Sorry Sorry!

Hi Friends and Family!!!
Yes, we have been very bad at posting our adventures for the past several days!!! Hopefully we haven't lost you! But of course traveling to some of the places we have, there hasn't been unlimited wireless everywhere! Please forgive and enjoy the following stories. We suggest starting at the bottom and working your way up the page, as they are chronological. Much love! -Cliff and Sandhya
PS we are sending you this message from a solar energy internet cafe in Auroville!!

Auroville

Rode our "trusty"clunkers out of town to get to the New Age commune / utopia called Auroville. After riding back and forth getting insufficient directions from many friendly and not so helpful folks who always said "It's that way (pointing) in 3 kilometers". We finally got here! More to come soon!

Pondicherry

We left Ramanashram and Tiruvandamalai today finally on public transport: a crowded bus headed for Pondicherry. The city on the coast is still very influenced by French culture although it's still your typical Indian city.
We rented bicycles-big heavy rusty clunkers for about 75 cents a day! Negotiating in the traffic is no easy task!

Ramanashram Day 4

Monday

Walking around Arunachala mountain again today we discovered a hand pump near a forest dwelling donated by the Indian Government. It's a fine line balancing effective and appropriate technology. The hand pump, once installed, allowed the users to e self sufficient, but of course the pump used metal parts made elsewhere. Walking a little further we came upon a circular cement trough about 15 feet in diameter with a large wheel attached to the center of the circle by a radial log. when pulled by a bull, we assumed, the stone wheel would roll around the trough crushing whatever was placed beneath the wheel. What could this be for? We looked around and saw 3 piles: one of sand, one of aggregate rock and one of lime covered rock. When mixed together this would create cement! We had come across a crude, cement making factory out on this savannah -like parched landscape. How ingenious!

Traveling around the mountain we step off of our forested trail (yes, forested on the other side!) and walk down the neighborhood street where we had met all of our lovely friends the other day. Today only one woman that we met before is out on the street and she greets us warmly. She just holds my hand and smiles as we have no other way of communicating to each other. I point to her and say, “English no” and point to myself “Tamil no”. She understands me perfectly and we laugh.

A girl comes up who knows a great deal of English and demands that we come to her house. She's twenty years old also and quite self-confident, she says, “What a pleasure” with a flourish. She and her parents demand to feed us large plates of rice and curry, remarking and grinning to each other at our awkward attempts at eating with our fingers. Her father gives some words of advice in Tamil and gestures with his hand how to properly mash the rice and curry together with ones hand. No need to try to be polite about it, c'mon just use your hand there, i think he's saying.

Leaving the pleasant hospitality of the neighborhood, a block away we step onto the bustling-watch-yourself-or-you'll-get-runover-oranges-and-bananas-for-sale-don't-step-in-the-cow-pies street. We're back in town.

A block away the people want to give to you while here the people want to take from you. One immediately must switch between the roles of receiver and giver. I think it has to do with personability, being able to really meet people rather than being viewed or viewing through generic impressions. In the neighborhood we really met people, connected with them and they wanted to share parts of their lives wih us. On the street we are viewed as Westerners who have more of everything: money, food, etc. and are expected to give some of it.

What I struggle with is how to acknowledge the humanity and suffering around me without perpetuating the dependence on begging. It's a big question that I could write much more about, but I'll just leave it with another question for now: Can you advert your eyes without adverting your heart?

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India is anything but mono-. India is polychrome, polytheistic, poly-transportation, poly-just-about-everything. Walking down the street I need to keep my head forward or I'll never get anywhere. The colors, sound, comotion all around are too much for anyone to take in all at once so I focus on a few things instead.

Plastic water urns are neatly stacked, ready to replace the ceramic ones after which they are perfectly modeled.

Women sit on corners selling bananas while men wrap their long skirts up above the knees due to the heat.

Women mix cement with hoes a foot away from a Xerox shop, a neon painted movie theater, and a sacred cow with flies buzzing between its painted horns.

The countryside and the city know no barriers.

They meld into each other and nobody seems to notice.

Bundles of sticks for firewood are sold next to electronic cords.

This is India, I can't help but love it.

-Sandhya

Ramanashram Day 3

Today we climb Arunachala. Going out the back gate of Ramanashramam it is thrilling to see the steps that were lovingly hand-chiseled by Baghavan's disciples out of the solid granite so he could still take walks on the mountain after his knees got arthritic. Up the trail to Skandashram we meet Maheshvara again, so we sit for awhile and listen to his wonderful stories. I ask him how can you tell a true sanyasin from a fake sanyasin. He says it has to do with energy. If you feel drained it is a fake sanyasin, and if you feel refreshed it s a true sanyasin. Feeling refreshed we climb further up to Sandashram, leaving many stoical Europeans puffing and sweating behind us. As we reach Skanashram I turn to Sandhya and begin to say, “I think the this is the...”, but as I turn to point my sentence is completed for me by a sign across a ravine that says, ...”Way To Top”. So the sentence is completed by shared laughter instead. The climb is steep and hot so we stop under a couple of small shade trees along the way to cool down. After an hour of climbing we reach the summit that is completely coated with a thick greasy layer of burnt ghee from the 500 gallons of butter ignited up here every Deepavali (Festival of Lights). The giant vat is said to burn for about 11 days and can be seen far and wide.

Ramanashramam Day 2

Visited all the places Ramana Maharshi lived before finally settling at Ramanashramam (Skandashram, Virpaksha cave, Mango Grove Cave and Arundachaleshvara Temple). On the hike up to Skandashram we met a Sannyasin (one who has renounced all ties to the secular world) named Maheshvara. He was a wonderful man with the tenderest eyes. He told us a number of stories about Ramana and himself and enquired intently about us. It was a timeless joy sitting under the trees talking with a being of such inner peace and insight. After leaving Skandashram and hiking down to Virupaksha cave two teenage boys pretended very sincerely to befriend us. I told them they were not going to get any rupees for 'guiding' us as we already knew the way. They persisted and sure enough at the bottom of the trail they pressed us hard for money. We reminded them that we were not going to pay them, and gave them each a Clif bar instead. In India, we are learning, if you let anyone help you, even if you do not want or need their help, a fee will be expected. This happened again at the massive Arunachaleshvara Temple where before we knew what was happening a highly skilled 'guide' was giving us the full tour. The temple was packed as it was India Republic Day, and buses of people had come from hundreds of miles to receive the blessings of Lord Shiva. At the heart of the temple is the inner Sanctum, over 3,500 years old, where hundreds and hundreds of devotees lined up to enter and be blessed. Our 'guide' had a connection with a priest and before we really knew what was happening we were being whisked through a back entrance into the heart of the temple with virtually no elbow room, full of ghee smoke and very little oxygen. The priests stopped the flood of people for a moment and we were seated before a golden symbolic form of Shiva and his wife Parvati. Between the eyes we received a thumb smear of red paste and our foreheads were covered with ash (vibhuti). I am still baffled by what it all meant but the devotees were taking the experience very, very seriously. Of course we had to pay the priests and the guide, but it was worth it once to experience such an intense ritual.

Dinner at the Ashram was preceded by songs of praise to Ramana with alternating verses by the men's and women's side of the grand hall. For dinner all the devotees (natives and foreigners, old Sadhus and little children) all sat on the stone floor with a leaf plate in front of them. Then the kitchen workers would appear with shiny metal buckets serving rice and vegetables and san bar (spicy soup) and chili pickle which one would eat with one's fingers. Thus in less than a half an hour over a hundred people were served a very nutritious meal.

-Cliff

Ramanashramam Day 1

Arrived in Tiruvannamali after a long drive (100+ miles) from Chennai. Before leaving Chennai went to the Theosophical Society headquarters. Very quiet now but can tell that it was once charged with inspiration and idealism. Saw what is said to be the second biggest Banyan tree in the world where many important theosophical meetings were held. The tree covers well over an acre of area. The ashram of Ramana Maharshi is a lively contrast to the TS with its very active and bustling nature. People from all around the world are here blending with Indian devotees. There is still, 57 years after Bhagavan's passing (mahasamadhi), great positive energy here. The first person we met was Srinivasa Murti,who is the manager of the Ashram. He has an imposing nature. Think of Morpheus from “The Matrix” and you have a good idea in both look and manner. But under the formidable exterior there is a peacefulness, joy and jovialness. I really like him. After getting settled we decided to circumambulate (Giripradakshana) the great Mountain of Arunachala, at the base of which the ashram is located. We did not know anything about how to perform the clock-wise circumnavigation of the hill, but we started off with optimism that things would work out and the way would be revealed. We walked down the crazy road for awhile; with its trucks and buses and cars and auto-rikshaws and bikes and motorcycles and cows and dogs and people all moving in intuitive almost telepathic harmony with one another (in other words a typical ordinary street in India) until we decided to cut in towards Arunachala itself. As we got close to Arunachala we came across a pond with a cow and its calf climbing out of the water up the bank towards us with a rope tied between them until the cow stood on one side of us and the calf on the other with the rope blocking our way. Just then the old cow-herder came out of the pond. He asked by making a circle with his finger and saying giripradakshana if we were looking for the trail around Arunachala. We nodded and he showed us the beginning of the trail which was just behind us. It was almost as if Ganesha appeared first as the creator of an obstacle (the rope between the cows) and the remover of obstacles (the cow-herder). Once we found the beginning of the trail it was easy to find our way as stones were painted with white and red paint every 100 feet or so.

Arunachala is a very sacred mountain in South India. Like Mount Shasta it rises steeply and abruptly out of the flat farm-land to a sharp summit. It is said to be a manifestation of the god Shiva and is said to be the place where Shiva destroyed the egos of both Brahma and Vishnu when they were debating as to who was the greatest god. To end the debate Shiva turned himself into a great column of light, Shiva lingum, and challenged Vishnu and Brahma to find either its top or bottom. Vishnu turned himself into a boar and dug through the Earth but could not reach the bottom. Brahma turned himself into a swan but could not reach the top and both were eventually humbled before the greatness of Shiva. Thus this is considered a very effective place to come for the destruction of the personal ego.

On the backside of the mountain we met some very simple farmers and goat-herders who wanted to take pictures of us in the midst of their herd holding some newborn kids. Even though living so poorly, they were full of joy and contentment. As we approached the town the trail ended at a brightly colored temple with painted statues of many figures of the Hindu pantheon. Children rushed up to us to shake our hands with bright shining eyes. A man told us that here was the end of the trail and now we would have to walk through Tiruvannamali to get back to the Ashram. Walking down the road we entered a residential neighborhood. An old, but very graceful woman, who needed some dental care, asked with gestures if we had a camera and could take a picture of her and her friends. This began what turned into a spontaneous festival of picture taking with one 10+/- boy taking the bulk of the pictures and then showing them to everyone on the back screen. Before Sandhya knew it she was being given a tour of one woman's house and having a cup of hot chai. The neighbooring woman, not to be out-done, encourged Sandhya, over the adjoining wall, to come over to her house where next she was eating a big plate of rice and dhal. Fortunately one sharp boy pointed out to me that we still had 5 kms to walk to get back to the ashram and it was starting to get dark. We made it through the heart of Tiruvannamalai to sweet penetrating eye-contact, joyous smiles and palm-pressed salutes of Namaste.

-Cliff

Shaking Hands with the Bravest

Our plane descends into a flat, smoky landscape of dry grass and sparse green trees. We're in the real India now, I feel.

Aurangabad is the jumping off point for tourists of the Ajanta and Ellora caves, 2 and 1 hours away respectively. Primarily, it is the small city surrounded by farming villages which serves as the trading center between them and the rest of India.

Goats vacate the road just in time as we come screeching around a corner. Men in hot pink turbans squat on their feet next to the road, chatting.
Our driver tells us he likes Arnold Swartznegger, Rambo and Jackie Chan films. He's exicited that we've seen some Bollywoods, but disappointed that we don't know any of the actors names.

Just beyond the window are fields of sugarcane, cotton and sunflowers, all picked and harvested by hand. Trucks stacked high with sugarcane take it to the sugarcane factory, a huge operation, which spews black smoke into the air. An outside cotton werehouse displays mountains of white fluff. Homes made of sticks, corrugated metal, old billboards, and dried sugarcane stalks dot the perimeters of the fields.

An old man sits in his rocky field.

Boys in polyester pants and bright shirts play tag and cricket.

The Ajanta caves were carved out by Buddhist monks in a semicircle in the side of a cliff. The carvings are magnificent and once in a while we spot an area where the mud plaster and brilliant paintings of the Jataka tales remain. Mostly it's all stone now. Dad contemplates how the monks went about excavating the rock to build these temples. Some caves are so high that they must have started at the top and worked their way down, using tremendous geometric and architectural planning.

Indian children who have arrived with their class giggle and shove each other as they pass two westerners who are sitting in the shade eating Clif bars, us. We wave and shake hands with the bravest.

Travel Tip for when you visit:
Ajanta caves are closed on Mondays
Ellora caves are closed on Tuesdays
Higher a driver for the day- much faster than the auto rickshaws which we have yet to take.

First Day!

First day in India today!
Tiny black and yellow painted taxis come within inches of each other, seemingly paying no attention to lines in the road, oncoming traffic or pedestrians. But there is a type of order here and few collisions. According to our driver there are 45,000 taxis, 20,000 buses and 400 double decker buses just in the city of Mumbai.

Colorfully clad women in saris ride on the backs of motorcycles, or if they're wearing salwar kameez (a long top with pants) they might be driving in front.

Joyful smiles and sharp wit describe many Mumbaikers we've met and talked to today. Our new friend, Mahdi, from Iran especially enjoyed these encounters and wouldn't hesitate to take pictures with everyone.

Stray dogs languish on hot cement.
A Jain monk shows us around his temple, describing a diagram of the levels of existence and enlightenment. Dad asks whether he's studied Plato, who has a similar diagram of a diamond mounted on a triangle.
Mani Bhavan- Gandhiji's home while in Mumbai has been turned into a museum. The simple room where Gandhi lived still holds his spinning wheels.

At the washing center men scrub clothing and sheets for all of Mumbai in cement tanks. Swinging clothes spray soapy suds into the air. An intricate system of code is written on every article so that hotels, restaurants and individuals get their sheets back.

Elephanta Island is closed on Mondays- so we found these adventures instead.

Smells, sights and smiles astound.
-sandhya

Initial India Trip Itinerary for Cliff & Sandhya

January 18: Cliff leaves Honolulu

January 19: Cliff Arrives in Newark. Sandhya leaves Denver and Arrives in Newark. Cliff & Sandhya leave Newark.

January 20: Arrive Mumbai 9:40pm.

January 21: Elephanta Caves, Gandhi museum.

January 22: Fly from Mumbai to Aurangabad Visit Ellora Caves.

January 23: Visit Ajanta Caves.

January 24: Fly from Aurangabad to Mumbai. Fly From Mumbai to Chennai. Close to TS Headquarters and Kapalishvara Temple.

January 25: Taxi to Tiruvannamalai. Stay three days at Ramanashramam www.ramanamaharshi.org

January 28-29: Open. Travel to Pondicherry.

January 30-February 1: Stay in Auroville (confirmed with Kireet at Gaia’s Garden). www.auroville.org

February 2-9: Open. To be Planned.

February 9: Sandhya arrives in Jaipur to start volunteering with GRAVIS on rainwater harvesting projects! Cliff leaves Mumbai.

February 10: Cliff leaves Newark. Arrive Houston. Leave Houston. Arrive Honolulu.

Feb- May: Sandhya volunteers with GRAVIS in the desert of Rajasthan

May- June: Sandhya treks up to Vandana Shiva's school Navdanya and into Nepal with friend Emily from Colorado.

June 25: Sandhya leaves Mumbai. Arrives in Newark.

June 26: Sandhya Leaves Newark. Arrives in Denver.

Monday

Malaria pills start on Friday (need to be taken 2 days prior to trip). I'm glad I won't be getting any crazy dreams from these pills, supposedly some of the other options have this side effect!

By the way, please email me your physical address so that I can write to you!

Much love and anticipation!

Hello from Colorado!

Hello Friends!!! Here in Colorado preparing for the trip of a lifetime! Off to INDIA in 1 week!! Thank you for checking out my blog to see what I'll be up to for the next few months! Much Love!