here lies the email I sent out while on the road. at this stage i'd left italy and arrived in dubai. from dubai i flew to india.
heyhey lovers. here goes the latest on my travels. i started taking malarone the day before i flew into india, so while i was in dubai. instantly my vision grew super sensitive, my tongues gotten think and swollen-like, i have no appetite, my hearing is super acute, im an insomniac and when i do catch some shut eye i have super crazy nightmares. ah holy moly. ive done some research and all these symptoms are reported and deemed normal. so, here starts the most bizarrely unfolding experience.
on a more positive note lets get into what ive been seeing and doing and feeling.
dubai was totally wacko. it shines, literally. everywhere you look theres material / superficial beauty. i could have eaten off the airport floors, the shops were all dazzled and huge, washrooms etc. the vision to give of dubai is this - theres two sides to dubai which are both built up w crazy tall buildings, most of which are unoccupied. then in the centre - between the buildings (approx 25 min drive) is flat. there is the big palm tree which lures out into the ocean built up to the nines. because its a muslim country, public drinking isnot allowed so to get around it everyone drinks in hotels which is the only place booze is available. the hotels are gor.geous. the people hanging out at the hotels are gor.geous. everyone is perfectly put together. all the cars look like they just drove out of a car wash. dubai.
emirates is the nicest and most luxurious airplane i have ever been on. the women dress in a full get up, resembling the visions of royalty. their massive planes with so many service details its almost too much. from towel service to water before take off, to complementary booze of any kind, menus for food (including 3-4 options). the washrooms are kept super clean, smelling of perfumes. all movies are western. all tv shows and music stations local. emirates.
just before landing in india i was struck by complete culture shock. custom cards are in english. i was the only white person on the plane (not that if your white your fluent in english) and i was one of 3 woman on a massive sized plane. from my seat i could count 4 or 5 people who were able to fill out their cards. the man beside me had to ask several people to borrow theirs so he could fill his out and he still hadnt completed his card when we landed.
im not sure inida's population but there is no like hardly a smigit of electricity from my birds eye view. my mouth stayed open in awe for what felt like weeks, wondering how the heck the pilot knew where to gear down. ah yes - ive come to think pilots should receive equal compensation to doctors. if we dont pay our pilots top dollar then we wont have the best of the best and pilots need to be the best of the best.
so, we gear down and im met by this cute dude whos holding a sign w my name - oh and another eye opener, everyone's luggage comprised of boxes, held together w rope or packing tape. that was it - no other pieces of luggage other then my hiking bag.
arriving in a foreign place in the dark on malarone is a wee bit trippy. yaba. it was a magical experience to open my door with the light to see my surroundings. i felt at peace. my place is an individual bungalow and its really lovely. i am the only guest here. yes, the one and only and it has so many different feelings tied to it. its a wee bit creepy to be in this separate house in a village i don't know from adam but in the same breath its personal and freeing and truly wonderful. there are probably 25 staff who i smile with and share brief conversations. the food is delicious.
today my driver and my escort took me to south east india's largest hindu temple. i wasn't allowed inside the temple but i allowed in the gates and to walk its surroundings. large pools of black water surrounds the worship where people bath before entering. hindus believe that god is in the temple and they must be clean for him , when he see's them. they also believe that it is where they come to get energy. people were sleeping all around the temple, taking in as much energy from god as they could.
as we left the temple, surrounded by many many people the biggest palm branch came flying down and landed a millimetre from my head. i felt the swoosh of the branch pass me as it hit the ground. everyone started cheering and clapping, saying god has saved me. i laugh while i type. amazing.
i was then taken to an elephant park. elephants are very sacred here and are used in ceremonies and at the temples. they dress them up in vibrant colors and jewels and have them participate in the action. it was a bit unnerving to see so many elephants tied to trees, swaying back and forth almost in a dance dreaming of freedom. but, my western attitudes cant interject and likely shouldnt. this taught me about opening my mind to other peoples way of life. not to change them or judge them but to look deeper and feel the life each and everyones living, together wherever they are in the world, with whatever their use to.
im doing 1.5 hours of yoga each day at 4:30. a lovely 24 year old lady whos a naturopathic doctor. her techniques focus on concentration and deep relaxation. its wonderful. oh my, i almost forgot about the craziest massage i had yesterday, of which i will do again tomorrow and another time before i head to goa. so oils, hot hot oils are massaged into my hair, face etc., and two people massage me on this huge wooden table. you end up slithering around, so funny. then they light this huge wooden tank (flamed newspapers were flying all around the room and i kept saying...are we ok...everything ok..giving the thumbs up sign.eekk). i get into this wooden tank and sit on a stool - they cover the tank leaving a small hole for my head which is wrapped in a towel and tadaa an ancient steam bath. dude, i lasted for a total of 4 minutes (which even that was pushing it) and i was like ya...no...this is just not gunna work. it was super intense. malarone or claustrophobia ?!
my thought for today: most of my best photos have been taken when i turn around.
catch me if you can 0x
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