Om shanti shanti shanti

Dave and I are now in Rishikesh which has named itself the "yoga capital of the world". The place is right on the ganga river, flanked with mountains and humming with new-age stuff, ashrams and ppl looking like newtown hippies.

We've just come for the yoga and to chill and read for a few days. I've dragged Dave along to yoga and he seems to be enjoying it. Our day starts with a 2.5hr yoga class, followed by a masala chai and breakfast in the sun, then a couple of hours reading followed by a walk. In the evening we head down to the ganga river for the daily ganga aarti - river worship ceremony with singing and ppl sending marigolds, incense and candles down the river. Pretty cool sight watching the floating candles over the ganges during sunset.

I'm really enjoying tucking into yoga again although I dread the last part of the class because of the breathing exercises (which border pornographic). Dave and I try not to look at each other otherwise we start laughing. Today's exercise was just too funny (standing up, legs apart, big breath in then lunge forward with hands on knees, bum out, and expelling all the air from your lungs with a huge grunt followed by continuously convulsing your stomach muscles for a minute).

I'm not into the meditation part either and imagining you're a bird, lotus flower, or a silver tube. I spend most of the class trying to figure out what type of bird/flower/item I want to be and by that time it's all over.

Anyway, I hear there is a swiss lady who only does the yoga and focusses on correct positioning so I am off to find her today. I've heard that she yells but they all seem to including our guy in the morning who screams out "RELAAAAAXXXXX".

What a small world

I am still spinning out about our past few days!

While in Jaiselmer, 80kms from the Pakistani border, and while admiring the marble work on the Jain temple inside the fort, I heard my name being called out and gasping for breath as a girl threw her arms around me. The crazy girl was our mate Lopa from NY and who we last saw in Japan 2 years ago showing me how to do the american bum dance against the bar while we drank margaritas. It was so crazy! The last time this happened to us was when we were in the Andes trekking around Mt Fitzroy when a hiker appeared out of nowhere who happened to be Dave's mate from England.

Lopa was heading the same direction as us towards Delhi so she joined us on our road trip in our little round ambassador car for the next few days. Lopa speaks hindi, as well as gujarati, and she loves food just as much as we do so we quickly got rid of our paranoia of eating from road stalls. We also got to talk some sense into our driver through Lopa about his efforts to steer us into the "best hotel" and the "best" carpet/paintings/jewellery stores (neverending despite being upfront with him from the start). Very interesting actually. He was honest about his aim to make an extra buck at any opportunity and that as foreigners, we have more money than he has so what was a few hundred rupees extra here or there? Luckily for us, his efforts were wasted.

We parted ways with Lopa this morning but will catch up with her during new years down south with a few bombay socialites she hopes to meet in tow.

Jaiselmer

a long hard night

I am writing this from a Korean love motel. Believe me, it wasn't intentional.

It all looked fine when we arrived - wooden floor boards, kingsize bed with crisp white linen sheets, surround sound, huge movie size tv, internet access in the room, sterilising machine - pretty cool stuff for a motel and right by the bus terminal too! Pretty good choice for one night in Gyuengju.

But then after handing over the cash and putting our packs down we noticed a few odd things such as a "Hot Love 114" dildo vending machine next to the bed (dildos starting at 10,000won), red and green flashing lights on the ceiling and around the bed, mirrors placed strategically, cleaning ladies working around the clock, men checking in with no luggage, and little packs of condoms and diaphragms alongside our complimentary shampoo and conditioner bottles!

Call me a prude but eeewwwww!! I'm sleeping in my sleeping bag tonight.