and it's all good
an update on the trip: bombay-->aurangabad--> ellora and ajanta caves--> omkareshwar--> mandu-->ujjain-->udaipur
and now for an update on me. after only two days together in bombay, federico and i decided to go our seperate ways. he's not the same person he was when i met him in ladakh and our worlds are no longer the same. i was crushed, i will admit, but am now immensely thankful that this is the way things have come to pass.
i love india. if that wasn't clear. i love india. i can't even begin to describe the places i've been, the people i've met. i've been to some tourist sights, but what has overwhelmed me most on this trip is all of the tiny surprises that unfold every minute, every hour. i've seen the cotton blowing, i've seen the chick peas growing, i've wandered through the scrublands of maharashtra and madhya pradesh, and it doesn't seem to matter where i go because it's all good. nearly stepped on a cobra, lord shiva passes. saw a baby cow, just born, with the umbilical cord still hanging. meditated in a temple that sits at the navel of the world. made friends with a saddhu who took me to a magic tiny tantric cave that you have to slither into like a snake. i saw the BIGGEST bull you could imagine who goes on a nightly rampage through the sweet shops of ujjain getting handfuls of treats from slightly frightened indian people.
it's been a bit of a shock coming to udaipur from ujjain. ujjain is sacred city where foreigners don't go, except to take photos on the ghats and drive away. there's pretty much no english but it's one of the easiest places to get around, either by share tempo (one km=one rupee) or hitchhike. i stayed in a siddha ashram. my hindi has improved. i will go back to ujjain. but now i am fulfilling a promise to my dear friend nikolaz who has a guesthouse in udaipur. udaipur is beautiful but not special in the way ujjain is. too may rickshaws, whiteys and pashminas. but it is beautiful, and peaceful, and it's good to be with a dear friend, staying in a beautiful guesthouse with HOT WATER !!!!! wow. and-praise be- the internet! hooray!
so, maybe i shouldn't say that it's all good- because it never is. the sacred rivers are still clogged with trash, there's dead dogs in the street and some people are only torsos. but that's part of it too, and for now i decide not to feel bad for being happy.
om namah shivaya.
and now for an update on me. after only two days together in bombay, federico and i decided to go our seperate ways. he's not the same person he was when i met him in ladakh and our worlds are no longer the same. i was crushed, i will admit, but am now immensely thankful that this is the way things have come to pass.
i love india. if that wasn't clear. i love india. i can't even begin to describe the places i've been, the people i've met. i've been to some tourist sights, but what has overwhelmed me most on this trip is all of the tiny surprises that unfold every minute, every hour. i've seen the cotton blowing, i've seen the chick peas growing, i've wandered through the scrublands of maharashtra and madhya pradesh, and it doesn't seem to matter where i go because it's all good. nearly stepped on a cobra, lord shiva passes. saw a baby cow, just born, with the umbilical cord still hanging. meditated in a temple that sits at the navel of the world. made friends with a saddhu who took me to a magic tiny tantric cave that you have to slither into like a snake. i saw the BIGGEST bull you could imagine who goes on a nightly rampage through the sweet shops of ujjain getting handfuls of treats from slightly frightened indian people.
it's been a bit of a shock coming to udaipur from ujjain. ujjain is sacred city where foreigners don't go, except to take photos on the ghats and drive away. there's pretty much no english but it's one of the easiest places to get around, either by share tempo (one km=one rupee) or hitchhike. i stayed in a siddha ashram. my hindi has improved. i will go back to ujjain. but now i am fulfilling a promise to my dear friend nikolaz who has a guesthouse in udaipur. udaipur is beautiful but not special in the way ujjain is. too may rickshaws, whiteys and pashminas. but it is beautiful, and peaceful, and it's good to be with a dear friend, staying in a beautiful guesthouse with HOT WATER !!!!! wow. and-praise be- the internet! hooray!
so, maybe i shouldn't say that it's all good- because it never is. the sacred rivers are still clogged with trash, there's dead dogs in the street and some people are only torsos. but that's part of it too, and for now i decide not to feel bad for being happy.
om namah shivaya.
posted by natalie at 4:57 AM
1 Comments:
Natalie,
I love your blog. Thank you for sharing your words, they inspire me!
Have you been to solbeam.com? Another wonderful blog from a woman currently living in India.
All the best on your travels!
Namaste,
Aly
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