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6 years of travel writing and blogging

Mariellen — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:21:01 +0000

The moment it hit me I was in India: mosque at Qutab Minar complex, Delhi 2005

Reflections on 6 years of travel writing

On how I became a travel writer and blogger by throwing myself off the cliff of reason.

It was six years ago today, December 6, 2005, that I landed in Delhi, India for the first time. It was Day One of my six-month odyssey; the start of my trip-of-a-lifetime; and the beginning of a new chapter in life, I hoped.

On my first morning in India, I stepped out into the warm December sunshine of my friends’ big, white, marble terrace in South Delhi and felt I had landed in heaven. It was warm, I was surrounded by a loving family and I was finally in India — a place I had dreamed of since childhood, but never thought I would ever see. I felt an immediate affinity with India; it was like going “home.” But I had absolutely no idea where the next six months would lead, what would happen, or what I would get out of the experience.

I wasn’t thinking ahead at all. (Read my first blog ever, dated Dec. 6, 2005, Delhi.) Nevertheless, I’ve gained so much from that one decision, the decision to go to India. Most importantly, I recovered from the entrenched grief depression that sent me to India in the first place. The trip also set me back on the path I believe I was meant to be on — before a life-long series of losses, traumas, distractions and emotional challenges got in my way.

Sunset from the terrace in Delhi, 2005

A travel writing dream is born

It took a few years for that first trip to change my life and career; and for the first blog I wrote — on the Travelblog.org site — to evolve into Breathedreamgo. But when I did decide, about three years ago, to really “go for it,” I threw myself completely into pursuing my dreams of travel and writing, with no thought to whether it was practical or economically feasible. I just knew I had to do it. I had lost both my parents and felt: if not now, when?

I’ve never worked so hard in my life and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. I’ve connected with childhood dreams, and manifested them. I’ve learned how to write from the heart. I’ve allowed myself to open up to a completely new culture, and learn from it. I’ve grown, and changed, and expanded my horizons. I’ve built a blog and following; published feature articles and my book, Song of India; traveled for 14 months in India; made lots of friends and connections; co-founded Toronto Travel Massive; and raised awareness and funds for a number of worthwhile projects and organizations, such as UNICEF, World Literacy of Canada, Project Tiger and the Intrepid Foundation / Deepalaya.

The positive comments from readers are perhaps my proudest accomplishment. I don’t write for readers’ approval — I write from the heart — but I am very proud that my writing appeals to both foreigners and Indians; and that I have achieved enough understanding and insight about Indian culture as to write with sensitivity and (I hope) a lack of ethnocentric judgment. The last thing I would want is to engage in any kind of cultural imperialism, and I hope I always avoid this all-too-comon pitfall.

The first photo taken of me in India, Siri Fort, South Delhi, 2005

It’s been a great ride

I had no idea that all of this would happen when I got on that plane at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on December 5, 2005. I knew I had to change my life, and begin to live my dreams or I would regret it forever. But I did not know what I was unleashing. And this is why you have to take action. You have to GO even if you do not know where your dreams are leading you.

Like now. I’m not sure where to go from here. Recently I was interviewed by Desi News, a Toronto-based South Asian publication, about my India journeys over the past six years. The editor asked me “What was the lowest point?” I answered, “Now, today.”

After six years of traveling to India; and about two-three years of working hard to try and change my career from corporate writer / editor to travel writer, blogger and journalist, I feel I am at a crossroads. I’ve accomplished a lot, but have not found this career to be financially sustainable. Freelance writing rates are dropping, blogs are not yet fully recognized — or rewarded — for the value they provide and I haven’t been able to land a book contract or a regular writing job with a media outlet.

The road less traveled

I often encourage people to go after their dreams, and I’m glad I have. I have no regrets. But I’ve discovered that pursuing your dreams is not easy. There’s a reason it’s the road less traveled. I am regularly assailed by self-doubt, and worried about where the next cheque is coming from. Some days, it feels like I’m moving further away from my goals, rather than toward; and I wonder whether I am just repeating some deep-seated negative patterns in my life, rather than actually moving forward.

When I was getting ready to go to India the first time, six years ago, one of my yoga teachers remarked that the journey begins when you come home. I had no idea what she meant back then, but I sure do now.

My dreams have exceeded my grasp. And I’m not sure what to do. This is what I want to do, I want the opportunity to write features like this: Breaking caste. Or books like this: Empire of the Soul. I want to travel in India. And bring my blog up this standard: Uncornered Market. But I feel I have hit a wall. I don’t see any real opportunities, and I’m completely out of resources.

They say it’s darkest before the dawn. I hope that’s what I’m experiencing. I hope I will be able to break out of my negative patterns and fulfill my potential. I guess we all do. But does it require luck or skill? Is it destiny or free will? Why do some people succeed and not others?

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Travel blogging 101

Mariellen — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:19:50 +0000

Photograph of Patnem Beach, Goa, India

How to get started as a travel blogger

Blogging while you travel can enrich your journey in more ways than one. It helps keep your friends and family back home informed, creates a permanent record of your trip and gives you the opportunity to take time to reflect on your experiences. Following are my top tips for getting started as a travel blogger.

First things first – you need to decide where to set up your blog. There are three main options:

Choose to be part of an existing site, like Travelblog.org. It’s quite easy to set up a blog on Travelblog.org, and you will be part of a like-minded community of travel bloggers.
Set up your blog on WordPress.com or Blogspot (I am a big fan of WordPress!). This is a bit more complicated than Travelblog.org, but still doable for most people. You can customize your domain name to a certain extent, but it will have WordPress or Blogspot in the name. There are certain restrictions – and risks – to this kind of blog. No advertising is allowed and your content could disappear.
For the more ambitious, and perhaps more technically minded, buy a domain name and use CMS software, like WordPress, to set up your own free-standing blog – this is what the professionals do. If you think you may want to get serious about travel blogging, you should definitely own your blog.

moi working on a travel blog in Goa - fresh from the beach!

Your blog can be a straightforward record of your trip, for example, “Jen’s European adventure,” or you can have fun with the theme and create a niche. There are bloggers who blog about solo travel, backpacking, family travel; there are destination-specific bloggers; and there are bloggers who blog about things like authentic travel or who look for quirky travel ideas.

The best way to find your niche is to find your passion. If you are passionate about a particular region or type of travel; if you are on a quest; if you have a story to tell – let yourself follow your passion. There are a million travel bloggers, but there is only one you. To stand out, be yourself.

Once you have decided on your approach and you have your blog set up, you can start contributing to it. You will need a digital camera and a video recorder – some cameras do both. You don’t need to buy an expensive camera as blogs do not need high-resolution photos or HD video.

Blogs that include photos and / or video are more widely read than straight text. Some travel bloggers, in fact, are strictly video bloggers; some are strictly photo bloggers. The mix is up to you – just make sure you have some visual elements and, as a rule, don’t write longer than about 300-400 words per blog

Write with your audience in mind, tell a story, be specific with your details and don’t be afraid to take a stand. Travel blog readers follow personalities. Create your personality on your blog and let it inform your social media efforts, too. Open a Twitter account and start a Facebook fan page for your blog. Most of all, have fun with it and allow your unique voice, world view and discoveries to shine through.

TIP: Join the Global Bloggers Network to meet other travel bloggers and ask questions.

[NOTE: Originally published on Verge Magazine's website. It was the winning submission for the Verge Storyboard contest, week of Feb. 21, 2011.]

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

Another 10 books on India or by Indian or South Asian writers

Mariellen — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:21:08 +0000

I am continuing to read lots of books on India or by Indian or South Asian writers. It helps that I only get a limited number of channels on my TV — a TV that is so old I can’t even attach a DVD player to it. So, most nights I am “forced” to read. Lucky me.

But before I start, I want to mention two books that you will not find on any of my lists, so stop looking: Shantaram and The White Tiger. I just don’t think they deserve to be recommended.

My first list of books on India included

Midnight’s Children, which I have since re-read, and was re-stunned by its brilliance and audacity,
Maximum City, incredible book about Mumbai and
My Experiments with Truth by M.K. Gandhi, a must-read for admirers

My second list of books on India included:

the very funny Holy Cow,
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
The God of Small Things

Now, without further ado, my third list of books on India:

1. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. This book is a masterwork. Dickensian in scope, descriptive detail and character development, it stays with you for a very long time … maybe for life … The characters and scenes Mistry depicts are truly indelible. If you want to gain insight into the poverty and corruption of India, read this book. You will be forever changed. I especially recommend it for those who wear rose-coloured glasses about India.

2. Cracking India by Bapsi Sidwha. This is the book Deepa Mehta based her riveting film Earth on. It’s about the diabolical partition of India, as seen through the eyes of a Parsee child in Lahore, crippled with polio. I met Ms. Sidwha at a South Asian literature festival recently and found her to be very charming and feminine. After meeting her, I didn’t expect this ballsy, bawdy and pungently written book. I love the way she uses language, like she is throwing handfuls of spice in the air. I also agree with what Deepa Mehta did with the story to tighten and focus it, and heighten the tension.

3. An Area of Darkness by V.S. Naipaul. Although of Indian ancestry, Naipaul was born and brought up in Trinidad. In this book, subtitled A Discovery of India, he chronicles his first encounter with his ancestral homeland. Naipaul is a masterful writer and he creates scenes that are alive with detail, feeling and atmosphere. A true classic of travel writing, I felt I was with him in Kashmir and as he makes a pilgrimage to an ice cave high up in the Himalayas to see a naturally formed Shiva lingam made of ice; and as he negotiated the Kafka-esque bureaucracy of Mumbai to retrieve two bottles of liquor that were taken from him when he arrived. A great read.

4. Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. The book that launched a thousand flights to India. Probably a lot more. You would be heard-pressed to find a yoga student in India who has not read it. Compelling, fanciful, sometimes rambling, always intriguing, this is a book that deserves not only its own category, but its own genre. It truly is one of a kind. By the end (what am I talking about? I have started it twice and never made it to the end), you just want to hang out with Yogananda more than anything else in the world. But you can’t because he no longer inhabits this earthly realm ( as far as we know), so you will have to make do with going to India, walking in his footsteps and hoping for the best. I’m not even going to try to describe this cult classic. Just read it and love it unabashedly like the rest of us. Resistance is futile.

5. Climbing the Mango Tree by Madhur Jaffrey. Jaffrey is probably India’s leading food writer. I have her Simple Indian Cookery and it is my favourite cookbook. This book is an autobiography about her childhood in Delhi. Her sensuous descriptions make it the literary equivalent of eating a delightful, aromatic dish spiked with tangy citrus bursts and an undercurrent of warming, exotic spices. Her sharp observations give the story depth, and make the book worth reading. Overall it’s a wonderful experience — as if she cooked you a gorgeous full-course dinner and spun the air with tales as you ate.

NOTE: I learned of this book through Nicholas Hoare Bookstore in Toronto. They host a Reading India bookclub: 12 people get together each month to read a book set in India and then they travel together to visit the book’s locations. What a great idea.

6. Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden. I have seen the movie based on this book several times over the years, but finally just read the book. It was a particular favourite of my Mother’s and I can see why: A small group of Catholic nuns ride out into the Himalayas beyond Darjeeling to take over a mysterious, exotic and windy palace and attempt to turn it into a nunnery, school and clinic. The movie, as it turns out, was very faithful to the book — except perhaps to turn up the volume on the melodrama. The scene when the young “rat-faced” nun freaks out on Deborah Kerr and tries to push her over the precipice was a 40s-style chick flick classic. Love it!

7. The River by Rumer Godden. Yes, I am a Rumer Godden fan, and I am making my way through her published novels. She grew up in India and consequently sets many of her books there. This one is about a bright, literary-minded girl of British origin who lives with her family in a big house on “the river” (never named) in pre-independent India. Her father manages a jute mill. The story takes place over the course of the year in which she begins the metamorphosis from girlhood to womanhood. She writes poetry, develops a “crush” on a visiting wounded ex-soldier and has to deal with death when her little brother is fatally bitten by a king cobra. It’s a lovely, lyrical book that moves to the rhythm of the ancient, mighty river that flows past their house and through their lives. This book was also made into a movie — but it is a bit odd and uneven.

8. From Here to Nirvana: The Yoga Journal Guide to Spiritual India. Authors Anne Cushman and Jerry Jones visited 70 ashrams in India and wrote detailed descriptions about the teachers, teachings, facilities, etc. It also features an introduction to the religious landscape of India, the author’s stories and some practical advice about traveling in India. The book is a bit out of date now (my copy was published in 1998), but things don’t change that much in spiritual India. I found it to be a fair, well-written book and I don’t have any real quibbles with it — except you will never know from a book or from reading about someone else’s experiences whether a teacher, ashram or spiritual path is for you. You have to go and find out for yourself. This might help narrow your choices, but that’s about it.

India Gate, New Delhi

9. Life is Perfect by Himani Dahlmi. I was shopping for a book in Tekson’s bookstore (South Extension market, Delhi) when I spied a young man buying up copies of Life is Perfect. Turns out, he knew the author and was supporting her by giving out copies of the book to friends. He recommended it to me, of course, and I decided to bite. It is about a young woman growing in Delhi, though this is a modern story and the family is rich. It is quite accomplished for a first-time novel, and I liked the emphasis on the interior life of the main character as she deals with dating and her parent’s separation. But I didn’t care enough….

10. Clear Light of Day by Anita Desai. Another book about growing up in Delhi in pre-independence India. This one, though, is written by the gifted South Asian writer Anita Desai. She draws a rich portrait of family life in Old Delhi. Very satisfying.

Please leave comments and let us know what you are reading, what you recommend — and what you don’t!

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

Traveling solo in India

Mariellen — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:12:45 +0000

[Note: Originally published as Recommended: Travel solo in India by Solotravelerblog.)

When I was 45 years old, I put everything I owned in storage, gave up my apartment and went to India for six months. It was the first time in my life that I had done anything like this. But it was time. I had always wanted to go to India and, after losing both of my parents, I knew it was now or never to go after my dreams.

Was I scared? You bet. But it was the “healthy” kind of scared – the kind that rises up from within and first whispers, then roars: if you overcome this, you will be forever changed. So I went. I jumped off the proverbial cliff to see how the universe would respond.

I will never forget peering out the window of the plane into the midnight blackness as we began our long descent into Delhi. All I could see was strange, random groupings of flickering orange lights. The familiar grid pattern of bright, even, white light you see when flying over a western city was nowhere in sight. I had no idea what to expect. I was on the greatest adventure of my life and I knew it.

And then I landed, and smelled Delhi’s acrid-pungent air for the first time and I knew everything would be okay. And it was. I spent six glorious months on a magic carpet ride. The universe held out loving, embracing arms and caught me.

Feeling safe among warm, friendly people

While all the stereotypes about India are true – it is crowded, dirty, noisy, chaotic and poor – it is also unfathomably rich in culture, tradition, spirituality and beauty. The ancient wisdom culture of India is alive in so many ways, but especially in the friendliness of the people. It’s the people of India that make traveling solo such a wonderful – and safe – experience. I can’t imagine kinder, more helpful, happier people.

Indians know how to enjoy life. They know how to be in the here-and-now, and appreciate time with family members and friends. They have a gift for relationship – and everything in India is relationship-driven. A poor shop owner would rather lose a sale than lose time with his family.

So, while traveling in India can be challenging due to crowds, chaos and delays, you will always find friendly people willing to engage in deep, meaningful conversations on philosophy, religion, values and other thought-provoking topics; and you will always find people willing to help you in any way they can. Personally, I would rather be in India with its dirty, late trains and warm, friendly people, than in a country with clean, super-efficient trains and reserved, aloof people.

If you go to India, my advice is to go with an open mind and an open heart. Take all the precautions, of course – especially with drinking water – but don’t go with fear in your mind or heart. I always say that India is like the cave that Yoda sends Luke into. “What will I find in there?” Luke asks. “Only what you bring with you,” Yoda answers.

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

Magh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, 2010

Mariellen — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:36:41 +0000

The largest gathering of humanity on earth

Millions of people gather each year in North India to take a holy dip in the sacred waters of the Ganges, Yamuna and /or the mythological Saraswati rivers. Hindu devotees, pilgrims, saints and sadhus from all over India and the world turn up in huge numbers each winter. They believe that a holy dip in the sacred rivers during the Kumbh Mela washes away sins and can help them break the cycle of life and death and attain Moksha.

The Maha Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years in Allahabad — the sangam, or place, where the three rivers meet. This is the “big one.” The Maha Kumbh Mela is the largest gathering of humanity on earth. This year, a “smaller” version. called the Magh Kumbh Mela will be held in the sacred city of Haridwar, which is a four-hour train ride north of Delhi. (There is also an Ardh, or half, Kumbh Mela that takes place several times during the cycle.)

I am planning to be there, as my ashram is only a few kilometres from Haridwar. Not sure when yet, but I may try and be there for one of these auspicious bathing dates.

Bathing Dates for Haridwar Magh Kumbh Mela 2010

14 January 2010 – Makar Sankranti Snan – First Snan (bath)
15 January 2010 – Mauni Amavasya and Surya Grahan (Solar Eclipse) – Second Snan
20 January 2010 – Basant Panchmi Snan – Third snan
30 January 2010 – Magh Purnima Snan – Fourth Snan
12 February 2010 – Maha Shivratri – Pratham Shahi Snan – First Royal Bath
15 March 2010 – Somvati Amavasya – Dvitya Shahi Snan – Second Royal Bath
24 March 2010 – Ram Navmi – Fifth Snan
30 March 2010 – Chaitra Purnima Snan
14 April 2010 – Baisakhi – Pramukh Shahi Sanan – Main Royal Bath
28 April 2010 – Shakh Purnima – Snan

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

My India list

Mariellen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:44:43 +0000

My India list: top places, events and festivals I want to see

I believe in magic. How else can you explain that the more I travel in India, the longer the list of places I want to go gets?! I was inspired to write this list by Mighty Girl’s Mighty Life List, so here goes. Here’s my list at the time of this writing (and I am sure I am missing several things …):

Top 10

see sunrise over the Himalayas from Tiger Hill, near Darjeeling
watch the start of the monsoon in Trivandrum
attend the Pushkar Camel Festival
climb Mount Arunachala
see a tiger! — perhaps in Kanha National Park, the place that inspired Kipling to write Jungle Book
watch Indian classical dance at sunset in front of the temples during the Khajuraho Dance Festival
stay in tea gardens in Darjeeling, Assam and the Nilgiri Hills
have tea at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai
stay at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata and watch the Kali Puja
go on Char Dham pilgrimage to source of the Ganga (Ganges River)

And the list continues …

be in Jaisalmer for the Desert Festival
visit Gandh’s ashrams: Sabarmati and Sevagram
take part in Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai
see the Brahmaputra River in Assam
visit the Ellora and Ajanta Caves
hike in Ladakh
be in Mathura for Janmashtami
take a boat cruise through the Sunderbans
join the Chariot Festival in Puri
hike in Sikkim
stay at Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur
see the Republic Day Parade in Delhi
~~spend some time writing in Bundi, where Kipling wrote~~
undertake 10-day Vipassana retreat near Jaipur
brief stop in the world’s wettest place, Cherapungi
see Dal Lake, Srinagar
stay at a spice garden in Kerala
visit the spice market in Old Delhi
finally go to Akshardham in Delhi
see the sun set and the moon rise at Kanyakumari (happens only two days per year)
attend Jaipur Literature Festival

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

What yoga is

Mariellen — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:37:13 +0000

[NOTE: Originally published on Humantimes.com, September 2008.]

Mark Whitwell

After studying and practicing yoga for about 15 years, predominantly in Canada but also in India, I had the pleasurable experience of listening to a very outspoken yoga teacher pierce the veil of western illusions about yoga. He basically said the emperor has no lululemons.

I don’t know what it was like for others in the room, but listening to Mark Whitwell at the Yoga Festival of Toronto in August, 2008, was, for me, a sound for sore ears. I am at a point in my yoga journey when I want to try and understand the original intentions of yoga – without the overlay of western thinking, ideas and culture.

If you want to do yoga to look good in tight, black stretchy pants that dip just below the tattoo of another culture’s sacred symbols on your sacrum, it’s a free country. Fill your boots. In fact, for many – including me – passing through the “fashion” stage of yoga can be a stop on your way to a greater understanding of yoga.

But attempting to achieve some kind of yoga ideal — as seen on the cover of Yoga Journal! — is not yoga. And it’s high time that some people are starting to speak up and to set the record straight. I think we in the west have been doing yoga long enough for some sense of maturity to set in.

Patanjali, mural in Kerala

Yoga is not a systematic, linear process intended to get you somewhere. A tighter butt. Your leg behind your ear. Closer to god. That is western dualistic thinking. Yoga comes from an ancient non-dualist tradition.

I like the way Mark Whitwell put it: “Yoga is intimate participation in the given reality.” It’s an interior process. A kind of prayer. You spend time every day consciously breathing into your body and experiencing an intimate relationship with the marvel that is you. The manifestation of “extreme intelligence,” as Mark puts it.

Yoga is Sanskrit for union or yoke. It means to link, to connect. It is the experience of connecting to yourself and the nurturing source reality that you cannot be separated from.

Mark encourages people to do a minimum of seven minutes of yoga alone in their room every day. “Do your yoga. Naturally, actually and not obsessively,” he advises. Make a commitment. See what happens.

Joseph Campbell

I’ve been doing it. And I follow Joseph Campbell’s advice. He said do your spiritual work, your rituals or whatever, and then comb your hair and leave your room. In other words, it’s a personal experience. It’s YOUR experience. Your truth is in your skin. Yoga gives you the opportunity to experience your truth.

“Yoga is the embrace of ordinary reality,” Mark said. “It’s the celebration of intimacy and attachment.” I love that he said that. Maybe that’s what I really needed to hear. Maybe that’s what we all need to hear.

You don’t have to look like a yoga celebrity. You don’t need brand name outfits. You don’t need a tattoo. You just need seven minutes, your breath, body and movement.

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

10 Tips for women traveling in India

Mariellen — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:38:02 +0000

[NOTE: Originally published on Journeywoman, July 2009.]

Moi, in salwar kameez, at Kanyakumari - the very southern tip of India

1. Wear “salwar kameez”

Aside from good walking shoes and sandals, a one-piece bathing suit and cotton bras and underwear – or, if you prefer, the synthetic kind that wicks away sweat – don’t bring any clothes to India. If you land in Delhi, head straight to one of the Fabindia outlets and stock up on inexpensive cotton “suits.” The three-piece suit (in Hindi, salwar kameez) consists of a long or short tunic over fitted or wide-legged pants, topped with a long scarf, called a dupatta. These outfits suit the climate, the need for modesty and will help you fit in, mitigating your status as a moving target for gawkers, touts and beggars.

2. Carry a long scarf

Even if you don’t opt for wearing the costume preferred by many women in India, the “suit” or salwar kameez, always travel with a long scarf made of light-weight fabric. It will come in handy for situations where modesty will be more convenient and allow you to go into mosques, gurdwaras and more traditionally minded Hindu temples.

Rawla Guest House, Jaipur

3. Rawla guest house in Jaipur

Jas Vilas Hotel in posh Bani Park, Jaipur is a favourite accommodation option, a real gem, but it is on the expensive side and often full. The owner’s niece, Sanyogita – who is a Rajput royal – recently opened a comfortable and gracious guesthouse in her lovely home. The Rawla, also in Bani Park, offers modern amenities, good food, and, best of all, Sanyogita’s company and advice. Sanyogita is a charming hostess who knows Jaipur like the back of her hand.

4. Bring tissue and hand sanitizer

In India, I never go out for the day without a mini pack or two of tissues, a small bottle of hand disinfectant, a cell phone and an iPod shuffle. I use the cell phone to call a friend and report the number of the taxi, as I get in, and so that the driver can hear me. (If no one answers, I pretend!) In markets and bazaars, I sometimes turn up the iPod so that I can’t hear the aggressive vendors, and they eventually leave me alone.

5. TripAdvisor

Check TripAdvisor.com for recommendations and tips from fellow travelers.

Ganges View Hotel terrace, Varanasi

6. Hotel Ganges View, Varanasi

I was very glad that I stayed at the Hotel Ganges View, Assi Ghat, in Varanasi. Aside from being a comfortable and safe place to stay, it also features a communal dining experience in the gracious dining room. At dinner, I met other women traveling alone, and a couple of us went on to Delhi together, sharing some of the expenses.

7. Yoga capital: Rishikesh

Rishikesh is a wonderful destination for a woman traveling alone in India who is interested in health, wellness, yoga or spirituality. The “yoga capital of the world” is a relatively serene town that meanders along the jewel-green Ganges River as it cascades through a beautiful valley among the Himalayan foothills. There are many safe accommodation options in ashrams (such as my fave, the Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram) and guesthouses and lots of opportunity to take yoga classes, study and meet other women traveling alone.

8. IndiaMike.com

IndiaMike.com a great online resource, packed with destination information, travel articles and forums on many topics relating to traveling or living in India. You can pose very specific questions and chances are good that a friendly and knowledgeable fellow-traveler will respond.

9. Makemytrip.com

Makemytrip.com is an Indian travel site that offers information and can help you plan your itinerary and book plane, train and bus tickets as well as hotel and homestay accommodation.

open-air dining room at Shinshiva Ayruvedic Resort, Kerala

10. Shinshiva Ayruvedic Resort, Kerala

One of my favourite Indian experiences was staying for two weeks at Shinshiva Ayruvedic Resort in south Kerala (about 8 kms south of busy Kovalam Beach). The Shinshiva is a small resort that features thatched-roof cottages, an open-air Ayurvedic dining room, a perfect cliff-top setting overlooking the Arabian sea and magical sunsets AND authentic Ayurvedic treatments such as one-hour-long hot oil massages performed by two young women working in rhythmic harmony. Also a good place to meet other women travelers, it is a favourite destination for Europeans.

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

Do’s and Don’ts in India

Mariellen — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:04:49 +0000

Moi, with friends, at the Taj Mahal

Do:

- Go to the Taj Mahal. Yes, it’s worth it. It may be one of the few times in your life when all the hype and hyperbole actually fails to capture the spectacular beauty of the real thing.

- Take the train. Traveling by train in India is an adventure. Indian Railway is the world’s biggest employer (1.2 million employees) and everyone takes the train, from ministers to farmers. It takes a bit of time to master the class system (2AC is a good choice); the new online ticket system really helps. You will meet lots of friendly people, no matter which class you travel.

- Learn a few words of Hindi. Most educated people speak English, but working class people and villagers rarely speak more than a few words. “Namaste” is a common greeting; “theek hai” is okay; “accha” is, is that right?; “jaao” is go away’ “chai” is tea; “paani” is water.

- Wear kurtahs (long shirts) if you are a man; and salwar kameez (also called a “suit,” it’s a long tunic over pants, and topped with a long scarf) if you are a woman.

- Take a yoga class or stay at a yoga ashram.

- Try a homestay guest house. The family is the backbone of the social system in India and you will learn a lot about the culture — and have a great time — by living with a family.

Don’t:

- Hand out money to beggars in crowded places. You will be swarmed. In fact, authorities advise that you don’t give money to anyone asking for a handout. If you want to give, by all means do so — India has many, many worthwhile charitable organizations. Your money will go to a better cause of you give it to a charitable organization. Many beggars work for gangsters, so the money you give to them, just ends up in the gangster’s pocket.

- Wear your shoes in a temple, mosque, gurdwara — any house of worship or sacred place.

- Dress in scanty or provocative clothing.

- Use your left hand for eating, if you are eating with your hands (this is especially true in South India). Also, use only your right hand for any religious or sacred gesture; and don’t point with your feet, or touch things with your feet.

- Eat street food unless you absolutely know it is hygienic. Same goes for salads.

- Take any risks with drinking water. Always ensure the water is completely safe. Buy sealed bottles only.

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

10 (more) books I love about India

Mariellen — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:56:03 +0000

A while I ago, I wrote a blog post that listed my Top 10 Books on India (thus far). This is the second installment in my series, Books I love about India.

1. Kim by Rudyard Kipling. It’s a masterpiece. I read it with my jaw on the floor. I have been reading for, oh, 43 years, give or take, and I have never read a book that is so in the moment. You tramp along with Kim down the streets of Lahore, on the Grand Trunk Road, through Himalayan passes. Every sound, every smell, every gesture, every accent is evoked. The dust swirls around you, the smell of cooking food entices you, the fresh air of the mountains revives you. Kipling knew the road in India, and he knew how to capture it in words. And Kipling is not just a master of description — he is a master story-teller. Like India herself, this story is bold, complex, subtle and ambiguous. Though it is not an easy read, it is hugely rewarding. I will be reading it again soon.

Fishermen on the beach in Kerala, south India

2. A Rope in the Water by Sylvia Fraser. I read this book just before I left for India the first time; and I am re-reading it now. The story engrossed me the first time; it’s her writing skill that captures me this time: vivid descriptions, intelligent insight, great story-telling and a journalist’s skill for reporting. She also has a sensitive feel for the culture of India and keen spiritual understanding She can do it all. I don’t want to give anything away … but when she tells the story about the rope in the water, I get shivers. That story has really stuck with me. I also got shivers when she gets an astrology reading done and reveals her birthday, March 8, which is also mine. I find it very compelling that Sylvia Fraser and I have so much in common … we are both female writers from Toronto, born on March 8, who went on pilgrimages to India to deal with trauma from the past. I also ended up in many of the same places she did — without meaning to! But even if your birthday is not March 8 and you haven’t been to India, this is still a great read by any yardstick. And if you are looking for an authentic spiritual quest, read this before Eat, Pray, Love.

3. No Full Stops in India by Mark Tully. Actually, anything by Mark Tully. I also have India in Slow Motion and India’s Unending Journey. Tully (which means drunk in Hindi!) was the chief correspondent for the BBC in Delhi for many years. He’s a good writer and he knows India. His most recent, India’s Unending Journey, is by far the most personal. It’s about his own psychological and spiritual journey as he learns from India to be “certain about uncertainty.” I can relate. Compelling reading.

4. Holy Cow by Sarah MacDonald. A classic. Every time I think of the iron scene, I start chuckling as I picture Sarah’s face hidden by her hands so the very serious servants won’t realize she’s actually bursting with laughter over the missing iron. I laugh even more since I experienced living with servants in a Delhi household. (But servants in an India household are a bit more light-hearted than those in a foreigner’s household, methinks.) Oh, just read the book. It’s both hilarious and also moving as she traces her own relationship to India from reluctance and disdain to head-over-heels, unabashed love.

5. Slowly Down the Ganges by Eric Newby. Eric and his wife took a slow boat down the Ganges in the days before India’s modernization began. It’s a fascinating journey, written in precise detail that makes every agonizing minute they are dragging the big tin boat over rocks and sandbanks almost painful to read.

6. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Had to start this book a second time before I really got into it. It creeps into you like rain forest dampness. Very evocative and very powerful. While the setting is Kerala, in tropical southern India, it could be anywhere rural and stifling. I thought of the American deep south more than once. Strikingly original writing.

Jama Masjid, Old Delhi

7. Twilight in Delhi by Ahmed Ali. This book, a “cult classic,” was apparently very hard to get for many years. Ahmed Ali was a Muslim writer and professor from Delhi who was out of the country when partition was announced and Pakistan was created. He was not allowed back into India and had, instead, to settle in Pakistan. It is a prose poem dedicated to the twilight days of “old” Delhi, when the Muslim area of the city flourished. It not only captures a bygone era, it also relates some moving personal stories.

8. City Improbable edited by Khushwant Singh. Bombay/Mumbai and Calcutta/Kolkata seem to get all the press, but there are those of us who are quite taken with Delhi. It’s a fascinating, historical, multi-layered city that sometimes seems, well, improbable. This is an excellent collection of entertaining and informative essays.

9. Calcutta edited by Geoffrey Moorhouse. The history of Calcutta, from its founding in 1690 by Job Charnok, an agent of the East India Company, is inextricably linked to the history of the British in India. Calcutta was the capital of the British Raj until it was moved to Delhi in 1911. The tales Moorhouse chose make for fascinating reading. They cover many eras, many subjects and include well-known authors as well as excerpts from the diaries of English women who came out to be with their husbands (or to find husbands).

10. Rajasthan Getaways by Outlook Traveller. Oh, I was glad I had this book when I was traveling by myself in Rajasthan. Published in India, it’s much more than a simple guidebook. The book is primarily a series of essays written by talented writers who love India’s most-visited state as much as I do.

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

BreatheDreamGo » writer

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