Flora, signage and mystic madness...

First of all some of my favourite signs this week...
The only pub I've seen so far where it's acceptable for women to be seen (although we were asked to sit in the men, women +/- children section!).Brilliant!The wisdom was much better than the service! We had two over-keen waiters who were highly miffed when we refused their persistent offers of 'grub'.Christ on a rickshaw?!!

I think you can hire a fellow to hit people you don't like at this road-side stall!

And now for some of the local flora:
A jasmine tree- these are growing all over the place. Most of them are very high and impossible to photograph. The huge flowers lie all over the ground and are used for hair decorations and temple offerings, sold on every street corner. You can smell their perfume as you walk by.

The Tulip Tree- there are loads of these everywhere.
Morning Glory climbing all over the trees next to the lake at my newly discovered peaceful place.

Koehne Barberry (maybe- sound good anyway).

Three in a row- not sure what the others are but the first is bougainvillea.

Chill out zone at the Mystic School. This is where we sit after meditation (or raising our Kundalini?!- (google it- I can't go into it now)).

Diana chilling...

The seven chakras that I've been attempting to balance this week. They represent seven energy centres in the body that are linked to different areas of life and the cosmos. I've been frantically trying to find some anatomical, scientific basis for this so that my family don't dis-own me! (No luck thus far).
This is where the inner-leg gonging happens. Behind this door. Not sure if I'm brave enough yet.

And here are some pictures of the lake a Swedish Lady called Monica very kindly took me to. It's right on the edge of the outer ring road- a road of utter madness and near death experiences, yet there is noone there but a few fishermen and courting couples (it is that old-fashioned I think).

Traditional fishing coracles.

Wild bamboo.

Beautiful green water.

A pelican.

A cormorant. And I've seen two types of kingfisher, an pair of eagles, and a heron colony.

Wild flowers.

This is a little video of some Ganesh Festival high jinks that I happened to pass on the way to the charity kirtan (or chanting) evening that Diana and I were roped into last full moon day.

Balancing my chakras, man!?

So I'm mid-week 2 of my yoga course and things are going interestingly. I had been feeling a bit rubbish at the beginning of this week- after three days off in which i did lots of walking- I was feeling very stiff and frankly old and comparing myself to the other yogis, some of whom can put their lythe (younger) bodies into shapes that ressemble pretzels all the while looking serene and a lot less sweaty than I do. I felt I hadn't made much visible progress because I still can't get into Marichasana D (see http://www.kpjayi.org/primary-asanas.html) after 6 years practice on and off.
However, on Monday I suddenly and strongly felt the need and motivation to start meditating again. After my previous attempts, that have all ended in me rebelling furiously, it was nice to feel that i 'wanted' to meditate as oppose to previously when I always felt that I 'should'. So i've started a little meditation course just for 6 days at sunset with a very nice and chilled out karate dude and zen master. Yes- I know I'm mixing it up a bit what with yoga and buddhism but I like this place because they don't mention 'God'- and some of you know how much that freaks me out. There are lots and lots of Gods and Goddesses here (at least one for every letter of the alphabet- in fact I saw a poster of this yesterday in the Rama Krishna Ashram bookshop) and i find that very interesting but...
So far we've done some humming meditation, some energy- sharing meditation (bear with me here) and some candle-staring. Yesterday we did some pranayama (yoga breathing) called 'Mount Everest' ( I can't remember the Sanskrit ) which involved hyper-ventilating and then staring at a candle and then swaying around a bit! I'm finding it a lot of fun BUT (panic not you doubters) I'm taking it all with a big pinch of salt while trying to keep an open mind. My teacher says he can see i have emotional blockages (i hope he can't see my other blockages 'cos i ain't going to see that proctologist!!) and that I'm ruled by my mind (not ideal if you've got a mind like mine)- both of which i could have told him myself but it's always good to get affirmation. I've been told to watch my dreams and sure enough last night I had a very emotional dream in which I was extremely and expressively ANGRY!! It felt good in the morning when I woke up to have let it all out.
The most important thing I'm learning though is that the yoga asanas (postures) I'm doing are for the sole purpose of cleansing and therefore readying my body for pranayama, meditation and ultimately discovering the 'Ultimate Truth'. This is my quest so the main message I'm taking 'to the (yoga) mat' (this is what all the cool kids are saying) is 'it doesn't matter a jot if I never get to 'kiss my own a** '(my meditation teacher's words (sorry Pauline)) what matters is turning up most, if not every, day, trying my best and LISTENING TO MY BODY. There's a lot of ambition in the yoga room and it's easy to get drawn into the competitive spirit- that's how all these ashtanga types get injured (and we do, frequently) but today I decided to try to relax, breathe and focus and I came out of there feeling light, cleansed and much happier than I did yesterday. So in conclusion I think I'm making a whole lot of progress...
Watch this space for more photos. I'll be uploading some of my new Hampstead Heath on Saturday and keeping you posted on any more zany hippy stuff I get up to. The latest thing I've been encouraged to do is Mahamudra which involves some guy in a woolen hat (I've seen his business card) 'banging a gong in between your legs'. Now who could refuse?!!

Let's (NOT) make a deal!!

Yesterday Diana and I ventured up Chaimundi Hill, a popular tourist destination and therefore a place to get thoroughly fleeced. Lots of vendors, rickshaw drivers and holy types tried to strike up deals with us while we earnestly attempted not to strike up deals in return. Some of you may receive a postcard from me in the next 2 weeks (or months- not sure about the postal system yet) which is testament to the fact that I am utterly rubbish at not being taken in by anyone with a sob story. The gorgeous boy who sold them to me only had to say "to pay for school books" and I was emptying my purse feverishly!

This sign was halfway to the top of Chaimundi Hill. I didn't get to enjoy the view too much here because it was incredibly hazy. Mysore is very spread out and pretty big. There are some lovely buildings including the Maharajah's Palace and a couple of other palaces.



The temple is dedicated to the goddess Chaimundi who freed the city from an evil war-mongering slave-driver chappie. He also bore an uncanny resemblance to our rickshaw driver!I can't say it was a spiritual experience- there were too many hard-selling postcards vendors and freaky monkeys hanging around! These are fruit and flower offerings that people take into the temple to be blessed by the priests:Another unclear photo. It says 'Godly Museum' on the right of the building. Incidentally one of my favourite Indianisms is, when referring to the backdoor or back entrance of a building, they will say 'You can find it at the backside'- call me childish but this always has me in fits.
We walked down the 1000 steps and passed this bull half way down. He is the second biggest in India- so there.

Here are some of my favourites signs this week: The photo isn't too good but in the corner underneath 'Addiction' it says the wise words "Never Again'- is this meant to encourage or dissuade us from buying their apparel?

There seems to be a bit of an epidemic occuring over here. And a pattern emerging in my blog. This morning at the talk given by our yoga teacher, he was talking a disproportionate amount about piles. Is it something to do with curries? Suggestions please...Also I didn't know what a proctologist was (lucky me?!) until I got here- I love my American flatmate, Diana's explanation: "It's an ass doctor".

Since the Ganesh festival, some households and the Ayruvedic place I went to for a massage have created these beautiful flower patterns on their thresholds.The massage was very good and I felt very relaxed afterwards but it was one of the more bizarre experiences I've ever had. For a start they don't do the coy 'stay half dressed' stuff that litigation-fearful masseurs do in UK. It's kit off completely round here and then you're given an extremely long loin cloth (which later becomes a tripping hazard) which one of the ladies helpfully ties around you. There are two masseurs who chatter away to each other most of the time- not something I mind too much apart from my paranoia has me thinking that they are obviously talking about the size of my white ass! They use a lot of lovely smelling herbal oils and then pummel you to within an inch of your life for about half an hour, all the while asking 'Pressure ok madam?' and paying little perceptible attention to the fact that you can't actually reply because they've got your face pressed into the table so hard. After the pummeling comes the steam bath which is powered with steam by a pressure cooker. You gingerly make your way into a wooden box with a hole for your head to peep out and sit on a rickety stool while being asked, at very close quarters, 'You from?' 'You marry?' 'You have hair fall?' (this seems to be another common Indian health complaint which I suffered from in China and am hoping to avoid over here). After you've been steamed till your temples throb, it's your job to try and get rid of all the oil, in the dark bathroom (the power went off mid massage which was good in that it stopped the so-called relaxing background music which was starting to do my head in) with a couple of buckets of (mercifully) warm water. The ladies then sat on the bed and watched me very carefully while I got dressed, chatting away together (I don't even want to think what they were observing this time- from my China experiences of this nature I find it better not to dwell too hard on this or I'd end up in the nuthouse). Finally a short ritual involving some chanting, a couple of sharp smacks on my forehead and a dab of oil between the eyes and Bob's your uncle...6 quid and you're 'good to go' (as my flatmate would say).

And here are some pics of the flat- which is in a building called 'The Whitehouse'. We have a resident nutter here too (no it's not me) but he doesn't weild any power so we're ok. Just have to put up with some wailing occasionally in the afternoons (a real siesta killer).

My ensuite. Who was saying I was posh?

My double bedroom- not much to see!

The kitchen. We have gas and plates and cups now but are still waiting for something to heat water in and some cutlery so we just sort of look at it once in a whiole and then go to a restaurant!

Diana 'acting natural' in our living room with my smalls hanging out to dry. There are a lot of septic tanks (yanks or Americans for anyone not familiar with the rhyming slang) here in Mysore and I'm afraid I've started adopting some of their expressions. If you notice this is getting out of hand and I'm losing my grip on Englishness and the good old British idiom, please let me know. I know how strong my tedency to pick up accents is and I don't want to start calling my trousers pants- it's not not right.

The balcony or where the resident loon sometimes stands and wails.

The coconut tree that shades the balcony. Every morning after yoga, students gather outside the shala and have a coconut juice straight from the coconut with a straw- 10 rupees a pop and it's the only thing that gets me back to the flat after the exertion.

So I'm fine- I've had 3 days off yoga due to Saturday rest day, a moon day and these coinciding with my 'lady's holiday' so I'm feeling rested and ready to start again on Tuesday. We have a full moon party this evening to raise money for a local orphans' charity. I am already tempted to start work as they are looking for English teachers but I think I'll hold off a while- I can just see myself creating a London-style full-on schedule here and that's NOT the idea.

Lots of love to all. And expect more next week...

NEWSFLASH!!!

I am unofficially the only foreigner in India to have the opposite of Dehli-belly!
Take note you doubters (Jeff P especially- I haven't forgotten our sportsman bet).
You heard it here first!!!!!

Mysore market and surrounds

Various pictures taken in the spice and veg market. The bright coloured powder is used to make bindis on peoples' foreheads for visiting the temple.

Banana leaves for plates:

Various herbs:

I couldn't have said it better myself!

These posters were on a couple of random trees by the roadside. I think some of them are political. I didn't manage to get the one of Nehru because an old man nearby started shouting at me!!

The flowers here are beautiful- this is a hybiscus which I remember from Africa although it's slightly bigger than the African one I think. There is also bougainvillia growing outside my window and I've seen garlands on jasmine and jacarranda trees.

This fellow was a member of the Wodeyar family who were the head honchos in Mysore a couple of hundred years ago. The garden where this statue is is stunning and I found it just by chance after walking down the side of a dual carriageway dodging rickshaws and heavily crowded buses.

This clinic is near my flat- don't think I'll be going there. You never know what you could get from a doctor with a name like that!

Since I arrived there have been a lot of celebrations for the Ganesh festival. Each neighbourhood seems to have its own temporary stage set up to sing and dance for ganesh and there are loads of these brightly coloured statues of the elephant god who is the destoyer of obstacles. There have also been some films on TV one with a real live elephant wearing pyjamas and a pair of shades!

My first sighting of a sacred cow! I've also seen a few goats, lots of dogs and some scrawny cats and there's some kind of bird that likes making a row in the mornings.