The Horns are A'Blowing in Rishikesh

I was lying in bed this morning thinking about what sort of things I wanted to share with you guys and I decided that it would be more interesting to share my thoughts about my experiences more than the experiences themselves. This may seem obvious to some of you but I guess I'm a little slow in these matters of journaling/blogging.

So to kickstart this new angle, I would like to just list a few things that I've noticed since my last blog:

1. I find the setting of Rishikesh to be one of the more charming places I've visited in the world. The Ganges looks clean and crisp. The land doesn't seem to be overly developed (especially considering the age of the community here). I was joking to Will as we were walking across the bridge this morning to meditate on the Shiva Ghat that if you were a developer, you would see this place with completely different eyes than that of a meditator. Same if you were a pickpocket. Same if you were a broom salesman. In other words, consciousness creates our reality. And another way of saying that is truth and reality are observer dependent---different for everyone depending on your angle of approach. In fact, it's almost insulting for one person to think that someone else should share their vision of what they know to be true or even possible.

2. I did eventually end up diving into the Ganges, and it was just as cold as I imagined it to be. Maybe even more so. Right before I was teetering on the edge of a dusty boulder, along side of the freezing Ganges River, wearing nothing but Speedos. Some Indian children were playing about 12 feet to the right of me and their father was lazily watching me stand there and contemplate the temperature of the water. With a smirk and a shrug, he silently motioned with his hand for me to just jump in already. And in what-the-hell mode, I dove in.

It was pretty invigorating and felt amazing once I got out of the water. The current moves pretty quickly downstream toward some rapids. So for a longer swim you have to trek up stream about 100 feet and jump in. I tried that out once with another girl from our group and together we floated downstream for a few minutes. That was fun and I'm now looking forward to incorporating a daily dip into my India routine.

3. One of the more jarring things around here is how everyone uses their scooter and car horns constantly! Iris mused, "People around here drive with their ears." And it's true! They don't use it as punishment like they do in the states. They use it to signal that someone is behind you, almost like how bikers will yell "to your left" when they are quickly approaching you and you are blocking their bike path. Well, imagine walking down a 10-foot wide version of the Santa Monica promenade on a crowded saturday afternoon. Now, add motor scooters and bicycles attempting to go full speed and blowing their horns everytime they are behind someone. Add cows standing in intervals throughout the path blocking traffic as well as fresh mounds of cow dung. Add people carrying food carts through. Add flies. And add a little more humidity than LA and you can get a basic idea of what it's like to walk down the streets in the middle of the afternoon.

4. One of the coolest things about this place are the people. Pretty much everyone you pass at least looks like the western idea of a spiritual guru. I was sitting along the path yesterday just people watching and you would think that everyone had their own fashion stylist from Vogue Magazine (the India issue). Everyone looks so ornamental as they stroll by wrapped in dotis with their Pashminas wrapped across their shoulders. I'm really getting used to wearing just a t-shirt and a sheet wrapped across my waist. And all you need is your shawl to sleep with, to dry off after a swim and to protect you against the flies and mosquitoes while you meditate.

Ok, this is long enough for now. More later after another swim in the river ; )