Mountains here we come!!!

Hi everyone!
I'm so excited that I've reached Kathmandu! It's a great town! The best way to describe it is a clean & friendly India. I feel like anything is a piece of cake after travelling through India. It's got heaps of funky cafes tucked away everywhere, cheap outdoor gear & the mountains not to far away!! A perfect combo I say. Kylie & I are leaving for our 18-20day trek in the morning!!! We're going to do the Annapurna circuit & both SO EXCITED.

Since I last wrote I've been in McLeod Ganj. It was a completely peaceful place tucked in the mountains. The mist rolled in each day, along with some rain but the meditation & yoga suited the setting. McLeod Ganj is where the Dalai Lama live. A friend & I went to visit his residence which was peaceful. I met some fantastic people while in Mcleod sharing plenty of long breakfasts overlooking the valley, good conversation, drumming lessons with locals in a cafe & a spontaneous dahl cooking lesson with the same local character. The meditation center in Daramkot (just above Mcleod) has a sister center in Nepal so Kylie & I may do some meditation at the end of our trek.

I'm absolutely loving all the yoga I've done. I did my first headstand in Risikesh (!) & haven't looked back since. The Indians just know how to support you & allow you to thrive. I'm hoping to do an extended period of yoga in the south as well. But for now the mountains are calling.

My immune system seems to be handling India & Nepal. I managed to avoid the eye flu (kind of like conjunctivitis) in Rishikesh which was spreading throughout all the tourists & have also not had any tummy upsets! My herbal pill popping must be working each day ;)

I had a very interesting journey from McLeod Ganj back to Dehli to catch my flight to Kathmandu. It lasted for 12 hours & I spent the first 2 hours trying to work out a position to sit or lie so that i wouldnt throw up. The road was so windy & rough & the driver was going so fast my body didn't know what to do?! When we finally arrived after a LONG trip a kind girl let me borrow her shower so I could freshen up before high tailing it out of Dehli to the airport. Dehli didn't seem any brighter the second time around so I maintain my opinion on the city.

I best go & enjoy some yummy food before Kylie & I settle into 20days of Dahl Bhatt.
Big hugs from me xoxo
Nellie

I bought a drum!

Hi everyone!
I bought a drum from Rishikesh...I've always wanted one & in Indian prices I think $7.50 is fine with me :) Perfect timing actually as it has kept me amused on my long commute from Rishikesh to McLeod Ganj. I got a different story from every Indian about what time the bus left for McLeod after arriving in at Panthakot train station at 2:30am...some said 4am, others 5am or maybe 6am? Anyway I'm here & arrived at the same time as a hilarious Italian guy so we set off to find some accommodation. We were successful...we found a place at a guest house in the hills. It feels like I'm in Switzerland...the mountains are so huge. After a sleepless night on a dirty train & 3hours at an Indian train station it was nice to finally have a shower. We then went in search of food...& luckily stumbled upon a Krishna restaurant with padded floor seating overlooking the whole valley. Of course we shared the space with Israeli's...they are absolutely everywhere over here! Breaking free after their military service.

Last night was interesting on the train...it seems from my 2 train trips you never know what you're going to get when you book a train in India? A huge group of Pinjabi people had been on a week long retreat to a seek temple & we returning in high spirits with song & laughter. It was a fun train journey while they were on board.

My time in Rishikesh was perfect. I will upload a picture of the view from my balcony when I can. It overlooked the Ganges. It was sad to leave the little family that we had all created. I enjoyed my yoga classes each day (the Indians are really serious about yoga, which I began to really enjoy) & also became a regular at the Ashram restaurant, which served the best breakfasts & also some delicious Israeli food (I think the regularly visits from Israeli's has allowed them to perfect their hommus in particular).

Anyway just a short note to say 'Hi' cause I enjoy sharing the goodies on my blog.
Love nellxo

Run for the hills

India is mental! It took me 4 days to get my head around it. I landed in Dehli & after my first couple of hours I couldn't wait to leave. It was just too full on for me. I'm now in Rishikesh - 5 hours north of Dehli - & loving the hills & the fast flowing Gange River right outside my window.

Dehli for me was all about the people, both Indian & foreigners. I hung out with a fun Turkish couple for a couple of days...we shared really long breakfasts & laughed continuously at the random things that are just simply, India. I've actually made a promise to myself that I will never go back to Dehli.

I've got myself into a nice routine here in Rishikesh with 2 yoga classes a day right beside the river Ganges. I'm loving every meal I tuck into over here...curries, dahl, the best banana pancakes ever!, paranthas...it's all so hearty & so cheap. The accommodation is also a real score...I've landed myself a fantastic room on the third floor, overlooking the Ganges for 200Rs /night (=$5) - with BYO toilet paper :)... All of the accommodation does actually which I thought was a real quirk.

I tried my first Ayurvedic massage yesterday...it is clearly the best massage I have ever had! I'm looking forward to experiencing a herbal puncha massage (herbs inside a muselin bag used to punch the body & move lymph around) & a particular type of head massage where they drip sesame oil on your third eye (in between & just above your eyebrows) continously, creating a quietening of the mind. One of the Aussies travelling here from Byron has committed to a 21day Ayurvedic treatment that involves all of the above for a couple of hours each day, as well as immersing herself in a steam bath. Wow! Sounds fantastic but I'm heading to Nepal before the 21days.

Late yesterday afternoon a friend & I were sitting at a table perched in the trees overlooking the Ganges with the sun setting, when a monkey jumped onto our table & snatched our Naan bread! Lots of these cheeky critters over here. He then decided to come back for the sugar bowl & then the ceramic cigarette tray & drop it from the 2nd floor creating a smash. He was so impressed with the small crowd he had drawn that he came back for a photo shoot. There's 2 large suspension bridges in Rishikesh that divide the town. The monkeys hang from the wires waiting to snatch things from peoples hands. The little ones are cute, however I'm not a real fan of them.

The monsoon season is later this year so my travels have been a little wet so far. I'm planning on heading north soon up to McLeod Ganj which is meant to be tucked higher in the mountains, therefore perhaps even more moist, however a good place to experience some meditation.

So many quirky things to share that have escaped my mind at the time of writing, but I'm sure I'll find many more to post along my travels. India has plenty of surprises in store.

Hope you're all enjoying the clean environment that you live in!
Love nellieoxo

Coconuts, Coconuts, Coconuts...

Bula!

After spending my birthday morning drinking fresh coconuts on an island north of Fiji with friends, it was hard to leave.

Fiji was fun. My 2 weeks over there pretty much revolved around sulus (sarongs) & coconuts...we scrapped coconuts, we squeezed the meat to make milk, we drank fresh ones (bu - pronouced 'boo'), we froze them to make coconut slushies & ate them somehow either in recipes or by themself at every meal. We did raw food cooking demonstrations & made raw cheesecake, beetroot soup, raw curry & salads all with some form of coconut in it. Beautiful!

Originally the plan was to assist in building a school over there, however plans soon changed & we were relocated to the opposite side of the island living with a Fijian family to assist some of the local women with their health issues. We were located in a rural area only 2 minutes stroll through long grass to the beach. Most mornings I tried to scoot down for a swim. The local women were quite overweight so we monitored their blood pressure, discussed diet alternatives with them, tried to inspire them with exercise & cooking demonstrations but I think more than 2 weeks is needed as they all did things in their own time (Fiji time). The staple foods of casava and taro don't help the situation, so we tried to inspire them with delectable raw food recipes. Slowly slowly :) A good experience.

Tash & I were introduced to some traditional healing methods as well as traditional food - all vegan (this particular family)...yum! Food preparation was a massive part of our day as there were alot of mouths to feed. Some of the delicious foods we enjoyed were tropical fruit salad with the sweetest pineapples, yummiest pawpaws and endless bananas. Roro balls were delectable - taro (a root vegetable) leaves boiled up in coconut milk with some chilli & other spices added, rolled into patties & cooked again in coconut milk. These amazing patties had the texture of a lindt ball that just melted in your mouth - but full of green goodness! We also ate lots of bharji - greens fresh from the garden cooked in coconut milk, curries - my favourites were eggplant & pumpkin, dahl, plenty of casava & taro - these I didn't warm to until the very end as they had the texture of clag glue, however a good staple for the locals as its easy to grow. Everyone had it in their yard as it's also easy to plant - you just have to break the stem off & stick it back in the ground. Tash & Nader needed some fattening up so the family fed it to them at almost every meal. The solid build of a lot of Fijians could be attributed to casava. The markets were a great experience - most people hire wheelbarrow men to carry all their items which get paid a small fee at the end ($2 Fijian). All food is sold in neat bundles, instead of by the kilo. The upstairs section of our nearby markets had stall after stall selling the local herb Kava, used as a sedative &/or an alcohol.

On my first bus trip across the island I had to keep pinching myself to remind me of where I was...all of these Indians kept hopping on at each stop & I started to become confused about whether I was in Fiji or India...I thought I was heading to India next?! I didn't realised the ratio of Indians to Fijians. Apparently they were brought over by the British about 130years ago to cut cane because the Fijians were just too lazy - working on 'Fiji time' obviously. Tash, Nader & I all found it hard to settle into 'Fijian time'...adding an extra 2-3 hours onto any specified departure time seemed to be a pattern. Once we realised this things became easier ;)

We all participated in a salt water cleanse in the second week where we had to drink a 2 liter concoction each morning of salt water, tank water & boiled water. Once the difficult task of downing the liquid was done (a tequila lemon suck followed each mouthful) & a few hours passed, we would begin dreaming & talking of anything related to food. Most members of the household participated. After enjoying such healthy amazing vegan food leading up to the cleanse it was tricky to go cold turkey. We all lasted until the second day when someone caved & we all followed suit..ha!

My last night with the family finished with a bonfire at the beach! A perfect end. The following day the 3 of us headed north to an island off Fiji - Nanu-i-ra. The bus ride was gorgeous - with parts of the island showing dense areas that reminded me of PNG jungle. The northern part of the island was quite mountainous and very dry. A real contrast. The mainland is alot bigger than I imaged as it took 6 hours to travel from Nadi to Suva (west to east) & four hours north from Pacific Harbour to Rakiraki. Nanu-i-ra was a peaceful simple island that had coconuts, snorkelling, amazing sunrises & sunsets & the perfect company of friends. What more could I ask for? I got a little too much sun though & am still in pain wearing clothes 5 days later! I've latthered up on Calendula cream, neem cream, lavendar oil, homeopathics, aloe vera, you name it...I've given it ago. So far, no peeling!

Thanks for all of your birthday wishes! I spent yesterday baking a strawberry, banana and apple birthday cake with my little cousin Ben & we all enjoyed it at a birthday dinner last night at a cosy pub in Camden. The weather is a little chilly here in Sydney but my internal heating system (sunburn) seems to be working a treat. I'm off to India this afternoon!

Love nellieoxo