Busy In Bhagsu!

We Love India!

We can't believe that in less than two weeks we'll be saying goodbye to India. It's crazy how fast our time here has gone. Seriously, it feels like it was only yesterday that we were in Thailand with my Mom!

We came to India with the primary purpose of exploring different types of yoga and gaining more understanding of ourselves and our bodies. That being said, we both feel like we've only just begun to touch the tip of the iceberg. If it weren't for the fact that, in only 11 more sleeps, we're meeting up with Jo-Ann, Dani and Angela, three friends from home, we would probably delay our trip to Africa and continue with our journey of self discovery here in India. That's not to say that i'm not completely freaking out at the thought of seeing friendly faces from home or that we can't wait to feel the sand between our toes and swim in the ocean. It's just that there's so much to do here and we want to do it all!

We didn't travel much in India, rather we found spots we liked and stayed. We spent our first month in Rishikesh then we moved further north to the cooler hills of McLeod Ganj and after two weeks of soaking up the Tibetan culture we moved 2kms down the road to Bhagsu where we've been for close to two months now. There's been no need to move around as everything we wanted is here. There's good yoga, great restaurants, beautiful walks and hikes, cheap accommodation and there's a plethora of classes and courses you can take depending on what tickles your fancy! In addition to our yoga, Kim and i have taken an Indian cooking course, a Tibetan massage course, a macrame course (learning different knots for making necklaces) and a silversmith course which is why we're so busy in Bhagsu!

Our one day silversmith course has definitely been a highlight so far. Kim made a blinging money clip with three different stones set in it and i made a simple ring with silver set around a square stone. The guys at the place where we did our first day are a bit of a shit show though so today we're starting a three day course at another place that seems more professional and organized. The reason i say they were a shit show is because at the end of the day you have to leave your piece there for them to set the stone in and they tend to leave your pieces just lying around willy-nilly on the work bench where tools get thrown on them and things can get damaged. And get damaged they do! My ring was given back to me with dents and scratches on both the silver housing and band that weren't there when i left it for the evening. (oh well, i still love it. it's my first piece!) And, a friend of ours went to pick up a pendant she'd left and her stone had been scratched and chipped. They're super cool guys who work there and hanging out there is fun but we decided that if we go to the trouble of making something so that it's what we consider perfect we want to get it back finished and perfect. Hence switching over to this other school! Class will be from 1 - 5pm for the next three days and get this, it only costs $22 for the course plus you pay for the silver you use and whatever stones you buy. Things are so affordable here. I don't know how much a course like this would cost in Sydney or Vancouver but i'm sure it would be a lot!

Well, that's all for now. After a stormy morning of pouring rain and clapping thunder it looks like it's starting to clear up a bit which means it's a good time to hang out some washing! I hope this finds you all happy, smiling and enjoying your day : - )

A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words!

Kim captured this moment from the train when we were traveling from Rishikesh to Amritsar. It's our favorite photo so far!

The Golden Temple.
The Golden Temple is the Sikhs' holiest shrine. It's located in Amritsar in the Punjab.

It's not uncommon in bigger cities for random people to approach you and want to have a photo taken with you. By the time these guys asked we'd already had numerous photo shoots with various families! This was taken in Amritsar.

Tibetan prayer flags in McLeod Ganj. We spent our first two weeks staying in McLeod before we moved to the smaller, quieter village of Bhagsu just 2kms away.

This was taken during a hike from McLeod to a place called Triund. It takes anywhere from 5 to 8 hours return, depending on your speed and it's a very popular hike because it gets you closer to what you'll see in the next photo!

One of the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas as seen from McLeod Ganj!


The following four photos show the small village of Bhagsu which has been our home away from home for the past six weeks.

See the cluster of houses at the top right? Ours is the brown one at the back. This picture was taken from the yoga centre where we practice. (You'll see a picture of it when you scroll down further.) It's about a 20 min walk from our house to here and it's a nice way to start off our day as we make our way to our 6:30 am class!

In Bhagsu you have to walk up or down to get anywhere, there's no way around it! For those of you from Vancouver you'll know what i mean when i say we probably walk the equivalent of the Grouse Grind every day.

The view from our balcony when looking down the valley to Dharamshala. That's an international cricket stadium you can see.

The beautiful Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Centre where we've spent the past 3 weeks learning about the Iyengar style of yoga. Iyengar's focus is on proper alignment and you use props such as blocks of wood, ropes, bars, chairs, blankets, straps and bolsters to help you achieve it. You hold poses for long periods of time, anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes and there's a large focus on relaxation as well. Kim and i have discovered that we both really like this style and we look forward to doing self practice in Africa where we can continue our journey of discovering more about our bodies and ourselves!


Random snaps from McLeod Ganj!

Talk about man power! Note all the water pipes in the background.

Road repair, Indian style!

The things you see when you walk down the street! This man is carving a beautiful ornate stamp out of a piece of wood. If only we needed a stamp : - )

A man playing an instrument on the side of the road with his little girl by his side. We're not sure what the instrument's called but the sound it produces is very cool! We see this man often when we walk the 2 km road between McLeod Ganj, which is where we used to stay and Bhagsu, which is where we stay now.