American snapshot: Arches National Park

I walk down the middle of a canyon. On one side the rock glows in a reddish orange, highlighting spectacular rock formations. On the other side the stone faces rests in darkness waiting its time to shine, when the sun will highlight its fins and spires. Even without the arches that make this National Park unique it is a landscape which encourages wonder, awe and appreciation...and I've only made it a couple of miles into the park; stopping to walk Park Avenue in the early morning when it is still cool thanks to the overnight rain which left puddles along my way to reflect the clear blue sky and the tops of the rock formation. Mom is waiting for me at the end of my stroll ready to drive on to the next major rock formation after happily pointing out the sheep rock formation and the three gossips to me.

Balanced rock holds its own mystery. How long will that rock remain perched on top of its pillar? Just what geological phenomenon is responsible for this precarious formation? As I walk around the base gazing up at the top it becomes even more incomprehensible that this heavy stone remains on its stand. How much longer can it possibly remain Balanced Rock instead of tumbled rock?

Most of the rest of the park is dedicated to the arches which earned it it's name. There are the two windows, visible together only from select points, double arch which unfolds its unique form from a collapsed vault as you get closer. Delicate arch sits high up and far away on a hill yet is still able to personify the contrast of delicate strength. Landscape Arch lost much of its thickness in 1995 when a chunk fell down, causing everyone to wonder as they walk by if today might be the day that it ceases to be an arch. Sand dune arch is nearly impossible to view as the wind whips up the sand that gives its name, causing me to steal a glimpse and a photo before turning to walk back with my eyes closed most of the way; all so that I won't feel like I missed something when we leave.

The last day we meet a ranger for our guided walk into the Fiery Furnace, thankful by the end that we managed to get the last two tickets available during the time we are visiting. After walking through the cracks that cause the formation of fins, taking breaks in spots where a glimpse over your shoulder reveals a surprise arch, and learning about the fragile biological soil crust which allows plants to eeck out a living it is hard to imagine coming into the park without experiencing this introduction to the fascinating stone world of Arches, although I must admit that even a drive through the main road of the park would expose you to the exceptional scenery which made Arches National Park my favorite park of the summer.

Dussehra 2012

I reconnected with the fact that I live in India yesterday. What an experience to be at a local celebration of a holiday. Fireworks going off right above your head, some spinning scarily close to your face. Three giant effigies burning down to the ground. Multiple actors dressed up with masks and costumes. A band playing as they parade in. A collection of speeches, most of which I didn't understand. A recounting, in yells, of the story of good defeating evil. It made me happy I had done some research last year, otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue what was going on. A man shot an arrow into the foot of the effigy to set it alight (never mind that there was no fire on the arrow, ignore the man standing on the other side). More fireworks explode and there is a whoosh of fire. Less than 30 seconds later the 20 foot tall effigy is only a small bonfire on the ground. But it was impressive to watch burn. To see the fire climb up and engulf the face until there is nothing left to support the structure. Yes, I experienced a piece of India last night and it reminded me of why I like living overseas with all the inexplicable, uncomfortable and sometimes incomprehensible experiences it brings. Happy Dussehra. Celebrate good triumphing over evil.

American snapshot: Grand Teton National Park

If you head out of Yellowstone Park to the south you can't help but drive through Grand Teton National Park, the second national park of our summer trip. You can tell that this park is used to people just driving through and wanting to see a bit of what is on offer. When we stopped to get a bit of information the volunteer was able to give us a driving route, with recommended stops, that would take us a few hours to get through with enough time to actually get out of the car and walk for a bit. The entire time you are in the park the view is dominated by the Teton mountains towering over the landscape. I consistently found myself looking west unable to draw my eyes away from the majestic mountains. We stopped for a picnic lunch along the river where we could soak in their towering heights reflected back by the water. Father along we stopped for a short walk near some of the recreational areas (in some ways the park reminded me of a state park in terms of its recreational usage than a national park, although there is no denying that its natural landscape deserves national protection) where the obvious views were still enchanting but I also was absorbed by the northern version of bluebonnets and paintbrushes with their taller growth. A later stop took us to the chapel of transfiguration where the view was the entire focal point of the chapel. Why put in stain glass when a clear window will reveal one of God's masterpieces behind the altar? A turn and a head back into the park by a different road led us to Snake River Overlook, a spot where Ansel Adams took a few of his stunning photographs. You know I had to do my best to capture a piece of that in black and white. On our way out of the park we took a small detour along a dirt road where we happily stopped to watch the buffalo cross, taking their time, rubbing their heads against posts, bending down to nibble a bit of grass and keeping the calves moving. This park definitely has its own unique draw; even if it is often overshadowed by its larger more well-known northern neighbor.

American snapshot: Yellowstone National Park

I've done so much traveling outside the United States and yet there is so much in the US that I have yet to see that I sometimes feel guilty. That feeling, combined with a need to get some of that fresh air that is sadly lacking in Delhi sent me on a two and a half week road trip this summer that encompassed four national parks. A week after leaving Austin mom and I made it to Yellowstone where we ended up spending three nights in the park (pretty good for only one night reserved ahead of time). I'm not really sure what I expected from the park. I finally decided that all of my preconceptions came from when I used to watch Yogi Bear cartoons as a child. Needless to say that is not exactly a realistic view of the park, although the pine trees were definitely out in abundance!

My Yellowstone experience can be divided into three main parts in my mind: the animals, geothermal activity and beautiful scenery. I have to admit that I probably got most excited about the first. Just the potential to see bears carries a sense of anticipation, regardless of the fact that we didn't see any. Bison were difficult to miss, wandering across the road at times, grazing in fields along the way and becoming the point of much traffic congestion in the evenings. One of them even decided to stroll by our cabin the last night. Driving around one of the hotel we came across a here of female elk. They don't seem quite so exciting as they are without antlers of any type. A day later there was some traffic congestion so I jumped out of the car to see what had everyone's attention. Down by the stream resting under a tree were two male elk sporting quite the racks. The last day a single male decided to stroll across the road in front of our car providing us with an up
close and personal look at one of these beasts simply stepping over the wooden fence I had been leaning against earlier. That was about it for the big animals we saw in the park, a deer, rabbits, birds, and some lizards rounding out the count.

Who doesn't think of Old Faithful when they hear the name Yellowstone? I certainly do! So of course a stop to see the most reliable geyser in the park was in the plans. We had to wait around an hour for the next anticipated eruption; which just gave us plenty of time to stake out a good seat along the edge of the geyser field. While the geyser itself was pretty impressive I might have had more fun watching the reaction of the kids that were sitting around us. The ohs and ahhs were a good reminder that I needed to appreciate the magical experience this really was. So I settled I to shoot photos of the initial steam stream, the spurts of water, the arch of the eruption and the gradual subsidence back to a bubbling water pot. Afterwards we had to stroll through the geyser basin and take in some of the other spouts. Old Faithful is just one of the many locations where you can appreciate the beauty of geothermal activity. My other favorites included the spitting mud pots at the Artist's Paintpots and my sunrise trip out to the Norris Geyser Basin where I was
overwhelmed by the steamy/smoky landscape which made me feel as if I had emerged onto a set for some otherworldly fantasy until the time that the sun began to highlight steam trails as it peaked over the mountains (totally worth dealing with the 40 degree temperatures). There were also the colored terraces by Mammoth Hot Springs (bringing to mind the white travertines of Pamukale inTurkey). I can't help but imagine what it would have been like to be an early explorer venturing through this mystical, unexpected and dangerous landscape.

As for the landscape...well there were sections of towering pine trees. Views over a few powerful waterfalls, my favorite being a smaller one that I passed on a slight hike between the upper and lower falls. Also tower falls was a simple meander off the road. The northern section had more open and sweeping vistas, sprinkled with the random glacier boulders that had tumbled to a final stop. There were, of course mountain fields, ravines with rapids and steam capped views. The two images that stand out the most in my mind though are the moment of watching a bison carefully pick a path through a geothermal area and later the white crusted, dead wood image of a land that has been rendered lifeless by the heat and minerals of the underlying geothermal activity. Both highlighted the very delicate balance that exists in this unusual place.

Yoga in India

India is the birthplace of yoga. So it is no surprise that yoga is practiced all over the country. However, yoga in this country had its own inquest details. It is common for individuals or small groups to organize to have a yoga instructor come in to do a private lesson. There are exceptions to that of course, here in Rishikesh the entire city is a mix of ashrams, yoga training and ayurvedic medicine. Here there are early morning sessions where 50 people can easily show up to go through a practice.  Of course it is just as easy to organize a private class in a place where yoga practices and instructors abound. So for the three mornings we were in Rishikesh that is what we did. I must admit it is a great way to start the day off. Paying attention to your body, stretching out, quieting your mind and breathing deeply. Of course it can't be quite that simple. No, you have to focus in on the wafting incense and recorded chants so that you can ignore the trucks rumbling by outside the window, the horns blaring, the people talking and the occasional cow's moo which occurs just in the middle of your meditation. Perhaps there is more than one reason people study yoga in India; if you can focus and meditate here I suspect you could do it just about anywhere.

Away Game

I walked off the bus followed by the 6 boys who showed up for our game yesterday. We had our first away game since I've started coaching here, thanks to a tournament taking place in our gym. As we walked into the courtyard of Adarsh Public School I thought sure there was some big event going on. There was a big sign welcoming visitors. Six lovely women in their colorful saris were lined up by the door, one with a pan of paint to give each of us a bindi, another with a bowl of loose flowers she tossed over each person. What is going on? We were just coming to play a volleyball game, but it turns out the big event was just that, us coming to play a volleyball game. We had to stop and take pictures in the foyer of the school, then were herded into the director's office to meet him, extend our thanks/receive a welcome and take a few more photos. Then we were lead out to the volleyball court, a dirt rectangle in the middle of the school courtyard. The chairs set up, the sound projection system in use and the other team waiting for us on the far side of the court all started to clue me in as to how important of an event this was for them, that we were willing to come out to their school to play a match. Needless to say my boys were a little overwhelmed for their first match! After the game they were asked to speak with a gathering of middle schoolers who were curious about were they came from (US, Canada, Papua New Guinea, Colombia) and how they were adapting to India. Then on to visit the primary school where a group of little ones were practicing a dance routine for a competition and were happy to give high fives and bump fists with the boys after they took a quick tour of some of the rooms and then posed for yet a few more pictures. Despite the game not going so well, a quick 3 set loss, I am so glad we were able to bring some of the players for this experience beyond all I expected. It brought them together as a team, reminded them of how lucky they really are in so many respects and helped add a little bit of real Delhi to their lives. You just never know what to expect here.

Walking across the Ganges

I walked across the Ganges yesterday. I walked across one of the most religiously important rivers in India yesterday. I walked across the roaring tumbling water yesterday. It was not quite the spiritual amazing experience that implies. I walked across a swaying, vibrating suspension bridge. I shared that passage way with motorcycles blaring their horns, the cows that were looking for scraps of dropped food, monkeys hanging onto the wires stealing popcorn bags from unsuspecting walkers, and a ton of other people pushing past and suddenly stopping to take pictures in turn. I walked across the Ganges yesterday. From the middle of the bridge I could see men and women bathing in the holy water here in Rishikesh where the Ganges begins its descent out of the foothills of the Himalayas. I could stand along the railing and absorb the power of the water, and see a hint of just how important it is by the number of temples that flank the banks. Once evening arrived we found ourselves at the aarti, the sending off prayers off down the river with little fires floating on the top of the water. Watching people circle their flames in prayer before adding them to the holy river. I walked across the Ganges yesterday.