By train to Hyderabad/Secunderabad.Still a sign - the monsoon was here. I tried hardly, but until now I didn't understand the difference between this two places, but anyway, the trainstation is the same and Secunderabad is more easy to pronounce, the people understand me, what is not the case when I try to say Hyderabad. I remember this town as a very noisy, dusty town, but still it has a lot to explore. One center is built around the Charminarwhich offers a good look-out over the streets and bazaars, what surround it: back on the street to the park and for a small trip with the boat to say hello to Buddha the sun said good-bye yes - time for a pray The Birla Temple, located at the top of a hill, is perfect for that, and also afforts good views over the city, which seems very quiet from here - oh, maybe its my inner silence, what here appeared ;-) Hyderabad is a very big city, on the way home - wherever it was - I saw some things double and had an interesting talk with a christian priest, whom I asked for the way. He was very happy to meet a Christian, and told me that like him, everyone need to be reborn. This talk demonstrated me again, how few I know about Jesus, and my own religion - sadly! And my ego was listening carefully and so long until it found something it didn't like, and then it was satisfied and started to speak against his theory. But still in peace we said good-bye. Later on my way, I met a lot of (most) people from Hyderabad - they are very open-minded and start a conversation very quickly, or just travel a lot ;-). I don't want to say now, that the rest of India is not open-minded - they all are!
Since my travel in India, I am looking for the spiritual India - what I cannot see! One woman told me in Mumbai, that for her is spiritual growth, the way how you cope with the situations in life. And India is a nice country for inner growth, because everything is possible or can happen, especially "hard" situations often occur, when travelling through India . I like what she said. "Hard" situations are mostly not really hard situations, just for us tourists/"westerners"/"used to a lot of luxus people" some situations seem to be impossible to solve. Whatever, I decided its time to learn to meditate properly, and the 10 day long meditation course of Vipassana sounded to be a good way for me... Two calls of my rickshaw driver, and the rickshaw full of young local boys, picked up along the way, we finally found the place of the quiet, rural located place of the Vipassana Center near Eluru. Surprise, surprise, I arrived here one day to early, because on the telephone I couldn't hear exactly what is going on, not even if I have now a place for the course or not. This is a little place, not fully booked out. So everything was ok, I got a room and could join the seva (seva means selfless service) man and the teacher to eat. They were very friendly and explained me a lot of things. Since it was my first stay in an ashram, I was very thankful that they showed me, how it works. E.g. how the plates have to be cleaned, you don't touch the glass with the mouth when you drink, ... and they also made me to understand, no use of words what are not really necessary, because tomorrow its time for SILENCE! my room/cell sleeping rooms/cells meditation hall
... and it was. After 10 days of observing total silence (fully isolated - no communication in words, in eye contact, in body language...) and also the day's shedule (4 am wake up, meditation all the day with breaks of course, sleeping at 9 pm), I got in the first time very deep contact with myself. Observing the mind and body, it helped me a lot to understand what my deep worries, thinking-behavior... are. After these 10 days were over, 10 minutes speaking - mediation is not even the half so deep as before! - showed me, how important it is to observe silence! It was a really hard time, sitting so long, made my whole body hurting, my mind sometimes played the game of just want to quit the course, but a very very good experience and big step on my spiritual ladder. Vipassana is following the meditation technique of Buddha (Buddha means "the enlightened/awakened one"), and with the course you enter the path of "dhamma" (Buddhas teaching, path of "awakening"), which is said, that life will be recognizable "easier", when you go home after finishing with this course! In my situation, I thought, nothing could be more easier, or better, or whatever, because everything was alright, and I have no daily routine..., and until now, travelling was very easy, because the people here always helped me without asking - they have a good understanding of body language/feeling for each other, helping without thinking to get something in return (no ego!) and are very patient and accept situations, however they are. But when I left the course, some members had the same way than me - to go to the next bigger place, to Vijayawada for taking a train - so they took me to the train station there. I started to feel more than ever to be a package, handed from one hand to another!
Arriving on the trainstation, my plan was to take a train to Chennai, which will leave this night, so I had the day to spend it in this city. I also got a ticket only for the waiting list - will see if I get a seat. After leaving the train station, I had to search to get finally to the ghats, because the city map only shows the two big of the 5 rivers and bridges. There just sitting on the steps and watched the few people, the approx. 10 year old girl Hasitta came and asked me the usual questions. Her grandfather and other parts of the family was standing apart, and he always pushed her with words to be not to shy to speak with me. So they invited me in the little temple complex nearby to have lunch with them, they are from Hyderabad and celebrated that day the death of their grandfather, who passed away 30 days ago (how I understood) . Eating Thali, trinking Chai, I mostly spoke to Hasitta, who knew english very well, and we really had fun. So 3 hours passed quickly, and the whole family went to the river to take a bath before they will take the train back. I joined them, sitting at the steps again and when watching them bathing, ... I was so aware as not often before. The inner peace reached me, I saw why life is worth, the perfection of life in every moment, I cannot describe. After I made my way to the temple. I didn't realized that the temple is situated at the hill, because on the city map I didn't see the hill ;-) On the way, Srinu passed with the bicycle and said hello. How far is it to the temple? - 15 minutes per walk, he explained me the way. Going alone, I reached the steps to the hill and finally the big temple complex, no idea where the entrance to the main temple is, I was happy to meet him again, who offered me to guide me through the temple. He bought some offerings (coconut, flowers, ...) for the gods and explained me what is going on. After, he joined me the whole evening, helped me to bring my stuff from the train station to the bus stand (I got no train ticket, so I decided to go with the bus to Tirupathi, located close to Chennai) and waited with me until 12 pm, to get sure, that I am sitting savely in the right bus. His english was not so good, but we had really fun, I had a lot to say after this quiet time *g*, and am very thankful to this indian angel.
A long bus drive to Tirupathi. Oh, according to the Lonely Planet is Tirupathi a famous pilgrim place. Not Tirupathi, but on the top of Tirumala, the holy hill next to it, is the temple of the Lord Venkateshwara, an avatar of Vishnu (one Hindu god). Yes, a difficult name, what says to me nothing, but why not staying in this place and check it out. So I spent some days in this lovely city Tirupathi. When I visited the temple complex there, hindu pilgrims explained to me and took me around: one was sitting in a temple with me to meditate, while most people usually go very quickly in and out with the queue, another bought me a ticket to get into the main temple more fast, and another shared with me his life and the story of the temple's gods whilst waiting in the queue... I saw, pilgrims are very friendly. One day, I went with the bus also to Tirumala. According to the Lonely Planet, around 40.000 pilgrims come here daily to visit the temple. The bus not full, (in India local busses are most times full or more than full!), I didn't expect that much people. Honestly, I didn't think of that possiblity even, since now, a lot of places were pilgrim places, and I was waiting in the queue never more than 1 hour. Also for me were all indians, (in pilgrim places I rarely saw other tourists), so I did not distinguish between pilgrim and locals. Anyway, 4 boys was sitting in this bus too. And when we got off the bus at the top, one started to speak with me, with his very little english. "Where are you going?" - to the temple - "ok, come". I really wanted to go alone, but too late. Soon, we were standing at one idly stand - and I had a plate with idly (rice "Leibchen"/food) in my hand, after saying three times, that I already had breackfast. I was really full, but ok, I ate. After we went a little further in direction to the temple entrance, one boy took my shoes, another my camera (it's not allowed in the temple). I thought, ok now I should remember their faces, I do not even know their names. Then they took me through the security checks in one very big waiting hall, after passing some of this halls, and now its time to sit and wait. To wait for what? I still didn't know what is going on, and our communication basis was very limited. On a monitor, there was a movie of a ceremonie, where monchs were decorating and washing the god statues ... (i had no idea at this time about hindu culture and ceremonies) and the only thing in english was a board, with the rules of standing in the queue and behaving in front of the Lord. The first rule was: "Always chant Govinda" (a name for God), the second was: "Be aware in every moment that you are in the precence of the Lord"... my mind was busy! Where is the temple? What are we doing here? And they said, sitting until 5 pm (now it is 2 pm) here! It took me a while until I checked and accepted that that is a waiting hall, and soon, after this hall was full, it was locked - so no way back. I thought, good that I learned to sit a long time at one point and to accept at Vipassana. At 5 pm the boys told me that we have to wait until 10 pm. "Oh my god - where are you or at least this Lord" - but the waiting period finally went quickly. The boys treated me like their little sister, always brought me food and water (that was offered there for free), and snacks like pop corn, ... we played games, by which it's not neccessary to use much words, I was one of them. I found out, that they are from a town 2 hours away and this visit is like a leisure trip for them. They really enjoyed, and will spent the rest of the night over here (everything is here for pilgrims, also free sleeping possibilities... of course outside of the temple complex ;-) ) and tomorrow they will go back home.
Later, nearly everyone in the hall was lying and tried to sleep on this cold, stony floor. I was sitting there, tried to keep the touching surface of my body with this cold floor in minimum. When I looked around me, everything was quiet now, so colourful from the women's clothes, and some children sometimes gave me a smile or curious look. A lot of heads were shaved - a lot female, male and children "Buddhas" here ;-) and also the quietness reached me inside - again I saw perfection in every moment, and one reason that it is worth to live. At around 10 pm really the gates opened, 2 hours standing and slowly approaching the temple, we passed for sure more than 50 or 100 waiting halls like this (in every are more than 200 people at least, its my estimation - a lot I mean!). Now I understood, there are really a lot of people! With the queue into the temple, pushed forward and out, it was over so quickly, but it was a special moment. And I felt like on drugs when I got out - maybe also the feeling of the liberation of the last hours... anyway it was amazing. As the boys took care of me all the day and in the 2 metres broad queue, they put me back in the bus to Tirupathi (at 3 am) and before I could thank them, they quickly disappeared.
The only pictures I made before we entered the temple. The really beautiful temple you can google ;-)
On my trip to Mamallapuram, I had to change the bus. But it was the time where the children go home from school, so I had to wait there for 2 hours, until the bus will have more space and also for tourists. Of course, now where I got used to be alone and enjoyed it, it needed not long until I had company and a nice talk... Welcome in the touristic "kaff" Mamallapuram *g*. Some pictures of the main sights here. The Shore Temple and the Five Rathas - it is really not worth to pay entrance. Everything you can see from outside. I didn't hear to the people who told me that and went inside - but now I understand! the Lighthouse and some views from the front of it The beach It was nearly always raining - ah, the monsoon is later here!Sometimes I didn't know where my feet were standing on when I was walking home. The surface of the water is plain, but not the road - so I had luck or was it destiny? The only thing to do in the raining time, was to sit in one of the lots of shops here and drink tea. There are no tourists, no work, so it is hard to pass all shops without having a cup of tea. I enjoyed to use all my little vocabulary in the conversations and I had my first contact with boys from Kashmir. As before in Egypt, in touristic places, I sometimes felt like being a piece of body - the naturaliest thing is to have sex or not? There is no reason for "not", you should enjoy life, and that's a part of it! They are right, but the answer that sex is not the only way to enjoy life, some couldn't hear. Of course, for me it is more easy to get to know boys, and in general there are not so many indian girls and women on the street, shops or restaurants. Love and sex is like everywhere also here the main topic, and a lot of boys I have spoken with have a broken heart. Either their families didn't like their chosen partner, so they had to separate, or they never had the opportunity to get close to a girl. In Hindu culture, their parents mostly choose the partner, and so boys are not confronted with this issue too much, whilst moslim rather have to face the problem being alone and need to find the partner on their own. Better or not - I can't say. And as everywhere, to have a wife/husband is also a question of money. But on touristic places, often boys think that a girl from abroad is the solution of all their problems. Many people are feeling lonely. One kiss is better than nothing, one night is brilliant... I think that they believe, e.g. in Europe we have sex all the time. Some boys have a broken heart from a tourist girl or are still waiting that their sweetheart returns. Of course, there are also the honest once, who really fall in love and marry. But mainly, tourist women as well as men hold them there a "sexmachine" for money. So you can't imagine, how often I would have been "the" solution, and how often I was confronted with this issue. I often was disappointed, after a nice talk/time/encounter, to come to this point again. Must everything be focused on sexuality... (i speak from touristic places, and Egypt, not my travel in the rest of India). I knew, the world outside is a reflection of my inside, but at this time, it was too much, and I didn't understand this reflection! It is time for a change!
Anyway, I also met some Kashmir angels, Reyaz (not on the picture), Tanvir and Asif, who showed me, that to get a "TV" is not so important and friendship is also possible, and they really know how to make good food - don't need a girl for that ;-)
On my way later, I often met boys from Kashmir and northern India. Mostly they are moslim and have shops all over the country. When I had time, felt lonely or just one knew how to catch me for a talk, I had a cup of tea with them, and often we talked about religion. So I came closer to their holy "guidebook for life", the koran and I can understand now - it is really holy. What I know now is still very little, but I admire their attitude towards life. But can it be perfect? That is what I asked myself often, so I started to ask a lot of questions, until I found one part, what does not fit in my picture totally: there is too no reincarnation! My ego was satisfied and I was relieved, no reason to convert to the Islam *g*.
Arriving in the "french" town Pondycherry, i decided its time to shave my hair. It was long time in my mind, but until now, i was not brave enough. In Tirupathi I saw a lot of people, also a lot of women and children with a shaved head, who offered their hair to their gods or its a sign for cutting the ego. It was in my mind to cut my hair also on the holy hill, but it was not in my way. Anyway - its time to change my reflection, to cut my ego at least a bit ;-) - i want to give more importance to inner values, and want also that people see in me the inner values, not my outside.
The promenade in Pondycherry, my mind was working...
my beautiful hair not only I have beautiful hair, a nice day and now its the right time, after passing twice the third hair cutter shop, I went into it.Oh oh - the shaver is waiting, the last picture no, no, but now its no return ... and i was surprised, i didn't cry for my hair. It was more a big release, I felt freedom, a feeling of real happyness, not to describe. I think you can say, its like when you face and overcome a big worry. You know what I mean? In Pondycherry is the ashram of "the Mother" and "Sri Aurobindo". But its a small ashram, a good place for meditation, but it does not host people. Very close to here, 8 km away, there is the place Auroville, which is a place of "spiritual communities". Of course I want to go there, and the possibility, when a man/guide asked to bring me was a good chance. The meditaion hall: You need a permission to get inside, and today it was to late. But if you want to know what is inside, maybe this model help you with it ;-)Don't worry, I don't know it too. He also showed me the israelian camp, an organic camp, where you work a bit, and you can stay for little money. To see this camp was really fantastic, especially how the toilet works, no the picture just shows the bathroom. And it was my plan, to come here in two days to stay for a while. As usual, I was still tired of sightseeing, and that seemed a good place to hang out. But 2 raining days followed, with the sideeffect, that I got sick: I forgot to keep my head warm - now I know the use of hair. Spending 3 days lying in my room, of course, my mind was thinking and depressive, and it got to the conclusion, I still didn't find the spiritual India. I am also sick of travelling, it is very exhausting... I don't want any more! The point is, that until now, I always enjoyed my travel, but inside I was still empty. I experienced a lot, so many perfect moments, often better like in the best movie I ever could imagine, but I mostly was not attached. I didn't understand, and it didn't fullfill me inside. I send the pray in the universe/to my angels now to find the spirituality in India, I know now, you can travel the country also without checking anything of it... This is again not enough spirituality!
When I felt better, I decided not to go in this camp, I will go to the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparthi. Because I heard, the engery in Tiruvannamalai, which is close to here should be very high, and a woman I met here, told me she will go there and stay for some months, I got curious and decided also to make a quick stop-over there.
Still a sign - the monsoon was here. I tried hardly, but until now I didn't understand the difference between this two places, but anyway, the trainstation is the same and Secunderabad is more easy to pronounce, the people understand me, what is not the case when I try to say Hyderabad. I remember this town as a very noisy, dusty town, but still it has a lot to explore. One center is built around the Charminar
which offers a good look-out over the streets and bazaars, what surround it:
back on the street
to the park
and for a small trip with the boat
to say hello to Buddha
the sun said good-bye
yes - time for a pray
The Birla Temple, located at the top of a hill, is perfect for that, and also afforts good views over the city, which seems very quiet from here - oh, maybe its my inner silence, what here appeared ;-)
Hyderabad is a very big city, on the way home - wherever it was - I saw some things double and had an interesting talk with a christian priest, whom I asked for the way. He was very happy to meet a Christian, and told me that like him, everyone need to be reborn. This talk demonstrated me again, how few I know about Jesus, and my own religion - sadly! And my ego was listening carefully and so long until it found something it didn't like, and then it was satisfied and started to speak against his theory. But still in peace we said good-bye.
Later on my way, I met a lot of (most) people from Hyderabad - they are very open-minded and start a conversation very quickly, or just travel a lot ;-). I don't want to say now, that the rest of India is not open-minded - they all are!
