Sarees and My Serogate Family

The other night Kusum (CP's wife) dressed me up in a saree and then we took pictures in their living room. They are the sweetest people ever. It felt like old times when I used to dress up in my mom's clothes.

Dharamsala to Delhi to Mumbai

It’s been a seriously long time since the last time I wrote. So I’ll do my best to catch up on what’s been happening.

To start off I’m in Mumbai now. I got here about two days ago. I finally made it to the south! I left Dharamsala a couple of weeks ago. The weather there was just beginning to become perfect – warm, sunny days, and chillier nights. A whole new flux of people were arriving because the Dalai La,ma gave another teaching. But I felt like it was time to go. The south beckoned so with the help of Eric, a friend from Paris, I got my bus ticket bound for Delhi. Before we left though, the last bunch of us had a farewell picnic on a grassy knoll behind the Dalai Lama’s palace.

Saying goodbye to any place like Dharamsala is so hard. The place itself and the people I met there has left me with a great feeling of warmth. Eric was also headed to Delhi because he was flying back to Paris. His trip in India was already over. Eric was part of the group I met when I returned Dharamsala so after saying goodbye to him in Delhi, it really felt like a new phase in my travels.

I chilled out at Bryce’s house in Delhi. Bryce is a Fulbrighter from last year who still lives in Delhi. I didn’t plan to be in Delhi so long, but I ended up hanging out for a week. I did a little sightseeing, but mostly just chilled out and figured out what I’m going to do next and where I’m going to take my parents (they’re coming to visit on the 15th!). I finally bought a guitar while in Delhi too. I started to learn how to play guitar in Dharamsala. So now I’m traveling with a guitar myself to hopefully learn along the way. I also went to the Hare Krishna temple complex in Delhi. It’s HUGE. And while there saw the most amazing show on the Bhavad Gita. I usually don’t expect things to be so fancy in India, but this ‘Vedic Expo’ as they call it, was a walk through maze of sound, lights and smoke upon different themed displays of the Bhavad Gita. It was like a ride at Disneyland, Hare Krishna style. There are parts of the show where I walked into a room and then a spotlight goes on and I saw the mirror image of myself and then a deep dark voice goes, “Look at yourself! Do you think that you are your body. That piece of matter, your clothes, that container is who you are??” Then you’re shown a display of figures that are going from birth to a decrepit death. And of course, no Hare Krishna experience is complete without chanting! I happened to come at the time when there was a famed speaker who came from America and was leading a huge room people in mantra song and dance. Since it’s a temple I didn’t take any photos, but damn, I wish you could have seen what I saw. It was so fun, everyone in the room, including myself got swept up in the energy, chanting and singing and dancing and clapping, “Hare, Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Hare Hare!”

I got into Mumbai two days ago. The train ride was cool. Traveling in the A/C coach is the way to go for a clean and comfortable ride. I recently joined couchsurfing.com. It’s a network of people around the world who have decided that we’re all part of a global community and have opened up there homes to host travelers. It’s an amazing concept, especially in this day and age, that people can travel to other places and meet and by hosted by local people in that town or city. The Mumbai Couch Surfing group is great. I contacted them and got connected with an older couple who offered their spare bedroom for me to stay in. Mumbai is ridiculously expensive compared to other places in India. The cheapest room I could find here at a hostel is about 600 Rupees ($15). Compared to the 125 Rupees ($2.75) I was paying in Dharamsala, it’s a lot.

But more than just the money or a couch or spare bedroom, it’s a great opportunity for cultural exchange. CP and Osoom, my hosts here, are retired and live in the beachfront area of Mumbai. They are truly the youngest couple I’ve met. They’re so full of life, and are so warm, friendly, open and generous to me. CP told me that the only rule he has for me is to make myself feel at home. This is the first time I’m experiencing some true Indian culture. Like breakfast is usually around 10, lunch at 2, tea at 4 or 5, and then dinner is at 10. They’re a social couple and have tons of friends in the area. CP and Osoom just want to enjoy life at this point. Their daughter is grown and married, and CP only works when he feels like it (in finances), and the rest of the time they travel, talk long walks on the beach (which is a two minute walk from the house, but you can’t swim there cause the water is so dirty), eat, drink, sleep and enjoy.

My first day in town I met up with another Mumbai CS member, Sanu and walked around South Mumbai and saw some sights there. Mumbai is huge! There are tons of different neighborhoods. Mumbai is an island so it’s tropical weather – humid and hot. The architecture is amazing all around the city, and it’s super green with lots of tropical trees and plants everywhere. And just like every other Indian city, it’s heavily polluted and overcrowded with people, cars, buses and rickshaws. I’ll be here for several more days. On Saturday there is a Mumbai CS meet up at a downtown art gallery and then my parents arrive on Monday. I hope everyone is doing well wherever you are.

XOXOXO