Birthday in India

Well, today is my birthday and I started my day organizing my bags so I could send yet another package home to lighten my load. Last night was a bit noisy and sleeping was difficult. I got up early anyway and stepped outside my hut to smell the fresh cool ocean air. The mornings here are my favorite time.




I walked down to the other end of the beach to get on the internet and have some brown (wheat) toast with butter and ginger lemon tea. After and hour or so, Sarah (I am now traveling with two "mates" from England) came to join me. This morning we're taking a boat from the beach we're on to nearby Gokarn beach. Yesterday we walked and it took about an hour, traversing rock, sand and desert, up rock trails, through temples and across sun-drenched beaches. But today we take the easy, more costly route, costing 100r's.

The trip over was fine, not scary at all. We each had packages to mail once the tailor sewed them up. At the post office two Indian women watched us fill out the paperwork, curious as to where we came from, and touched our packages and giggled. Afterwards we had lunch at the same place we did yesterday, where we can see the ocean from the rooftop restaurant. We then went to a bookstore where our other mate bought a book yesterday and each bought a copy.




When we return to take the boat back, there is a Russian man wearing a skirt, like many men do here, and smiling a bit too easy. "Girls!" he yells. After two more people join us, we have enough people to negotiate a good price. This boat seems smaller and the waves higher. The water splashes in, drenching us, and the boat rocks back and forth in the waves. The Russian asks if I'm scared. I remember it's my birthday for comfort. As we rock to and fro, I look to see if there are any lifejackets within reach. No! The water eventually smooths and the hot sun dries our clothes.

As we dodge the huge boulders set in the sea near our beach, an Israeli man in the front of the boat shouts, "Dolphins! Two - three!" We all turn to look behind us and watch as three dolphins jump in and out of the water. Beautiful. My birthday present from the divine. We make it to shore safely. I return to my hut to find that Louisa snuck in and placed a gift on my shelf: a banana leaf wrapped around some grapes with a dolphin pin (coincidence?) holding the package together and a beautiful sea shell on top. What a creative gift. I changed out of my wet clothes to write to you.



We are all going to dinner tonight, somewhere! I met a very nice chap this morning from England who has been in Goa with his teacher for six weeks, training in Reiki and meditation. We may be heading there on Monday so I can try to do my Reiki level II training if possible. Our next main stop will be an orphanage for unwanted babies. Everyone who knows me can imagine how excited I am. I am a baby magnet and look forward to the challenge of giving all the love and care I can to these children for the short time I am there. After that we are off to Rishikesh for yoga training. There is a Yoga Conference and Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa will be there teaching kundalini yoga, along with many other teachers, sages and saints. For now, we are beach-bound, enjoying one of the most magical places I have seen yet.
Namaste Friends!
Lynne