India .... an explosion of sights, sounds, scents .... Jiva

Sights, colors and scents invade the senses

A common sight on the streets that comprise Chandi Chowk ... Old Delhi
...... Cars, cyclos, pedestrains, cows .... all competing for space in crowded conditions

Mahatma Gandhi's cremation site ... surrounded by 40 acres of gardens ... very peaceful, reflective spot

.... the flame has been burning since his death on January 30, 1948 .... I believe his ashes were scattered in the Ganges as are the ashes of most Indians or in tributaries they feel will all eventually lead to the Ganges :)

Namaste Jiva ..... (Hello Life .... these two words are about all I have managed to learn in Hindu, so inevitably, my favorites :) ...... Actually, Jiva comes from the Sanskrit word jiv ... to breathe, and from a Latin base ... vivus, meaning life .... how cool is that .... breathing in life!) ...... In the Bhagavad Gita the word is described as "eternal, not of this material world, is of a spiritual nature" which just about sums up my feelings on a certain part of the Indian experience! .... Namaste, although every Indian I ask, says it is just a basic hello greeting, I have read it also symbolizes saluting the divine in everyone you greet .... my heart prefers that definition :)

I love love love this country! Year after year my mantra was, "well, perhaps next year I will make it to India" ........ the timing was somehow never right!! I am glad I waited. I spent the first two days, just wandering around Delhi, exploring various historical sights, hired an Indian version of the cyclo/rickshaw to tour around Chandi Chowk, heart of old town Delhi, (had my arms scraped a number of times .... the crowding was unbelievable ..... loved every bit of the chaos despite scraped body parts ..... at one point, we were almost knocked over by another cyclist, delivering a load of goods resembling a mountain! .... have no idea how he managed to maneuver his way through the narrow streets that make up Chandi Chowk .... crazy!) .... visited Gandhi's cremation site which sits in a beautiful 40 acre park. Very moving for me as I have rather revered Gandhi for many years .... since reading his autobiography in the 80's and various papers on the meaning of truth and peace ...... certainly a hero in India, his image on all the paper currency ........ It was nice to walk through the park and just feel the peace. On another more material note, I gorged on all my favorite Indian dishes .... spicy curries, dal, tandoori, chicken tikka, rogan josh, and ahh, the warm delicious fresh naan .... yummm ....... hard to resist. Unlike Elizabeth Gilbert who came here to starve herself at a meditation retreat ..... I did not! After the last few weeks, however, perhaps I should reconsider and research that retreat :) ..... A few pictures from my first days here .... before meeting up with the Palace on Wheels troops ...... who incidentally, I totally adored .... how lucky to keep meeting awesome people along the way ....... Jiva!