Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The Four Country Dash
Overall, we were in better shape than most on the plane that had to catch connection to get home for work or into the U.S. Most people got transfered and it left five of us, the couple that had lost their luggage( Stevie and G) and Veronica from New Zealand. Apparently Mexico City and Belize City are not hot spots for Taca Airlines. It was a very long morning of convinving them it was their duty to find us a hotel on Easter Sunday, and finally with much chagrin they agreed. After arriving at the Gran Paris Hotel we succumbed to our fate, drinking cervesa and swimming in the pool with some very interesting people. Stevie works for the UN in Mexico city and G is with the British Embassy, Ronnie was a nurse making her way up to Chincago and onward to Inidianapolis.
The whole incident (although not as nasty after the relaxation by the pool and such) did set us back a day. Which meant that we had to do a four country dash to make our way to Cozumel, catch our dive and keep our reservation. So starting at 4 in the morning we headed back to the airport, flew to San Pedro Sula, on to El Salvador, into Belize City ( to pick up the wedding video) caught a bus to Chetumal in Mexico before landing in Playa Del Carma and catching the ferry to Cozumel...if it sounds tiring it was. Things went very smoothly and we land into our B and B to find out that it is beautiful. So we can relax for a few days before we head home to the real world and our real lives :)
t
Friday, April 6, 2007
Getting "Wrecked" in Uttila
We made it to the hammock and than to another hammock haha..it was not a dancing shoes night, that is for sure. I had to laugh, it was raining today so Rufas and I spent it playing yahtzee mania and crib in this funky little cafe (code word for a touch skeazy) on the water...everyone around us was complaining about the loud music that kept them up all night, and I don't remember waking up even once last night...gotta love diving.
Our dreams of sailing our way back across the sea to Belize have been blown away by an eastern wind that is going the opposite direction. We are still looking at some boat options but now it is back to the land travel for the two of us.
We may try and squeeze in one more night dive before heading to land and up the coast. It may mean a trip through Guatemala unless we can grab some chicken plane along the way.
The rain has ended, I won at scrabble through much contention over a few words..lost at yahtzee and had a good go at crib and now its time to stop playing games and figure out how to get out of here :) Not that I am in that big of a hurry to leave. We should be able to make our way by the 9th back up to Cozumel and catch one or two more dives before leaving central america for home sweet home..may need a little luck, a little less rain and wind and hopefully some good karma!,
t
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Good or Bad Karma?
We arrived in San Pedro Sula and rushed through customs (missing my tie on bag that had my yoga mat in it :( but chose to move on or miss the La Ceiba flight.
We got to the closed ticket counter and asked for two tickets...she said you will have to carry your packs on with you....NO PROBLEM!!! We ran up the tar mat to a little chicken box plane and were laughing..
When we arrived in La Ceiba, we grabbed our bags and two of the locals that we had chatted to before invited us with them...we caught a ride with Samir to his friends unfinished hotel....they took us all over to bank machines and to get water and back to a very fancy room guarded by rotweilers (Brutus bit one of the worker guys...but liked Rufas and I because we fed them chicken haha)
They gave us a ride to the ferry terminal and Samir gave us his number and told us he would pick us up and take us around if we were in La Ceiba again..otherwise we were to give him a call if we were to hit Toronto ( turns out he has been living there for the last 20 years..really sweet guy) I told Rufas that it is surprising sometime the people that take me under their wing...he said it was good Karma because we would do the same for others....he laughed and said that I even pick up stray dogs..which is true!
However upon trying to test our Karma theory out, we hit some bad Karma at the ferry dock. Rufas stood in line for almost two hours to have the guy in line beside him steal the last three tickets right from his teller! The next ferry wasn{t until 4:30 in th afternoon.
We chatted to some travellers..got some info and headed to the airport to check out flights...caught one an hour and half after we arrived...We were in Roatan before the first ferry practically arrived. Its a beautiful little place with great food... but it is insane during Holy week!!! We ran into the couple that were on the same flight from Belize City that we were on...we recognized them right awy because they were in the same clothes! Any passenger that had a straight through ticket to La Ceiba ( rather than a mad dash with a backpack) had not recieved their luggage..instead it was in New York!! ( Once again the good Karma bad travel agent worked in our favour)
The final good Karma revelation was that the morning ferry that we missed by three tickets turned out to be the roughest ride on the sea..all of the people were seasick. The British couple with the lost luggage said that they had never seen that many people heaving over the side rail..they had hit a wave that put the whole fairy below sea level and then rocked them back up to the top. We ended up in a flight that cost us the same as the ferry that landed in Roatan in 10 minutes....very good Karma!
Are we still in Roatan?...Nope Too busy we have relocated to Uttila Caye and are in laid back dive centre that costs us 6 dollars a night U.S hanging out on hammocks and doing some dives. the diving is 0nly about twenty dollars a dive and when you take a course the accomodation is free. We are signed up to take a wreck diving course with Cross Creek. It is going ot be fantastic. But Rufas is done his work-out and we are going to see if there is a sailing trip back up to Belize city..it would mean a few more dives and some fishing along the reef on our way back home...so far the Honeymoon is amazing...
I will try and post some pics next time
t
Saturday, March 31, 2007
The Wedding Story
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Welcome home, go slow
We made it into Belize City, but missed the last water taxi out to the Cayes. Even the people looking for cash are friendly. They eventually ask you for a dollar but then when you say no they say "okay mon, you have a great stay in Belize mon..beautiful Belize mon" You can't help but shake your head. Anyone and everyone will stop to see if you need something or if you are looking for something. We ended up eating with Marva and her family in a little restaurant with te staple food being red beans and rice....very nice with a little jerk chicken or deer meat and side of potatoe salad mmmmmmgood!
Rufas got picked up off the street: "you look like a mon that works out, come see my gym" and of course every person has something that you should buy...especailly the fressh cut fruit on the street stands.
We made it out to the Caye after much organizing and planning... Upon arrival you are greeted by many: Welcome Home..Go Slow..it is the official slogan here. However, I am not sure how one could go any slower. Even the little girls selling coconut fudge are so laid back they could care less if you bought it or not. I was looking at some jewelry and could not even fins the guy who sold it..he could see me but send t a friend over to see if I really needed anything. People leave their little stands all of the time. It is just a really safe place
Once we hit the Caye we headed to our old place Lorraine's guest house to see if we could get our old cabin form five years ago...however we ended up next door on the stilted shacks that look over the ocean..not a bad compromise for 20 dollars a night. it was a step up from the10 we paid in the past...oh well.
More organizing and Belikin drinking landed us on a dive boat for the morning. And into my Belize 5-0: Translation, I officially hit 50 dives under water and had Rufas look at me and say "I think I have done over 1000"....haha. I guess I deserved that one...diving with a commercial diver and all.
I missed these waters... the blue is a color that is not describable...only stunning. We are soaking up the rays and the salt sprays..but I will try and find a computer to upload some pictures.
Life is good, it feels like home and its nice to go slow!
xot
Friday, March 23, 2007
Living the life
have arrived safe and sound in Mexico. We have spent the day at the beach eating ceviche and drinking cervesas and margaritas. We finished the afternoon with a massage on the beach to the sound of a mariache band in the background. We are making some plans to head straight down to Honduras to see if they will let me in! I only have 3 months left on my passport and they may be sticky about it. Soooo we are relaxing, drinking and eating some seafood, before we attempt to make the trek to Utilla. We are seriously thinking of hitching the ride with the fishermen and working our way across to the other side. But we also really want to take the train ride along the coast line that only costs one dollar! How many times can you catch a train for a dollar?
First on the list is some arrangements for some diving in Cozumel and then we will see where things are at.
So for, the cervesas are cold and the sun is hot..not much more you can ask for in life!
t
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Home again, home again..
Rufas met me at the airport, as did my Mom and Dad. But most exciting was that I also got top reunite with my dog....she is still the sweetest thing in the world. It was very exciting to be home. I managed to get into Toronto and visit my sister and Andre who treat me very well and I was sad that I had limited time with them, but I was also anxious to see Rufas and my family. There is nothing like a Canadian hug and man did I miss it.
The exciting news is that the adventure do not end with India. I hopefully will be able to post part II of my trip..which has been a mystery to me until today!!!
I recieved my itinerary and it looks like Rufas and I are doing a very exciting tour through Central America..hitting Mexico and following the diving tour all the way into Honduras. I am very excited. It will be our first official trip together where we will actually be in the same plane! In all of our travels we have never been on the same plane together.
I am in Plunkett tonight to pack and we leave tomorrow from Saskatoon at 6.
t
Delhi
Last days in Goa
Friday, March 16, 2007
where in the world....
I managed to stay the whole day in the beautiful pool area and hang out with the fifteen to twenty models that are doing a shoot here. Very beautiful surroundings in every way. Dakksh and his manager have invited me out on the town with the rest of the gorgeous peoples but I have to say its a little unnerving. I feel like I am in some magazine with the pool overlooking the ocean and too pretty of people everywhere. I am thankful that the extremely white and sunburnt westerners are around to balance the world of beauty. Not only can I camouflage in, no one even questions what room I am staying in...which I should really figure out, just in case I do get asked...
enjoying the beauty of India for a few more days...
t
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Balancing to Bouyancy
Anjuna Market
I got so utterly lost because many of the vendors sell the exact same thing. The small area is packed with walking peddlars and these little girls that clasp onto you and say " Madam, madam..please don't forget about me and my shop madam"..as they lead you into the depths of the market never to see the light of day.
I really wanted the singing bowls, and someday when I am not carrying all of m worldly belongings on my back I will be able to purchase whatever I want. But because that is not the case I passed on the singing bowls and did look at some of the jewelery. This is always a mistake...once you stop you are prey that has stopped moving and the hands come out and grasp you around wrists and arms and sometimes ankles. They have a mighty grip that is sometimes painful and just when you think your senses are going to overload, the man with painted cow and musical flute comes wander by followed by women and children begging for money.
I told the taxi driver two hours, this did not include haggling time, nor did it include be strapped down by four Indian women wrapping things around my wrists and ankles. And so my time at the Anjuna market came to an end rather quickly..I bought something from one of the vendors so that he would show me the way back to the taxi and I exited the streaming market overwhelmed and with a smile..only in India could buying a ring actually be a three ring circus...and I never did buy the ring :)
Healing the soul
I made arrangements yesterday to stop in at the Anjuna Market and then head to Miramer. Here you hire a taxi and they wait on you while you shop and than take you to your next destination. It is high class next to taking the bus. Especially when you are unsure if the bus is going to be on time, or for that matter even show up.
The day before last we went to Patric the healer. He was a lot younger than what I thought..in fact I think I expected someone with white hair..not sure why but that is what I expected. I have been having a lot of problems with my lungs and sinuses so I thought I would check it out. We left at 6 in the morning so we could sign up in the book and actually be able to see him..we wer not the first in fact by 6:30 There were already 42 people signed up and there was another 50 that followed until they finally wrote closed. It was people of all sorts, disabled, Indian, Israeli, Brazillian... a whole czech family (10). We had breakfast and waited for our turn. I got to sit in a chair and he stood in front of me. I shared the things that I wanted to this young man and he smiled and asked "Is that everything?" I said "Yes" and he stood in front of me with his hands out and his eyes closed. In the response to breathing problems he said: you do not have enough cilia in my nose. He said that without it my upper sinuses open and try and cleanse which creates an overabundance and makes it difficult for me to hear and breathe! All this without even looking up my nose...and yet more information than I have recieved from any doctor..or healer. He was a very kind soul and said that he would help me with time..I am not sure how but somehow it did make me feel better.
Sooo for the cynics in the crowd, the special note is that he does not charge anything. There is a donation box and a sign requesting that all people become selfless...in fact the sign went so far as to request items for nearby orphanages in the area (clothing, soaps, towels) It was very interesting..especially because I just felt good after leaving him..just really really good.
However, not as good as I did after the Ayurvedic Shirodahara massage. It was to create balance in the body and balance the dosha's vatta and kapha. It was sureal. I felt like I had an out of body experience. Who knew that dropping hot oil on person's forehead could make you lose your mind? It was more than just the oil..there was also a scalp massage..back massage... and the oil treatment...it was very, very euphoric and I would reccomend it highly to anyone.
This finished my day with supper and music and a bunch of hippies on the beach singing rajas...quite a day
t
Monday, March 12, 2007
When a day was long...
It was the first time, when approached by peddlars on the beach that I was sad to see them leave :) I am soaking up the sun and sweating in the unbelievable humidity but not really complaining...if there was a place to be silent in it would be here. It is very tropical and green with less garbage than I have seen in all of India. The beach is right behind the retreat centre and so if I feel the urge to scream or talk to myself I can easily duck to the ocean. We were supposed to go to a healer (India's Jesus), a couple of days ago but it has been postponed until tomorrow morning. He is supposed to be quite amazing. I haven't figured out what I want healed but I am sure I will think of something just to have the experience and then I am going fo some Ayurvedic Shirodhara. I am really not sure what the whole thing is except that they pour hot oil on your forehead for an hour and then give you some kind of massage. It is supposed to balance the vatta and soothe the kaffa in me. It is a naturalist healing. By the time I make it home I will be blessed, meditated and healed and be dying to talk.
It actually hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. The first couple of days were rough and then you softened into it and started to really erase some of the busyness of the mind.... and man is my mind busy :) I actually came to realize that it had been so long since I had talked to anyone Canadian that I had somehow picked up pidgin English with strange Brazilian, Cezch, British, German lilts ( we are a bit of a motley crew with homes all over the place). I am glad no one could hear me speak, my inner voice was all messed up. I had actually forgotten how to Canadian pronounce things and it made my mind spin a little. Now I have my voice back and it is a struggle to start speaking.....where to go from here?
I am heading down south to check out the dive situation before getting on a plane and returning to Delhi. And then back to Canada and a Canadian accent! I am only home for 1.5 days..long enough to get my Mom to cut my hair ( I hope) and give my dog a long cuddle and then Rufas and I are heading on the Mystery Tour 2007. He has been pretty good about not sharing the actually destination... although I have a few ideas. I really am still quite happy that I don't have to think about it or plan anything and I think he is happy that I am not involved in the planning!!
I missed some steps along the way with the speaking ban..so I what I forgot to share here, I may be able to fill in the holes upon my return. I hope all is well at home and spring is around the corner
xot
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Goa
will write again when I have more time,
t
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Toilet note
t
Kanyakumari
More food
I have a tonne of pictures that show the buildings and the blocks as well as the classes that are taught under the trees. The teachers are an incredible team and the students were very sweet. After my last school visit we went into the mountains to have a bathe and then we stopped at Nallasivan's temple. I got a special pooja blessing and I also got see a lot of the orphans again who were singing prayers and running around the temple...very adorable.
t
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Comments are up and running
South Indian Lunch
pot on your plate. you pour some samba or curry on it, knead it and mix it, form it into a ball scoop and use your thumb to lever it into your mouth... with one hand... I will stress again..one hand. I did not realize how much I used both hands to eat until I ate in India. If this sounds at all easy..it is not and it is very interesting to watch experts zoom through a meal while I am still trying to figure out how to make little tasty rice balls with my hand.
At the end of the meal you are given a little green leaf that has a paste inside and a rose petal for looks on top. You pop the whole thing in your mouth and chew..I hated it in my mout but it did really help with digestion..it was very soothing.
t
Toilet Talk BEWARE
Squeaky clean in Tamil Nadu
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
School..Family and a Tiger Sanctuary
I spent yesterday in Meena's kitchen learning how to cook and she was also filling me ino some secret ingredients that are not so secret in India but until now have remained a mystery to me...like why the tea tastes so much better here than at home!
She also took me through the traditional Hindi wedding and the reasons behind some of the reception. We ended the day with a lesson of saree dressing. I think I am close to being able to dress myself. Vydyha looked on and giggled but she told me I looked very nice. It is a real treat to be dressed and have your hair done with jewels and flowers.
I going back to the village and visiting water dam area. Nallasivan is trying to get special permission to have me enter a certain area. Okay, so the areas we were in was Tiger Sanctuary..unfortunately ( fortunately?) no tiger sitings. But two different species of monkeys..pretty cute in my books. As well we ended up hitting one of the waterfalls and went for a bath. This entailed me undressing in front of an audience...if you recall the male female ratios here, this was no different..22 men, 2 women ( that two is including me!) They
had a guard stand nearby and clear the rest of the men out of the waterfall. I stood in my sarong while the onlookers stared and stared and stared ( Kit that was for you..I thought you might be missing those horrible TV commercials haha)
For a country that is very particular about seeing legs and shoulders of a woman, this was quite the experience. But very refreshing..if not a whole lot revealing.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
The Royal Treatment
Pimpin' a ride
Mendhi and Old Delhi
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Love and Marriage
So my investigation into love marriages and arranged marriages continues. Furthuring my interest Kuldeep answered many questions that I was curious about. When getting married, there is a dowry that the bride’s family needs to pay. It is usually all of the household items and money, dependant on the wealth of the family. The bride will also pay for the ceremony ( which can be as long as 5 days). It is tradition that the brides aunt and uncle will give the couple a gift as well…usually 20,000 to 50, 000 Rs This is the traditional sense. Kuldeep to0ld me that he and many others do not always expect a dowry and the money from the aunt and uncle but it is the way.
He also told me that in India it is based on a joint family tradition. The brothers will stay together in living arrangements with their mother and father while the daught is expected to move in with her husband’s family and brothers. He was surprised that Canadians live independent of their families in many cases. He said that the other families take care of the children and duties in a communal sense. How old? Well for women 20-25, for men 25, 30 to 40. The one thing that is essential is that child brides have been outlawed and men are not allowed to marry before 25.
I asked him if he got to meet his wife prior to marrying him and he laughed and said yes…but this is not the traditional way The men and women that have love marriages will receive no support from their families or friends..he was very clear that they would be isolated and not supported.. He said these marriages do not often last. He told me that to see the young couples out who are not married and in his words “making fun” of the traditions of India were very disrespectful. I was a little sheepish in the idea that I could not tell the difference between the married and unmarried couples. He noted a few in the places we were…I asked about dating and he said that it is not approved of but media and movies are eroding the traditional values.
I have seen this in the youth going to discos in the hotel. It is a shock to see anyone’s legs here, westerners and Indian people included. I have been here a short time and I will catch myself staring. So, to see music videos and young women in short skirt is not fashion dress that is approved of here. And dating before marriage is a hidden secret and does not have the approval of the majority.
Big or small it is okay to show your belly (except in Haryana and Punjab) but to show your legs is obscene.
As for infidelity, if it does happen it is denied profusely. Arranged marriages are defended and believed to work better than love marriages. But it is questionable when one sees t-shirts that say MBA: married but available and many people of all ages are on love match sites in the internet places and there are many people seeking connections with westerners
t
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Taj Mahal
I traveled to Agra yesterday and there is not enough words to detail the grandness and beauty of the Taj Mahal. I will post some pictures..but even then it does not capture the feel of the place. So with requests, I will post three pics..the one with the back of my head so that my sister can pretend that it is her. One for my fellow yogis who won’t laugh at me when everyone else is haha! And of course the one that left me breathless: A group of school children in bright red uniforms running in between the mosque and the Taj Mahal. And the last one is the interesting thing about India: I go to take a picture of the Taj Mahal and the Indians want a picture of me...these were my new friends haha!
The beauty and the sadness of the Taj Mahal is wrapped in its story. A tribute to his wife, the emperor had many workers build the white marble structure. With devotion and love it was builton the bloodshed of many workers. After the artistry was complete the Emperor had the thumbs cut off of the men who constructed the beautiful symmetrical masterpiece so that they would never be able to copy the artistry anywhere else. It did not end there… he had most of the labourers killed so they could not replicate anything from the structure.
Once the white marble Taj was built he intended to put a black mirror image across the river. This did not happen. He started the outline and before any brick was laid he was imprisoned by his son in the fort facing the Taj Mahal. It is here he was imprisoned for the remaining eight years of his life. He had a complete view of his masterpiece and tribute of love…but also his unfulfilled dream.
His son believed he had already spent too much money and to build a black marble Taj Was too extravagant and he was taking too much money away from the people
I visited the fort and veiwed the place of imprisonment but I also saw the area where the golden chain of justice used to be. It is believed that there was a long gold chain that reached down to the common people. Any person could call for justice by shaking the chain and bringing awareness to the emperor of the justice being sought.
I also visted Akbar’s tomb with its 70 foot ceiling that allows an echo to carry out for longer than 5 seconds.
The most memorable things about the trip would be the kindness of my host Kuldeep who walked me through all of the areas while fending off many peddlars of tourist items.
The symmetry and precision of the artistry: large slabs that had perfectly symmetrical carvings.
And of course the drive to Agra: the roads in India are riddled with donkeys, camels and horses pulling carts beside large lorries filled with anything from dead cows and camels to people spilling out and hanging on precariously out the sides of rickshaws or on the back of bikes. Loads of immense size tilted and twisted to fit on too small of transportation. Donkeys next to small cars, right next to fancy jeeps, beside bicycles. It is a shock to the senses with complete and utter disbelief flowing through your veins at every moment of every moment forward in traffic. The only thought being one of wonder at how it all works. And the deafening sound of horns beeping to indicate anything from I want to pass to just simple..I am am right behind you. On the backs of trucks it says please use horn...as if anyone in India needed a reminder to use their horn haha!
I may make it home but it will be after my heart has taken a licking from mini-heart attacks and slight cases to extreme case of whiplash, and with some hearing loss all the while my driver is giggling to himself and singing little tunes completely unphased by the chaotic nature of the road.
Kit and I keep laughing that there are signs everywhere saying lane driving is safe driving and I have yet to see anyone drive in one lane..in fact even when there is no other vehicle the trucks still drive in the middle of the road (however there is rarley, if ever just 20 vehicles...)
It was a long trip there and back...the distance is not long but the traffic is intense...nonetheless well worth every twist and turn on the road.
t
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Hosts
School Visits
Outdoor/indoor classrooms
computer room ( no internet)
playground and door ways to classrooms