Ever feel like you just need a hug?!

Amma, the "Hugging Mother"

Who better to seek a hug from than Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, AKA the Hugging Saint.

Amma, as she is more commonly called, was born into a normal childhood in a small coastal South Indian village, but soon was seen to have a higher calling. She teaches that love and selfless giving are the most important guiding principles, and she embodies this – literally- by spending hours of every day giving hugs and consolation to anyone who comes to her. Over the past 30 years, she has hugged millions of people all over the world!

By spending 3 days at her Ashram, which is located on the property where she was born, we were able to gain some insight into her work… and of course we also got a divine hug!

It is hard to know where to start in summing up our experience at the Amritapuri Ashram. Suffice to say that it is truly a whole different world. Walking through the gates of the ashram, you enter a community filled with people wearing flowing white clothing, eating communal “gruel”-type meals from stainless steel dishes, and spending their days chanting, praying, and connecting with their spiritual selves, as guided by Amma.

The ashram is a spiritual place, so photographs were strictly prohibited, but your imaginations will paint a pretty accurate photo- everything from our bare room with mattresses on the floor, to a sea side full of meditating practitioners from all walks of life!

We were impressed by the commitment of Amma’s followers to lead simple lives without materialistic distractions. It is hard to think of better guiding principles than love and selfless giving, and we fully believe in the basic teachings which Amma shares. We were also impressed by the magnitude of the ashram itself, having 3000 permanent residents, with the capacity to house an additional 2000 visitors. It is massive, but it feels like a small village. Everyone is expected to complete at least two hours of SEVA (selfless service) to keep the ashram running, so while we were there, Patrick and I helped with the composting program, and also washed dishes at night. Everything runs relatively smoothly and it provides a safe space for many people. Amma also heads the Embracing the World charity, which is often one of the first to arrive on scenes of world disasters. By all accounts, this is an inspirational woman and a special place.

We must be honest, however, that we also had certain reservations over the course of our stay. There is a real sense of idol worship that felt a bit misguided. Somehow, all the “fuss” around ‘Amma the idol’ distracted from her core message. There is a true “Amma-mania”, complete with every possible trinket you can think of available- rings, watches, bags, T-shirts, postcards (of her feet!), etc. When she walks anywhere, crowds rush for a glimpse of this woman that is on display all day on stage as it is.

And then there’s the hug. Sounds great, right? I am a hugger- I love hugs. And a divine hug? Sign me up! Well, sign up indeed! You get assigned a time when you can get in line to have a hug. After an hour in line, one of her assistants literally grabs you and shoves your head into her sizeable chest…. and holds it there!! That hug will end when She decides it’s time! It is a somewhat awkward, strange experience, and unfortunately, I can’t say it was the most moving or enlightening spiritual experience I have had.

Patrick had an equally baffling experience, culminating in Amma whispering in tongues in his ear, and then saying, “I told ‘im, I told ‘im, I told ‘im”…. okay…. we are not sure what to make of that… perhaps she has a direct line to the big Him and felt Patrick needed a favour or two!! Time will tell, I guess!

Oh well, it was very interesting as an anthropological study, if nothing else! We are glad we went, and will try to remember the core messages more than anything else.

 

The Sublime South

As bold a statement as this may seem, we are confident that anybody who has traveled to India and not liked it could not have possibly have come to the southern state of Kerala.

Before escaping the hectic and cold north of India, we decided to make this state a home base for the next month, primarily for the warm weather.  We knew very little about the area, but since arriving here we have quickly fallen in love with the laid back lifestyle, friendly atmosphere, and fascinating history.

Kerala is a thin strip of land along the south west coast looking out towards the Arabian Sea and only makes up about 1 % of India’s total land mass.

Intricate networks of canals and backwater lagoons dip in from the coast and punctuate beautiful empty beaches lined with palm trees.  Above, eagles and crows soar as fisherman pull in loads of fresh fish and prawns in small, brightly painted boats and manually operated fishing nets.

It is also a considered to be the most socially advanced state in India, with an extremely high literacy rate and a relatively even distribution of wealth.  Incidentally, it was the world’s first democratically elected communist state in 1957 and has remained so ever since.

Sun setting over the Arabian Sea!

The beach where we have spent the last two days is called Mirari Beach.  The small coastal road to get here has silky smooth asphalt, having been recently rebuilt after the damage of the 2004 tsunami. With almost no traffic and little to no development along the miles of pristine beach, what more could you ask for in a cycle touring destination?

A bike perfectly placed outside a spice shop in Jew Town in Mattancherry, beside Fort Cochin

We are definitely not the only people to have “discovered” the area, however, as spice traders first started coming here over 3000 years ago!  Many towns along this coast were important trading posts and transit points for spices like nutmeg and cloves coming from Indonesia and heading to Europe and the Middle East.

The towns – including Fort Cochin were we spent 4 days relaxing and poking around -have beautiful crumbling colonial architecture left by the Chinese, Portuguese, Jewish and English traders.  The range of religious practices here is fascinating. It’s the kind of place you can hear Muslim prayer calls overlapping with Catholic Church bells, and see Hasidic Jews emerging from a historic synagogue walking beside women in colourful saris and men wearing mini skirt sarongs.

Chinese Fishing nets at sunset

Perhaps the most iconic image of this area is the Chinese fishing nets in Fort Cochin. Still operated by hand using huge boulders as counterweights, it is fun to watch these in action. We also got to eat some yummy seafood straight from the source! You can buy prawns by the kilogram for just $6- do you have any idea how many prawns are in a kilogram?!! A LOT!

From here the plan is to make our way slowly by bike to the very southern tip of India, but given how nice Mirari beach is it may take us quite a while!

Some sublime moments from the past few days:
- contentedly sipping vanilla tea and eating meusli- a definite treat in a neat tea shop in Fort Cochin

A sarong mini skirt in the foreground, with Patrick cyling in the background

- gliding slowly and happily down the coastal road south from Fort Cochin, and seeing village life pass us by- kids on their way to school, women pumping water from communal pumps, and men reading the newspaper in a shady nook
- stumbling by accident upon what has to be India’s best kept secret- Mirari Beach- beautiful white sand, palm trees for shade, and almost deserted coastline with a $30 beach hut just waiting for us!
- frolicking in the Arabian Sea… and then seeing dolphins frolicking just 30 metres away!
- being able to sleep through the night without the constant traffic, yelling, horking, and other noises that you couldn’t escape in the north
- sitting outside in T-shirts and shorts and soaking in the beautiful weather and sea breeze

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Rajasthan and Agra: the Good, the Bad… and the Random!

In a drastic change to our normal methods of travel, we spent the last week with a private driver touring Rajasthan (the land of kings) and Agra (home of the Taj Mahal). Public transportation is limited in these areas, so we figured we would splurge and let someone else take care of the directions. Some of you think we are crazy for having toured South East Asia by bike… well,  driving (being driven) in India is even crazier!

No doubt about it- this has been both memorable and challenging, and looking back on our photos, we can hardly believe everything we saw and did. Before getting into the details, take a look at a few of our pics:

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The budget travel scene here is not as smooth and developed as it was in South East Asia, so we are going to break down our week into the Good, the Bad… and the Random!

THE GOOD:

• The plentitude of ancient sights is fascinating. The display of wealth and grandeur in these old buildings sits in dire juxtaposition to the extreme poverty of many local people now.
• The bright and beautiful fabrics here in the saris, turbans, shawls etc.
• The breath-taking bathing ghats (where Hindu people gather to publically wash and purify themselves) in the holy town of Pushkar.
• Riding camels in the desert at sunset! Yes, it was touristy, but $8 for a two hour “camel safari” was a pretty good deal! Did you know that camels can gallop?
• Taking photos in Jaipur. The street life is so rich there that everywhere you look is a great photo!
• The tourist sights in Jaipur (Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, and Jantar Mantar). We were impressed by the standard at which they are maintained (especially in comparison to Delhi’s sights), and enjoyed the stories that went with them.
• Going on two tiger safaris in Ranthambore National Park. We got the full safari experience in an 18-seater jeep-style truck! The scenery was beautiful and we saw tons of wildlife (deer, antelope, crocodiles, birds, monkeys).
• Visiting the Taj Mahal. Yes, this building gets a lot of hype, but it is truly merited. It exceeded our (admittedly wary) expectations. What a stunning masterpiece- it is truly like walking into a fairytale! The story behind the Taj Mahal is pretty amazing too- the complex was built as a mausoleum for the third wife of Emperor Shah Jahan. His beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died in 1631 giving birth to their 14th child, and he spent from 1632-1653 building her final resting place.

THE BAD:

• Crazy traffic to the point that we felt unsafe on the highway. There were too many moments when we were gripping the seat and holding our breath. While we appreciate that the norm is different here, our driver in particular made a habit of passing other cars with inches to spare, accelerating toward brake lights, and he even drove the wrong way for several kilometers on a mega highway to get out of a traffic jam! Oy! The traffic does not flow here- every intersection is just a total bottleneck with nobody wanting to let anyone else through.
• Poverty. The maimed and invalid. The child beggars. We saw this in South East Asia, but these kids seem much more sad, dirty, and persistent. They look like they are right out of a stage production of Charles Dickens’ “Oliver”. It is really hard to be constantly confronted by this and to struggle with how to give. Street handouts likely don’t land in the right place, but nor are there any safety nets set up for these people.
• Plastic garbage in the desert. It was everywhere along the desert outskirts of the city, and really took away from the beauty of the scenery.
• The smell of urine everywhere. It is really potent. Men in particular seem to relieve themselves absolutely anywhere… even in the corners of historical forts to which they have paid entrance fees!
• The cold weather. We are wimps.
• Not seeing a tiger on our tiger safaris =(
• The saga of getting into the Taj Mahal. We woke up early to be at the ticket gate when it opened at 6:30am, hoping to see the sunrise over the Taj. A nice idea… but we waited in a nearly unmoving line until after 8am (an hour after sunrise) before we got inside! Then three false starts with a faulty audio guide delayed our visit even more.
• The lack of internet access here. We got spoiled with easy and reliable access in South East Asia.

THE RANDOM:

• Our driver repeatedly opening his car door while going 45km/hr to hork out his chewing tobacco.
• Our hotel room in Jaipur! It was built as a mansion for the prime minister of the state, and we stayed in the master bedroom- full of character!
• Going to a Bollywood film (called Agneepath) at Raj Mandir Cinema, which is allegedly the fanciest and most outlandish cinema in India. Lonely Planet describes it as, “A huge pink cream cake with a meringue auditorium and a foyer somewhere between a temple and Disneyland.”
• Seeing GOATS wearing COATS! Oh yes- our friends Arieh and Blair will attest to just how common it is to see this four-legged fashion statement!
• Passing two stark naked Jain holy men walking down the side of the highway. Was NOT expecting that!
• The lavish town of Fatehpur Sikri which took years to build, and then was promptly abandoned a short very time later due to a lack of water. Where was the foresight?!!
• Visiting the birthplace of the Hindu god Krishna. The birthplace itself is a humble slab of marble, but another building on the premises houses an extensive collection of dioramas with moving, mechanical dolls that depict various (often gory) stories about Krishna. Only halfway through this somewhat disturbing funhouse-esque experience did we realize that Cayleigh was the only female there… oops- not sure why, but Hindu women did not seem to enter.

So, now we are off to Kerela in the south of India. As Jerry Garcia once sang, it’s time to “head to where the climate suits our clothes”!

Incredible India!

We arrived in India safe and sound, and we are loving it so far!

The busy Pahar Ganj street near where we are staying

We had been warned by many people that India was “an assault on the senses,” and indeed Delhi is a very busy city, but actually not as crazy as we had expected it to be after all the stories we had heard. That said, our senses were all fully on alert with so much to take in!

The sights range from beautiful (vibrant colours, fresh fruit displays, small gestures of camaraderie) to heart-wrenchingly sad (children begging, men sniffing glue etc.), and their effect is heightened by the contrasting wafts of lovely smelling incense and the less-than-lovely odour of urine and sewage. We picked our way carefully through the streets, navigating cow dung, refuse, unidentifiable puddles and more, hearing honking, yelling, chanting, and music.

I think that having spent the last five months in South East Asia prepared us well for what we have experienced to date here, both dulling the ‘shock factor’ at some of the things you see, and also preparing us for wild traffic, different standards of hotels and washrooms, and the general attention you get for being a foreigner.

This population graph from the Lonely Planet gives you a sense of the population here!

We have seen some pretty memorable things already! On our very first night, we happened upon a wedding procession in the road, complete with the groom on horseback, and a bunch of people drumming and dancing in front of him! They even had chandelier-type lights being carried on people’s shoulders… powered by a generator that came behind on a bicycle!

Yesterday we were overwhelmed by the number of ‘extremely friendly men’ who were willing to help us find a travel agency! After 7 touts in the morning alone, we  stopped singing the praises of all our new Indian friends and realized that perhaps… just perhaps, we were being sought out for a quick commission.

Today we had a day exploring some of the tourist sights in Dehli, and tomorrow we leave to spend a week in Rajasthan, an area in the north west of  India that has many beautiful sights to see.

And after that? Well, we *were* going to head north for a month to Rishikesh (“yoga centre of the universe” where the Beatles wrote their White Album)… *until* we got to Delhi and found that it was 12.8 celcius and would be even colder up north! While that may sound balmy to those of you back in Canada, it was a frigid awakening to us delicate creatures, and we promptly decided to head south instead. After all, Cayleigh only brought one pair of pants, and all the delicious chai in India couldn’t overcome the cold as we snuggled under two blankets in bed last night! Ah the joys of a flexible travel schedule!

And as a sidenote, speaking of chai, we can get room service chai in our hotel for only 25 cents! Doesn’t get better than tha

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Familiar Faces Part 2

A great addendum to yesterday’s post!!

Today we were reunited with another long lost friend… Patrick’s camera!

India, here we come!

Despite an initial estimate that it would cost $900 to fix his camera (a camera that is only $600 to buy new, for which we paid $300 used!), we found another place that fixed it for just $80! Hooray!! A happy reunion indeed.

Cayleigh has also replaced her camera with a sleek red version of the camera she used to have.

ps. Totally random, but check out the video that we figured out how to add to an old Indonesian post of ours- worth a good laugh, we promise!
The video is at the bottom of this post:  http://off2greatplaces.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/farewell-to-parigi/