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Hotel alternative in India: The homestay option

Mariellen — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:41:23 +0000

Hotels are fine, but homestay is an ideal way to experience travel in India

Hotels are fun, and even cheap hotels have their charms. But sometimes, you have to dig deeper. Indian hospitality is justifiably famous — captured by the slogan, Atithi Devo Bhava, which means The Guest is God. To fully experience this philosophy in action, and to really get to know the culture when you travel in India, you have to stay with an Indian family. But what do you do if you don’t know anyone?

Well, you could try booking through a company like Mahindra Homestays. They are India’s most well-known homestay company. I asked Japa Ghosh, head of marketing at Mahindra Homestays, to fill us in about the homestay option for travellers to India. Here’s what you need to know to find, book and enjoy a homestay, including etiquette tips.

I have found from personal experience that staying with an Indian family while travelling in India was a very culturally rich experience. No longer was I “just a tourist;” I was a member of the family. I hope you give yourself this experience next time you are in India, especially after reading this and getting to know the ropes.

BDG: What is a homestay and how does it work? How is it different than staying in a hotel?

MH: When you stay in a homestay you are a guest in a private home. You will have your own room, normally with an ensuite bathroom, and with all the sort of luxuries you might expect to find in a boutique hotel.

Homestays are run by the homeowners themselves, who are keen to welcome guests into their private homes, to share experiences and relationships which is something hotels simply can’t provide. It takes the detachment away from tourism and gives you a unique and unforgettable experience of the intricacies of Indian life and culture.

Meals are home cooked and authentic, fresh tea and coffee are delivered to your room and guests are treated with the warmth and heartfelt hospitality that India is famed for.

BDG: How do you find a suitable homestay, and how do you know if it’s clean and safe?

MH: The standard and quality of homestays in India can vary dramatically. Anybody can set themselves up as a homestay host and there are no regulations relating to safety and standards.

It is important that if you want to find a high quality homestay that you do some research or book through a reputable agent who can offer some form of guarantee as to what you will be getting.

Mahindra Homestays have a strict selection criterion before taking on a homestay. We look for properties that are unique in some way, or are managed by hosts who will go the extra distance to ensure their guests have a good stay. All Mahindra Homestays are regularly inspected to ensure they comply with standards that include comfort, cleanliness, safety and originality.

Independent homestays should be thoroughly researched before you book, check review sites such as Trip Advisor for recent guest feedback and ask for recommendations on travel forums such as India Mike (but beware of being approached directly by touts).

BDG: How do you book a homestay, what are the usual policies?

MH: Your booking options will depend on your choice of homestay. Many private homestays do not have facilities for taking online bookings, but will accept reservations by phone or email.

Mahindra Homestays are able to take online bookings through our secure site for all our homestays, much in the same way that you would book a hotel. Alternatively, you can book direct with our call centre team, who can also assist you with any transportation requirements, such as train tickets or a car and driver.

BDG: What is the proper etiquette in a homestay: for example, do you tip the owners? Are you required to do any cleaning?

MH: It is important to remember you are a guest in somebody’s home and as such they may have a curfew or house rules, which you would be expected to comply with. These generally would not be too onerous, but relate to things such as keeping the noise down after a certain hour.

You are not required to do any cleaning or chores, although some guests enjoy volunteering in the plantations and working farms for a few hours so they can learn about daily life, such as how tea, coffee and spices are produced; or they might have a go at farming activities such as milking. There is no requirement to tip the owners.

BDG: Why is a homestay in India a good idea?

MH: A homestay offers access to unique activities and events, whether it be adventurous, cultural, historical, relaxation or culinary. Your hosts open up their home and daily life to you and you get a glimpse into the real India that you might otherwise miss staying in a hotel.

It is not unusual for guests to be invited to join the family to attend a small local festival or take a trip to the market to buy the ingredients for dinner.

Experiences such as behind the scenes visits to Bollywood film sets, kayaking or night-fishing in the backwaters, trekking with a conservationist for the elusive tiger or snow leopard or wildlife safaris as well as having dinner with a Maharaja, taking a cooking class, and more, can be arranged through your hosts local connections.

Homestays also encourage responsible tourism. Mahindra Homestays has initiated many programs that a large number of homestays have incorporated. Through their teachings and methods homestays and travellers can have positive and lasting impact on the environment while boosting the regional socio-economic conditions.

BDG: Any tips on the best way to take advantage of a homestay?

MH: To get the best out of your homestay experience make sure you take full advantage of your hosts’ local knowledge. They will be able to advise you on things to do and see in the local area and help you arrange any activities, ensuring you are charged a fair price.

Eating at your homestay offers the opportunity to try some delicious home cooked food and many of the hosts’ are well known for their cooking. Don’t forget to ask for the recipes of your favourite dishes, a souvenir you can share with your friends back home as you recreate the taste of India in your own kitchen.

BDG: Thanks so much! If you want to know more, read the Mahindra Homestays blog for tips, info and contests!

NOTE: All photos courtesy Mahindra Homestays.

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Movie Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Mariellen — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:18:42 +0000

Judi Dench in Jaipur, Rajasthan

Feel-good movie set in Rajasthan, India

“India hits you like a wave. If you resist, you will be knocked down. But if you dive into it, you will be all right.”

These are the words of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel narrator Evelyn Greenslade, played by the luminous Judi Dench. She is one of seven British retirees who travel to Jaipur, Rajasthan, India to live in a restored “luxury” hotel for the elderly. Predictably, their expectations are not met — the hotel is a shambles and its future in doubt — and just as predictably, the characters who take up the challenges thrown at them find a new, unexpected life.

“What do you like about this country? What do you see that I don’t see?” asks unhappy Jean Ainslie (Penelope Wilton), who recoils in India and retreats into seething negativity. (I’ve seen this reaction among people quite often in India, unfortunately; and I’m sure other experienced India travellers have too.)

“The light, the colours, the smiles. The way the people see life as a gift, a privilege — and not a right. All life is here,” answers retired high court judge Graham Dashwood, played by Tom Wilkinson.

I liked the movie, but not for the expected reasons. I expected to love the portrayal of India — I did not. And I expected to like the direction, by John Madden who directed Shakespeare in Love — I did not. I thought Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) was clownish; and there are a number of cultural missteps that drove my movie buddy (who’s from Delhi) mad. He wanted me to especially mention the broken landline phone — “no one in India uses landline anymore” — and the scene where Dev Patel and his girlfriend kiss and hug in public. This is really not done in India, especially not in traditional Rajasthan.

Kishanghar, Rajasthan stood in for Udaipur in the film

What I liked least about the film was the sloppy script and direction. The script needs a re-write by a writer with more originality; and the pace of the film should be slowed down. It was rushed and contrived. Add another half hour, and flesh things out! The ending, especially, seemed slap-dash.

What I liked most about the movie was the effect India had on some of the characters; the superb acting; the way the topic of aging is explored; and, mostly, Judi Dench. I thought Jaipur would be the star of the movie, but it is not. Judi Dench is the star. Like the other veteran actors, she’s at the top of her game. Someone on Rotten Tomatoes said the talented British actors in this movie are giving a master class in doing just enough. They are all good, Wilkinson, Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy particularly stand out.

I saw myself in Judi Dench’s character — though I am not as old, of course. But I am old enough to no longer hang on to the great illusion of youth, that it will never end. The way she blossoms in India, quite soon after losing her husband of 40 years, is incredibly inspiring — especially to me, who wants to continue having adventures in India when I am her age. All the young starlets in Hollywood put together can’t hold a candle to Judi Dench: I think she is one of the most beautiful women in film.

Bravo to the filmmakers for making a film about aging. I would give a lot to see a sequel — picking up exactly where this film leaves off.

NOTE: To find out about the locations in the film (Jaipur, Udaipur and other places in Rajasthan), read On location in India with The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

RATING: 3 marigolds (out of 5)

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Water Dragon lands in Toronto

Mariellen — Wed, 09 May 2012 02:06:43 +0000

Rising, by Zhang Huan

Dragon sculpture unveiled at new Shangri-La Hotel

On Saturday, May 5, Rising, a massive sculpture adorning the front of the new Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto was unveiled, with the Shanghai-based artist Zhang Huan in attendance. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but the steel dragon sculpture, which stands in a shallow pool of water, struck me as the embodiment of the mythical Chinese Water Dragon — and of course, this year, 2012, is the Year of the Water Dragon in traditional Chinese astrology. From what I understand, 2012 is forecasted to be a transition year, with movement towards greater consciousness — so the name, Rising, makes sense with this understanding. (Of course it could also mean the rise of China as a world power.)

Photo credit: Feng Shui Agency

Enter the Dragon

I loved Rising instantly and intensely. It has a gleaming, monumental and mythical quality to it that I have rarely seen in a piece of modern sculpture of this scale. I love the way it twists and soars and wends its way up the side of the building. I love that is inspired, unexpected and lyrical.

Zhang Huan and translator

And I also think it’s really great that the artist was feted — given a scroll, a large show at the Art Gallery of Ontario, called Ash Paintings and Memory Doors (which is also monumental, though in a very different way) and an opera production, Semele at the Canadian Opera Company. After the unveiling, everyone in attendance on the sidewalk was given a ticket to see Zhang Huan’s show at the AGO, and we all walked over in the bright sunshine to see more of his inspired work.

As a creative person, with several artists in the family, it’s heartening to see an artist doing well, receiving recognition, appreciation and presumably remuneration too.

I’m also excited about having a Shangri-La hotel here in Toronto. I know the Shanrgi-La Hotel in Delhi quite well; it is one of those oasis-like “five-stars” that are havens of cool, comfort and serenity among the chaos of Indian cities. I regularly find myself retreating within to have tea and a moment of peace.

All in all, it was a lovely afternoon — spoilt only a little by getting a blessing from the huge incense sticks used to mark the opening of the ceremony. I walked into one so that I could get a good photo and burned a hole in one of my brand new Shopgirls blouses. I made a beeline for the store on my way home and they reassured me they would help me repair it. Shopgirls to the rescue!

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The 1,001 tales of the Jaisalmer desert

Mariellen — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:55:18 +0000

Travelling to magical Jaisalmer in Rajasthan

At the western edge of India, in the middle of the world’s second-largest desert, the fairytale kingdom of Jaisalmer appears, as if by magic, like a golden mirage in a desolate landscape

Despite the chaos of unmarked coaches, the train left the sodden grey bedlam of New Delhi Railway Station on time. But it still took more than 21 hours to reach the far side of Rajasthan, India’s largest state. Stuck in a cramped compartment, with nothing to look at but flat desert terrain, I had plenty of time to think about the heavy heart I was dragging from Delhi; and wonder if the long journey to Jaisalmer would be worth the effort.

Traveling extensively on the subcontinent on two previous trips, I had fallen completely under India’s spell: both were like magic carpet rides. But now I was facing the end of a relationship with a man Delhi-born-and-bred and I was worried that my love affair with India might be over, too. An unaccountable longing for Jaisalmer impelled me to make the long journey.

moi in the desert

Finally, the train pulled into Jaisalmer station and I stepped onto the platform and into the light of a dazzling noonday sun. I was struck by the colours of this far-flung Rajasthani town – splashes of neon pink and orange fabric against a backdrop of pale red earth, golden sandstone and iridescent blue sky. I felt immediately refreshed by the sunlight and spaciousness.

The Fifu Guest House arranged for a jeep to drive me the short distance to their peaceful location on the edge of town, where Jaisalmer meets the desert. By the time I settled into the fourth-floor terrace restaurant, and beheld the ancient, mountain-top fort, with its 99 bastions, in the distance, Delhi and the arduous trek was already seeping out of me. And Jaisalmer’s magic was seeping in.

As a child, I was obsessed with the 1,001 tales of the Arabian Nights, and I painted huge, colourful murals on my walls – always something I considered Oriental and exotic like turret-topped palaces and stone fortress-like cityscapes. Imagine my surprise when I looked at Jaisalmer and saw my bedroom walls.

Haveli in Jaisalmer Fort

Sunset over the Golden City

Jaisalmer rises from the baked earth of the Thar Desert, the second-largest desert on earth, and culminates in an impossibly romantic fairytale fort surrounded by scores of intricately carved buildings. Made almost entirely from yellow sandstone, each evening Jaisalmer glows gold in the setting sun. In fact, it is called the Golden City.

Ganesh paintings adorn the entrances of many houses

I was attracted to Jaisalmer by its remote desert location and reputation for having a relaxed atmosphere that also manages to evoke the adventure and romance of the former kingdom’s fabled past. Although rich in art and architecture, Jaisalmer is a small town, with a population of only 78,000, and it really is in the middle of nowhere.

But it was not always so. Jaisalmer was an important stop on the caravan trade routes between Egypt, Afghanistan and India for more than 800 years. Jaisalmer’s rulers and traders became rich and hired the finest craftsmen to build sumptuous palaces, temples, cenotaphs and havelis (Rajasthani-style mansions).

After the disappearance of the overland trade routes in the early 20^th century, the town went into decline. Considered inaccessible only a few decades ago, tourism recently began to revive Jaisalmer’s fortunes. Now it’s the town’s chief commercial activity. However, while most visitors to India make it to Jaipur, one of the three stops on the “golden triangle tour” (the other two being Agra and Delhi), only the hardy venture as far as Jaisalmer. Which is part of its charm.

But it’s not only the setting that’s charming. When I arrived, tired and hungry, guest house owner Fifu Kewalia said, “Welcome to your home,” and he meant it. Fifu and his “brother” Jitu Bissa, restored me with their warm Jaisalmer-style hospitality. And then I wanted to explore.

My first wish was to walk the narrow lanes of the fort. I bartered for beaded wall hangings, puppets and silver jewelry, drank chai in outdoor cafes and fended off constant, though gentle, sales pitches. “Madam, just look in my store!”

In Jaisalmer Fort

Falling in love with the desert

One day, Jitu took me on a motorcycle ride through town, which spreads out in the shadow of the fort. Around every turn we encountered streets filled with museum-quality havelis and shops filled with local, hand-made crafts, textiles and jewelry. The women of Rajasthan look like a vision of Scheherazade – they wear the brightest colours and most elaborate jewelry in all of India and, so there are lots of gorgeous items to choose from.

In the desert

Then we rode out into the desert, to a tiny Hindu temple dedicated to the elephant-headed deity Ganesh. While there, I was suddenly and inexplicably overcome by a powerful feeling of tension-melting, life-altering bliss. In that moment, it was like my heart burst open, and seeing with my heart, I fell in love with the burnished beauty of the desert. I felt profound peace – and yet more alive than I had ever felt before.

I was still feeling the joy of that experience when I went on my first-ever overnight desert safari. About 10 guests, and our host Jitu, traveled by jeep to see Bada Bagh, the royal cenotaphs and a delicate Jain temple complex at Amar Sagar on our way to the Sam sand dunes outside of Jaisalmer.

We rode camels into the dunes, where a camp was set up. After a delicious meal of rice, dal, vegetables, chutney and rotis, cooked on an open fire, we rolled out our sleeping mats and I looked at the desert as the sun set and the dome of the sky turned indigo above us.

At first it looked like nothing. Then it looked like everything. The sand dunes rippled in a rhythmic dance. The night sky filled with more stars than I had ever seen before. The only sounds were the gurgling camels and the whispering silence of a warm breeze that brushed my skin and reminded me this wasn’t a mirage. Infinity stretched in every direction, including within.

I lay awake on the dunes the entire night, communing with the thrumming stars, feeling full of wonder and joy, and more attached to myth than time. Incredibly, I had found a place that matched my childhood imagination; a place with stone turrets, an ancient fort and tales of caravans traversing the desert. History, imagination and the profound present intersect in Jaisalmer, and the effect is stunning.

[NOTE: First published in Acura Style magazine, Summer 2009.]

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The Best Exotic photos of Rajasthan

Mariellen — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:18:20 +0000

Lake Palace Hotel shimmering on Lake Pichola in the centre of Udaipur, Rajasthan (2009)

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

New film set in Rajasthan, India

In honour of the opening of the new film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel — which is set in Rajasthan and was filmed on location in Udaipur, Jaipur and several other glorious Rajasthani locations — here’s a photo essay of some of my fave pics of Rajasthan. I have probably taken 2,000 photos of ”the Land of Kings;” these are just a few. To read about the actual locations used in the filming, click here: On location in India with The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Palace Garden, Jaipur, Rajasthan (2010)

I’ve been to Rajasthan about four-five times, and I am always ready to go back. It is the India you’ve dreamt about: historical and colourful, full of fantastical palaces and storybook scenes of peacocks flying low over the desert, camel caravans and graceful women in neon-bright saris.

Roopangarh Fort, Rajasthan (2010)

Some of my favourite places in Rajasthan include Jaisalmer, Udapiur, Pushkar, Roopangarh, Jodhpur and of course the desert. The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is one of the world’s largest. Most of Rajasthan — India’s largest, and most touristed state — is desert.

Just one of many painted rooms in Bundi Palace, Rajasthan

There is so much achingly evocative beauty in Rajasthan, including of course the art and architecture — and they very often go together. Havelis are intricately carved out of stone, walls and ceilings are covered in detailed paintings. The whole state is a living work of art!

This guest house is called Kipling Palace because he stayed here once, in Bundi, Rajasthan

And like all desert people, no doubt, Rajasthanis love water. There are many beautiful fountains and “monsoon gardens” in Rajasthan. This picturesque lake is just outside the small town of Bundi, a gothic-meets-Mughal treasure trove of art and architecture.

City Palace, Udaipur, Rajasthan

Udaipur must be one of the world’s most romantic cities. Palaces and havelis line Lake Pichola — whose serene surface belies the crocodile living within — and in the centre sits a confection, a former maharajah’s palace, now a luxury hotel. Lake Palace Hotel is one of the most photographed hotels in the world. Obviously (see top picture).

City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan. Known as the Pink City because of the colour of the walls and buildings in the old city, it is a large, bustling and prosperous place, with lots to see and do, like the City Palace, Amber Fort, Jantar Mantar observatory and the bazaars and markets. But I prefer the smaller towns and rural Rajasthan.

Bada Bagh, Royal Cenotaphs outside of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

Jaisalmer, on the far outskirts of Rajasthan, deep in the heart of the desert, is my favourite place in Rajasthan. Here is an 11th century fort, continuously inhabited, on a hill top in the centre of the small golden town; and here you can take a camel safari out onto the dunes and see the stars like you’ve never seen them.

Camel driver Lal Singh at a small resort among the sand dunes, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

Amber Fort, which sits atop a hill overlooking Jaipur is filled with murals, frescoes, stained glass, painted walls — it’s dazzling. Below is one small window that caught my attention — a scene from the life of Krishna.

Krishna stained glass, Amber Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

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Travel Snapshots: Travelling in the Far East

Mariellen — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:27:04 +0000

Bangkok, Thailand 1992

Photographs from my early travels

A photo essay of me travelling in Asia

I started travelling long before Breathedreamgo was launched, long before I went to India in 2005 and long before digital cameras were invented. Recently, I dug out my old photo albums and scanned a bunch of photographs of me travelling around the world — to Asia, Europe, Central America and Australia. So, for a lark, here I am in in Tokyo, Japan and Bangkok and Koh Samui, Thailand in the 1990s.

Japan

In 1992, I moved with my then-boyfriend to Tokyo, Japan. He was working in the film business (for a cinema company), and I was a full-time tourist. I spent my days in Tokyo learning how to shop in the Daimuru supermarket — I had to take lessons, I kid you not — and how to negotiate the bus-and-train system. I bought a book written by an expat in Tokyo called You can’t there from here to give you an idea how complex it is. The highlight of my year in Japan was taking the bullet train to Kyoto, the Paris of the East, by myself during Himani (Cherry Blossom Festival) and staying at a 300-year-old ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) and sleeping on the matted ground.

Philosopher's Walk during Cherry Blossom Festival, Kyoto, Japan 1992

In Kyoto, Japan 1992

Thailand

While we were in Japan, we travelled to Australia and Hong Kong for business and Thailand for pleasure. It was a few months after an uprising, and tourism was way down. We stayed at the world’s top-rated hotel at the time, The Oriental in Bangkok; and flew down to Koh Samui and stayed in a perfect Thai-style bungalow on the beach. At that time, it was the best vacation of my life. In the top picture, above, I am celebrating after finding an out-of-the way restaurant in Bangkok listed in my guidebook. Below, a rainy day in paradise.

Koh Samui, Thailand 1992

Lunch at The Oriental in Bangkok, Thailand 1992

Shimoda

One of my favourite places in Japan, aside from Kyoto, was a small, traditional seaside town we visited called Shimoda. The traditional Japan of legend lives on in this town, where you could still see people walking in the streets in print-block robes and wooden shoes after bathing in natural hot springs; and sipping tea and sake in small cafes like the one pictured below. I will never forget the seafood nor the gardens filled with hydrangeas. There is a a historical park in Shimoda dedicated to the “opening of Japan” and featuring a bust of Jimmy Carter. They love Jimmy Carter in Japan. George Bush Sr. not so much. (I was in Japan was he threw up on the prime minister.)

In Shimoda, Japan 1992

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Fashionable travel clothes at Shopgirls

Mariellen — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:53:34 +0000

At the Shopgirls boutique

Breathedreamgo now has official clothing supplier!

Recently, I was walking along Queen St. W., in Parkdale, Toronto, when I discovered Shopgirls. I couldn’t believe it: a store in my neighbourhood, with a great atmosphere and staff, that has gorgeous, affordable women’s clothes that travel well and that you can buy online! And then I met the owner, Michelle Germain, and knew instantly that we were like-minded, and that she was the reason I like the clothes so much. So I asked Michelle if she would be willing to become the “official fashion clothing supplier” for Breathedreamgo — in other words for me! — and she said yes. She is totally cool.

I’ve been so busy travelling and writing the last few years, I stopped paying attention to my wardrobe and how I look. But now that Breathedreamgo and my travel career are both doing so well, and I am going to meetings and speaking at conferences, I felt it was time for a makeover and especially for new clothes. So Michelle spent a couple of hours with me and put me in some of Shopgirl’s most classic and fashionable women’s clothes.

At the Shopgirls boutique

The essential pieces she started me off with were Second Denim yoga jeans that are super comfortable, a flowing silk “Lily” top in deep teal and a red purse by Nella Bella called The London Bag Multi-Tasker. Shopgirls is big on yoga jeans, and offers the biggest selection in Canada. The Lily top by Veronique Miljkovitch can be scrunched up and jammed in a suitcase or backpack and comes out looking good. The wrinkles only change the top’s style; they don’t ruin it.

moi trying on a dress by Veronique Miljkovitch - I bought it in blue

They also love Nella Bella purses. I took my “multi-tasker” to Halifax with me and loved the versatility. It is composed of five pieces: a large and small purse and three separate straps. I carried it on the plane as a messenger bag, and then when I went out for dinner, I put the chain handle on only the small bag, and I had a smart evening purse.

While there are many designers represented at Shopgirls, I kept falling in love with pieces by Melissa Nepton and Veronique Miljkovitch. Both of these designers make elegant, flowing, flattering clothes that suit my age, but that allow me to retain my “funky integrity,” as my friend Shelly put it. Shelly, owner of Lila Yoga Toronto came with me to take photos and offer a sound second opinion.

I also bought a flowing off-white top called Jasmine by Melissa Nepton, a flowing top called Uma by Veronique Miljkovitch and a simple pencil skirt by The Paddock.

Among other reasons for loving Shopgirls is that the store features all-Canadian clothes. This is from their website:

2 of 5 pieces of The London Bag Multi-tasker

“Established in Parkdale Village since 2007, Shopgirls features the best of up-and-coming and reputable Canadian designers. Pieces are carefully edited to cater women of all shapes and sizes… celebrating the female form as it should be. You will find stylish and creative pieces from over 50 Canadian designers including the most figure flattering jeans in the world!

Armed with the best selection in Canada, and boasting over 5,000 happy bums who’ve been fitted in Second Denim’s Yoga Jeans, the Shopgirls team offers expert advice on making all women look and feel incredible. Fashion need not be so serious ladies…bring your babies, dogs, smiles, and fabulousness and let the Shopgirls team work their magic!”

The 5-in-1 Dress: Perfect for travel

One of Shopgirls’ specialties, perfect for travel, is the 5-in-1 Dress. This slinky dress can actually be worn much more than five ways — if you watch the video you’ll see what I mean.

Check out the Shopgirls website. You can order their clothes from around the globe. And write to me if you want my opinion! I am sure I will be visiting the store often. Thanks so much to Michelle and Ashleigh of Shopgirls, and my friend Shelly for a wonderful, and long overdue, shopping spree. I hope this is just the beginning of a beautiful — and fashionable! — friendship.

Photo courtesy Katherine Holland.

[DISCLOSURE NOTE: Yoga Jeans, Lily top and Nella Bella bag provided by Shopgirls for promotional consideration. But I would have bought them.]

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How to “do” a yoga ashram in India

Mariellen — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:38:11 +0000

Yoga Ashram India series on TravelWireAsia

I write a regular ‘column’ for the TravelWireAsia website about India, yoga and travel in Asia (my favourite continent for travel!). Recently, I published a three-part series on How to “do” a yoga ashram in India. Here’s a synopsis of each post — to read the full article click on the link provided.

Part 1: How to find an ashram in India

HAVE you considered going to an ashram in India? This is a 3-part series on where to go, what you need to know and what to expect.

Holy men have been congregating in ashrams in India to meditate and chant since the dawn of time. But they’ve only become popular as a traveller’s destination since The Beatles went to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram in Rishikesh in the late 1960s and yoga became a worldwide phenomenon.

The best way to find an ashram is to ask people you know, especially your yoga teacher. Some of the questions you should ask include: Does the ashram or school take foreign students; do they have a program for foreigners? Is instruction in English? Where, exactly, is the ashram or school; is it accessible and in a place that has access to trains, the Internet, etc. Click here to read the full article How to find an ashram.

Part 2: What to pack and how to get ready for your ashram adventure

Once you’ve decided to stay at an ashram in India, and you know where you’re going, it’s time to start getting ready. Find out everything you can about the ashram – including the amenities, daily routine, accommodations and what you need to bring. Talk to people who’ve been there to find out what it’s really like.

Ashrams are not hotels, they do not come equipped with mod cons and supplies. They tend to be very simple, and you have to bring almost everything you need with you – but remind yourself that you are not going to indulge in luxury. Bring what you need, but bring the bare minimum, such as: all the toiletries you need, including soap, shampoo and medications, a flashlight, a towel, a shawl or sweater (it can be chilly at night in winter and in the mountains), loose cotton clothes, preferably Indian-style (Lululemon spandex just doesn’t cut it), flipflops and/or sandals, etc. Click here to read the full article What to pack and how to get ready for your ashram adventure in India.

Yoga capital of the world: RIshikesh, India

Part 3: What to expect at an ashram and the daily routine

Preparations can only take you so far when you’re travelling or experiencing something new — you have to expect the unexpected. And this is doubly, triply true of travel in India! It’s also especially true of doing something that is off-the-radar for most people from the west, where spirituality, and even just the concept of looking within, is nowadays considered a radical notion.

Looking within is exactly what you do at an ashram, and if you’re new to it, you may not know where to start — or where to look. That’s what the daily routine is for. The daily routine grounds you in the life of the ashram and provides you with a map. The “destination” is your unique experience and epiphanies. When in doubt, follow the routine and have faith that something will happen! And if that something turns out to be a catharsis, the routine will support you as you go through it.

I always go through a few very uncomfortable days of unwinding when I first get to the ashram. I usually feel like I have the flu, but I know it’s the symptoms of a natural detoxification. Click here to read the full article What to expect at an ashram and the daily routine.

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7 Super Shots from India and Canada

Mariellen — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:45:25 +0000

Lake Pichola, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

7 photos that make me laugh, think and dream

The hand prints of women about to commit sati; an off-duty Naga Sadhu; a dish inspired by the last dinner on the Titanic … just three of my 7 Super Shots. I’m highlighting seven photographs in a game of blog tag. Thanks to Kit Whelan of Seek New Travel for tagging me to participate in 7 Super Shots from HostelBookers. I have never met Kit, but I am convinced we are related as my grandmother’s maiden name was Whelan … and because I would WANT to be related to Kit!

So, without further ado here are my seven super shots. I hope you enjoy viewing them even just a seventh as much as I enjoyed taking them!

1. A photo that makes me dream

The photo above was taken from my hotel room across Lake Pichola, in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India — one of the dreamiest places I have ever been. It’s all Maharajah Palaces and winding bazaars and rooftop restaurants. I want to live there. Maybe I will ….

2. A photo that tells a story

On a different trip to Rajasthan (I’ve been about five times!), I had my friend take this photo of me touching the sati hand prints at the entrance to Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur. The wives of a Maharajah killed in battle made these hand prints on their way out of the fort to be immolated on his funeral pyre. This practise was called sati, and is illegal in India today. Thank goodness.

At Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

3. A photo that makes me laugh

In 2010 I went to the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, India. It’s the largest spiritual gathering on earth and attracts millions of pilgrims, pandits, sadhus and others. I spent one afternoon hangin’ within the Naga Sadhus — India’s famous naked holy men — where I snapped this.

Naga Sadhu, Kumbh Mela, Haridwar, India 2010

4. A photo I am proud of

I snapped this at the beginning of my walk along the entire length of Marine Drive in Mumbai, where I ended up at dusk at Chowpatty Beach. I’m just surprised this is so awesome, that’s all I can say. I wish I could figure out how I took it, so I can take more like it.

Marine Drive, Mumbai, India

5. A photo that takes my breath away

Truly, I don’t have the photographic skill for this category. You have to SEE the world’s third-highest mountain, Kanchendzonga, looming over Darjeeling, India to believe it. And it doesn’t happen often that you get a clear day like this. I was very lucky, the day I went up Tiger Hill to see this mountain at sunrise … luckier still because it was my birthday.

6. A photo that makes me think

When I first traveled in India, in 2005-06, I had just started blogging. My readers wanted me to write a post about what India’s “really like.” So one day I walked from my hotel room in Chennai directly east until I got to the beach and snapped whatever I saw. I made a photo essay of the result, and this was one of the photos I took.

On the street in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

7. A photo that is mouth-watering

I hope you don’t get the idea from this photo that I don’t like Indian food! Nothing could be further from the truth. I just don’t take a lot of food shots and this one turned out well, so…. It’s very recent, from last weekend, in Halifax. I went there to cover the Titanic centenary events, and each night ate a Titanic-themed dinner. This is Oysters a la Russe from the 5 Fishermen restaurant. I don’t eat meat, but I do love seafood.

Oysters a la Russe, 5 Fishermen, Halifax, Canada

Now, it’s your turn

I am nominating the following 5 Travel Blogs to take part:

1. Uncornered Market

2. Legal Nomads

3. Man on the Lam

4. Wild Junket

5. White Indian Housewife

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People of Halifax are Titanic heroes

Mariellen — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:08:31 +0000

Crew from Halifax ship Mackay-Bennett recover Titanic victim

Shroud of Titanic woven into fabric of Halifax

Before I went to Halifax for the Titanic 100 commemoration events, I didn’t get it. I didn’t really get the full impact of the loss of more than 1,500 people when the ship sank on April 15, 1912 after striking an iceberg about 600 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland. I didn’t get that the crews of two Halifax-based cable ships, the Mackay-Bennett and the Minia, unhesitatingly made for the wreck site on April 17, two days later, after being contracted by the White Star company. I didn’t get that these men braved the cold, choppy waters of the North Atlantic to pull 302 dead bodies — one of them a 19-month-old baby — into small boats lowered from the cable ships for the purpose.

This photo, above, is now the enduring image for me of the epic disaster. It has replaced photographic images of the great steamship leaving Southampton and of Captain E.J. Smith standing on the bridge. It has replaced the drawing of the Wallace Hartley band playing on the deck as the ship sinks in my old Titanic book and computer generated images of the Titanic breaking in two before slipping beneath the waves.

Placing flowers on the grave of the Unknown Child, Halifax, April 15, 2012

After spending the Titanic 100th anniversary weekend steeped in the historic port city’s many connections to the world’s most famous shipwreck, interviewing Titanic experts in Halifax, attending the Night of the Bells Titanic 100 anniversary event on the evening of April 14 and the spiritual ceremony at Fairview Lawn Cemetery on April 15, where about 120 Titanic victims are buried (including the 19-month-old “Unknown Child,” J. Dawson and John Law Hume, the band’s violinist) – I now have a much better understanding of Halifax’s deeply etched connections to the shipwreck. And I now feel that the people of Halifax are Titanic heroes — especially the crew and undertakers aboard the Mackay-Bennett and the Minia.

The City of Sorrows

Kipling said it best when he said that Halifax is “the warden of the honour of the north.” The port city on the edge of the tumultuous North Atlantic is long accustomed to maritime rescue and recovery operations. But of course the sinking of the RMS Titanic is the most famous maritime shipwreck connected to Halifax.

New York was where they brought the 706 survivors, aboard the Cunard liner Carpathia. About 10,000 people waited dockside in New York for the Carpathia to arrive. Halifax was where they quietly, and in secrecy, brought the victims, the bodies picked up from the rough seas, kept afloat by their cork life preservers. When the body of the baby floated “face up” towards the boat, it brought hardened seamen to tears. The 75-man crew of the Mackay-Bennett paid for a funeral and headstone for the child, who was buried with ceremony in the grave of the Unknown Child (recently identified as Sidney Goodwin).

I spent my first day in Halifax touring some of the approximately 45 Titanic-related sites in the city, and interviewing people about Halifax’s connection to the tragedy.

Garry Shutlak, Senior Reference Archivist, Nova Scotia Archives

Garry Shutlak is the Senior Reference Archivist at the Nova Scotia Archives and he is a Titanic subject expert who not only has bookshelves full of Titanic books in his office — he even lives in a flat in the home of Titanic victim George Wright. Garry has an encyclopedic knowledge of Halifax’s Titanic connections, but during much of our talk he stressed that Halifax has a history of helping out in the wake of disasters and that Haligonians are proud of their role. “We like to help,” he said. He also talked about how the Titanic connections are woven into the fabric of the city. Growing up, everyone had a frame made from Titanic driftwood, or was related to a passenger or one of the crew of the rescue and recovery ships, or lived or worked in a building associated with the Titanic.

It was Garry who first impressed upon me Halifax’s role in maritime rescue and recovery. Here he is above holding a book about another major shipwreck that Halifax assisted, the Empress of Ireland. The Nova Scotia archives has a lot of resources about the Titanic, including fatality reports and a virtual exhibit.

Marine biologist Steve Blasco

My next stop was the Bedford Institute of Oceanographyto meet with marine geologist Steve Blasco. Steve was the chief scientist on a Canada-Soviet joint expedition to the Titanic wreck in 1991 and went down for 17 hours to study the ocean floor. Steve gave me a tour of the institute’s permanent Titanic exhibit and explained to me the important scientific findings that resulted in his expedition to the Titanic “grave” site — including a new understanding of the dynamic nature of the deep ocean, and how Titanic is now part of an ocean floor ecosystem. The photo above is of the bridge, before the sinking and now, 100 years later on the ocean floor. It demonstrates the ship’s transformation by the living waters.

Steve was instrumental in supporting the Robert Ballard expedition that discovered the wreck in 1985 — in fact the idea was born during dinner at Steve’s place in Halifax. He also helped Canadian film director James Cameron build a model of the bow section for use in creating accurate sets for the blockbuster movie. When I asked him what it was like to explore the massive wreck, the scientist turned very human and he told me how surprised he was by his emotional reaction to seeing the great ship through the tiny porthole of the submersible. Watch the video as he describes his feelings.

The flare heard round the world

Titanic survivor Edwina Celia Troutt

All of the events I attended in Halifax were interesting, moving and well-presented, including the permanent Titanic exhibit at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and a fashion show I saw there — put on by the costume students at Dalhousie University. Each student chose a Titanic passenger and spent a year researching the woman, creating a gown based on real 1912 designs, and assuming the character of that passenger in the fashion show. It was a fascinating evening, and the clothes were gorgeous.

I also ate Titanic-themed dinners at restaurants in historic buildings. On Friday night, I ate a Titanic dinner at the Five Fishermen. This restaurant is housed in the former Snow Funeral Home — where the bodies of the first class passengers, including John Jacob Astor were taken. The staff there told me the building is haunted by two ghosts, and one is a little girl who died aboard the Titanic. The best dinner I ate was at the Press Gang, in one of the oldest buildings in Halifax.

There is no doubt that the people of Halifax have a genuine and heart-felt connection to the Titanic story, and it is not just because of the anniversary. There was a mournful, haunting feeling at many of the events, which cannot be artificially produced.

“For Halifax, the City of Sorrow, the Titanic continues to loom large … told in the story of the grave stones of those 150 who perished on this day a century ago. Halifax can be proud of that she played her part well from beginning to end … with dignity, care and compassion.” — Night of the Bells

Rhapsody Quintet playing Nearer My God To Thee with starry sky behind and flares being shot overhead, Night of the Bells, Halifax, April 15, 2012, 12:27 am

[DISCLOSURE NOTICE: I was a guest of Halifax and Nova Scotia Tourism and stayed at the Westin Nova Scotian, where each morning I had a sunrise view of the harbour. Lovely.]

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