Travel Truths
Like the saying goes, “Things are never as they appear to be” is the first lesson when travelling in India. Being a land of contrast and diversity many preconceived notions as well as assumptions are either overruled or intensified. There are many things that people perceive to be true about India. When you get there you don’t just know any more, but now have experienced it.

Dress like the Natives
You might think it’s unfair and backwards, but it helps to dress ‘Indian-ish.’ Like the saying goes, “When in Rome do like the Romans.” Dressing Indian shows respect for the culture and its people. It is a bit of a double-standard especially when Indian women show their bellies, but cleavage is not popular. On the flip side, take advantage of the bright coloured shawls (or pashchima.) and throw them over your shoulder. Stay away from shorts or tanks. You could be the subject of what they call ‘Eve’s teasing; the North American equivalent of sexual harassment. With many Westerners going to India today, it is not as rigid as it used to be in terms of wearing traditional saris or looking Indian. In large cities like Delhi and Mumbai, you’ll see both men and women wearing Western clothes. But don’t let this fool you into thinking their attitudes are.

Travel is Risky
Travelling does have potential risks, but don’t let fear take you away from a trip of a lifetime. In 2003, there was an escalated concern of Pakistan and Indian starting WWIII including a travel advisory not to go to India. Because of this I was going to cancel my trip. In the end, I decided to go. When I got to Delhi I learned from the locals that the situation in Kashmir was not any different than before. Down in Kerala (the south of India) people were oblivious to the situation (it was business as usual). Indeed none of the political issues are to be taken lightly. While travelling stay aware, be cautious and if you are concerned register yourself at the Consulate. In the event of a crisis they will at least know where you are.

Death by Disease or Accident
In tropical climates there are usually areas Malaria infected areas. However, with over 1 billion people and crazy drivers I am more concerned with being killed in a traffic accident than contracting Malaria. Statistics show accidents are 3 times higher in countries like India than developed ones. The rule in India is the bigger one has the right away. Many pedestrians and not just foreigners have been killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Customer Relations
Hospitality is not a thing of the past in India. If you are lucky enough to befriend some of the locals you will be treated to a home-cooked meal. And if things go well you could experience many home-cooked meals. Nothing compares to an Indian dinner lovingly cooked by an Indian woman.

Being a customer is not the bad end of the stick either. India is full of auspiciousness. It is believed that by giving the first customer a discount it will bring good luck and fortune for the remainder of the day. Simply put, if you have friends tell them to shop there and they’ll also enjoy a discount.

Poverty
One of the hardest things to deal with is the poverty. Sometimes just coping with it is the best you can do. It can get nasty with beggars following you and tugging at your clothes. Little children also appear cradling a 5-month year old baby; something equally as distressing. Unfortunately, as good as it feels to give money it usually encourages more beggars to arrive on the scene. It’s one of the most difficult things to handle as a foreigner. And interestingly enough, they always spot you first. When faced with such a situation it is wise to remember you are one who has the money to travel to India, the nice clothes and can eat.

Myths, Truths and all that lies in between make learning curve what it is when travelling in India. And I think these nuggets of how things are (or not) help clarify the misconceptions when the situation is not exactly as you dreamed it might be. In fact, India exceeds the tiny dream imagined. The writer Richard Bach once wrote, “The IS has imagined it better than you.”

This is a post by Heather Morton of The Yoga Way. This is the concluding part of a two part series. You can find Part 1 here.

More about India:
CIA Factbook on India
CDC Health Information for Travelers to India
World Heritage Sites Of India
Incredible India
BBC on the Himalayas
Poverty In India
Despite cell phone boom in India toilet access still lags

Tara and Bella show that it is possible to bridge unbridgeable differences. They show that companionship, friendship, and love know no boundaries and no barriers. If they can do it so can we. We can allow the grace of life to flow freely in our hearts and let love and amity bloom.

Related: Followup story on Tara and Bella

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In ancient times there was a conquering army going through villages wreaking havoc and mayhem. The soldiers killed indiscriminately and were especially harsh on the monks, taking special care to humiliate and torture them, before killing them. When the army arrived in a town the general asked for a report. His subordinate replied, “The population is subdued and terrified!” This gave the general some satisfaction. Then the subordinate continued, “In the local monastery all monks have fled, except one.”

Hearing this, the general became furious. He rushed to the monastery to meet the monk who dared defy him. When he saw the monk he pulled his sword out and pushed it towards his stomach and hissed in a low but terrifying voice, “Don’t you know who I am? Why, I could take this sword and run it through your belly without blinking my eye!”

The monk was not fazed, he replied gently, “And don’t you know who I am? I could have your sword run through my belly without blinking an eye.”

The general was awestruck by the fearlessness and the deep spirituality of the monk. He sheathed his sword, bowed, and left without uttering another word.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Fearlessness is the first prerequisite of a spiritual life”. Fear is the creation of the ego and as long as our attention and thoughts are related to fear, we are fully subsumed in our ego and far from a spiritual experience. But the flip side of this is that without coming out of the ego and directly experiencing a deeper Reality it is difficult to be fearless. How can we trust the existence of a deeper Divinity on mere hearsay? So here is a chicken and egg problem: Without fearlessness there is no spirituality and without spirituality there is no fearlessness. How do we come out of this?

The drama created from our fears by our ego is a subtle mechanism that keeps us engrossed at the level of our ego. All our fears are directly related to the ego. The fear of embarrassment is the ego’s desire not to look stupid in front of others. The fear of loss of health, love, or wealth reflects the ego’s desire to be in control. The fear of failure is connected with a desire of the ego to grow in size and importance. The fear of death reflects the ego’s aversion of being annihilated into non-existence. On the other hand the soul knows no fear. It simply exists in peace and joy, unaffected by our day-to-day concerns. It is no wonder that fearful state of the ego and the fearless state of the soul are incompatible. The question for us then is how do we proceed from the state where fear dominates our thinking to a state where we are predominantly fearless?

Some are born with a strong sense of the spiritual. Some fall into a state of heightened spiritual awareness spontaneously or due to some deep shock to the ego-mind-body system. But for the rest of us who seek a more systematic path the answer lies with the different paths of yoga. This may seem as stating the obvious as the definition of yoga lies in the movement out of the ego into a deeper Self. However it is important to understand that there is no single answer and there are many paths. Some of these may lie with following a religion or religious doctrine. There is no incompatibility between yoga and religion, and yet it is also true that there is no need for a religious belief to pre-exist for yoga to succeed.

The numbers of paths of yoga are numerous: each one suited to a particular situation, or personality type, or the state of spiritual evolution of a person. Some of us may have to bounce around till we find a true fit while others may quickly settle on one path for life. Sometimes as we make progress we may find that we outgrow a given approach and may have to move on and find a new path that better fits our current situation. How do you know that you are on the right path and making progress? The answer lies within. Check your deepest thoughts. If you find yourself spending less time in thoughts relating to fear then you are on the right track.

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From temples to palaces and make-shift huts, India permeates with history, culture, religion, tradition and wisdom. Mark Twain who travelled to India in 1897 wrote that the city of Varanasi was the “oldest” in the world. Interestingly enough, his future work was to help him get out of debt. India being a rich and vast country is not only a writer’s dream but a photographer’s haven. Because of the understanding that India is the homeland of yoga, it is also an important place to visit. As a yoga teacher and student, I have been making an annual trip to India; a sojourn that is very dear to me. One reason is because of my love of yoga but the other is my love for India. Standing at the foot of a 12th century Hindu statue or inside of a Jain temple is more than just a little awe-inspiring.

As a woman travelling alone I discovered many things about myself, people and life itself. There are, however, many misconceptions about travelling in India. And to make it things more confusing some of these myths have a few truths intermingled within them.

Women Travelling Alone

By now there are more than enough women who have made successful trips by travelling alone. (See: Eat, Pray, Love) I actually feel it is easier to get around alone than in a group. It’s just easier to slip into a crowd and disappear from a pushy vendor by yourself. As well, shopkeepers and hotel staff will give you extra care when they know you are doing it solo. I have also heard women say they interacted more with the locals when they were alone than accompanied with a partner. In those scenarios they were ignored as the men ‘talked’.

It is wise, however, not to have in-depth conversations with strangers. Would you do so in your own country and then get into their car? The same street rules apply no matter where you go.

Staying Healthy

Getting sick is not a pre-requisite and can be avoided. A few tips are:

• Drink lots of water. Most people don’t drink enough and the body gets dehydrated from flying.
• Don’t eat off the street. There are juicy looking fruits and yummy nuts tempting you. I learned this the hard way and returned to Canada with wipe-worm (a parasite)! Believe me you don’t want the details.
• Consult a Travel Medicine doctor (http://www.tmvc.com/) and not your family doctor. No matter how much you respect your doctor they are not experts in travel medicine and may not have the latest information.

The Food

Contrary to what people understand as being Indian food it is not only hot and laced with curry. That’s like saying Italians eat spaghetti and meat-balls everyday! While the staple is rice there is a variety of wonderful vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. As well, the food can be prepared to your taste from very hot to extremely mild.

The cuisine also varies from region to region. If you love chapattis (Indian flat bread) it might be hard to get in the North whereas Naan is more popular. Chai (Indian spiced tea with milk) is found all over India, but coffee is often the instant crap stuff. Also, please note coffee is ordered differently. In India, it’s ordered as ‘separate’ (meaning black coffee with the milk on the side) or ‘milk’ coffee (self-explanatory).

The Climate

Like the food most people mistakenly think all of India is hot. If you travel to Shimla (http://www.shimla-travel.com/), the capital of the Himalayas, you’ll be amazed at the 18 Celsius summer breeze. Shimla is a hill station that was taken over by the British when they ruled India. The British flocked there when the temperatures reached a scorching 50 on the lower plains.

Travelling further north there is snow (yes, snow) and further down in the southern regions are miserable conditions that look like London, England. Depending on when and where you go it is possible to avoid the heat and the monsoon. If not, there are plenty of other hill stations, which are lovely pockets of tea, coffee and spice country.

Safety

Just because it’s a third-world country does not mean everyone is out to get you. Having made friends with less wealthy Indians these are the first people to offer you a meal in their home and the last to ask for something in return.

I don’t suggest testing this out, but once I carelessly put a 10 Indian rupee note in my back pocket (this is enough to get you 2 cups of tea). I was shocked when a young Indian guy tapped on my shoulder and pointed to the money sticking out from my pocket. He warned me to be careful. I felt like giving him the money for his good deed!

Hygiene and Power

If you travel in 5-star conditions and go by plane and taxi you will enjoy Western toilets and electrical power 24-7 with a generator kicking in. If you do the opposite by staying in budget hotels you’ll probably still get a toilet seat in an attached bathroom and experience a few black-outs. In both cases, however, you won’t necessarily be subjected to peeing in a hole and using a bucket to flush. Even some of the ashrams (visit ~ Sivananda Ashrams) have been upgraded from outdoor showers to private ones and Western toilets. However, many restaurants, home-stays, public schools and private apartments as well as residences are not set-up to meet with Western approving eyes. At worst, you should bring your own toilet paper, not look down and pinch your nose. At best, this is a part of travelling to a foreign country.

The first time I was greeted with the squat toilet was while living in South Korea for 2 years. Honestly, if you want the same conditions you have at home it is better not to travel anywhere.

This is a post by Heather Morton of The Yoga Way. This is the first of a two part series. You can find Part 2 here.

More about India: BBC The Story Of India
Part 1: The Story Of India
Part 2: The Story Of India
Part 3: The Story Of India
Part 4: The Story Of India
Part 5: The Story Of India
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The rescue organization got a cat about 2 months ago, the type of cat it hurts your heart to see come in … because she is so ugly, I feel she will languish with us for months unadopted. She had been found when some abandoned building caught fire … I don’t have the whole story, but they named her Phoenix. When she came in, she was very skinny, and had a litter of kittens with her. She was a very good mom. Just ugly.

All of her kittens (who did not look at all like her, at least she has good taste in men) were quickly adopted. Then there was a batch of scared little kittens who’s mother hadn’t made it, and we put Phoenix with these kittens. She was the best foster mother in the world. The kittens flourished under her care, came out of their shells. She cleaned them, cuddled them, even let them play nurse. These kittens, now playful and not at all shy anymore, were quickly adopted.

Then we had a cage full of mismatched kittens, leftovers from various litters who hadn’t gotten adopted with their brothers or sisters, for mysterious reasons. We put them all in with Phoenix, and again, she took on the role of foster mom with an amazing loving heart. Until this third batch was all adopted.

Poor Phoenix had at this point been cooped up in our cages for weeks. Someone stepped up and volunteered to take her home for a few weeks, just to give her a break. A few days ago, Phoenix came back to us to go back “on display” in the hopes of getting her adopted. Back in the cage. All the kittens we have now are with their own moms, so Phoenix was put in with another adult female to keep each other company.

Phoenix and her roommate got along like 2 cats in a cage. Meaning, they tried to ignore each other, and when they couldn’t they did a little hissing. Phoenix slept in one enclosure, Timber in another one. They pretended that there wasn’t an opening between them.

This morning Timber was sick. I don’t know why, the vet hadn’t looked at her before I left for the day. But she felt very bad. I had her out for a little bit, and she was very lethargic. I had Phoenix out for a bit and she got alot of petting and a little play. Then I put them both back in to let some other cats roam around while we waited for the vet visit.

When I went back to check on Timber, there she was, lying very listlessly on her blanket … and there was Phoenix, sitting very close to her, watching over her. Never have Phoenix and Timber been in the same part of their enclosure, unless they were passing thru. But Phoenix knew Timber was unwell, and she was keeping vigil.

I looked at her, and realized, she was special, she was a healer cat. It does not matter if she is cute, it does not matter what I think of her, it does not matter if anyone comes along and adopts her or not (tho someone will eventually.) What matters to Phoenix is just doing the next loving important thing in each moment.

I pulled up a stool and sat watching them, talking, keeping vigil with Phoenix. Timber didn’t really look up. Phoenix didn’t move from her spot. But the whole time, Phoenix was looking into my eyes, like she knew something, like she had something to tell me.

I couldn’t begin to articulate what I felt passed between me and Phoenix. Cats don’t use language, it was a message beyond language. But part of it, if I clumsily put it into words, was something I have been wrestling with.

What is my worth in this world? What is my work? Can I make a difference, even if I am small, unimportant, bland, even sometimes look ugly or useless in others eyes?

Phoenix says yes, you can touch others, you can bear witness, you can love those who come your way and are put in the same enclosure with you. You don’t have become a doctor, to travel to Africa and save whole villages (tho it sure is great some people have that ability, isn’t it?) But you don’t have to feel useless if you are not that doctor, that politician, that beloved teacher, that amazing artist, any of those people you so admire. You do not have to be beautiful, or bright, or the best at anything.

You just have to be willing to ignore any labels, and be the best lover to those around you you can be.

This is a post written by Kavindra and has been reposted with permission. You can find the original post here. You can find Kavindra blogging at A Clear Path To Happy

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