Every time I go to write of my experiences, I find myself not being able to put it into words. Here's my best..
Arriving in Jaipur was an adventure all its own. The train ride was 14 hours. Claudia and I were in regular sleeper class (and foolishly thinning we'd actually get our bed to itself). When first boarding the train, we were the only ones in our cabin. I knew of course there would be more prior once we got to bigger cities. I want aware of just how many people! By midday, we only had one bed and there were Indian women sitting with us putting their kids I'm our lap. At one point there were 7 other people in our bed besides us (and our you bed had several people to and a lot of luggage). India is making me question if I am claustrophobic.
After a few hours of not being able to move we had to kick everyone out of our bed, asking them to take the top one.
Our first day in Jaipur, we traveled a bit around the city by tuktuk, seeing the money palace and water palace. We did a little shopping and find a new guest house (which come to find, looks are deceiving. It was not worth it...) Unfortunately, this was the day when I got grabbed. I had been mentally prepared to be on my guard for holi, but the day before I didn't expect anything to happen. I was really taken off guard because it was an employee of western union. Long story short, I pushed him away and slapped him across the face. It was just groping, nothing more. Being put in this situation though made me realize just how vulnerable I am as a woman here. Claudia was just a few steps below me and he still had the nerve to try that. It's been heavy on my heart, and more so because my friends were also groped during holi. It saddens me that such a beautiful place filled with so much spirituality can also be filled with so much disrespect...
Other than the expected groping of holi, it was an amazing experience. I still have color on me!
Claudia, Lisa, Nicola, Ashlyn, and I danced and celebrated at Nicola's hotel for a while, then ventured to the streets for a second time. Our first venture out we were ambushed by groups of children with colourful powder. They always would put it on your face, mostly the cheeks. We then came across a group of women dancing and they invited us to dance with them for a while. The kids continued to color us and some of the women did as well. Our second venture to the streets was even more amazing. We met this (very handsome. Dreadlocks and a beard, what more could I ask for??) guy named Daniel from Spain. He was in the back of some guys motor bike. We all ended up taking the bike (two at a time) to the pink city. Claudia and I were the last to go. Now, I don't know if I have mentioned the insanity of riding around in India. It's complete madness. Anyways, it was a bit too rowdy there so we walked up to the Nagar Palace. On our adventure through the small streets we can across a family who invited us inside. We danced in their courtyard with all the children and several women. It was amazing the genuine feeling of this moment. This had been the most amazing experience of India this far. Once the music stopped and the color was running lie, they served us the sweetest lassi I've had. After many pictures, we continued on our journey to the palace. The police followed us up most of the way, beating off people who harassed us. I think our presence May have caused a bit of a scene...
The day ended with good food, a new friend, and lasting memories.
Now, I sit on my first bus heading to Ajmer, then Pushkar. I look forward to the calm, the opportunity to relax a bit and reflect, a moment to really see how much India has already changed me. I see myself so much stronger already. I am no longer being passive or unsure of myself. India is just what I needed. I can see so clearly how just being in India is going to turn me into a better yoga teacher, business woman, and person in general.
Watch out world. I'm coming.
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