Chambal

We had a long weekend over Easter, which of course meant a bit more traveling in India. The longer I'm here, the more I find that I crave quiet, natural spaces and so I seem to be doing my best to hit nature reserves and national parks when I have enough time. It turns out that there is a river sanctuary about four hours outside of Delhi (two hours by train and then another two hours drive) and a lovely lodge a slow hour's drive from it. So I headed to Chambal for the weekend. I was excited when I learned that this was one of the regions that has the elusive fresh water dolphin in the river, a species that I believe may be unique to India. Sadly it too proved elusive for us. Instead we saw a large collection of birds, including many I had never heard of before. But then I'm not exactly a bird person. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy seeing the birds, and just being out in a quiet enough area where they will be gathered in numbers is relaxing, I'm not the sort of person that could tell you the name of, well, really, any bird I see. I think that became clear to our naturalist guide as we arrived at the river and he pointed out the apparently rare sight of an Indian skimmer actually skimming the water fishing. Supposedly this is something many people come to see, and we were not showing a full appreciation of the ease with which we got to observe this bird. However the two hours we spent on the river were thoroughly enjoyable with many a different type of bird to be seen: painted storks, black necked storks, Indian pond heron, a variety of ducks...I'd have to get out the checklist so thoughtfully provided by the lodge to tell you any more. And then there were the gharial. A relative to the crocodile, their numbers have dwindled over the years to approximately 235 worldwide, landing them on the critically endangered list. Hard to believe considering the number we saw, but then Chambal is one of the two locations that seem to have successful breeding populations. Gharial are instantly recognizable  with there extended long snout, and the ball on the top of the end of the males...in some ways making them even more intimidating then a normal crocodile. Our wildlife sightings didn't end on the river though, the lodge providing plenty more opportunities on their grounds, including a spotted owlet and a large group of flying foxes that were roosting in a tree just outside our cabin. I definitely got my nature needs met this weekend!

Bateshwar

Along the bank of Yamuna river lies the town of Bateshwar. Mostly rural, supporting the farming communities outside of it, it has one things which makes it a religious center - at least once a year at the same time as the cattle fair....the 101 white washed temples dedicated to Shiva that line one side of the river along a bend. Built here by Raja Badan Singh Bhadauria, these temples set a picturesque scene. As we were there in the off season, it was hard to imagine thousands of people flocking to the ghats along the water's edge, crowding in to celebrate and worship during the month of November. Why did Bateshwar turn into a religious center? Well, legend says that lord Shiva sat down to rest under a banyan tree along the banks of the river. Indeed, the name of the town arises from that instance - Bat-Ishwar meaning the banyan lord. While there is a part of my that doesn't really understand having so many temples to the same god in one place, I must admit it was a peaceful and active complex of temples. As I walked away with the image of white reflected in the water, I could only wonder, how does one decide just which Shiva temple you will worship in? There were a few that seemed to have special traditions, such as the one where wives would go to pray for the husbands' longevity, but others seemed to be remarkable similar, simple rooms with a Shiva lingam in the center. In any case there are plenty of choices for those who make the pilgrimage to Bateshwar.

Appointment with a Tibetan Doctor

Last weekend the opportunity arose to have a consultation with a Tibetan doctor. I decided to go ahead and make an appointment with Dr. Namgyal in part because I was curious and in part because I felt like I'd been dealing with my ankle and knee for so long that maybe it was time to try something different. I really had very little idea of what an appointment with a Tibetan doctor would involve so I was quite relieved when the woman who was hosting the doctor gave me a quick rundown on what to expect...and then it proceeded to go almost exactly according to what she said. It started out with him taking my blood pressure (some things don't change) - although he didn't use both the methods he had instruments for - perhaps he didn't find a problem there with one so saw no need to do it a second time. The next ten to twenty minutes was spent with him reading my pulses at various places on my arm. Different locations telling him different things about the systems in my body and three energies that Tibetan medicine is centered upon. We spent the rest of the time talking, him telling me what he observed, asking for my impression of it before he recommended diet, activity and medicine that could help me balance things out. I must admit I'm a bit skeptical - but then I'm skeptical about modern medicine too in certain ways. However he said enough that resonated with me, that were things I had already been drawn to add into my routines, that it is hard to completely dismiss his findings and recommendations. (Among those was spend more time surrounded by nature, drink cinnamon or mint tea to calm my "crazy monkey mind", and that I have a sensitive heart). I decided if I was going to go through with an appointment I might as well try to do everything he recommended as well as I could. After all, I doubt it will hurt me. And so I've started on a 15 day regiment of Tibetan medicine. I'd been warned by several different people that it is like eating dirt - but select dirt. I have to admit that there is an element of truth to that. In the morning and at lunch I grind up these little brown balls and proceed to try to swallow the resulting powder which takes quite a bit of water. I find a mint afterwards helps to clear some of the taste from my tongue...Before I head to bed I take a powder mixed in warm water to calm me and help me get ready to sleep, and I must admit I haven't been having any problem falling asleep this week! I guess I'll have to wait another ten days or so to see if I feel any difference or am any more balanced. In any case the whole thing has been an experience and given me a lot to think about in terms of my habits as well.

Sulabh International Museum of Toilets

Yes you read the title right. An International Museum of Toilets. Perhaps the only museum of toilets in the world. And it happens to be in Delhi. Well according to our taxi driver, in a village that has been consumed by Delhi. How could you not want to visit it? The museum isn't all that outstanding - although a one room museum that kept our attention for over an hour must be pretty good...what was more impressive is the Sulabh organization. It is an organization that believes that toilets can be a tool for social change - helping to redefine the role of those who were untouchables or are scavengers. Part of their process includes getting more composting toilets which do not require people to clean them out and are actually more sanitary for low water areas than other options. They operate and maintain over 8000 public toilets which are kept impeccably clean and I believe have had a direct impact on health and sanitation in the areas where they have been installed. In fact the courtyard outside of the museum is a showroom of composting latrines - varying in size and price which can be installed.  (see their website for more information)

But back to the museum. The room is full of a variety of posters which share a portion of the history of the toilet. From guidelines to toilet use in Aryan times to poetry written about or on it. Such as this one that was specially inscribed at the bottom of a chamber pot:

I am as polite as ivory, but whiter than it,

Sometimes I am a virgin;

I am a bit delicate and hardly succumb to temptation,

Besides I never dream of being glorified.

      -ordered by King Louis XIV

The walls included humorous posters found in toilets, specialty toilets designed to resemble other objects like a stack of books or an armchair. There was a door made out of human excrement, as well as hard balls made out of the same. And a surprising number of advertisements encouraging people to visit the museum from all over the world. I must say that it is one of the most unusual museums I've ever been in. The sign as we left seemed to sum up their philosophy quite well:

Thoughts that matter:

*Smile you are in Sulabh

*Sanitation is our religion

*Perfect way to conquer worry - pray

*Museums are mirrors of heritage

*Do the very best you can

Buying singing bowls

Over spring break my best friend came out for a visit and we headed to Nepal for the week. While there she was on a mission for her mother - to buy a set of seven nested singing bowls. Traditionally made of a copper mix these bowls are said to date back to the time of the Buddha Shakyamuni (560-480 BC). The deep and rich notes that are produced by the larger bowls are considered to be a help in relaxing, thus allowing a person to slip into a meditative state easier. After the first few days of walking around Kathmandu we were not at all sure that we would be able to find a nested set; there were plenty of places that were selling single bowls but nothing that looked like there would be large enough ones for her. Then we took a wrong turn looking for a restauraunt and stumbled across a small store full of brass and copper products, including an entire wall full of singing bowls of various sizes. Thus begins what turned into about a 45 minute experience of selecting singing bowls (and debating if seven of them would weigh too much for our luggage - not if you carry half of them on). To begin with we asked for a set of seven. The man and his assistant began sorting through piles, trying to find the right sizes, gauging how big we wanted the largest one to be. The first set was too small. The second closer. But wait, shouldn't each successive bowl actually be smaller than the one it is inside of? Can we change this one? But once it looked right we also needed to make sure that they sounded good. After all it would be a shame to carry home 20 pounds of bowls only to discover they aren't pleasing to the ear. That is where the vendor really came in, playing each bowl for us - both with a mallet and a stick; raising them up to our ear and out so that we could hear the difference and insisting we touch them to get a sense of the strong vibrations (as you can see in the video below - or here). In the end we did walk out with a set of seven - plus one for me. How could I resist after that type of shopping experience?

Everyday adventures

Sometimes I'm surprised by just what it is that catches me off guard, and how easy it is to have unexpected adventures. Take this morning for example. Who wouldn't want to be prompted out of bed by a 10 piece band lined up along their neighbor's driveway? Especially if it comes complete with horns and drums? I couldn't resist stepping out onto my balcony and enjoying (hmmm...is that the right word?) the free music for a while. And of course taking a short video.

Or there is the experience of going to a friend's rooftop bbq to find that she had hired a Rajasthan Drum Troupe to perform for a good portion of the evening. Four young boys complete with led lights in a see through drum.

Or the fact that every time I see an elephant on the road it completely makes my day...and makes me wonder about where I have chosen to live.

And how can having my morning taxi weave its way through a herd of cows become everyday ordinary?

It makes you wonder what it would take to be really extraordinary.

National rose garden

Between my mom's visit, minicourse with the high school students and Spring Break with my best friend, I have plenty to write about the upcoming weeks...I thought I'd share a mini excursion that mom and I fit in between my school schedule while she was here.

About a 10 minute walk from the school gate, on the route I drive to school every day, is a fenced in half block that is shockingly empty of buildings. With green grass covering the field and rose plants blooming in a pattern I had wanted to get to this garden but just never worked my way to it. When mom met me at school with two hours of downtime I decided it would be the perfect mini outing to fill the time. I was a bit surprised to find that the garden I wanted to visit was actually the National Rose Garden. Maintained by the Rose Society of India the sign at the entrance shared three aims: to disseminate knowledge of rose and rose growing; to encourage, improve, extend the cultivation of the rose by means of scientific trials; to hold exhibitions and other activities.

I'm not sure how much it reaches those goals, but it was a very pleasant green space to wander around and mom and I had a relaxing time literally stopping to smell the roses. My personal favorites were the orange tinged ones, although the mix of pink, red and yellow added to the garden's colorful appeal. Makes me wonder how many other small delights Delhi has to offer that I've never noticed before.