a ride anywhere, I decline and he heads back. 5 minutes later another golf cart comes towards me with two employees in it, they insist I come back with them, I'm taken aback by their caring nature and like a true Canadian I apologize and hop into the golf cart. I casually mention this to my cousin the next morning, he laughs and tells me they told him all about it last night, how awkward to be ratted out by hotel employees. We end our adventure with a visit to the morning market, which is a must do while in Thailand, even for just the food alone. I very tearfully say goodbye to my cousin (I'm terrible at goodbyes) and head to Bangkok for my last night in Thailand. Despite the many reports on how anti government protesters in a bid to get the current prime minster to step down will shut down Bangkok today (Jan 13) I manage to get in and to my hostel with no problems. I have to admire their tenacity and their ability to protest peacefully, they were all smiles as I walked through the crowds with my monster backpack. If this is successful perhaps Albertans should take note, maybe we can rid ourselves of Alison Redford. After consuming a bit to many fruit smoothies I go for a walk, I happen to enjoy walking and exploring cities this way but after the preceding and following incident I may have to rethink this. I notice a shifty individual up ahead, I move to one side of the sidewalk he shadows my move. Not sure what to expect but not entirely fearful as he looks to be about 14, I clutch my wallet and give him a "don't fuck with me" look, as he passes me he pinches my boob. This I was not expecting, with a shocked look I yell out some choice curse words and flip him the bird. I walk a bit further determined to not less this end my night early and notice a rat, a girl can only handle so much I change course and speed walk home. Despite its cockroaches, rats, and perverts! Bangkok is one of my favorite cities in the world and I know I'll be back.

It's not me Yogyakarta, it's you.

I leave blissful Bali and head for Yogyakarta, I assumed a city that almost has the word "yoga" in it, would be blissful as well. Oh how naïveté I can be, Yogyakarta is an assault on all 5 senses. It smells of rotting garbage and sewer, there's people bumping into you or in most cases rubbing up against you, the streets are filled with the never ending sounds of traffic, the amount of garbage laying around is a sight that drove me bananas (one of my biggest pet peeves is litter), and finally there is so much pollution that you can actually taste it. There will be no twist at the end where I write how I learned to love Yogyakarta, I appreciate it for what it is and was over the moon with happiness when I left. Those of you in need of a geography refresher, Yogyakarta is on the island Java, which is north-ish of Bali. Indonesia is comprised of approximately 17,000 islands, 135 million people reside in Java making it the worlds most populous island and one of the most densely populated places in the world. My purpose for coming to Yogyakarta, Java was so I could explore Borobudur which is the single largest Buddhist structure in the world and considered to be one of the greatest ancient monuments in the world as well. We booked a tour for Christmas Day foolishly thinking that perhaps it would be quiet, as you can imagine we were very wrong. We wake up at 3:30am and jump in a van with 5 others. Our first stop on the tour is to see the sunrise overlooking Borobudur. Once we climb the hill we are greeted by grey skies, despite it being rainy the past few days we were hoping that the sun would make an appearance. It disappointedly did not, we were however treated to some more rain which made climbing down the now muddy hill in flip flops a real treat. After breakfast we explore the 8th century temple along with the crowds. It was interesting to see the wall reliefs (sculptures) which recount the life story of buddha, his teachings, and his progress to nirvana. While exploring this spectacular site we were shocked at how many people seemed more interested in us. Countless times we were asked to have our picture taken and some took matters into their own hands snapping away when they thought we weren't looking. I asked one girl why she wanted my picture, to which she screamed "because I love you." This was a theme in Java, everywhere I went I was constantly being stared at and asked to have my picture taken. I began to feel very uncomfortable with the situation, I don't like the idea of people putting me up on this pedestal because of my skin color. I'd like the think I'm pretty conscientious when I snap pictures of others, I try to focus on what they are doing rather than them, and I ask permission if possible. This experience will defiantly keep me more mindful in the future. It's not all bad I linked up with a wonderful woman from Argentina whom I was fortunate to spend Christmas with and together we spent 3 days seeing much of Yogyakarta's sights, and eating delicious Pizza Hut.

When in doubt go to Bali.

Attempting to sum up my time in Bali in one blog post is a daunting task, I'm afraid I won't be able to properly convey the spirit of this magical island. Walking around smelling the incense, witnessing the locals assemble, and put out offerings for the gods, admiring the beauty of both the landscape, and the people are just a few of the things that make this place so special. Much of my time was spent in Ubud, I did spend my first two nights in Kuta, and the next few on Gili T. Ubud is the cultural hub of Bali, originally I planned to stay a few days but it's the kinda place where days turn to weeks. There is a plethora of yoga studios, spas, gluten free restaurants, healers, juice cafés, art studios and the list goes on. I dive in and sample it all from a juice cleanse, meditation classes, $5 massages, an art workshop, and even some sessions with Balinese healers. My first experience with a healer is with Cokorda Rai who happens to be a very famous healer in Bali. To find out what needs to be healed I'm told to sit with my back to Mr. Rai he then touches my ears, nose, mouth, shoulders and various points on my head. I am then asked to lay down where he uses a stick to push on my feet at the various pressure points to see if there is any organ issues. Once finished Mr. Rai exclaims "nothing wrong with you, you lose a few kilos good, need to lose a few more, that's it nothing wrong with you." Feeling a bit ripped off, and silly I just paid someone to tell me something I already knew, I thank him for his time and walk away. Then a funny thing happened a feeling of gratitude washed over me I can lose a few more kilos, others are not as fortunate as I. I read about kundalini healing and became intrigued, so I booked a session with Guru Made Sumantra. After completing an energy analysis, chakra, and aura readings, we prayed together. He ended the session by performing the Balinese Melukat Ceremony for self-purification with me. This session had a tremendous affect on me, and maybe on the few others that I have shared the details with ;) I bought a 10 class pass at the Yoga Barn and enjoyed the many different yoga and meditation classes. After one mediation session with Dr. Punnu, in which I later described to him as being on "a roller coaster ride of emotions" I was given a Deeksha blessing which was really cool. Another highlight was attending the Tibetan Bowl Meditation along with 32 others under the full moon. What an amazing experience it was to listen to the sounds of the ancient singing bowls, along with the great outdoors. With all this spiritual awakening going on I knew I needed to rent a scooter after realizing the only reason I haven't was because I was scared. Day after day I came up with a plausible reason on why today was not a good day to rent one. Then one day with out any chatter in my head, I just went for it. What was supposed to be a one day rental, turned into two days. You could not keep me off of that thing. I rode to the Rice Terraces, I went to Goa Gajah and saw fragmented remains of the phallic symbol of the Hindu god Shiva, the Yoni, and the elephant headed god Ganesha. I chased sunlight and made sure to go on the roads that scared me the most at least 3 times. Traveling has the power to change you, if you let it. The changes can seem small like realizing you enjoy making art and riding scooters or they can be life changing like deciding you want to be better and do better than you did yesterday. I'm without a doubt a better person for traveling, I know my circle, I know what matters most to me, I'm humbled, I know more, I feel more deeply for others, I'm happier.

The Path to Happiness

As I depart Australia I am overcome with the sense that a chapter of my life has closed and I am embarking on another. For many years I have been planning Australia. I have put off a lot of things and used the reasoning, "after Australia I'll pursue that." I have always wanted to travel long term and along with getting a working holiday visa for Australia I have considered working on a cruise ship, in a resort, or teaching English as ways of accomplishing this goal. These ideas came and went but Australia remained a constant. Once I returned from Asia I knew that I would have to make Australia happen soon if it was ever going to happen. There is an age limit when obtaining the working holiday visa, turns out some dreams do have deadlines. I felt lost for some time, I knew that deep down I should follow my heart but I was letting the noise of what others expected of someone my age, drown out my inner voice. I started saving for Australia but didn't become serious about it until after I saw a new age healer, and she put things into perspective for me. After our session she told me she could sense that I was at a crossroads in life and was feeling indecisive. She added that either path I choose will lead to happiness but if I let my heart be the guide I will experience a state of nirvana like happiness, as I will be following my destiny. A lot of people may scoff at this and some will say I could have told you that, and deep down I knew it to. It took someone else saying it out loud for me to really realize it. If you don't do the thing in your heart you know that you should, it will haunt you for the rest of your life. I stayed in Australia for 7 weeks which is far less than originally planned, I knew it was time for me to go. Now I know without a doubt that all I need, all anybody needs to do is tune out the noise and listen to our hearts, by doing this no matter what you win.