Moments in Bhārat Mātā's capital

On our last evening together in Delhi, we take to the streets walking amongst Delhi's middle class people who are surprisingly eager to take photos in well-known Taj Mahal-poses. Fascinated we high-jacked these guys for our own amusement.

The metro is our anchor. A well-functioning wonder in the chaos of Delhi. The public space is filled up with men as usual.

We have a Nick Hornby moment

Strolling down Rajpath boulevard at sunset towards Delhi's India Gate was the perfect way to end our two-month India adventure. It was also conducive to a little reminiscing about the trip. In litt selv-opptatt Nick Hornby/Erlend Loe style, we came up with a list of moments that will stick with us for a while. In no particular order (except possibly the first), here are some of them:

1) Seeing His Holiness, the Dalai Lama
After hours of chanting and sitting squished between thousands of other anticipated folks, the emotional rush in the audience as the Dalai Lama walked into the temple was just electric.

2) The Jama Masjid, Delhi
I'll never forget the feeling of the warm, monsoon-soaked tiles under our feet and the feeling of solace after a particularly crazy beginning to the trip.

3) Small-town life in McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh
Walk down Jogibara Road and you'll inevitably run into the guy in your yoga or conversation class, the woman selling 3-for-10 rupee momos on the street (mmmm), or the monk you sat next to during the teachings. A diverse set of characters in this little town made us feel most welcome, and their stories of both hardship and joy in and outside of Tibet will stay with us for a long time to come.

4) The fort at Bikaner, Rajasthan
We went to Rajasthan; we saw a lot of forts. This one in particular, however, stood out because of the amazing and hilarious Indian guide who made sure we learned exactly how heavy those guns were (30kg) and how they were used (on camels!). Elise also picked up some good guiding tips to use back at Bymuseet ;)

5) The city walk with Salaam Baalak Trust
This tour, led by Satender, a former street child now employed by the Trust, showed us a side to Delhi that's disturbingly a reality for over 100,000 children in the city. You can find out more and support the Trust's work for street children at http://www.salaambaalaktrust.com/

As I write this, Elise is somewhere up there on her way back to Oslo, while I wait to catch my flight to Singapore this evening. Tusen takk for en kjempefin tur Elise, og god tur hjem! I couldn't have asked for a better travel partner--although we've had a great trip all in all and it's easy to just remember the good moments, like every trip there have been ups and downs and difficulties but together I think we've managed to take it in stride :)

I'm really looking forward to going to Singapore, seeing family and exploring the city I'm (oh yeah...) originally from, but until then, it's time to savour the last day in Delhi!

Namaste/tashi delek
Lixian

Glimpses of everyday life

Jampa visiting us in our humble abode on Jogiwara Road.
He's as kind and caring as you would expect, giving Lixian juice to quicken her recovery.
And he can answer all my questions about Buddhism :)

Tashi Sangye making momos. I'll feed you all when I get back home!

The local hospital Tibetan Deleg.
Look at this sneaking nun trying to squeeze in front of Lixian. But to be fair, the line is long and if you're aiming for enlightenment in this lifetime...

Some of the students and the volunteers at the Tashi Choeling Monastery.
I look huge next to Dorkhai, one of two female students in my class.

Lobsang, Dawa (his name means moon) and Kenrab. Dawa's my favourite student.

Lixian at night... Hehehe... It is pretty cold sometimes.

Yes to condom. No to AIDS
The tag line of medicine bags from the hospital.

Bursdag 10.10.2010

So, my birthday this year consisted of mainly two things:
hiking and eating.

HIKING

EATING

Livet mellom fjellene i McLeod Ganj...

... the short way to enlightenment!

Hver formiddag klokken 13.00 ruller regnskyene nedover fjellryggen og herjer med folk og fe i McLeod Ganj. Dette er regn. Bergensere tror de vet hva regn er... De har faktisk ikke den fjerneste anelse. Heldigvis har vi morgentimene og varme cafeer og meditasjonssaler (gompaer) hvor vi kan riste av oss vann og frustrasjoner.

Vi har blitt husvarme i landsbyen mellom fjellene. Folk hilser. Vi hoier tashi deleg og namaste om hverandre. Livet er bra.

Middag paa Carpe Diem, Lixian sitt stamsted.

Tradisjonell tibetansk kjole og bluse. Stripete forkle indikerer at du er gift.

Navnelappen som reserverte plassen min under Hans Hellighets forelesningsrekke fra 4.-7. oktober.

Gompaen paa Tushita meditasjonssenter hvor jeg mediterer om morgenen.

The Dalai Lama comes to town

Today hereby ended a four-day Buddhist teaching session in McLeod Ganj, led by none other than the Dalai Lama himself.

What an experience it was to hear the Dalai Lama speak in person. I'm not a Buddhist and have never really studied Buddhist philosophy so it was a bit complicated at times, but there were still many concepts that I felt I could take with me. But I'll let Elise comment more on the teachings as she was a much more diligent pupil than I ;)

What really fascinated me most about the teachings was the kind of sociology of it and the actual experience of being there. The system seems totally crazy at first--you go there the day before to reserve your seat by writing your name down and taping it onto these mattresses outside the temple where the Dalai Lama sits. But then the day comes and you see it actually works--even though it's you and 2000 other people squeezing onto these mattresses for two-hour sessions at a time!

I think what struck me the most was the sense of tenderness that pervaded everything that was happening, from how everyone was provided Tibetan bread and butter tea, to how the monks next to us would then still offer us their leftover half-eaten knobs of bread, to how they taught Elise how to perform certain Buddhist rituals even though we didn't take our layperson vows ;) At times I felt kind of like, who am I really to be here?--I mean, really, I was doing everything wrong, from bringing my leather bag in to fidgeting all the time because my hips were stiff from sitting cross-legged to killing an ant that was crawling up my arm (oops), and oh yeah, I'm not a Buddhist--but it was really this overwhelming sense of openness and tenderness that made me feel super welcome. And there are these really human moments about the teachings that I loved--even though thousands of people were there to see this religious and political rock star, and most were dutifully paying attention, there were still times when people (including monks) fell asleep, and got excited and a little chatty when the tea came around, and laughing at the kids running around and causing a ruckus when the Dalai Lama was speaking :) It was all wonderful to watch and partake in.

Cameras were not allowed during the teachings, so no personal shots of His Holiness, sorry ;) But here are some photos from the day before...

Always walk clockwise and spin the prayer wheels in the same direction :)

The mattress system

Love you!
Lixian

Waiting for His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

I morgen, mandag 4. oktober 2010, vil Lixian og jeg befinne oss intet mindre enn 50 meter fra Dalai Lama her i McLeod Ganj. Men denne soevnige fjellandsbyen (som naa yrer av liv i paavente av hans hellighet) er et enestaaende pusterom under Himalayas krappe fjell og myke aaskammer. Her kommer noen bilder fra vaart landsbyliv og fjelltur opp til Triund, 2900 m.o.h.

Fjelltur til Triund. Taaka kom raskt.

Chai, chai, chai, chai, chai!
I India faar du Chai overalt. Paa 2500 m.o.h her. Og selvsagt var det enda et chaiutsalg paa Triund.