India 2009

 

To India I went October 2009 to go to a Yoga Teacher Training in Nashik which is more or less a three hour train ride north-east of Mumbai.

 

I first wanted to do the course in Germany but never had enough money for it. As I mentioned it to my Yogateacher Radhika Gonzalez Marcos and she told me about the TTC in India. And so I went.

 

I booked everything, applied for a Visa and prepared myself for the big trip. All alone to India. But then it seemed that the Visa does not get there in time, since I was still on Fuerteventura, all was a little bit more complicated.

Two day before I had to leave, it still wasnt there, so I called the visa agency again and just in that moment the delivery van pulled up on front of our house, with my VISA!!!

 

I flew from Fuerte to Madrid, changed planes, went to London and from there to Mumbai. I booked a flight with which I would get to India in the morning, so I would have enough time to get to the ashram before it gets dark.

 

When I left the airport, it was raining incredibly. I met a girl at the passport control and soon we where for checking out where everyone wants to go and in the end I shared a taxi with one of them to go to the bus station, from where my bus to Nashik was supposed to leave.

But it didnt. I had to get another taxi , this time alone, to go to an office from where the bus to Nashik leaves.

The office was very hard to find, I walked around for about fifteen minutes, it was still raining and everyone was just staring at me.

When I finally found the office I  had to wait for about 4 more hours. Since it was pouring down waterfalls, I couldnt explore the neighbourhood and stayed in the office, people coming and leaving.

After a long wait my bus arrived and we took of. It started getting late and I really hoped to get to Nashik before dark. It didnt work out...again.

 

Around eight the bus arrived in Nashik, it was pitch black outside. I left the bus and in a sudden was surrounded by Indians and their TukTuks, wanting to help me. But no one spoke a word English. I tried to explain where I wanted to go when a friendly, english speaking Indian passed and helped me out.

He got me a driver to the next bus station, from where I had to take a bus to Trimbak, saver this way, he said.

When I got to Trimbak I had to look for a taxi to take me to the ashram. But no taxis around and the people who where on the bus where gone so fast, I didnt even had the chance to ask.

In the end a guy hepled me and I got a taxi, three men where sitting in the front, it was dark, I was tired and also a little bit scarred as well.

 

Around eleven at night I arrived at the ashram, where everybody was already sleeping. Luckily one of the volunteers saw our lights and I got a room and a bed.

Good night, what an exciting first day in India.

 

When I look back at my India experience, I always see, how much this trip did to me. India is such a great, colourful, energizing country and I suggest to everyone at least to travel there once in their life.

And also being in this ashram taught me so much about myself, about life and happiness.

Whenever I have the chance, I will go back and this time travel around India, which I didnt do when I went in 2009.

 

Hari Om