Stories and thoughts from the past 10 days....
After some cycling and hike-aling from Basouli we reached the top of the rocky steep road to Gararanth where a temple is residing further up the path. Slowly entering from the unruly road, the sound of our breath matches the pace of the pedal strokes. Hardly anyone looked up from what captured their attention. With this ability on cycle to arrive quietly from place to place the energy is kept and trueness is felt. Simple smiles and Namastes are exchanged as we remove our chapels (shoes) to give respect to the lower temple. Next door in a wooden shelter baba ji radiated pure light and so we gratefully enjoyed a chai among the lightly burning mud made chula (stove), a cute little puppy and a playful child. Before walking further up the path to the main temple baba ji had just started making some subje and dal that we could enjoy after returning from the temple. Much time was spent at the temple... feeling as though we could meditate for many hours and even more time at babaji's where lunch filled the body with love and nutrients and joyful playfulness was filled from the games played with the child. Wow how much longer and more full the day feels when only the moment of which one is currently in is experienced.
A bit later on after decending a peaceful dirt path through the forest down to the river I was waiting for Colleen across the bridge in front of a shop with many men drinking chai. Then I hear, "Erin! Look at me! Yeeaahooiee!"
Colleen is cruising across the bridge her legs kicking out to the sides, hooting, and giggling. Big smiles come on to all the men's faces as they burst out in laughter. All sharing in the light joyful presence. :)
We continue cycling west across the kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Getting back in tune with the rhythm of cycle travel, enjoying the peaceful villages and forests throughout the mountains.
Once we enter Garwhal we soon start sharing our path west with that of the Char Dam pilgrim route.
Char Dam stands for 'four temples' that are specifically holy in Hindu religion. Here's an excerpt from wikipedia:
Char Dham as defined in modern days (literally: 'the four abodes/seats') are the names of four pilgrimage sites in India that are widely revered by Hindus. It comprises Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. It is considered highly sacred by Hindus to visit Char Dham during one's lifetime.
Little stories from along the char dam pilgrim trail:
*Roadside rivers and gullies are full of pilgrims washing their clothes mid day, bright saris, shirts, and white lungis covering the rocks as they dry. Groups circle together around small gas stoves, cooking dal, cutting vegetables, rolling and cooking roti.
People calling out, 'khana kao' , 'betau!'
'Eat!' 'Sit'
Homestyle cooking, a wide variety of languages, cultures, dress, and traditions all along one stretch of highway. All following the same route to the holy temples of the Himalaya.
*Babas are seen walking or sitting by the roadside throughout the circuit. These are (mostly) men following spiritual paths of truth, renouncing material possessions, most carrying only a small messenger style bag, a blanket, and a tin for donations collected along their journey. Most are on foot, many barefoot, coming from all over India walking for months on the pilgrim route. They eat only when given food or money by others supporting their journey and sleep at temples, in the forest, in caves, or by the riverside. Some are seen gathered together in circles, sharing chillum (a pipe mixed with ganga and tobacco), chai, songs, and laughter.
The simplicity of the life of the babas have colleen and I pondering if we shouldn't be on foot as well....
*One evening its getting late and we hadnt found a family to stay with yet. We end up finding a guest house that let us stay in their shared room for very little cost. A Group of 50 indians came by bus all to stay in the 2 shared halls. This group was from Madhya Pradesh on 22 day tour together up to haridwar then making the circuit to the 4 temples. The group was made of families from 2 villages with people of all ages. Each day they cook their own meals on small gas stoves in the halls or by the roadside. That night there were at least 10 stoves going cooking really spicy dal, chappati, and noodles that they topped with sugar. And of course the wonderful Indian hospitality had them offering for us to join them in their evening meal. We enjoyed this unique meal as our noses ran with the spice. Throughout the meal was the sweetest old man with very few teeth sitting next to me offering his home made pickles and being sure that our bellies were being sufficiently filled.
*Surprised by the grumble in my stomach as we cycled up the back road hills towards Yamunotri Temple after receiving a heavier breakfast of parantha (potato filled chipati and vegetables) from the wonderful lady family we had stayed with the night before. Thinking of stopping for a peanut and date snack at the next level shady spot I rounded the next bend and began approaching a group of men under a small shelter out cooking and eating by a water spicket. As I was passing by they immediately asked for me to stop and join them for lunch. In response to the grumbling tummy I gratefully agreed! 'Bajow'- sit- was told and a plate full of rice, chipati, dal and subje was given. Soon Erin rounded the bend and too was asked to join. Sharing our backgrounds in broken Hindi and English these Punjabi men were on the pilgramge route as well, some for their first time, others as an annual tradition.
*Another pee and water refill stop along the way we stop at a hotel where a big tourist bus is parked. All the ladies, men, and children come around our bicycles, curious about our journey. They are from far south India in Andhra Pradesh coming all the way by bus to make pilgrimmage to the 4 temples. One kid goes for a ride on our bicycle and they make a couple of visits back and forth to us and their bus to share with us treats that they had brought from their home. A sort of sweet samosa made from a rice flour crust and some home made savory chips also made of rice.
We feel like we're getting to taste the food and experience culture from all over India just on this on road between the temples.
*Even though so far from family we continuously feel we have the love and support of family all around. This is felt again within the Punjabi family we were blessed to become a part of. Char Dam is a very holy route for Punjabi Sikh as well which bring the addition of Gurudwara's along the path. Gurudwara's are voluntarily run through the service of providing food and shelter to those on their pilgramge. Although they are set up and run by Sikh all are welcomed. This was made apparent as we approached the waving flags and shouts in front of the road side Gurudwara. Stopping in for what we thought was going to be a lunch time break ended up lasting a day and a half:) Erin and I had the pleasure of staying the night and helping to serve at the Gurudwara. Serving entailed Everything from washing many dishes in the station out front to making up to 2,000 chapatis with wonderful ladies and serving food. We even got to wave the flag by the roadside yelling..."ajo ji ajo!"... meaning come, come, welcome! All the while we become and felt more like family and received a better understanding of Sikh religion realizing that this one message of this universal truth still holds true within any frame it is placed in.
After leaving the gurudwara we escaped the busier road full of tourist buses and started cycling through peaceful forests, villages and farmland. Each village we past through feeling like it were a secret. Approaching and leaving silently, leaving the quiet undisturbed.
As night approached we came into a village with some teenagers hanging out outside a shop. Two of them were girls so I approached them about a place to sleep for the night. The teenagers and then other young people in their twenties all helped us get set up in an empty garage like room that their family parks their motor bikes. We spent the evening at what we named the 'cool kids spot' talking with the girls there and then eating a wonderful dinner that the boys whose familys room were staying in brought down from their parents house. Appreciating the oppertunity to connect with indians with the full communication in their fluent english and their unhindwred openness in conversation.
It was a rather unique night in cool kids town as we hardly had any interaction with any community member older than 20 yet were provided a safe place to sleep and food to eat. The adults leaving all the hospitality up to their kids while they were busy with celebrations of a local festival.
We also talked to Shane on the phone that night and he shared with us that he's been starting each morning saying, "it's a brand new day!" And coming off with fun phrases to go with it. So we spend the brand new morning continuing up through the villages made up of secrets musing over this wonderful phrase and making up silly rhymes to go with it.
'Cycles are packed. It's a brand new day. Cuppa chai and we'll be on our way'
'Beautiful views on a brand new day. Riding from village to village shouting out, "Namaste!" '
Weeeee! Down down through the windy forest roads until we reach a surprising sight as we meet up with the larger state highway below. The river valley looked like an alien planet with giant slides of eroded hillside rising high above the water level. Terraces barren other than some sparse grass were above the steep slopes and frames of rock walls in the shape of buildings were spread throughout.
This was the start to the theri river valley, home of the theri dam. Riding on the busy road full of dust and construction was a world apart from the area we had just come from. This whole valley was also once full of small villages with thriving terraced fields, and homes and temples mixed throughout. Those living by the river would have been the luckiest with the best land and water access. After farm work the river would have been full of kids playing, families bathing, and clothes being washed and set out to dry in the sun. The river would have been the source of life for these communities of humans along with providing habitat for countless other species.
The governments priority fell towards industrial development though, with greater electricity availability being more important than hundreds of villages that had been on this land for centuries.
The family we stayed with that night in a village high up the mountain sides said that their ancestral home is down below the water and that about 500 meters of land has been flooded. They were lucky to be able to move to land nearby and remain close to their tradition in the clean peaceful mountain environment.
Most villages had to completely uproot to cities at the edge of the plains like Dehradun where they would have no land and would be thrown into a lifestyle of which they had no experience.
After agreeing with the tragedy of the refugees created by the dam our host then gave a feeble justification for it that sounded like it came from the governments propaganda, "it's the sacrifice that needs to be made to make India great"
As if these culturally rich self sustaining villages full of healthy happy communities doesn't make India great...
Adding to the irony was the tourism surrounding the dam. Guest houses along the lake, people out on motor boats and some luxury floating houses. Turning the flooded graveyard into a rich mans playground.
Yet like all things, this just is and life goes on... The road along the mountainside above the reservoir is scattered with villages, farms, and people waving hello.
We arrived that night as it was getting into evening time into a small village, feeling it was reaching time to find a place to stay for the night. We feel very calm coming into this new place, the original feel of some tension over whether we would find somewhere safe to stay has gone away. Experiencing again and again the overwhelming Indian hospitality where it's just no big deal to welcome strangers into your home and share with them like your own family.
Feeling that when we are open and present that the universe will always strive to provide balance and harmony in all situations whether it's fufuilling a basic need or maintaining a calm and safe environment.
Happy to be able to communicate so well in Hindi we explain our journey to some people outside a shop and that we are looking for a family we might be able to stay with for the night. We can sleep anywhere, an empty floor space, on the roof or in a field in our tent or in an empty room. Our needs are simple but our main requirement is that we are somewhere safe, generally with a family with women and children.
Everyone immediately understands and they all start talking to one another about options, one man takes the lead and sends some boys off to some house to inquire.
We feel in good hands with the whole village coming together to help.
A man comes back and leads us 20 meters down the road to a house with a smiling lady outside tying up cow and its calf after taking them out to graze. Two more girls are smiling from the rooftop and the son shows us in to the room below. He heard that some visitors needed a place to stay and decided he would be happy to offer up his room for the night and he could sleep with his brothers.
We are grateful at the relaxed atmosphere. Mama brings us chai and we sit on the bed and chat in Hindi about our families and about the village and life here. We clean up and spend the evening on the rooftop looking at the stars and the sparse lights dotting the mountain side and talk with the daughters and sons in broken Hindi and English about each of our studies, interests, life in the village, and about their perspective on the theri dam.
Then they call us down below to eat an amazing home cooked meal of rice, chapatti, vegetable, dal, and curd fresh from the cow. In India its custom to always serve guests first, at least on the first evening of stay, so we always end up eating on our own with the family members asking many times if we want more of anything. They will eat only after we have had as much as we need. Again such a lesson in selfless giving and hospitality in Indian culture.
We often offer to the woman of the house to give a little money to repay their cost in food and stay but no one ever accepts. They tell us we are like their daughters. That it was their pleasure to have us and to come again.
We cycle away after hugs and Namaste waving 'ta ta' and feeling full of love and oneness.
*Yamunotri Temple and trek:
Beautiful mountain valley and views going in on small windy roads by bus. Wheat still ripening in the fields at this high elevation.
Rain coming in, the bus pushing through a river that seemed it could easily push it off into the gully below. The bus driver relaxed and chatting to his buddies like this is nothing.
Village full of guest houses, Nepali asking if we want a horse or carriage for the trek up. If we need a room. Find a cheap place to stay and a nice shack with delcuouse home cooked food where a Nepali family lives and cooks for many of the other Nepali workers, maintaining a sense of community for them so far from home.
The walk up to the temple being peaceful, mix of rain and clearing skies and views as the clouds move through the valley.
The temple itself not feeling as much of a draw for us though the warm water from the hot spring bath warmed our feet. With so much commotion around buildings, statues, ritual sometimes the true source of why this temple was put here, of the true message of the oneness of all seems to get lost. The rituals and rights sometimes seem to be taking the primary focus in religion, with people focusing on these temporary actions and forms rather than the everlasting truth that they were created to help people see.
We walk down the road from the temple the next morning, each on our own time. Enjoying the increased simplicity and slower pace in walking as we leave the pilgrim trail.
Having some tea on a families rooftop along the way and a lunch paid for by some friendly policeman. Hitching a ride the rest of the way to where we left our cycles with a nice family who shared their thermos of lemon tea... simply going with what happens.
La De Dah and Ta Tha Ta
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