Shiva Temple Thiruvannamalai

Sathya took us to the Shiva Temple, which Marty had been talking about going to since we were in Nepal. As non-hindus, we weren't allowed to go inside the depths of the temple in Kathmandu, but Marty insisted we'd be able to in Tiru. He was right and it was a powerful experience.

Outside of the temple on the ground were many designs, which I learned were called rangoli, traditionally created by women out of colored rice powder that decorate homes and temples as a form of thanksgiving, an adornment of the earth that nurtures us.

The Shiva temple is over 1000 years old and is carved in solid rock ornamented with hundreds of figures of gods, people, animals and plants. There are towers outside for the lower castes to who weren't allowed to enter the temple itself, but could worship from the outside.

We passed through a number of pillared halls called mandapam, to an inner sanctum (Marty says think of Indiana Jones with flaming torches for light) where the temple's main deity is housed. We were able to easily pass through the line, as we were with a Brahmin.

In this temple there were two inner sanctums, one with a Shiva lingam (a phallic shaped stone which represents the very instant of creation, or rather of regeneration, when the perishable regenerates itself in another form) and another inner sanctum where worship to the "mother goddess" was going on.

In in each tiny inner sanctum there were four or five priests elaborately adorned and covered in ash, performing rituals, offering, and chanting in front of each deity. It was dark, hot, stuffy and wild in there. And the energy was palpable. That's why the video camera was so shaky!

We weren't allows to photograph inside the temple so this is a scene from the outside (though inside the grounds.) Just to put it in perspective, the temple itself has an 20' high and 6' thick outer wall that runs 1/4 of a mile by an 1/8 of a mile. It is a huge space. In the video, you'll see the temple's elephant, Rukmini, whose mother had killed someone the day before Marty happened to visit the temple before in 1993. He was a bit fearful of getting near the elephant, and this video captures his relief and almost ecstatic smile after his darshan with the elephant.

The temple's cowshed housed many baby cows ( I suppose they use the milk the mothers for the services). I loved feeding them, some of them were only a week old. Their sweet demeanor and big brown eyes truly reminded me of my dog TT who passed a few days before we left on this trip.

We're currently posting this from London. We leave for Amsterdam this morning. We have a lot of great video from the Ganges river in Rishikesh. If we have the opportunity, we'll post it before we get back to Arizona. Here's a photo from our room in Rishikesh. More later.

Parotas, on the way to Tiru

After we left Ganeshpuri and the Nityananda shrine, we flew from Mumbai to Chennai (now Madras), in the state of Tamil Nadu. We spent the night at the Radisson, a good choice in India. That's where we discovered India is in love with Jon Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams' music. The server in the Regency Club played it loudly over and over and said it was the latest rage.

The next morning, after I received an ayurvedic foot massage that came complimentary with the room and Marty ate another dosa, we set off for a four hour drive to Thiruvannamalai (known as Tiru). Tiru is a small town in southern India, famous for its gigantic Shiva temple, Mount Arunachula, and the ashram of the great sage, Ramana Maharshi who died in 1950.

Along the way, our driver, another man named Ganesh, continuously beeped. It was so irritating that we were so relieved to pull off to a road side chai shop. Marty decided to eat whatever the man at the grill was making, because it was in the shape of a pizza. These "little pizzas" were later identified as parotas. This lunch was proving to be both fascinating and dangerous for our health.

The whole time the cook is making the parotas, you'll see a man brushing his teeth and washing up right behind him. Watch how the cook 'manhandles' the food after and serves it to us on a banana leaf.


We also ate the guavas that a woman was selling by the road. YUM! The chai was delicious too. We'll have a video on how to make that later from Rishikesh. We eventually made our way to the Sparsa EcoResort, a perfect place to stay while visiting Tiru.

Ramana's Ashram

We caught a ride from Sparsa in a tuk tuk about a mile to Ramana's ashram. We passed an array of monkeys, dogs, and sadhus (covered in sacred ash in a variety of ways), worshippers of Shiva. They lined the roadsides and, napping just about anywhere.

We spent the afternoon at the ashram. It's very peaceful and in addition to the many Indian pilgrims, the ashram we saw many Americans and Europeans. People can stay there for a period of up to two weeks. Ramana's ashram provides a daily free meal to the sadhus, so they line up outside of the ashram gates, waiting.

The routine there consists of Brahmin boys chanting vedic mantras around Ramana's burial site (in the temple) and people circumambulate the shrine. In the video you'll see a very small room where Ramana actually died, or took mahanirvana. We found that we preferred meditating in the old hall where Ramana sat when he wasn't walking around the mountain (Mt. Arunachala) in his later years.

Like Nityananda's, Ramana Maharshi's appeal crossed numerous cultural and religious boundaries. So even though their temples are Hindu based, the teachings transcend any religion. It's the discovery of the Self that is the main emphasis.

Mumbai (Bombay) to Ganeshpuri

While writing this entry, we hear that Slumdog won eight Oscars! The movie is about Mumbai, otherwise known as Bombay, a city that 19 million people call home (almost 3 times the population of Arizona). We are no longer in the state of Rajasthan, we flew Jet Airways to Mumbai in the state of Maharastra (one of the 24 states of India).

You'll see in the short video below that there are a LOT of slums, sidled right up to the new construction of huge highrises. The insanity of Bollywood's home is profound - tens of thousands of stray dogs, beggars, cows, mothers and children all competing for food in the garbage dumps, which are everywhere and mostly consist of plastic bags. This is the other side of India: it's living close to the earth.

There is a huge, thick layer of dirt that has landed on the plastic bag roofs of these huts and hangs in the air from the burning of diesel fuel, and the soundtrack to this place is the constant, high-pitched horn beeping. Beeping isn't done to get someone out of the way, it's mandatory if one is passing another cow, dog, person, bicyclist, truck, bus, car, or tuk tuk (the three-wheeled rickshaw.)

As we began this 1.5 hour ride north from Mumbai to Ganeshpuri, a tiny village where Marty lived in 1977, we listened to our Om Mane Padme Hum CD from Nepal. Then, we suggested our driver, Ganesh, who spoke almost English, choose the music. Between the incessant beeping and the Ganesh's favorite Bollywood song, the trip seemed like its own movie.

Valentine's Day in Rajasthan

Valentine's day dinner was ours at the Lake Palace Hotel in the light of candles, surrounded by fresh flowers, exquisitely served by men with turbans. We felt, once again, that we were having our own personal concert, this time with music from a tambura (a long-necked instrument with four or five wire strings, plucked one to create a harmonic drone) and a sitar (pictured here - made famous by Ravi Shankar in the movie The Concert for Bangladesh, 1971.)

We ate a traditional meal of basmati rice and dahl, nan, followed by a coconut creme dessert. No word, no pictures even (too dark). It was our first real Indian meal (outside of the pretty good food they serve on airplanes here).

After breakfast the next day (see the blog entry below), we checked into the "other" hotel by the lake (this one is on the shore), the Oberoi Udaivillas. The Lake Palace hotel is said to be the most romantic hotel in the world, and according to Travel and Leisure, the Oberoi is ranked as the #1 hotel in the world. It's only 6 years old and no expense was spared building the hotel of 87 rooms. We had a room with a semi-private pool. This is not your father's Buick, nor the India that Marty and I remember from years ago.

When we checked in we were greeted by yet another security check through the luggage, our taxi, and our bodies, and once we passed, we were greeted and adorned with a bindi (sandal paste on our third eye) by a woman dressed in a beautiful sari. We were served my favorite new drink, a pink iced tea that tasted like rose petals. I found out it was made with rose syrup. I will be serving this at my home this summer.

We wanted to play the Om Mane Padme Hum recording we brought with us from Kathmandu. In our room there was a combo TV, DVD, CD player. I turned it on for the CD, and who was on the television? Yup, in his ruby-studded glasses, there was Deepak Chopra talking about non-violence. And his vow of non violence. (Most people I run into don't know who he is - though keep in mind I meet mostly service personnel.)

When I first heard about the vow of non-violence, we were leading a meditation Radiance Retreat in Sedona in November. Could I honestly take the vow of non violence in thought, word and deed? I know I can't control ALL of the thoughts that I hear. It's not that I am particularly violent, but it can be a reaction in my mind when I encounter a story or see people hurting each other or animals for no good reason. I often meet these thoughts with inquiry, and eventually experience the sense of non-violence, but nevertheless, these thoughts do occasionally arise without my permission, so to speak. But as I listened in my hotel room in Rajasthan, Deepak clearly said it's a vow of non-violence in speech and actions. I can do that.

The Oberoi Udaivillas in Udaipur, Rajasthan

Here is a peak at this fabulous hotel and what goes on during our dinner as we dined lakeside. This traditional Rajasthani village dance, called the Chari. is meant to express the happiness felt finding drinking water in the desert. Cottonseeds are set aflame in the pot balanced on her head.

Breakfast at the Lake Palace Hotel

Okay, the secret's out. One of our main motivations for coming to India is to eat. We both love Indian food (along with the chai, music, incense, temples, many religions, and the swamis, sadus, charlatans and holy people that go along with all that.

Marty's favorite thing to eat in the morning is a masala dosa with sambar, and mine is an idly (thought I eat more than one, so they are called idlis) with coconut chutney. These two dishes are traditional dishes of south India states and are served in very few Indian restaurants in America.

Idlis are cakes are usually two to three inches in diameter and are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented lentils and mostly rice. The fermentation process makes them easy to digest.

A masala dosa is a very large thin lentil-flour pancake rolled into a hollow tube stuffed with a small portion of spicy vegetable potato mixture. It's served with sambar, a very thin tamarind-based stew. In 1993, Marty first ate dosas while visiting a restaurant near Ramana Maharshi's ashram in south India and in fact, one time, along with his friends Mike and Janine and the young Swami Nityananda, he ordered a 6 foot long dosa at Tirupati (the most visited shrine in India dedicated to Balaji, a incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.) Marty calls it a crepe on spicy steroids, and wishes I could learn to make them.

When I stayed in Ammachi's ashram in Kerala (a state in South India), I looked forward to breakfast (and every other meal of course) because I had discovered the idlis. Marty said they also served idlis at breakfast in Ramana's ashram.

Welcome to India's Rajasthan

We left Nepal,flew into Delhi and connected to Udaipur, a sweet colorful town of the state of Rajasthan. We arrived at a time of many weddings, it was an astrologically auspicious time, Friday the 13th. And the weddings here go on for days. We caught some of the fireworks one family had set off for their newlyweds. You'll see that in days to come.

India has many a palaces, this one is set amidst Lake Pichola. It was heavenly. The Lake Palace hotel has been featured in magazines and travel books and for years I had hoped that I'd visit it. Then there we were for Valentine's day. It wasn't the India I remembered from my trip in 1997, this was a fantasy India experience: clean, easy, quiet, and set to the most beautiful soundtrack of birds singing, and sitar playing.

Leaving Nepal

Lobby of the Hyatt in Kathmandu

I know, I know, going to Kathmandu and staying at the Hyatt? Yes, we did it. And I am glad we did. We were greeted in the hotel lobby filled with stupas and temples modeled after the historic buildings in Durbar square by a man serving us delicious rose infused tea. It was hauntingly beautiful at night, the sound of the fountain, Tibetan chants and the smell of incense filled the hotel lobby. The hotel is an oasis from the noise and pollution of Kathmandu, surrounded by 15 acres of gardens and parks.

This experience is so vastly different those I've taken as a backpacker and bicyclist in the Middle East and Asia. I have been able to maintain a sense of calm throughout the entire travel experience. In the past, I wouldn't be sure if the food or drink I had opted for was going to make me sick, and I'd have to erect my tent in the middle of a hotel room to sleep without bed bugs, or dress like a man to be allowed to eat in a restaurant (yes, I'd eventually get thrown out of some when they found out I was a FEMALE!). Off the beaten path has its reward for sure however, this trip has been an opportunity to witness the very best a culture can offer. And I eat and sleep peacefully. I wish that for every being in the world.

The Bodhnath Stupa in Kathmandu

Morning walks by the Hong Kong Harbor

It is our last day in Hong Kong. Went the Peninsula spa yesteday and we ate lunch by the pool. Video on that later. We're on our way to Kathmandu in a few hours. We're leaving the 'physical' and going to the 'spiritual' but there really isn't much difference is there? It is the integration that's important. The yoga of it all.

I called Hong Kong heaven on earth, and it wasn't because of the shopping. There is a certain harmony here between people, a respect that is universal. That is definitely a component of heaven on earth. It's a good start.

My prayer is that humans not only live in harmony with each other, but with the earth - honoring her by treating all living beings with dignity. Marty loves it.

We took a ferry then a bus to Victoria Peak, the high hills behind the towers through the marine layer on the Hong Kong side. Here are some photos of the ferry we took from Kowloon to Hong Kong, about 8 minutes.

There's a tram to the top of Victoria Peak. We took the bus up though, it is the more scenic choice, and then we had a very fast ride down on the tram. Obivously we didn't take this photo.

Hong Kong straight to the Peninsula in a Rolls

I knew we were going to stay at the famously glamorous Peninsula hotel, but I didn't have any idea what Marty had in store for us. This hotel is where East meets West perfectly, which the island of Hong Kong exemplifies. I didn't really have a big desire to come to Hong Kong, but now, I think it is one of my favorite cities. It is dramatic and international and it all seems unreal.

This is the video of our ride from the airport in the Rolls Royce. A big surprise, and a little tough to recieve. Though I did my best.

Here we are..... and then we bypass check in because we were met at the door by our private concierge and escorted to our suite (!).

This is obviously where Steve Wynn got his inspiration for the Bellagio and the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. And movie buffs might want to know that in the latest Batman movie, the helicopter lands on the roof of this hotel. More later.

Marty ended up eating that fruit - a rambutan from Malaysia. He said it wasn't as good as it looked, but the papaya was perfect.

The Buddhist Temple Experience

Meditating at Zojoji. Finally able to upload the video, some of which I talked about in the prior post.

First Morning in Tokyo

We had the greatest flight on Singapore air, the food was fabulous. I had a variety of vegetarian meals (we were on there for about 11 hours) and Marty said his filet mignon rivaled what he orders at Shugrue's in Sedona. I didn't even feel like I was on a plane, and didn't really want to get off and leave the service.


We got to Tokyo last night, making yesterday seem like the longest day of the year, that's because it was two days - February 4th melded into February 5th. We are staying at the Prince Park Tower in a park looking at a remake of the Eiffel tower. We woke up this morning, the 6th, at 2 am, 3 am, then 4 am. Then read everything we could get our hands on until we ventured out to see the city at 6 am. We went through through a park past the Zojoji Temple and gardens on our way to Starbucks. Not very adventurous I know. We'll get a little wilder later today.


Good thing I packed black, because that is the color of the city. Everyone wears it. And the black is contrasted by the white face masks everyone wears. Although the school kids wear them in a variety of colors. Marty was playing with the kids in the str4eet as they went to school. The kids were laughing with Marty. He was the only one making any noise in the hoards of people. Everyone was SILENT. No conversations, no cell phones, just a determined orderly silent walking to their destination. Perhaps that is how the Zen walking meditation - Kinhin got started.


As soon as I get the right cable to upload my photos, I will. In the meantime, here is a photo from the web:


It seems like about 1/4 of the people I have seen wear face masks outside, and I've heard it isn't because they don't want to breath in pollution (though that may be part of it), but because they're sick and don't want to spread their germs. Very conscientious I guess. That is what marks this city so far, orderly, conscientious, and lots of bowing. I like it so far....