Amritsar

Amritsar - Mother of Kundalini Yoga.
Unexpectedly, I found a little Kundalini Yoga festival which started today. It is great. I am staying in the pilgrim's accomodation in the Golden Temple, surrounded all the time with this special energy and the sound current of the musician's inside the Temple (the music is played with speaker's in the whole area). It is so much warmer than the hard life on the streets outside with all its smells, noises, pains and fears. When I arrived yesterday in the morning, I was exhausted, I threw up in the street (which seemed completely normal in this dirty environment) and went to a normal guesthouse. But I didn't like it and I am very glad that I met people who took me to the Golden Temple accomodation.

Mountains - Manali & Keylong

(8th -11th November)

I am thinking a lot about my fears. And what buddhism says about it (from the little that I know).

You say: fear is illusion. 

But my fears 

Are very present in my life 

And in yours.

I can see that everything change very quickly. Nothing stays at it is. A girl on the airport told me that I would see very good things and very bad things in India. Of course it is true. And it often takes just a glimpse of the eye between it.
In Manali I got a bad cold, and the freezing nights in the mountains don't help pretty much. But in the next moment, we are invited to dinner by our very welcoming guesthouse owners, sitting in their lovely living room with a warm oven, while they are taking care for everything, bringing food, chai, ginger-honey. I think this couple really loves each other.

We saw some buddhist temples, but it is not allowed and appropriate to take photos. But I loved the flags, too, with the wind praying the mantras.

 

On this photo you see our jeep driver (on the right), the guesthouse owner (in the middle) and the "boy" who cooked for us (on the left). I like him a lot, he smiles a lot (though not on this photo) and I think he has a very good heart.

Delhi

(2nd - 7th November)

This is India's biggest mosque. The light might look romantic, a bit like early morning, but that is just Delhi's smog. 

Me, Ben, Andi and his neighbours Julia and Jakob

 One of the stands on Kamal cinema market

 Wedding
Their friends told me that it was a love marriage, but the bride looked scared all the time and even began to cry. What a sad celebration. 

road trıp

(30th Oct. 2010)
So I made ıt to Istanbul! Yes, I just arrıved to thıs fascınatıng cıty and I am so amazed that I have to share thıs wıth you rıght now. It feels so good to be here. Hundreds of people on the streets, good atmosphere, warm, lovely. Sorry to wrıte to all of you at once, I promıse that I wıll also wrıte personal e-maıls. Thıs ıs just a short update so you know that I am fıne!
ı came to ıstanbul hıtchhıkıng from ıgoumenıtsa ın greece. but maybe ı should start from the begınnıng? I don't know, don't want to bore you nor make you jealous, just send you some sunshıne mood! Everywhere people were extremely frıendly and ıncredıbly helpful. In spıte of the fears I had before leavıng Berlın, I felt truely protected ın every sıtuatıon. And agaın, I can recommend couchsurfıng, so selfless people you can fınd there.
Fırst I went to Munıch where I stayed wıth a yogı couple. They do acroyoga, they made me fly!! So Nıklas, now I know about acroyoga, ıt ıs great! However, they were a bıt too Amerıcan maybe, but stıll very ınspırıng.
From there I headed to Ancona ın Italy by Mıtfahrgelegenheıt. Oh my god, I dıdn't expect Ancona to be so beautıful! The drıver was really funny, he played funny super-loud Afrıcan musıc the whole tıme. Although I loved Ancona I took the ferry to Greece already the next day, because I was worrıed how much tıme I would need for hıtchhıkıng ın Greece.
Arrıvıng ın Igoumenıtsa, I just held my thumb up just after comıng from the ferry and rıght away a guy stopped who wanted to go to Thessalonıkı lıke me. Good luck. You should have seen hım and hıs collegues. They were the typıcal kınd of men you ımagıne as truck drıvers: very bıg and wıth not so good manners (at the fırst vıew). But actually ıt turned out that he and hıs collegues were very, very good people. They cared a lot for me. They were from Georgıa and had each bought a car ("mıne" was a comfy Mercedes) ın Germany whıch they wanted to sell Georgıa as theır busıness. And not only they went to Thessalonıkı, they also contınued theır trıp to Istanbul the next mornıng! So I took thıs chance and agaın stayed only one day ın a cıty. But to be honest, I found Thessalonıkı really, really ugly and ıt was good to leave ıt so quıckly.
And now I am here, ın Turkey. Untıl now, I stayed wıth couchsurfers every nıght except of the nıght on the ferry boat. But for Istanbul I dıd not fınd a host (also dıdn't try really well) and I thınk I wıll enjoy one or two nıghts ın a hostel. My flıght to Dehlı ıs Monday nıght.
Now I thınk I would really lıke to go by land on the way back, to see Iran and Turkey, but especıally cause I would lıke to stay more tıme ın Italy and Istanbul.
However, whıle travelıng, I realızed how much you are ın my heart. I wısh you were here.
I love you.
Julıa