Random India

A few things to note:
Babies wear eyeliner to protect them from evil spirits

Although the women are covered both their bellies and stomachs hang out. I'll never understand this!







The train stations are one of the worse places to be as their are loads of men, women, and children sleeping on the floor and begging. The kids in particular are wearing horribly dirty clothes and walking around asking fir money, food, and any recyclable item. And all we can do is say no and ignore them in order to not support this system. What a horrible feeling to deny them things that I can definitely share without bother. Why does this happen?

A horse is a sign of power, an elephant good luck, and a camel love.

Gnesh is one of the many Hindu gods that symbolizes good luck. It is an elephant with many arms. This symbol appears in many Hindu temples.

People walk hand in hand or arm in arm all the time. Both women and surprisingly men too. It's often I see two men sitting on a sofa, very close to one another as if they are cuddling. Even the kids mimick this as they stand their together touching bodies very affectionate with one another. I like this. Especially with men since in the US it's not uncommon to see two heterosexual women walk arm and arm down the street. But for men to be seen like this - mostly unseen. I believe men should express themselves this way and feel free to do so.

Prices definitely differ for locals compared to tourists. Always look for the price in small black letters.





Star of davids everywhere.

Change of plans - Nepal :)

The ultimate lesson of my journey: Plans are never concrete!

After finding out that I messed up on my India visa while in Chiang Mai, almost 2 months ago, I figured I would not be able to make it to Nepal. Instead, I worked hard to arrange other plans. Well, look at me now….Elana is officially in Nepal J With a persistent  tour guide who wouldn’t let me say no, tour mates who kept on encouraging me to come, and this intense anxious feeling I was getting from all of the overwhelm of India,  I decided to just get on the bus and continue on with the group. At this point, I guess we will just see what will happen with my visa. I’m certain it will all work out.

So…. Last week India. This week Nepal J Took us a 15 hour bus ride to get here, but you can already tell Nepal is much more GREEN (yay for trees!!), a bit more clean (it couldn’t get any dirtier), and the people are awfully nice.  And I am SO excited to get back into a country where Buddhism prevails. I missed the feel of monasteries around me and monks passing me on the streets. I have never in my life felt like I needed to meditate more than right now. India brought out this anxious side of me that hasn’t come out in a while. I find it interesting that I came to India thinking it was going to be the place that I will experience the most spiritual growth, and so far most of what India has done is provoked anxiety. But that is probably my lesson, my test…Realizing that meditation is such an important practice for me in order to deal with overwhelm and anxiety. I guess I have that to thank India for reminding me that!

 I feel in my heart this was the best decision for me to leave India for now and roam around Nepal. I’ll return to India the beginning of June for one last visit, but for now I will enjoy 12 days in Nepal!

Varanasi – the place you don’t go if you can’t handle crowds

I’m finding this the hardest post for me to write since starting my blog because I feel so overwhelmed right now. I just experienced the busiest/most crowded streets I have ever walked through in my entire life. Pedestrians, tuk tuks, cows, donkeys, rickshshaws, motorbikes, taxis all share the same narrow dirt alley way. Horns beep non-stop, and I mean non-stop. The sound alone can drive anyone mad. As we walk we are shoved by other sweaty people. Some pushy, most coming up behind you trying to sell something, and then some just stare in awe of our white skin. In the midst of all of the crowds you must never take your eyes off the ground where there is animal dung every few feet. I have never experienced such complete scenery overload. I thought Jaipur was bad, Varanasi easily makes the top of the list.

But in the midst of the overwhelm, one of the most spiritual places in all of India is found through an alley way where the eye finally meets the Ganges.  The Ganges is a body of water that runs through Varanasi (along with other cities reaching up north). Hindu’s believe the Ganga is Mother. They believe she is divine and that she delivers happiness to our world and salvation when we leave it. As holy as this body of water is, it is also one of the most toxic bodies of water on this planet. It is the cities only sewage and industrial waste outlet. And, in this same body of water come hundreds, probably thousands, of devoted Hindu’s each day to bathe and sip the water, as they believe the water will wash away their sins. It is also used as a cremation site, 24/7, as bodies are burned on the ghats (steps into the ganges) and ashes are tossed into the water where the soul is believed to reach moksha – liberation from the cycle of birth and death. And in these same toxic waters kids play as if it is a swimming pool. Although this water can definitely endanger one’s life, these people are in love with it and still hold their rituals day in and day out. I have never in my life witnessed such religious devotion interplaying with mother earth. It was truly a sight to witness.   

We took a boat ride along the Ganges at both sunset and the next morning sunrise. We got the opportunity to watch Hindu’s celebrate Mother Ganga with huge musical acts, offerings, prayers (called pujas). People were on their knees kneeling to Mother Ganga, others were standing tall with hands in prayer position and closed eyes. Candles were lit, flowers were tossed about, faces were painted, and a burnt scent filled the humid air.

Although the chaos and overwhelm is a lot for me to handle, this city will always be a memorable one at best. Now I need some rest from it all. I’m finding myself more fatigued by this time in my trip than usual. And, coming back to the hotel with layers of sweat, deet, fuel emissions, dirt, and other peoples sweat on you has never made me appreciate a shower more!

Click on this picture below for more pictures of Varanasi. I finally feel I took enough pictures to finally give everyone a taste of what India is really like (minus the smell, heat, and overall chaotic and spiritual energy)

Indian cooking course! – Orchha

How lucky am I to have the opportunity to visit a home and watch an entire vegetarian meal be prepared from start to finish?  I loved every second!

A group of us gathered  into this home, took off our shoes, entered a small hot room, sat on the concrete floor and watched the chef create 8 dishes as she sat crossed legged on the ground with an electric stove in front of her. India amazes me everyday.

Few side notes before reading the recipes: (keep in mind that she somewhat estimated these measurements. I would guess she underestimated the majority of the time especially with the use of oil and a few spices here and there. Also you can use any other high heat oil in place of mustard oil if you can’t find it. All of these dishes are cooked over high heat so dish should be boiling.

First dish: Chai Tea

Chai Tea  4 cups water 3 tsp sugar 2 tsp black tea 4 pieces of green cardamom (crushed) 2 pieces of brown cardamom (crushed) 5 pieces of black pepper corn (crushed) 4 cups milk

Add all of the ingredients into a pot and boil for 5 minutes Strain and serve. Makes 8 servings.

Second dish: Spinach and Potato Curry

Spinach and Potato Curry 2 tbsp mustard oil ½ tsp cumin seeds (whole) 2 chopped green chilies 4 chopped skinned potatoes ½ tsp turmeric 500 grams chopped spinach (looked like 2 lbs) 1 tsp salt

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and chilies. Wait to hear them pop about 1-2 minutes. Add the potatoes and fry for 1 min. Add the turmeric, spinach and salt. Stir and then cover for 20 minutes. Easy as can be! Makes 8 servings.

Third dish: Eggplant Curry *A favorite!

Eggplant Curry (DELICIOUS!) 2 tbsp mustard oil 1 tsp black mustard seed 1 tsp anise seed 2 tsp coriander seed 1 tsp fenugreek seed ½ tsp cumin seed 1 chopped red onion 2 tsp minced garlic 4 small diced tomatoes 1 tsp turmeric 2 tsp coriander ½ tsp red chili powder ½ tsp gram masala 1 ½ tsp salt 4 sliced eggplants ½ cup water Garnish: cilantro

Heat oil and then add mustard, anise, coriander, fenugreek, and cumin seed. Fry till you here the seeds pop – not too long. Don’t want to burn seeds. Next add onion, garlic and tomatoes. Fry for 1 min – watch it boil. Add the reminder of spices and keep on stirring. Should become a thicker consistency. Add eggplant and ½ cup water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Garnish with a handful of cilantro. Makes 8 servings.

Fourth dish: Dahl

Dahl 2 tbsp mustard oil ½ tsp cumin seed ½ tsp mustard seed 2 chopped green chilies 1 large chopped red onion Boiled lentils: 2 cups split yellow lentils 4 cups water 1 ½ tsp salt 1 tsp turmeric 4 diced small tomatoes ½ cup water ½ tsp gram masala Handful of fresh cilantro

Heat oil and then add cumin seeds. Fry for 1 minute. Next, add the mustard seeds, chili, and onion. Fry for about 5 minutes. Next, add the boiled lentils. Prepare boiled lentils ahead of time in a pressure cooker. Place ingredients in pressure cooker and cook for 10 minutes. After adding boiled lentils add water, gram masala and handful of cilantro. Stir. All done! Serves 8.

Fifth dish: Cumin Rice

Cumin Rice 2 tbsp soybean oil 1 tsp cumin seed Handful of fresh chopped spinach ½ handful of fresh chopped cilantro 2 cups rice 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp gram masala 1 ½ tsp salt 4 cups water

Add oil to the bottom of the pressure cooker, followed by the rest of the ingredients. Mix and cook for 10 minutes.

Sixth Dish: Raita

Raita 500 grams of plain yogurt 2 cups water 1 handful fresh chopped cilantro ½ tsp gram masala ½ tsp black pepper powder 1 tsp black salt (tastes like sulphur) 1 tbsp mustard oil 1 tsp cumin seeds

Mix all ingredients except for oil and cumin seeds. Use oil to fry cumin seeds until they turn black. Add to yogurt and serve. Serves 8. *Bindi Raita is when fried chickpeas are added to the mixture. Adds  a nice texture.

Seventh Dish: Mango Chutney

Mango Chutney Handful of fresh cilantro 2 chopped small red onions 3 very small unripe mango sliced and chopped 2 chopped green chilies 1 tsp minced garlic ½ tsp salt

Add all ingredients into a blender and blend.

Eight Dish: Chapatti’s

Chapatti 2 kg wheat flour 2 tsp salt 4 cups of water

Mix, knead and roll Place each directly on flame Makes 50-60

Final product: Dahl on the upper left, Eggplant curry in the upper center, and Raita on the upper left corner. Below the Dahl on the lower left is the Cumin rice and beside it is the Spinach and Potato curry, below that is the Mango chutney and a Chapatti. Amazing meal!

Enjoyed on her roof top with a lovely sunset.  Special day. Can’t wait to host an Indian dinner party now J This was by far the most delicious Indian meal I have yet enjoyed while here. I am so happy to have these recipes and be able to share them with you all.

Click on this picture below for more pics of the cooking course.