1. People I have been travelling a lot, but in Bali I have met most beautiful people. They are friendly, happy, open and can surprise you when you least expect it. Last time when I was there, family from my homestay, surprised me with a cake, flowers and song in my birthday morning. They even apologised that the flowers were local! And I only met these people a week ago. They are willing to share their traditions and customs with you and are so happy if you are making your efforts to understand and show respect to their culture. Balinese people follow strictly their religion and karma, so they believe that whatever you do, everything comes back sooner or later:) Yes, there are exceptions, but in general, they want that you remain happy, even fixing something takes long time or compromise lot of negotiation. Yes there are lot of men on the streets offering you taxi service or tours, but they are not pressuring you to take it. If you say no, thank you, they thank you in return and ask maybe tomorrow:) Same in shops- they are grateful for visiting it, but not trying to make you buy everything. Always ask better price or ask from different sellers, there are always better offers available, because it brings good karma:) Life in Bali goes along with ceremonies and they have ceremony for everything from birth till death. There are ceremony for every thing on earth and nothing happens without ceremony. People stop working, if there is a ceremony, if you bought or sold something, make a ceremony. So more than half of their incomes goes to making ceremony and if you have lot of money, you make more and bigger ceremonies. I asked, what they would do, when they earned more money, they said, that they would put all their extra money for making bigger ceremonies! Because it brings luck and protection to their family, house, car, food, for everything. Balinese are really open to share all their ceremonies with you, but you must show respect to their traditions. Please wear sarong and sash, shoulders covered. Please dont touch children s head (it is the most sacred place on human body), please dont face your bare feet to somebody. Please take off your shoes, if you enter rooms, temples, shops. I have seen so many tourist willing to take part of ceremonies, but not understanding that it is not show for them, but its something very sacred for Balinese people. I even saw a lady wearing mini skirt when visiting most honoured healer in Bali. Yes she had really long legs, but this is not the place, I was so embarrassed. If you dont know how to dress or act, please ask before you do. Bali juures ma armastan kõige rohkem inimesi, kes on nii siirad, lahked ja valmis jagama sinuga oma igapäevaelu. Nad oskavad sind üllatada, kui sa kõige vähem ootad. Viimane kord, kui ma ööbisin ühes kodumajutuses, siis minu sünnipäevahommikul üllatasid nad mind tordi, lillede ja lauluga, ise veel vabandades, et lilled on kohalikud! Balilased jälgivad rangelt oma tavasid ning üldiselt enamik elab põhimõtte järgi, et kõik, mida sa teed, tuleb sulle tagasi. Loomulikult on ka erandeid, aga üldiselt tahavad nad alati, et klient oleks õnnelik, isegi kui see võtab kaua aega või peate omavahel vaidlema ning kompromissile jõudma. Tänavatel olevad taksojuhid (taxi-taxi) ei ole pealetükkivad ja kui sa neid tänad pakkumise eest, siis soovivad nad sulle head päeva. Sama on poodides, kus sulle ei üritata kõike pähe määrida, vaid ollakse tänulikud, et sa nende poodi külastasid, sest see toob neile head õnne. Õnne ja kaitse jaoks on neil igapäevased tseremooniad, mida viiakse läbi sünnist surmani ja üleüldse kõikide asjade puhul, mida sa ette võid kujutada. Tseremooniatele pannakse üle poole oma sissetulekutest ja mida rikkam on perekond, seda suuremad ja uhkemad on tseremooniad, Kui näiteks perel ei ole raha, et matuseid korraldada, siis maetakse esialgu surnu maha, kogutakse aastaid raha ning ühel hetkel kaevatakse surnu ülesse ja tehakse suur põletamise tseremoonia. Kui ma küsisin, mida sa teeksid siis, kui sul oleks rohkem raha, siis vastasid nad, et korraldaks rohkem ja suuremaid tseremooniad, sest see toob veel rohkem õnne ja raha sisse. Praegu kulub aeg lihtsalt töötamiseks, et tseremooniate jaoks raha koguda:) Balilased on väga avatud sinuga jagama oma igaäevaelu, aga eeldusel, et sa austad nende kultuuri ja traditsioone. Vahel tundub, et turistid arvavad, et kõik see on üks suur etendus turistide lõbustamiseks. Tegelikult on tegemist väga pühade protseduuridega, milleks tehakse suuri ettevalmistusi. Seega kui sa tahad olla osaline, siis austa Balit, kanna sarongi, salli ümber piha kattes õlad. Ära katsu laste päid (sest see on kõige püham koht) ja ära istu paljaste jalgadega inimeste poole. Võta ära jalanõud enne ruumidesse, poodidesse, templitesse sisenemist. Küsi enne, kui sa otsustad midagi teha. Ükskord ma isegi nägin ühte kaunist pikajalgset naisterahvast miniseelik seljas, külastamas Bali kõige pühamat tervendajat ning mul oli tõesti väga piinlik. 2. Magic I believe in magic and there is a lot of magic in Bali, Island of Gods. First time when I visited Bali, I didnt have any expectations and it was wonderful experience. Second time I had expectations, I was looking for answers, because there was a great mess in my life, but nothing happened and I was so frustrated. People often go to Bali to look for something. They visit several healers, readers, go to ceremonies (water, fire, flower, dancing etc), get many healing-ayurvedic massages, buy different magical things and try everything to get healed and find their ways in life. Then the vacation is over, you fly back and nothing really changes. Been there and done that:) Yes, there are lot of people who know and can really work with magic in Bali, but as it says: "Teacher appears when the student is ready". It happens, when you have yourself. There is an inner Guru in every one of us, but its hard to find him, or listen to her. So we go far away to find it, but you cant run away from yourself. If you dont find it here, you dont find it in Bali either. So if you want to solve something or find the answers, dont go so far, dont waste your money, dont look your answers from somewhere or from someone. There is time and place for change. If you have found yourself and time is there, go with open heart. Dont expect anything and everything is there, all that magic, everywhere and when you least expect it. Ma usun maagiasse ja öeldakse, et Bali on jumalate saar, kus igal sammul võib kohata maagiat. Kui ma esimesel korral balil käisin, ei teadnud ega ma ei osanud oodata eriti midagi. Kogemus, mis ma sain oli nii eriline, et tahtsin järgmisel aastal kohe tagasi minna. Selleks ajaks olin oma eluga päris puntrasse jooksnud ning ma uskusin, et see reis muudab minu elu ja mul on aega mõelda, kuhu ja mida edasi. Ma mäletan hästi viimast päeva, kui ma tagasi hakkasin sõitma ja mitte midagi polnud muutunud. Raha oli otsas, vastuseid polnud ja puhkus sai ka läbi. Kuigi ma olin teinud läbi igasugu tseremooniaid ja leidnud aega mõtisklemiseks. Balile tõmbab inimesi tihti just maagia, mille abil loodetakse end tervendada, leida vastuseid või rahu. Külastatakse mitmeid tervendajaid, osaletakse vee- tule- tantsu-lille puhastustseremooniatel, ostetakse maagilisi kivisid-viirukeid-vett, võetakse tervendavaid massaaze või ayurveda hoolitsusi ning külastatakse tervendajaid, ennustajaid. Puhkus saab läbi, aga elu läheb ikka oma rada pidi edasi, mitte midagi ei ole muutunud. Kindlasti olete kuulnud ütlemist, et kui õpilane on valmis, tuleb ka õpetaja. Ehk nagu minule meeldib öelda, on meie endi sees olemas sisemine Guru ehk sina ise. Probleem on pigem selles, et sa ei tea, kes see Guru sinu sees on või mida ta sulle öelda tahab või lihtsalt keeldud teda kuulamast. Niikaua, kui sa isennast üles ei leia, ei leia sa seda ka kuskilt mujalt. Seega pole mõtet raisata oma aega ja raha. sõita seitsme mäe ja mere taha ning otsida sealt iseennast. Mine Balile avatud südamega, valmis vastu võtma ja kogema seda, mida see imeline saar sulle pakub ja sinu ees avaneb palju maagiat, igal sammul ja igal hetkel. 3. Views Plan your journey, but do not forget to enjoy the views and views in Bali are stunning. The nature is an amazing, so green, so lush, so fresh. Although it is hot and humid and there is lot of heavy rain in the low season (november till may), I love it. There are so much to see in Bali. Every household is like a temple with beautiful garden. Every house in compound is located according their rules like a labyrinth, because they have belief that demons cant take corners:) Every family has their temples in their households, there are temples in the village and big temples in every county. Definitely visit waterpalace near to Candidasa and watertemples, that you can find everywhere around Bali, Depending on the ceremony, the temple is decorated with textiles, flowers in different colours and bamboo. Offerings to the gods are also colourful, big and consists of flowers, bamboo, sweets, rice and other food. Same are their national costumes, handmade, bright and with beautiful patterns. In Bali, everybody finds something to fall in love. There are high mountains, black, yellow, white sand beaches. Blue, green, grey sea or beautiful waterfalls with spring water. Amazing rice terraces around. My favourite places are Candidasa (east, on seaside), Ubud (centre of Bali), Uluwatu (west). Most touristic places are Kuta and Seminyak, where are all the popular brands and food courts are presented and nightlife is wild. Sanur is also touristic place with big hotel chains, but more quiet and suitable for families. Uluwatu and Canggu are popular among the surfers. Nusa Dua is a resort where all the fancy hotels are located. Kõige rohkem ma armastan reisides vaateid, mis avanevad sulle igal sammul. Balil on eriti ilus loodus, heleroheline, lopsakas ja värviline. Kuigi kliima on üpris niiske, kuum ja vihmane (eriti madal hooajal novembrist-maini), on vaadata nii palju. Iga majapidamine (tavaliselt elab mitu põlvkonda koos) on nagu väike tempel ning ehitatud teatud reegleid arvestades. Balilastel on uskumus, et deemonid ei saa liikuda, kui on palju nurki, seega on hooned ehitatud ka nagu labürint. Igas majapidamises on tempel, kus viiakse läbi erinevaid tseremooniaid. Templeid on hulganisti ka külades ja suuremad maakondades. Templid on ehitud vastavalt tähtpäevadele erinevate värvide, tekstiilide ja lilledega. Sama värvilised on nende rahvuslikud kostüümid, millel on käsitööna erinevad mustrid. Kindlasti külasta veetempleid, mida leidub palju üle kogu bali. Samuti kuningale ehitatud vee-lossi, kust avanevad imelised vaated. Balil on igale maitsele midagi vaadata. Mäed on, vulkaanid ka. Vesi on kas sinine või roheline, soolane või mage Rand kollane, must või valge, kõik sõltub asukohast. Vaatamist väärivad kosed ja lõputud riisipõllud, millest ilusamad Ubudis. Minu lemmikkohtadeks Balil on Ubud ja Candidasa. Kõige turistikamad on aga Kuta ja Seminyak, kus leidub kõike kodust ja euroopalikku ning on elav ööelu. Sanur on vaiksem turistikeskus ja sobib rohkem peredele. Surfarid liiguvad Canggus ja Uluwatus, kultuuri on rohkem Ubudis. Kõige peenemad hotellid on aga Nusa Dual. Bali ida osa on aga minu meelest kõige ilusam, mägine, ilusate vaiksete randade ja lopsaka loodusega. 4- 5 Yoga and Food
Bali is a yoga and food heaven. Do yoga 24hrs 7 days a week. Eat as much as you can, you can get everything vegan, non vegan, glutenfree, lactosefree, raw, juices, smoothies, healthy, non healthy- sky is the limit! Bali on toidu ja joogaparadiis. Tee joogat 24h päevas, 7 päeva nädalas ja söö kõike, mida hing ihkab. Kõike on saadaval taime-liha, gluteenivaba, laktoosivaba, toores, mahlad, smuutid, tervislik, mitte tervislik- ainult taevas on piiriks! Read more about yoga and food in Bali here/Loe rohkem toidust ja joogast siit: http://estonianyogini.weebly.com/blogblogi/my-bali-vol-3-yoga-and-food-heaven-minu-bali-vol-3-jooga-ja-toiduparadiis.
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Bali is definitely place to be, if you are addicted to good food and yoga. You can roll out you mat and take yoga classes everywhere from early morning till late evening every day. The capital of yoga is Ubud, although there are many yoga places around Bali and on islands nearby. I even saw one Bikram Studio in Seminyak. When you walk around in Ubud, you can feel the yoga vibes in the air. You can see lot of beautiful yoga girls and boys walking around wearing yoga clothes and carrying yoga mats. People sitting in cafes, eating vegan food and discussing their experiences and perception of life and everybody is so friendly and willing to share whatever is up. There are so many yogashops around and many shops with bohemian style clothes and jewellery. I bought so many accessories from shop opposite to the Namaste shop (dont remember the name, but on Hanoman street), where the lady could make you your own gemstone mala, or bracelet in couple of hours. I could leave all my money there! The other shop is Sudiana Design, where I bought beautiful headpiece. Clothes are rather cheap, but there are also more expensive around, for example http://www.warriorsdivine.com/, where they sell hand-made beautiful dresses and kimonos made of silk. All handmade products are so beautiful in Bali, so bring on all your savings! There are also many shops where you can buy yogawear (Bali Spirit, Rugu, We-ar, Salty Soul) and yoga accessories. Yoga mats are also available, but they are bit expensive or in bad quality, so I would recommend to bring your own light yogamat (although big studios have everything you need). The concentration of yoga studios in Ubud is also high compared to other parts of Bali. I have visited the most famous ones - the Yogabarn and Radiantly Alive. Both studios have two floors and open air yoga-shalas with beautiful views to the nature. There are yoga classes going on from 7 till 22 every day. The selection of yoga classes is so wide, many styles and levels (beginners to advanced) are available. There is no pre-registration in Yogabarn, but you have to be there at least 30min before class to get in. There are exceptions for ecstatic dance and for tibetian bowl meditation, then you have to be there 1-1,5hrs before the class. Same thing goes when they have visiting yoga teachers or some yoga festivals going on, then you have to be really early, because the queues are huge! Yep, I didnt believe it either, but people are standing there an hour before the dance, same with tibetian bowls. Prices are better if you take 10-times card and if your friend takes same classes as you, Thats how you can save money and you both can use the same class-card. You can refill you water-bottle almost in every studio and there are usually showers also available. Yogabarn has a really nice cafe upstairs, where they offer wide selection of vegan-glutenfree-lactosefree- super healthy food. In addition, they organize different workshops and retreats, so keep eye on their webpage theyogabarn.com. The other place I could recommend is Radiantly Alive, that is located near to Ubud road. They also organise workshops and when I was there, I took Meghan Curries workshop. I didnt plan it, but when I was looking for classes to go, it was there, 2 days 9hrs long workshop. It was an amazing experience, best I ever had. She is so beautiful person inside-out and her teaching is so humble, but so skilled. I really love her movement and how she puts layer on layer accompanied with beautiful stories. Outside Ubud I visited yoga studio called Power of Now Oasis, which is located on seaside of Sanur. Also really nice yoga studio with skilled yoga teachers. When we were at Gili Trawganan (2hrs with fast boat from Bali) I took also classes in Gili Yoga, which is located to the main road. I didnt like yoga classes so much, but for beginners they are worth of trying. They have also really nice cafe nearby Banyan Tree Cafe, where I ate most delicious meals. Everything was so tasty and vegan gluten-lactosefree super healthy! There is another yogastudio in Gili Trawganan- The Yoga Place, but its location was bit tricky considering the muddy streets and no lights in the evening. They have also nice vegan cafe there. Bali is vegan and- gluten-lactosefree heaven. Everything is so fresh, healthy and many times, so cheap. If you are on budget, then warung is your place. There are thousands of warungs around, where you can get local food with 2 euros and are more than full! Nasi Goreng, Nasi Campur, Nasi etc, are things to try, fried noodles or rice with chicken, seafood and vegetables. Sate lilit with peanut sauce is my favourite food (tuna sticks and rice). Yumm! For dessert have a fresh smoothie, but ask without sugar, because they love to put sugar everywhere (if you love sugar, then you are happy in Bali!) Coconut lovers also go crazy here, because you can drink as much young coconut water as you want, also coconut yogurt, ice cream, milk etc are available. If you are keen on the western food, then you can get everything you want, but it isnt so good as local:) If you want to eat really cheap, look for night markets, where all local food stalls come together and offer everything they can make. You can choose as many things you want on your plate and it costs almost nothing. I have eaten everywhere in Bali and never had Bali belly (which means little food poisoning:) I always drink bottled water in Bali, but have always brushed my teeth with tap water and nothing happened:) Maybe I just have good digestion or gods help me with that:) When you accommodate in homestays, usually breakfast is included. They offer banana- pancakes with something (like chocolate or honey), smoothie, fruits, eggs, toast and bali coffee (people dont love it so much, but its drinkable). I am really addicted to banana pancakes, so I almost ate it every morning for 5 weeks! Fruits are also so so good. My favourites are snake fruit and dragon fruit (red is the best), mangos are also juicy, when it is mango season. If you feel that it smells like garbage, then it is durian. Balinese people love it, but for me, the smell says everything! There are so many good places where to eat in Ubud, but my favourites are on Hanoman street: Vegan Buffet (opposite to the Cocomarket) and Atman Cafe. Family owned vegan buffet is a tiny place but they offer everything. For 3 euros you can eat as much as you can and the selection is so wide. I think they had more than 15 choices every day to choose from and its more than delicious. And water is free. They also offer vegan and glutenfree cakes, but there are better places, where to eat cake (Kafe or Atman). Atman cafe was my love at first sight, and I am still in love with it. The menu is many pages long and everything is so super delicious, vegan lactose-glutenfree. For meat and fish lovers there are also options available. Atman has 2 cafes on Hanoman and the newest has a rice field view! In addition to good food, service is good as well, they repeat your order to make it clear, but its same almost everywhere in Bali. Other place I would recommend is Clear Cafe, which is really trendy and nicely decorated vegan cafe. Yoga people also love Kafe on Hanoman, but I like Atman more:) When you travel around in Bali, there are too many good places where to eat, so you find yourself eating all the time:) When you are visiting Candidasa, then go to ashram, that offers amazing home cooked food (stay there, food is included in the room rent). Tunjung hotel in Candidasa offered the best ice coffee with coconut milk (ask for it). Candidasa has also new family vegan restaurant called Refresh, where I ate most delicious vege- burger and carrot cake. In Sanur, on Mertasari beach, there is really nice place called Genius Cafe. Also so wide selection of healthy options. In Gili Trawganan, we found amazing vintage restaurant near to the exit beach. The food was great, but more impressive was the atmosphere there: bonfire, ocean and vintage furniture. Many times we ate in Gili Teak Restaurant, where good food meets ocean view as well. To sum up this food addiction post, it is almost impossible to put in to the words how cool are the interior designs of cafes or how mouthwatering is the food there and how stunning are the views, so check out by yourself! Kui sa oled hea toidu ja joogasõber, siis Bali on sinu jaoks. Kuigi joogapealinn balil on Ubud, leidub üle kogu saare ja ka lähedal asuvatel Gilidel palju kohti, kus joogasõbrad saavad oma mati lahti rullida ja hommikust õhtuni joogatada. Ubudis ringi kõndides tunned igal pool joogalõhna. Sulle jalutavad vastu ilusad joogatüdrukud ja poisid joogamatid kaenlas või kohtad neid vestlemas oma kogemustest kohvikutes, mis pakuvad lõputul valikut taimetoitu, gluteeni ja laktoosivabasid roogi. Kõik on avatud ja sõbralikud ning meelsasti jagavad sinuga oma kogemusi elust ja maailmast. Samuti on tänavatel hulganisti poode, mis pakuvad joogatarbeid-riideid ja ehteid. Minu lemmikpood asub Hanomani tänaval, Namaste poe vastas, kus kena naisterahvas valmistab sulle sinu valikul malakeesid, käevõrusid või mida iganes sa soovid. Neil on väga suur valik ka valmistooteid, mille hulgast saad leida sobiva. Teine pood, mis mulle väga meeldib on Sudiana Design, kust ma ostsin imeilusa hõbedast peaehte, aga neil on väga vahvaid sulgedest asju ja kõike muud, mis sind veel ilusamaks teevad. Üldse on bali käsitöö imeilus ja sa tahaks kõik oma raha sinna jätta.
Liaks ehetele on Ubudis ka palju jooga- boho stiilis poode (näiteks BaliSpirit, Ru:gu, Salty Soul, We:ar), kus saab osta riideid ja ka muid tarvikuid. Kui riided on mõistliku hinnaga, siis joogamatid on pisut kallimad või siis odavad ja kehva kvaliteediga, Seega, kui sa tahad oma matiga joogatada (stuudiod enamasti pakuvad matte ja muud), siis võta kodust parem kaasa. Boho stiilis riiete valik on Ubudis lai (Seminyakis ja Canggus samuti) ja hinnad head. Loomulikult leidub ka kalleid pooode, nagu näiteks warriorsofdivine.com, mis teeb imeilusaid siidist kimonosid. Joogastuudiod on Ubudis palju. Mina olen külastanud Yogabarni ja Radiantly Alive, mis on mõlemad väga ilusad ja üpris suured kohad mitme joogasaaliga. Yogabarnis on ka vahva kohvik, kus sa saad tarbida kõike, mis on supertervislik ja sinu kehale hea. Joogatundide valik on lai ja mitmekesine mõlemas kohas, põhimõtteliselt võid sa joogatada 7 päeva nädalas varahommikust hilisõhtuni. I ve been travelling a day I ve been travelling a year Travelling a lifetime to find my way home. Home is where the heart is, Home is where the heart is and my heart is with you. I have been in Bali three times: first in 2014, then 2015 and this year was the third visit. Even now I am still dreaming to go back. When I visited Bali first time, I just had finished my 10 year long career in the Ministry. I had no idea what to do next, where to go or what to do with my life. I was tired and looking for a place where I could go alone, do some yoga and where sun is up most of the day. I had been travelling a lot around in Europe (because of my job), so I was planning to go far away and Asia seemed nice. I had been only in Singapore before (which is very European btw) for my work, so I decided to go to Bali, just like that. When I was googel-ing around, I found website bookyogaretreats.com and there it was: Gedong Gandhi Ashram, offering one week yoga retreat and it was settled. Although I had been travelling a lot by myself, I was a bit afraid. I didnt no much about the culture or ashram life, also my yoga practise was just in the beginning. So, no expectations at all. 25 hrs later, in the middle of the night, I stepped out into the hot humid climate and my driver was waiting for me. We drove almost 2 hrs to Candidasa, which is located east Bali. I was shown my little bungalow and I slept till midday. When I woke up, fairy had left breakfast on my balcony and I was welcomed by most warm-hearted Rudi, who is one of the sons of the founder of the Ashram. So I was here, between the Bali sea and fresh water lagoon, surrounded by the mountains. I am so grateful and lucky that I ended up there, not in the touristic places like Kuta, Seminyak or Sanur, so I could see real Bali, learn about its culture and get to know people as they are. Ashram has been active since 1976 and its focus is on delivering actual health and education services through its well established Nature Cure Health Clinic (acupuncture and traditional herbal medicine), introducing Gandhian ideals to the Ashram run kindergarten and to its own cadres of Ashram's young members. Ashram earns its income from paying guests and donation. So if you want to do help ashram, help children from rural areas to get good education, your staying is most welcome. Accommodation is simple, but you don`t need that hot water, because it so warm outside. I have been in Bali always around March and May, which is considered a low season, so its hot, humid and rainy (but not so much rain in Candidasa). Rooms are equipped with fan to keep you breezy, also you are located by the ocean, so it makes little bit cooler. I dont like conditioners anyway:) Food is included in the room rate, so they offer 3 vegetarian-fish home cooked delicious meals a day, plus snacks/hot water that keep you more than full a whole day. You can take yoga classes given by local teachers 3 times a week. Kawi the resident yoga teacher and the admin-manager of ashram, is raised up there. When you meet him, you are taken. He smiles, sings and plays kirtan and makes yoga classes simple and happy. He has a great talent to explain you all the mindful things in very simple way. If you are into yoga, then look out yoga retreats they organise yearly. The members of ashram follow strict routine of puja or pray time four times a day, where you can take part of. Also there are meal blessings before every meal. If you are not used to it (like most of Estonians), you can take silently part of it. But if you are brave enough, you can sing along and in the end of week, you can remember the most complicated words already:) Pujas are voluntary for visitors, but I loved the agni hotra (fire ceremony) and evening prayers. Ashram has an acupuncture clinic where most charming doctor cures you any pain you have:) First time I went there I was bit cautious about needles, but everything was so relaxing and professional, so definitely worth of trying. Clinic is open to locals and is donation based, but for visitors the session costs 50000 rp (if I remember correctly). Yoga retreat daily program was quite intensive, but custom made depending on the participants. We started at 7 with sun salutation and meditation practise, followed by breakfast. After brekkie we had 1,5 hrs asana class and after lunch afternoon yoga. Yoga shala has an amazing view to the ocean! Besides yoga we went to snorkelling and had some beach time (white sands). Visited water temple and had a yoga class there. The view is amazing! We visited the old village Teganan where life is still followed by the ancient ways. The entrance is donation based and you get a tour guide for your contribution. On high demand, Rudi organised us cycling tour through the rice fields and we had a marvellous chance to visit his family members. We had 2hrs hiking trip to mountains, including ceremony led by local priest. I remember discussing meditation practise with the priest and he said that it is hard for him as well:) But the highlights of being in ashram was temple visits with young members. I still remember going up to the hill in the late evening, when moon was watching us. And we said our prays, singing mantras, putting flowers on head and purifying our faces with holy water. It is so touching to see dedication of prayers, all dressed up for showing their respect to their gods. I am so grateful and blessed that they let us be part of it, sharing their prays and open heart with us. Last time I went there, there were some changes happening in the ashram compund, but you can still find that door from the lagoon side and behind tht door there are real people, with smiles and dedication and willing to share that passion with you. So if you are in Candidasa please step by, or stay for a night or take yoga class (only 4 euros) there or if you are more into yoga, take a whole yoga retreat there! Thats how you can support ashram life and education of young people living there. More information can be find on ashrams webpage: http://www.ashramgandhi.com/ or their FB page.NB! Pictures in the end of post:) Ma olen Balit külastanud kolmel korral: 2014 ja 2015 ning ka sellel |
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