Farewell Seva Mandir

As expected, we did not lift thousands of people out of poverty – this is likely to take generations and the continued efforts of our charity and many others – but we did what we could for our charity, helping them to develop a village tour and edit publications. We actually loved the work as we got to meet lovely people, there was zero stress and we returned to a lovely apartment every evening after an intense yet somehow relaxing yoga session. The other volunteers were young enough to be our children but some of them still enjoyed our company as much as we enjoyed theirs! Towards the end of our stay, we attended a book launch for The Republic of My Dreams which celebrates 50 years of Seva Mandir: as it was in Hindi, we decided to man the book stall and ended up having a great laugh.

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After our charity work, we spent a few weeks travelling through parts of India. We didn’t fancy the pollution in Delhi or the crowds at the Taj Mahal, so instead we went to some of the more serene, spiritual and slightly less trodden places which are nevertheless firmly on the tourist map.

Ranthambore

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On our last safari in India a few years ago, we camped out at night in the jungle, got chased by elephants and attacked by porcupines. This time round, just before we left Seva Mandir, we opted for a much safer trip! We were transported around the national park in large bus sized jeeps and had the thrill of seeing a tiger, although the trip was even more memorable for the delightful company of our friends from our charity.

Rajasthan Desert- Jaisalmer

The dunes, sunset and the stars at night were spectacular but, wow, the night we spent in the desert was soooo cold and the two hour camel ride was not the most comfortable trip we have ever taken!

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Rajasthan Forts and Palaces – Jaipur and Jodhpur

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The fort in the blue city of Jodhpur was magnificent and the Amer Fort Palace in the pink city of Jaipur was exquisite. There is a law in Jodhpur that residents will be fined unless they paint their houses blue although they need not turn themselves into Smurfs. The most surprising sight was the Jantar Mantar, a series of scientifically genius and aesthetically beautiful astronomical instruments built in the 1720s to measure the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets.

Amritsar Golden Temple

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This was one of the best visits we have ever made anywhere! The spot was full of love and energy. Everyone was so kind to us and it was so refreshing to be treated as equals and not to be hassled by hawkers and beggars. There is in fact little begging in the town as the temple provides food for every visitor: 200,000 meals a day every day. Such an incredible feat plus the food was delicious! We were really lucky to be given an unofficial ‘behind the scenes’ tour of the kitchens and stores. Incredibly, we were the only foreigners visiting at that time among the thousands of worshippers.

McLeod Ganj

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The Himalayas were beautiful, green and sunny, cold all day and freezing at night but with glorious sunsets. The streets are filled with Tibetan monks as this is the home of the Dalai Lama. We ate Tibetan meals – particularly momos which are like dim sum – and in between long walks in the mountains, we spent many happy hours reading in Illiterati, a fabulous café filled with books with the most stunning views of the mountains. After a few days, even with a small electric heater for the nights, the cold still got into our bones, so we headed south to Bangalore for a more comfortable 30 degree centigrade life.

Hampi

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Never have we seen such a picture postcard place. A Unesco world heritage site, it is filled with huge boulders, endless paddy fields and architectural wonders from the early 16th century when Hampi was the capital of South India. Today, it is filled with young Westerners who are forever smoking weed. It puzzles us why they would not want to stay clean to appreciate the incredible beauty all around. We guess the answer lies in us just getting old and square although in truth we have always been that way!

Bangalore

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Bangalore became our base between a few backpacking trips in the South of India and it was always a pleasure to return to a super comfortable hotel (Monarch Luxur) in between some rough nights on the road. Our hotel had a 200 year old Shivaling tree which is used in worship to Lord Shiva and which seemed to be continuously raining down spectacular and headily scented pink petals. While in Bangalore, we managed to catch up with Jeff’s old colleagues who have become close friends over the last 10 years, and we also managed to see a great play (there are some superb theatres there), a concert and enjoyed the amazing street food on VV Puram Street. Plus, a day trip with friends to the magnificent yet deserted Gudibanda fort was a real treat.

Gokarna

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Our hotel, Namaste Yoga Farm, was idyllic for its beachside location, gorgeous gardens, regular yoga, treehouses and wildlife…like a present from nature, a cobra even popped up its head by our porch. This was the perfect beach holiday with fine sand and warm waters but with lots of surprises too. It was lovely to see and pet a few cows wandering freely up and down the beach. The Indians on the beach were nearly all fully clothed and frolicking around by the sea shore…few Indians we have met can swim. We also lost count of the number of times we were asked to be included in selfies, Indians being obsessed with selfies to the extent that India is at the top of the unwelcome leader board for having the most selfie deaths in the world. The other beautiful memories we will take away are the sight of so many practicing yoga and acrobatics on the beach early in the morning and a trombone duet playing Gershwin’s Summertime by the shoreline. We knew the day would come…it was finally one of those mornings where we rose up singing.

Wedding in Mangalore

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A trip to India would not have been the same without a wedding to attend. Having been to Hindu, Moslem and Sikh weddings, we were thrilled to be invited to a Christian Indian wedding. We stayed in Mangalore on a glorious plantation (Cordel Farmstay) which felt like being in the middle of the Amazon: the host gave us a tour of her gardens and Sylvie even applied her make up from a ‘lipstick plant’ called Kumkum grown on the farm. There were so many fascinating and unexpected customs at the wedding and reception with over 500 guests:
– During the mass, the groom was not waiting for his bride at the altar and instead was the one to walk up the aisle with her.
– The reception proceeded in the reverse order to what we have come to expect: the cake was cut immediately and handed out to guests; this was followed by toasts and dancing and ended with dinner.
– Half way through the reception, the bride was given a ‘makeover’: she was offered gifts of silk and jewellery and proceeded to change from her white wedding dress into a beautiful red and gold sari called a “sado” made from Varanasi silk.
– Guests danced to a mixture of high energy Bollywood and the most unexpected English tunes, including the Birdie song and the Hokey Cokey, apparently both staples of Indian Catholic weddings. We had to pinch ourselves to make sure we were in India.
– The bride and groom were raised for a chair dance, a custom we have only ever seen in Jewish weddings, only here it was to the tune of “He’s a jolly good fellow” rather than Hava Nagila! We have yet to discover how this tradition became a hallmark of a Catholic wedding in Mangalore.

Next Up

After seeing family and friends in the UK, France and Belgium during February and March, we are planning to work on a farm in the Pyrenees in France from April to July. The place is isolated, a thousand metres high and looks idyllic. We hope to learn about permaculture and how to look after farm animals. We will keep posting!