Pushcar

After going back and forth...we decide to take a sleeper bus to Pushcar to make it to the camel festival. Every time we travel somewhere we are told one thing, and then something else is always the case. So we get on the bus, and there is a top level where you can sleep, and a bottom level to set. We are told that we will have both. They have over booked, and we are to lay up top the whole time. As Spencer goes to put our luggage away, a big man with a turban(he is Rhajastany) Is putting his 3 family members into spencers slot. As the man who is getting everyone on the bus is telling him to get off, because they have overbooked, the man is gesturing that one person is in an area where 4 people could be. They almost start to fight in the small isle of the bus...it was an experience. I am looking next to me a family of 5 that are beautiful, me and one women lock eyes and having the expression this in no good. She talks to me in Hindi as I say the same in English. It is amazing the conversations that one has in another country were you totally understand each other with out saying a word. I will never forget her eyes, and kindness...she had the eyes of a women that can see...future or past. We bonded over pani/water, and cashews later in the trip. Next the other family that has bitter words with the driver lays down in the isle to sleep. An hour later we pull over to pick up yet 6 more people to lay on the isle. They somehow make there way on to spencers bed...he is kind one!

So we enter into a beautiful morning where the sun is coming up, and the place that I wanted to stay in the man has arrived at the top of the gate telling us to stay with him. One thing that is true about the Indian culture is that they are always tring to please, but we also have people who tell you one thing to get you to go with them. The Rickshaw drivers will give you cheap fairs, but will take you to the a bazar instead of the place you want to go to. Men who are tring to make a little extra baksheesh, will try and get you to a hotel so they can make a little extra money. The truth is that this man was honest giving us a fair price for a room. It is a good test of how to look at someone and know that you can trust them or not. We are set up in a beautiful room, and right in the middle of all of the action.

There is several times a day where kirtans are done over loud speakered all over Pushcar. The streets are full, and there are police everywhere. We walk over to the fair grounds to look at camels, cows, and beautiful people from all over India in there different dress styles. Rhagastanty is a mix of middle eastern/hindi mix since it borders Pakistan. We were able to watch several styles of dance, and music. They have big drums with a different type of instrument to hit the drum with. There was one man that had 3 drums...one in front, behind, and top of his head. At one point he started using a baton that was on fire. It is amazing when men dressed as women, dressed quite sexy are doing a mixture of belly dance and Hindu style dance. I am told it is because they can not let women dance that way in public with little clothes on!

As we go to the Rama temple the next day we have a beautiful experience. There are people praying giving gifts of flowers, roses, candy, fruit, money. We wander around this place blissed, and we find ourselves by this saudu who is giving blessings. We realise that it is a Ganesha statue that he sits by. I decide that i want to get blessed, and he puts a bindi on me and taps the top of my head! He then gives me a sweet, as i give him a gift of money and flowers. Some things remain the same in gifting other cultures. What is appropriate to gift, and what is not!

In our blissed state we then go down to the ghats. This is where people bath to be blessed, and it is the full moon! I want to get water so that we have blessed water to use on our trip. The only problem is men that hang around the ghat that say that they are priests that need to bless you, and then they charge you 550-1000 rupees for a blessing. It should only be 50! We say that we have already been blessed, and I find that they will not leave us alone. They say we need to get blessed again, and what about our future children, and many other excuses! We say that we do not need this, we have already been blessed, and we come to honor and be Chanti. Spencer then tells them they are not letting this place be chanti. We leave, and they move on to the next tourist.... The big issues is that even though this is a way to honor the lake, it does not mean that I want to be blessed by someone that I do not feel spiritual energy, but one of a predator. I just experienced a true spiritual man in a temple, and I only want to have these kind of blessings! Each place in India has it's thing to sell you! I am learning when to give, and when to set boundaries...and sometimes be completely in my power and say no...but with humor!

As we walk to the top of hill overlooking Pushcar having 5 children chasing us saying rupi, rupi, rupi, rupi.....the whole way we tease them into smiling to take a picture. Indians do not like to smile in pictures! We get half way up to the top when I say I give up. I do not know if India is for me, and I am so tired of being asked for money, scammed, and this desperate energy of us needing to give them money. We get to the top and ask for the triple goddess to help us. One goddess is Gaitre, the other is a local goddess of food, and the other is of property. I pray for the people to be connected to there abundance, and for me to meet the people that I need to meet to have the learning that I need. My lungs feel a little better with less Camel dust pollution to breathe. We rest on the way down, and a women walks up who is Indian. I am thinking oh no not again. When she speaks she has a Jamakin accent, and she asks we for some pani...water. She tells me she is from Florida, and we both connect on the sadness, the most beautiful land and people. She then in a most beautiful voice sings a kurtan on the hill overlooking Pushcar.

Spencer and I are sick and we have gotten chest colds so we know that we have to move on. Where we are staying there are weddings every other night, and they burn trash in the wedding field that blows into our room. I am having a hard time breathing, and not getting good sleep even though the room is in this old beautiful building that has beautiful designs that let the sun light through in the morning. It also lets all the pollution through! We are on our way to Jodhpur to heal, and make our way to Udipor or Mt Abu? We will see?

Reishiekesh

With our back packs on we are dropped off at the top of laksman jhula in a rickshaw(a veichle that is like a 3 wheeler that has a back trailer). This is a part of Reishiekesh that is slower, cleaner, and beautiful. We walk down a steep set of stairs, and by the bridge I am asking Spencer are we there yet? I have gotten a ear ache on the 7 hour bus ride from Delhi to Reishiekesh. We stop at several guesthouses, and a man asks us if we need a room. Which we say we have one as every one is after you to stay at there place. Really we do not, and end up at his guest house talking to his wife about an amazing room, a view of the ganga, and hot water. It has a french toliet.

So we land here 2 days before Dewali. This is a holly day for hindu's. We get invited to share with the family that owns the guest house that we are staying in. I get an ear ache, and Spencer gets to go on the roof top to light fire works that are seen similar to our fourth of july. Spencer get's to experience the hindu act of puja which has a beautiful song that they sing to the gods while the have a big gold candle that is lit with oil, and string(no wax). Spencer gets taken in by the older man in the geast house, and in a town that is dry of liqour he gets to hang out with all the big wigs and have boy time. He learns much about Indian culture, and the behind the scences of Rieshikesh.

So as a women in India or Thailand for that matter it is an experience to relearn toilet etiquette. I was armed with baby wipes, and toilet paper until I got sick. I broke down and started using the water system, which is like you take a little shower down there every time you go to the bathroom. I am finding that this eliminates smell, yeasty energy, and in general feels healthy. So Aruvedic squatting toilets(no seat just like your back yard), toilet's that you set on with little squirting handles like at your kitchen sink, or an actual french way where it squirts water from the toilet right at your butt! The last was my personal favorite when I got travelers diareah...and let us all hail for a moment to Paragaurd, 7up, and Imodium AD. This little nature girl is loving western meds at the moment!

So after I got an earache Spencer got a chest cold. Then I got travlers diareah, and then he got plantar facitics. We finally got to the ganges, and gave our gifts. I asked for the ability to stay here, and we are getting better. This is a Shiva town. I feel that there is a need to let go, and breakdown any illusions that are in your life. We are now ready to go to Pushcar which is a Brahma town where we will be creating for the trip. It may be a month before we get there as of today we find out that it is having a camle fair that though would be fun, I am thinking that paying 10x the rate and the craziness may not be worth it...we will see where we land next!

Delhi

So we landed in Delhi to beautiful heart touching life, and ugliness that makes me sad. The beautiful part is the colors of the people, the colorful clothes that establishes women from men, different religious sects, and what caste. Indian people are fascinated with foreigners, and want to learn and share a lot. The men also like to gawk at me, which is a normal thing I think for women that are white to experience. We have arrived for Diwali. Which is like Christmas for us. Everyone is hustling to get ready. We also see the sadness of an ancient land that has compassion for all spiritual, and religious practices becoming a environmental nightmare. We are struggling to breath by the next day...they are becoming an industrial consumer society, but not learning from our mistakes!

So Spencer has some good traveling rules in India. Do not drink the water, ice, or anything that is not cooked. We are quick to make sure our place has bolts on the door for a master lock, and that the windows are able to be locked. But being the international man of mystery that he is, my first morning he takes me to his favorite lassie shop. This is a great yogurt drink that has usually fruit or sugar, but can have salt. He marches me up to a stand that has flies all over it, with men getting there morning lassie while they are hocking up phlegm to clear there lungs. He orders us to lassie's, and I watch the rules get broken. They start to mix in this big silver flat plate the yogurt, and water. They then put ice in a silver cup, and poor the mixture. They then top it with some curd or a layer that looks like brie cheese milk. We have broken half of the rules that have been presented...I have to say I did not get sick, and it tasted good! Later we go and get fabric at an amazing shop that is what Gandhi started to get the money back to the people. We get back to our hotel and decide to leave tomorrow. I am struggling to breath, and Spencer is slightly. We leave for Reishikesh the next day on the bus!

So there will not be pictures for awhile. One thing about India is that there is always many people running the show. So every time that you down load you have to pay for each picture by the mega bite! The government charges a tax? I thought our government was complicated! So when I find a cheaper way I will continue adding pictures!

Koh Tao

Are we still in Portland? Spent a rainy 5 days on the islands and never got to snorkel (the run off cut any visibility), but we were able to catch up on bad movies and eat good Thai food and drink some beers. This confirmed for both of us we do not like rain, and that we needed time to really rest. We did spend time on the West side of the island that is the best for snorkeling. It was in this little hut that had a bathroom, wood plank floors that you could see through to the ground, and a mosquito netting(oh so romantic)...except for the mosquito's!

This is where we had a cabin!

This is the brown water from the run off!

This is the pig that the owners had as a pet! Spencer and the pig bonded, until the pig thought that it was queen. She started to nibble at him...was it love?


Everything started to mold...even when we got back to the port side we could not dry things out. There is one sunny day where we went swimming.


By the end we were ready for India! On the 5th of Nov we flied out.