I’m really pleased to announce that Breathedreamgo was nominated for three Canadian Weblog Awards 2011 in the Writing, Travel and Design categories. The Canadian Weblog Awards are a juried competition intended to highlight good weblogs of all genres from across Canada.
This blog has always been a labour of love, and the product of several talented people, especially WordPress wizard Jennifer Johannesen of lowtotheground.ca. But I’ve never really promoted it or SEO-ed it as much as I could (or perhaps should) have; I’ve never really competed to be in the Top Travel Blog lists; nor have I (as yet) monetized Breathedreamgo, or thought of it as a business. Those days are all ahead of me. Perhaps.
But I have poured my heart into it! So, receiving recognition is doubly, triply sweet. Thanks so much to Ninjamatics, who run the Canadian Weblog Awards. I’m very proud to be nominated. And proud to be among bloggers like these, who won last year. (more…)
Lodhi Garden, New Delhi
When I was getting ready to travel to India the first time, back in 2005, I had several friends warn me: “You won’t like Delhi. It’s crowded, it’s polluted, the people are aggressive, you will be pestered to distraction.” I’d heard lots of stories about Pahar Ganj, the grubby “traveler’s ghetto;” the challenges of buying tickets and arranging any kind of transportation; the scams and the con artists; the crowds and chaos.
However, my first morning in Delhi, I walked out into the warm, December sunshine, on the big, white marble terrace of my friend’s home in South Delhi and was greeted by the family, who offered me breakfast. Later, a man arrived with a huge bundle of gorgeous shawls and fabrics, and I sat on the terrace drinking tea, with the ladies of the family and shopped. It was all very civilized and I felt I had arrived in heaven, not the hell that I was promised. (more…)
In Hindu mythology, there is a concept of vehicle — an animal that transports a god or goddess. Ganesh has a rat, Durga has a tiger and the goddess of the arts, Sarasvati, has a swan. To me, as a blogger, Breathedreamgo is my vehicle: it is the means by which I am transporting my work and my passions. And it is also the means by which I hope to transport my readers — to travel adventures; personal transformation and a world of beauty, where the spiritual traditions, history and living mythologies of India come alive. (more…)
Photo courtesy San Sharma
Diwali means “rows of lighted lamps” and it is also called the Festival of Light. It is the most enthusiastically celebrated festival in India — which is saying a lot! Diwali is the equivalent of Christmas — a big, festive celebration that brings families together and is the highlight of the holiday season. There are five days of festivities, each marked with different pujas (prayers) and rituals.
I love Diwali, and though I have only spent one Diwali in India, I remember it fondly. I went shopping with Ajay’s mother for gifts, decorations, flowers and sweets a few days before, and on the morning of Diwali she had me decorating the family mandir before my eyes were completely open. Later, I helped fill hundreds of small diyas with oil and wicks, and then place and light them around the terrace and down the stairs, etc. In the early evening we had a puja in the mandir, which was my favourite part of the entire day. And at night, we joined the millions of other Delhi-ites blasting fireworks and firecrackers into the night sky. It was deafening and created hazardous smog, but I appreciated the gusto with which people were celebrating.
There are lots of other places to celebrate Diwali in India; read on for some suggestions culled from Breathedreamgo Twitter and Facebook friends. (more…)
Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai, India from Goindia.About.com
The photo above is from the GoIndia.About.com site — which has a great guide to Ganesh Chaturthi — how the idols are made, where the best ones are located, etc. The editor, Sharell Cook, lives in Mumbai and stays on top of happenings there and in India in general. It’s a great resource for news, information and fascinating stories. Following are the other five top photos. (more…)
Taking a Journey
American Express invited me and fellow travel bloggers Evelyn “Journeywoman” Hannon and Janice “Solo Traveler” Waugh — as well as bloggers who cover lifestyle, family, music, etc. — to celebrate the one year anniversary of the American Express Gold Rewards Card with a night out to see 80s mythic rock bands Foreigner and Journey in Toronto. The photo above was taken during Journey’s Can’t Stop Believing grand finale, when they showered the crowd with fireworks and confetti.
It was a fun night out. Many in the crowd were having a blast, especially the row of mullet-wig-wearin’ rocker dudes in front of us (see photo below), singing along to hits from the 80s. Is there a better karaoke song than I want to know what love is?
But of course the reason we were there was to celebrate the AMEX travel rewards card — which has got to be one of the best — the best? — travel rewards cards available. (more…)
Photograph of me in Kerala, India 2006, at the start of my six-month pilgrimage
Back in 2005, when I set off on my first six-month trip to India, there was no question that I was going alone. The thought of traveling with someone else never even crossed my mind. Although I was heading out on my first real voyage of discovery, my first pilgrimage, I instinctively knew that I had to do it alone. I don’t remember anyone telling me, or giving me this advice — it just seemed obvious.
I was going to India for two reasons: one, I had always wanted to go to India, but it seemed like an impossible dream. But I was at a time in my life when I knew that if I didn’t start following my dreams, my life wouldn’t be worth living. And, two, I was very unhappy, and needed to shake up my life. I was in a deep rut, trying desperately to come out of a lengthy depression following a series of devastating losses (including the deaths of both my parents and the break-up with my fiance).
What I needed to do in India, I needed to do alone: Jump off the cliff and find out if the net would appear. Stand on my own two feet. Face myself. Find the fuel, or inspiration, or reason to keep living. Re-start my life. Truly experience adventure.
This is why I enthusiastically support solo travel proponent Janice Waugh. I follow, and have contributed to, her website Solo Traveler. I belong to the Solo Travel Society on Facebook. I follow her Twitter feed @solotraveler. And now I am reading her new book, The Solo Traveler’s Handbook, and loving it. For a review — and to find out why I think this book is important — keep reading.
Tiffin-wallahs, Churchgate Station, Mumbai
Sylvia Fraser in India, 2000
In 2005, as I was getting ready to go to India for the first time, on my six-month “trip of a lifetime,” my friend Chrissy gave me a copy of The Rope in the Water. As I read about Toronto author Sylvia Fraser’s pilgrimage to India, I was struck by the many similarities between us; and completely flabbergasted to discover that we share the same birthday (March 8 – International Woman’s Day).
I loved the book and decided I had to meet Sylvia Fraser; that somehow my destiny demanded it. Well, it took me five years to finally connect with her and I am happy to report that we are now friends. I interviewed Sylvia in February 2011 about her many transformative travel experiences and her reality-defying “rope in the water” story (see below and find out how a non-existent rope saved her life when she was being carried out to sea by a riptide, off the coast of Kerala in South India). Here are the highlights of our interview.
Mariellen Ward: What is travel to you, and why do you prefer being a seeker and going on pilgrimage?
Sylvia Fraser: Travel is something I love to do, it’s a need, not a luxury. If I’m not happy, planning a trip is absolutely the best. (more…)
me and my Tilley Hat at The Farm Villa, near Ranthambhore, Rajasthan
If you don’t know, Tilley hats are legendary in Canada, where the company is headquartered — and in many other places too, I am sure. Tilley Endurables makes lots of other great products for the active traveler, but it was the Tilley hat that first made the company’s name.
It was specifically how the hat was tested — which involved an elephant’s digestive system. I’m not sure whether anyone intended to actually feed the hat to the elephant, but the hat was eaten, later extracted, thoroughly cleaned and found to be still in near-perfect condition.
To read more about Tilley Hats and how I came to love them (hint: India is sunny and hot!), read Enter contest to win a famous Tilley Hat. And here are the contest details – it’s easy to enter, and you have until July 27, 2011.
~If you are planning to go to India, read this first. I have pulled together a packing list and a lot of travel tips, recommended books and do’s and don’ts that will really help make your trip smoother and more enjoyable.
Aurovalley Ashram, near Rishikesh, India is a haven of peace, natural beauty and conscious living. Visitors can walk to the Ganga, learn the Sri Aurobindo philosophy of Integral Yoga and relax in a quiet, safe and inspiring environment.
Attempting to achieve some kind of yoga ideal, based on perfection of physical postures (asanas), is not yoga. Mark Whitwell sets the record straight about what yoga is.
