Going back home :-)

So that's it.

I'm back in Bangalore at Chez Lizz hotel...and it feels soooo much like my home. Thank you Lizzy!!!!!! I'm accustomed to the madness around and even love it :-)
So now I can go from one home to another but...they are thousands miles apart...


The best home I found inside me.

I remember, when after 3 months in India, I was looking ahead to the still remaining 9 months!!!! Those have passed as well - I'm coming back to Bxl.

This year was the best gift I could ever offer to myself!
I had the time to meet myself, spend time with Vio in different circumstances, always well taken care of by the Indians :-) I felt not only safe but also welcomed and almost embraced by people and the land here and in Nepal.
I did things I've always wanted to do, like volunteering with kids, trekking in Nepal, seeing Ladakh. I did things I haven't thought of doing but they just came my way, like Buddhism or Amma. I met people on my way who seemed to just be there for me to meet. They delivered a message and disappeared in the nature or told me their story and carried on with their journey. With some I spend a chunk of time, with some just a moment. And I hope to continue my journey with some :-) England, Portugal, Bali and South Arabia is next to visit :-) besides my beloved India, of course :-)

It has been such a rich year!
I feel like I made a whole cycle: from experiencing, searching, tasting and testing, I feel I came back to the point of departure - myself. And it feels great! It feels like a cozy home.
With my feet more grounded I'm coming back home - to Bxl, for whatever time Bxl is my home.
I'm excited to come back. To test everything I've learned and discovered in me. To work again, to try new ideas. To see all of you again and at last! :-)

I land in Bxl on Wed the 21st :-))

India...my India :-)

Indian version of peanut butter & jam... peanuts, butter and jam... :-)
How not to love them!!!

We even hitch-hiked in India. And why not!

India is everything you can imagine. It's got land that varies incredibly together with wast range of cultures, customs, attitudes, believes, rituals, colour of the skin, ethnicity.... 
It is mad, dirty and smelly. It is full of poor people on one hand and disgustingly rich on the other. It's full of crooks and wonderful people who helped me in many moments of my journey.
I met an Indian lady who discussed with me the danger of traveling. According to her it is purely putting yourself at risk. Her opinion, obviously shaped by media, was so dramatically opposite to what I felt traveling all over Indian subcontinent as a single woman.
I've never felt endangered here. On the contrary! Wherever I went I was well taken care of by people around me. Be it a train, street, resto or a bus, there were always people making sure that I'm not bothered by anyone, cheated or even uncomfortable.

India is an incredibly vibrant place where "there is no problem, only solutions". And it is not simply slogan, it's true. They are great entrepreneurs who spot a need that creates a market and one sort of business or another is ready. From these waters come young educated creative people who follow their initiatives and find a way to make things happen.
Lakshmi is the best example. Just look at her spots.
http://chaiwithlakshmi.in/

The topics that she covers are touching every aspect of life and the life in India. It's inspiring to watch. Given that internet is widely used especially by young people, her shows reach this young generation of India that will use their potential, initiative and change the country sooner than we expect. Where will be India in 10 years?
Retirement in India might be too expensive for me :-)

Amma experience

I've heard about Amma- the Hugging Mother. She goes around the world and...gives hugs... Thousands of people queue for hours to get this special hug from enlightened Kerala born woman.
We arrived to an ashram and quite an ashram it is! It loges a couple of thousands of people in its 3 11-store buildings. The place is like a city: buzzing with all-white dressed ghost like illuminated smiling faces. There are canteens, shops and most importantly a hall with chanting happening all day long while Amma is doing her job.
All together the place does not correspond to my idea of an ashram - quiet, reflective, non-commercial oasis of peace and meditation. And as Vio doesn't like crowds, my first reaction was to get the hell out of there... I stayed for the sake of experience...and for the ocean :-)





 I'm going for "Darshan" - an experience of Amma's hug. People clatter around her sitting there for hours. The idea is to be as close to her body  as possible to "feel the energy". I don't... But I'm fascinated and stupefied with the phenomenon of worshiping or a cult rather. My psy mind kicks off.
We are queuing to get our turn of a blissful hug. To enforce (for some to introduce) the idea of order in Indian culture we have lines of chairs - we hop our bums from one to another as the line progresses, with all kinds of offerings on people's laps. It looks like a very serious, spiritual...musical chair game...
I hopped close to Amma. The five members of stuff, all men!, are supervising and making the whole process go smoothly. They help is extensive - I'm asked to kneel down waiting for my go. Suddenly my hand is placed next to Amma's thigh, my head is directed (with very assertive grip) to Amma's shoulder intensively scented with some kind of a "nice"smell (the nicest smell, when intensive, stops being nice...). Now! I'm right in the experience! It becomes long experience as Amma is having a chat with someone behind my back "hugging" me at the same time. The helpers give her a hint - I hear "Polish" coming from each helper. Amma got it - she whispers to my ear "ty moja corko", polish version of "my daughter you". She touched me with that one so we have a great laugh :-) She puts sth into my hand and the experience is over. Next!
As you can see, I am not a good material for a religious person... Pity, it would have been nice to have a guru...

The whole idea of guru in India still puzzles me. I've seen some "sadhus" = sages. In the West they would have been kept in psychiatric hospitals. Here they are "special people". Have we, in the West, lost touch with unseen, with spirits? Have we lost faith? Do we need to see to believe? Do we need all the same, "normal" to feel safe? Do we allow people to be "special"? Or is it the Indians who are not in touch with "reality"?  Who are still in superstitions?
The Tibetans, Ladaki and Nepalese still burn churpa, very aromatic brunch of a tree, every morning at the entrance door to keep the bed spirits out of the house. Maybe we are surrounded by other spirits? Maybe we coexist with other beings' worlds?  Maybe there are different dimensions that we don't see and only "special" people are able to perceive?

Thanks to my nice company in the ashram, that consisted of a Swiss, Brazilian, Irish and Israeli, I had a good time there. I especially appreciated time out of the ashram :-) when we walked along the ocean through quiet keralan villages or went to watch the dolphins.

One nice thing about the ashram - I have never seen such an equal mix between Indian and western population. And what a variety of people on both sides - from simple (poor?) looking to rich and educated. All equally devoted to Amma.

FAMILY TIME AT 3pm
A young family is sitting on a mat at the back of their house, facing the ocean and...play! What a lovely picture. The little one is 3. Her father is boxing with her, they all rustle and end up with a teddy bear fight. I wish one day I would have my priorities straight! Having the time for the important stuff in life on Thursday afternoon... Of course, I was invited for a tea :-)

Back to the south of India

Back in the south again...Home sweet home...

Soft nice laid-back.
Again ladies in beautiful shining sarees and gents in lungies (a long cloth instead of trousers).
Life is slower, people look at me and smile rather than "laugh at me".
Again juices of all sorts,  bananas of all shapes and colours, fried bananas and nuts at every corner, smell of delicious southern dishes...
I have a fish first time since Goa! It's been...6 months!
And their devotion: flowers everywhere - garlands for Hindu gods and for a god in a church (maybe in a mosque as well).

The land of Sikhs

Amritsar - change of the ambiance. We are again in a peaceful land with nice people. They are quite good merchants so we have our dose of "no, thank you".

 Sikh religion is a response to limitations of both Hindu and Islam. Having a lot of principals joining Buddhism, their main message is: "we are all equal". Consequently, everybody is welcomed in their temple and...everybody is fed lunch!

 Golden Temple is a "Mecca" for Sikhs and tourists so every day there is a lunch prepared for thousands of people! What an organisation!!! I was mesmerised with the amount of volunteers and great efficiency of our hosts. The cauldrons of food were carried up and down, hundreds of volunteers were distributing food, pouring water, cleaning floors and washing dishes. The kitchen was full of ladies making chapattis and an enormous cauldron was stirred by men. And it was even tasty!

You know how comedians are taking their inspiration from... real life. I can tell you now where Monty Python founded the inspiration for the Ministry of Silly Walks - at Indian Pakistani border changing of guards.
Just look by yourself - one is my little shot (sorry, I was rolling on the floor so didn't take the beginning of the show :-) 
and here you are the Monty Python one as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqhlQfXUk7w

This is Indian side...

 ...and that's Pakistani


The guards on both sides engaged into these rituals of silly walks, opened the gate for about 10 minutes, shook hands and the show was over.

 Before though there was a lot of building up patriotic emotions with a race with the flag or dancing (only ladies) to some Indian pop music.
and the emotions were strong...

From the land of Buddha to the land of Allah

The difference is stunning! Slowly, as we go west from Leh to Srinagar (Kashmir), the faces change, the clothing change, the expression and attitude of people change. The women disappear from the streets - we're surrounded 90% by men... I start to feel uncomfortable. The language, the way speaking, the expression on their faces evokes some sort of fear. The air is electric.
Has the unstable situation in Kashmir shaped the people? Or have "electrical" people created the situation in Kashmir?
2 weeks before our arrival, there were some protests and shooting here...
A Ladakhi person told us: "you can never be sure of weather in Ladakh, situation in Kashmir and fashion in the US".
Of course we meet kind people as well. But the welcoming in Srinagar was a shock for me. Surrounded by taxi / boat / guesthouse solicitors straight on and around our bus at 6am (after 12 hours night ride)... They stick to us like flies. My, finally impatient, "no, thank you. If I need a boat I will come and find you" met with a surprised answer: "why are you so rude?". We clearly have culturally different idea of "rude" and personal space. Then a taxi driver shouted at us and became physical with us 'cause we refused to be screwed over 10 times a rate for a 5min ride. Then a boatman took us to his friend's boat instead of the one we asked. Then he reluctantly took us to the one we wanted but he couldn't find it, in spite of his reassurance before that of course he knows where it is....
I want to be back in Ladakh!!!!