Alex, the bless

Alex is an Iyengar yoga teacher from Germany. His life is a big split: One leg is in Russia because of his wife, and the other leg is in India, in season. His life is about teaching yoga, and he is brilliant in that.

I met him in a birthday party, we had a nice chat, then I realized he is actually that Alex who I see the advertisement everywhere in Arambol. So I gave it a try. Kids, guys, ladies and gentleman. He is the best yoga teacher I ever met in my life (and of course Mahi..).

He passees his enthusiasm immediately to his students. I also became even more excited about yoga. He knows and enjoyes the poses so well that motivates you to go deeper into the pose. His confidence lets you trust him, and feel safe in each pose. He is into yoga 100%.

This man moved my body and made me swet in the same time better then anyone before. I felt so great, better then after an orgazm. After coming... out from the pose I actually realized my certain body parts what we worked on. Believe me, yoga can be not just good, but awesome if you meet the right teacher. 

I can't wait to go back to his class, shame I stay no more than a week. If I come back to Arambol, he would be among the main reasons.

Alex, you are a bless!

Here is a view from the top roof of his class.

Post office experience

When I came to India, I had no expectations, but Rishikesh nourished me and I was surprised every day, how woderfully works out everything. The traffic, the yoga course, the restaurants, only live animals on the street. I was impressed. But Goa...

I had a package to post. Small, soft, no issues should have been with that. But there was... even more I could imagine in my nightmares.

First of all, did I mention already that Goa is greedy? All basic needs are charged for extra. If you ask why, they tell you: you are white, so you are rich. Let me tell you an example. One day I walked down from the beach and missed the path to the behind roads (there are path every 50 meters leading to the road paralell to the beach. It is easier and quicker walking on the beach, the only thing is that you can do it on foot only. If you need a car it drives you in a much longer way). Instead of turning back I continued my walk on the hidden roads. I asked some local guys where was my entrance, they showed me the longer way, which was on the road, and offered me their taxi services.  Bustards. An other white guy helped me showing the beach road, so I was back on the road in 5 minutes. Sorry indian guys, you really don't make it easier for me to like you in Goa....

So back to the package. 

There are many private post offices around Arambol, but charging multiple times the original official price for the same package. Why? Because they can do that. And you just don't know that tiny little information about the local office. 1 kg package postal cost is around 200 rupees from there, but the local ones charge you 1000. And the private ones charge you for the first kg, no matter if it is less weight. So why not taking the time, what I actually have, to walk to government owned post office and send the package from there..

The official, goverment owned post office is a bit far, 30 minutes walk from the centre, but I was committed.

I reached there and surprisingly they were open. So I just wanted to get rid of my package and go, but I had to provide copy of my passport (!) and also bring the package to a taylor (!!) to pack it for me (!!!) cause the post office doesn't deal with packaging (!!!!). And by the way if I want a tracking nr (so there is less risk to be stolen) it costs more. :-D  How funny is that! Of course there is no taylor in the neighbourhood, and they already told me to go back the next day, as it is a full day procedure to get everything done. Remember I just fucking wanted to send a fucking average package with 2 clothes in it.

So I went to a taylor and asked to wrap it for me (and this was my mistake to assume it is something special). Aaand the taylor didn't have a clue what I was talking about. Packaging to post an item? No idea, never heard about that. Fine. Lets move to the other one, maybe I was just unlucky. 

After the 3rd try, the 3rd time of explaining the situation and excusing myself I strated to realize why the close private post offices are so expensive. And also I was thinking to take their service. No stress, they do everything for you. I actually ended up at one of them, and asked only the packing, which I bargained of course.. They look at you and tell you a price! unbelievable! So finally I got it wrapped. Yessss, lucky mee!  Guess what. They took a big thread and needle, took a material and just sew around. That was it.  So during that I started to bargain for at least consider taking this item for the exact weight, no more. We had a deal. I paid just a little extra and didn't have the pain in the arse. 

So if anyone wanted a package from Goa, sorry, I would rather die...

So far here are some pictures about my walk to the post office :-)

This one is a huge tree, part of a street market where many vegetables and fruits are available. Beautiful view.

This is the school of Arambol. Kids are playing cricket here. You can see a schoolbus in the background. All the students wear uniforms. I feel like in an american movie from the 30's.

Spice market joke. Cash and carry curry. Why not Cashew and curry? :-)

10 things

10 things I miss from home:

Surprisingly I don't miss things what I would expect to. No meat, no family (sorry mummy and dad), not even hot water, but:

1. Electric toothbrush

I left mine at home considering it's weight and the fuss around it... bad mistake. Kurkuma and massala (same spice mix applied into the tea as the dishes) combination can stick on the teeth very badly, and there is no chance to remove them. Some industries could use this awesome sticky feature. 

2. Blow-dry

Yeah, luxury! My OWN hairdryer, my OWN brush. Lovely procedure, means real home for me!

3. Not-waterproof mascara

I really don't get this: why would you use a waterproof one? Do you like tearing your eyelashes from one by one or you prefer letting the chemical rotten into it? What's the point? is that a kiss-proof thing? Who kisses your eyelashes, seriously?!

4. High heels

Macadam roads. Nono, I tell you better one: Pavement! C-I-V-I-L-I-S-A-T-I-O-N

Gluten-free food - I love when they say here, that something doesn't contain gluten, and when I ask back with a "tricky" question, they confess, have no clue what gluten or wheat means. I eat like a  cow, and start even looking like them.

5. Safe hospitals

As this culture is mixed with western and ayurvedic healing systems, I can't take them seriously, so it's better  not to be sick. I <3 EU regulations!

6. Drinkable tap water

It is not only about drinking a glass of water. It makes you paranoid - in restaurants, if the salad was washed in filtered water (NO), same problem with the ice which you can see or can't even see in drinks, worry during washing teeth, having shower, washing the dishes if you do so. My sister gave me a carbon filtered flask, but keep squeezing the water out - hello tendonitis...

7. Washing machine

Gloves, bucket, time! Such a wasting time...

8. Cooking

hoooome maaaade fooooood <3

9. Tesco's

Familiar brands, familiar food, clean toilet, bank-card acceptance - who needs more in life?! Oh yes I know: keep your shoes on. Because in India you must leave your shoes/flipflops on the street, so you have to be careful where you leave it. Sometimes shit happens. You find your sparkling clean flipflop on your return with a mature spit on it, and free to go home in that... ooor, it is possible that you don't even find them where you left. There is a funny trick to avoid that: use not matching pairs!

10. Full-size mirror

I have to use my imagination about my full size look. We will have a long introduction when I got home.

The Course and the first sickness in the team

The course was very intense, so I'm late with my writings, apologise for that.

As it was a sudden decision in Rishikesh I didn't know what to expect. I bargained the price and offered my services, see what happens.

My first impression was a strong bad feeling. Its a trap, they are not registered, all they want is just my money. But I knew I'm paranoid in all new situations, so I stayed. 

I met nice people again, especially Kellie and Arezoo who we became very close buddies. And that's all why it worthed to go there. Cause it was clear the course was all about money. No commitment, no spirituality, no real attention (high emphasis on the philosophy classes, OMG, such a loser preacher), which can not be yoga by definiton. The schedule was too tight, I was mentally tired after a week, which should be the opposite in such a training. It made me phisically sick at the end of the course. My mind and body gave up the fight with the pressure. To be fair we got what we came for. Information from a book. Some anatomy, and lots of asana theories. But there was no time to process that amout of information. 

As we were only 5 students, they treated us "so-so" until the end of the 200 hours course (why would they invest into 5 people? Wouldn't worth the money). But after that I stayed on my own... which I'll write more about later.

We were far from the town, didn't have enough time to go there every day, so we ate out in the restaurants on the beach, which we got sick sometimes.

One of the students got a parasite, cause she ate salad (washed in tap water). It is easy to say that she could get it from anywhere but we all knew these restaurants are there only for the profit, no customer service, no care, no love.

And here comes the part, why I love India. The country of non-sense. Ayurveda.

Hands up, who believes in it - serously? SERIOUSLY?! You may rely on ayurveda only in one case: if you are healthy. 

After 5 days of non-stop diarrhea and vomit she visited a well respected ayurvedic doctor (who sacrifised 5 years hard work to this fake science instead of studying proper-proven-working medical science).

I wasn't surprised when the symptoms didn't change at all. So after 10 days illness finally a western doctor cured her in 1 day...

Now you can say, "oh, but it was actually the ayurveda, it just needed time. this is part of the detoxification of the body". Yeah, science of excuses. I agree herbs are good for us, but it is difficult to eat 10kg spinach to get the required iron level... Just to clarify, ayurveda is good, but way not enough if you are in trouble. Overhyped bullshit. Namaste.

Cook in India - without kitchen

I'm the richest person(a) on the world. Whenever I need a fruit I can get any, and also fresh. Whenever I want a cold drink, I reach my fridge and pay only for what I really consume. My storage's name is S-H-O-P. I stopped storing loads of things which I might need later. No. I buy them only when I use, that's it. I have no room, no equipments to store anything. And with this "poverty" I realised the meaning of this freedom.

According to ayurveda (holistic healing science) the best way to eat to keep the right order. Do not mix dring with food. As a sleepless sceptic I always run after the Why-s. Real prosaic reasons behind yoga poses (disabled swamis), or recepies (why do we cut all the time the edges of a cookie - cause our grandmother had smaller oven), etc. So why is that? Where did the idea came from? I tried to find out, but didn't get anywhere.

Until I cooked my first meal in the hut - without equipments.

My minimal kitchen stands for:

• 1 pc spiral water boiler - to boil water with
• 1 pc mug - to boil water in
• 1 pc bowl - to stir food in
• 1 tablespoon - to stir food with

So once I use one container I can't use the other one. Once I'm done with the water I have to wait until the boiler cools down. At the meantime I have eaten my food, so time for a tea. And vica versa. When I have tea in my mug I can't boil water for food, so it needs to wait. This is how I keep the ayurvedic rule - involuntarily. So the solution is this: Poverty. No other options.

This is a good weight loss plan. And also a yogic way to eat, because you really have to plan your food well. Else something will be missing, or you can run out of space (no extra bowl to stir something else). And also this lifestile teaches you to be patient. See, yoga is everywhere!

Pictures:
Ingredients of my breakfast: boiler, mug, ghee, puffed amaranth, puffed rice, raisin, banana, sunflower seeds, cinnamon

My "landlord" kindly gave me a hand to make a proper picture of the result. Looks eeeeekk but tastes yummy.

The journey to Goa

After my 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training I had 10 days off before my 300 hours one in Arambol, Goa. I used up 7 days with no rest, but unforgettable journeys, so no regret in spite of being sick of the dust, coughing for an entire week afterwards. I spend my remaining 3 day in Palolem beach with other girls from Rishikesh: 

Joyce (UK oh her accent, I just love it!), the glamorous innocent inner (and outer) beauty, 

Paula (Scotland), the all-type-sense of humour on 2 feet, 

Melissa (US), the shy-but once you get closer to her, discover her beautifully maintained inner garden, and professional hoola hoop girl

Katie (Scotland), funny, mature girl

and Christie, who I talked the most in Rishikesh. Christies superhero talent is to change is face with perfect makeup, from one beautiful to an other one. Whenever I saw her in the ashram I always had urge to mention how beautiful she was. 

But the journey to meet them wasn't easy.

First of all 11 hours travel on the train, arriving at 6 am in the heart of Delhi, finding the bus to the aiport: This was the challenge. 

3 hours flight from Delhi to Goa, then 1,5 hours taxi to Arambol, where I had to bring the money to the course, and spent there literally 30 mintues, then head to Palolem - an other additional 3 hours.

Aaaand I wrote too much, see you in the next chapter.

Pictures:

Delhi, bus station early in the morning (I felt already a bit uncomfortable here when a local, definitely not too kind guy came to me and whispered with worry in his voice to my ears "you are not safe here")

Palmtree in sunset

This is how it looks from closer 

 My taxi

 I just love the palmtrees on this pic

 All the ladies

 Paula

 Me

 This is us fishing early in the morning

 Tired after fishing. :-P
Paula and Katie

 The fishing (dolphin watching). Top of the pic right: Katie, left: Paula.
Melissa checks out Christies phone in the middle. Joyce is watching them in her orange hairband.

 The engine of our boat

 Charming Christie

Khajuraho - Hometown of Kama Sutra

When I say Kama Sutra many of you think about sex posture and this is the part of the story. We consider Coca-Cola as the best PR-ed brand in the world, but I think this one is a competitor. Isn't it?

The idea behind that was to attract attention so the culture may be adopted widely. Personally I have to express my respect here about Kama Sutra: way of thinking about the whole life, accepting everything which is part of our life, including sex. Not like Christian religion. If you force it - it hits you back twice.

Khajuraho a dusty, small town, but a strong tourist attraction. How else would the 5 star hotels appear in every second corner. Also an airport was built just because of the popularity of the town. I wish I could have swapped my extra day in Agra to one day here. Such a shame.

The unlimited amounts of temples are impressive. Each one is a complete art. So fine, so old (actually only 500-1000 years old), that it is impossible to get bored.

Also nice way of disovering the place on a bicycle. (not motorbike). Too many temples to see in short time. Luckily I wasn't alone. The girls from Rishikesh found local boys, who kindly guided us around Khajuraho. For sure we have seen everything.

My peak experiences:

• Train to Khajuraho (I have met 2 very nice people on the trainstation, and by accident our seats were just right beside each other. Destiny, ha.)
• Accomodation: Yogi Ashram Guesthouse - perfect location, 1 km from the centre of the town. Clean air, silence, huge room, big bed, nice hosts. Very nice hosts actually. The manager guy was so nice to give me lift 2 times a day just as a favour. 
• Shiva temple ceremony. Since I don't know when, people get toghether at 6pm to do a little ceremony every day. The priest of the temple invited me personally, so I attended. It was a bless. I felt happy there (not related to kama sutra here. :-P)

Khajuraho was my second town where I met annoying way of selling. They keep coming after you, acting like baggers. Also young little kids, so you have to learn to say no, you don't want to stop by their shop and buy scarves/postcards/books/souvenirs, etc. I owe them one to teach me for the science of saying no.

Let picture talk:

The Canadian couple from the train:

Ashram:

 My room is the second left. Close to the terrace.

 Map of Khajuraho:

 Discover the town by bicycle with the girls.

 Temple

 Temple a little bit closer

 ... and closer.

Inside.

 Oh, nice shop with handmade pictures.

 Aaaand an other temple.

 Temple..

 An other one..

 The main group of temples.

 1000 years old decoration in the wall of a temple.

 This is the Shiva temple I had the ceremony. Amazing that it operates the same way as 500 years ago.

 Staff of the Shiva temple

 Kama sutra temple

 And the famous motivum

 Less famous one