Am I tired or am I tired. After writing the entry yesterday we went to a restaurant for a local dish that basicly consisted of carbs, grease and yet more grease - eew. One of the guys thought he'd be daring and order a veg biriani - biig mistake... after the first mouthful he was crying, sweating, and running to the hand-washing sink to gangle the water - v. funny.
Then we went to a huuuge hindu temple. Tamil Nadu, the area next to Kerala that we had our daytrip, is famous for its hindu temples. This particular one was amazing - 5 acres of labaryntine pages surrounded with stone carvings. Something like 50 little temples, thousands of pillers, millions of oil lamps. Tourists and travellers are not allowed to enter the temple, but because we were with the ashram we had special permission. The temple was built a thousand or so years ago - and took 600 years to build- over 30 times the time it took to build the Taj Mahal (so you can imagine how amazing it is inside). Highlights included: the solid granite music pillars that you thumped to play music, a huge cow statue that looked like it had been stolen from eurodisney, an even bigger hanuman statue that we put a garland round - then had water thrown on us, red stuff smeared on aall over foreheads, then had to walk round this statue a few times (must.. keep...straight.... face).
Got back in at 12.30, lay down, and what felt like a second later the morning bell rang - nooooooooooo! Suffice it to say that I now look like the walking dead, and actually managed to fall asleep sitting up in meditation this morning - I have been told that I snored a bit - whooops!
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
Day 59 - Sivananda Ashram
Escaappeee! I'm in the real world again - today is free day at the ashram, so we all piled on the bus to go down to Kanyakumari. I thought the day off would mean I could lie in - wroooong, wake-up at 5.30 as usual, leave by 6. I also thought I got out of the chanting for one day - wroooong, as soon as I got on the bus they put a CD on at full blast - yes, you've got it - all my favourite chants - starting off with the classic 'Jaya Ganesha' - aaaargh!!
You know you want to....listen to the wonderful chanting (You love it? I thought so, listen to more happy music here, and be jealous that I get to do this for hours on end, every day - huzzah)
First stop was at the waterfall - we changed into t-shirts and sarongs and shuffled out to the ledge under the waterfall. We stood there, grasping the railings, as the water hammered on to our backs. It was painful, like the meanest massage ever - but I loved it (heaven for my aching back muscles). Unfortunately our attempts to be modest failed as we emerged looking like contestents in a wet t-shirt competition - oh dear!
Next we went to an old temple - lots of wandering around in bare feet, circling random buildings with painted rocks in them, getting various coloured pastes smeared on our foreheads and sickly sweet rice goo shoved in our hands. Then brekkie down the road at a random 'hotel' (I think they confused the T with a V - else they have a veery loose definition of the word 'hotel' here) .
After eating we hopped back on the bus and along to a wooden palace. Palace was v. nice, started saying things like "I would put a sofa theeeree, t.v. theere" and so on. Unfortunately the place is an Indian heratige site ('5000R fine and 6 months harsh imprisonment' for anyone damaging the property - meep, scared much) so probably not for sale (not that I could afford a wooden palace anyway).
Back on the bus, lunch at a random Ashram (eeew, grim, we have it good at Neyyar dam). Somewhere through the meal I lost my common sense for a moment after eating a paticularly spicy bit of goo and drank some of the water (please let me not spend tomorrow throwing up).
Finally back to Kanyakumari town and the beginning of epic search for an ATM that was in order and not rejecting my card. After an hour of trudging backwards and forewards, and my third ATM, I finally got lucky - I have now got money to pay back the various people I've borrowed it from, and purchase a t-shirt that I've had my eye on for a while (it's a huge Sivananda tshirt with a lovely sketch of the man himself on the front - so hideous that it is cool, at least I hope so, else I've already been here too long!!).
Now happily holed up in an internet cafe (suffering withdrawl symptoms here) and next we go to another temple (joys) then dinner at a nice restaurant (hope nice actually means nice, I really do). Back to the ashram at 11.30, thenup again at 5.30 the next morning. Aaaaaaaaaargh.
Tomorrow is the talent contentest (shivers run down my spine at the words). We've been encouraged to take part to 'conquer our fears' and all that milarkey. Despite the fact that Lisa is a cutting edge modern drama student, and took all her clothes off infront of a room full of strangers for her show, she has copped out - her response to my teasing being 'noway - I get nervous on stage'. Whatever. So without her as my ally in shame, I've joined a couple of other nutty girls to bellow out a song. We want one that is catchy and funny, but as we still haven't decided which to sing this could all be the biggest disaster ever (Beatles 'all you need is love' is the popular choice thus far). Becca gets my full admiration as she is reading out one of her poems (she's a philosophy major, so I'm sure the peom will be really deep and intelligent - but still, the pressure!). Anyway, everyone will get my respect, however bad they are... although I have to say that if someone tries to chant 'Jaya Ganesha' as their entry, I shall personally beat them to death with their tambourine. Shall announce results in a few days.
You know you want to....listen to the wonderful chanting (You love it? I thought so, listen to more happy music here, and be jealous that I get to do this for hours on end, every day - huzzah)
First stop was at the waterfall - we changed into t-shirts and sarongs and shuffled out to the ledge under the waterfall. We stood there, grasping the railings, as the water hammered on to our backs. It was painful, like the meanest massage ever - but I loved it (heaven for my aching back muscles). Unfortunately our attempts to be modest failed as we emerged looking like contestents in a wet t-shirt competition - oh dear!
Next we went to an old temple - lots of wandering around in bare feet, circling random buildings with painted rocks in them, getting various coloured pastes smeared on our foreheads and sickly sweet rice goo shoved in our hands. Then brekkie down the road at a random 'hotel' (I think they confused the T with a V - else they have a veery loose definition of the word 'hotel' here) .
After eating we hopped back on the bus and along to a wooden palace. Palace was v. nice, started saying things like "I would put a sofa theeeree, t.v. theere" and so on. Unfortunately the place is an Indian heratige site ('5000R fine and 6 months harsh imprisonment' for anyone damaging the property - meep, scared much) so probably not for sale (not that I could afford a wooden palace anyway).
Back on the bus, lunch at a random Ashram (eeew, grim, we have it good at Neyyar dam). Somewhere through the meal I lost my common sense for a moment after eating a paticularly spicy bit of goo and drank some of the water (please let me not spend tomorrow throwing up).
Finally back to Kanyakumari town and the beginning of epic search for an ATM that was in order and not rejecting my card. After an hour of trudging backwards and forewards, and my third ATM, I finally got lucky - I have now got money to pay back the various people I've borrowed it from, and purchase a t-shirt that I've had my eye on for a while (it's a huge Sivananda tshirt with a lovely sketch of the man himself on the front - so hideous that it is cool, at least I hope so, else I've already been here too long!!).
Now happily holed up in an internet cafe (suffering withdrawl symptoms here) and next we go to another temple (joys) then dinner at a nice restaurant (hope nice actually means nice, I really do). Back to the ashram at 11.30, thenup again at 5.30 the next morning. Aaaaaaaaaargh.
Tomorrow is the talent contentest (shivers run down my spine at the words). We've been encouraged to take part to 'conquer our fears' and all that milarkey. Despite the fact that Lisa is a cutting edge modern drama student, and took all her clothes off infront of a room full of strangers for her show, she has copped out - her response to my teasing being 'noway - I get nervous on stage'. Whatever. So without her as my ally in shame, I've joined a couple of other nutty girls to bellow out a song. We want one that is catchy and funny, but as we still haven't decided which to sing this could all be the biggest disaster ever (Beatles 'all you need is love' is the popular choice thus far). Becca gets my full admiration as she is reading out one of her poems (she's a philosophy major, so I'm sure the peom will be really deep and intelligent - but still, the pressure!). Anyway, everyone will get my respect, however bad they are... although I have to say that if someone tries to chant 'Jaya Ganesha' as their entry, I shall personally beat them to death with their tambourine. Shall announce results in a few days.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Day 58 - Sivananda Ashram
Here I am - in the internet cafe again... just need to get back in touch with reality. The brain washing is taking hooold.... I actually banged a tambourine (to relieve the boredom) and swayed (to relieve aching butt muscles) thismorning! Shock horror. Also stepped it up in the yoga stakes - I'm attending the advanced class in the morning and evening and becoming somewhat of a freaks rubber band (though I still sweat immensely - eeew).
My body in now more mosquito bite than skin, so permenantly covered in tiger balm (no anti-histamenes available - aaargh). This does make me look somewhat jaundiced due to the orange tone of the balm, but has the added bonus effect of calming my strained muscles. (I didn't know you could strain muscles in your butt - but yes, in fact you can- darn locust position) .
Tomorrow is a free day, so I am joining in a trip to the very southern tip of India (where the three oceans meet). We are going to bathe in a waterfall (fully clothed of course - this is India afterall), visit loads of temples, and eat loads of food.To be honest, I mainly joined in to get out of a day of Satsangs, but it sounds like it'll be fun!
My body in now more mosquito bite than skin, so permenantly covered in tiger balm (no anti-histamenes available - aaargh). This does make me look somewhat jaundiced due to the orange tone of the balm, but has the added bonus effect of calming my strained muscles. (I didn't know you could strain muscles in your butt - but yes, in fact you can- darn locust position) .
Tomorrow is a free day, so I am joining in a trip to the very southern tip of India (where the three oceans meet). We are going to bathe in a waterfall (fully clothed of course - this is India afterall), visit loads of temples, and eat loads of food.To be honest, I mainly joined in to get out of a day of Satsangs, but it sounds like it'll be fun!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Day 57 - Sivananda Ashram
Hare Om
Greetings from the Sivananda Ashram (internet cafe in basement - who woulda thought?). Been here for 3 days now and beginning to feel a little spaced out. The schedule is quite exacting, and you pretty much end up trailing from one place to another in time with bells (a bit like school really), and my days are pretty much the same...
A day in the life of Blessed Katherine...
5.30 Morning bell rings, some sadist turns the light on, I groan, fight my way out of my mosquite net, fall on the floor, pull on some clothes.
6.00 Morning Satsang in the Prayer Hall. Very happy clappy, lots of chanting "Hare Rama Hare Rama" etc. - some queer souls feel the urge to clap/bang a tambourine/sway with eyes extatically shut - I just sit in a rolled up ball of scarves and cusions and try to pretend my feet aren't falling asleep/I dont find the whole thing a bit creepy.
7.30 I'm freeee! Chai chai chai! We stand in huddles, cradling our precious chai and gossiping.
8.00 Yoga - morning I am stiff, so I take the easy class. Aweeesoooome. Try not to fall asleep in relaxation.
10.00 - Brunch, main meal of the day. Delicious vegetarian meal with several different bits - we eat sitting on the floor from a metal tray - I try to eat slop with fingures and not spill all down my front (mostly fail - you know what I'm like with food)
11.00- Lecture - Interminable lecture fromSwamiji about religion/yoga etc. - wouldn't be so bad if sitting on a hard floor wasn't agony by now.
12.30 - Karma yoga i.e. chores - my chores are helping in the health hut so this is free time.
1.30 - Again, sweet chai
3.30 - Yoga - this time I go for the burn and take the hard class, generally get pushed a lot - the teaching is excellent
6.30 - Evening meal - Simpler meal - more spillages
8.00 - Satsang (again) more meditation and chanting - back is now a screaming ball of pain and "Hare Krishnna" is repeating round and round my head - Braaain-waaashing
10.00 - Shower, bed, lights out by 10.30
So, that is my day- quite busy, so the days troop by quickly. Added extras include ayurvedic Massages (I have one booked for Friday - will let you know how it goes). The lovely experience of being bitten by mossies a million times a day. A beautiful lake that you can swim in (just watch the crocodiles). The hunting groans of bonking lions, drifting across the lake to inturrupt your meditation.
Times run out, there's a queue... must dash
OM Shanti and all that jazz
Greetings from the Sivananda Ashram (internet cafe in basement - who woulda thought?). Been here for 3 days now and beginning to feel a little spaced out. The schedule is quite exacting, and you pretty much end up trailing from one place to another in time with bells (a bit like school really), and my days are pretty much the same...
A day in the life of Blessed Katherine...
5.30 Morning bell rings, some sadist turns the light on, I groan, fight my way out of my mosquite net, fall on the floor, pull on some clothes.
6.00 Morning Satsang in the Prayer Hall. Very happy clappy, lots of chanting "Hare Rama Hare Rama" etc. - some queer souls feel the urge to clap/bang a tambourine/sway with eyes extatically shut - I just sit in a rolled up ball of scarves and cusions and try to pretend my feet aren't falling asleep/I dont find the whole thing a bit creepy.
7.30 I'm freeee! Chai chai chai! We stand in huddles, cradling our precious chai and gossiping.
8.00 Yoga - morning I am stiff, so I take the easy class. Aweeesoooome. Try not to fall asleep in relaxation.
10.00 - Brunch, main meal of the day. Delicious vegetarian meal with several different bits - we eat sitting on the floor from a metal tray - I try to eat slop with fingures and not spill all down my front (mostly fail - you know what I'm like with food)
11.00- Lecture - Interminable lecture fromSwamiji about religion/yoga etc. - wouldn't be so bad if sitting on a hard floor wasn't agony by now.
12.30 - Karma yoga i.e. chores - my chores are helping in the health hut so this is free time.
1.30 - Again, sweet chai
3.30 - Yoga - this time I go for the burn and take the hard class, generally get pushed a lot - the teaching is excellent
6.30 - Evening meal - Simpler meal - more spillages
8.00 - Satsang (again) more meditation and chanting - back is now a screaming ball of pain and "Hare Krishnna" is repeating round and round my head - Braaain-waaashing
10.00 - Shower, bed, lights out by 10.30
So, that is my day- quite busy, so the days troop by quickly. Added extras include ayurvedic Massages (I have one booked for Friday - will let you know how it goes). The lovely experience of being bitten by mossies a million times a day. A beautiful lake that you can swim in (just watch the crocodiles). The hunting groans of bonking lions, drifting across the lake to inturrupt your meditation.
Times run out, there's a queue... must dash
OM Shanti and all that jazz
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