Jak shrnout tři roky... (CZ)

Mám pocit, že bych měla začít nějakým "ahoj, jak jste se celou dobu měli"? Jestli vůbec na tenhle blog ještě někdo zabloudí... Možná kvůli informacím o konkrétních destinacích (ano, ty bych mohla také začít postupně přidávat), ale i tak chci napsat alespoň jeden velmi osobní příspěvek. OK, jdem na to...

Co se se mnou stalo ty tři roky? 

Narodil se mi syn. Přesně 24.6.2017

A od té doby jsem se asi přesunula do jiné časoprostorové dimenze. Nemyslím si, že bych byla špatná matka. Nejsem ale "přirozená" matka a nový svět mě vzal útokem víc, než kdysi mé opuštění zaběhaného řádu a vycestování z komfortní zóny na Camino de Santiago. Tohle byla (a je) úplně jiná jízda... Takže teprve po třech letech vlastně zjišťuji, kterým směrem se chci vydat dál.  

Samuel si vesele roste. (prosinec 2019, San Augustín, Kolumbie)

První rok jsem řešila jen sebe a dítě a mám neskutečný obdiv ke všem maminkám, co zvládají víc. Klobouk dolů. Půl roku v Česku, druhou půlku v Kolumbii, trocha kávy a plantáží a jinak hodně plínek a malých výletů po okolí. Překonávání komfortní zóny zejména samostatným fungováním matky s malým dítětem v Bogotě (ještě mi někdy říkejte, že v Praze existuje něco jako dopravní zácpa...)

Návrat do Česka a zapojení mozkových závitů, výborná nabídka, která se neodmítá - spolupráce s kavárnou Kafec, zejména tou Brněnskou, a pořádání kurzů a populárně vzdělávacích akcí. Jupí!! Už jsem se zase dostala k nějaké činnosti, srkání kávy, sociálnímu životu... Tak třeba dvakrát týdně na pár hodin. 

Kurz SCAA sensory intermediate v březnu 2020, Bogotá, Kolumbie

A zase na podzim do Kolumbie, zpomalení životního rytmu a hlavně, hledání sama sebe v tom novém světě rodičovských a partnerských povinností, změněných priorit a nesplněných, čekajících snů...

A protože jsem tvrdohlavá, rozhodla jsem se, že se i se Samuelem podívám do Brazílie. A uzavřu tím jednu kapitolu života, kterou se mi uzavřít nepodařilo (když jsem na podzim 2016 zjistila, že jsem těhotná, měla jsem letenku do Brazílie, jednosměrnou. Už jsem tam neodletěla.). Se synem jsme objeli pár mých kamarádů, v Riu, v Lapinha (poblíž města Belo Horizonte) no a protože už jsem zase vplouvala do světa výběrové kávy, tak jsme se zastavili i na World of Coffee v Belo Horizonte a potkali se tam se spoustou známých a kamarádů z Česka. Zrovna ten rok soutěžili na světových mistrovstvích v přípravě filtrované kávy, v cup tastingu a v Coffee in Good Spirits. Ještě se nám podařilo pro ně zajistit i výlet na farmu. Tak jsem se cítila užitečná. 

Botanická zahrada, Rio de Janeiro, podzim 2018

Pak už zase zpátky do Kolumbie, zkoumat a hledat svou cestu mezi rodinou a tužbami srdce. Když to šlo (mnohem méně, než bych si představovala nebo byla schopná prosadit) tak jsme byli na farmách, pracovala jsem na rozvíjení kontaktů s pěstitely kávy a rozšiřování svých vědomostí. Když o tom píšu, vypadá to líp, než skutečnost, ono toho času tolik nebylo...ale člověk bere, co může :) A na jaře jsme pak společně se Samuelem tři týdy věnovali cestování a kávě a "průvodcování" pro moou současnou kamarádku a obchodní společnici Karolínu. (Více o vzniku firmy Chicas Industry zde.) Postupně se z neznámých staly dvě známé a začaly jsme dávat dohromady plán na budování impéria na export-import kávy :D

Kája na cuppingu, finca El Diviso, Santander

Pak opět migrace do Česka, kávové kurzy a akce (některé jsem vedla, jiných se účastnila) a posilování komunity kolem výběrové kávy. Nikam jsme moc nejezdili, jen jsem si odskočila do Berlína (3 dny, World of Coffee a poprvé na noc bez dítěte, nebo spíš dítě beze mě?) Končilo období krátkých nocí, Samuel začal spát celou noc (já si na spánek potrpím a musím říct, že to byla jedna z nejnáročnějších věcí na prvních dvou letech mateřství, spát s přerušením). Odjeli jsme i na 5 dní na balónovou fiestu do Holandska, poprvé po dvou letech bez dítěte (babi to zvládla na jedničku, Samuel taky). Takové malé milníky v rodinném životě :D :D :D Jinak léto jsme trávili v poklidu u babi na zahradě, na podzim pak odjeli na pár dní do Německa. A postupně chystali zase naše migrování za oceán. V listopadu jsme s Karolínou ještě stihly založit s.r.o. a pak už jsme zase cestovali se synem za druhou půlkou rodiny do Kolumbie.

Loňské léto byl bazén využit na maximum, letos stále čekáme...

Kýčovité Bavorsko, naše oblíbená destinace...Tatínek pracuje a my výletujeme po okolí :)

Když je rodič dostatečně stabilní a ví co chce, dítě se mu přizpůsobí. Takže asi si sama můžu odpovědět, co je špatně, když to zrovna u nás drhne :D A nejvíc to vidím na cestování. Když to moc řeším já, Samuel moc v klidu není. Když mám věci tak trochu na háku, všechno dopadne maximálně dobře.

Spaní řešíme víc my, rodiče,
děti ve skutečnosti usnou kdekoliv, když chtějí :)

Loňský podzim a letošní jaro už bylo hodně o "seberealizaci", doprovázeli jsme dvě kamarádky na cestách jako "průvodci" po farmách i Amazonii (tam jsem teda syna nebrala, jinak na farmách sbíral s námi), upevňovala jsem vztahy s producenty kávy, ochutnávala a vybírala kafe, zajišťovala logistiku a tak dále a tak dále (celý proces nákupu kafe a co vůbec v Chicas děláme je v podcastu #47 od Doubleshotu)... No a pak přišla korona, trochu nám vnesla nejistotu do života, pořád jsme řešili, jestli zůstat v Kolumbii nebo se přesunout do Evropy. Should I stay or should I go nám znělo v hlavě denně, zejména poté, co se Korona přemístila i na nový kontinent a věci v Kolumbii začaly nabírat obrátky.

Samozřejmě, že bylo nemožné dostat se zpět komerčním letem, ale měli jsme štěstí a využili repatriačního letu české vlády (veliké díky!!). A opět se potvrdilo, že když jsou v klidu rodiče, tak dítě zvladne vše, 4-5ti hodinové čekání PŘED letištní halou i cca 22h pobyt ve stejném letadle (mezipřistání byla tři, vystupovat jsme ale ani jednou nemohli). 

Při čekání na informace na letišti El Dorado v Bogotě mi na ruce přistála vážka...

Teď jsme už tři měsíce zpět v Česku, jsme přestěhovaní, s Chicas prodáváme kafe a snažíme se vytěžit maximum ze všech příležitostí. Já stále hledám sama sebe a své místo a čekám na léto u bazénu. A už se těším, co se všechno přihodí, mám čím dál větší víru ve věci příští, kterou hodlám živit. Pokud mi s tou pozitivní energií chcete pomoct, ozvěte se...

Cestovatelská nerozhodnost (CZ)

Možná tím trpím jenom já, ale dostávám se občas ve svém životě do stavů totální paralýzy v důsledku rozhodovací neschopnosti. Zejména pak na cestách je pro mě občas problém udělat běžná malá každodenní rozhodnutí týkající se jídla, spaní a dopravy. Žiju už nějakou dobu mimo Česko, dva, možná tři roky. Přesouvám se z místa na místo většinou za nějakým krátkodobějším účelem, dobrovolnickou aktivitou, projektem a samozřejmě při té příležitosti i tu a tam něco procestuju. Asi první skutečná cesta „baťůžkáře“ pro mě byla nedávno Indie. I když i tam mě přitáhla svatba kamarádky, na kterou jsem byla přizvána a zbytek tak nějak vyplynul z mých časových a finančních možností a touhy poznávat. Takže po svatbě jsem si udělala „volno“ a na dva měsíce se ztratila v této obrovské zemi, o které jsem dopředu nic moc nevěděla.

Indie je plná barev, které vás uchvátí. Problém nastává, pokud se máte rozhodnout jen pro jednu jedinou...
Která je ta vaše? Je pro vás snadné nechat ty ostatní nebo přemýšlíte, jestli jste zvolili správně?

Protože nemám ve zvyku cesty plánovat a ráda nechávám věcem volný průběh, zavřela jsem cestovatelské průvodce po přečtení prvních stránek. Šla mi hlava kolem z toho, na co si na všechno musím dávat pozor a kolik toho vlastně je v Indii k vidění. Každá vesnice vypadala jako turistický hit co se „nesmí prošvihnout“.

Byla jsem rozhodnutá přeptat se místních na rady a tipy kam a jak se podívat. Nebo ostatních cestovatelů, co jich určitě potkám spoustu.

Jenže, to v Indii není zas až tak snadné, zejména místní až tolik necestují a ti, co cestují, tak mají úplně jiné představy o tom, jak trávit čas a jak se přesunovat, než já. Typický indický turista volí plánované zájezdy a pronajímá si vlastního řidiče, na což jsem neměla ani chuť ani peníze. A ostatní turisté, řekněme, že velká část z nich objíždí ta nejznámější místa a města, a ani oni neví, kde hledat „autentickou Indii“ neovlivněnou turismem.

Stále stejný problém: jak nepřijít v životě o ty nejzajímavější okamžiky, místa nebo zážitky?
Skákat z místa na místo se někdy nevyplácí, člověk ztratí veškerý prožitek.

Moje informační nepřipravenost se po příjezdu do Indie proměnila v hlad tyto informace doplnit, ptala jsem se starších a ptala jsem se všech a (skoro)každý na mě hleděl jako na pytel blech (ne tak docela, ale Hlídačem krav jsem se opravdu na chvíli chtěla stát a nikdo mi neřekl kde a jak na to ;)).

Rozšiřoval se můj seznam míst, kam bych se „určitě měla vydat“ a já měla nervy, jak to v tak krátké době stihnu a jestli to je vůbec v mých silách. Tady se začala projevovat moje rozhodovací neschopnost a z ní vyplývající frustrace. Je to jen můj případ nebo ostatní v takových chvílích také mučí vědomí, že by si třeba vybrali špatně? Je nad slunce jasnější, že ne všechna místa na seznamu budou stejně pěkná. Co když to, kam se vydám, a do kterého investuju svoje peníze a zejména pak drahocenný čas, nebude to nejlepší a jiné by bylo lepší? Přestože vím, že takové myšlenky nemají zas tak velké opodstatnění, občas se jim nemůžu ubránit. Člověk se má těšit z toho, co má, co si vybral si má pořádně užít a ne se neustále sžírat otázkami „co by, kdyby...“ U mě je problém jasný, občas mě přepadne pocit, že každá, byť minimální volba, je ta nejdůležitější ze všech a výrazně ovlivní moji budoucnost. Pravděpodobně mě přepadá pocit nevratnosti, možnosti rozhodnout se pouze jednou a vědomí, že čas je ještě omezenější než finance a je tedy třeba s ním moudře nakládat. Zejména pokud si dobře uvědomuji, že nejsem cestovatel, ale spíše nomád přesouvající se z místa na místo velice pomalu. Nesedí mi rychlé přesuny a dny plné památek a atrakcí naservírovaných průvodci jako Lonely Planet nebo Rough Guide.

Ale učím se. A s každým opakováním podobné situace z ní najdu východisko rychleji a průběh toho mého vnitřního konfliktu je „hladší“. Znovu a znovu se uklidním, že na těchto volbách v podstatě až tak nezáleží. Musíme se jednoduše smířit s tím, že život je příliš krátký na opravdové poznání všech míst na světě.

Každé místo mě něco naučí. Indie pro mě byla školou v překonávání mé nerozhodnosti a vnitřního neklidu, že časem se nesmí plýtvat. Učím se smířit s nevratností některých voleb a vychutnat si plně všechno co mi přinesou místo porovnávání s jejich alternativami, které jsem nechala za zády.

Být. A všechno ostatní vyplyne. Přijdou ty nejkrásnější momenty a to většinou na nejnepravděpodobnějších místech.

A zjistila jsem také, že v tom nejsem sama! Gabriel, kterého jsem potkala v Manali v kavárně Born Free Café pracujícího za ubytování a stravu, se mi jeden den svěřil, že v noci měl těžké sny o rozhodování. Tedy, ty těžkosti vycházeli právě z toho, že nebyl schopný se rozhodnout, jak naloží se svým časem v Indii. Na která místa se podívá? Jak dlouho zůstane?

Život je výzva, ať už ho každý z nás žije jakkoliv. Jen jsem se s vámi chtěla podělit o jednu z výzev, které můj život připravuje pro mě.

Last words from India (EN)

It has been two, almost three months, since I left India. I spent there only about three months, quite a short time comparing to all the wandering foreigners I met around there who have spent their lifetime getting to know India.

It has been a completely different experience for me. What do I mean by that? Well, there were few aspects of this trip which I haven’t experienced in any of my previous travels. I have to point out once again that I don’t consider myself to be a traveler. Yes, I spend my time mostly abroad, but that’s it. I don’t go on holidays or trips where your aim is to keep on moving around. From all the long months, now years that I have spent abroad, I was usually settled in one place. In Colombia it was Bucaramanga and for long time the only places I visited were the surroundings of the city like the Mesa de los Santos. Then, in Brasil, my second home Lapinha. My first three months in this huge and beautiful country I spent only there. Next trip I planned to travel around, but guess what happened, I almost didn’t leave Lapinhaagain :) And so India was a new challenge for me, I had no „home“ there, no contact or project where I could establish myself and this time I also WANTED to get some travels done.

That’s for the personal point of view. And the rest is... INDIA IS SO DIFFERENT to the worlds I have known. I was told that before. „Take it easy and don’t rush, you have to get used on this new universe of India“. At the end I did. It took me almost all these months to start feeling comfortable and to start feeling like I want to explore more. The first weeks I was even counting off the days to go back to Colombia, but at the end I could happily admit that I should return one day.

Here is a little summary I made for myself when I was constantly thinking why the things are not flowing and which helped me to accept the differences and new experience.

Why India has been a very different experience for me

• I had expectations, expectations of the difficulties I might face and I did at the end. I created a prejudice thanks to those expectations, especially towards people and their behavior.
• I have never been in this situation before, that I am not moving from one place to another, but I actually am on a temporal leave from my life. Sort of holiday feeling. 
• The language barrier makes it difficult to meld in.
• People and their culture make it completely different. Impossible to stop being a tourist. They respect you a lot, as a guest. But it is not like if I learn their language they will accept me into the society. Even among them, if you are from a different place, it might be super difficult to be a part of another place. You will always remain who you were when you came.
• They are very respectful though. Especially with guests. Treating them as Gods. But that is completely opposite of what I am used to, so another situation, I have to let them treat me as nobody had done before just to show respect to their culture and hierarchy in all kind of its form.
• The constant distance I have to keep between me and men. And that wouldn’t be a problem if men were not those you have to deal with in the society. Women are usually at home. Especially in the city life, men are the sellers, service providers, men are on the streets. So whatever you need, you have to ask men about. No any choice of searching for a female adviser.

Well, enough of philosophy. When speaking about last words I have to recall the memories of few things. First, I remember one extraordinary experience I had in Rishikesh. A massage.  Here is what I wrote down right after:

Incredible massage

– tips of the toes until tips of the hair... It was weird at the beginning, but felt very well. Just enjoying. I felt that the ambiance of all the spas I went through before is not even necessary to have a great feeling from a massage. When I was told it was the end and that I should rest two minutes and there was no relaxation music or aromatic oils only the noisy fan from the ceiling and sounds of working from the neighbors shop. Still, I felt super refreshed.

How to become a fashion-model judge and an ex-model 

– 24 hours which went completely out of the plan and took me to a totally opposite world to the one I am living in right now in Rishikesh. Away from meditation and questions about your supreme being, deep inner thoughts and pursuing the knowledge to the world of glamour and fashion shows. Well, without exaggeration it was quite a change. But what one won’t do for a desperate girl. (I was helping out a friend who needed to cover for her boss when a Russian ex-model presented to be a judge for selecting the new brand representative didn’t show up...)

Studying yoga in India

– can have many different forms. I talked to Akshish who spend 7 years living in an ashram and learning yoga from his teachers and guru. Quite different experience. As he said „we didn’t learn asanas, nobody was actually teaching them to us. Of course eventually we learned them, but by observing our masters. For example, after I came we were for 6 months studying just one or two techniques of Pranayama. Breathing...it was too much for many of the students and they left. For me one of the challenges was when my guru send me after a short time to deal with the management of the ashram. They are different people. You know, we, who wanted to learn about yoga, had everything. Food, accommodation, so we could concentrate on our learning without worries about the casual things, that was why we came. But the management is a different world. I didn’t want to be involved with these things, I wanted to study yoga. So I complained to my teacher and he told me not to complain and do the work, that once I will understand how important it is. That to know the management is also very important and will come in handy one day. And he was right. After seven years in ashram I really needed this experience, because there is no other way if you want to exist in the outside world. You cannot avoid it. And now I am having my own yoga school and at least for parts I can transmit my knowledge to the others.

Food

Paratha for breakfast, my favourite!!

And of course the food...Mostly vegetarian (excluding also the eggs), with rare exceptions of restaurants serving also chicken and mutton dishes. It really was much easier NOT to eat meat than vice versa.

Sometimes I couldn't resist. The truth is, I went through few "episodes" with my stomach. But nothing serious, just a little bit uncomfortable. 

The traditional food as I got to know it especially in the Nirvana camps is simple. Bigger meals consisted of rice and dal (soup-like dish made from lentils or different kinds of beans and veggies). Or mixtures of vegetables usually with potatoes called subzi accompanied with roti or chapati (simple Indian bread which I really LOVED). One of my favorites were parathas, bread similar to roti, but thicker, often filled with potatoes or onions and when fried a lot of oil is used to give it taste. These we were eating for breakfast, sometimes served with jam, sometimes with pickles.

Dal and rice served as lunch in Nirvana camp.

There is a lot of fried food on the streets in India. And yes, everyone will advise you not to eat there and it is after all a very clever idea. But who doesn’t know the street food doesn’t know the country I would say. So, in places which looked less risky I tried samosas and other super oily veggie or potato based stuff.  India also offers a lot of sweets, soaked in syrup. You can try them in one of many sweet shops and they nicely explain you if it is fried or not, if it is made of flour or rice... 

Men in a shop in Udaipur preparing all the sweet little balls called Gulab Jamun. 

As there is a lot of influence from different cultures I also tried Tibetan and Nepalese food and I fell in love with momos. I think they are known in English as dumplings. I loved them all, vegetable ones, with mutton, in a soup or without soup.  The Indian food is spicy, so I had to learn to say in advance that I don’t want spicy... It was spicy anyway, but just enough to still enjoy the food.

Mmmm, momos! In a soup!!

Chai

Chai and always chai!

It is something so typical that without „chai“ I couldn’t imagine India. It wasn’t always chai with spices, so called „masala chai“. Most common was a simple super sweet drink made from water, lot of sugar, black tea and a lot of milk. In the Nirvana camps we drunk about three or four cups of this every day. Sometimes accompanied by traditional Parle-G biscuits. Simple, but enchanting. Unforgettable combination discovered thanks to an India traveler I met during my stay in a hostel in Jaipur. Kevin from Mumbai. He definitely knew the best things about food and drinks in India.

In the Nirvana camp they got used to serving me chai without milk as I always asked them :)

Last last words. I hope to return one day. It doesn’t have to be super soon, but once more in my life I wish to go to India. 

Yamunotri (EN)

A HOLY TEMPLE OF YAMUNA

very unsettling pilgrimage

There are many sacred places in India. Depending on your religion you should visit them at least once in your life. The Chardam, the four temples, are such a destination for people following the Hindu religion. These mountain temples lie in a state Uttrakhand, a state called also „Gods‘ land“ where in the mountains the holy rivers are born, Yamuna and Ganga. To worship them people have built temples where the rivers are formed and now they are called Yamunotri and Gangotri and are the first out of the four pilgrim destinations followed by the temples in Kedarnath (dedicated to Shiva) and Badrinath (dedicated to Vishnu).

A yellow temple of Yamuna in the back, sacred destination for many pilgrims.

As I wrote in some of my previous articles, I spent about three weeks working in a tourist camp in Barkot. This place is mostly used by tourist going to visit the temple in Yamunotri. They come with they guides in big buses or cars with private conductors, stay one night and after breakfast the next day they ride to Yamunotri and do the pilgimage to the temple.

In a bus from the tourist company Heena. Sometimes it was better not to look out and simply trust the driver. 

The season started and the first buses came, from a tourist agency called Heena. As I very quickly made friends with the guide he invited me to take the tour to Yamunotri with the group. Excellent! The next day after breakfast we started and I had no idea what was coming. It was the first day when the temple was opened for the pilgrims so many people were heading there, many locals as well.

I happily accepted a blue cap with the logo of Heena company and followed my new friends. Like that it was slightly more difficult to get lost even though the amount of people going to the temple was surprisingly huge.

I enjoyed a lot the bus ride, the pilgrims were super friendly, singing all the way religious songs (which sounded to me like very happy devoted songs) and there was a young girl speaking very well English so she was explaining me a lot of things, about their specific regional culture (as the group was from another Indian region, Gujarat) and the reason why all the pilgrimage was so important. She also was so kind and interpreted all the curious questions and my long answers about traveling alone, being an independent woman in India always rises a lot of curious looks.

Yamunotri and the beginning of the "pilgrimage". Only about 5 km, but uphill. As it was the long awaited opening, there were some famous politicians and religious leaders having speeches in the village.

Getting to the main bus parking place was impossible for so many buses going through that day, so we had to stop about kilometer before the village. There it is usually possible to hire a donkey to take those with less strengths to the temple, but because it was the opening day all donkeys were taken already. For me no change, I was determined to walk those 5 km and enjoy the pilgrimage.

Donkey station :) (One of many, by the way)

It was 5 km walk on a busy and muddy road, but I had deep happy feelings from the fresh air. During the walk I enjoyed nice talks with other people from Heena tour. Sometimes it was quite difficult to keep talking as the flow of incomers and outcomers was too dense, on foot, on donkeys or even in man carried chairs. Finally among the first from our group we reached the temple and its busy surroundings looking like a super small village with food shops and shops selling religious articles.

This little carriage seemed to me especially particular. I am not sure how comfortable it could be, people seemed to be crouched in those chairs.

I was watching the people in deep amazement – people from all casts and places were doing their rituals there such as taking bath in the hot springs, in the Yamuna river, shaving their kids heads, praying doing pujas and waiting for the temple to open. Some things I understood as they were explained to me before during those previous weeks in India, some were new for me. The men I walked up with left me alone for a while and went to take a bath in the hot springs. I resisted as it seemed too complicated (for a women there was a different place to go and I would have to go alone, but mostly it was the problem of bathing in clothes and not having dry ones to change which stopped me from this traditional ritual).

Following their believes that shaving their kid's head will bring them happiness and health some parents were using the holy water from the Yamuna river and offering the hair to the goddess. Some children took it with calm, some were crying and fighting for their hair.

There was a huge and dense crowd waiting for the temple to open. Surprisingly for me, it was all just about pushing and being pushed. My only advantage was my height. Like that I could see over the small Indians what was going in in front of me. But I am too pacifist to push through, I realized. So after hour or more of trying I gave up as I was really bored and getting angry from the people. What was fun turned to be a crazy crowd. This isn’t a religion and worship I thought...

Taking a bath in the hot springs is another of the rituals the pilgrims do. Not that I wasn't interested, but it seemed to be all complicated due to the division to the male part and female part and due to the fact that women must bath in their clothes. I didn't have any spare clothes with me and didn't want to freeze in the cold mountain weather.

Anyway, the clouds were coming and it was getting cold, so it was about the time to call it off and go back. I got separated almost from everyone, people were everywhere. I decided to go back on my own knowing the meeting place anyway. The way back was fast, I was running and finding my way among the donkeys, people and carriers. The rain was on and off and I got wet and sweaty. When I kept moving it was OK, but once I stopped I was getting cold very quickly.

Everyone was waiting for the temple to open. And then pushing to get themselves in...

When I got to our meeting point, a restaurant with lunch already prepared, I started to freeze fast. Even though there were just few people from the tour gathered, we could grab our lunch and it was super nice and warmed me up a bit.

The temple itself seemed quite simple, oldish colorful wooden building which has great significance for the religious people.

In general I was very satisfied with the trip no matter that I didn’t get into the temple. It was a very traditional experience, the opening day is a big event for locals as well as for pilgrims from other places or even countries. There were many Indians living abroad who are coming to do the four temple trip to „fulfill their duty“ as Hindus and make these pilgrimages at least once in a lifetime...

There were more local people that day then tourists (meaning Indian tourists from other places of India, from foreigners I was the only one I could see in miles).

Well, my expectations were of a peaceful pilgrimage, but it was something different. Still, it was great. But I was super happy to be with the group of tourist from Heena, otherwise I would feel a little bit more lost in the crowd. I was happily wearing the company cap given to me in the bus to identify myself and be seen...

Looking back, it was a great experience. Very "Indian". 

Bez foťáku (CZ)

A zase jsem bez foťáku. Možná se ještě podaří ho spravit, zatím jsem na to ale neměla čas. Takže zatím mi musí stačit telefon. Už zase v Kolumbii, ještě stále tu a tamvzpomínám na Indii. Stále je spousta příběhů, které jsem neřekla a nezapsala a nechci, aby upadly v zapomnění.

Bez foťáku, někdy i s ním, je těžké zachytit atmosféru. Chci si ji ale zapamatovat. Pár detailů, maličkostí běžného života. Z Indie

• Paní, oblečená v barevných látkách a s šátkem na hlavě máchající u pramene oblečení. V Manali oblečení žen připomínalo naše cikány před několika lety, a Rumunsko. Šátky na hlavách měli uvázané dozadu, saree jsem moc neviděla, spíše kalhoty a dlouhé kurty.
• Ženy pletoucí na ulici před dřevěným tradičním domem ponožky a čepice a nabízející je kolemjdoucím turistům. Ve večerním slunci vynikla barevnost celé scény ještě více. Zasnila jsem se...
• Gangani, Guptkashi, Manali, všude pobíhající copaté holčičky ve školních uniformách. Všichni zvědavci zvědaví. Lovili anglická slovíčka. Smáli se a dělali vtipy. Byli nesví a zakřiknutí. Už v tomto věku se projevují osobnosti každého z nich...
• Ve městech i na vesnici, krávy se pasou na odpadcích, zelené krmení jim nosí ženy i z velké dálky, ve velkých koších na zádech nebo v šátcích na hlavách. Šplhají pro ně do kopců i na stromy, v saree a žabkách...
• Manali – pánové tady nosí speciální čepice, „turecké“, s barevným lemem. Vidím je hrát karty a popíjet čaj.
• Na cestách, ve městech i ve vesnicích, nejtvrdší práce je nošení nákladů. Chlapi a chlapci, často podle pohledu spíš z Nepálu nebo Tibetu, se s tím perou statečně. Přenášejí kamení a jiný stavební materiál ve velkých pytlech na zádech upevněných popruhem na čele.
• Yak. Chlupatá loudavá obluda. Načesaní a nachystaní na vožení turistů. Zvířata, která v nižších polohách neprospívají kvůli horku.
• Koutkem oka jsem na cestě do dřevěného chrámu zahlídla v jednom dřevěném domku stařenku pozorující v podřepu okolí a pokuřující cigárko.
• Manali. Marihuana jako plevel všude kam se podíváš.. Musí to být krásná vůně, když zrovna kvete.
• Tea houses. Zašlé chajdy a chatrče ve městech nebo u cesty, ze kterých se line vůně „masali“ – zázvoru a kardamonu. Stoupající kouř z kotlíků na čaj. Pánové jsou rychlí... Dó masala chai! A Parle G. Tradiční sušenky, z jejichž obalu se na vás zubí dětská tvář. Design za celá desetiletí nezměněný. Nejraději si posedím na rušné ulici, křižovatce či jinde, kudy se mihá spousta lidí a za máčení a ujídání sušenek pozoruji, co se kolem děje. Být cizincem v Indii a pozorovat místo býti pozorován, je velká vzácnost.

Nakonec jsem pár fotek našla...Tak se s nima pochlubím i přesto, že nejsou v takové kvalitě, jako bych chtěla...

Zázračná bylina? Tady vyloženě plevel.

Paní se fotit nechtěly.
Tak aspoň ty jejich pletené výrobky, které v odpoledním slunci zářily všemi barvami 

Některé snahy o zachycení magie okamžiku.

In the Nirvana Camp, Barkot (EN)

After the city of yoga, Rishikesh, I arrived to the Nirvana Camp on the shore of the holy Yamuna river about 8 km from a town called Barkot. (The whole journey here was an adventure and I want to share it with you in another article.) I stayed there with the staff of the camp, volunteering, preparing the camp for the season. I arrived 25th of April and I was there for twenty days in the end. 

Nirvana Camp
In the mornings I took a walk to the hills and was watching the camp from the forest.

Getting used to a new place

Waking up early isn’t the main problem here, I listen to the songbirds long before the sunrise. But as soon as I try to get myself out of the blankets the cold air makes me to regret and I usually crawl back in. Such a luxury to feel the fresh air after all those weeks in India waking up covered in sweat! After some time of snoozing I start hearing the noises of the staff walking around the camp and I get out of the bed at once, just in case I would think about it too much again.

Stretching and greeting the neighboring hills and the river, and of course the people, I am deciding on what to do first. Sometimes I sip my tea, sometimes go for a walk in the woods and sometimes I unroll my yoga mat and practice for a while. My body is already out of habit to feel cold and the morning air makes me a little bit stiff. As the days go by I get used on it and start my mornings with meditation and sun salutation before it even turns up.

Nirvana Camp
When the sun wakes you up

Discovering the rhythm of my "new home"

I have discovered a certain routine in the life here even though the first four days it seemed that such a thing didn’t exist here. The time the people woke up, or how many of them were in the camp, what did they do... But after the fourth day things got more repetitive maybe due to the opening of the season and I have noticed more effort and regularity in the work of the staff. 

Nirvana camp - the staff
When we all help each other a lot can be done!

Since those few days there are about ten people including the long term staff, the manager and the guard, and some boys from the neighboring villages working as part-timers . Seeing them around here reminds me of our typical summer jobs in Czech. The atmosphere is quite similar and the age as well. They wake up quite early, as I said, around 5:30 a.m. Before starting the work there must be tea, black with lots of sugar. While I take the first morning hour for myself they start their work. Sometimes I don’t really see what they are doing, but surprisingly they are clear about it and the things are get done. Refreshed after my morning routine I start helping them if I see that there is something to do (which is not always the case). We have been preparing the tents and the camp area, but my work is mostly around the garden. I picked it up myself, it is a job easy to understand and quite flexible in putting my own effort without asking all the time what should I do. 

Around 9 or 10 a.m. the breakfast is ready. Sometimes I help to prepare it or at least watch in the kitchen and learn about the Indian cooking. The typical breakfast includes mixed veggies and roti, or parantha or potato parantha. It is quite heavy and oily and gets us going till the lunch served usually between 1 and 2 p.m. For lunch we always have rice and dahl and for me they always have some sliced tomato, cucumber and red onion, a salad as they call it. I think I had never eaten as much of raw onion in my life as here in India, but it is one of the few choices when I want to have fresh „salad“. Often there is time for rest after lunch, the weather reaching its highest temperatures, so the atmosphere becomes a bit lazy. 

Breakfast
Chapati, vegetables and tea

Afternoons are when I have more time for myself, I go for a walk, rest and read, write and edit pictures or do yoga. It really depends, whenever I feel like I already have some routine, something changes. But generally speaking, around 5 p.m. I start watering the plants and go on with that till the late hours. 

The dinner is for me the most expected meal of the day as it is usually served quite late when I am already starving (solved recently by buying some bananas and biscuits ;). And it is also the meal on which preparation I am participating the most. Normally we have mixed vegetables, depending on the availability of things in the kitchen. Potatoes, tomatoes, egg plant, zucchini. Indians like to keep it simple and it doesn’t require that much time. Unlike roti (chapati), the Indian bread, which we prepare every night for everybody and which is really a time-eater. 

Nirvana Camp
And when the sun tells you it's time to go to bed

After dinner I lay down and sleep, rarely reading for a while or watching a movie. Few days I couldn’t do even that as the electricity went off. Life is simple here :)

There is a lot of beauty and tranquility in this simplicity of life. I am mostly left to myself and my thoughts, there are not many opportunities for conversation as we don’t share all necessary communication means. It leaves me with lot of guessing what are the people intending to tell me from their gestures and faces and body language. This situation brings new challenges, not only in the communication with the others, but especially with being the only one to distract myself. Everyone who tried that knows, how annoying we can sometimes become for ourselves.

Nirvana Camp - staff
All my lovely men together. I felt like a princess with their care! Thank you

My way to Nirvana Camp in Barkot an unexpected journey (EN)

It was about the time to leave Rishikesh. I had my stuff packed already for two days, but the things for departure were simply not working out. Not that I didn’t enjoy two more days of yoga and western-like coffees with friends. But on Monday I felt I couldn’t wait any longer.

Time to set off for a new journey

I have to admit that despite the initial settling-in problems I really liked my stay in Rishikesh. After few days I slowly adjusted to the rhythm of life I created for myself and made tighter bounds with the people I was living with and meeting every day. A tender feeling of comfort embraced me...

However, I didn’t feel like staying only in one city. I missed mountains and simple village life. I was not sure where to look for it but giving it a chance and search is the smallest thing you can do, right? So I went after my first real Workaway experience (Rishikul Yogshala wasn’t really through the Workaway program, but through a personal meeting) which was supposed to be in a tourist camp near a city called Barkot.

Long ride with Indian local buses

As I felt ready for an adventurous and independent journey, I took the long way. From Rishikesh I went by bus to Chamba, just to see if the place is worth staying. And maybe it is, but only if you have exact idea where to go and especially if you know someone from there. Otherwise it looks like any other Indian city, busy, full of people and shops and no real tourist information of what you could see around and how to spend a day or two there. As the bus left me at the central market I quickly walked through it watching the people and looking for a place to make a phone call. Finding it next to a sweet shop I called the contact person from Workaway and owner of the Nirvana camp, JP Rana, and discussed my next steps with him. OK, there is no direct bus to Barkot from Chamba, but I could go though Dharasu Bend and there catch another bus to Barkot. Sounds like fun, long journey but I wanted to see the countryside anyway. In the bus I had a nice co-traveler, a young girl from Chamba going to see her granny in Uttarkashi. Her English was good enough to exchange basic information with me. And of course to have the typical discussion whether I am married or not. I don’t know if I am getting used to the question or I am getting annoyed by it.

My hosts for one day - the whole family reunited for the picture

My journey was long but I felt satisfaction. It was exactly what I wished thinking of the journey itself being the goal. When we got into Dharasu Bend I almost fell of the bus as I tried to find my way out though the alley full of people and stuff like boxes and packs of all sorts. Sure, my backpack didn’t help me and it was quite an obstruction. 

Unexpected stop in Dharasu Bend

The place called Dharasu Bend was extremely small, you couldn’t even call it a village. Few houses, mainly shops, on an intersection of roads. I started to look around for a bus to Barkot. Men standing on what you could take for a bus stop explained me (mostly hand language) that it was too late for buses to Barkot. Well...I asked like ten times, just to make sure, and my brain was already working on a back up plan when a bunch of smart dressed men approached us and tried to help. Fortunately, their English was much better and through their interpretation I got better idea about the situation. Confirmed, no bus to Barkot today. I could take a private taxi for two thousand rupees. I am sorry guys, it is much more than I have... (or can give). Thinking loud I suggested I take a bus to Uttarkashi knowing it was a bigger place and surely there were some guest houses. Or was there a guest house in this small place? Surprisingly, the answer was positive, so my idea was to wait a bit more just in case some forgotten bus to Barkot passes by and in nothing then when the sun starts setting I would go to the hotel and take the bus the next morning. 

The two guys who helped me out.
Sometimes on the trips these things happen and I am incredibly thankful that it is so. 

The nice men left. Just so that they could return back in few minutes. Well, only two of them. And they offered me something unexpected, to stay over in their family house only 5 minutes away. It took some persuasion and mutual reassuring that both sides are cool with the plan (while I intentionally and repeatedly asked about their wives, if they have no problem with that, and the answer calmed my uneasiness. „My mother and sister will be really happy to have you.“ OK, so it really is a family house). I felt a certain trust to them otherwise I wouldn’t jump into the car which was taking us. But once we drove for 5 minutes further away from the little settlement I started to be nervous and all the bad stories broke into my consciousness. At the moment when they paid the driver and wanted to get off I panicked. What the hell did I do?? I convinced them to borrow me a phone and called JP Rana, the Workaway guy, and explained him the situation. First, I apologized a little bit that I wouldn’t make it that day and then told him more or less what happened. After that I loudly presented the idea of the two „nice gentlemen“ who decided to invite me over to their houses and said that „they would like to speak to him and introduce themselves to him“. There was no escape for them in that moment but to take over the phone. I passed the phone and let them talk for a bit in Hindi feeling satisfied with my back up. Even if the name and the whole details given on the phone were not correct, I was, after all, calling from their private number. So in case something was about to happen, they would need to get rid of the number with all the contacts, I guess, as soon as possible. Or maybe not. But I felt safer. 

The real Indian hospitality

Much easier in my heart I left the car and in two minutes we walked into the house(es) of one of them and were immediately surrounded by his mother, sisters, brothers, uncles, granny... Well, I felt a bit bad about my previous suspicion, so I apologized for being so worried. They understood. Just the two of them spoke some English, one more than the other. They were relatives, the son from the house and his brother-in-law. I met them so dressed up because they were just coming from the last wedding ceremony of the sister. That was also the reason why they smelled a bit of alcohol (something I haven’t smelled here in India for a long time) which caused a hint of insecurity earlier. 

Preparing the mutton meat for the dinner. Check especially the cutting system!

I was seated, presented to everyone, showed everything, asked many questions (of course the one about being married as well) and offered tea, water and something small to eat while the time for real dinner comes. I tried to answer everything politely and get an idea about the conversation conducted in Hindi by guessing from the faces and gestures. After some time we went for a ride on a motorbike to get some things from a shop. And, lucky as you sometimes get, we had flat tire. Running from one workshop to another it took us about two hours and a half to get it fixed. I enjoyed it quite a lot as I needed to walk between the workshops, a pleasure for my tired legs and back after the long bus ride.

Finally, after sunset, we could go back. But before, with my permission, they took me to see their other sister who lives in a different house nearby. It was funny, nice and polite, but strange and unusual at the same time when they asked me all the time „Any problem, ma’am?“ I am not used to this. However, this IS their culture and later I discovered it was just a beginning of what was coming concerning the Indian politeness with guests. 

Wish some buffalo milk? I wanted to help, but the buffalo didn't really like me.

Different culture, different habits

We came back and talked a while, then we were served dinner. Unlike I am used to that we eat all together only me and the two men we sat in a separate room and their younger brother served us the food. Then he patiently stood aside and checked that we didn't need anything. Whenever he was asked to bring something, he swiftly run for it. Even though I don’t understand Hindi the requests didn’t seem to be particularly polite, it rather sounds like an order, but the boy was laughing. everything seemed totally normal, us eating alone without the rest of the family, the younger brother being our „servant“... So to satisfy my curiosity I asked how the things go and why he wasn’t eating with us. They explained that he would eat after we were finished and that it was a matter of respect. If there is someone you respect or who stands higher in the hierarchy, you serve them and wait till they are finished. And the guests are always treated like that according to the Indian believe that „our guest is our God“.

The next morning was much more peaceful and relaxed for me, somehow overnight I become a little bit more part of the house. So I was making chapati (Indian bread) with the sisters, helping the mother with their buffalo while smile was our only communication media. Strangely enough, we understood each other. They wanted me to stay. And I felt so blessed by this experience, because it’s once in a lifetime. I think. After two months in India I felt I knew nothing and that this was just the first touch of the real life in this country. Garwali people (regional culture) showed me their hospitality and open hearts. 

With poori and chapati I was able to help, even though just for a little bit!

I felt it was the right time to go. Also because all the time I felt an increasing interest of Parveen, my host, maybe because he wasn’t married yet and was looking for a wife. Sometimes it made the moments awkward as I could feel his interest but wouldn’t respond to it. But after we talked about all the weddings in the family and I saw all the pictures I started to feel that I understand the never ending questions about marriage. It IS a big issue here, in a country where vast majority of the people from the villages still has arranged marriages. It is a topic you discuss all the time. It defines your social status. It shapes your adult life. 

So some people ask me out of pure interest as they would ask anybody else. The men might ask because they are interested in marrying a foreigner and in this culture, where often they meet their life partner at the wedding day, it isn’t awkward to ask a stranger to marry them. No big deal, we don’t have to know each other before we join our lives forever... They are not being impolite or too personal. They barely have the chance to „get to know each other“. Even in the family in Delhi I understood that dating is not an easy thing. You don’t go out with your date everyday, sometimes it is only once in three months and just nowadays thanks to the modern technology you can maintain the contact at least a little bit and get to know your partner. And even if you do have the luxury of dating, it doesn’t mean that you would marry your beloved one. The respect for the family matters and decisions of your relatives is so big that people marry someone who was arranged for them even though they had chosen their partner and dated her for a while. The relationships here are simply different. So are the intentions with questions about them. 

Really traditional house and some decoration they put for the wedding was still on.

My journey continues

Back to my story. The next day all worked out pretty well, there were buses to Barkot and I got into one almost immediately for Indian standards. We waited only for about 30 minutes before the bus was sufficiently full to set off. A young man sat next to me and again I went through a personal interrogation. Trying to keep my distance I answered politely everything but didn't show too much interest. I think I misjudged him. I was over cautious not to raise his possible interest. But I think I misjudged him a little bit, I was already in a countryside where people were more personal without hidden interests. I enjoyed the bus ride, up and down the hills and narrow curves, dozed off in between the conversations and looked in joy around to the forests of pine trees. 

In Barkot the bus stopped at the busy local market. But from there it was pretty straightforward for me, I simply called to Mr. Rana and his man picked me up and by shared car we got to the Nirvana Camp where I have been ever since, enjoying everyday the sound of the holly Yamuna river and the tranquility of the life in here.