Life in the Ganj

    All the men that work in the shops are really boys in their 20's and early 30's. After being here for awhile you start to understand there are different "unspoken of" territories on the streets. There's the Jogiwara road boys and the Temple road boys (the two main roads here). Then there's the Upper Temple road boys and the Lower Temple road boys. You see, it's not like America where if you work in a store you are confined to the walls of that location for the duration of the hours demanded from you. Instead, they all hang out in groups across the street from their stores. They're all basically selling the exact same stuff. The saying here is: the same, same but different. They work as a team and are always hustlin to help each other out. They're all "slashies". Coming from Hollywood this usually means bartender/ model, actress/ waiter, comedian/ nanny... Here it's shop owner/tour guide/ aruyvedic masseuse. They all want to give you a massage. For example, say a group of westerners walk into a shop, there's usually no one inside. But one of the boys will see this and immediately summon the one responsible for that shop. While waiting for him to return, that guy will act as the liaison. Then the store owner will enter and do his thing. If he's really good he'll find out that the group would love to go to a temple somewhere.  He will then reveal he can in fact take them right now if they'd like! Usually the westerners are immediately thrilled  over- what they think is a great find, not knowing everyone in town basically offers this service- and say yes for a good price, special price just for them... There's always a special price just for you. ;) At this point, the store owner has already made the call to one of his boys and by the time the westerners walk out of the shop, there's a car convienantly waiting. The guy hands over the car to the store owner while the other friend who was the liaison now takes over and watches the shop. The owner now jumps into the tour guide role and barrels down the road with the westerners. Then at the end of the day everyone involved gets a cut. The trick is which team of boys will get the westerners? Will it be the uppers or the lowers, or will it be the Jogiwara boys? The competition is obvious. It's an interesting play on the "it's all who you know" business model because you want to be connected to the guy who knows the best English, the guy who owns the car, and the guy with the best looking shop.  Essentially, it's the same same but different as in Corporate America. Is it not? Competition, alliances, hustle, the strong will prevail. 

    Another thing worth noting is all across India the men of all ages from boys to Seniors hold hands with each other. They either do the full on all five fingers intertwined or just connect at the pinky or the entire arm over the shoulder. It's something I'm still getting used to because it's a sign of brotherly love. Homosexuality is forbidden here but how the hell would you ever know with all the men arm and arm all over the place! It's sooooo the opposite of the men in America, who pretty much live by the secret code of never show any emotion. I can't help but laugh imagining my  brother and his life long friends just cruisin the streets, pinky fingers intertwined. Lol, I'm sure he's nervous even just reading this right now. Or how about my Father and his group of friends... Actually, I bet if it were socially acceptable in America his friends and him would be holding hands all over town! They're very close, so crazy how cultural conditioning causes such drastic gaps. How does it all work?  I know I've seen several pictures of my brother and all his friends as boys holding hands. Why not anymore? Are the Indians simply remaining true to their authentic child-like nature and we (westerners) have lost our way? As a woman, my friends and I hold hands whenever we want. But you wouldn't dare imagine two grown men in business suits holding hands as they walk around Chicago. Don't be ridiculous! Here. Totally normal. Just some thoughts passing through...

      Next are the women beggars with their babies strapped to their sides. Very different from the homeless in America. They don't want money here and won't accept it. They want you to buy them food. There are these, I guess you could call them grocery stands because they're not stores, where you can get giant bags of rice, milk, oil, butter, and other necessities. I tell them all no but there's one specific woman who I feel a connection to. Her little baby is so cute too. He holds my hand, smiles, and I instantly fall in love with him and she's way younger than me. I ended up taking her, another woman, and this young man shopping one of the days. They all got huge bags of rice, oil, and butter. A decent amount of money later, they're all happy. Now, I know they then go and sell that stuff but hey, either way they need it more than I do. It's a couple extra OM scarves less for me, but for them it's like a month's pay.  It's my way of showing Om Mani Padme Hum while in their land. The woman I felt connected to invited me to her home down in Dharamsala to meet the rest of her whole family and I really wanted to go too. You know, for the story of it. But my intuition told me no. I try to always say yes but you also have to listen to the No's as well. 

     And lets not forget about the amazing dogs of India and the devious monkeys. Up here all the dogs work together like a Police squad to keep the monkeys in the trees and off the streets.  One morning a female Tibetan monk and I stood on the corner of the street and watched quite the altercation. A group of large monkeys had made there way to a lower rooftop and you would have though we were in 101 Dalmatians- when all the puppies were stolen and they send out the dog cry to alert the town's canines. It was just like that. We hear two barks up the road and out of nowhere dogs explode from their houses, emerge from alleys, and race from the other streets. They certainly weren't monkeying around, this was the real deal, like it was a fire drill they had all practiced many times before. There was one hilariously fat wiener dog that was stuck down a huge staircase and couldn't get up to the action but even he was serving his part in the howling. The monkeys were springing from rooftop to rooftop, making huge sounds as they crashed on the tin roofs, purposely provoking the dogs. This woman in her red robe and shaved head and I just watched in awe. It was quite the scene while the humans had yet to really arise for the day.

     And there's your insider's look at life  in McLeod Ganj. After being up here for 16 days by yourself,  you get to stop playing tourist and start seeing the flow of the town's unique colors. Well, that's my observation at least. Life is but a sequence of scenes. How do you direct yours? 

The Adventures in ShaktiLand

   I'm getting pretty good at this solo traveling business and it's exactly what I always wanted to do but never could imagine actually pulling the trigger to Be. Here. Now. I've totally become one of those people who casually steps out of the way seconds before, what I had originally thought was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, charges towards me. The horns? Mere background noise. Men intensely staring? Still happening but no longer uneasy. Tightly gripping the pepper spray? No more. Understanding some Hindi? Haanji (yes). Hold, squat, pee, pray? Mastered it. My head has begun to naturally bob back and forth like the Indians when I'm saying... It's ok, or sure or it doesn't matter to me. And I now understand the value of the rupee. 500 rupees is equivalent to about $8 so before I was shelling out 500's all over the place, thinking it was great! Now I realize that 500 rupees is actually a lot. It's more like $50 worth, whereas you can easily get about 4-5 full meals out of the bill.

      I've done so many things since I've been in McLeod Ganji and I've met so many great people. I zipped around town on the back of a Tibetan monk's motorcycle. I mean, why not? Chanted OM with a yogi for an hour after doing some Ashtanga yoga. Went to see this massive fort with a Romanian woman and two Kashmir Indians.  Had tea with an auspicious 75 year old man with white hair, formerly from New York who has Parkinson's disease. He was traveling the world for 44 years before he got sick, and he gave me a list of spiritual books to read and healing centers to know about, including something called Urine Therapy! Oh, it's a real and legitimate thing... Google it, totally wild! Could we have the ability to heal ourselves all along?? It was brought to this world by Mahatma Gandhi himself. What would you do? Radiation "treatment"  poisoning your entire body for the rest of your life, shackling you as a prisoner of sickness, to serve as a financial lifeline to the healthcare industry or... Drink your own pee? The choice is always ours...  

    Back to the adventures- Climbed a mountain with an Indian guy, at night, in the middle of an astoundingly beautiful snow storm to get to an Ashram for a full moon, devotional music, chanting session with a Guru. When we arrived it was me, two French girls, one Russian woman, and one Hungarian girl singing, eating, and dancing it up for the night as the Indians sang mantra and played the djembes.  Took an all day Tibetian Cultural tour with a Tibetan tour guide and this far out 65 year old man named Steven (originally from Portland) who spent the last 11 years living in rural places around South America, has done ayahuasca 61 times, and really likes his Indian hash. I also went on a quest with him to meet the Dali Lama's oracle so he could give him a letter from another spiritual leader in Rishikesh. Yep, you read that right. Yes, the Dali Lama has an oracle and he did get to give him the letter. Pretty wild stuff! Is this the Matrix? Well, I don't "know Kung Fu"...yet.  

     Next, I went on another quest in search of a temple that is known as a Shakti Peeth for the ears. The belief is that if a woman goes to the specific Shakti temple for the body part she has dis-ease with,  miraculous healing powers have occurred.  I have a hearing problem and inner ear imbalance issues.  Now, I read about this before I left for India and spent a lot of time trying to find the exact location of this temple because it's not a very famous one.  In fact, most people don't even know about it. I found these obscure directions online that point you to a Shiva temple and then tell you to follow the red string at the top of the temple that will be attached to the Shakti Peeth across the street!  I printed these directions out and brought them to India, it's been part of my mission from day one. There are 51 Shakti Peeths for various body parts spread all over India and the fact that the one for the ears is in the same area as one of my destinations was definitely a sign for me to make this happen. 

      I spent two days asking different tour guide services and no one knew. They kept leading me to other people around town. Finally I met this incredibly nice yogi named, Vittender. He's in his early 50's and had the gentlest eyes I have ever seen. All intuition says, this guy has an amazing heart and is a good person.  We did an hour long chakra meditation followed by chai and a long discussion about the power of meditation and kundalini yoga that I filmed.  Then I showed him the piece of paper with the directions which is feeling more and more like a treasure map at this point. He tells me he's pretty sure he knows which one I'm talking about... This Shakti Peeth I am searching for is called the Jaydurga temple and it turns out it's in this little town called Baijnath, 3 hours away. Vittender offers to take me there the next day with a driver. He says there are other temples along the way and we could make a whole day of it for 1800 rupees, which is less than $30. 

  I must say, India is such an incredibly wild force of its own that all you can do is surrender to its madness, having nothing but radical trust in God and your intuition (which is definitely heightened here). It's all about meditating  and staying on that spiritual frequency above all the chaos. As the Guru said in Rishikesh: in prayer you are doing the talking and asking but in meditation it is God who does the speaking and it is you who does the receiving.  So far God, the Universe, has only  lit the path with beautiful people, showing me nothing but protection. In silencing the my mind/ ego and listening to the heart, I went with this yogi on my adventure and it was perfect. Just him, me, and the India driver. Vittender is devoted to his spirituality and was able to explain every symbolic part about each temple. Giving me a one-on-one opportunity to learn more about all the Gods and Goddesses along the way. 

    We made it to the Shakti Peeth for the ears and there was a couple getting married there! It was a small, simple temple resting on a huge cliff.  It was beautiful to watch and be apart of the ceremony. And when I say apart of... I literally was apart of it. Vittender told me to just go ahead inside the temple, which was about ten times smaller than most of  my Aunt's closets, and do what I needed to do. He stayed outside and filmed so on camera you literally see me at the altar putting holy water in my ears while this young couple wearing large head pieces and the Brahmin marrying them are chanting something in Hindi directly next to me. Pretty random!  I hope it's good luck in India to have a redhead pop in on your wedding ceremony?  Haha. Afterwards I sat on the mountain and did my meditation to Shakti and then prayed/asked for help with my imbalance issues. I'll keep ya posted on what happens with all this. ;) Either way, it was another great adventure that was so powerful to do alone, uninterrupted by anyone else's opinions, chatter, or thoughts. Just me having an individual experience in which I again get to play witness to my decisions, reactions, and emotions.  Being away from everything that defines you, where you actually wrote the script everyone in your life abides by. You begin to see what you thought your comfort zone was... is really nothing more than an illusion of confined perimeters.  We're always capable of so much more and life never stops waiting for us to live. 

    

Be Here Now

    I'm staying at this great little place called The Green Hotel  up in Dali Lama Land and I have to thank Kai number 1 for finding it. I have a deck with a spectacular view, flat screen TV with HBO, Queen size bed, wi-fi, room service, and a heater all for 1100 rupees a night which comes out to precisely $17. 69 per night. I've had my laundry done twice so far- fluffed and folded for 8 bucks- and they've got a cool cafe packed with westerners and Tibetan monks 24/7.  This little Tibetan woman, prolly like 30 years old, runs the whole place and keeps a pretty tight ship! Her staff is made up of Indian men and boys and it's quite amazing to watch her hustle and flow. We've become good friends and she knows every time I walk in I'm gonna want hot water for my Tibetan medicine and a ginger, honey, lemon tea. Ginger, honey, lemon tea is all the craze up here. All over India all you hear- chai, chai, chai... In McLeod Ganji it's all about the GHL. She also knows I only like a little steamed milk on the side and not directly in my coffee in the morning and she let's me use the phone whenever I want to make local calls. Seriously, I could call America quits and move here in a heartbeat. 

    There's nothing more exciting than truly being able to live in the unfoldment of the presence. To just sit back and play witness to your own current reality as it reveals the day's adventure day after day. To the point where "days" no longer have a feeling or sense of importance because you get to just merely exist.  I haven't known what day it is pretty much since I got to India. I know the date and check in with the time, from time to time. But as for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... Those names have gone out the window for me. There's no need for such specifications while traveling. A Monday feels the same as a Saturday and the weekends are no different from the weekdays, they all just keep passing by. I leave my place at sunrise, returning to it after sunset ,and all that takes place in between... Well, that's the magic of living in the moment. 

    I arise with absolutely no plan for the day. I grab some breakfast where I meet a Tibetan Monk who tells me how to get to the Dali Lama's temple. Ok, I shall go to the temple today. I head down temple road and the street is lined with amazing shops full of spiritual goods- Buddhas, Shivas, jewelry, rare stones, gems, healing bowls, paintings, rugs, scarves. So much incredible stuff!  I stop in a couple of shops and end up somehow buying all new bedding. I didn't even know I needed or was looking for bedding but when he said everything for you is just $75. I said done! Ha. It is really pretty though. I'm almost at the temple when I get stopped by an older man, like 45 years old, and I can instantly feel he's one of those schmoozing, sleazy, sharks. He insists I come into his shop where he offers me a shot of whiskey and a cig.  I decline but before I leave he tells me there's a nice long hike to the Tibetan library that I should go see. Cool, I'd like to see that. He gives me directions and has served his purpose so I continue on. 

    The temple is a lot simpler than I expected. Just a couple of statues in a room, but they are remarkable and definitely hold a presence of magnitude. The Dali Lama's home is right next to it. You can look into his windows and again it's pretty modest. I do a round of Om Mani Padme Hum on my mala and continue on. In front of the temple's gates there are 2 guards in full uniform hanging out in an army tent. They ask me if I'd like to come in for some chai. Sure why not!  I walk in and there are two cots with their clothes hanging around and a little refrigerator.  They take turns sleeping in the tent -while on duty- to always be patrolling the gates. I chill with them for a good hour just chatting about the Dali Lama over a burning fire while sippin some chai. Next I begin my journey down to the library. It's a beautifully long hike down a winding road with temples, healing centers, and chai stands on the way. Monks and other trekkers are on the path with me. Cars and bikes constantly speed by. It's just me, myself, and I and I'm loving it. There's no sense of being "alone" because I am with me! Everything I do is an opportunity to truly watch myself and how I interact with life. 

     I make it to the bottom and the library is under construction but I get to see it anyways, it's cool. Again very modest. But I realize now I am in the actual area where the Tibetan government in exile resides.  I decide I want to understand more about what's really going on with this terrible oppression. I walk into the Religious and Cultural Affairs department and they direct me to a media counselor. I sit down with this nice Tibetan man in his government office and he launches into the whole history and story of the oppression, the autonomy of Tibet, and the Middle Way policy of the Dali Lama. It's devastating, terrible, and cruel yet inspirational, powerful, and beautiful at the same time. I shall talk more about Tibet and its people at another time. I have a lot of literature to read but it's something I'm very interested in. 

   On my ascent back up the mountain it's breathtaking with beauty: The snow capped mountains in the distance. The random cows and bulls passing you on their own journey of solitude. The monks, school children, tourists... Life literally passing you by as you pass it by in return. No thoughts but enjoyment. I see a little hole in the wall, well- more like hole in the mountain, and stop in for a paratha. There's a girl taking orders while another girl works behind a couple of small burners. 2 old men chat with a monk and there's another female traveler on a solo journey enjoying her present unfoldment at the table opposite of mine. Simplicity is magnetic. Overall the hike ended up being a 10 mile journey that took me all afternoon. I make it back to the Green Hotel where my hot water and GHL tea await me. While watching the sun slip behind the Himalayas for the night, I can't help but feel like I'm in the creation of a painting.  Just as each stroke of the brush creates a new dimension and adds  new layers to the totality of the piece. I too am working towards the creation of totality with inside myself. Ram Dass, thank you for your words: Be. Here. Now. 

Life is but a frequency

    We arrived at McLeod Ganji on the first of February. I know awesome name, right? It's pronounced Mcloud Ganj, like ganja without the A. It's a small town at the top of the Himalayas where the Dali Lama lives and where the Tibetan Government in exile resides. This place is crawling with Tibetan monks in red robes, tourists, and Kashmir Indians. It's way more like Tibet than India. The food so far as been amazing all across the board. I haven't had one problem and definitely will not be shedding the 10lbs I had planned on losing. After that cruise in the beginning of January, I felt like I came to India in a fat suit of myself and was actually looking forward to a little India sickness. But I've been breakfast brunching with eggs, chopsticking the hell out of the chow mien and just loving the Tibetan momos ( like pot stickers) and Parathas ( Indian flat bread stuffed with veggies and cheese with butter and pickled spicy garlic on top). Each meal cost about 150-350 rupees only, which is about $2.40- $5.66! It's all super fresh and made to order, nothing is packaged or packed with preservatives. 

     Also there was absolutely no reason for me to bring 6 rolls of toilet paper and 3 large ziplock bags full of medicine. Hypochondria Americana at its finest, that's for sure. Back in Amritsar, Kai number 2 actually got me some amoxicillin at a pharmacy stand for my ear infection and it felt better the very next morning. Now I'm taking all natural Tibetan medicine 3 times a day for general health and it's been great. Got 6 months supply for 32 bucks! There certainly was no need to drop that $200 at Whole Foods on wellness elixirs and immunity boosting vials! Damn you Whole Foods for always making everything sound so enticing and necessary. 

     My friend was only here for 1 day and left. It's time for me to travel on my own and the second we started ascending this mountain my energy immediately shifted as I knew this was the place I will be journeying alone. My fear instantly melted and I felt a sense of power and protection. Especially since the Dali Lama is here right now, I haven't seen him yet but he's got a pretty big auric field.  I've been chanting Om Mani Padme Hum 108 times on my mala. Actually way more than 108, that's just one time around the mala. This mantra is the highest frequency of compassion, purity, and love. It's the core mantra of the Dali Lama and Tibetan Buddhism. For more on this powerful prayer from the His Holiness himself,  please see link: http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/omph.htm  I've seen so many people and monks walking around all day reciting, what you could call, this holy prayer on their malas. Just cruisin the streets on the frequency of mantra. I had to see what this was all about so I spent a full day climbing from one side of the Himalayas to the other chanting as I walked the streets, traversed the mountains, and scaled the main waterfall. Other than stopping a couple of times for people to get their one snap  up the waterfall, I was in solitude. 

    It was on this magical day that I had the auspicious pleasure of meeting the white monkey! At first I walked by him casually thinking- oh wow, that's a white monkey- cool. Then I was like, wait what?? That's a white monkey!! I almost just walked right by the only white monkey in the land. Luckily, I got myself a one snap and we both went on our merry ways. The Buddhist say the white monkey is a sign of purity. The next beautiful little moment or sign I recieved was- I was literally scaling over rocks in the center of the waterfall when something caught my eye. I walked over to it and resting next to a rock was a random 4 of hearts card. This is significant because the 4th chakra is the heart chakra, it's all about the love.  So here I am chanting Om Mani Padme Hum, which in the easiest of terms, breaks down to love, purity, and compassion, and I am clearly shown two beautiful signs of love and purity. Incredible! 

     Then, at the end of the day as I was walking through the streets. This shop owner waves me down, he's about thirty and his name was Taj. He asks me to come in and have a look around and I thought why not. I walk in and his floor is lined with these amazing Tibetan healing bowls. He explains that each bowl has a specific vibration to open a specific chakra and helps purify the whole body. Cool. Then he tells me he feels that I have very strong energy and if I'd like he can show me how they work right now in the shop. Sure! I take off my shoes and lay down on this carpet he lays out. He begins placing all these bowls on top of me and filling them with different levels of water. The water is to absorb the negativity and must be immediately dumped out after. Then using a special stick he lightly begins playing the bowls and it's incredible! Seriously, my whole body was vibrating. I told him about my hearing problem and vertigo and he began massaging my tempos while placing a bowl on my third eye. The sound made my whole head, brain, nervous system... everything light up! 

    Forty five minutes later I walked out of there feeling like I was on top of the world! So much energy coursing through me and everything seemed like it was glowing- like I was on ecstasy or something. All my senses were heightened and in that moment, after having such a powerful day, I truly understood the idea that we really are all just vibrations resonating on different frequencies throughout the universe.  And that the use of sound current is a very powerful tool.  I felt amazing. Still feel amazing!  Now, in the US someone could've very easily charged about $100 or more for a 45minute chakra sound healing but he didn't ask for any money or try to get me to buy anything. He was just simply being... Compassionate. And there's my Om Mani Padme Hum come full circle.  This land is so beautiful and that whole day was such a divine example of how God, the Universe, whatever you connect with, is alway there-always speaking to us- through us. It's just up to US to get out of the way and listen. Hear your own frequency. Om Mani Padme Hum. 

1 well, 2 Germans, a stuffed rat, and the Indian- Pakistani border!

    Over the course of 2 days and say about 18 hours, my friend Jillian was below the ground in a well, chanting and dunking herself in water, next to a Sikh temple.  She is on a serious mission of some serious dedication. It's called the 84 steps of Goindwal. This meditation is said to clear the karma of all your past lives, including the karmas of seven generations before you and after. And here I thought I had quite the "Tea Party" journey going when Jillian is literally down the rabbit hole!

     Anywho, while she's well deep, busy burnin karma. I figure what better way to spend my first solo adventure then to head to the Indian- Pakistani border ceremony! Yes, of course I'll admit at first I was terrified of the idea, but I really want to go to this outrageous event.  I decide I need to find another westerner to go with me. Any westerner will do, I just need one other foreigner to feel comfortable. I go to breakfast in our guest house dining area and there he is: About 55. White. Male. German. Stupendous Canadian tuxedo (jean on jean). Hair full of static. Camera on the table... Perfecto! His name is Kai and he's a photo journalist- writer from Berlin. His English ? Doable. We arrange for a car to take us to the border at 3pm for the 5pm ceremony. Where apparently, a crowded stadium with the excitement of a sporting event, eagerly watches the  Indian and Pakistani guards do some sort of ridiculously macho-infused choreographed dog and pony show. Resulting in both of them rudely closing their gates on each other and lowering their flags for the day. Clearly,  I cannot miss such proposed absurdity.  Even though my right ear is hurting and I'm feeling an infection coming on, I'm not missing this. 

      It's called the Wagah Border ceremony and yes, you can YouTube this as well but I shall indulge.  We get to the main gates and the driver pulls over to tell us we have to walk the rest of the way, which does in fact resemble any typical American tailgate. Faces painted in Indian colors, flags, signs, BBQ's ablaze, and vendors selling all sorts of crap. It's got everything just shy of the obnoxious styrofoam finger boasting: we're number one! Oh, and add the heavy presence of the Indian army with their rifles at their side.  As I'm walking with the bumbling German my ear situation gets worst, I notice my hearing is now really going in the right ear, making me feel totally disoriented but the excitement powers me on.  We are called out by one of the guards and he directs us to a separate side of the street that has a huge divider. As I look around I notice only other white and Asian people are on this side.  Ah yes, this is the "VIP" area, aka the painfully obvious tourists section. After showing our passports we are escorted to very specific seating away from the real party happening on the other side. 

      It's awesome! There's an MC riling up the crowd, people swaying giant flags, and I'm pretty sure I even caught the wave at one point. The music is blasting, JAI Ho!!! And there's a massive dance party happening while the guards, in their wild redheaded Mohawk helmets and combat boots,  patrol the excitement. The German and I break into shooting mode, encapsulating the scene with our lenses. He shoots me with my camera, I shoot him with his... We're making a pretty damn good team. When all the sudden we are joined by a third shooter.  Randomly enough, he's from Germany too -Berlin in fact- and his name is... Kai. What??  Two Kai's from Berlin, Kai is not even a popular name in Germany! Well fancy that, huh?  The Kai's are loving this auspicious revelation as they ramble on in German. Kai number two sports a traditional Pakistani cap called a Pakol.  It reminds me of something Clark Griswold would've had his entire family rocking had National Lampoon made a Pakistani Vacation.  In other words, he looks like a real A-hole but that's nothing.  Next, the guy breaks out a stuffed lab rat wearing a little striped tie!!! I am not kidding you, he stuffed a dead white rat and is now placing it on the ledge and taking pictures of it! I am dying in laughter, hoping this is one of those nom situations where you take pictures of a random nom traveling the world, except in Germany they use rats?? Perhaps? No idea, but he's causing quite a scene. The Indian guards can't decide whether they should be concerned, weirded out, angry, or just laugh at this man. Other westerners are laughing and taking pictures. I, of course jump in the action and have Kai number 1 film me with the rat and Number 2 as I make weird faces and laugh at them, naturally. All to the backdrop of a stadium full of celebratory Indians. 

     Just when I thought it couldn't get anymore ridiculous, the ceremony begins... Out of nowhere, this guard comes plowing down the middle of the street in full Indian army garb with the red mohawk. Everyone sits and is silent. He stops in the middle and starts stomping his foot in a high kick motion, like his leg is kicking up over his head and then slamming on the ground making an "I am man hear me roar" thud. His face is fierce, he kinda reminds me of that angry bull in the Bugs Bunny cartoons- steam puffing out of his nostrils, ready to charge. Then the guard does just that, he charges to the gate! I half expect to turn around and find Bugs himself waiting with a red cape! But no, instead there's a Pakistani guard charging the gate from his side. Their gates are separated by a huge divider so I can barely see the Pakistanis. They both come to an abrupt halt right before their gate and let out a loud roar, or shout something in their language, I don't really know... Im going with roar. So first they roar and then do a little more unnecessary stomping, to then just step to the side. What the hell? Next, another baila ( bull in Hindi) launches out of the bullpen and charges the gate. So... I guess... this is what's happening... ?

      I find a good wide shot, keeping my camera steady when I notice a hand carrying a rat, that is now holding a small Indian flag , creep into the corner of my frame! No effing way.  Is this really happening or has my ear infection, that's definitely gone from bad to massive, causing me to hallucinate?? The crazy German is now on his hands and knees, inching the rat onto the main road where the ceremony is happening! This is just too funny. Of course the guards shoo him back to our seating section, but even they are having a hard time keeping a straight face.  The rat has stolen the show!! 

     After the ceremony ends, I'm walking with the Kai's back to our car and I can't resist, I MUST interview this amazing fool. Right here. Right now. Number 1 takes my camera and we're rolling. Immediately all the Indians crowd around to watch as Number 2 takes the rat out again. Turns out his name is Herbert, of course it is, and  he too is on a spiritual journey! He's been traveling for six months now searching for the perfect place for a rat to live. I mean, why wouldn't he be?  Previously they were in Pakistan, Herbert and Kai  literally just waltzed on over the border a cool hour before the ceremony. Really!? This is just fantastic. And don't worry, Mr. Herbert does in fact have a Facebook page that I will plug. You can find him at: www.facebook.com/Herbert.Shangrila     Last time I checked he only had 415 likes, I was expecting way more for such a mad endeavor in lunacy. But to each their own, right? He's definitely a happy guy and I'll alway support happiness. 

     Since the "dynamic duo" just got to India they didn't have a place to stay so Kai number 1 invites him to come with us back to our guest house. "Great," he shouts. " I just have to get my luggage I checked at a stand somewhere." Ah, what do you mean- checked at a stand somewhere?  We climb into our car and this guy has no idea where this  "stand" is. We're swerving all over the road as he shouts: " Oh, maybe it's on that side, no it must be on this side, I remember seeing those chickens over there..." Once again we're drawing attention to ourselves and get waved over by a guard. The driver pulls over and when the guard peers in he finds the following: a young Indian boy, a German in a Canadian tuxedo, another German in Pakistan's version of a beret,  a stuffed rat with a striped tie, and a redheaded American who's gone temporarily deaf in one ear and doesn't have much going for her in the other.  He starts asking questions in Hindi to the driver who responds in Punjabi and then tries to explain in broken English to Kai number 1. Kai  then translates to Number 2 in German. Number 2 looks at me and starts talking in his version of broken English. I have absolutely no idea what any of them are saying, giving them my, "Shannon has absolutely no idea what you're saying," confused look followed by a nervous laugh. Yep, we've got quite the Tower of Babel unfolding at the moment. All four of them continue to stammer back and forth at their broken English party and it's probably the most idiotic display of lost in translation I have ever seen. Here I sit the only one who isn't an ESL (English as a second language) and I'm useless. So at this point, all I can do is hysterically laugh and shake my head at how amazing this entire adventure has been. Eventually they figure out the bag situation and we all drive off into the Punjabi sunset. Meanwhile, my friend's still chanting it up in a well somewhere across town. Ha. It's all for the love of the story, my friends. And Danke shon to you, my Germans, daannnkee  shooon! 

    

The Golden Temple and the white girl celebrity status

   OK, so I'm sitting here thinking of all these glorified adjectives and fancy sentences to use in describing the brilliantly captivating Golden Temple and its all-encompassing atmosphere of beauty. There.  I just gave you the screenplay version of description. Just YouTube- Golden Temple and you can choose your own adjectives. No, I'm not being lazy just adherent to the times. Information on absolutely any given subject is literally at the tips of our fingers in written and visual forms for us to now draw our own conclusions. Thus, moving right along...

   Ah yes, the Golden Temple. What I will say is this place is the holiest and most sacred temple in the Sikh religion. It's like The Sistine Chapel for the Catholics or The Grand Mosque in Mecca for Muslims or Temple Mount in Judaism, to give you an idea. Now, my friend whom I'm traveling with practices Sikhism so for her, this is huge! She's all meditative business where as unbeknownst to me, I am playing the role of "white girl in the temple." My friend is dressed in a classic Punjabi suit with a beautiful shale over her head. I, on the other hand, am in Lululemon booty hugging leggings, a green and white tie die cover, multicolored leg warmers and colorful hiking boots she likes to call - Rainbow Brite combat boots- with a "westernly obvious" OM scarf over my head. 

     Immediately folding into lotus pose by the water, Jillian drifts into a chanting trance leaving me to wander with my camera. I begin gathering standard B-roll of the place when first I am approached by four guys who are probably 18 years old. Now I must clarify, this is in no way a threatening situation as the temple's energy is so pure and powerful that negativity can't even make it past the moat of water you have to wash your feet in before entering.  The guy's faces were lit up with excitement as they approach me: "one snap ma'am, one snap." They want to take a picture with me?? Haha. Sure. I may have been a little alarmed had Jillian not explained earlier that this will most likely happen here in Amritsar. So there I stand, posing for pictures with the turbaned teens and God forbid it be one group shot. Oh no, each teen needs to have their own solo shot on their phones. Then they wanted me to take a group shot of them on my camera. They're also very excited to practice their English with me. However, this then opens the photo flood gates. Next I am bum rushed by a pack of children all pleading for one snap. They too know a little English and are asking my name, where I'm from, and extending their hands for a shake. So now I'm in the center passing out handshakes like Obama during election time. To further that analogy... Parents are actually giving me their small children to hold while they snap pictures!!! It's crazy and I can't even imagine how many Indian Facebook pages I must be on or perhaps even framed and resting on a mantle somewhere. Now wouldn't that be wild?

      After that group of children leave I look up to see there is now a line of people waiting for their one snap! I mean, what am I freaking  Santa Claus at the mall? Nope, I'm the white girl at a temple. The line is diversely decorated with children, full grown men, young women, and even couples who pose with me in the middle. I wonder if I'll make their holiday card this year? Ha. I can't help but admit I'm kinda enjoying the celebrity-like attention. I keep thinking:  if you're fair skinned and have self-esteem issues just go to India! Seriously. As I continue to make my way around the massive temple. I continue to get stopped, to the point where parents are scolding their children to leave me alone. But now I find myself arms wide open, waving them over as if I'm Jesus on the mountain- let the children come ... Haha, ok that's a bit hyperbolic but you should know my style by now.  These kids are great. 

    To kick the situation up from interesting to ridiculous, the next day I hired a Sikh camera guy named "Sunny"to follow me around the Golden Temple so I can get shots with me in it. Yep, it's me and two 6ft tall, 28 year old guys now. One's acting like my bodyguard for some unknown reason. While the other's shooting me as I help wash the temple with everyone else. Then, things took a turn for the annoying, when the camera guy decides he's  in love with me and tells me so by creepily whispering it into my ear... And that's a wrap! We made it through the day and I sent him on his way though he continued to call, asking to hang out and for my pictures. Not happening Sunny the Sikh, not happening. 

    Before leaving Amritsar, my friend and I go to the temple one last time and on the tuk-tuk ride home ( a little scooter thing that has a backseat attached to it like a carriage with a cover over the top). I realized the attention never really stops. Everyone continues to make eyes at you, some are flat out startled by your appearance but for the most part they smile and wave. And as I wave and smile back, I cant help but continue to laugh as now I feel a little  like Teddy Roosevelt in the back of an old school car, wavin to the peeps.  However, comedy aside for a second, even though we are worlds apart- divided by race, language, and culture.  My smile translates to theirs and it's here- in these moments- where everything is perfectly beautiful. Life is but an expression of love. The Kingdom of God is within you and all around you.