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Learning Rajasthan Miniature Style Painting from littlewoo on Vimeo.

March 2012
While I was in Udaipur, I spent several afternoons exploring traditional Rajasthani miniature painting. This is a style of classical Indian art that I’ve loved for many years so it was blissful to sit for several hours a day, painting in that genre with the gentle guidance of Madan at Ashoka Arts.

In a peaceful alcove in the middle of an old haveli, I would slow my breath and heart rate to paint with a tiny squirrel-haired paintbrush. This is the tool that is used to create the delicate miniature paintings of camels, horses, elephants and resplendent scenes of princes and princesses from the olden kingdoms of Rajasthan.

You have to be extremely still in order to paint with surgical precision on the small piece of silk canvas.  In this stillness, I felt a profound peace in my body and mind.  Those hours of deep meditation rekindled my appreciation for the healing effects of drawing and painting. I was reminded of the countless hours I used to spend drawing as a child.  Those were the most tranquil memories from my childhood and was a saving grace amidst the turbulence of those years.  Now in my generally peaceful life as an adult, I could see that making this type of art would be highly effective for rejuvenation.   It is a beautiful addition to one’s repertoire of self-healing tools…

March 2012
In Udaipur, I met Prakash who teaches yoga by donation. His energy was lighthearted and relaxed – like a child playing on the floor. You wanted to do what he was doing just because it looked like fun! Of course, there was one exercise that I cannot do yet but I love the mesmerizing look of this yogic feat…

Trippy Tummy Tuck from littlewoo on Vimeo.

To Do in Udaipur from littlewoo on Vimeo.

The Joys of Immersion
One of my favorite aspects of travel is the opportunity to immerse in the destination’s culture, art and language. For example, I enjoyed my stay in Udaipur in particular due to its instructional offerings of local culture. (Since teaching is so inherently part of my life path, I also love the flipside of being a student.) There were classes in tabla, sitar, cooking, yoga and miniature painting so I managed to sample all of these while I was there for 11 days. Tasting them briefly increased my appreciation for each discipline even though I know that much more study is required to be fluent.  I shared this concept of “cultural appreciation through education” with the Udaipur musician who ironically held a contempt for the very travelers to whom he offered music lessons. Thankfully, his hard edge softened during the tabla lesson when he saw my genuine interest…

Even if we don’t continue the study beyond that moment, it contributes to our ecstatic evolution as curious and appreciative human beings…

Lovely Udaipur from littlewoo on Vimeo.

March 18-29, 2012
After visiting the city of Pushkar in India, I took a very bumpy overnight bus to Udaipur – said to be one of the most romantic cities in India. Many old mansions (known as havelis) have been converted into guesthouses and as you climb up a haveli’s steep staircase, you may be rewarded with a fabulous view of the city from its terrace rooftop restaurant. From this vantage point, you can see the entire city surrounding its famous lake of palaces. In the tourist areas, I saw that many restaurants were offering a nightly screening of the James Bond movie “Octopussy” – not so strange once I found out that it was filmed in Udaipur back in 1983.

13 Memorable Experiences in Udaipur

13. Taking a tabla lesson.
12. Walking through the colorful vegetable market.
11. Seeing the Gangaur Festival with the women all dolled up for 3 days of celebration
10. Finding favorite spots that offered healthy meals.
9.   Checking out the various havelis along the lakefront.
8.   Sitting in lovely rooftop terraces overlooking the city and the lake.
7.   Making staple Indian dishes in a cooking class.
6.   Taking a couple of sitar lessons.
5.   Doing some fun yoga with local teacher Prakash
4.   Meeting a talented local couple who are artists in the Rajasthani miniature painting style.
3.   Meeting an amazing man who founded a music therapy NGO for deaf and disabled children.
2.   Meeting a delightful Australian couple with whom I would end up traveling the rest of Rajasthan.
1.   Painting in the Rajasthani miniature style (which i have loved for many years) with guidance from a local artist.

March 12-17, 2012
The second destination I visited in Rajasthan India was Pushkar – one of the oldest cities of India, built around a sacred lake.  It is a pilgrimage site  for Hindus and a very popular little destination for backpackers.  Most of my time in Pushkar was about rest and healing from the stomach bug I’d most likely gotten from drinking water in Pune.  It was the perfect place to chill out and recover…

10 Memorable Experiences:

10. Seeing the Aravalli Hills on the way to Pushkar, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.

9. Meeting a Nepalese guide who takes people on treks up to base of Mount Everest.  When i asked who are the best climbers in his experience, he says:  The ones who can maintain a strong will and patience.  They are not necessarily athletes or mountaineers; many of his best climbers were often people in their 60′s who would pace themselves and keep striving despite the challenges.

8. While recovering, I ate daily at the well-known Honey & Spice cafe which serves very wholesome foods – perfect for when your body needs a break from curry!  Recommended: the cinnamon iced tea (extremely refreshing), the morning muesli with bananas, figs and dates, and the Bowl of Joy whole grains with steamed veggie!

7. Seeing flocks of  my favorite bird (peacocks) roaming freely in the Pushkar desert on the outskirts of town…

6. Testing various essential oils in an old-fashioned Indian perfume shop…

5.  Seeing the obvious influence of hippie backpackers on the village – from cunning shops selling “Poi” to  local vendors who test their Western vernacular on foreign women.  One vendor accused me of not “going with the flow” when I declined his intention to grope me.

4. Drinking chai while listening to beautiful Rajasthani folk albums at the local music shop (King’s Good Music Zone)

3. Meeting a wonderful new friend from Italy who does business in Pushkar and sharing a delicious thin-crust pizza on a terrace roof-top restaurant (La Pizzeria).

2. Buying a month’s worth of dry food goods for a small Pushkar family.  They had befriended me and laid a path of hints that I willingly responded to since it was food and not money they were asking for.  Once i paid the grocer, he said that they would have to deliver the food another time as the amount was more than we could carry.  Much later, I realized that it was a common con for foreigners.

1. Watching sunset over the holy lake of Pushkar, with Bhopa tribe musicians competing for tourist dollars and cows in heat chasing each other on the steps of the ghats.

March 7-12, 2012
In Rajasthan, I first traveled to Jaipur – the Pink City.   It has several great monuments but my favorite experience was chatting with my personal rickshaw driver whom I hired for a few days of travel around town.  His life story was very eye-opening and I admire his dedication to his family. 

13 Memorable Experiences:

13.  Taking a bicycle rickshaw for the first time
12. Watching a Bollywood Hindi film in the theatre
11.  Learning my first phrases in Hindi
10. Petting a cobra
9.   Missing the rambunctious Holi Festival of Colors due to intense diarrhea
8.   Staying in a beautiful haveli hotel with ornate Rajasthani decor
7.   Stunning mosaic doorways at the City Palace
6.   Learning to read a gigantic ancient sundial  (Jantar Mantar)
5.   Elephant caravans at the majestic Amber Fort
4.   Driving a rickshaw
3.   Sunrise at the peaceful Monkey Temple with its natural mountain springs and wild macaque monkeys  (Galtaji temple)
2.   Relaxing in the shade of the Royal Tombs of Jaipur’s Maharajas  (Gaitor Cenotaphs)
1.   The gentle company and care of my wonderful rickshaw driver Bablu! (let me know if you ever go there, i have his mobile)

When I learned that the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean all converge at the southernmost tip of India, I knew I would have to visit to this special energy centre called Kanyakumari.  How can a mermaid possibly resist such a place?

Above all, it was the perfect place to conduct a ceremony to honor my last relationship – celebrating all the beauty, love and teachings of a powerful journey with one of my beloved.  The seashore, as always, served as a perfect sanctuary for this sacred ritual.

An Ode to Childhood Magic in Adulthood…