Do not nag him, let him drive; Be careful, the fall is deep; Life is short, don't make it shorter; and other great sayings

I know this looks like two blog post in a row, but it’s really not. Just keep reading.

Today was amazing. We drove up to Badrinath and the journey took us closer and closer to the Himalayas. The drive itself was quite spectacular. The natural beauty that I saw eclipsed anything I had ever seen before. I wish you all could have seen the mountains jutting out of the ground and the gushing river we drove alongside. It was breathtaking. I have some pictures, but they don’t really have the same quality that the real thing does. All I have to say is, if you’re in India you should go to Badrinath.
On our way to Badrinath we stopped in Joshimath, which is the area where the original shankaracharya gained enlightenment. We were able to go to the cave underneath the Banyan tree where the shankaracharya gained enlightenment and have a little meditation. Following the meditation we got back on the road and finished our drive to Badrinath. Badrinath itself is quite spectacular. Imagine a little village in a valley surrounded by huge mountains with snow covered peaks that seem to touch the sky. Within the center of this village is a river that seems to split the village in half. Within the village there is an ancient temple that is a must-see-once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage spot for Hindus. The actual temple is very nice and it is quite the sight to see so many pilgrims visiting such a remote space just to be able to pray at a somewhat holier place. Also, just outside the temple is a natural hot spring. It was pretty cool looking and there were a lot of people enjoying the warmth. In the evening we were able to experience another aarti. This one was a little different than the last two I went to. This one was inside the temple and we had to pay for it. It only lasted a total of ten minutes and it felt a little rushed, but as one of my colleges said, “A blessing is a blessing.” So that pretty much concluded my day at Badrinath. It was a nice day and I’m glad I was able to make it to this place.

(The title is taken from certain signage along the road we drove up to Badrinath).

Some experiences

So it’s been a few days since my last posting and a lot has happened since then. To begin with, I went to Haridwar, which is supposed to be one of the holiest places according to the Hindus. It was holy in certain spots, such as the ashram that I went to and meditated in (Keshabananda’s Haridwar ashram to be exact), but it was also very materialistic. I went to the aarti in the evening when I was there and I found it to be everything but spiritual. There were people asking for donations everywhere and also many little children selling these plastic mats to sit on. The poverty was very visible. I would say that the highlight of that aarti was when it ended.
The following day we travelled to Rishikesh. Rishikesh was quite nice. First we ended up at the Dayananda ashram to speak with one of the Swami’s about a performance one of the members of the group I’m travelling with was having that night. His name was Hamsananda and you could tell he loved being a Swami and was full of joy. It was a nice little stop. After that I visited a palm reader and got my palm read. It was an interesting experience. Then on my way back from the palm reader I was crossing a bridge and got attacked by a monkey. It shrieked a little and then hit my on the head. I guess that’s what I get for walking too close to it. (Ok, I’m going to take a little break from my story to tell you to keep reading because the next parts or the blog are the best part).
Then, I decided to go to another aarti, except this time it was in Rishikesh. This one was much nicer. For the aarti they had a kirtan led by young boy bramacharis. They all sang bhajans and many of them were quite into it. Our guide was a Hindu himself and got us front row seats for the aarti. In order to get to these seats though we had to walk to the front steps of the ghat where the aarti was taking place and walk along this step that was covered with around 2-3 inches of water from the Ganga. It was awesome. If you are ever in Rishikesh be sure to see the aarti.
We departed Rishikesh early the next morning to head for Badrinath. Although we did not make it all the way there yet, we did havce quite the beautiful drive. The road we took followed the Ganga and other rivers the whole way. It was picturesque. I can’t adequately describe the beauty found in this northern area of India. Let’s just say that it can make your heart sing in awe of the natural world around it. Also, while we were on the road we chanted a bit with a travel harmonium that one of my companions has. That was nice as well. However, I still have to say that the real thrill was seeing everything around me. The trees, the river, the mountains, everything was amazing. This road to Badrinath is another must see in India.
Well I think this post is long enough so I’m going to end it here. I’ll be sure to write another one after I finish my trip to Badrinath. For all those who are reading, I hope you all stay in bliss. Max out.

Chandri Chowk

Yesterday was my second day in India and I ended up going to a place that took me on a true adventure. My friends decided to take me to Chandri Chowk which is the largest outdoor bazaar in Dehli. There were way too many people there. If you are claustophobic or dont like touching people then Chandri Chowk is not for you. There werealso shops everywhere and they sold everything. The only problem is that you coudn't find any of the things you were looking for because everyone wanted to take you to their shop or their friend's shop, so after a good two hours of walking we ended up only buying three things. Yet, overall, it was still worth it. It was an Indian experience. I'd love to write some more, but I need to go catch a train to Haridwar right now. So I guess that ends this blog post.

Rickshaws

Ok, I looked at that first post just now and I realized it was pretty lame. I didn't really write about anything. Therefore I decided to write another post just thirty minutes after my first one and as ou can guess from the title it is about rickshaws. Theyre so awesome! Little greeen and yellow three wheeled vehicles that runriot on the streets of India. I just took my first ride around an hour ago and the guy did a decent job. I liken it to my first Tro Tro ride, extremely spectacular. The guy drove us to this pharmacy and definately almost hit a lot of different things (they ranged from people to buses). Like I said before, it was awesome. If you come to India you need to ride one of these things. What was even better was the fact that our driver pretty much made us get a map of Dehli, which is useless to foreigners because Dehli is a very large urban sprawl. The ride was fun and I think I'll enjoy my time on the road in India. In any case, I hope this was a better post than my previous one. Hope everyone is staying in that bliss.

First Arrival

So I just made it to India. The flight was long, but overall it wasn't too bad. Things seem pretty crazy here, but I guess that is expected. I'll write some more when something cool happens.