The Morning After - New Delhi to Dharmshala

Good morning New Delhi! I woke up after 3 hours of sleep surprisingly invigorated. 
Perhaps it's the spirit of India that has gone through me, perhaps it's the encounters I've had so far with its people. Everyone I've crossed paths with has been so genuine and helpful. I got to experience a traditional Delhi breakfast of porridge, nan bread, vegetable stew and toast and jam. My compliments to the chef! My only observation is the view I woke up to lol, I'm sure it's the case in a lot of alleyways here, I just find it contrasting to the service and amenities. 

I made it back to the airport thanks to my driver Turkajdi, with plenty of time to go through checkin security. I found it interesting that they have a separate line for women and men. With women officers doing wand scans behind a closed curtain area, as to respect our privacy. I read that India is quite conservative when it comes to women still. I was advised by many who visited here before to cover the ankles and thighs to avoid catcalls. And try to show the least possible amount of skin. I was also told how Indians regard personal space... They don't :) they will get as close to you as possible disregarding that "personal space" we come to expect in Western cultures. There are also very few times when an actual line is formed or followed, so don't take it personal if you get cut off as there is no formal way of holding line. And I shall disclose that this happens on a whole other level when you are driving! I consider my self a pretty aggressive driver, learning to drive in Manhattan, this is beyond aggressive. It definitely keeps you on your toes! I see why the prefer method of travel is the rickshaw. 

I write this as I wait for my flight to Dharamshala, where I discovered the dollar gets a better exchange rate. I leave you with some images from my morning adventure in Delhi.
~ Namaste

       

The First Arrival... Frankfurt to New Delhi

It's 6:34am at Frankfurt international and I have 8 hours to kill, between my connecting flight to New Delhi. Should I chance the layover time and go explore the city, or sit at the always reliable Star Alliance Gold lounge and sleep and chill in luxury? Naturally, the adventure-seeking side of me, opts to go explore... Here we go!

Now to find the way out and the nearest form of transportation. An extremely friendly airport worker, guides me to the direction of the train, assuring me I would be back in time to catch my connecting flight. I change out $40 US Dollars, which gets me 27 and some change in Euros and I head out to try and find my adventure. But real quick a cup of German coffee... Or cappuccino!

I get on the Frankfurt Main line and get off at the Frankfurt Main station a few minutes after. A gentleman boards the train and says something in German, which in turn makes most of the men and some of the women, pull out their IDs and show them to him. He skips by me thankfully, as I have no clue what that was about. I still don't. He was not in uniform, so I found it odd. Would love to know if anyone out there does. The train station it self is an old Baroque Revival style building with hand carvings and bronze statues, one would surely confuse it for a museum or relic. Just lovely. I come out to the hustle and bustle of the rush hour traffic in Frankfurt proper and walk East towards the shops and cafes.

I ended up at Frankfurter Romer, after walking along the Nizza park and river for about 20 minutes. Frankfurter Romer is a popular square, full of hotels, museums, restaurants and shops that cater to everything one should experience while in Frankfurt. Cathedrals, German chocolates, jewelry, beer gardens, German cuisine and the rich culture and history displayed in the neighboring museums.
After wondering the city for about 3 hours, I headed back to Frankfurt International to make my connecting flight to Delhi.

We boarded at 1pm Frankfurt time and arrived to New Delhi at 2am. I must admit my favorite new airline to fly is Lufthansa. Incredible service, comfortable seating, great "included" perks, such as unlimited movies, TV, wifi and the best airplane meals I have ever had.

After clearing customs, changing over dollars and picking up my baggage, I headed over to a local hotel counter to book a night in Delhi, while I waited my next flight out to Dharamsala the next morning. I was met with the most wonderful young man, who helped me seamlessly and warned me about the dangers of taking a regular taxi while in Delhi, and what to be aware of as a female traveling so late night and alone. I truly appreciated his concern. I booked a room at The Waves hotel adjacent to Delhi Airport. For the cost of 4500 rupees, which included breakfast, wifi and airport transfers. I was glad to get a couple of hours of shut eye and a shower after traveling for two days.
(check out their bathroom. I am told the bucket in the shower is a staple item in India, as water pressure tends to shut off at the most inoportuned times lol.)

On my way to the hotel, I was able to get a glimpse of the City of Delhi. A busy, bustling town, that had much going on at 3am. There was police blockades everywhere, which made me feel safe and unsafe, and drivers had no rules for the road, anything goes here! I settled into the hotel room for the night, updated the blog and caught up with messages since I now have wifi.
Tomorrow morning, I head for the mountains (Dharmsala), where I will spend most of my time while in India. Sweet dreams and...

~Namaste

And so the journey begins... what better place than at the beginning...

It would make sense that my journey to India and discovering what Pure Zen means to me would begin in New York City. After all, this is where I first started practicing Yoga on the regular, 13 years ago. Prior to that, I had done it a few times, but it hadn't peaked my interest until I moved to Manhattan. It was also while I was living in New York City, that I discovered the healing art of Reiki. I had no idea this even existed, until a friend of mine did it while giving me a facial at her spa and told me all about it. It was 12 years ago, that I first decided I would one day pursue my Reiki Master certification. 12 years later, I have finally achieved that goal. New York City is where I first learned to meditate and found like-minded individuals. Being in the fashion industry in New York, proved to be the least zen career I could have chosen for my self.

Now, I began my 5 week journey into earning my Yoga Teaching Certification in Dharmsala India. I mean where else could I imagine going to learn how to teach others this amazing art and way of life.

I will chronicle my journey to not only learn to teach others, but a journey of self-discovery, meditation and healing for me as well. I can't wait to look back and see the positive changes, my life will go through in the next few weeks. Thank you for joining me on this journey.

~Namaste