Celebrating Holi Festival

We celebrated Holi just a couple of days before I left Omkareshwar. It was a nice way to spend the day with the kids and say goodbye before I see them again next year hopefully. The celebrations started the day before, the 20th of March. We all gathered on the banks of the river in the morning and cleaned as far as we could go to. All kids were there, the school principal, Gurusharan and most foreigners in the ashram. The task was to pick up all plastic and paper from the the ground to then use to burn it in the night.
Baba was in Omkar too, which was even more special for everyone. The atmosphere built up during the day and I got a sweet unexpected visit from lovely Kanchan from Indore (she is the girl who initiated me into Indian clothes and to whom I was teaching yoga in Indore). She came with her mum and siter in law. It was really nice to see her and we spent the afternoon in town, where we bumped into Tripti and Joyti (two more girls I met when I was in indore). So all in all it was a good goodbye as I got to see most people.
Then at night we all gathered on the banks of the river again and a huge fire was set along with nice kirtan and songs in Hebrew played by Shay. The fire was amazing and even more with the full moon at the back, which happened to be the biggest full moon in 25 years. : )
The next morning we started at 9am by covering up all walls and room doors on my side of the ashram. They told me Holi is very wild and full of colours so they had to make sure the walls would be protected.... I wasn't sure what to expect but I saw very soon. Baba came out and after a few nice songs sung by Gurusharan we started the Holi celebrations...and oh wow! Big pots of naturally coloured water were available, from which we could fill up big water rifles and then spray on each other. There were also powder colours and water balloons, which the kids absolutely loved. It was so much fun. The whole floor was covered in water in the end and everyone was on the floor trying to swim in it. Everyone covered in colours from head to toe and completely soaked in coloured water. What a cool festival!!!
Very nice food followed of course.... yummi!!! I ate too much as usual so by the time we started walking to the other ashrams to celebrate my tummy was in pain again. Too full but too good to resist.
the celebrations ended in going for a nice swim all together into the river and having more water fights of course! Sooooooooo nice. Again, just simple but true celebrations. I love it and will miss it all when back in Europe I am sure. I just love the simplicity and spontaneity and of course being surrounded by nature helps a lot as I don't really see this happening on the Thames or any other city river. Below are some pictures, enjoy.

Follow this link to learn more about Holi

Indian wedding

I left Mysore and went up to Ellora, Ajanta and Shirdi (separate post to follow on this) and then came back to Omkareshwar for Agustina and Ashutosh's wedding in Narmada Shankar Ashram. They are a very very very sweet couple from Argentina who are here for a year living with their guru. They decided to get married in Indian style and all I can say is that it was a colourful wedding! Amazing from start to end. Every small detail amazed me.
And the food.... oh wow. As a food lover I was in heaven. Spiced up to the right point we ate very yummi pakora, vegetable rice, beautiful curried vegetables and paneer (indian cheese). Sadly I completely forgot to take pictures of the food itself as I was too concentrated on eating! In India you don't eat just one serving of each dish like we do in the west, they keep on serving you until your belly explodes and if you are like me then you end up in pain all the time because you eat with your eyes! But it's worth it, totally!!!

Below are some pictures of lovely Agu and Ashutosh. Enjoy!

 

more pics from stunning Hampi

Lovely Severine and I the day we rented a bike with Cosimo

Local man with interesting boat

Hampi, palm trees and lots of monkeys!

Hampi is just made or rocks that look arranged by a giant

Beautiful Ganesh

Rocks everywhere

Clothes drying on rocks

Birds hanging out on the rocks.... where else otherwise?

Boats

Hampi village

Cutest kid ever, Cosimo gave him 5Rs and he wouldn't stop saying hello to us.

Detail of rocks just leaning on each other

Inside shiva temple...lots of water and BATS!

Our personal driver Cosimo. You've got to love the fact you can ride on a bike in 3 people in India

Monkey story and old friends

It's been a long time I know. Thanks for all the messages I got to which I didn't reply and sorry for not replying. Internet is just not my thing nowadays.
I would love to reply to all emails but I just don't have the time.

I left Omkareshwar to come down south to Hampi, to meet up with an old friend who used to live in London and whom I hadn't seen in 2 years. Lucia. It was SO great to see her again. Unfortunately I got very sick (stomach related) the morning after I arrived, so spent the day throwing up violently and having the worst diarrea ever in history! Thank God Lucia was there. I don't know what I would have done without her.
The story gets even worse....the day after, we woke up early and I was feeling full of energy so we went to visit the Hanuman Temple by scooter to see the sunrise. It takes 500 steps up a steep hill to reach the temple and we were amazed at the stunning views as we went up. We got up there and after a little while I decided to sit on top of the roof to meditate. I was feeling so good after having been so sick the previous day that I thought meditation would really help start my day. So I sat and placed my camera next to me and started meditating. I was so deep in my meditation when I heard a little noise... so I opened my eyes and saw a monkey holding my camera! I was immediately shocked and scared but tried to play it cool so I just looked at the monkey and said 'no'. As I went to take my camera from her and stood up the silly bi**h jumped on my leg and bit me... she wouldn't let go off my leg. Moments of total panic... I don't remember much as I am still in shock when I try to remember but basically I kept on moving and screaming while the monkey was attached to my leg with her mouth, legs and arms. At one point I happened to look behind me and some tourists told me to be careful as I was about to fall off the roof!That would have turned out in tragedy as there was nothing below. I had no idea....so I got even more scared and I guess I screamed more. Then a French guy somehow distracted the monkey and got my camera back... the monkey finally let go off my leg and I sat on the floor in total shock. I lifted my trousers and saw blood and the exact shape of her teeth imprinted on my left leg.
The temple's guru kindly medicated the wound for me and calmed me down. What an experience!!! Attached below is a picture that Lucia took whilst in my meditation, before the little monster attacked me. Look at the stunning view.

Meditating in front of a beautiful sunrise and stunning panorama

I calmed down and despite the marks on my leg we decided to go visit an Italian renunciate who has been living in the area for the past 25 years under a tree and then on top of a rock. He has now built a super lovely ashram in the middle of amazing rocks and next to a river. His name is Cesare and he is sooooo sweet. Lucia and I stayed the night there and to our astonishment he made pesto with his own basil that he grows in his garden and caponata! can you imagine? In the middle of nowhere... in India.... an Italian renunciate made us pesto, caponata AND a real espresso with a REAL coffee machine. We had no words! It was a really great experience to say the least and not for the food but for the atmosphere and energy around him. We woke up at 4am the next day and cleaned the ashram with him and Jose, a lovely guy from Spain who is staying there for some time. Then we showered with the hot water that they heated on wood fire and then we had the morning Shiva puja (prayer). It felt like we were in another world really. It was sooooo funny at the same time. Lucia and I couldn't stop laughing and repeating to each other how bizarre it was to meet there after 2 years we hadn't see each other.
Unfortunately we had to leave the next day as I was sick again.... this time it was even worse. We had to stop the scooter on the street for me to vomit and all the rest. I was in serious stomach pain. Again, thank God Lucia was there to take care of me. I seriously don't know how I would have even called a doctor as I couldn't do anything for so much pain.
I spent the 4 following days completey sick. I didn't eat and as soon as I had something I would vomit. It was terrible. Lucia went back to Italy in the meantime and I rented a scooter and went to get anti rabies shots for that silly monkey.  Then another old Italian friend who used to live in London arrived to Hampi as well. Cosimo! How bizarre to meet both in Hampi, really.
So I stayed a few more days and we had a great time with some other very nice people we met there. A few pics attached.

Cesare Baba

Nacho jumping into the lake from a massive rock

Happy Lucia after 500 steps and beautiful sunrise

Sunset

Natural tramploline

 

 

 

 

 

The other very nice highlights of my trip to Hampi are meeting the Italian consul (console italiano) from the Italian Embassy in Mumbai, with his beautiful wife and daughter (they were visiting Cesare too) and Folco Terzani! He was visiting Cesare because he has just finished writing his biography and was in the middle of deciding the book's title with him. How great to meet him in person! He is so easy going and relaxed. The funny thing is that I discovered Tiziano Terzani (Folco's father who sadly passed away recently) through a book called A Fortune Teller Told Me (Un indovino mi disse), given to me as a birthday present by Lucia 3 years ago the night before I flew to India the first time. How amazing to then end up in the same place as his son with Lucia after 3 years. Life is really surprising.
I am now in Mysore, a place where I have been wanting to go for the last 5 years as this is where the founder of the yoga I practise is from. I am currently meeting all the yoga teachers around here to then decide where I will do my teacher training. So far I absolutely love Mysore and would definitely see myself living here for a few months.
Good night to all. kiss kiss

Quick update--am in south India and will write when back up in the Ashram. More in a few weeks.