Chush mite margh bullah (Your eyes are beautiful.....)

My first post in Kabul, Afghanistan- WOWee just about sums it up. I am very lucky to be being hosted by the very generous and loving Zahra and Khalid in their home in Kabul.
The title refers to a response in Farsi to compliments, and people say the above to indicate that they see beauty because they are beauty. Nice, its a beautiful language- and we are slowly picking bits up, for example' Khoob asti?', a question which works from the default setting of being/ feeling good.
We arrived late this morning from Dubai to be welcomed by the passport control and told that the world thinks that Afghanistan is a dangerous place, but we will see that it is not...' translated by the gorgeous Zahra of course who doesn't leave our sides. It is minus degrees here but it doesn't feel it, as it is a dry cold, which reminds me of Ladakh, similarly the high altitude affects the sensory experience of the climate. The sun shines strongly in the day though, and we were surprised to see that the temperature was only five degrees when it seemed warm.
Beautiful moments are in abundance, in particular when ones' expectations do not correspond. The police in Kabul are very friendly, and happily let us through a check point to take photographs of a frozen lake, and of them beneath a sign for the only golf course in the whole of Afg which proudly denotes 'Kabul Golf Course'. Apparently the polce are less friendly outside of Kabul, but here they seem jolly and friendly. A nice surprise indeed.
Zahra has a naughty Alsation puppy 'Abrash' who keeps us entertained, and a lovely team of folk who live and work in her house.
I have an Afghan sim now, but not sure of the number, so if you want to contact me send me a email.
Feeling very tired, its been a busy few days, from London to Dubai, to Kabul......All in three days.
I will write about my Dubai exp later.
Feeling fine here in Afg, please be reassured that I am in safe hands, and in a fantastic position to see a mysterious country from the inside.

Paradise beach

I am with both new and old friends living a dream on a golden sandy beach, where dolphins swim into the bay and play every sunrise and sunset. I had one encounter swimming with them but the water was too murky to see but there was a moment when I was surrounded by air bubbles so I think that they were checking me out. Everytime I see them my heart flips, they are such awesome creatures and seem to interpret and illustrate time in such a engeniously unique fashion.
I have finished a 5 day fast , water only for 3 days then fruit juice for 2 days. I feel good, I have found a great yoga teacher here from the UK who is inspiring me to ease my way back into yoga , and 'touch the stillness' once more after being distracted by my journey into meditation for the previous months.
I am staying in a hut on a beach shaped like an OM, in the centre, I live with some beautiful folk and we are like a family in our living habits, I have met a friend who I did vipassana with in McCloud Ganj back in October, and my dear travel companion Ani. Our place is a place where babies are born, cows guard their newborns with fierce protectiveness and dogs share their pups with glee.....

India the land of extremes- a complex concept!!

I felt inspired to write about my understanding of Indian culture, which, is often referred to as one thing, but everyone of the 26 states is absalutelyand completely different, and even within states there are massive differences in how people conduct their lives and cultural practises. One comparison that I have been thinking about generally is the north/ south divide. So my observations are very much a generalisation but I have noticed the massive difference between western states in the north and south, I do not feel that I spent enough time in the eatern states to compare at all. I htink the north is more developed than the south, there are more westernised tendencies, there are more mountains..... (the Himalayas would put any other ranges to shame!), it is hotter in the south, the people are blacker, and in the caste system black is considered to be a sign of a lower caste, women seem to have more value in the south, it seems cleaner in the south- because less tourists/ less pursuit of western greeds?, bargaining is more gentle, eg one gives richshaw drivers the amount that one thinks the journey is worth, the food in the south is probably my favourate of all the places that I have been, I love the chutneys (coconut esp!) I am trying to learn it befor eI leave and then I can delight those I love with delicious meals. This is not complete but I will add more later.... some musings for now.

Ethical volunteering

I thought I should write about an interesting and relevant conversation I had with some other travellers about ethical volunteering. They had looked for a company who organised ethical volunteering projects and then were happy to pay to take part in one project in Africa, they found an organisation called 'Quest' who met their requirements. They pointed out that it was important that if one is voluntering abroad then it is *important that they are doing something that they are qualified to do in their own country, and I can give the example of when I took classes with the children in Ladakh, I am not trained teacher but if I went into a class to help then the teacher would dissappear....? Then mayhem often ensued.... * Only take part in long term projects, rather than a project that only exists for the sake of the volunteers who are participating * Don't do something that a local person would get paid to do. My friend gave the example of when she paid to participate in a project teaching english in Camaroon, but the people who she taught paid to take the lessons and the host family who hosted her did not recieve any payment.....

Let the body fast and feed your soul.

Kerala, S.India. It is the neighbouring state to Tamil Nadu and couldn't be more different, being here has made me really appreciate the simplicity and authenticity of TN. Kerala is a consumer society, and much more westernised than its neighbour. It has a lot more water too, it keeps raining and the land is intersected with beautiful silent waterways, teeming with life. Apparently the rain is not normal for this time of year however, more evidence for the global nature of a changing climate. The most obvious difference between Kerala and Tamil Nadu however is the role of women, in Tmail Nadu it is a very conservative society and women always play an inferior role to the all knowing, all seeing man, but in Kerala it feels like theres less sexual repression and the women have a more equal status. In Kerala the Niars caste is the most dominant, they are traditionally the rulers and warriers of the state, and the Niars community is the only remaining matri lineal community in the world! In other words the family name is passed on through tthe women raher than the men..... I have been here for a while and came on an epic 3 day train journey from Agra where I saw the Taj Mahal, impressive but please check my photos for the more feminine 'Baby Taj' which really captured me.
I am having a wonderful time here, my dad and big brother joined me for a holiday which was great but a dramatic change from my usual low key travelling style! Great to see them and to share India with them, it has really touched my life, and seeing how it touched them too was really special
I am in Cochi which is a touristy haven, but actually really nice. I will leave tomorrow however to head to a beach where I can swim, but my movements are westwards now. I am planning my return, and I think I will retrace my steps through Pakistan and Iran and Turkey. But this depends on whether I can get a Pakistan visa in India, as it is reputedly difficult.
Being in Kerala is gorgeous, very humid and hot, its very gorgeous here abundant with wildlife and nature, so far we saw elephant dung, dolphins, Giant Malabar Squirrels, kingfishers, flying fish, an otter, eagles, cranes, unidentified frogs... We swam in the lovely silky, warm arabian sea and ate fresh fish.
Tomorrow I will head north to a beach where I can again swim everyday, something that enriches my life immensely.

The Ganga is the artery of India obviously

I am in Rishikesh and am blissed out, it is the melting pot of Indian spirituality and beauty. If India is the land of the heart, and I believe it is, then The Ganga is the artery. Here I realise how India has infilitrated my blood after all this time. My pace is slower, more mindful, physically and mentally, I am more shanti in my totality. Equanimous in my being.
Travelling alone again, I like it very much but I have been thinking about how travelling is for a woman on her own. I think it is the way to travel actually, its so easy, everyone is so willing to help at every step, because the assumption is that I am more vulnerable as a woman on my own, however this is a double edged sword of course, as sometimes the help is more than is wanted, and my independence is incroached upon.
I am aware that I am more defensive when I am on my own, not to such an extent that I am not forming connections with people, but for example I have learnt that I cannot let any Indian man touch me, even to shake hands, because there is much sexual repression here seemingly. I do not let men take photos with me any more as they just use it as an excuse to touch me, and although in my culture in the west this is no issue, it is here. Innocence prevails here and men do not think that a woman may be scared of them, they always look very surprised and apologetic when reminded.
I feel like a potential problem here in Rishikesh is that I will feel like I should be doing lots of things however the peaceful atmosphere counteracts as does my shanti presence that and I feel very happy to quietly remain open to soaking up the array of delights that are in abundance here.

Seeing things as they really are

Just out of vipassana retreat, my second experience and much more powerful than the first, my medtation has come on lots and I worked really hard. Concentrating one's mind for 10 hours a day is no mean feat, from 4.30 am till 9pm we are working on our meditation. Sitting in a meditation posture for all this time is an amazing experience, my body is so toned and fit now which is bizarre after not doing any conventional exercise for 12 days! And the pain that one experiences is undescribable, and not relieved by adjusting posture even. I was able to enjoy the experience this tme immensely and met yet more sisters of course who I went on a fantastic expedition to a mountain 10km walk away and spent the night in a cave under the full moon...... Divineness...
I realised that I suddenly was pining for my friends and family for the 1st time achingly.
I have decided to return for the job with The banyan next summer probably.
Eagles and vultures, kites and crows circle the wind currents above the city continuously reminding one of freedom and simplicity. Dharamsala is a gorgeous place but it is tinged with saddness, as there are many Tibetans here living in exile hoping that Tibet will be one day free from the human rights violations of the Chinese authorities when they will be able to return.