Uttarkashi

So I finally made it to the Sivananda ashram in Uttarkashi!! Believe me, it was a loooonnnnnngggggg journey - first, the twelve-hour overnight "deluxe" bus ride from Macleod Ganj to Dehra Dun, then the sinking feeling as I discovered that there were no busses from Dehra Dun to Uttarkashi, because it was Holi, then the auto-rickshaw ride from Dehra Dun to Rishikesh (grossly overcharged), the overnight at Rishikesh, watching multi-colored people walking down the road, then the local eight-hour bus ride from Rishikesh to Uttarkashi.

The major difference between a deluxe and a local bus, I think, is that the local bus stops at just about every street corner (even if we are talking about an overnighter) - or every bend in the road, whichever comes first - and if we're on mountain roads, you can imagine how very many hair-pin bends there are... and the driver of the deluxe bus very thoughtfully reduces speed at the hair-pin bends, while the local bus driver seems to think that it is good sport to take these bends at the highest speed possible.

When I arrived at Uttarkashi, I called a friend of a friend, who came to pick me up and brought me to the place where he is staying. While we were talking, I found out that the hotel next-door is run by someone I met at the TTC in Neyyar Dam (Ajay Puri) - so I popped over to say hello. He immediately kidnapped me and put me up at his hotel, and came with me to the Sivananda ashram the next morning, where we had a very small "opening season" fire ceremony.

Somehow, the same ceremony seems more real and authentic when there are only 10 people attending (besides the local swami, of course), as it was here, than when there are 200, as it was in Neyyar Dam. We all got a chance to sprinkle milk and spice powder and oil on the Shivalingam, which is a big stone protruding from a shallow stone "saucer", and is supposedly a phallic symbol, besides being an idol of Shiva, the destroyer. And we all got to ring the big brass bells at the entrance to the small temple where the Shivalingam resides - and I love bells, so I was happy.

After spending two nights at Ajay's hotel, I finally told him that I want to move into the ashram, so I can follow the schedule there (what can I say, I'm a retreat/ashram addict). He agreed, but at the same time, said that he wants me to come and stay at his hotel next year with my kids - so Itai, Eyal – be prepared! So this afternoon, I'll be stopping a share-jeep along the road, and traveling the 8 kilometers out of Uttarkashi to the Sivananda kutir (which I am told means cottage), and staying there for a while (anyone who feels the uncontrollable urge to have a chat can find their phone number on the Sivananda internet site).

The strangest thing about all this, is coming to a new, unfamiliar (albeit really, really beautiful) place - and feeling as if I've come home, because so many people here are people I know from the ashram at Neyyar Dam. Uttarkashi is situated on the banks of the good ole' Ganges, with steep Himalayan mountains typically shooting up on either side, so you have to tip your head back some if you really want to see the horizon. And I love mountains even more than I love bells, so again - I'm happy. Not too much happening from a touristy point of view, but very nice personally.

That's all I have for now - considering that the Uttarkashi Sivananda kutir doesn't have internet, and I have to walk 8 kilometers (or catch a share-jeep, whichever happens first) to get into town and an Internet cafe, I probably will be writing less than before (isn't that a relief?). Also, there probably won't be so much happening during the next week or two - just the basic ashram schedule, and we already know about that. But I will be coming into town every few days, to keep in touch and see if there is anything new, so don't be shy about writing me...