Hanuman temple

Yesterday I braved the hot sun, with my friend Alison, and rented a bike to pedal to the Hanuman Temple.

It was amazing!

We were surrounded by pilgrims who were chanting Jai Shri Ram! People would say it with such passion and smiles! I felt as if I were in the middle of a huge celebration, so much that I didn't even notice that I was walking up 500 steps. At the top loud music was blaring as I glanced around to see the view; boulder after boulder, small village after village, and of course a huge river.

After being blessed, we trumped down the stained, but white stairs, where we ordered fresh coconut water and played with children.

It was a good day.

Oh and it all began while doing yoga to the sunrise on a plateau of rocks...:)

Hampi!

I fled the beach for a stop off in this mystical town of Hampi. Hanuman- the monkey god- as the Hindus say created it. It is a town of boulders, temples, and a river. I been rock climbing and doing yoga! Staying on a roof under the stars for $2 a night. It's a really nice place. :)

On a beach in India

Photos explain everything better!

Though here is a some description.... my friends came and met me in Tiru, where we walked around the mtn of Shiva, ate local grub from a place known as dirty corner, and met a wonderful family who took us home for lunch- there we got to play with her daughter, drink chai, eat with our hands off a banana leaf, and be dressed in saris! It was a wonderful experience!

And then the train ride came....

Na it wasen't so bad. Around 17-20 hours in a dirty, hot sleeper class train. It's all part of the experience. And now I am in a beach town with about 15 friends from Sadhana Forest. We can wear bikinis and enjoy the sun. From here I will explore Gokarna town with all its sacredness and eat Organic Choco peanut butter from the Kali Temple.

Say hi to the snow for me :)

Just as I was feelin settled...

A cyclone blew me away to a new town called Tiruvannamalai. It's a popular destination among tourists and Indian pilgrims, a hub for ashrams. Each street has at least 4 "ashrams".

So my plan are still unfolding minute by minute....
and my friends from Sadhana Forest will be meeting me soon.

PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry's famed French quarter, Auroville included, lay battered by what many locals are beginning to call the 'monster storm.' The most vicious to lash the city in the last three decades, Cyclone Thane has uprooted trees leaving this tourist town looking like a war-zone.

The Aurobindo Ashram in the heart of the town escaped the cyclone fury with devotees carrying out their regular duties. But Auroville, an international township with over 1,000 residents of 40 different nationalities, eight km from Puducherry and falling within Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu, was not lucky.