Meet Nadia

Nadia has been my neighbour for the past few weeks and is on her 8th month of traveling.  Lately she has been having some down time, a break from carrying the back pack here and there and  also taking time to figure out her next step.
Nadia travelled extensively in Europe and found the Hospitality Club http://www.hospitalityclub.org/
a great resource for people to stay with. Hospitality Club is the original official couch surfing web site and she has only glowing reports about the people she had met  and stayed with through this site. As many of you may know traveling alone can be a tough and lonely at times and if your a woman then even more trying in certain places and cultures. So Nadia found that living with a local person was a great way to not only see he sites but not be in the tourist trap; she got to see how the locals live. Not only is it a  cheap way to travel  but Nadia found that  the hosts themselves are people who have travelled, or are interested to travel  but because of work or family commitments can't at present leave home. Her hosts enjoyed the company of a person from a different culture being in their home and she feels that there was a true cultural exchange which both parties enjoyed; it is not just the case of the traveller getting cheap accommodation.

After a trip around Indian with a friend, Nadia has decided to do some volunteer work. For days, over Christmas she sat with the computer on her hut balcony figuring out which NGO, charity or organization to get involved with. These days there are a lot of organization that offer a volunteer experience but you have to pay to work. So sifting  through a plethora of website can  take time and be very frustrating.  One organizations asked for $250 per week to volunteer. Now that is just ludicrous considering how cheap India can be on basic food and accommodation. Anyway she has settled on working with  International Cultural Alliance,    http://www.ica-india.org
They have various projects and Nadia will be going to Bangalore to work in the Women's Community Development and teaching programs. So well done to Nadia and thanks for being a great friend and neighbour over Christmas 2012.

Quotes of the day;

            The teacher at the Himalayan Iyanger Yoga, Anand Sagar says some great things during class. His style of yoga encourages awareness and full attention to every muscle of the body during a pose so that we can keep awareness in our daily life.
            Anyway here are some great quotes from today's class.

  "Your goal is to balance the unbalance."

            "When you have no awareness, then of course confusion comes."

             "By learning what it is not, you learn what it is."

Full Moon Sweat Lodge 

Native North American Sweat Lodge

Robert Larkin, originally from Santa Fe New Mexico organizes and leads the sweat lodges at Magic Park. In his 60 Robert has studied shamanic traditions of the native North and South America peoples as well as the Aborigine people of Australia. Over the years he has taken the essence of these ancient traditions and blended them for a modern global audience. That may sound a bit hokie but he has the upmost respect for the ancient Shamanic traditions, just has to relay the tradition or present these traditions in a  linage that modern people can understand without feeling overwhelmed or wierded out.

Full Moon in the coconut trees

Anyway his sweat lodge was wonderful.  Just before sunset a huge fire was lit and the stones we would use in the lodge were heated. As the full moon rose in the eastern sky between the silhouette of coconut palms the group gathered after a round of introductions we each placed an object on a small ‘alter,’ which was more like a dirt mound just outside the door of the sweat lodge. We then began by paying our respects to nature, recognizing our closeness to and dependency on nature and being grateful for what we receive from nature. We went on to acknowledge the 4 directions in relation to the 4 seasons, as well as acknowledging ‘”father sky, mother earth and our ancestors.” Then after stripping down tour bathing suits we crawled into the sweat lodge; a dome shaped tent made of palm fronds. Over a period of 3 hours red hot stones were shoveled into a pit in the middle of the tent, the door sealed and then in complete darkness, Robert lead us in various meditations and poured sacred herbs (not of the wacky backie variety) and water onto the coals to make us sweat.

exchange the fir tree for coconut trees

Although it was  at first uncomfortable to be sitting for that long a time, in very close proximity to people I did not know; there was also something very comforting about being in complete darkness transfixed to red hot coals and hearing other people breath. The sweat lodge is likened to the womb of mother earth and the process of the lodge is to first enter with a sense of gratitude and set a positive motivation for the ceremony, then go on to acknowledge past pain and hurt by viewing that as lessons, next is to purify those past negativities and finally to take the original motivation and make it stronger as a path for the future. So four sessions, with a break for fresh air and more hot stones in between. Overall it took 4 ½ hours to complete and afterward I felt very clean, relaxed and happy. No pictures were taken of the event  but I am sure you can imagen it.

Now whether or not some sacred power or spirit animal helped in that process, who knows. I just like to think of it as a lovely experience that reminded me to stay positive, no matter what life has thrown at me in the past; it is in the past and today, right now, is where I am, so be grateful. Hey that can’t be a bad thing. Thanks Robert and everyone who took part in that night.

About this Blog

Since starting this blog last year I find that the purpose of doing this has changed, so I wanted just to take a minute to both re-organize my motivation for writing as well as make a bit clearer to the reader what to expect from this collection of posts.

Background

After graduating in 2011 and spending months in Washington DC searching for a job in the peacbuiIding field, I had the idea to rather go work the field to get the necessary ‘experience’ with which to build an awesome resume that would get me the awesome job I was pursing. Apparently 2 or 3 unpaid internships does not count as enough experience; age and life experience does not count for anything anymore and I also found the jobs were going to my 20 something classmates not the mid forties folk like me. Well young people can work longer hours without complaint, are more techno savvy and can be molded into the the NGO, company or government wants much easier than an older person with well formed attitudes. So rather than keep trying to fit into the mould I dusted off my backpack and took off in Dec 2011. I was determined to find out more about on the ground peacebuilding and volunteer in social work organization. I was even open to the possibility of starting a small organization in collaboration with local people, if there was a genuine need and if a situation could be improved.

Being Honest

Looking back on 2012 it was a year where I pushed and pushed to fulfill this goal. I was very fortunate to have master’s thesis published  ( http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Overcoming-Violence-Working-Kashmir/dp/3847344978/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356857599&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=women%27s+agency%3B+overcoming+cviolence+by+working+for+peace+in+Kashmir)    and also had the opportunity to work on and narrate an award winning documentary (http://youtu.be/eY20VzEpTSo). However, overall I did not make the contacts in the NGO world that I would have liked and being in Kashmir, which is a very broken and divided society and as a lone foreign female tourist was very difficult. I also felt that while my motivation was good I was not staying true to the Buddhist principles, I was not impressed with the functioning’s of the NGO world and was very disillusioned about the education system in the USA. Getting masters had not made me a better person; in fact I had witnessed how letters after ones name only serve to inflate the ego. I have also become disgusted at how materialism is effecting the world; i.e. encouraging individualism which in turn is causing the rapid break down of social fabric and respectful human interaction. So by October 2012 I was re-thinking my direction, again re-thinking my purpose in life.

Luckily I have been very fortunate in that the rent for property funds this journey. I live simply, stay in cheap accommodation, have no desire to go party or indulge in buying expensive clothes so being here has all worked out so far. Anyway thankfully the rent kept coming in on time and since I had no job and was in no rush to join the rat race in Washington DC, I decided to stay on in India. The focus has changed though and I am going back to what feel right for me; the study and practice of the Dharma and learning yoga, (well I will have to get a job at some point and peacebuilding was not cutting it, no matter how expensive the degree was and how hard I tried to get ‘experience’).

The funny thing is that the study and practice of the Dharma (Buddha’s teachings) is about being at peace; being responsible at the personal level for ones action’s and thoughts and for what one projects into the world. It was the study of Buddhism that made me want to get into peacebuilding in the first place and it has been the NGO peacebuilding world that has made me return to the Dharma and the practical, personal aspect of enacting peace.

Today

           This year is about going more inward, working on not pushing, working on de-stressing, working on being more aware of possibilities as well as limitations; also not working; being a human being not a human doing. Being honest with who and what I am, not projecting and pushing for an idea of what I think I am, what I thing I want or what I think I should do or be. Living in the way of the Buddha’s teachings, because only with being kinder to myself can I then in turn be of some help to others. Or as my dad said before I left Scotland this time; “If you’re pleasing yourself, then at least your pleasing one person”

In the Now
Therefore the  blog will be a combination of travel journal complete with information on places to stay and stuff to do; a look at society, culture, class and religion by introducing local people and their stories; information on yoga, meditation, spiritual and religious teachings with a focus on Buddhism; information on organization I learn about or volunteer at, and lastly my thoughts and reflections on this whole experience. Each post will have labels according to 1) place, 2) teachings, 3) volunteering and 4) reflections. Writing this is also a great excuse for me to play with attempts to write. I have never written a journal of any of my travels or experiences because I never felt I was good enough, had anything to say or that anyone would listen. Thank the Gods that middle age gets rid of all those fears about what others may think and loosens the tongue up to say what you think. However I also have to thank my mum, Rae for encouraging me to write, thanks also to Lesley Foster who has given me advice on writing from the heart without fear. Check out her writting workshop with Ink and Inquiry in Charlottesville at  

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ink-Inquiry/548507128496570 

Thanks also to Katherine McNamara for her encouragement  and advice to write on line. Her editing company, Artist Proof Editions is at http://www.facebook.com/ArtistsProofEditions

I also hope to figure out how I can post your comments for all to see so as to open up conversation and really would like to get some feedback from you.

Also I have added a like it on Face book at the bottom of this page  so if you do please like it and lets see how many reader we can muster. Thank you to all

The Downside of Tourism.

Look beyond the fun and colorful face of this beach tourist town I often see things that makes me wonder if the influx of tourist money is all a good thing. For instance on the way home to the hut one evening I stopped to buy some mangoes from a small stall ran by a local husband and wife. This night however, the wife looked even more sad than usual. She weighed the mangoes but was trying to avoid stepping over something beneath the counter. I noticed that her eyes were puffy as if she had been crying. As I handed her the money her husband’s head popped up from underneath the counter; he had been out cold drunk on the floor of the shop and had just woken up. Without even seeing me, he started to shout at her and she held her head low as if in shame. He got up then staggered onto the chair where the money drawer was set up. As his back was turned, I made a face at him and asked her, through hand signals and expressions if he had been drinking? She nodded a yes, and started to cry. What has this women endured I wondered, was this a nightly event, him getting drunk on the days takings and abusing her. Did the verbal abuse stop there or did he beat her as well? How much of their meager income was he pissing against the wall as she worked hard? And how many kids did she have to worry about feeding that night and the next day since he had spent their money on booze. The biggest question though is, if tourist money was not flowing into Arambol would he have income to spend on alcohol? Did he drink like this before they set up their fruit stall, or was he always a drunk? All questions I do not know the answer to: all I could do was show her that I felt her pain and wished she did not to deal with this horrid situation. As she handed me my change I do not know what came over me but I took a step off the pavement and into her shop, put my arm around her and as I stroked her back, I felt her tears on my shoulder. She is only one of the many women I have seen in India who have to deal with drunk and abusive husbands and every time my heart breaks to see this. So how much money is enough  to help a family survive if a husband and father can’t control his urge to get drunk?

Home Sweet Home.

Cafe Del Mar, Arambol Beach.

Contact;  Mr Teo Lobo  at 9822 127887 for accommodations at his families beach huts. Prices ranges from 400 rupees to 600 rupees per night. Teo has two places one closer to town and the other further down the beach near the surf club. Accommodation is basic but very clean and Teo is very kind and helpful to all his customers.

Huts

Teo and family

the Totem  lads from Dharamkot

totem restaurant

The huts are right next to Totem restaurant which is ran by a group of guys from Dharamkot, in Himachal Pradesh. Totem has a great menu and is great vale for your rupee.  Call 7798313996 for more info on the restaurant and other accommodation in this are of Arambol. Totem show movies in the evening and the Russian clients even hold a kindergarten  in the restaurant garden. It is a fun place with  where the clients all know each other. Ajay who runs the restaurant is also in partnership with his brother who has a trekking company based Dharamkot, Dharamsala. They have also just opened a small guest house called the  Coniferlodge, so I will have to have a look at that place when I am up in the mountains,             http://www.himalayantrekandtours.com/

From the Tibetan book of the dead

I also loved the above writing on their counter, an excerpt from the Tibetan book of the dead.

Different zones for different folks; where do I fit

As I perform my daily ritual, walking from one end of the beach to another, I have noticed there are definite zones of the beach that attracts different people. However, I am not quite sure which zone I an average looking white lass like me fits into.

The end of the beach near the cliff with its techno/trance bars and restaurants seem to attract the shaved headed, tattooed, pierced, beautifully body sculpted but rather serious people. These alcohol drinking, meat eating folks who like to wear tight Che Guevara t-shirts and army, camouflage design baggy shorts. Unfortunately my lack of body art, wee bit of belly flab, longish hair and smile makes me an odd one out here. Next is the hippy drum circle zone. Here folks are dreadlocked, unshaven, patchouli smelling, wearing colored clothes, with long skirted women decorated with flowers in their hair. Needless to say lots of dope smoking goes on here, Bob Marley and Jim Morrison T-shirt are popular and many of the restaurants are vegetarian. If I let me hair loose, wear my rainbow colored bikini and sarong I can pass as one of the crowd but the lack of bulging eyes and spaced out look gives me away as an impostor. Then on to what I have dubbed no man’s land. This zone of the beach is where people just walk up and down on their way to one zone or another. Here, some people fly k and there are sometime surfers or body borders in the waves. Next to this is the ex-soviet union zone. Here is where the majority of Russian tourist live, so most people are blond, blue eyed and let their many kids run around naked. I have also spotted the odd nudist or very scantily clad sunbather hiding in the sand dunes.  The huts here are a bit more luxurious which reflect the fact that many Russian here have money. The yoga classes, menus and other signs are in Russian. Here my lack of blond hair gives me away and I feel over dressed in my conservative style bikini. Then last at the other end of the beach is the Indian zone where many Indian families have their annual holiday. In completer contrast to the Russian’s, the Indian parents keep their kids well covered. The wee boys, as well as the grown men use their underwear as swimsuits but the wee girls have to keep on their dresses as they play in the water ad make sandcastles. Indian mothers too wear their saris and clothes in the water so walking in this zone with a bikini is a cultural no no. So when in this zone, I wear my sarong on top of my bikini and with the Indian men starting at my white skin it is obvious I do not fit in this zone. The cultural diversity of Arambol is what makes it so fun, so I guess it does not really matter if or which zone I fit into, just happy to be here.

Lady of Mount Carmel Church

The Church Peace Wishing Peace Star

Christmas bush/tree

one of the many nativites

Tree on the beach

Home made stars

Roadside shrine to Mother  Mary 

Goan Christmas

I have so enjoyed seeing ho the Goan people celebrate Christmas with all its Catholic Portuguese heritage. Most house  have a home made nativity and Christmas tree/ bush by the front door of their house. Great care is taken into decorating just right and getting every detail of the nativity perfect. Paper stars that light up at night are the most popular decoration, they add a fairytale/ magical air to the coconut groves and village back streets. The Catholic Church here is just beautiful, complete with stain glass windows, gold painted alter and paintings of the life of Jesus adorning the walls.  I missed the midnight mass but did attend a part of the Christmas day service. The ladies came to church dressed in their best sequence and chiffon saris or bright coloured satin dresses and were dripping in gold jewelry. The men were dressed in pressed short sleeves shirts and trousers with hair combed perfectly. The children too were all dressed up and were on their best behaviour, with the help of the odd serious look or nudge from mum to stay still. Funny how some things are the same the world over. Anyway the elderly nun tended to the alter and the nativity scene and a sermon  was said in the local language. However while the priest was talking I had to leave for class but I am sure the church was the center of activity that day  as their were table set up outside serving refreshment after the service. Santa too has not been forgotten here, many of the decoration sport hi jolly face and I am told the children receive sweets from him on Christmas day. 

 Merry Christmas

Peace be on earth; for all beings

sending all of you a merry xmas

Sending out Christmas wishes of love, peace and kindness to all my Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Bahai, Buddhist, Jain, agnostic and athiest friends, as well as to folks I do not know.

Merry Christmas 2102

Christmas on the beach is just excellent. In this heat is feels like summer and watching the locals decorate the tropical bushes, not conifer trees is fun to watch. So to all  have a Merry Christmas, and happy anniversary of the birth of Jesus (whether it was the 25th of December or not, whether  it is a pagan holiday or not, or the materialistic craziness it has turned into, I like to remember the teaching of Jesus i.e. kindness and compassion  to our fellow man and woman with a big splash of morals and ethics). I feel so grateful to be here, even though miles away from family and friends there is no feeling of loneliness just a happy heart and lots of wishes for everyone and every being on this planet earth to find happiness, peacefulness and be that bit kinder to themselves and others around them. Love to all

Floating High
The other evening strolling along the beach people watching I and some other around were just about knocked off our feet by a landing paraglider. http://www.goaholidayhomes.com/directory/info/700/a ambol-paragliding/. Some advertising stunt that was.

Anyway  for the less spiritual and more adrenaline junkies is the paragliding, off the clif at the end of the beach. It is beautiful to watch and every afternoon as the wind picks up the parachute keep floating well into sunset.

Only 1500 rupees for the bold, but remember there is no decent hospital within miles; me thinks maybe not.

mind the sunbathers

Spiritual Supermarket

Now that I have gotten used to the place I have been experimenting with attending and finding out about some of the classes on offer. I has been an education to learn just what people are being told, what interests people and how the idea of spirituality is enacted.

Relaxing at Magic Park 

On the night of the  21st Dec, when the world was supposed to end according to the Maya, Oshoanic (a  branch of the Osho ashram in Pune  http://www.osho.com ) held a women' s gathering to welcome in a new ear of the feminine, shakti energy (female power). Interesting I thought  so off I went to inquire. It was to be a circle of women, chanting, singing, dancing and sharing their thoughts in a beautiful candle lit, incense fill space in the tree grove by the beach. Sounds good  I thought  but the price tag was a wee bit high and when I saw the ladies arriving again I felt a wee bit under dressed in my plain short and t-shirt and lets say just did not feel the connection.
Yesterday at Magic Park, which is a fantastic restaurant /healing centre/ yoga ashram, http://www.magicpark.info/magic_park___arambol/home.html   I attended a talk by Neeru who is the spiritual head of Open Clarity. http://www.neeru.de/index.php/en. Neeru is an older lady and she talked on having awareness and being in the moment, every moment. Using the senses to connect the outer world to the inner world. All good stuff and basis to many religious spiritual paths but I have to question her technique which is breathing through the mouth. ?  Guess I should not knock it until I have tried  it but why then do we have hair in our nose if not to keep dust and dirt from entering our lungs? And when I see images of Buddha, Jesus or the various Hindu deities non of them have their mouth open?

body mandala class

Yesterday also I saw a gathering of ladies dressed in white flowing robes and white feathers in their hair doing a kind or interactive workshop. Talking with their partner, then  hugging and doing eyes closed trust building exercises then moving on to another partner. This was all in Russian  so I have no idea what was being said  but it was beautiful to watch. I would have loved to take a picture  but felt that would have been a bit intrusive and disrespectful to the participants process. Simon from our yoga class speculates it is a class on how to be a vestile virgin.
Today was body mandala class. Which was a different group of people, this time  with no particular style or colour of dress, again hugging and exchanging kind words. They ended the class with a wee collective nap, with their heads all pointing into the center of the circle. No doubt trying to share their newly created collective good vibe as they slept.

Contact dance seems to be a popular here, whether it is in small intimate groups or on the beach in large groups. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAlf9m8_kdw
http://goacontactfestival.com/joomla/ 
Not exactly sure what this is about but I think it has derived from the idea of the mosh pit from the days of real punk. Lots of folks dancing close, touching, hugging and just enjoying being close to another human, whom ever it is. Looks great but I know I would need a few drinks before being able to loos my inhibitions.I have however signed up for a Shamanic sweat lodge on  the 27th so looking forward to seeing what that will be about, If it will be according to the Native American tradition or a concoction of Hindu Indian meets American India meets western ego trip. Either way sweating is always a good way to get toxins out of the body. I think the moon will be full that night so maybe a few howls at the moon will be in order.
Tantric healing, Kundalini yoga and Tantric meditations are also on offer but I am staying well away from that none so sorry no reports about that one.

Ayervedic treatments are also very popular and I had an amazing massage at Ajay's Ayurveda hut on the beach. Only 500 Rupees and just amazing. I will be headed back for another before I leave for sure.  The Peace Park also offers ayervedic treatments an dis a beautiful quiet place on the beach with no loud music.

Yoga in Arambol 
Universal Yoga both in Arabol and Dharamsala with Vijay Amar who has over 40 years experience as a teacher. Vijay is quite a character, a very nice guy who love a laugh in his classes but is also a hard task master who pushes his student. His classes are a great work out and his helpers do a great job on adjusting student while in poses. http://www.vijaypoweryoga.com/about_yoga_teacher.htm

The Kashmiri Shaiism School of Yoga was also great a beautiful tradition house of mud brick just off the main street. The center founded by a Kashmir Pandit husband and wife who fled Kashmir in the 90's when the conflict began. I loved the attention to detail and the flow of the poses, the teacher also very polite, approachable and attentive to the students. The class is Iyanger yoga but the teacher training program teaches Kashmisir Shaivism philosophy, which I was told is what Osho bases a lot of his teaching on. I would love to learn more about this philosophy as I am told it differs greatly from the Hindu Idea of Shiva. They also have a school in Dharamkot, Dharamsala.  http://kashmirshaivismschoolofyoga.com/

Balu Ashtanga Yoga was a good class but the yoga shala is the bare concrete top leave of a restaurant in the middle of town and very noisy I found Balu to be distracted and not so attentive to his students, however his class was packed  so maybe he was having an off day. http://www.baluashtangayoga.com/

This site gives a list of all the yoga centers in Arambol  http://www.yoga.in/yoga-arambol.html

For more info on place in Arambol try this site http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/goa/arambol-harmal/things-to-do
Another interesting site to check out is this one
http://arambolexplorer.wordpress.com/tag/ayurveda/

Anyway for all yi spiritual shoppers out there Arambol is the place to visit, never a dull moment for sure.

crystal ball balancer

Cultural Contrasts at Sunset 

acrobatics

a lone ukalele player

hulu hoops a go.

Tonight was exceptional an beautiful sunset with so many activities and shows to watch and enjoy. So tonight I just strolled along taking photos and chatting with folks. Since it is the weekend there is a mixture of Indian tourists and foreigner travelers and it is so interesting to note the differences. In many ways the foreigners can take themselves a bit to seriously while the Indian just love to play like kids on the beach. Many of us travellers come to India in search of some inner peace, a meaning in life, an escape from the pressures of western life or just  time out to question  the world and be I guess. However sometimes our egos  can take over and  I notice it can gets played out in many ways. The dress, the hair, the attitude, the projecting of being cool and trendy or spiritually attained is a full time job. I have seen some amazing fashion statements here which make me seem rather dull, normal and probably boring to most here. No worries, I am happy as I am. Anyway the contrast between Indian and foreigners on the beach is maybe apparent in the photos.

Indian guys on the beach with a beer

Girls from Karnathaka selling jewellery

cricket boys

flooded sandcastle

Yoga course starts.

Day three of the course and stretching into it nicely.  

The Himalayan Iyanger yoga center here in Arambol is off the beach in a shady tree grove. The yoga shalla is a mud floor encased in mosquito netting; accommodation is bamboo huts with palm frond roofs. Basic, is the only way to describe the place but it does have a very peaceful atmosphere and the people all are very friendly. The center also has another place in Dharamkot near Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh which is a much nicer and well established facility.

http://www.hiyogacentre.com/  

Our teacher is a young lass from Israeli who has been teaching for some time. Iyanger style of yoga I am discovering is precise and very focused on getting alignment correct. So each class is slow paced and we use blankets, bolster, straps even chairs to prop us up and ease into a pose rather than forcing muscle and twisting spines into places they just do not want to go. It is completely different for the Ashtanga yoga which I have been practicing and yet I can see that a more in depth understanding of how the body is better placed in poses will only enhance the Ashtanga practice. What is nice about the Iyanger is that it goes deeper into poses and by using the breath, relaxing into a pose and lots of patience old emotional habits, or old blocked emotional pain can be unlocked and transformed. The weird thing is that after 3 hours of slow Iyanger I am more exhausted then 1 ½ hours of Ashtanga.  I think I have a lot to learn from this deep, focused yet relaxation technique.

Sunset Scene

Sunset in Arambol is the funnest time of day, everyone is on the beach and many crowd around the drum circle, here is a glimpse.

Welcome to Arambol

On arrival at here I discovered that the Yoga place had not made my reservation for accommodation so the first day was spent scouring the town for a cheap and quite place to stay. I have now got settled into a nice wee beach hut for the inflated price of 400 rupees per day ($8); the yoga center would have been 300 rupees ($6). Considering this is peek session I think I did not bad since the average price seems to be around 600 rupees per night and come xmas and new year the prices go up to anywhere between 1000-2000 per night; crazy considering it is the same bamboo hut with cold water. Anyway all is well and good now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arambol

Arambol is a 2000’s new age/hippy hangout. I mean every kind of alternative therapy is available from massage and yoga  to panchkarma, chakra ailment, crystal healing, contact dance, astrology and those are only the posters I have seen; I am sure there much more but it does make me wonder just how authentic all this stuff is. Also it is quite a scene here especially at sunset when the spontaneous drum circle, singing and dancing  start going. People also parade the beach  or sit and have a smoke or perform their many acts such as, juggling, hula hoops, tight rope walking, neon ball throwing, fire stick twirling and again I am sure a whole lot more that I have yet to see. The hairstyles are diverse, dreadlocks of many varieties and lengths and colours, clean and filthy with attached feathers, shells, beads or coloured string. Full head shaves or half long half shaved with a tattoo over the ear, long and short hair ranging from blond to blue, red and black left loose of tied up in turbans. 

People here are from all over the world. A lot of Russians, English and Europeans but only a few Americans. The nice thing to see here is a lot of India tourist too but they seem to be in couples or families and I am sure must take some pleasure in checking out all the crazy foreign tourists. Music is 24/7;  ok maybe a few hours between 2 am and 5am  there is only the noise of the ocean. The techno music  goes till late then the Hindi devotional music starts early. 

morning catch

early morning waves

To think I came for some peace and quite is really quite funny because there is none. Yesterday I did take a long walk down the beach away from town and it was  very peaceful  but just too faraway for the yoga class. It will be interesting to be here, see who I meet and what more I can see  but I have a feeling 2 weeks will be enough.

The yoga course I came here for offers 5 days course in Iyanger yoga. To find courses in Iyanger can be difficult as the Iyanger school of yoga prefer that student  practice in Iyanger style of many years before one can do a teacher training program. So these short course will at least give me the basics of what Iyanger is all about.

 Hard to leave

The teaching throne in Drepung

 It was hard to say good bye to the monks at Drepung and I do miss being in that ocean of maroon robes. Geshi Pema, Siri, Budong Rinpoche, his attendant and myself went by car to Vasco-De- Gamo, the main town near the train station and airport. We had a fun journey and even took the monk to the beach for the evening. It was fun to watch the other tourists reaction seeing monks on the beach. The next morning we said our goodbye and I headed up north to Arambol.

leaving Tsangpa Kampsten

sandcastle time

sunset in Bagmallo beach

 roadside market

pineapple juice