Photos at the bottom 😊
19th September 22
“Every religion has love, yet love has no religion.” - Nice one, Rumi.
I let Amy sleep in as she has a migraine. I pottered around the flat quietly which was completely pointless because outside, the dogs barked, the kids screamed and the cars hooted.
It really is true. The drivers here get their horns specially cranked up in volume. The horn is used very differently here compared to the UK. It’s not used for road rage, but to alert people of your presence. But when it’s used so often, it reduces the impact on the nervous system, making the need to amplify it past the legal limit somewhat necessary and somewhat pointless.
Our breakfast was delivered by a grumpy local. I’d be grumpy too if my home had new western style apartments built all around me. On a walk around the block yesterday we realised there was a small ‘slum’ area right on our doorstep. The contrast + proximity here never fails to blow the mind.
We left a little later than expected (damn, I really need to get a hold of my expectations… let them all go, let them all go!). A driver with paan stained teeth called Hermant would be driving us to Delhi as our previous driver bailed at the last minute.
Hermant set off with his eyes glued to his phone, veering more and more to the side of the road. Hmmm... I gave him a few minutes as the road we started off on wasn’t particularly busy. We’re all guilty of a glimpse at our screens now and then if we know the area, right?
Shortly after we merged onto the main road his eyes were still mostly occupied by his screen and I involuntarily blurted out an out of character demand to keep his eyes on the road. Please!
As we joined the state highway, we double checked that the seatbelts really weren’t there. Nope. Zero safety. The needle on the speedo wound clockwise at a steady pace until he reached around 90kmph. I used google translate to ask him to slow down.
I found it strange that I would madly laugh at the danger we kept facing. For most of the journey, even after he slowed down to a slightly less terrifying 80kmph, we tailgated every vehicle we approached. There was one moment when a cow was walking the wrong way down the middle of the highway and the driver was so close to the lorry in front that I was on the cusp of grabbing the steering wheel. If he’d have changed lanes that would have been the end.
I suggested to Amy that every toll booth we slowed down for was an opportunity to be grateful for our lives and for each other. Temples come in many forms.
It was nice to be back at LifeTree. A relief. Our fruit man welcomed us home and waved hello. Home, again.
A little rest and some time to hydrate without the concern of needing to request a toilet stop. Toilets stops are easy for men not easy for women.
Sprawled out on clean sheets we opened up YouTube and shared our time with London and the queen’s funeral. The internet - magic.
Monsoon rain hammered down outside.
Our Uber kept us waiting for 15 minutes then cancelled on us. We hailed a rickshaw and had a new appreciation for its fantastic suspension, enjoying every pot hole, hump and speedbump. We headed to a nice cafe for dinner and indulged in a thorough Vrindavan debrief.
Vrindavan was challenging. I’m not sure if I would go back there again. Bad times give way to good times, Suffering will frame pleasure and there would be no yin if there was no yang.
This evening we found a new organic food store that kept Amy entertained for a good hour - I was done after about 10 minutes.
Overnight oats in the fridge, a fresh bag of cookies just opened and now time for some Netflix.
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20th September 2022
Ahimsa - the ethical principle of not causing harm to other living things.
A much needed, slow day.
Very much the highlight of the day was courtesy of our friend David who works in an incredible Indian furniture shop in Hove in the UK. David is a real treasure and we once discovered we were probably in the same pub at the same time many years before we met, The Hat and Feather in Bath, Somerset.
The Gandhi Smriti Museum was a hidden gem. David had suggested that if at any point we were looking for something peaceful to do then this would be the antidote to Delhi’s more hectic side. A moving experience with an unbelievable installation of Gandhi Ji’s final steps bought to life in sculpted concrete portraying the walk from his room to the place he was shot :(
We were told on arrival that we needed to be quick as the place was closing soon so we raced around trying to take in as much as we could process only to be told as we headed for the exit that we needed to head to the first floor to see that before we should leave… ok, I thought we can to had to be quick.
Incredible interactive installations that were just missing the mark as there were no real instructions on how to use them, a worker starter to follow us around and show us how to interact with the installations - how nice, a personal tour, what a treat. When the admission fee is free and you also get a free guide then you’re on a roll, surely.
The clock struck 5:15pm - “Ok, sir, time to leave, it’s 5:15, we are now closed”. We were ushered out.
We’d saved Ghandi’s final steps until last as we had a feeling the building would close it’s doors to us.
Just as we’d completed our walk around the outside space and got to see Ghandi’s meditation spot whuich was very much a wow moment. Wow! - the heavens opened.
According to Gandhi, “Ahimsa binds us to one another and to God. Ahimsa and love are one and the same thing”
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September 21st 2022
Alarm filled the room at 5am. Toilet. Final bag packing. Mmmmm putting on socks for the first time in 10 days. *Ding* - Reminder to get our stuff outta the fridge.
“Come on Amy!”.
Amy’s approach is leaving at the last possible second (if not after), she swears by it. We are night and day with events like these as I like to be sat down, ready, with plenty of time for any incidents to occur (inherited verbatim from my father). We’ve been together 13 years, there’s been little compromise from either of us we’re just more tolerant of each other’s peculiarities.
The clear streets and the morning chill are strangers to our experience of Delhi. A welcome change and I’m grateful for my time anxieties not being messed with.
We quickly and effortlessly locate our train on the huge board in the train stations main hall.
A long corridor and a poorly maintained x-ray machine that we must put our rucksacks through. Not the shabby looking M&S bag we picked up from Amy’s mums place though, there’s no way there could be ANYTHING sinister in an M&S bag.
The other side of the machine’s conveyor belt is practically non existent and all our bags drop a few feet to the floor. Was that my laptop that landed first or my camera?
The train is ready, waiting for us. It’s easy to connect all the dots; train number, carriage number, seat number. We are finally on route to the mountains. A short announcement welcomes us on the train and asks us not to cook any meals in the toilets.
The train rolls through both disturbing scenery, with barely clothed, bare footed children trundling through piles of rubbish and lush, green, rice fields.
I’m not sure if the windows are filthy or not but they have a filter on which is either dirt or… a filter. Still, the moment we see the silhouette of the hills in the distance is a special one and our hearts fill with so much glee it’s written all over our faces.
Disembarking the train and a crowd of burly men surround us. Amy follows closely behind as I try in a split second to let my intuition take care of the situation, there’s no other way. Sanjay Singh offers a reasonable fare and boasts his new business transaction to his friends. He insists that we shake on it.
A tiny car with the familiar face of Neem Kharoli Baba Ji stuck multiple times to the inside of the windscreen and we feel like we’re in good company. I always try to practice my Hindi when possible - “Ghana possible?” - “yes, sir, Hindi music ok?”. - of course it is.
The shape of the twists and turns was like navigating the small intestine and offered more ‘wow’ moments than I’ve had in a long time.
I love the mountains. Why? It’s that immovable force you can’t mess with. When we were living in Hove previous to this trip, it was soo nice being by the sea. It’s so nice when nature stands its ground and doesn’t allow humanity to call the shots. It’s humbling. I know of some people who don’t like that word, but forces of nature do humble me. Nature offers a perspective that we can’t get from one another. It doesn’t talk back either. Not with words anyway.
Our new pad is nice, it’s ok, it’s a little rough around the edges, it needs a bit of a spring clean but it’ll do for a couple of nights.
Amy’s just come downstairs and said…
“What about how there are leopards here, so you can’t go out at night?!”.
Yea, that’s a thing here…
The only issue we both have since we arrived at this accommodation is a possible ticking time bomb. The host didn’t inform us the drinking water that was left out for us to drink was in-fact from the local lake. Unless we get drinking water from a reliable source, either a reverse osmosis filter machine or it’s bottled, we filter it ourselves with the gear we brought with us. Clean water is sooo important. Nobody’s got time for sick days and we never want to impose on another country’s medical support system.
So, after a couple of cups of tea we found out that we may have an interesting issue on our hands.
Still, one of the best lessons I got from living next to the sea in Hove was when we used to go for morning swims. I always found myself feeling the cold of the water before I’d even crossed the road. It was fascinating to notice how the mind can launch into fear before an event has even happened. Thank god for the fruits of meditation. I’ll now enjoy the next few days a little more until something that may not happen loses its place in my mind.
Fingers crossed.
Right, tired now, eyes are getting heavy.
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22nd September 22.
An exhausting day.
The breakfast request from us was porridge and it was some delicious grain, not oats, maybe bulgar, made in a pressure cooker. We mixed in some almond milk which we’d picked up in Delhi and added some nuts and seeds to set us up for the day. Y U M Y U M Y U M!
Our guide showed up about 9:45am. We were under the impression we were setting off at 10:30am. I went down to greet him and immediately picked up a vibe that Neer was perhaps a little different. From the get go he looked like he was fighting to hold back a smile, almost shy but very much not. He emitted an unusual vibe, not sure how else to summarise it. He asked where we were from. “UK” I replied and then I followed on with “you look very unimpressed about that”. He really did.
Our driver (Ayush) was possibly the best driver and the worst driver we’ve ever had. Best because he didn’t crash or kill us, worst because he could not drive slowly, AT ALL.
As soon as a car showed up in front of us, from round a corner or over a hill, Ayush could not be behind it. He used his horn like he’d just been gifted a new musical instrument and today he would be practicing it all day.
Amy had picked up on the strange vibe from Neer too. He didn’t offer the best first impression when he asked me what I did for a living and failed to ask Amy until prompted by an awkward silence.
Our first temple of the day was very special.
The main reason we came to the area was to visit Baba Ji aka Maharji aka Neem Karloli Baba’s temple at Kainchi Dham. During the 60s a number of spiritual seekers from the west came to India where they learned from Neem Karoli Baba and brought his teachings to the west. Ram Dass was one of these seekers and Kainchi Dham is where he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba for the first time. It was overwhelming to be there. Clean and tidy, beautiful and serene, peaceful and friendly. This temple is also famous as Rammy D had instructed Steve Jobs to come here to do some meditation.
We had some lovely moments with the locals who were visiting. Kind and ancient elders played bhajans which rang through the valley and curious faces shined their smiles our way, lighting up all hearts present.
A beautiful soul named Ranu chatted with Amy for a while and showed us a legendary meditation cave that Neer hadn’t shown us. I picked up some new mala beads from a local shop and we set off to the next spot after sharing our Prasad with the local cow.
I had asked Neer to ask the driver to take things a little slower. I explained we were here to enjoy the journey, not race to the finish line. It’s a real trip driving through these landscapes and it’s a stress when I have to keep my eyes on the road in-front so I don’t vomit.
Not many foreigners come to this next spot. That is a shame because both the scenery, the temple and the story are truly wonderful. Nice moments in time, important moments and important people preserved. We were able to place our hands on a cloned tree of the tree that used to be present in the spot that Sri Vivekananda attained Nirvana. I really need to read up more about him.
Neer shone during this part of the day. He shared some amazing knowledge and we would have soaked it up a lot better if we weren’t both so distracted by our bladders being full.
Neer shared with us that he had had enough of being a tour guide (which made sense) and that he wanted to start a business. That business?… space travel.
The driver allowed us to stop a couple of times on our way to Nainital to grab some photos. I’m still not familiar enough with my new camera and too many of my shots are blurry :(
Our experience of Nainital was ‘meh’. Which is not really in the spirit of travelling as I should be finding the beauty in everything but that just isn’t human and it’s hard to be awake and alert and awake and… appreciating everything all the time. Especially when the guide for the day has spent a tonne of time on the phone… presumably organising his expedition to Jupiter.
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We’re both a little tired and we haven’t found our flow yet. We’re still shedding off our UK skin. Sometimes new chapters have a slow start and they’re a little difficult to wade through.
I just have to keep reminding myself. Be here now.
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23rd September 22
19:16 A combination of disturbed sleep and digesting the meal I just raced through have given me heavy eyelids and slow fingers.
Despite an early night there were thunder claps, downpours on our metal roof and dogs communicating across vast distances. The dogs were probably just responding to their own echoes and couldn’t for the life of them understand why a quieter dog in the distance was repeating their woof - woof for woof.
We took it slow today. Amy has found a potential deal breaker of an experience/accommodation that could part the clouds that are confusing our decisions to travel so we rolled the dice. Let’s see.
On our balcony, Amy soaked her feet in a bucket of warm water, lavender and oregano oil while she listened to a true crime podcast. I started the book I also gifted for my brother for his birthday that I suggested we read at the same time while I’m away. It was odd for my physical body to be in northern India but my mind to be in the mendips of the UK. This book I’m reading also sends me back to my childhood when my dad used to go caving. It’s nice to have this time and space for reading, for dusting off precious memories.
Just up the road Amy spotted some langurs climbing about and causing the type of mischief only monkeys can make.
Before we knew it they were meters away so we grabbed what we could from our balcony and I ran like little children behind the safety of our windows and doors.
These monkeys, the true founders of parkour. They navigate paths unthinkable to humans.
About 14 langurs above, below, to the left and to the right.
Some locals made the calls of the wild to scare them off. Others had large canes and one man had a sling shot. I need to check with Amy if she got a photo of him.
I managed to get some great shots in between just watching them dine on the vegetation outside our window.
Incredible.
After a couple of hours we took some rest as I wanted to watch the latest episode of the new Lord of The Rings series. As the credits rolled I got up to head to the balcony to stretch my legs and to sip some mountain air.
Much to my uncle’s delight because he kinda hates that everyone uses the word ‘Literally’ completely wrong. I quickly shut the door and shouted multiple times, like a child “It’s literally just there, literally, literally, oh my god!!!! It’s literally right there, quick grab my camera”.
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22:15 This is landslide territory and that is one of the reasons we held off coming here. Now as I lie in bed, as the heavy trucks motor along the road below, the bed shakes, thew windows rattle, the room moves. I’m a little afraid of how fragile this landscape is.
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24th September 22
19:57 (although it feels like 23:59) We woke early, a slightly more restful night’s sleep but still enough disturbances to put me horizontal from 6:30pm.
We enjoyed our breakfast which was prepared by the lovely Saroj. She can’t speak a word of English and I can’t speak a word of her mother tongue. Still, we get by and we talk at each other using the words we know we don’t understand but somehow it works and we’re grinning like Cheshire cats, laughing at each other.
Mam’ta hollers for us to come down and talk about our onward plans. The uninteresting topic of how we agree the refund that Amy and I are due for checking-out early goes on far too long, as we both plant roots insisting the other should not be out of pocket. To her I am her honoured guest and to me she is my valued host.
Amy has questions about how Mam’ta creates some of the artwork scattered around our abode and before we know it we are on a tour of our host’s house. Her home is 150 years old. Artwork is everywhere and she has a passion for repurposing materials, macramé and collaborating with her daughter, Ananya, who has also been taking care of us. I’m desperately trying to multi-task, taking photos and listening, but the two dogs Laila and Bauzo are running around and play fighting so fast and loud that I have to keep most of my attention on my wits.
Mam’ta informs us our driver has arrived. She speaks highly of him being incredibly gentle and honest and insists that after visiting Neem Karoli Baba’s temple again that we go to the local temple of ten thousand bells.
Despite asking the driver multiple times what his name is I could not decipher his response. The local language here is so foreign.
We set off in a slow, compact car and maintain a leisurely pace the whole day. A speed where we are overtaken constantly and I am in heaven. Finally a driver who gets it. Slow and steady.
We spent a couple of hours just sitting at the temple in Kainchi Dahm. Awe inspiring. There is a feeling there like no other. all faiths and non faiths are welcome. A place for all. To sit, to listen, to watch, to be was a true privilege.
Before we even needed to locate our driver, he found us. Such a gentle soul.
Another slow ride to our next stop. Snapping some photos on route. Old Hindi music on the car stereo.
The temple of ten thousand bells could have also been called ‘The temple of ten thousand bells and whole load of monkeys. Real big ones at that too!’ - clumsy name, sure, but accurate.
A local temple, with few people in attendance, at the top of a very, very steep hill and along a very bumpy road. Copy and pasted from the internet “One such ritual here is that devotees make petitions at the temple, using stamp papers, to seek desired decree in litigations.” Basically, people come with their hopes of justice written down, they get that paper blessed and then attach it to the temples walls. It’s really quite moving that people do this, their beliefs and intentions that fill their hearts is truly inspiring. Good vibes.
It seemed that everyone at the temple was curious to see foreigners, we happily obliged to ‘click a selfie’ or two with a few people and attempted to answer people’s questions about why we were here and what we liked about India. A particular family took a shine to us and so we posed in multiple shots. One of the ladies (who was called Madu which translated to Honey) lost her mind when I pointed at a goat and offered up its Hindi name. Her sister ‘Pinky’ insisted on a girls only photo with Amy.
