With just a few days to see Jordan, we had to stop and see the beautiful rose stone city of Petra. Petra was built in the 3rd century BC by the Nabataeans. The Nabataeans are one of the most gifted people in history, who carved palaces, temples, tombs and stables from the sand stone cliffs. The Nabataeans were an ancient Arab tribes who originally came from the Arabian Peninsula and are known to be the most open tribal group to outside cultural influences. During our visit we were able to discern the influences of the Graeco-Roman, Egyptian, Mesopotamian and local styles on each of the carved monuments. Petra, however, was gradually abandoned, and after the 14th century it was completely disserted until a Swiss traveler named Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it in 1812. Disguised as a Bedouin nomad, he snuck into the land of Petra to discover the eighth ancient wonder of the world.
It is said that one could spend up to a week walking through Petra, but with our time crunch we only spent two days sightseeing Petra. But we made the most of our two days. We had traveled to Jordan with our friend Mike (North Carolina) whom we had met in Jerusalem. Since he had a flight to catch out if Amman at 2am and ours was at 4am on the same day, we all decided to travel together to Petra and then to Amman.
Our first day we managed to spend almost 12 hours absorbing the sights of Petra. You enter into Petra through a long (1200 mts), narrow gorge of stunningly beautiful cliffs. The gorge is filled with typical Petraen features, as it was once used as the main bazaar of Petra. It is a great introduction of what is to come. At the end of the gorge, you are greeted by the famous Al-Khazheh, the Treasury of Petra. It is dazzling, with such unique architecture, immense size and the natural surrounding beauty. The treasury was used in one of the Indiana Jones film, and standing in front of it, you feel like Indiana is going to jump out of the doorway. From the treasury, we climbed up the cliffs to get a birds eye view and were led by a Bedouin nomad to the high place of sacrifice. We would have never found it on our own, but he led us up a hard, but enjoyable climb. The view was breathtaking-immense desert, the Roman Theater, and the royal tombs sitting in front, carved into the massive sides of the mountains. Descending down the mountain, we stopped at multiple tombs, the colonnaded street, and the temple of the winged lion. These were all great, but they just happened to be on the way to the second most famous site of Petra-the monastery. Up 800 stairs cut into the side of the Ad-Deir Mountain was exhausting after being at Petra all day, but entirely worth it! The monastery, Ad-dier is also huge in size and equally as beautiful as the treasury. The design is a bit simpler, but the architecture and the fact that is built into the cliffs is simply astounding in itself. They are not sure whether it was a tomb or temple, or both, but either way the monastery served as a processional route at the end of the ancient pilgrimage route. During Byzantine times, the monastery was converted and used a church.
Petra had been recommended to us from all over the world, and we are glad that we made the stop in Jordan to see it. It was equally or better than the site in Egypt, and much more off the beaten track. You can make a day trip from Israel or Egypt to see Petra, but it is such a long trip and your time is so limited to see it, so we would definitely recommend if you are that close, take the time to come spend at least a whole day. It is worth it! Our second day, since we had seen the most famous sites already, we took it easy and were able to relax and go back to the places we liked the most.
Our stay in Jordan was short. Other than Petra, we only saw the rest of the country in the car. The desert of Wadi Rum was beautiful though, and the capital city of Amman was very modern and diverse. The Jordanian people were friendly, if not overly anxious about what you thought about them and their business. The men, similar to Egypt and India, seemed to be everywhere and always offering advice and compliments, whether it was wanted or not. I decided a long time ago that I miss being with women. It is so much harder to connect with women, one to find them, and two to get them to open up to a foreigner. The man working at our hotel was constantly telling us to 'smile!, it doesn’t cost anything (a line we have heard often and really annoys us). Its only American women that don’t smile' He was not really interested in having a discussion about the culture differences between Americans and Jordanians, but I would have loved to walk down the street with him and try to find a Jordanian women that was smiling.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Come as a guest, leave as a friend!
Toriann and I have learned over and over again that, even if we plan out our next move, it rarely plays out how we plan. We had planned to skip Israel for lack of time, but after learning more about the border crossings and the ferry to Jordan (which is notoriously unreliable), we decided a stop in Jerusalem was definitely doable. And although it was a short stop, we are so glad that we went.
Jerusalem is an amazing city, filled with the history, holiness, beauty and contradictions. Considered to be full of the most holy places for Jews, Muslims and Christians, Jerusalem holds so much to see and experience. The walls of old Jerusalem surround the old city, which is divided into the Armenian, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim quarters. We stayed in the Armenian quarter at Petra hostel. The hostel was average, but our stay there was awesome due to the 50 or so South Africans camping on the roof. The group is starting out a year of traveling in which they volunteer and work wherever they are needed all over the world. The people were some of the kindest we have met on the road and they took us in as one of their own, inviting us to singing sessions on the street, ice cream and coffee runs, and hanging out on the roof. We were so blessed by them and wish them the best on their year long adventure!
Our first day in Jerusalem, we left the old city and ventured into Bethlehem. Gong to Bethlehem requires crossing through the security fence that divides Israel and the Palestinian territory. The wall was originally built to stop Palestinian weapons smugglers and suicide bombers but has cut through farm lands and neighborhoods and drastically changed life for those that live in the vicinity. The mood of the people in Bethlehem was felt immediately after crossing the fence. Our cab driver shared a bit about the constraints of living as a Palestine in Bethlehem and asked desperately to take us to the Dead Sea because the only way he could go was to bring tourists in his cab. He otherwise was not allowed and could not afford to leave the West Bank.
Anyway, while in Bethlehem we visited the Shepherd’s fields where the Shepherd’s were the first to receive the good news. We then went to where Jesus was raised for the first two years of his life before finishing at the Church of the Nativity, where it is believed that Jesus was born. After crossing back over the ´fence´ we headed across town to the immense Holocaust museum Yad Vashem in the New City. The museum was so well down and full of the heart breaking stories of the Holocaust. I was so struck with how long things were turning bad before the world started noticing and acting to stop it. The history, both ancient and recent of Israel is so complicated, full of hurt, conflict, and turmoil. It was a lot to take in, but the museum was well worth the 3 hours we spent there.
Our next day in Jerusalem we did a walking tour through the walls of the Old City. The Old City has 4 quarters, Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim. Within the walls are the Haram ash-Sharıff (the Temple Mount where the Arc of the Covenant was supposedly kept), the Western ´wailing´ wall- the only remnants of Judaism’s holiest shrine, Via Dolorosa (the way of the cross), the Church of the Holy Sepulcre (where Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Coptic Christians believe Jesus was crucified) and so many other religious and historical sites. It is impossible to name them all, even to see them all.
We saw the Old City on Friday, which is the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath. In the evening we headed down to the Western Wall to see the Hasidic Jews do their prayers. It was an amazing sight, like nothing I have ever seen before. The people gather around the wall, chanting their prayers, leaning towards the wall-men on one side and women on the other. The Jewish day of rest, called Shabbat, is from Friday afternoon until sunset on Saturday. The city, other than the Christian and Muslim quarters of the Old City, shuts down-no restaurants, public transportation, shops, etc. So although we were planning to leave Saturday, the Shabbat made that impossible and we stayed for another day in Jerusalem.
Saturday we walked up to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus took on the sin of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Church of All Nations stands. The Mount of Olives is just outside the walls of the Old City and if you walk up the mountain side, the view of the city is stunning. The next stop was the Garden Tomb, also just outside the Old City. The Garden tomb is the place where Protestants believe the crucifixion and resurrection occurred. After seeing those last two spots, we embraced the day of rest and had a nap before heading to a Messianic Jewish church service. The service was very contemporary, not at all what we were expecting, but all the same it was amazing. There was a definite spirit of freedom that seemed to be present and I loved worshipping in Hebrew. The congregation was so mixed and filled with people from all over the world that had come to Israel for some reason or another.
Our time in Israel was fascinating, challenging-spiritually, politically, emotionally, and also rewarding. I think we met some of the best people in Jerusalem that we have met on the road so far as well as seeing some of the significant sites of Christianity. We have traveled through the lands of the origins of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and now Christianity.
Jerusalem is an amazing city, filled with the history, holiness, beauty and contradictions. Considered to be full of the most holy places for Jews, Muslims and Christians, Jerusalem holds so much to see and experience. The walls of old Jerusalem surround the old city, which is divided into the Armenian, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim quarters. We stayed in the Armenian quarter at Petra hostel. The hostel was average, but our stay there was awesome due to the 50 or so South Africans camping on the roof. The group is starting out a year of traveling in which they volunteer and work wherever they are needed all over the world. The people were some of the kindest we have met on the road and they took us in as one of their own, inviting us to singing sessions on the street, ice cream and coffee runs, and hanging out on the roof. We were so blessed by them and wish them the best on their year long adventure!
Our first day in Jerusalem, we left the old city and ventured into Bethlehem. Gong to Bethlehem requires crossing through the security fence that divides Israel and the Palestinian territory. The wall was originally built to stop Palestinian weapons smugglers and suicide bombers but has cut through farm lands and neighborhoods and drastically changed life for those that live in the vicinity. The mood of the people in Bethlehem was felt immediately after crossing the fence. Our cab driver shared a bit about the constraints of living as a Palestine in Bethlehem and asked desperately to take us to the Dead Sea because the only way he could go was to bring tourists in his cab. He otherwise was not allowed and could not afford to leave the West Bank.
Anyway, while in Bethlehem we visited the Shepherd’s fields where the Shepherd’s were the first to receive the good news. We then went to where Jesus was raised for the first two years of his life before finishing at the Church of the Nativity, where it is believed that Jesus was born. After crossing back over the ´fence´ we headed across town to the immense Holocaust museum Yad Vashem in the New City. The museum was so well down and full of the heart breaking stories of the Holocaust. I was so struck with how long things were turning bad before the world started noticing and acting to stop it. The history, both ancient and recent of Israel is so complicated, full of hurt, conflict, and turmoil. It was a lot to take in, but the museum was well worth the 3 hours we spent there.
Our next day in Jerusalem we did a walking tour through the walls of the Old City. The Old City has 4 quarters, Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim. Within the walls are the Haram ash-Sharıff (the Temple Mount where the Arc of the Covenant was supposedly kept), the Western ´wailing´ wall- the only remnants of Judaism’s holiest shrine, Via Dolorosa (the way of the cross), the Church of the Holy Sepulcre (where Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Coptic Christians believe Jesus was crucified) and so many other religious and historical sites. It is impossible to name them all, even to see them all.
We saw the Old City on Friday, which is the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath. In the evening we headed down to the Western Wall to see the Hasidic Jews do their prayers. It was an amazing sight, like nothing I have ever seen before. The people gather around the wall, chanting their prayers, leaning towards the wall-men on one side and women on the other. The Jewish day of rest, called Shabbat, is from Friday afternoon until sunset on Saturday. The city, other than the Christian and Muslim quarters of the Old City, shuts down-no restaurants, public transportation, shops, etc. So although we were planning to leave Saturday, the Shabbat made that impossible and we stayed for another day in Jerusalem.
Saturday we walked up to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus took on the sin of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Church of All Nations stands. The Mount of Olives is just outside the walls of the Old City and if you walk up the mountain side, the view of the city is stunning. The next stop was the Garden Tomb, also just outside the Old City. The Garden tomb is the place where Protestants believe the crucifixion and resurrection occurred. After seeing those last two spots, we embraced the day of rest and had a nap before heading to a Messianic Jewish church service. The service was very contemporary, not at all what we were expecting, but all the same it was amazing. There was a definite spirit of freedom that seemed to be present and I loved worshipping in Hebrew. The congregation was so mixed and filled with people from all over the world that had come to Israel for some reason or another.
Our time in Israel was fascinating, challenging-spiritually, politically, emotionally, and also rewarding. I think we met some of the best people in Jerusalem that we have met on the road so far as well as seeing some of the significant sites of Christianity. We have traveled through the lands of the origins of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and now Christianity.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Dahab and the Red Sea
A brake was much needed after all the temples and street hassling. We were told by many people how great Dahab is for its diving and calm atmosphere, so we had long decided to end our Egypt travels in Dahab(located on the Sınaı pennısula). Expecting to only stay 2 or 3 days max we have ended up staying about 5 days. Since being here we have spent our days diving, relaxing at the restaurant lawn chairs, and hanging out with friends.
We did three diving trips-lighthouse, canyon and blue hole. Lighthouse is a site super close to our hostel and to be honest was pretty average for coral and fish. We were told to dive there because it’s a good and easy site to visit plus it’s a way for the dive masters to check our weights since there is so much salt in the red sea your buoyancy is higher. Although we were pretty unimpressed, it was still a fun dive and were lookıng foward to dıvıng at the other, more famous dıve sıtes.
The next day we drove about 15 minutes along the coast to canyon and blue hole. In the morning we dived at canyon which is a long narrow canyon ranging in depth from 18-50m. Most of the coral is dead because of all the tourism, but at the end of the dive we went down into this crack where we saw schools of fish. The canyon was impressive but would have been amazing to see it filled with coral, what a site that would have been. After a lunch break we suited up and walked into blue hole. This dive site is one of Dahab most famous site because of how incredibly blue the water is and how deep it goes, 160m. We started at the blue hole and continued along the cliff to the bells. Again, most of the coral is dead but the site and layout of the cliff is different then other dives.
Just before leaving Egypt, we spent our second to last night hiking up Mt. Sinai which stands 2285m above sea level. We left our hostel at about 10pm and drove two hours to the bottom of Mt. Sinai where we were greeted by a local guide. There are two paths which you can choose from to walk up Mt. Sinai. Our guide took us up Camels Path which is the longer route but much easier to walk in the night time. Although it is night time and very dark we were just two days short of the full moon so it was surprisingly bright out. The hike up takes about 2 hours but with several hours to kill before the sun rises we stopped at the little tea shops along the way and warmed our body’s in the warm huts. Just before arriving to the top, the camel’s path joined up with the Steps of Repentance and we had to walk up about 700 steps before arriving to the top. Once we made it to the top, Heather and I pulled out our sleeping bags and rented a wool blanket to keep ourselves warm. Cuddling trying to keep ourselves warm and out of the wind we rested for about at an hour and half till the sunrise. This hour and half was miserable, we were freezing and our toes were so cold they hurt to move. We started to ask ourselves why we choose to hike Mt. Sinai in the middle of the night, but once the sun started to rise we were so thankful we did. The sky was clear and the sunrise was brilliant, one of the best ones we have seen so far. It was awesome to ımagıne Moses receıvıng the 10 commandments at the top of thıs beautıful mountaın. After we greeted the sun, we gathered with the rest of the group and decided to take the Steps of Repentance down. This path is a bit shorter but tougher on the legs because there are 3750 steps down. These steps were built by a single monk in order to fulfill his pledge of penitence.
Once we arrived at the bottom we all piled back in the van and headed back to Dahab were I gather most everyone like us spent the day sleeping and recovering from our night hike. Although we only had a day or so left we simply relaxed, packed and prepared ourselves for our long travel day to Jerusalem, Israel.
We did three diving trips-lighthouse, canyon and blue hole. Lighthouse is a site super close to our hostel and to be honest was pretty average for coral and fish. We were told to dive there because it’s a good and easy site to visit plus it’s a way for the dive masters to check our weights since there is so much salt in the red sea your buoyancy is higher. Although we were pretty unimpressed, it was still a fun dive and were lookıng foward to dıvıng at the other, more famous dıve sıtes.
The next day we drove about 15 minutes along the coast to canyon and blue hole. In the morning we dived at canyon which is a long narrow canyon ranging in depth from 18-50m. Most of the coral is dead because of all the tourism, but at the end of the dive we went down into this crack where we saw schools of fish. The canyon was impressive but would have been amazing to see it filled with coral, what a site that would have been. After a lunch break we suited up and walked into blue hole. This dive site is one of Dahab most famous site because of how incredibly blue the water is and how deep it goes, 160m. We started at the blue hole and continued along the cliff to the bells. Again, most of the coral is dead but the site and layout of the cliff is different then other dives.
Just before leaving Egypt, we spent our second to last night hiking up Mt. Sinai which stands 2285m above sea level. We left our hostel at about 10pm and drove two hours to the bottom of Mt. Sinai where we were greeted by a local guide. There are two paths which you can choose from to walk up Mt. Sinai. Our guide took us up Camels Path which is the longer route but much easier to walk in the night time. Although it is night time and very dark we were just two days short of the full moon so it was surprisingly bright out. The hike up takes about 2 hours but with several hours to kill before the sun rises we stopped at the little tea shops along the way and warmed our body’s in the warm huts. Just before arriving to the top, the camel’s path joined up with the Steps of Repentance and we had to walk up about 700 steps before arriving to the top. Once we made it to the top, Heather and I pulled out our sleeping bags and rented a wool blanket to keep ourselves warm. Cuddling trying to keep ourselves warm and out of the wind we rested for about at an hour and half till the sunrise. This hour and half was miserable, we were freezing and our toes were so cold they hurt to move. We started to ask ourselves why we choose to hike Mt. Sinai in the middle of the night, but once the sun started to rise we were so thankful we did. The sky was clear and the sunrise was brilliant, one of the best ones we have seen so far. It was awesome to ımagıne Moses receıvıng the 10 commandments at the top of thıs beautıful mountaın. After we greeted the sun, we gathered with the rest of the group and decided to take the Steps of Repentance down. This path is a bit shorter but tougher on the legs because there are 3750 steps down. These steps were built by a single monk in order to fulfill his pledge of penitence.
Once we arrived at the bottom we all piled back in the van and headed back to Dahab were I gather most everyone like us spent the day sleeping and recovering from our night hike. Although we only had a day or so left we simply relaxed, packed and prepared ourselves for our long travel day to Jerusalem, Israel.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Temples, Temples and more Temples
Before leaving Cairo on our overnight train to Aswan we booked a 5 nights 6 days package tour which would take us to several temples, ride on the Felucca up the Nile and end in Luxor. Excited from just seeing the pyramids and the Egyptian Museum we were super pumped to visit all the famous temples down in the Nile valley.
Our first stop was to Aswan's famous High Dam, which was completed in 1971. The construction of the Dam created Lake Nasser which is the world's largest artificial lake. The construction of the Dam was not cheep or easy since during the building process they noticed the water level rising which then forced the Egyptian government to send out an international plea for financial help to move the surrounding temples to higher ground. The UN and individual governments responded to this plea by funding the $36 million relocation effort. The method which was used to relocate the temples was by simply cutting the temples into pieces and then moves them to higher ground. After learning this I don't know how beneficial it was to create the dam in the first place.
The fist temple we visited was Temple of Isis which was originally built on Philae Island but is now located on Agilkia Island. Isis is a goddess of healer of children and wife of Osiris. It is said that Isis found her husbands heart on Philae after he was dismembered. This thus makes it the most sacred of Isis' homes.
After our afternoon sight visits we joined our Italian friends Omar and Stephano to dinner where we indulged in some falafels, shish kebabs and Egyptian sweets (baklava my favorite). It was early to bed since we had to be up at 3:30 to head out to Abu Simbel which is 297km outside of Aswan and 50 km from the Sudanese boarder.
The great Temple of Abu Simbel is dedicated to the god Ra-Hurakhti and built by Ramses II. However by looking at it you would never guess because four 22m tall statues of Ramses II sit at the entrance of the temple and eight more stands inside. Ramses II also had a temple built for his wife Nefertari which is called Temple of Hathor. The temple is dedicated to Hathor the young goddess of fertility and sky. This temple is one of the only temples in Egypt dedicated to a woman.
With two nights down and three more to go we spent two of the three nights on a felucca. Our felucca ride did not go according to plan which was very disappointing and frustrating but on the upside though the people on the felucca were great. We had so much fun hanging out with Katie, Ben and Simon from England and Veronica from France. Our trip on the Felucca was supposed to take us to Elephant and Kithneer Island which is across the Nile from Aswan. From there we were supposed to sail down to Kom Ombo and have dinner and visit it in the morning. The next day we were expected to sail from Kom Ombo to Edfu and visit Edfu in the morning. Well lets just say we never made it to Kom Ombo by felucca but instead drove to Kom Ombo and then to Edfu and finally to Luxor.
Day one we sailed across the Nile and just sat and watched the sun go down while we asked ourselves why we were not moving. Oh that's because the wind was to strong and the Nile police would come and tell us to dock. B...S....!!!! Right as the sun was setting we sailed for about an hour and then docked till morning. For day two we sailed most of the day but not all the way to Kom Ombo because it's better for our sleep to dock a few km outside where it's quite. Annoyed and frustrated we were left with little to do but enjoy each others company. I however felt myself getting sick with chills and high fever just wanting to be off the felucca. Still feeling sick by day three on the felucca we packed our bags hailed a min bus and all crammed in with other frustrated felucca passengers and visited Kom Ombo and Edfu.
Kom Ombo still standing in its original spot unlike the other two is a series of temples. The temple dates back to the Middle Kingdom and several rulers such as Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy XIII and Caesar Augustus have contributed something to this temple. Various parts of the temple are dedicated to different gods or goddess.
In Edfu we visited the Temple of Horus, whom is the son of Isis and Osiris and is recognized for his hawk head and is known for the guard against evil. This temple took almost 200 years to construct and is one of the last great Egyptian monuments. Several religious festivals were healed in honor of Horus at this temple.
With Kom Ombo and Edfu down we had a fully packed day of temples and valleys in Luxor waiting for us the next day. Exhausted and still getting the chills and fevers we decided to spend two days in Luxor instead of one which ended up breaking up the long sight seeing day. Needing to rest and sleep we took it easy for the night and morning. By the afternoon I managed to get enough strength to visit Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple.
Karnak Temple is amazing with its intricacy and proportions of pillars. Every major period of Egypt's ancient history is represented in this temple. The temple holds several shrines which are dedicated to the sun god Amun and his family. Another interesting think about Karnak Temple is it still has ancient mud brick scaffoldings which were used to erect the massive walls.
Luxor Temple which is located about five blocks from our wonderful hostel called Oasis, the temple was built around 1380 BCE by Amenhotep III. Other significant pharaohs such as Ramses II to Tutankhamun made there mark as well. Luxor Temple was meant to serve as a love nest for the gods and many couples would spend 24 days and nights in the sanctuary. Currently a Muslim temple is being built inside Luxor Temple.
While visiting these temples we spent our time walking around with our friend Kate whom just finished volunteering with Peace Core in Namibia. Discussing how I was feeling she suggested I get tested for malaria to be on the safe side. Heather and I decided to stop by some pharmacies on the way home to pick up a malaria test kit but since malaria is not common here we were sent to the hospital. Luckily our travel agent friends had plans to meet us for coffee and instead volunteered to take us to the hospital. Our visit was short, brief and interesting, come to find out they don't have the test and sent us to a lab doctor. With Mindu and Ramez by our sides they knew where to go and settled it out for us. I had my blood drawn tested and was expected to return at 10:30pm for my results. Well come to find out I don't have malaria but instead have Pharaohs revenge (travelers diarrhea) from the food on the felucca. Mindu says it happens all the time and laughed at me for not telling him I had diarrhea. But since I had just come from India where malaria is very prominent I thought I had malaria because no one else was sick off the boat. Oh well, it made for a fun adventure and Heather was such a trooper and good care taker.
With east bank down we were left visiting the west bank where the Valley of Kings and Queens are plus the Temple of Hatchebsot and Clossi of Memonon. First stop Valley of Kings has roughly 64 known tombs which were buried in the valley. We visited three of the 64 tombs. First we saw Ramses IV tomb which was used as a Byzantine church. Inside the tomb we saw lots of Coptic graffiti plus paintings which come from the Book of the Dead and the Book of the Gates. Next we visited Ramses IX tomb which features gold figures against a deep blue background. Inside the tomb they found Ramses IX's sarcophagus in a pit beyond the corridor. Finally we ended with Ramses I and his tomb has one of the shortest corridors in the valley which is said to be a reflection of his short rule. Inside his tomb the walls were painted with scenes of Ramses playing with the gods.
Form the valley of Kings we went to the Temple of Hatshepsut which is built in a three tiered form and stands tall against the sheer limestone cliffs in the background. Hatshepsut is the only female ruler to obtain the title of pharaoh after the death of her husband Thutmose II. She is said to have dressed up as a drag at times, which we thought was interesting.
Next to follow was the Valley of Queens which holds the burial place for the wives of the pharaohs and there children. It holds roughly 30 tombs and we visited two, Tomb of Titi and Tomb of Amonherkhepeshef. Inside the Tomb of Amonherkhepeshef laid a desiccated fetus which was displayed in a small case. It was impressive to see it in its perfect fetus form and has been well preserved. Both tombs were similar to the kings yet a bit smaller.
Before returning home after a very long hot morning we stopped to take pictures of the two statues known as Colossi of Memnon. These two magnificently tall statues are the only two things which remain of the largest temple dedicated to Amenhotep III.
Feeling better yet exhausted from all the sites we sat and had lunch before we headed out into the bazaar to do a quick shopping trip. Our shopping trip was short and brief because our bus to Dahab a waited. These past six days have flown by, its amazing to think of all the temples we visited but they have all been unique and one of a kind. However our time in Dahab will be a good break from the ancient Egyptian ruins. Red Sea here we come!!!
Our first stop was to Aswan's famous High Dam, which was completed in 1971. The construction of the Dam created Lake Nasser which is the world's largest artificial lake. The construction of the Dam was not cheep or easy since during the building process they noticed the water level rising which then forced the Egyptian government to send out an international plea for financial help to move the surrounding temples to higher ground. The UN and individual governments responded to this plea by funding the $36 million relocation effort. The method which was used to relocate the temples was by simply cutting the temples into pieces and then moves them to higher ground. After learning this I don't know how beneficial it was to create the dam in the first place.
The fist temple we visited was Temple of Isis which was originally built on Philae Island but is now located on Agilkia Island. Isis is a goddess of healer of children and wife of Osiris. It is said that Isis found her husbands heart on Philae after he was dismembered. This thus makes it the most sacred of Isis' homes.
After our afternoon sight visits we joined our Italian friends Omar and Stephano to dinner where we indulged in some falafels, shish kebabs and Egyptian sweets (baklava my favorite). It was early to bed since we had to be up at 3:30 to head out to Abu Simbel which is 297km outside of Aswan and 50 km from the Sudanese boarder.
The great Temple of Abu Simbel is dedicated to the god Ra-Hurakhti and built by Ramses II. However by looking at it you would never guess because four 22m tall statues of Ramses II sit at the entrance of the temple and eight more stands inside. Ramses II also had a temple built for his wife Nefertari which is called Temple of Hathor. The temple is dedicated to Hathor the young goddess of fertility and sky. This temple is one of the only temples in Egypt dedicated to a woman.
With two nights down and three more to go we spent two of the three nights on a felucca. Our felucca ride did not go according to plan which was very disappointing and frustrating but on the upside though the people on the felucca were great. We had so much fun hanging out with Katie, Ben and Simon from England and Veronica from France. Our trip on the Felucca was supposed to take us to Elephant and Kithneer Island which is across the Nile from Aswan. From there we were supposed to sail down to Kom Ombo and have dinner and visit it in the morning. The next day we were expected to sail from Kom Ombo to Edfu and visit Edfu in the morning. Well lets just say we never made it to Kom Ombo by felucca but instead drove to Kom Ombo and then to Edfu and finally to Luxor.
Day one we sailed across the Nile and just sat and watched the sun go down while we asked ourselves why we were not moving. Oh that's because the wind was to strong and the Nile police would come and tell us to dock. B...S....!!!! Right as the sun was setting we sailed for about an hour and then docked till morning. For day two we sailed most of the day but not all the way to Kom Ombo because it's better for our sleep to dock a few km outside where it's quite. Annoyed and frustrated we were left with little to do but enjoy each others company. I however felt myself getting sick with chills and high fever just wanting to be off the felucca. Still feeling sick by day three on the felucca we packed our bags hailed a min bus and all crammed in with other frustrated felucca passengers and visited Kom Ombo and Edfu.
Kom Ombo still standing in its original spot unlike the other two is a series of temples. The temple dates back to the Middle Kingdom and several rulers such as Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy XIII and Caesar Augustus have contributed something to this temple. Various parts of the temple are dedicated to different gods or goddess.
In Edfu we visited the Temple of Horus, whom is the son of Isis and Osiris and is recognized for his hawk head and is known for the guard against evil. This temple took almost 200 years to construct and is one of the last great Egyptian monuments. Several religious festivals were healed in honor of Horus at this temple.
With Kom Ombo and Edfu down we had a fully packed day of temples and valleys in Luxor waiting for us the next day. Exhausted and still getting the chills and fevers we decided to spend two days in Luxor instead of one which ended up breaking up the long sight seeing day. Needing to rest and sleep we took it easy for the night and morning. By the afternoon I managed to get enough strength to visit Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple.
Karnak Temple is amazing with its intricacy and proportions of pillars. Every major period of Egypt's ancient history is represented in this temple. The temple holds several shrines which are dedicated to the sun god Amun and his family. Another interesting think about Karnak Temple is it still has ancient mud brick scaffoldings which were used to erect the massive walls.
Luxor Temple which is located about five blocks from our wonderful hostel called Oasis, the temple was built around 1380 BCE by Amenhotep III. Other significant pharaohs such as Ramses II to Tutankhamun made there mark as well. Luxor Temple was meant to serve as a love nest for the gods and many couples would spend 24 days and nights in the sanctuary. Currently a Muslim temple is being built inside Luxor Temple.
While visiting these temples we spent our time walking around with our friend Kate whom just finished volunteering with Peace Core in Namibia. Discussing how I was feeling she suggested I get tested for malaria to be on the safe side. Heather and I decided to stop by some pharmacies on the way home to pick up a malaria test kit but since malaria is not common here we were sent to the hospital. Luckily our travel agent friends had plans to meet us for coffee and instead volunteered to take us to the hospital. Our visit was short, brief and interesting, come to find out they don't have the test and sent us to a lab doctor. With Mindu and Ramez by our sides they knew where to go and settled it out for us. I had my blood drawn tested and was expected to return at 10:30pm for my results. Well come to find out I don't have malaria but instead have Pharaohs revenge (travelers diarrhea) from the food on the felucca. Mindu says it happens all the time and laughed at me for not telling him I had diarrhea. But since I had just come from India where malaria is very prominent I thought I had malaria because no one else was sick off the boat. Oh well, it made for a fun adventure and Heather was such a trooper and good care taker.
With east bank down we were left visiting the west bank where the Valley of Kings and Queens are plus the Temple of Hatchebsot and Clossi of Memonon. First stop Valley of Kings has roughly 64 known tombs which were buried in the valley. We visited three of the 64 tombs. First we saw Ramses IV tomb which was used as a Byzantine church. Inside the tomb we saw lots of Coptic graffiti plus paintings which come from the Book of the Dead and the Book of the Gates. Next we visited Ramses IX tomb which features gold figures against a deep blue background. Inside the tomb they found Ramses IX's sarcophagus in a pit beyond the corridor. Finally we ended with Ramses I and his tomb has one of the shortest corridors in the valley which is said to be a reflection of his short rule. Inside his tomb the walls were painted with scenes of Ramses playing with the gods.
Form the valley of Kings we went to the Temple of Hatshepsut which is built in a three tiered form and stands tall against the sheer limestone cliffs in the background. Hatshepsut is the only female ruler to obtain the title of pharaoh after the death of her husband Thutmose II. She is said to have dressed up as a drag at times, which we thought was interesting.
Next to follow was the Valley of Queens which holds the burial place for the wives of the pharaohs and there children. It holds roughly 30 tombs and we visited two, Tomb of Titi and Tomb of Amonherkhepeshef. Inside the Tomb of Amonherkhepeshef laid a desiccated fetus which was displayed in a small case. It was impressive to see it in its perfect fetus form and has been well preserved. Both tombs were similar to the kings yet a bit smaller.
Before returning home after a very long hot morning we stopped to take pictures of the two statues known as Colossi of Memnon. These two magnificently tall statues are the only two things which remain of the largest temple dedicated to Amenhotep III.
Feeling better yet exhausted from all the sites we sat and had lunch before we headed out into the bazaar to do a quick shopping trip. Our shopping trip was short and brief because our bus to Dahab a waited. These past six days have flown by, its amazing to think of all the temples we visited but they have all been unique and one of a kind. However our time in Dahab will be a good break from the ancient Egyptian ruins. Red Sea here we come!!!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Cairo
I arrived at length at Cairo, mother of cities and seat of Pharaoh the tyrant, boundless in multitude of buildings, peerless in beauty and splendor, the meeting-place of comer and goer, the halting-place of feeble and mighty, whose throngs surge as waves of sea.
-Ibn Battuta, 14th Century globetrotter
Flying into Cairo, I was surprised by the vast desert that surronded the huge city. It was a bit shocking to be back on the road again, after a week in England, but was thrilled to see Toriann waiting for me outside of customs. We made our way to a taxi and somehow picked the one taxi driver that had a bone to pick with the security gaurd. After we threw our luggage in trunk, the security gaurd was practically in the car beating on the our driver. The driver was not phased though and drove away, leaving the gaurd, yelling, in the dust. Welcome to Egypt. :)
Honestly, I was so nervous to travel into Egypt. After the hectic, always hasseling, invading your space, crazy traffic of India, I thought Egypt would be even worse. And then two days before we were supposed to arrive, there was the bombing in the tourist market. But, so far, and not to jinx anything, Egypt has been a pleasant surprise. The men can still be assertive and foward, you still feel as if you are always being ripped off and everyone has a shop or expedition that they insist you must visit, but overall, our experience in Cairo was safe, pleasant and incredibly rich with amazing experiences.
Our first full day in Cairo, we arranged a private driver to take us to the great pyramids of Giza. We were driven straight to the 'Office of horse and camel to pyramids trip', where we met Mahmoud, a friendly Egyptian man who after much haggeling led us onto the pyramid grounds on Moses and MickeyMouse, our camels for the day. We spent about 3 hours wandering the huge area that surronds the 9 pyramids. There are 3 main pyramids, built for 3 pharaohs from the 4th dynasty-Cheops, Chephren, and Mycerinus. The three were a son-grandson trio who ruled in the 26th century BCE. The surronding six smaller pyramids were built for the wives and children of the pharoahs, and all 9 of the pyramids contain its own funery complex. When one of the rulers died, the mummified body was brought across the Nile by boat and placed to rest in the scared center of the pyramid. After taking in the immenseness of the pyramids, we climbed off Moses and Mickey, and entered into the largest of the pyrmids. It was largely disapointing, way too hot and claustraphobic, and steep. The small tunnel down into the pyramid led you to a small room, and then another tunnel back up into another small room. The rooms were all empty and although it was cool to be inside, that was about it. Everything from the pyramids had been removed and was now in the Egypt museum.
Next we rode to the nearby Sphinx. The Sphinx was so much smaller than I imagined, even though it is 80 mt long and 22 mt high. He looks pretty friendly, even with his missing nose and ear (which are in the British museum). The identity of the Sphinx is still debated, but Egyptian folklore says that he is half-human, half-tiger who protects the pyramids from theives....however, if that is his purpose, he seems to have done a pretty average job.
After completing our tour of the pyramids, we realized that riding a camel was not the most comfortable thing in the world, and realized we were both sore and stiff. But, no time to rest, we headed off with our driver to our next destination-Saqqara.
Saqqara is the home of the famous Step Pyramid of Zoser I. Built in 2630 BCE, it is the worlds oldest funerary momument and the inspiration for the pyramids. It was designed by the innovative architect Imhotep, who was not satisfied with a simple rectaungular design, but instead went with a stacked, layered look. The pyramid seemed to be under a lot of construction and about half of it was blocked off. Toriann and I decided to hike around to the back to take a look though and once out of sight of the gaurds was invited into the blocked off area by a local 'guide' He rushed us past the fence and down the stairs into the base of the pyramid (which is certainly not open for visitors!!) He then led us to see the statue of King Zoser I, hidden from visitor as well by construction barricades and a large stone with a small peep hole. It was amazing to see, so happy to break the rules, which we normally never do :), and see another side of Saqqara.
After Saqqara, we made our way back to the pyramids for a late lunch and then another camel ride to the top of a sandy hill to watch the sunset over the pyramids. It was a bit painful to get back on the camel, but we mastered the crazy camel gallop. Mahmoud, our friendly host, provided us with tea, sheesha, and a marriage propousal for Toriann, including 17 camels, 2 horses and 2 kilos of fruits. It was tempting for T, but since he already had 3 wives, she decided to say no...(she would rather have the first wife position). juuust kidding.
The next day we spent enjoying Cairo and the Egyptian museum. We had amazing coffee at one of Cairos famous coffee shops before spending a solid 3 or 4 hours in the museum. The museum is immense, one of the worlds greatest collection of artifacts, although the display is very average. According to Lonely Planet, the museum holds over 100k artifacts and if you spent 1 minute looking at each display, it would take you over nine months to work your way through the museum. Toriann and I loved the Tutankhaumans room and the jewelry rooms.
Our afternoon in Cairo was spent wondering around Islamic Cairo, visiting the Wikala mosques and the great bazaar of Khan al-Khalili.
Exhausted from walking so much of the city, we had a quick dinner at our favorite Fafafel place and headed to the train station for our overnight train to the south of Egypt-first stop Aswan.
-Ibn Battuta, 14th Century globetrotter
Flying into Cairo, I was surprised by the vast desert that surronded the huge city. It was a bit shocking to be back on the road again, after a week in England, but was thrilled to see Toriann waiting for me outside of customs. We made our way to a taxi and somehow picked the one taxi driver that had a bone to pick with the security gaurd. After we threw our luggage in trunk, the security gaurd was practically in the car beating on the our driver. The driver was not phased though and drove away, leaving the gaurd, yelling, in the dust. Welcome to Egypt. :)
Honestly, I was so nervous to travel into Egypt. After the hectic, always hasseling, invading your space, crazy traffic of India, I thought Egypt would be even worse. And then two days before we were supposed to arrive, there was the bombing in the tourist market. But, so far, and not to jinx anything, Egypt has been a pleasant surprise. The men can still be assertive and foward, you still feel as if you are always being ripped off and everyone has a shop or expedition that they insist you must visit, but overall, our experience in Cairo was safe, pleasant and incredibly rich with amazing experiences.
Our first full day in Cairo, we arranged a private driver to take us to the great pyramids of Giza. We were driven straight to the 'Office of horse and camel to pyramids trip', where we met Mahmoud, a friendly Egyptian man who after much haggeling led us onto the pyramid grounds on Moses and MickeyMouse, our camels for the day. We spent about 3 hours wandering the huge area that surronds the 9 pyramids. There are 3 main pyramids, built for 3 pharaohs from the 4th dynasty-Cheops, Chephren, and Mycerinus. The three were a son-grandson trio who ruled in the 26th century BCE. The surronding six smaller pyramids were built for the wives and children of the pharoahs, and all 9 of the pyramids contain its own funery complex. When one of the rulers died, the mummified body was brought across the Nile by boat and placed to rest in the scared center of the pyramid. After taking in the immenseness of the pyramids, we climbed off Moses and Mickey, and entered into the largest of the pyrmids. It was largely disapointing, way too hot and claustraphobic, and steep. The small tunnel down into the pyramid led you to a small room, and then another tunnel back up into another small room. The rooms were all empty and although it was cool to be inside, that was about it. Everything from the pyramids had been removed and was now in the Egypt museum.
Next we rode to the nearby Sphinx. The Sphinx was so much smaller than I imagined, even though it is 80 mt long and 22 mt high. He looks pretty friendly, even with his missing nose and ear (which are in the British museum). The identity of the Sphinx is still debated, but Egyptian folklore says that he is half-human, half-tiger who protects the pyramids from theives....however, if that is his purpose, he seems to have done a pretty average job.
After completing our tour of the pyramids, we realized that riding a camel was not the most comfortable thing in the world, and realized we were both sore and stiff. But, no time to rest, we headed off with our driver to our next destination-Saqqara.
Saqqara is the home of the famous Step Pyramid of Zoser I. Built in 2630 BCE, it is the worlds oldest funerary momument and the inspiration for the pyramids. It was designed by the innovative architect Imhotep, who was not satisfied with a simple rectaungular design, but instead went with a stacked, layered look. The pyramid seemed to be under a lot of construction and about half of it was blocked off. Toriann and I decided to hike around to the back to take a look though and once out of sight of the gaurds was invited into the blocked off area by a local 'guide' He rushed us past the fence and down the stairs into the base of the pyramid (which is certainly not open for visitors!!) He then led us to see the statue of King Zoser I, hidden from visitor as well by construction barricades and a large stone with a small peep hole. It was amazing to see, so happy to break the rules, which we normally never do :), and see another side of Saqqara.
After Saqqara, we made our way back to the pyramids for a late lunch and then another camel ride to the top of a sandy hill to watch the sunset over the pyramids. It was a bit painful to get back on the camel, but we mastered the crazy camel gallop. Mahmoud, our friendly host, provided us with tea, sheesha, and a marriage propousal for Toriann, including 17 camels, 2 horses and 2 kilos of fruits. It was tempting for T, but since he already had 3 wives, she decided to say no...(she would rather have the first wife position). juuust kidding.
The next day we spent enjoying Cairo and the Egyptian museum. We had amazing coffee at one of Cairos famous coffee shops before spending a solid 3 or 4 hours in the museum. The museum is immense, one of the worlds greatest collection of artifacts, although the display is very average. According to Lonely Planet, the museum holds over 100k artifacts and if you spent 1 minute looking at each display, it would take you over nine months to work your way through the museum. Toriann and I loved the Tutankhaumans room and the jewelry rooms.
Our afternoon in Cairo was spent wondering around Islamic Cairo, visiting the Wikala mosques and the great bazaar of Khan al-Khalili.
Exhausted from walking so much of the city, we had a quick dinner at our favorite Fafafel place and headed to the train station for our overnight train to the south of Egypt-first stop Aswan.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Good-bye India
In a few short hours I will be leaving India and I am sad to have to say good bye to this beautiful country. India happens to be the longs place Heather and I have stayed in and we have both really enjoyed our time here. India is unlike any country we have visited so far on this trip and we hope that through each of our blogs we have given you a better insight to the culture, people and life here. Either way, if by chance you have an interest at all about India I highly recommend seeing the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” as well as seeing or reading the book “The City of Joy.”
While we were in Kolkata we had the time to go and see “Slumdog Millionaire” and really enjoyed it. Its about a young man who goes on the TV show 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and the story of his life unfolds through the questions he is asked. The movie takes place in Mumbai which happens to be where I am right now and about 55% of the people in Mumbai live in the slums. The movie is well directed and is absolutely wonderful. When it was over and time for us to leave Heather and I both felt that as we walked out of the theater we had actually just stepped into the movie. The movie gives a good visual to life as an Indian and plus I know its out in the theaters, so go and see it, I promise you will love it too.
I also recommend reading the book “The City of Joy” by, Dominique Lapierre. I'm currently only a few chapters in but I already feel as though I have a better sense of the peoples lives in Kolkata. As I have said before, Kolkata is one of my favorite places and while living on Sudder St. we were told by other backpackers to go and have a drink at the Farelan Hotel. Curious as to why, we learn that when the book was turned into a movie they filmed part of it at this hotel. Well of course we felt it honorary to be able to see where the movie was filmed and enjoy in a cold refreshment. So if you don't have the time to read the book see the movie, its supposed to be good. Plus, it has Patrick Swayze in it so if you are a fan of him you will for sure live it. Either way I hope you are enjoying the blogs and the next time you check we will be on a different continent, embracing new people, learning another religion, tasting different spices, and seeing ancient ruins.
While we were in Kolkata we had the time to go and see “Slumdog Millionaire” and really enjoyed it. Its about a young man who goes on the TV show 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and the story of his life unfolds through the questions he is asked. The movie takes place in Mumbai which happens to be where I am right now and about 55% of the people in Mumbai live in the slums. The movie is well directed and is absolutely wonderful. When it was over and time for us to leave Heather and I both felt that as we walked out of the theater we had actually just stepped into the movie. The movie gives a good visual to life as an Indian and plus I know its out in the theaters, so go and see it, I promise you will love it too.
I also recommend reading the book “The City of Joy” by, Dominique Lapierre. I'm currently only a few chapters in but I already feel as though I have a better sense of the peoples lives in Kolkata. As I have said before, Kolkata is one of my favorite places and while living on Sudder St. we were told by other backpackers to go and have a drink at the Farelan Hotel. Curious as to why, we learn that when the book was turned into a movie they filmed part of it at this hotel. Well of course we felt it honorary to be able to see where the movie was filmed and enjoy in a cold refreshment. So if you don't have the time to read the book see the movie, its supposed to be good. Plus, it has Patrick Swayze in it so if you are a fan of him you will for sure live it. Either way I hope you are enjoying the blogs and the next time you check we will be on a different continent, embracing new people, learning another religion, tasting different spices, and seeing ancient ruins.
Sivananda Yoga Ashram
A few months before leaving on this great adventure I read a book called “Eat Pray Love” by, Elizabeth Gilbert. Elizabeth travels to three countries Italy, Indonesia, and India and while she was in India she stayed at an ashram. For the past several years I have had an interest in yoga but was to intimidated to take a class because I knew nothing and so I thought what better way to learn yoga but spending a week or more at an ashram. Her visit to the ashram really inspired me to visit a yoga ashram while I was in India. Before coming I had briefly looked into a few and even while I was traveling I had the idea in the back of my head but nothing really stood out to me nor did it seem to fit in to our plans. Well the week we were in Kolkata, I meet this woman named Kelly who told me of her travel plans and she mentioned she was headed down to Kerala to spend a few weeks at a Sivananda Yoga Ashram. Kelly and I talked and I mentioned I was interested but had no yoga experience but am very eager to learn. Well from the people she had meet who had been there in the past said this place is great for beginners and is not as intense as most ashrams. After our talk I went to the internet and looked at the website and was sold. Roughly two weeks from when I meet Kelly I surprised her with an email telling her I was coming and would see her in two days time.
I have just finished my week here and am very sad to be leaving so soon, yet I know many great experiences are yet to come in new places. While I was here my days were packed in a relaxing way. We got up every morning at 5:30 am and headed down to satsang which was meditation, chanting, and a talk. After Morning satsang we all gathered outside for chai tea, which warmed our tummy's and gave us a burst of energy for yoga class which was from 8-10am. By now most of us are very hungry which was good because brunch was served. The meals are always vegetarian and on most days it was good but every two days the meal was not so great. After brunch we were called to do our karma yoga, mine was cleaning my dorms bathroom. I worked with two other woman who also had dormitory bathrooms and our little team worked very hard and efficiently. Fortunate for me one of the other women volunteered to clean the toilets so I either swept or mopped which is better because, I hate cleaning toilets. Once our karma yoga was finished we had a bit of free time to sleep, take a dip in the lake, visit the internet, or lounge on the lawn. At around 1:30 we all gathered to enjoy in some tea and snack before heading to lecture. Lecture was interesting and boring all together but once lecture was over we headed to afternoon yoga class. By now its 6pm and we are drained from yoga class and eager to eat our second meal for the day. Dinner was always a let dawn because it was never as big as lunch which I suppose is good However, in all honesty most of us spent our after dinner free time at the health hut indulging in tasty fruit milkshake, fruit salad, or anything else they had on the menu. Now that our tummy's were full from dinner and our added snack we all gathered for evening satsung which lasted from 8-10pm. By the time satsung was over all of us walked back to our bedrooms anxious sleep and prepare ourselves to repeat it all the very next day.
During my time at the ashram I have learned and experienced a lot. During satsung we were asked to sit cross legged for 20 minutes and meditate. Well I have learned that it is very hard to sit still for that long. I last about 2-5 minutes before I can no longer sit still and need to move and change position. . . very frustrating. We also sang chants that are written in Sanskrit which is hard to read most of the time but has a very catchy melody and has a way of sticking in your head. Randomly throughout the day I caught myself as well as others chanting or humming away and not even realizing it. “Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya” At meal time, I learned to only eat with my right fingers which made me feel like a child again. I however focused on mastering how to best clean my plate to make it look like food had never been served on it. In comparison to my first day I felt as though I improved day by day, give me another week or so I for sure would have masted the Indian way of eating. Those are just some of the things I learned, but the most important thing I learned and will forever take with me are the yoga posses. There are several and I have yet to master them all but have learned the techniques and with a little practice I will hopefully improve. I suppose with anything the more you practice the better you get, so maybe someday I will be able to sit silently without moving for 20 minutes or more.
While I was at the ashram I was fortunate enough to go to the grand opening of the Sivananda Yoga center they had built in Trivandrum. Trivandrum is the main city outside of where I was staying and all of us students were invited. We were asked to dress in traditional clothing and well I was super excited because this meant I could put on my sari. Unsure as to how to actually put it on I asked one of the local women who was working at the ashram to please help me. Well of course word got around and with in a matter of time I had all the local women in my room helping me put on this sari. One woman said it was a wedding sari and to be honest I did feel like a bride with all the women around me helping me get dressed, but gladly I am not and instead went to the grand opening. One perk to all the women helping me is I learned how to put the sari on so next time I will be able to do it myself.
The grand opening was tones of fun and one of the most exciting things was that the King or should I say Maharajah of Kerala came to inaugurate the building. Sadly or more disappointingly he did not stay for the whole festival but we manged to continue on and enjoy the evening. We sat and chanted a bit before we indulged ourselves in a traditional Indian meal. After dinner we took a look around the building, chatted with people and then were called back inside for evening satsung. This satsung was shorter and quite different because a band came to play. The band was amazing, their were three of them and they each played a different type of old instrument, one being a sitar...i think. The evening was so much fun and most everyone dressed in traditional clothing and looked amazing. I just kept saying what fortunate timing it was to be here and to be invited to take part in this grand opening. I believe this Sivananda yoga center will due a lot for the people of Trivandrum as well as all Sivananda followers.
Over all, my week at the ashram was great and I would recommend to anyone interested in yoga to go and spend some time in an ashram because I think it offers a different feeling then what one might get at home from their yoga class. I'm so glad I meet Kelly and she told me about this place because if it wasn't for her I'm not sure I would have made it to an ashram during my time here in India. Its amazing how things work out. Om Santih Santih Santih (Om Peace Peace Peace)
I have just finished my week here and am very sad to be leaving so soon, yet I know many great experiences are yet to come in new places. While I was here my days were packed in a relaxing way. We got up every morning at 5:30 am and headed down to satsang which was meditation, chanting, and a talk. After Morning satsang we all gathered outside for chai tea, which warmed our tummy's and gave us a burst of energy for yoga class which was from 8-10am. By now most of us are very hungry which was good because brunch was served. The meals are always vegetarian and on most days it was good but every two days the meal was not so great. After brunch we were called to do our karma yoga, mine was cleaning my dorms bathroom. I worked with two other woman who also had dormitory bathrooms and our little team worked very hard and efficiently. Fortunate for me one of the other women volunteered to clean the toilets so I either swept or mopped which is better because, I hate cleaning toilets. Once our karma yoga was finished we had a bit of free time to sleep, take a dip in the lake, visit the internet, or lounge on the lawn. At around 1:30 we all gathered to enjoy in some tea and snack before heading to lecture. Lecture was interesting and boring all together but once lecture was over we headed to afternoon yoga class. By now its 6pm and we are drained from yoga class and eager to eat our second meal for the day. Dinner was always a let dawn because it was never as big as lunch which I suppose is good However, in all honesty most of us spent our after dinner free time at the health hut indulging in tasty fruit milkshake, fruit salad, or anything else they had on the menu. Now that our tummy's were full from dinner and our added snack we all gathered for evening satsung which lasted from 8-10pm. By the time satsung was over all of us walked back to our bedrooms anxious sleep and prepare ourselves to repeat it all the very next day.
During my time at the ashram I have learned and experienced a lot. During satsung we were asked to sit cross legged for 20 minutes and meditate. Well I have learned that it is very hard to sit still for that long. I last about 2-5 minutes before I can no longer sit still and need to move and change position. . . very frustrating. We also sang chants that are written in Sanskrit which is hard to read most of the time but has a very catchy melody and has a way of sticking in your head. Randomly throughout the day I caught myself as well as others chanting or humming away and not even realizing it. “Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya” At meal time, I learned to only eat with my right fingers which made me feel like a child again. I however focused on mastering how to best clean my plate to make it look like food had never been served on it. In comparison to my first day I felt as though I improved day by day, give me another week or so I for sure would have masted the Indian way of eating. Those are just some of the things I learned, but the most important thing I learned and will forever take with me are the yoga posses. There are several and I have yet to master them all but have learned the techniques and with a little practice I will hopefully improve. I suppose with anything the more you practice the better you get, so maybe someday I will be able to sit silently without moving for 20 minutes or more.
While I was at the ashram I was fortunate enough to go to the grand opening of the Sivananda Yoga center they had built in Trivandrum. Trivandrum is the main city outside of where I was staying and all of us students were invited. We were asked to dress in traditional clothing and well I was super excited because this meant I could put on my sari. Unsure as to how to actually put it on I asked one of the local women who was working at the ashram to please help me. Well of course word got around and with in a matter of time I had all the local women in my room helping me put on this sari. One woman said it was a wedding sari and to be honest I did feel like a bride with all the women around me helping me get dressed, but gladly I am not and instead went to the grand opening. One perk to all the women helping me is I learned how to put the sari on so next time I will be able to do it myself.
The grand opening was tones of fun and one of the most exciting things was that the King or should I say Maharajah of Kerala came to inaugurate the building. Sadly or more disappointingly he did not stay for the whole festival but we manged to continue on and enjoy the evening. We sat and chanted a bit before we indulged ourselves in a traditional Indian meal. After dinner we took a look around the building, chatted with people and then were called back inside for evening satsung. This satsung was shorter and quite different because a band came to play. The band was amazing, their were three of them and they each played a different type of old instrument, one being a sitar...i think. The evening was so much fun and most everyone dressed in traditional clothing and looked amazing. I just kept saying what fortunate timing it was to be here and to be invited to take part in this grand opening. I believe this Sivananda yoga center will due a lot for the people of Trivandrum as well as all Sivananda followers.
Over all, my week at the ashram was great and I would recommend to anyone interested in yoga to go and spend some time in an ashram because I think it offers a different feeling then what one might get at home from their yoga class. I'm so glad I meet Kelly and she told me about this place because if it wasn't for her I'm not sure I would have made it to an ashram during my time here in India. Its amazing how things work out. Om Santih Santih Santih (Om Peace Peace Peace)
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