GANGA VIEWS AND DEVOTIONS OCT 5 2015 -#5

GANGA VIEWS AND DEVOTIONS
TRIVENI GHAT – RISHIKESH

GANGA DEVOTIONS

Had a lovely day in Rishikesh Market yesterday, shopping for shoes for the upcoming weddings I am invited to, a lovely visit with a good friend and her first grandson, and of course a lovely lunch as well.

Will post some photos with market scenes in the next post, but here are a few scenes from Triveni Ghat, just off Rishikesh Market’s main roads.  A place of serene quiet, powerful spiritual energies, and just a beautiful place to sit.

with love light and JOY

Namaste

Jane

QUICK SUMMARY OF FIRST FEW DAYS

QUICK SUMMARY OF FIRST FEW DAYS

India Blog 2015 #3  September 30, 2015

FINALLY RELAXING IN MY HOME FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS

After a hectic couple of days after arriving, I can now relax into this wonderful place which will be my home for the next few months

The weather is much hotter than seasonally expected, keeping me from my walks the past couple of days, and since I choose my room to suit me during the cooler, and even colder weeks, a room with plenty of sun and warmth, it is quite difficult right now.  And since there is no AC anywhere to speak of, I continue to seek out the coolest places to sit, and be, during various times of the day.

I am now in this lovely haven downstairs, at almost 5 PM, enjoying the cool shady quiet…writing these posts

PERFECT PLACE FOR WRITING

My room is fine once the sun goes down and sleeping is even cool with the mountain breeze, but during the day, it is difficult to really enjoy being there….this should all pass in a week or so

I’ve just been flowing with things as they go…the second day I actually DID go down for a walk, thinking it would be OK, but after making it down to Laxman Jhula, after resting for awhile at the German Bakery,

SIGN IN THE BATHROOM AT GERMAN BAKERY LAXMAN JHULA

I had to return home and getting back up to Swiss Cottage was not easy.  So I’ve sworn off walking around during the day.  Will try tomorrow at 6 AM…

COLORS CROSSING THE GANGA

First day out , I just went to see some friends and do my shopping with free delivery of basic things I needed in my room….

Second day, I decided, during the walk I thought to take, to buy something to wear to a couple of weddings I have coming up….and that was the best part of the day as the clothing shop, Fab India, was air conditioned.  More expensive than I usually buy, as I usually go down to the market, buy fabric and then have it stitched by a tailor… but worth the price just to be able to easily try on clothing in the coolness of the shop.

FAB INDIA

I’ve been eating well…what a joy to be able to eat whatever I want whenever I want, without having to prepare it myself,….

…had three massages which were wonderful, met some lovely people, and of course have been spending time with dear friends….

Looking forward to the more reasonable weather, but using this time as “enforced” rest time….probably what I need at the moment anyway.

Hope to have much more interesting photos once I can walk around more….and of course much more interesting things to write about.

I am loving the “boring” time at the moment….just what the doctor ordered for me….

Be back soon

Namaste

With love light and JOY

Jane

HOMESICK…

Sites and Sounds of Tapovan Village, Rishikesh

India is not all noise and bustle. There are beautiful sounds and sights of Nature as well!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBzFSMomOoE&sns=em

 Uploaded on Jan 9, 2010

While walking up the mountain past the village, I was accompanied by rapids, and the beautiful music of the water was with me all the time. Other than the occasional bird-call, that was the only sound I heard most of the time. The sound of the water became progressively louder the higher up I walked, until it was the only thing I heard. And if I ventured off the main path for awhile, I was greeted with almost an eerie silence once the water sounds could no longer be heard.Make sure you watch until the end and see the lady bathing her buffalo!

Namaste

Much love light and JOY

Jane

 

 

 

Observations from India

This was originally a part of a longer post published years ago and came across it recently.  So I’ve decided to share it once again.
Observations:

Just a quick note: I’ve been watching in many places as roads and even houses are built and can’t help be amazed at the processes. Rocks are brought up from the river bed by donkey …dumped in one place near the closet existing road, and then sari dressed women, some  with babies tied to their banks or toddlers following them, carry them on their heads and dump them closer to the actual work site

…and then they are hit with sledgehammers in such a way as to create one side which is completely flat. These are then place one next to the other with the flat side facing out to build retaining walls…or the foundation for a road – the spaces between them are then filled with cement and layer upon layer is built in this way. The cement is mixed by hand, with no seeming consistent way of doing it…water is added (and sometimes gravel – which is also made by hand by men, or women, sitting all day and pounding stones into gravel) until the cement “feels” right – like you might mix bread dough.

Mixing Cement

I’ve seen branches cut from trees and trimmed of bark with sickles being used with string as surveying instruments, and I’ve even seen a place where optic cables are being laid, but the labor is still done with pickaxes, shovels, hand ploughs etc., and the debris carried away in trays on the heads of sari dressed women.

Foundation Wall of New House-Note Rocks used as Raw Material

This is all part of what India is, and although I really haven’t written much this trip, I’ve been reading over some of my older journals, and realize that much of what I found worth writing about in the past, I simply take for granted now

Retaining Wall

….Nothing seems as strange as it once did, or even noteworthy…it is just the way things are here and accepted as normal.

Namaste

Jane

Delhi Oct. 2013 #2

Masjid Fatehpuri at Dusk

Just some photos.  It was so beautiful….no words are necessary here I think!

Namaste

Jane

Delhi-October 2013 – #1

Chandni Chowk and Spice Market

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As promised, I will begin posting stories and photos (mainly) from my recent sojourn in India.  I found blogging to be a true intrusion this trip and did very little posting while actually there.  So I will now begin trying to catch up, for myself as well as for my followers.

Spice Market

I blessed this year with an amazing first time adventure of experiencing, and exploring Delhi with local friends, rather than as a tourist, and it was a whole new experience for me.  I will begin this post with my first days in Delhi.

I explored places I’ve never beendto before, travelled on the Metro for the first time, saw some of the new wonderfully modern areas of Delhi as well as the traditional markets and local antiquity sites.  I hope you will enjoy the next few posts which will hopefully tell this story, mainly in photos.

Spice Market

Here are photos from a day spent roaming Chandni Chowk Shuk and the Spice Market, mostly on foot, but with the help of bicycle rickshaw as well. It was a very long but very beautiful day.

Spice Market

Spice Market

Lunchtime in Chandni Chowk

Signs of a Splendid Past

Red Fort on a Very Hazy Day

view from Jama Masjid

Namaste

Jane

Chole Bhatura from Start to Finish

Chole Bhatura from Start to Finish

chole bhatura

Chole bhautra is an amazingly delicious treat prepared from chickpeas in a wonderfully spicey sauce and served together with Bhatura, a fried, puffed, light bread.

It is a sinfully delicious Indian snack/meal and I was privileged to eat it during my stay this past year in Delhi with my dear friend Preeti and her lovely husband Sudeep.

deep frying and starting to puff up

Golden brown and puffed to perfection

It is a popular Punjabi dish but is now enjoyed all over India. I’ve posted a series of  photos of the entire process in case it interests you…watching the preparation and all the effort involved made me even more grateful for this wonderful meal!

Namaste

much love light and JOY

Jane

A Cow Story in Photos

This will be a story in photos of one particular cow, on one particular day, in one particular place, ….

But first, just a few words in general about cows and India.

Cows are everywhere in India.  It would not be India without cows. Cows roam the streets, walk on main highways, pop in to have lunch in restaurants, stroll through open shops, take naps in the middle of the street…there is no place where you will not find the cows.  The amount of photos of cows I have is exceeded only by the amount of photos of monkeys that I have!  🙂

Some cows seem mean

Some are regal

Some are motherly and loving

Some are just an integral part of the scenery

But this cow seemed to enjoy the energies along the Ganga, and to enjoy interacting with those who had come for prayer and devotion, or just for fun, along the ghats of Ram Jhula.

At first, she came straight up to me to say “Hi”….

Hi There… Namaste

She seemed to be most curious, and quite intelligent.

…and then headed down the steps to check out the other people and see what they were doing.

What’s This Guy Doing?

At one point she seemed to be posing for photos along with the tourists

Take My Picture Too Please

Or asking to be included in someone’s devotional prayers.

Say a Prayer for Me Too Please

In short….an interesting cow day….

There always seems to be something happening wherever you happen to find yourself.  The trick is to be mindful, to be grateful and to appreciate and enjoy everything to the fullest.

Namaste

Jane

SARIS DRYING ON RAM JHULA GHAT STEPS, RISHIKESH

PEOPLE

Just some photos of interesting people along the way.No matter how often and for how many years I walk around here, I am always surprised by new things….

Flowers for Puja

LAUNDRY DAY

FRIENDS

GANGA DEVOTION

PLEASE FEED THE FISH

THREE GENERATIONS

Hope you enjoyed the view as much as I do

Namaste
Jane