Think I'm gonna miss Mysore

As my time here in Mysore comes to a close, I'm realizing how much I will really miss this place. It takes a while to settle into this place (me anyway), but now that I am, it's very comfortable. Familiar faces all over the place, I know my way around town rather well, the weather is absolutely beautiful, and now I only have two days left. But I will be back.

Last night, I ran into one of my favorite people in the world. I heard he was going to be here...stopping over on his way to a retreat in Sri Lanka. I was near the shala, and walking toward me was Tim Miller. He is one of the very special people in this world...and just happens to be an amazing Ashtanga Yoga teacher...the first American ceritified by Guruji. I've trained with him quite a few times, and spent a month at his shala in Encinitas last year. Though he had arrived here at 3:00am after traveling for 20 some hours, he still had the energy and warmth to stop and chat for a while.

Today, the yoga students were all invited to the Presidents hotel downtown for a lunch with the three sisters (most notably, Harini that gives the massage, and the three of them run a restaurant near the old shala). The lunch was in honor of their recently passed father. We were all happy to be there for them and with them...quite an amazing thing for them to do.

Seems there are many people leaving this week (December is a slow month at the shala), so, many farewell lunches and dinners. I'm not real fond of the big gatherings...but there are some new friends that I will miss dearly and will try to spend time with them before we all depart.

I feel very fortunate to be staying in the country for another 2-3 months. Anticipation indeed.

It's quiet on the comment board...is everyone still there. Sorry, the posts are a little boring...but it gets that way here at times.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate. This year, though I won't be home in the cold, eating turkey, stuffing (Mom's stuffing is absolutely the best around), mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie (with cool whip...actually more cool whip than pie), I will be here in Mysore celebrating with other students. A couple of gatherings have been organized...though I doubt that we will be having turkey! Whatever we eat will be fabulous I'm sure.

Sights, sounds, smells to share with you...the man that sits on the corner near my house...he waves and says "hello" with a huge smile every time I pass by. The cow laying down in the middle of the busiest street in Mysore as buses, trucks, motorcycles and scooters swerve to avoid it. The pack of dogs (8 of them) that followed me home last night. The smell of Jasmine from the house two down from mine...I get this every morning on my way to practice. The smell of my clothing after a trip downtown on the scooter...pure exhaust fumes...can't imagine what is going into my lungs. Seeing the man arm in arm with his elderly father as they finish their morning walk. Having a coconut at the shade at the stand on Gokula road during the heat of the day. Eating the most amazing home made meal you can imagine and paying r's 50 for it (a little over a dollar). Finishing this morning's talk through class and hearing Guruji say "thank you very much". There are countless others...I will share more in future entries. These are starting to come to mind as my time in Mysore winds down.

Again, have a safe, happy holiday. Peace.

Getting to Kovalam

This past week I've started making arrangements to get to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) in the state of Kerala, South India. Trivandrum is very close to Kovalam (my final destination), and that's where I will be for at least two months, studying ashtanga yoga with Lino Miele. Kovalam was once a traditional Keralan fishing village, but is now more of a tourist attraction for those wishing to capture a bit of the Indian experience. I wouldn't call it paradise (who knows, it may be paradise by the time I get there), but the beach and the Arabian Sea will be a welcome sight for me.

Now, back to my "arrangements". Seems this is a popular Indian travel season, meaning trains and budget to medium range hotels are all busy (I know this because I've tried to book several places between here and Kovalam to break the trip up). I have a travel agent working on the train ticket to Trivandrum out of Bangalore...he said "this may not be possible, but if I can find a seat, I will buy the ticket for you"...alrighty then. So, today I will find out about that. No biggie, though, if I have to, I'll fly...just a little more expensive. Once I'm in Kovalam, things will be easy. And it's "easy" I'm after. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Again, it's hard to believe I've been here in Mysore for almost two months. I haven't "accumulated" much, but it's funny the things that have to be done just to leave. On top of making the travel arrangements to my next destination, I've got to talk with my landlord, arrange to drop off my scooter, make sure everything I have will indeed fit in my baggage, start the goodbyes (I'm not good about that...would rather just sneak out of town), visit the last few places in Mysore that I want to see...you know, life is tough here! But I'll survive.

There will be more to report later...so now, off to the travel agent!

Coming down to the wire

...in Mysore. I have a week and a half before leaving for Kovalam and Lino Miele's retreat. The time here as simply flown by...probably because I'm so settled.

So, with the remaining time here, I will likely get into the city to see some of the landmarks I haven't yet seen, maybe spend one afternoon at the pool at the Southern Star hotel (haven't done this yet, here it's a nice place), and just begin to tie up the loose ends prior to moving on. There are choices when it comes to getting to Kovalam (actually go to Trivandrum, the major city near Kovalam). First I'll have to get to Bangalore (easy...train or car, about 100km). From there, the choices are plane (expensive but fast), bus (scary, long ride, but inexpensive) or train (similarly long trip, but more comfortable and priced reasonably)...looks like the train is the way. The retreat starts on Dec. 5...I'd like to get there on the 3rd or thereabouts.

On a sad note, I received news that one of Lino's assistants, and an incredible teacher in her own right, Gwendoline Hunt, had passed away in an unfortunate drowning accident in New Zealand. I had the true pleasure of meeting her 3 years ago when she assisted Lino in a Chicago Ashtanga yoga workshop. Didn't know her well, but in that short time she had a tremendous impact on me. Not only did she teach Ashtanga from her heart, she seemed to live life that way. She was a sweet, happy upbeat person with unlimited knowledge to share...she was in her mid 70's. Gwendoline will be dearly missed.

Everyday things you do here

Thought I'd share a few of my daily activities with you...

• Walking to the yoga shala every morning at 4:40am in the dark. It's very pleasant really...usually a dog or two fast asleep on the street, the smell of burning garbage here and there, and sounds of people waking up (clearing throats) from several houses. As you get closer to the shala, more students appear from side streets. Upon arrival, there are small groups of people talking. The occasional scooter/motorcycle pulls up. It's funny how some people feel they need to procede directly to the front regardless of what time they get there...like they "might not get their spot" or something. Heaven forbid. The gate is unlocked at about 4:55am...everyone streams in, grabs a spot on the carpeted floor, puts their things in the locker room, and begins their practice. Guruji usually come out at aboout 5:20am to do the chant.
• Breakfast - I go to a few places, sometimes eat at home. If I'm feeling social, I'll go out. I'll usually see many of the same faces, but always new arrivals to meet. It's hard to remember everybody's name...but in time you do. Breakfast can be anything from Iddli (spongy fermented rice cake, usuallyserved with coconut chutney and another spicy broth), masala dosa (large lentil flour dosa, or pancake, stuffed with a spicy potato mixture), roti's (unleavened flat bread) with a variety of chutneys, or you can find western breakfast at a couple of places (fruit salads, eggs, toast, etc)...sometimes a nice change. As breakfast is a morning activity, and right after yoga practice, it is nice to have some solitude, but that's not usually the case...usually very social and loud. Sometimes it's nice to just have muscelai and coffee at home...there are plenty of days to experience everything.
• A visit to the Bank to change money - this is an experience. I do this about once a week, and am usually the only non-Indian in the place. And is there any question why I'm at the bank? So, usually I will be promptly escorted to a clerk's desk, will be asked for my passport and the cash/travelers checks to be exchanged. The clerk will run off and find out that days' exchange rate, and will announce it to me for everyone in the bank to hear (not a big deal, just kind of surprised me at first). I will then be told how many rupee's that translates to, will be asked to sign a piece of paper in two places and will then be given my passport back along with a steel medallion with a number on it and told to go sit down and wait until the cashier calls my number. The bank is a busy place...because it's not open for long each day...9:30am to 12:30pm, then from 2 to 3 in the afternoon...true "bankers hours". As I wait, many people come and go. Patrons with numbers higher than mine are taken care of as I sit patiently. There are many stares, and usually two or three men will introduce themselves, ask my name, why I am in India, etc...and an occasional longer conversation. After a half an hour or so, my number is called....I go to the "cage" where the cashier is and my rupee's are counted off to me, usually with 3 or 4 men looking over my shoulder (this bothered me at first, but observed later that this happens to everyone...not just me). I've also learned that regardless of how crowded the bank is, I will ALWAYS be there for a half an hour. The other day I exchanged cash, and the clerk copied down the serial numbers of every bill as I sat and watched. Do I have an untrusting face? That day I was one of three customers in the bank, and still I waited half an hour.
• Scooter ride downtown - this is a trip! There are few traffic lights here...they use traffic circles to keep traffic flowing...I kind of like the idea. But the traffic is insane durring busy times. Now that I know my way and am aware of the rules of the road (at least I think I am), it usually goes quite well. A scooter, as you can imagine, is one of the lowest in the hierarchy of road worthy vehicles...perhaps only a pedal bike is lower. Use of the horn highly encouraged...usually to signal that you are approaching an intersection, preparing to pass another vehicle...but hardly ever to curse someone. So, as I "scoot" along and a car comes up behind me, they will toot the horn and I am required to "cower" to the side to let them pass. You've got to be alert, as oncoming buses/cars/auto-rickshaws/motorcycles will come into your lane to pass another car and still, you are required to pull to the side to allow it. And just being in the flow of traffic is intense...but it works. And the pollution is horrible. Fuel quality and emissions standard I imagine are quite low here...smoke all over the place. Usually after an excusion downtown, I'll have to change clothes due to the heavy smell of exhaust fumes...imagine what I'm breathing in. Here's my assesment of the hierarchy: push cart, pedal bike, scooter, motorcycle, rickshaw, car, truck, bus, cow.
• Supermarket - occasionally I'll go to pick up the essentials, and maybe a few extras, at Nilgiri's supermarket. This is a very clean, "have everything" store and is a good place to visit when you first arrive...but I didn't know about it when I first arrived. You know...things like bottled water, coffee, tea, tp, laundry soap, cleaning supplies, snacks, kitchen stuff...just about everything you need. It's a little weird shopping though. You see, there are market employees standing all over the store. Seems as thought they are watching your every move, looking over your shoulder...but really they are there to help, and to instantly re-stock anything that you take. Just to give you an idea of prices here...a one litre size bottled water...15 rupees (about 35 cents american). What do we pay in the states...$1.50?
• Ride in a Rickshaw - sometimes nice to just take a rickshaw somewhere as opposed to riding the scooter. As with taxi's, they have fare meters. When a westerner steps into a rickshaw, the driver will usually see this as an opportunity...and will claim "meter not working" and will give you a price to where you are going. As you can imagine, this price is always much more than what the meter would read. It's nice if you know ahead of time what a typical rickshaw ride will cost to your destination. If the driver quotes you too high, usually stepping out of the vehicle will bring the price back into line. If you want to further make a point, just go to another rickshaw down the street. Some drivers take really good care of their rickshaws...and the ride can be a real pleasure. They are open air, and you can see everything in front and to the sides...but again the pollution can come into play. All in all, a really nice way to get around.

There will be many more things to share...I'll post more later. Keep the comments coming, I really enjoy hearing from everyone

Down Time continued...

Today is the first of three consecutive days off from the shala...Guruji's family will be offering puja for the death of Saraswati's husband, Sharath's father at this time last year. It was at this time last year I was preparing to go to Encinitas, CA for Guruji's stop on his tour...but the tour was cut short by this unfortunate incident. I still went to Encinitas and practiced at Tim Miller's studio for 3 1/2 weeks...what a lovely vacation it was. Guruji is going back on tour next March to make up for the stops he missed last time. Students will likely practice at home during this break.

It's very quiet around Gokulam at the moment. Many students take such an opportunity to go on excursions...usually in groups, to one of the many great places you can visit in South India. I still haven't seen eveything around here...so, here I will stay. My scooter will take me to Lalitha Mahal palace, back to Chamundi Hill (looking for a clear, sunny day this time), to the cinema, to the Mysore Palace..etc.

Hard to believe I have just 3 weeks left here in Mysore before leaving for Kovalam. Also on the agenda over the next several days is a trip to the post office to ship some things back home, a stop at a travel agency to see about train tickets to Kovalam (actually to Trivandrum...major city close by), a chat with Shiva about the house I'm living in...I'll only need a partial month...hopefully ok to pay partial rent.

Well, without boring you to tears, that's about it. It's actually quite "normal" here now. Nice to just be still throughout the day...maybe read, update this journal, stop for a couple of coconuts and call it a day. More in a couple of days.

Down Time

I know, I haven't posted in a while. It's been a little slow lately...partially my doing, and partially due to upcoming days off of yoga. Today (Friday) is a moon day, tomorrow is the usual weekly day off, and the shala is closed Mon-Wed of next week for Gurji's family...so 5 of 6 days of. Many people take the opportunity to go on overnight excursions, I'm staying close to see things I haven't yet seen in or around Mysore...like Samnathpur, home of the Keshava Temple...maybe the Biligiri wildlife sanctuary, maybe the Mandya District where one can find several more Hoysala temples. There's plenty to do around here. I'll save the excursions for my time in Kerala.

Tonight (Friday), some of the students have organized a party just outside of Mysore at a house owned by a resident (what I'm told anyway). A bus will shuttle us to the party at 4:30, and we have our choice of catching the bus back at 10:00pm or midnight...and some may spend the night. Sounds like fun, and from what I understand, the house and surroundings is quite beautiful. Looking forward to the change of scenery.

Today was the last of my "rolfing" sessions (can also be known as structural integration)...this kind of bodywork is expensive in the states...I couldn't afford it but have always been curious about it. What a great opportunity to try...I think it has really helped, and has made me aware of my many imbalances, and perhaps, why they are there.

Discovered yesterday that I have a litter of kittens hanging around my house. I've seen them with their mother, but think that mom is trying to let them go on their own. At night they stick together in the window sill...one big ball of fur, keeping each other warm. As with most kittens, they are extremely curious, but still afraid of me. I don't plan to touch them since I have no idea where they've been, but I 've notice they look a bit undernourished...ribs sticking out and all. I told a friend about them, and she happen to have some cat food left over. Last night I put a little out on a plate...looked like they enjoyed it. This morning I was greeted at the front door by all three...look in their eyes as if to say "more?" Maybe this afternoon.

Like I said, not much happening here. I'll have more after tonight's party. Cheers!


Last night was a night of fireworks in Mysore in celebration of Diwali. Firecrackers going off in every neighborhood, and the sky full of colorful firework displays.

Saturday, rainy Saturday

Saturday is the traditional weekly day off for Ashtangi's. So, what to do with the day. I decided to use the morning to climb Chamundi Hill. Just outside of Mysore, the 1062 meter summit provides a great view of Mysore and the surrounding area...usually. It turns out I chose a cool, overcast, misty day to visit this landmark. On good thing about this is that very few other people wanted to deal with the elements, so, my housemate Jeff from Atlanta and friend Rick from Australia had the Hill nearly to ourselves (we went a bit early which also helps).

This climb will quickly make you realize what kind of cardiovascular shape you are in. My legs were fine...but the breath and heart were working a bit (ok, working hard), and as I looked down, I saw step number 300 of 1100. Can't imagine doing this on a 95 degree day with humidity! About two thirds of the way up is Nandi (Shiva's Bull), a 5 meter high monument carved out of solid rock in 1659. It is the largest in India, and is visited by thousands every year...quite impressive indeed. It's also at about this point that you start to see the monkeys. They are everywhere, and are quite curious and brave. Again, it was early so I'm told they weren't quite as active as they are later in the day. Beyond this point is the final third of the climb...not so bad because you've had a short rest while checking out Nandi and the monkeys (good name for a band). There are more trees in this area, and at one point I saw a leaf hanging down from a spider web in front of me. Curiously, I followed the web upward, and suddenly my eyes were looking at dozens, maybe hundreds, of the largest spiders I've ever seen in my life! Now, spiders don't really bother my much, but some of these things were as large as my hand...bodies the size of my middle finger...and they were everywhere above us. Don't know anything about these spiders...probably just as well. Kept my head down the rest of the way to the summit. At the top is the Chamundeswari Temple with it's 40 meter high gopuram (a pyramidal shaped tower with intricate carvings). The climb took about 35 minutes, and after a visit to the temple, and a refreshing coconut, we started back down. The descent was easier, but the wet stairs could be a bit dangerous if not negotiated carefully. At the bottom, we stopped to stretch our muscles a bit to minimize soreness, jumped on our scooters and headed toward home. On the way, we noticed a HUGE produce market below...looked to be a main spot for the locals to do their shopping for the day. Looked like thousands of people. As it started to rain a little harder, we decided that getting home was a good idea...off we went.

Thanks to Lonely Planet's guide to South India for helping me describe Chamundi Hill.

The forecast for the rest of the day isn't much better, so it will spent mostly at home. Ok by me.

Diwali!

Yet another festival on the Hindu calendar. It is described and the happiest and noisiest festival in India...this explains the firecrackers the kids have been setting off lately. Must be a warm up. Diwali is a five day festival...and each day is different. At night, fireworks and oil lamps are used to show Rama the way home ofter his period of exile. Day one - houses are thoroughly cleaned and doorsteps decorated with rangolis (chalk designs). Day two - is dedicated to Krishna's victory over Narakasura (a legendary tyrant). Day three - spent worshiping Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Day four - commemorates the visit of Bali, the friendly demon that Vishnu put in his place. Day five - the men of India visit their sisters to have a tikka (mark of devotion) put on their forehead (they need a festival to visit their sisters!). Diwali is also known as the festival of sweets. Sweets and firecrackers...who could want more!

I've been spending more time in the city lately...much more comfortable of the layout now. Had some errands to run, and just wanted to walk the back streets to see what I could find. It's pretty much all stores (tiny stalls actually), and it seems you see the same or similar store every half block or so. Fabric/tailor shops, sweets, spices, odds and ends, tea stalls, scooter/rickshaw repair, optical shops, and produce everywhere. After walking for a while, I stopped for a bite at the hotel RRR, and decided it was time to get home. I had to walk toward the next "big circle" (traffic circle) to catch a rickshaw, but before I could get there, I was confronted by a crazy man. Could see it in his eyes. He started screaming at me in broken english, but I could understand most of it. Things like "hey, you are english/american" then something about Islam...etc...you can see where this was going. I tried the "don't look at him and keep walking" method of escape...but he kept at it. I heard things like "hey, confront me" and "fight"...this was getting interesting and people were stopping to see what was going on. Now, this guy was a skinny little man...Indian I think, and I had at least 65 pounds on him, but had no interest in confronting him. Luckily, there appeared an empty rickshaw, I jumped in, and my escape was complete.

Well, we all know about the election results by now. Many frustrated westerners here, some with a real hatred for George W. Bush. I'm not sure that's healthy. Not yet sure how Indians feel about GWB...I'll report back later once I've talked to some people and read the papers.

We have 3 days off coming up. Perhaps a good time to go somewhere, maybe not. I'll decide when the time comes.

Thanks for your comments...more later.

Everyone told me this would happen...

...and it did. I noticed that my lower abdomen was making some funny noises on Saturday night, but there was no pain, nausea, etc. Sunday morning was another story. Was feeling the cramps in my stomach and my entire body ached and was quite stiff. I was able to make it through the talk-through class, but after I immediately went home for some rest. That was about it for Sunday...no appetite, no desire to do anything but rest. But, it paid off because this morning I felt like a new man. Guess it could have much worse. Not sure what caused it exactly...could have been anything really.

Enough of that...I've been here for three weeks now, feel settled, comfortable with the surrondings and finding my way around. I told myself I wouldn't push it...like try to do EVERYTHING during the first two weeks. Just how I am. There's plenty of time to go into Mysore for movies, gifts, food, tailors, etc. There are an incredible number of tailors here...you can go in, look at fabrics (I've heard the fabrics are some of the best around) and can have virtually any article of clothing made for you. If there's a pair of pants you like, they will copy them...seems like they do a pretty good job. Many westerners have Indian garb made. Some have dress shirts and even business suits made. And the price...just like everything else here...perhaps a tenth of what you would pay in America. I'm not here to have clothing made...but I might try a couple of things just to see.

I noticed that U of M beat MSU in football on Saturday...what's worse is how it happened. Apparently MSU at a 17 point lead with 7 minutes to go and the unimaginable happened. All I can say is that we lost our starting quarterback in the first half...we should have won. Enough said.

Today I saw something very cool on Kaladasa Road (where I use the internet, have coffee and where one of my favorite restaurants is...Green Leaf). There was a tight rope set up...mybe 6 feet off the ground. This little girl...had to be less than ten years old, did a tight rope act for passers by while her father (I'm guessing) played music. She used a balancing bar, but she was quite amazing. First walked across, then again, but jumped up and down a few times. Then, she did the same while balancing a small pot on her head. Got some pictures...not something you just stumble across in the states.

Today is some kind of holiday here...Karnataka Day (Republic Day) I think. Seems there's a "holiday" every week here. Me, I'm on one big long holiday.

Thanks for the comments...keep them coming. It's nice to hear from everyone.