Go now, and live.

Experience. Dream. Risk. Close your eyes and jump. Enjoy the freefall. Choose exhilaration over comfort. Choose magic over predictability. Choose potential over safety. Wake up to the magic of everyday life. Make friends with your intuition. Trust your gut. Discover the beauty of uncertainty. Know yourself fully before you make promises to another. Make millions of mistakes so that you will know how to choose what you really need. Know when to hold on and when to let go. Love hard and often and without reservation. Seek knowledge. Open yourself to possibility. Keep your heart open, your head high and your spirit free. Embrace your darkness along with your light. Be wrong every once in a while, and don't be afraid to admit it. Awaken to the brilliance in ordinary moments. Tell the truth about yourself no matter what the cost. Own your reality without apology. See goodness in the world. Be Bold. Be Fierce. Be Grateful. Be Wild, Crazy and Gloriously Free. Be You.

Go now, and live.

- Jeanette LeBlanc

Raleigh

I won't get much of an opportunity to go online over the next few months, but Raleigh regularly update the group blog. It is also a great way to contact me, so I would love you to leave messages on it.

http://raleighindia.blogspot.com/

xxx

A birthday comes but once a year,
...And brings with it good fun and cheer.
These couplets then, from Facebook sent,
Hope to instill much merriment.

But though it is a grand occasion,
Think of us, your friends (non-asian)
Now that we are four ways split;
In Scotland, Wales and other bits.

And so resentment now creeps in
'Twixt all my rhymes (though it's a sin
To covet of thy neighbour's jaunt)
Since life in Britain's grey and gaunt.

For while you're out in India
We work in banks and schools and... er...
Alright, a Masters' not that bad
Though now I'm off the dole, I'm sad.

I hope you've not yet seen it all
For India is not that small;
That your excitement still allows
For temples, elephants, and cows.

===

Regards your birthday though, let's not
...Get too worked up or lose the plot
For twenty three is no big deal
I mean come on, you're old- get real.

Of course, despite my words, take heed
To celebrate with rum and mead.
Though probably you'll go with gin
And tonic; get that quinine in!

But now the poem's at an end
And since I count myself your friend
I don't mean to be too aloof;
With veiled insults I mask the truth.

I honestly hope that you're well
And that at Raleigh you'll excel.
So when you have finished your quest
To find yourself, please come back west!

By Thomas Bush

Solo

Well, for a day at least.

From Bangalore I took a sleeper bus to Pondicherry. I guess this was my first real experience of independent travelling. I lasted about a day before I decided I hated it. It started badly. I was apprehensive about the bus journey, mainly because I was feeling queasy and there is nothing worse than travelling when you are ill. I had a long wait for my bus, so of course I found the nearest Cafe Coffee Day (India's answer to Starbucks) and started my book Eat, Pray, Love. I think this was when I fell in love with Bangalore. In no other city in India would I feel comfortable sitting alone, reading a book over a coffee. And in no other city here would at least 3 other Indian women be doing the same! In 'Eat, Pray, Love' the author uses the Italian phrase bel far niente meaning the beauty of doing nothing. It is something most European countries have mastered, and it is also a trait repeatedly found here in India. At any given time there is an army of Indian men standing, sitting, squatting and staring. I find it endlessly amusing. Even on long-distance trains, passengers will passively sit for hours and hours. No book, no paper, no cards, no ipod.

I arrived in Pondicherry early in the morning, found a guesthouse and slept until lunch (making up for the lack of sleep on the 'sleeper' bus). Pondicherry was pretty and clean, I loved exploring all the rustic streets resembling a a slightly decrepit French town. There just wasn't much to do there apart from eat expensive western food. It felt very much like a middle-class Indian holiday resort. It took about a day for me to get bored of my own company. Thankfully, I met Will that evening and we spent a couple more days in Pondicherry. We took a moped to this crazy place called Auroville, this weird Utopian village built with the soil of 126 countries. According to Wikipedia "Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity." But in reality it is a hippy enclave in South India of middle-class Europeans.

After Pondicherry, Roxanne and I spent a couple of days relaxing by the beach in Mamallapuram. Great place, but there was certainly an off-season feel about it. I loved it there, it had a similar vibe to Hampi. We didn't do much there, mostly just relaxed, read, shopped and drank. Perfect.

Shanti Shanti

Post-Hampi Blues? It is possible.

I eventually managed to drag myself away from the magnificent Hampi, it was such a welcome retreat from the chaos of India. Perhaps life was a little too easy there. I had so many good experiences there, met so many amazing people and spent hours having some incredible conversations. By staying in one place for longer, you do less sightseeing and begin to experience that place in a whole different way to a passing tourist. Knowing that I had almost two weeks post-Hampi until I needed to be in Delhi to meet my Dad, I was really unsure about how to spend that time. Abi and I finally made the excellent decision to couch-surf in Bangalore. It was such a contrast to the peace and calm of Hampi, suddenly we were drinking Costa iced caramel coffees in a busy metropolitan city. I loved it. The weather was beautifully sunny and fresh, it felt like a European summer. The residential streets are quiet and lined by avenues of trees, creating a welcoming continental vibe. What an awesome city, incomparable to Mumbai or Delhi. Also, couch-surfing is my new favourite thing. I am so disappointed that I've only just discovered it. It is such a relaxed and easy way to see a city. Our couch-surfing host Arvind couldn't have been more welcoming.

It took a while to form a vague plan for the following 10 days, eventually deciding to visit Mudumalai National Park, Pondicherry and Mamallapuram. After yet another rickety government bus and a longer than expected journey, we arrived in Mysore on our way from Bangalore to Mudumalai. Sat next to a beautiful old lady in a sparkley green sari, at first seemingly unfriendly but a couple of head wobbles later and she was smiling and offering us various edibles that she had bought through the window of the bus. Fresh slices of cucumber and handfuls of monkey nuts which she spent ages sweetly shelling for us. Yet another example of the kindness Indians show to their guests. Which is perplexing because the rest of the time rickshaw drivers and shopkeepers are mostly trying to rip you off. It is a constant challenge, but mostly you learn to just trust a friendly face. Following another argumentative confrontational rickshaw ride with a lost driver, we pulled up to rather intimidating and uninviting hostel. In our dormitory Abi and I were mobbed by a gaggle of giggling 20-something students from Kerala, all desperate to stroke our hair and ask if we had boyfriends. We were eventually left to sleep after they had finished examining us. Early next morning we made it onto a bus destined for the National Park (after the inevitable 15 minutes of deciphering the confused and conflicting information about which bus and from which bus stand). On arrival, I was relatively underwhelmed after such a long journey from Bangalore. We were told that trekking in the part was illegal and that we could only visit the park on a hurried bus safari. Despite this, we checked into a spacious dorm room and had some spectacular home-cooked food for lunch. We did surprisingly manage to catch a glimpse of some wildlife from the tourist bus safari, which honked and hurtled its way around the park. We saw bison, wild hogs, deer and then most amazingly a herd of wild elephants and a little black sloth bear. Inspired by our sightings, we went on a foot trek early the following morning. Aside from lots of spotted deer, we also saw a huge solo elephant silently making its way through the park. Incredible experience.

From the City to beaches and temples

So I realise another blog entry is long overdue. I want to post before I move on to the next place, where ever that may be. I've completely fallen in love with Hampi. Set in a beautiful landscape of rust coloured boulders and startlingly green paddy fields and banana plantations, Hampi is an oasis within India. A group of us arrived here after 12 hours on a government bus, the sort of bus that doesn't look particularly road-worthy and is only meant to sit 20 people but 50 people somehow manage to squeeze on. After that very long and uncomfortable journey, Hampi had a lot to live up to. So many people have told me that it is their favourite place here in India, so I was really expecting something amazing. And it is! The tiny 'town' comprising of one main street and a maze of guesthouses and shops is surrounded by crumbling Hindu temples which take days to explore. We've clambered up hills to watch the sun rise and set, pottered about the town and temples on bicycles, discovered waterfalls, had morning yoga classes and hired scooters for the all essential booze cruise to the nearest big town.

Before Hampi, a group of us took the night train to Om Beach in Gokarna. It felt really good to be moving again. It was really hard saying goodbye to many of the friends I had made on Study India, especially as some of them I had travelled with since my arrival in India. The long train journey was a good time to reflect on the programme in Mumbai. The final week of the programme was a bit of an anti-climax, we had a couple of poor lectures and a few things were cancelled because of the monsoon. We did have a few amazing evenings though, one night we performed Puja for the Ganesh festival which involved a lot of incense, flowers and candles then hours of dancing. Similarly, our final night in Mumbai was Indian-themed, we all wore traditional Indian formal clothes, the whole event was so sparkly and brightly coloured!

The sleeper train to Gokarna was fun and full of activity. A constant steady stream of men selling delicious samosas, bhajis and cones of bombay mix; as well as food magazines, pillows and toys were also for sale. Not much sleeping took place, especially as we had a loud group of singing and clapping Hare Krishnas on our carriage. Om Beach itself was quiet and peaceful, and probably quite beautiful beneath the rain. We spent a couple of soggy days there, enjoying rainy swims in the sea and long nights in the beach bar.

Feeling a little apprehensive about the next few weeks, for a number of reasons. I don't really have a plan and it is hard saying goodbye to friends. Plus I've lost my camera charger so I haven't been able to take photos for about a week. And I still have so much to look forward to in India, 6 months is beginning to feel like a long time.

Sending you all lots of love, I'll post again soon. E-mail me with all your news from home, however mundane and apologies for not replying often.
xxx

Study India

Describing itself as "an intellectual and aesthetic journey through India", the Study India programme has been the perfect introduction to my stay in India. I will certainly be using my experiences here as a springboard for the rest of my travels. The programme itself is pretty intense, far more so than Study China was. We are shepherded from one activity to another, with little free time to explore the city ourselves. I have learnt a lot from the activities and lectures organised by the programme. It has actually renewed my thirst for learning, and I am leaning towards the possibility of further study. We have had a number of inspiring lectures, covering topics such as Indian traditions and values, Gandhian economics, Indian Cinema and the curious tradition of Dabbawallas. We've been taught Bollywood dancing, Hindi and lots about religion.

As part of the programme, we all took part in a volunteering scheme for a week. My placement was with Mumbai Mobile Creches, which is a school for the children of construction workers. The school was really impressive, colourful walls decorated with the children's work. It was well run and organised, the children has a daily routine which was fairly rigidly stuck too. The main teacher was really enthusiastic and inspirational, even though he spoke little English. The school is at the foot of a construction site for luxury apartment buildings. The construction workers live on site, in a small slum with their families. Yet another example of the ludicrous divide between the rich and the poor. The problem with NGO work is that it is difficult to know how much a difference you can make, especially as we were only there for a week. We spent most of our time playing with the children, teaching them a little English and helping them with their school work.

At times I have not really enjoyed the programme, many of the lectures have been of little interest to me. But I have met some amazing friends, so it hasn't really mattered if the programme hasn't been perfect.