We spent just shy of three months in India and while it wasn’t our favorite place that we have visited on the planet, there were some bright moments during our time on the subcontinent. Here are the 5 things that we enjoyed in India in order of when they occurred. Yoga in Goa, Exploring Hampi, Chilling in Udaipur, Golden Temple of Amritsar, Holi Festival
Bringing and unlocked iPhone to India seemed like a good idea at the time. We thought that if we couldn’t get to an Internet Café, we would at least be able to check our email. It is three weeks into our trip and we have finally managed to make our iPhone and Data Plan work. Here is what we had to go through to make our iPhone work in India.
Everyone says “you’ve got to go to Goa.” So we did. Patnem Beach is a little slice of paradise. The water is warm, the surf is mellow and the sunsets are to die for. It is an easy place to spend time in. Calm waters flow into fine white sand. Days are spent practicing yoga, taking long walks and working on tanning our Canadian white skin. Goa is different from the rest of India. Alcohol flows freely, bikini clad tourists flaunt their skin and vendors are laid back when selling their wares. I can see why people spend their entire winter on these beaches and never venture far away.
I could write about our Swami on Patnem Beach and tell you everything that I have learned. But I find that his website that is posted on his business card gives a better story than I could ever tell. We didn’t realize that we were taking classes from someone quite extraordinary. He has a presence and is calm and peaceful, but until we pulled up a chair the other night and read his story, we didn’t know just what Swami Shinva Nand Jee was all about. Our jaws dropped once we finished reading this post written by another of his students and it tells his story so beautifully, that we just had to share it with you.
It was supposed to just be a drop in class when we visited Swami Shiva Nand Jee’s class on Patnem Beach. We followed the painted fabric yoga signs to a tranquil hut behind Mountain Palms Restaurant. Three and a half bamboo thatched walls enclose a yoga studio. Large beach mats lay over the sand with rows of yoga mats facing centre. Many people are intimidated by the photos of our instructor pasted on the walls. His body is contorted in all directions. Legs over his head, postures where he is shaped like a pretzel. He’s not going to make us do that is he?
It is 5:00 am when we stepped off the train in Goa. The morning is still dark and nobody is around. We seem to be the only people getting off at this stop. The beach is deserted. So we pull up a chair at one of the empty beach bars and wait in the dark., dogs are sleeping at our feet and we look out towards the sunrise to see large mounds in the sand. Are those cows we see? Yes, the cows own the beach in the morning and they are sleeping along with everyone else. It is calm and tranquil.
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