KELLY'S GONE AGAIN
…AND HERE'S WHERE I'M AT.Archive for Food & Drink
#17. Rishikesh: A Day in the Life
(c) 2009 Todd Sykes.
I’ve been in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India for six days now. I’m equal parts happy and skeptical here, as half of the time I feel contentment and the other half I feel like I’m in some sort of yoga-based Jesus Camp. Being here often brings about a sincere snarkiness, making me wish daily that my former fellow yoga teacher trainee Barb was around, as a real-time, down-to-earth partner in crime to share my sentiments. More importantly, it requires me to focus on the most vital parts of yogic practice, namely kindness and nonviolence. I’m practicing those right now as I type another blog sans pictures, as my camera still isn’t working. I’ll add visuals soon but, for now, picture this:
#14. Pai: The Motorcycle Diaries; Chiang Mai: Goodbye
Yesterday after a breakfast of spicy udon at a local noodle shop, I boarded a 7 a.m., $1.50 local public bus to Pai, a town in the Mae Hong Son province, about 4 hours north of Chiang Mai and about as close to Myanmar as I’m going to get. Some describe the ride as a series of motion sickness-inducing sharp turns all the way up into the mountains, and the payoff is a laid-back, do-nothing-except-drink-coffee-and-hang-out-at-waterfalls sort of place. It’s been described as “hippyish,” and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my last full day in Thailand.
#5. Battambang: The First Day of School
I’m covered in red clay. It’s what the schoolroom grounds are made of, and it gets in and on any- and everything. Shoes aren’t allowed in the room, so you spend most of the day barefoot, though the floor is cement and dirty and might as well be the bare ground.
I’ve been sitting a lot, reading to the kids, today. My favorite so far is Riti — he’s an energetic, super-fun kid of 12, who looks about 7 (malnutrition, no doubt). I taught a yoga class to him and the more “unruly” kids this afternoon – the first day of my “Yoga for Young Artists” program I’ve designed for the English School here in Battambang – and they did great. Really great. We sang the Om song, went on a “yoga adventure” to the jungle resulting in lots of animal poses, and sang the Namaste song to close. They don’t speak English, and I don’t speak Khmer, so a teacher translated. The kids had a wonderful time, possibly almost as much as me, even. *smile*
