BreatheDreamGo » vacation

Bicycle rickshaw ride through the Haridwar bazaar, India

Mariellen — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:58:11 +0000

For Video Friday on BreatheDreamGo, I have a video I took while riding in a bicycle rickshaw on the way to the train station from my hotel in Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela. I was staying at the wonderful Haveli Hari Ganga, which is located deep in the bazaar – where the streets are too narrow for cars and too crowded with people and stalls piled high with brass figurines of the Hindu pantheon, pyramids of vermilion kumkum powder and neatly stacked wafers of pastel sweets. The hotel has its own bicycle rickshaw for transporting passengers to and from the train station.

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Memories of Rishidwar and saying goodbye to India (for now)

Mariellen — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 04:34:09 +0000

Front gate of "the Beatles ashram," Rishikesh

All you need is love

This blog is dedicated to my older brother Matthew. If it wasn’t for his Beatles obsession in the late 60s and early 70s, I might never have come to India. I used to follow him around when we were children, which meant listening to a lot of Beatles music. I remember looking intently at the pictures of the Beatles — especially George Harrison, my fave — wearing long hair, flowing shirts and marigold garlands. I had always loved anything “Oriental, exotic and mystical,” and when the Beatles went to India, I was entranced. I secretly wished I was old enough to be a “hippie” and join them.

Charming Bengali sadhu at Beatles ashram gate

And this year for the first time, I actually made it to the “Beatles ashram” — the former ashram of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi — on the outskirts of Rishikesh. It was a very hot day and I was stupidly not carrying water or a hat, but I was determined to go. When I got there, a very enganging Bengali sadhu was sitting at the entrance with two middle aged German men, also Beatles pilgrims. The gate was closed and the gatekeeper was not going to let me in until I waved my magic talisman at him — my letter of introduction from the Ministry of Tourism.

So I went in alone, and walked up the path towards the main building with the gatekeeper’s warnings about wild animals foremost in my mind. The ashram has been abandoned for many years and is overgrown by jungle and very creepy. But you can tell it must have been a beautiful spot and it still commands one of the best locations in Rishikesh.

Beatles ashram, pathway with "beehive" meditation huts

However, after only a few minutes of picture snapping, I noticed a tree nearby waving ominously and thought: “It’s either monkeys or an elephant and in either case, I’m outta here!” But in those brief moments I think I closed a loop, opened when I was a child. So much of my India experience has been about living my dreams, many of them first conceived when I was a “pensive” girl. I still really love so many of those India-inspired Beatles songs, such as Within You, Without You, Dear Prudence and Across the Universe (apparently the Beatles were extremely prolific during the weeks they spent in Rishikesh, writing more than 20 songs). So it was fun to connect to the spirit of the music through the place.

Shiva, god of yoga, seated in meditative bliss, Rishikesh

In the abode of Shiva

I actually spent only one night in Rishikesh this year, camping out on the floor of my friend and teacher’s living room. His ashram, Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram, was full, but as it turned out, I think I had the best room in the place as its big picture windows faced towards the mountains. All night I felt the rush of wind coming down from the foothills of the Himalayas. The Himalayas are the abode of Shiva and I really felt his presence in this scintillating wind, unlike any other wind I have ever felt.

Normally I love the peace of Rishikesh, and the natural beauty of its setting at the top of the valley, where the green Ganga river tumbles out of the mountains. It’s a gorgeous place, and at the top end of the town (Tapovan and Lakshman Jhula) are white sand beaches lining the fresh, clean, cool river. But this year, the entire area was overrun with Kumbh Mela pilgrims and I couldn’t wait to get to peaceful Aurovalley Ashram. So after walking through town and taking pictures of the Beatles ashram and the alabaster-white statue of Shiva, I was ready to leave.

The quiet end of Rishikesh

Going to Rishikesh was part of the “loop-closing” nature of this trip to India. I have come to realize the theme for this trip is “coming down to earth.” I fell in love with India on my first trip (2005-2006), and on this trip, my fourth, the honeymoon ended and the relationship began. It has been a bit of a bumpy landing, but I am open and accepting of this stage in the process as I know it will lead to a more balanced and realistiic view and experience of India; more clarity; and more reasonable expectations. Just like in any relationship, when the stardust evaporates from your eyes and you see the person as they really are.

Okay India bye bye

At sunrise on the Ganga near Aurovalley ashram

I’m writing this in Delhi, during my final week in India on this trip. I’ve been here for about three months this time, and in some ways it feels like a lifetime. I’ve been to Bangalore, Goa, Mumbai, Kolkata, Darjeeling and Sikkim; and more recently I spent almost a month at Aurovalley Ashram, which lies halfway between Rishikesh and Haridwar — home of this year’s Maha Kumbh Mela. This blog is not about my whole trip, but about the time I spent in Rishidwar (Rishikesh-Haridwar), and the realizations I gleaned from my meditative time there.

Beautiful Gopi lives at the ashram

I deliberately scheduled my introspective time for the end of my trip, to try and process everything I saw, felt, learned and experienced. Whenever I spend time at Aurovalley Ashram, I always feel that I have healed some part of myself; and I always feel my consciousness has grown. It’s hard to explain, but I always feel different. Last year for example, I realized that I had become vegetarian. It wasn’t a conscious choice; I had just evolved into being pure veg. It just felt right. This year, I turned my attention to my digestive problems and by eating slowly and consciously, I did a lot of deep healing work. And I also spent a lot of time just being with myself, and getting back in contact with my Self. This is probably the most important — and most underrated — activity of life.

Writing India

In future, I think I will be much more discerning about how I spend my time and money in India. I have now been to almost all of India’s big cities and I don’t need to go again unless there is a good reason (except for my home base in Delhi). I also don’t need to go to big tourist attractions again, like the Taj Mahal, the forts of Jaipur and Jodhpur, the Victoria Memorial, the Gateway to India, etc.

Bridges lights over the Ganga, Haridwar

My interests are in rural/traditional and wilderness areas (especially protecting the tiger), spiritual India, culture (music, dance, books, film) and the welfare of women and children. I am always looking for real people, places and projects in these areas for my blog or print articles, and I will continue to do so; especially off the beaten path (I am setting my sights on Gujurat, Madya Pradesh and Orissa for future trips). I want to refine and focus my travel in India, and my writing topics — and of course I will continue on my mission to share the beauty of India’s wisdom and culture with the world.

Govinda Baba is originally from Toronto. I met him in Benares in 2009 and bumped into him this year at the Kumbh Mela.

As ususal, I met a lot of amazing people on this trip. My community in India is growing and strengthening all the time, and my sense of having a second home is becoming more substantial. I am working in India for the first time (writing for several Indian magazines), which also helps to bring the experience of being here down to earth.

I am ending this trip with a stay at the Haveli Hari Ganga in Haridwar, living in the family home in Delhi, and an upper respiratory tract infection — which was exactly how I began my first trip to India in December 2005. It’s the end of one era and the beginning of another: my introductory or honeymoon period to India has ended and the real relationship has begun.

So thank you to India, to the people of India, for making my trip relatively problem-free, and full of memorable and magical moments that I will never forget. Enjoy the pictures. India is a photographer’s — and artist’s — paradise. It even turns amatuers like me into enthusiasts.

Cleansing the Ganga with milk during aarti in Haridwar

Upcoming on BreatheDreamGo

I will be publishing lots more India travel blogs after I return to Canada. I have lots of material — photos, interviews, adventures — that I haven’t written about yet. You will meet the director of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and the King of Darjeeling tea; you will have tours of some wonderful places to stay in India, such as Haveli Hari Ganga and the Windamere Hotel; you will be able to enjoy my interviews with several spiritual masters, including Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; and you will find out about some magical nights I spent in Delhi attending a Sufi music festival (where the star performer reminded me of Janis Joplin) and an intimate night of music and dance hosted by Pandit Ravi Shankar in honour of George Harrison’s birthday. Yes, that George Harrison.

Sign on terrace in Haridwar

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Darjeeling: Steeped in stories

Mariellen — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:48:34 +0000

Kanchendzonga, sunrise, March 8 2010

Stop two on my IndiaTourism-sponsored road trip was three nights in Darjeeling, known as the “queen of the hill stations,” and home of the “toy train” and of course the “champagne of tea.”

I have long wanted to visit Darjeeling and when I was researching and planning my trip, I set my heart on staying at the Windamere Hotel. I had also set my heart on getting up at 4 am to drive from Darjeeling to Tiger Hill to watch the sun rise light up the great Himalayan range on my 50th birthday. Luckily for me, both IndiaTourism and nature cooperated.

I got to stay at the Windamere Hotel and the morning I went up to Tiger Hill, March 8, the weather was clear. After waiting in the cold half-light for 30 or 60 minutes, the sun suddenly burst into view in the east, everyone clapped and shouted and the white Himalayan mountains in the west — especially the massive five-peaked Kanchendzonga — started turning various glorious shades of gold and rose as the sun cleared the horizon and climbed into the sky. It is indeed one of nature’s greatest shows on earth and I felt a good way to mark a milestone birthday. I felt truly elated watching this spectacle, it was a dream come true.

sunrise from Tiger Hill, March 8 2010

Seeing this sun rise from Tiger Hill was on my must-do list; and so was seeing Mount Everest. I accomplished both on my birthday, as Everest is one of the peaks you can see from Tiger Hill (though it is much further away than Kanchendzonga and therefore much smaller). Kanchendzonga is the third highest mountain on earth, and it is so wide that it dominates the skyline in this part of India — that is, when it is visible. I saw it the morning of my birthday, and was lucky enough to see how it dominates Darjeeling’s horizon, but then it disappeared into swirls of mist and cloud for the next six days that I was in Darjeeling and Sikkim. I never saw it again. Apparently, the mountain people say that the mountain chooses who it reveals itself to, so I feel blessed to have seen it at all.

From there, my amazing guide Paras suggested we wait until the crowds leave and walk part way down Tiger Hill, which is located within the boundaries of a nature reserve. (Paras works for Help Tourism: I am going to write more about this wonderful company, which is a pioneer in eco and community tourism in India’s north-east). He was always making fantastic suggestions such as this, and I loved the walk down almost as much as the sunrise. We got to see the mystical mountain (Kanchendzonga) from various lovely spots and visited a very old and sacred hillside temple dedicated to the goddess Durga.

Luckily for us, we arrived just as the morning puja was taking place. There were only three other worshippers there, all women — which was fitting as it was International Women’s Day. I felt very moved as the women and the Pandit welcomed us whole-heartedly into the ceremony, and I could feel the sacred spiritual energy of this small, venerable temple that clings to the mountainside facing Kanchendzonga. When the Pandit placed a tikka mark on my forehead and wrapped a red and gold cloth around my neck, I felt deeply blessed. My birthday celebrations were complete. I thought to myself that this simple temple, set in a natural environment and deeply imbued with sacred energy, suits me so much more than the big, bustling and famous temples. I didn’t go to Kalighat in Kolkata, and then was treated to this amazing puja on my birthday. “Ram never makes a mistake,” so the saying goes.

Durga temple, Tiger Hill

So that was how my first morning in Darjeeling started. My nights were spent at the Windamere Hotel. This is what the Windamere Hotel is like.

When I was a young girl, I went through a phase where I was entranced by Victorian England. One of my favourite movie was The Little Princess with Shirley Temple as the daughter of a wealthy British officer who is sent to the front during the Boer War. She lives in luxury at a private girl’s school in London until he goes missing and all his money is lost. Abruptly she is relegated to living in the attic with another urchin and working as a maid to pay off her school fees. The crusty old gentlemen in the house next door takes a liking to her, and in the middle of the night sends his Indian manservant – who dresses in formal Indian wear, including a turban, and sports a parrot on his arm – to outfit her room with a thick comforter, a luxurious bathrobe, a roaring fire and a table full of good things to eat. She wakes up to this wonderous miracle, and accepts it all with unquestioning enthusiasm. I have always loved this scene, and being at the Windamere Hotel made me feel like a princess.

one of the Windamere's gracious terraces

I will write an entire blog about the Windamere Hotel because it has joined the ranks of very special places I have discovered in India, along with Casa Piccola in Bangalore, Bhakti Kutir in Goa and Inn Seventh Heaven in Pushkar, among others.

Established in the 19th century as a boarding house for bachelor English and Scottish tea planters, the Windamere was converted into a hotel just before the outbreak of the Second World War. The hotel works very hard to retain the old-fashioned charm and attentive service it has always been famous for. Like Darjeeling itself, it is steeped in stories. One of my favourites is that the Chogyal (King) of Sikkim met his young, beautiful American wife (Hope Cooke) in the hotel drawing room in 1958.

my charming bedroom at the Windamere (named Chogyal of Sikkim)

The entire hotel is reminiscent of an English country house, heavy with wood work and light with chintz. The attention to detail and homey touches are astonishing: a hot water bottle in your bed each evening, a gong that announces breakfast, lunch, tea service and dinner, laundry delivered in a quilted cloth folder, white-gloved waiters, a coal fire in your room each evening.

The Windamere also has the most favoured location in town, almost at the top of Observatory Hill, Darjeeling’s highest point. The only thing higher is the Mahakula Temple. The sound of the temple bells and the temple’s peaceful vibes only add to the Windamere’s already considerable charms. I would say that of all the hotels in town, the Windamere must have the most spacious grounds and best views. Though there are at least two other upscale hotels in town, none offer the wide-open vistas you can find at the Windamere.

This hotel conjured my past in so many ways. In some ways, it reminded me of my family cottage growing up, and in some ways of the England I imagined when I as a child. So many stars seemed to align for me here. The first night I arrived I looked out my window at a single bright star in the mauve dusk (must have been Venus) and I felt “I have been here before.” I don’t know whether it was in reality, in a past life or in my imagination.

And it’s not just the hotel of course, it’s Darjeeleing itself. From the time I was about three years old, my grandmother, Nana, and I used to have tea parties. She bought me a plastic tea set when I was about three; and a china set when I was about seven or eight. I loved having tea with my elegant and kindly grandmother, who was a very good story teller along with being a very stylish woman (she wore simple Wallis Simpson-style A-line dresses in shades of taupe adorned with large but tasteful costume necklaces, rings and bracelets and had long tapered nails). Stories and tea went together, and they have both become important to me. I grew up to become a writer and a tea drinker (a tea lover!). So going to Darjeeling was a kind of pilgrimage for me in several ways.

When I first arrived in Darjeeling, I kept saying to my guide, Paras, “I can’t believe I am finally here!” My time there was magical partially because of Darjeeling itself, partially because of Paras, and partially because I was staying at the Windamere Inn.

the temple at the top of Observatory Hill -- which is both Buddhist and Hindu

Darjeeling is a special place because of a serendipitous meeting of location and history. Situated way up in the Himalayan foothills, it is presided over by the mighty massif Kanchendzonga. The British discovered that the elevation and conditions were precisely suited to the cultivation of tea, so they began importing tea plants from China and slowly but surely established a thriving tea industry. The town of Darjeeling was home base to the British tea planters and eventually became the summer residence of the British Raj, whose capital in India was steamy Calcutta until 1911. When the summer heat grew intense, the British Raj in Calcutta made the arduous journey into the hills to find relief in Darjeeling’s temperate climate.

Even to date, Darjeeling retains the flavour of the colonial past and gives the town a historically rich texture. The “toy train,” which runs on the world’s smallest gauge — it’s ancient steam engines pull two tiny blue bogeys — still runs between Darjeeling and Siliguri. Several times a day you can hear it’s comforting whistle as the train pulls either into or out of the station. Train enthusiasts come from all over the world, but perhaps especially from Britain, to experience this train, which has been in operation since the mid 1800s. It is the same train which carried the British Raj.

Mine is not the only camera sticking out the window

I took a joy trip on this train, riding for about an hour from Darjeeling down to Ghum. To be honest, though it was very slow and I was occasionally sprinkled with soot from the charcoal-powered steam engine, I much preferred it to the bumpy road. If and when I go back to Darjeeeling, I’m taking the little train! In most places, the train runs alongside the road and in front of houses and stores. Often, the buildings are only an arm’s length away. I felt like I could have reached out and grabbed a bag of chips from one of the little stalls along the way (except I wasn’t hungry).

For me, going to Darjeeling really was all about the tea, so I was thrilled to visit my first tea garden. Paras and our driver Ashok made our way through the narrow, crowded winding streets of Darjeeling to the outskirts of town. Darjeeling has become a sprawling city that seems to cling precariously to the side of a mountain. You are always traveling either up or down, and there’s a world of difference between being in the crowded market areas and the many tea gardens that stretch out in every direction covering many hillsides for miles and miles.

tea as far as the eye can see

In a very short time we reached Happy Valley tea estate, one of the oldest and highest-elevation tea garden in Darjeeling. First I toured the factory, which is basically a functional museum. All the equipment is vintage and seems to be in perfect working order as tea is processed here during the season (which hadn’t started yet — I was about a week or two too soon for the “first flush” picking.) Then we went around back and walked out into the tea garden, which was one of the absolute highlights of my stay in Darjeeling.

We walked for about half an hour or more, past the collection of small houses where the tea workers live and out into the tea gardens. At that elevation we could see for miles, and we were completely surrounded by carefully trimmed tea bushes growing in a luxuriant pattern. From a distance, a tea garden looks like a thick deep green carpet. The air was fresh and clean and the atmosphere calm, sunny and very happy indeed.

Happy Valley tea garden is a happy place

I have always loved tea — like many people, I find it very refreshing — and was not at all surprised to be among tea gardens and feel that the “spirit” of the tea plant is very positive, soothing and uplifting. I’m so glad I was able to travel to Darjeeling and discover this for myself.

While in Darjeeling I was very privileged to meet and interview a number of remarkable people. The first was the Mother Superior of Loreto Convent School. Darjeeling is famous for its many outstanding schools, but I was keen to visit Loreto because of its long history in India, Irish connection and because it was Mother Teresa’s order before she left to start Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. In fact, Mother Teresa was on the train between Calcutta and Darjeeling when she was hit with the epiphany that completely changed her left: she realized that she wanted devote her life to the poor of Calcutta.

Mother Superior of Loreto

Mother Superior showed me around the school and we had a good chat about spirituality. She is of Irish origin, energetic and charming, and can count an open mind and the Irish “gift of the gab” among her best traits. I liked her immensely. Though Loreto was originally founded by an English woman — named Mary Ward (!) — and started in India by a group of Irish nuns, she is the only “foreigner” at Loreto now. All the other teachers and students are from India or Nepal.

I went from Loreto to the Missionaries of Charity house and orphanage and spoke to two beautiful nuns who told me they take care of about 45 adult women who have nowhere else to go. Walking through the compound, I noticed that many of them seemed to be mentally disabled, though very friendly and warm. The children in the orphanage had all been moved down to a lower and warmer elevation for the winter and weren’t back yet, so I didn’t get to visit the orphanage, and also I didn’t take any pictures.

So, I had a busy two-and-half days in Darjeeling, but still had lots of time to relax in my fireplace heated room and on the breathtaking terraces of Windamere, to shop for tea, to walk the mall and to drink tea, of course. From Windamere I went to Sikkim … but that’s another entry for another day … and then came back to the Darjeeling area (to Kurseong) for my last day in the north-east. In Kurseong, I met the “king” of Darjeeling tea, and drank tea with him while sitting in his drawing room in the shadow of an enormous stuffed Bengal Tiger his grandfather had bagged. But that’s another story!

famous tea store on the mall in Darjeeling

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Ellora and Ajanta caves surprisingly stupendous

Mariellen — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:10:16 +0000

The entrance to the Kailasa Temple, Ellora

The Ellora and Ajanta caves are located outside of Aurangabad, which is an eight-hour train ride from Mumbai, heading towards the geographical centre of India. The centre of India is actually quite a remote area and many tourists give it a pass, in favour of the more well-known places like Goa, Rajasthan, Kerala and Agra / the Taj Mahal.

But if I have my way, the caves will join the Taj Mahal on the must-see list both for visitors to India and Indians. I am not a scholar or expert on ancient Buddhist and Hindu painting and sculpture, but I know a good thing when I see it. These caves are magnificent. I knew, of course, that they were amazing and worth a visit, but I was overwhlemed by their beauty, antiquity, immensity and scope.

Figure of Buddha, Ellora

Ellora

I visited Ellora first, which is closer to Aurangabad (just a 45 minute drive). The caves were built between the 5th and 10th centuries, and are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The wonderful people at IndiaTourism arranged a car, driver and guide for me. I felt surrounded by warm, caring and professional people the entire time I was in Aurangabad, which has left me with a very good impression of the area and makes me want to go back and spend more time (I was only there for two days).

My guide, Sheetal, explained that the name Ellora was a British concession because the real name was hard to pronounce. There are 34 caves, some Hindu, some Buddhist and a few Jain. I was not able to see them all as I was tired my first day in Aurangabad and also, after I saw the Kailasa Temple (#16), I just couldn’t take any more in.

Ellora Buddhist caves

The Buddhist caves are austere and atmospheric and some of them are much larger and more elaborate than I ever would have imagined. I enjoyed walking in the dark cool interiors, among the serene yet imposing statues. I remembered that Joseph Campbell had visited these caves and was really struck by their spiritual power.

After touring about 10 Buddhist caves we came to Kailasa Temple, which is approximately the centre cave, and divides the Hindu from the Buddhist caves. I was thunderstruck by Kailash Temple, and completely unprepared for its size, the intricacy of its carvings and its achievement in terms of engineering and architecture.

I was unable to capture a sense of this magnificent creation using photography (I would have needed scaffolding and a very large-format camera); and I am at a loss for words to describe it. The most amazing thing about it is that it was carved from the rock of the mountain. It was not built. They had to take out some 220,000 tonnes of rock to create a “trench” around it, leaving a massive centre rock, which they then carved into the shape of a giant chariot that is also a temple. The whole thing is covered in sculptures depicting many scenes, such as the great Hindu epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, the descent of river Ganga, and Ravana shaking Mount Kailash.

Side view of Kailasa Temple, showing the "trench"

The temple was built in honour of Shiva and named after his abode in the Himalayas. It holds the distinction of being the single largest monolithic structure in the world, and it covers an area double the size of the Parthenon in Athens.

Ajanta

Statue of Buddha, Ajanta

The next day, we left early (me, Ram from IndiaTourism and our driver Nath) and drove more than two hours to get to Ajanta. The Ajanta caves, like the temples of Khajuraho, were “lost” for centuries until an Englishman discovered them in the mid-19th century. They are all Buddhist, and known more for their paintings — which were largely destroyed by water damage. But what remains is impressive enough to make these caves as remarkable as those at Ellora, but in a different way.

This is from Wikipedia about Ajanta: “rock-cut cave monuments dating from the second century BC, containing paintings and sculpture considered to be masterpieces of both Buddhist religious artand universal pictorial art. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.”

A section of the Ajanta caves

Unfortunately, I was flying back to Delhi in the afternoon, so after our long drive, I had only about two hours to spend at Ajanta — but one could easily spend the whole day. They have a leafy shopping “arcade” set up and ssome restaurants and picnic areas. It’s really well-presented and organized, especially for India. I was happy to see that, like the Taj Mahal, they are trying to keep car pollution away by making people park quite a distance from the caves. Shuttle buses take people back and forth.

My guide, Syed, was a Muslim man who is passionate about India’s culture, and who could speak eloquently, respectfully and knowledgeably about Buddhism and Hinduism. I am absolutely delighted when I come across people and situations that manifest the religious and secular pluralism of India in such a positive and celebratory way.

Sublime Padmanapi, Ajanta Cave 1

Knowing I was pressed for time, Syed showed me the most impressive caves. In Cave 1, I saw one of the paintings that Ajanta is famous for, the portrait of the Bodhisattva Padmanapi. I have a gorgeous batik of this painting in my room in Toronto, but this was my first time seeing the real thing.

Many of the paintings depict scenes from the life of Buddha, in several of his incarnations. Although the paintings are in poor repair, and the caves are only faintly lit (with special lights that do not damage them), with a good guide like Syed, you can really see many of the stories that the walls tell — like that of the fainting queen, who died after her husband renounced her, and his life as a king, to follow the Buddha. It was very moving to see these scenes, in the dark, ancient cave. They are very atmospheric, to say the least!

(NOTE: Again, I was very happy with my little Canon s90. No flash photography is allowed in the Ajanta caves, and on the low-light setting, I think the camera did a pretty good job.)

This ceiling was deliberately uneven to suggest a shamiana (draped canopy)

I hope to go back and spend much more time at both Ellora and Ajanta, and to do my part in helping India promote these incredible treasures. They exemplify the spirit of Incredible India. I would also like to learn more about the lesser-known tourist destinations in India, and to that end I was very happy to meet a local journalist in Aurangabad who specializes in writing about India’s unsung treasures. I have invited Rafique Aziz (a reporter with the Lokmat Times) to do a guest post on my blog, so I hope that will be posted soon. Rafique and I had a really meeting of the minds as we share the same passion: sharing the beauty of India.

Goddess sculpture, Ajanta

After leaving Aurangabad, I was musing about how life sometimes imitates art. I am very fond of the film A Passage to India, it’s one of my favourites, and I have a great memory of seeing it for the first time on the big screen at the gorgeous art deco Eglinton Theatre in Toronto with my Mom, who was also fascinated by India (but never visited). The Ellora caves reminded me, at times, of the Marabar Caves from that book/movie; and then I met a Mr. Aziz in Rafique Aziz (though in the book/movie, he was called Dr. Aziz). I sometimes feel that India has been calling me my entire life, and now that I am here, I am experiencing my destiny unfolding.

Before ending this blog, I want to mention the Rama International Hotel, which I stayed in while in Aurangabad. It is one of only a handful of five-star hotels in Aurangabad, and it is both a really lovely resort hotel, with expansive gardens and an excellent swimming pool; and a professionaly run business hotel with stunning rooms that feature all the mod cons. I highly recommend it as a luxurious base for touring this region (if you can afford it — it’s a splurge). Even its understated elegant exterior and decor, that features carved elephants and goddesses, seems to harmoniously match the experience of seeing the region’s heritage sites.

the other famous portrait at Ajanta, Vajrapani

My only inconvenience was that the controversial Maharahstrian politican Raj Thackeray was staying there the same time I was, and he seems to attract a circus of media, security and supporters. (Apparently, he was in Aurangabad for a bail hearing.) But that’s not the hotel’s fault.

I left Aurangabad feeling so happy to have met my friend Mr. Rao of IndiaTourism (who used to be posted in Toronto); to have met Rafique Aziz; to have enjoyed the hospitality of IndiaTourism, especially through the efforts of Ram; to have stayed at the Rama International Hotel; and, of course, to have finally seen the Ellora and Ajanta caves. It was a great way to end my road trip. I flew back to Delhi on Feb. 25.

The walkway to the pool and healthclub, Rama International Hotel

Thank you for reading. Please visit BreatheDreamGo or stop by my Facebook page at Breathedreamgo.

Beach side in Goa

Mariellen — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:30:27 +0000

Goan sunset

I have always resisted going to Goa, though many people have told me they love it. The beautiful sand beaches and historical buildings sounded good; but the party scene, commercialism and touristy vibe didn’t. However, Goa is situated between Bangalore and Bombay, roughly, so I decided to stop for a few days enroute and see what the fuss was all about.

I carefully researched my destination and settled on Palolem beach in south Goa as it sounded quiet, less touristy and more wellness-oriented; and it is home to Bhakti Kutir, an eco-resort with its own resident yoga teacher and health-conscious restaurant.

After a very short one-hour flight from Bangalore, and a longer cab ride from the airport, I arrived. I really did not know what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised by Bhakti Kutir’s verdant and natural environment. The 22 huts, restaurant, reception, yoga space and Ayurveda centre are situated in a palm grove, surrounded by tropical trees, flowers, shrubs and stone, wood and terracotta art objects. It all looked well-settled and organic, as if it had slowly, creatively and carefully grown from the earth. I liked Bhakti Kutir immediately, and my first impressions were largely reinforced by the six days I spent there.

my luxurious outdoor bathroom

The deciding moment was when the young woman showing me my hut opened the door to my bathroom. I felt I had stepped into a kind of garden-of-eden: the bathroom had walls made of bamboo matting, a tile floor, two trees growing through the floor and no roof whatsoever. The toilet was simply a raised terracotta platform, with footrests and an oblong hole, Indian style, and the shower was cold water only. There was no sink – just a gorgeous huge dark-grey stone vessel filled with water. Small toads jumped around, I showered under the stars and felt it was the most luxurious bathroom I had ever experienced. Otherwise, the hut was very simple, and a bit dark inside, but I had my own private outdoor area bordered by a water fountain made of wood and stone jugs. My only complaint was that my hut was near the entrance to the resort and a bit noisy with the sound of motorbikes, people going in and out and drivers chatting as they waited for fares.

my hut, Bhakti Kutir, Goa

However, I later learned that each hut had its own challenges – some were too near each other, or the kitchen or the yoga centre. Like most of India, Bhakti Kutir is not a quiet place, but it is really lovely, the staff is friendly and helpful and the food is delicious and safe. I ate salads, fruit, juices – all kinds of things I am normally reticent about in India with absolutely no problems. Many of the people I met at the resort were complaining of gastro-intestinal problems, but they had all eaten outside. I ate nothing outside except the milk of one tender coconut the entire time I was there. I just intuitively felt that I should be careful and safe. Goa is so commercial, and so over-run with backpackers and hard-living foreigners, I just didn’t trust the other restaurants. I’m sure some of them are fine, and run with integrity, but I didn’t want to find out the hard way.

sculpture, Bhakti Kutir

I do feel Bhakti Kutir is a special place, unlike most of the beach huts and restaurants I saw, which seem to be simple places catering to backpackers. It was started about 14 years ago by owner Panta, a north Goan man, and his German wife. They found an idyllic, peaceful environment in south Goa – away from the action in north Goa – and created Bhakti Kutir to preserve and celebrate nature. Panta experimented with ecological ideas and techniques, they learned as they went, and built the place hut by hut – no two are alike.

another Goan sunset

I especially liked and appreciated the fusion of the man-made and the natural. The restaurant and yoga centre are open-air, there is no plastic or metal to be seen anywhere, all the furniture is wood, a lot of the food is organic (rare in India) – everything is built and run with minimal impact on the environment. The Ayurveda centre is very professional and well-run. I received a lot of help and advice from the on-site Ayurvedic doctor, Vijay, throughout my stay; and I had an excellent oil massage and a bliss-inducing shirodhara treatment (where a stream of warm oil is continuously poured over the forehead).

Yoga enclosure, Bhakti Kutir

My first morning, I attended a yoga class with resident teacher Swami Yogananda, but I found his style too dictatorial for me: I prefer too take guidance from my own body, sensations and intuition (one of his adjustments actually caused pain in my hip, and I blurted out a loud “ouch,” which I think created a mini-scandal). Otherwise, doing yoga in the morning outdoors under th palm trees was a lovely experience.

So, I finally made it to Goa, and enjoyed staying at Bhakti Kutir, loved walking through a small village to get to Patnem Beach, which is relatively quiet; and loved even morewhen I crossed an outcrop of black rocks to get to the almost completely deserted beach in front of the Intercontinental hotel (which is back so far from the beach that I didn’t even know it was there). Swimming in the warm gentle waters of the Arabian Sea was divine. Also liked going out on a fishing boat at sunset (we stopped near a deserted beach and jumped into the water, swam to the beach and warmed ourselves against heat-soaked rocks) and driving inland to see several old Hindu temples; and walking along the beach to see the sunset.

our crew on the sunset boat tour

I made a good friend, Manuela, a writer from Germany who was also traveling by herself, and we did some of these things together. So all of that was great … but … my verdict on Goa is exactly what I thought it would be: it is too commercialised and touristy for me. Too many hard-looking foreigners in tattered clothes showing off their extensive tattooes. Too many beach shacks selling beer and seafood. Too many local people trying to make money selling cheaply made beach clothes, or massages, or who-knows-what-else to foreigners (they actually follow you on Palolem Beach — I didn’t like Palolem Beach at all. Thank goodness Bhakti Kutir is situtated between two beaches and I was able to easily get to quiet Patnem beach).

Manuela's porch, Bhakti Kutir

Beach side at Goa didn’t seem like India at all to me, and I prefer Kerala a thousand times over. I know there is local culture in Goa and some interesting things going on. For example, my host Panta took me to an eco farm he is devleoping to grow a variety of organic fruits and vegetables and to be a place for meditation groups and other exercises in conscious living. It was a quiet, lovely place and I enjoyed my time there with his family eating fresh raw young corn.

the restaurant at Bhakti Kutir

But it is not easy to get around, taxis are very, very expensive and I did not feel safe renting a scooter (India tops the worldwide list of traffic accidents and fatalities). Also,w hen I left I took an overnight bus from Goa to Bombay and it was a bus ride from hell. The travel agaency and bus company that sold me the ticket definitely scammed me (they told me that the luxury bus broke down and they couldn’t drop me in Bandra, though i had bought a ticket to Bandra). I left with that terrible feeling I get sometimes in India, but only when I am in very touristy places that cater to backpackers and hippies (traveler’s haunts I call them). I left feeling that I was fleeced, and treated with a certain amount of disdainful contempt by people who saw me only as a source of rupees. I make an effort to stay away from these places, so I will not be back to Goa any time soon — unless I find out about a place that is definitely off this beaten track.

Mallikarjun Temple, south Goa

Thank you for reading. Please visit BreatheDreamGo or stop by my Facebook page at Breathedreamgo.

A garden oasis in hectic Bangalore

Mariellen — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:00:54 +0000

Casa Piccola Cottage is one of those special places that I always endeavour to find in India. It is a wonderful combination of safe, peaceful, clean, comfortable, affordable, charming and most of all friendly. To be considered for inclusion into my list of special places to stay in India, a hotel or guest house has to be owner-operated — and the owners have to be friendly, helpful and provide personalized service.

Casa Piccola Cottage has all of these qualities in abundance — as well as a central location in Bangalore (Bengaluru), the fastest growing city in Asia. Although I stayed almost a week at Casa Cottage, I never ceased to be amazed at the complete change in ambience I expeienced after walking through the front gates. The guest house is only a couple of short blocks from several of the busiest roads in Bangalore, but inside is an oasis of calm.

The entrance to my second floor room

The owners, Benjamine and Bhushan Oberoi, bought the heritage property about 10 years ago when it was in a state of delapidation, and restored it, added to it, and gave it a new lease on life. It was built in 1915 when Bangalore was home to a sizable British community of mid-level civil servants, and was known for years as “Mary Flanagan’s house.” Apparently, Mary was a British woman who lived in the house until she was very elderly, and was known for driving around town in a 1928 Ford driven by a chauffeur who was as old as her.

The property was abandoned for years when Benjamine and Bhushan bought it from a descendant of Mary Flanagan’s, and they almost it razed it — until, luckily, their builder said it could be saved. The Oberoi’s have done an excellent job of both retaining the property’s charm, and heritage value, while transforming it into a haven of comfort for guests, most of whom come from Europe.

But it’s not just the guest house that is special: the Oberoi’s are two of the loveliest and most helpful people I have yet come across in my many months of travel in India. Benjamine is originally from France. She came to India more than 30 years ago to finish a PhD in education; met Bhushan, married and settled here. Now, she has lived in Bangalore for 30 years and is considered an “old Bangalorean.” Bhushan grew up in the magnificent Imperial Hotel in Delhi, where his father was a director. He moved to Bangalore to open a restaurant, and now he owns several in the city.

Benjamine and Bhushan Oberoi

Together, they make a great couple and add so much to the experience of staying at Casa Cottage. Bhushan is a refined man with the inbred tastes of someone who grew up amid five-star elegance; and Benjamine is a passionate, can-do person who loves to roll up her sleeves and will seemingly do anything for anyone. She not only helps guests with taxis and shopping, she has been known to help them find schools for their children. When I was there, I saw her getting busy to help a couple of young French students who were having trouble with the Indian school they were enrolled in; I saw her meeting with a potential employee to help run an NGO; and, generally, I saw her making each guest feel cared for with warm, personalized attention.

Benjamine and Bhushan enjoy meeting the challenge of helping people with very specialized requests. Recently, Benjamine helped an artist find a very particular tree she wanted to paint; years ago she helped put a Nepali boy through school: he has become a kind of adopted son to the Oberoi’s, who have two sons of their own.

To the Oberoi’s, customers are guests. “When our guests are happy, we are very, very happy,” Bhushan says.

Benjamine is not only a good hotelier who knows her city, and everyone in it, inside and out; she is also a consultant to an NGO, SEVAI. SEVAI, or Society for Education, Village Action and Improvement, was founded in 1975 by K. Govindaruju to develop sustainable communities and work towards the integrated development of the rural poor in south India. SEVAI focuses its services in the villages and slums of Trichirapalli (more popularly known as Trichy) and the coastal Nagapptinam area of Tamil Nadu.

Benjamine Oberoi

Benjamine is passionate about making sure her guest house feels like a home to her guests; and she is equally as passionate when talking about the NGO work she does. I am planning to visit Trichy with Benjamine in the future and I will write more about the work of SEVAI — which provides education for poor children, programs for handicapped children, health care, and a watershed management project that created a lush green area where once there was only drought and desolation.

“People need to have heart in whatever they do … and things will change,” Benjamine says. I can believe that whatever Benjamine is involved in will surely change for the better.

Thank you for reading. Please visit BreatheDreamGo or stop by my Facebook page at Breathedreamgo.