My time in The Pink City came and went so fast, but boy did I squeeze a lot in during that short amount of time. My hostel arranged me an awesome tuktuk driver to guide me all over the city for the day which was probably the best way I could have done all that I did. I am so grateful I decided to take on this side-trip to Jaipur because it gave me a really cool taste of what Rajasthan is like and the deep history of the area. Plus I got to see camels and elephants (and monkeys and pigs and cows and goats, etc.) and made some friends! 

Reflecting on my day, I realized I am not such a fan of the historical touristy destinations, especially alone and on a budget. Some of the places I went to didn't really have an impact on me because there was no context (didn't want to pay for any guides/tours) and lacked in depth because I didn't have anyone to really share the experience with. But I did take some cool pictures, and hopefully those will speak a thousand words.

The City Palace

Peacock Gate!

Lotus Gate

- beautiful ancients tombs of past kings and royal family

Camels!

Amber Fort

- ancient astronomical site

The only McD's I have seen in India! The longest I've ever gone without seeing a McDonald's haha.. And I definitely did NOT eat there, saving that for America.

On the walk up to the Monkey Temple

That view!

That beautiful, jaw-dropping sunset that cannot be captured

I made friends with a sister and brother who lived there! We played and sang and fed monkeys and laughed for hours

I left them a note and little Aditi drew a smiley face on it :)

Fruit market 😍

40 rupee dosa! 🙌

Which I got for "take away" and enjoyed on the balcony of my hostel

Afterwards I enjoyed some sweets that this lovely German traveler bought to share with everyone! They were strange and delicious. But I woke up at 5am to her running to the bathroom to vomit so I tried not to panic at the thought that they made her sick and therefore it would hit me too. Somehow I dogged the bullet, wished her well, and went and caught my train to Delhi. Spent the majority of it reading and sippin' chai from my top bunk

And now somehow my day in Delhi has come and gone as well! It's been bittersweet thinking of leaving this country that has been home for the last two months... I am just grateful I've been able to make the best of every second of it.

Enjoyed one last mouthwatering Indian food meal! From a sunny rooftop

Lotus Temple!

India Gate

And a little shopping and henna to cap it all off :)

I have more to say on my overall feels towards India but for now my energy has to go towards my travel day tomorrow... BANGKOK, THAILAND! It's happening!!! Let's see if I sleep tonight!

I was so excited to see the Taj Mahal that I woke up in the 4am hour and put on the clothes I had layed out the night before and snuck out of the hostel dorm room onto the dark street to walk towards the ticket office, only to find that I still had an hour before it opened. So I wandered back to the hostel and hung out with the incredibly bright full moon on the roof. I did some of the pranayamas and asanas from my TTC to wake me up and pass time, then I scurried back out to the chai stand outside the ticket office, where I inhaled two cups, a biscuit, and butter roll in time to hop in line when the office finally opened. As soon as I purchased my ticket (Rs.750— 700 more than the Indian tourist price) I hopped in a bike rickshaw and made it to the short line at the east gate entrance.

The sky had just to started to get light as I made it into the plaza and saw my first glimpse of the top of the breathtaking Taj Mahal. My jaw dropped into an open and wide-mouthed smile and I had to remind myself to breathe. As I walked through the entrance gate and finally saw it in whole, I was nearly teary-eyes and smiling so big... She's a world wonder indeed.

I slowly made my way closer to her, occasionally asking a stranger to take my picture (oh the woes of traveling alone), while watching the sun slowly illuminate the marble in a hazy red color. It was absolutely peaceful there, the world was waking up but there was still a calmness in the cool morning air. I approached the base and watched the dome slowly disappear from my perspective, then I took my sweet time lapping the entire sandstone terrace and taking in the sunrise, Yamuna River, and this intricate and awe-inspiring marble monument. 

I eventually made my way inside with white shoe covers on to see the replica of the tombs of the late king and his wife in the beautiful mosuleum... I could still hardly believe I was inside the Taj Mahal. Felt like a dream come true. I wandered outside on the marble terrace, let some people take pictures with me, and sat under one of the towers, taking in the beauty for a while. 

Then I did a headstand inspired by my friend Laughton who did one at the Taj this past summer. 

For the next couple hours, I walked peacefully throughout the gardens and in the museum, stopping to just gaze and wonder at its beauty every once in a while. 

I even did a little sketch in my journal. I really felt the presence of love here, and how it can drive people to do massive things. And even though I was alone, I felt all the love in the world and kept it close to heart.

I eventually bid her farewell, and took to the streets of Agra. I bought a couple little gifts and found a delicious little restaurant with a killer banana lassi and malai kofta. 

Then I meandered back to my hotel, and hung out at the rooftop pool 

...just kidding. This was a nearby hotel that was way too nice for me to even consider staying at.

I went back and layed on my bunk in the hostel.

After some researching and relaxing I checked out of Zostel and shared a tuktuk to the railway station with some nice Australians. I got mixed up with which platform my train to Jaipur was on so I almost thought I was going to miss it, but as always, things just happened to work out fine. 

Similarly, some nice Indian folks in the same train bunk area made sure I got off at the right station, and I ran into someone who was looking for a tuktuk to the SAME hostel as me, which at 11:30pm in a new city was like a blessing from the universe. We talked a guy down to Rs.100 for the ride so I only had to pay Rs.50 instead of the original 250 they were asking when I was alone. Win!! And this hostel is soo nice ("Hosteller") and no one else is in the 6-bed dorm so I'm feeling good. Going to get a good nights sleep tonight, then complimentary breakfast and exploring Jaipur tomorrow! :D

I had no idea what my last hurrah in India would look like... Recall I bought my plane ticket to Thailand as I was at a ticket counter in DIA so I was forced to be spontaneous then and fill the rest in later. Well I made a pretty rough plan the day before leaving Rishikesh (typical) but I'm pretty jazzed on it.

Day One - taxi from Rishikesh to the Dehradun airport, fly to Delhi, metro to the New Delhi railway, train to Agra, tuktuk to a hostel by 10pm

Day Two - wake up early and watch the sunrise at the Taj Mahal! Explore around the Taj and Agra for the day, catch an evening train to Jaipur, find a hostel

Day Three - Full day in Jaipur! Explore :)

Day Four - train from Jaipur to New Delhi, check into a hostel, lotus/explore/shop/final Indian dinner

Day Five - check out, metro to the airport, fly to Bangkok!!!

So it's a little ambitious, but I'm craving one final Indian adventure. Plus I haven't really had the solo backpacker experience here yet (or ridden a train for that matter) so I thought I'd send it. 

Day one went off as good as possible for the amount of transportation I was taking on. My flight to Delhi was delayed but it didn't matter because I was going straight to the train station anyways so it just cut down on my waiting time there. And I was able to research hostels and book one for the night in Agra. 

The train system is super intimidating for outsiders, and I really just had to jump into it without a whole lot of direction. I bought all my train tickets from a travel agency so I was just going off of what they printed off for me. A nice couple directed me to the correct platform and I walked up to where my car would be right as the train was pulling up so that was a good sign. I found my seat number and plopped down in a compartment with 5 other Indians. I honestly think I was the only white person on the entire train, what else is new. Vendors walked up and down the aisles selling water, chai, snacks, books, dinner, socks, etc. The train cars are loud but also peaceful. Everyone seems to be at ease and I really enjoyed seeing the world pass by outside. I watched the most entrancing moonrise ever... I looked to my right and the HUGE full moon had just come into view through the small train window– in the most mesmerizing glowing red color I'd ever seen on the moon. It slowly rose and faded from red to orange to yellow. 

After a few hours, we pulled in to Agra, I took a tuktuk to the hostel, got a quick tour, and now I'm going to catch some Z's so I can get up early to see the TAJ MAHAL!

Oh Rishikesh, I will miss you so. Home to all creatures, big and small, from near and far... the monkeys, the cows, the dogs and their puppies, the children, the old men in orange, the street cart vendors, the drifters, the yogis from all over the globe... All living together tucked into your foothills. Mother Ganga as the provider to all—whether the need is a wash, cleaning dishes, whitewater rafting, blessings, or a peaceful sight for the eyes, she never fails. I can still taste the chai and fruit bowls and lassies and curries.. I may have to return someday just for the food. And to visit the amazing teachers who guided us along our journey this past month.

Kamal, Sunil, Anil, and Jessica were with us through it all. From pranayama class before the sun, to powerful asanas, to relaxing yoga nidra, eye-opening discussions to deepen our understanding of yoga and our lives, repeatedly practicing adjustments for every asana, and unique meditations every night... I have so much gratitude for their commitment to our experience. 

The last few days went flying by, as they tend to do. I led a small group in an hour long practice on Friday and was humbled by yoga teachers everywhere—there is so much to consider when you're teaching and I paid close attention to the feedback I was given. In general I just needed more practice to get a rhythm down, so I practiced over and over, then when the exam day finally came I really did feel prepared.

We first had a written exam, 15 questions in 3 hours, which sounds like plenty of time but the questions were so thought-provoking that I could have spent much longer than a few hours on them. We had a (food) break and met back up for our practical exam schedule. We would be rotating teaching in groups for the next couple days and would have about 30 minutes each. My group was scheduled to be done by 6:30pm, but I didn't even start teaching until 7:30pm because the groups before pushed us back a bit. I was the last one to teach of the day and I think knowing this kicked me into gear—I knew I had to bring my best energy out to keep everyone engaged. So I just had fun with it! And it went pretty darn well, I hardly received any negative feedback. Needless to say I was pretty ecstatic and relieved to know I did it! I passed! I became a yoga teacher :)

On the second day of practical exams for the rest of the folks, my group was waiting for all of us to arrive and Kamal asked if we could break for 30 minutes of yoga nidra and had me lead it! I had never led it before but I just channelled Sunil's words and pulled it off nicely. Then we finished up teaching and all had our last meal together, at the same table as our first meal. Towards the end, Kamal handed his phone which was video recording to Emma across the table from me and told me to stand and start giving feedback on my experience. Another spontaneous experience that I felt oddly comfortable with, I'm loving seeing the changes I've been feeling play out so quickly in my life. We all went around and shared some beautiful words and managed to hold back our tears. So grateful to have been surrounded by some of the most beautifully spirited people from all around the globe for this journey. 

I woke up on our last day to a crazy thunder and lightning storm. As soon as I heard it, my legs carried me up to the roof where I sat just out of the rain and watched the storm roll though the valley with bursts of colorful lightening followed by booming thunder. Once it lightened up I got ready for the puja—our final ceremony. Because of the storm we couldn't have it on the roof which led us to having an open fire inside the room at the top floor of the guesthouse... Only in India!

The ceremony was beautiful and involved a lot of flowers, singing, and throwing things into the fire. I kept having rushes of positive feelings for the journey that we all took on and excitement for all the good things to come. After the ceremony, we were individually presented with flowers around our necks and the certificate of completion! (Well, a few of our certificates were still in the print process so I'll be getting mine in the mail... Regardless I'm still feeling accomplished!)

The rest of the day was free for our own exploration. I wrote thank you cards, had some fresh baked banana bread with street chai, and let me feet take me down the road to the Maharishi Mahesh Ashram, coined "The Beatles Ashram". This was Rishikesh's first ashram that is now abandoned, but it is a famous destination because The Beatles spent time with Maharishi as their guru there in 1968 during a beautiful time in Rishikesh's history. Most of the White Album is said to have been created out of their time there.

A nice local man showed me around to some of the buildings

One building was turned into a beautiful, positively charged art hall 

We spent a few hours wandering and climbing around the crumbling buildings and the old meditation pods (121 in total!) all of which are becoming overgrown by the surrounding jungle.

This one - #9 - was apparently the one they spent the most time in, so I went in and sat for a powerful meditation

^ one of the art pieces in the dome

 On top of the world!

Afterwards I went and felt Mother Ganga for the last time of my trip... I purified my jade mala beads in her water so I will always have the spirit of the river with me. I spent the rest of the day researching travels for my last week in India and spending time with my beautiful international friends, daydreaming of reunions that we will have all over the world. 

Today was a whirlwind of packing and goodbyes and last minute travel arrangements. I wished my home away from home a final farewell and set off on the next adventure! So Rishikesh, even though I am no longer with ya, you're with me, and I'll be making my return someday down the road if you'll have me 

This experience has not come without challenges. They have crept in continuously and have not been easy, but there is no where else I'd rather be facing challenges. I have never experienced such presence in my day to day life—so I have seen myself honsetly in every step of the journey.

There was the whole lice fiasco (still finding nits in my hair -_-), and general soreness all over my body from the asanas, then I got scammed by an ear cleaner man, I somehow pulled the intercostal muscles in my ribs so it hurts when I breathe deep or use my upper body muscles (=all yoga practices), and then the virus from hell struck down upon us all.

It started one morning when my roommate said she had been up all night with indigestion and ached everywhere. I went upstairs for pranayamas and saw that at least ten others from our group were out with the same mix of high fevers, vomiting, diarrhea, and overall aches and pains. We thought maybe it was something in the food, but soon more and more of us kept catching it until there were almost 20 of us hit with it, including myself.

I was feeling feverish the night after Emma got sick, and I layed in bed with all my clothes on and three blankets, just wide awake and shivering until around midnight when the bathroom runs began. I even thought I was going to have it coming out of both ends at one point. I eventually did throw up.. everything.. the next morning. I could barely move but somehow dragged myself to the bathroom what felt like every 5 minutes for that first 12 hours. Then it slowed a bit, but I felt so deathly ill. I wouldn't have wished this virus upon my worst enemy.. I was absolutely miserable.

Needless to say that it really threw off the course for myself and the others. We have all been slowly coming back to life, attending more and more classes each day, but never straying far from a toilet. It hit simultaneously with a challenging time in the course, where we are expected to have all the information mastered and have preparation done to begin teaching classes. There's so much more to teaching yoga than I had anticipated... knowing how to start and end the class, which asanas are best for the students in front of you, the modifications for each pose, where to display for each one, the different adjustments based on the student's level, keeping track of the breaths and what the upcoming positions are, etc. etc. etc.

With all of this bearing down, I really started getting down on myself, feeling disconnected and homesick and had an overall negative demeanor. Which was a total 180 from the start of this journey... but the reason I say there's no where else I'd rather face these things than here is because only here am I able to be so deeply in touch with myself and the growth I'm experiencing. I have a support system of knowledge and peacefulness from everyone around me and it inspires me to push through the challenges and observe the process with a deeper awareness. Now I'm feeling more optimistic than ever towards my upcoming experiences, and I know that with the right mindset I'll be able to overcome anything that's thrown my way.