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Jane DurhamJane Durham
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traveled in 6 countries Read more
  • TravelerTo Bali & beyond....
    Day 32

    A few more photos to finish up

    February 28 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    1. The public entrance to the Golden Temple. As international visitors staying at the ashram, we had a private back way in with no security check.
    2. The entire place is called Sripuram with the Golden Temple at its core. Around the Temple you can see a star shape. It is a beautiful covered walkway for (theoretically) contemplation & prayer. Not advisable to go on weekends when it is very crowded & lots of teenagers who didn't get the contemplation memo!
    3. Sri Lakshmi Narayani Golden Temple. The reflection in the surrounding water is of course stunning.
    4. A lovely picnic spot.
    5. My girl gang! Amazing, kind humans. 💕
    6. These tiny flowers littered the lawn outside my room before being swept up with all the other fallen leaves & flowers by smiling ladies.
    7. Rice paddy & mountain view on the road to the Ayurvedic Treatment Centre where one can have all kinds of things done. Full body oil massage + sauna in an old fashioned wooden box for A$20!
    8. This is Shushumna, my 90 year old New Yorker pal who took me under her wing. Here she is planting trees for the forest. She has been coming here for 22 years, since the beginning of it all! She rides a pink bicycle called Hazel. 💕
    9. I spent some time helping Grade 6 with their reading. They really didn't need much help - just a bit of vocab explained. I think they enjoyed having me??😂
    10. Colourful view from the school window.
    P.S. I was very impressed with the school. These kids are sharp & their demonstrations of what they can do with abacuses (?) & how well this instrument serves their mental arithmetic skills later on, were quite plainly, awesome - lightning fast. Edie was gobsmacked & she & I were still calculating as they moved onto the next sum!! The yoga exhibition was amazing too. Not surprising as the kids practise everyday. They meditate daily too alongside lessons in AI!! India's future is bright 🌞.    Read more

  • TravelerTo Bali & beyond....
    Day 23

    Bangalore

    February 19 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    It was with very mixed feelings that I decided to come home as planned. The decision was made plain to me as I saw that Anne & Edie were very well supported by an incredible group of humans. This experience, though brutal for Anne physically, mentally & emotionally and painful for me to witness, brought many lasting lessons for us both. Not the least for me - trust & patience. I shall be forever grateful for a small group of incredible women who quickly became friends & supported me beautifully & for Anne's partner Praveen, who quite simply is an Angel.
    My last morning started early with a visit to the old, original temple. It was quiet, no-one around except for priests & guards & women quietly preparing the temple & grounds for the day. Anne materialised & we witnessed a quiet blessing for the temple cows which happens, twice a day, every day, no matter what. The main cow had lost a calf a few days before, so the ceremony was extra poignant as she was painted & bestowed with mantra, flowers & music. We moved then into a smaller temple for an Aarti ceremony. The Aarti is performed by a priest waving lighted wicks soaked in ghee before the idol accompanied by various musical instruments, mantra & expressive songs which praise The God. Blessings from the lights were given to us also & we were given the opportunity to name those we wished to bless also. A beautiful, gentle experience. 🌸
    A quick breakfast with the kids & it was into a car for a 4 hour drive to Bangalore. My driver was keen to practise his English so I learnt a lot about India & the area along the way. A full pressure hot shower was joyfully received upon arrival at the Hyatt for an overnight stay. Woo Hoo! A bit of an explore close by & then to bed for the long day travelling home began. Bangalore airport was quite the surprise - large, modern, beautifully decorated with cane lamps & structures flowing from the ceiling. Light, bright, efficient & not at all crowded. I was near tears as the plane with the red kangaroo slid into the gate. And so ended a pretty epic 3 weeks on all levels. I experienced every emotional state I knew of and more. Many great experiences, beautiful people met & lessons learnt which will remain deep within forever.
    🇮🇳 🧡🤍💚 🇮🇳    Read more

  • TravelerTo Bali & beyond....
    32
    Day 19

    Vellore

    February 15 in India ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Not much happening this morning, so I decided to set off to the Vellore flower market by tuk tuk. We pulled up to what might have been it, but everything was shut & covered up. The tuk tuk driver was clearly out of ideas, so I asked the nearby fruit vendor & off we went again. He pulled up at the corner of what looked to be a long market street selling just about anything you might want. He said, "Go down, left, right, flower market. I wait here!" So I set off; the only European in the whole place. I did as instructed & had to ask for further directions & ended up in a very narrow, covered market which wove its way on & on. I was terrified of getting lost & felt overwhelmed & a bit intimidated. So I turned back buying some rambutan, grapes & a couple of scarves as some retail therapy. It was a fascinating trip, but I was glad to be deposited back to the hotel. 😅Read more

  • TravelerTo Bali & beyond....
    1
    Day 14

    Elephants & more....

    February 10 in India ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Anne has Dengue fever (picked up in Bali) & has gone to hospital to be on a drip & have her platelets monitored. She has improved quite a bit, but she will spend a second night there & hopefully be back with us tomorrow. Edie is fine & has been a trooper. By some miracle the Dad of Edie's friend organised for them to ride one of Amma's elephants yesterday, with her blessing. Amazing, as this is rarely allowed. The girls had a wonderful time & the mahouts were very kind & gentle. After visiting Mum this morning we went back into hectic Vellore for lunch. It is a sprawling, bustling city, the administrative capital of the region. The Vellore region is the largest exporter of finished leather goods in the country. It is also home to Vellore Fort, a large 16th century fort built by the Emperors of Vijayanagara. The fort was at one time the imperial capital of the Aravidu Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. It is known for its grand ramparts, wide moat and robust masonry. The first significant military rebellion against British rule, the Vellore Mutiny, erupted at this fort in 1806. A relaxing stroll around the temple when we got back, though it was very busy due to it being Sunday.Read more

  • TravelerTo Bali & beyond....
    1
    Day 13

    A trip to Vellore

    February 9 in India ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Edie & I went to Vellore in a tuk tuk to buy her some India appropriate clothes. A fun 10km ride amidst the organised chaos! Also, some photos of pooja (devotional ceremony) in the original Peedam temple which was built before the Golden Temple. Days are quite busy, lots to do here! Edie made friends with a little girl yesterday, so that was nice. I took them to see the horses & the elephants after pooja last night. One horse, a cow & an elephant had just come back from being blessed at the Golden Temple, which is a daily ceremony. We'll try to get to that one tonight. Poor Anne is much the same. Off for blood tests this morning. 🫰Read more

  • TravelerTo Bali & beyond....
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    Day 11

    A walk around the temple

    February 7 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Anne no better so her friend Praveen, who has been here a long time, invited Edie & Me to take a walk to see the Temple animals & Green Sakthi plant nursery. The Temple owns 700 cows, which are, of course, sacred animals here. They are beautifully looked after & although there is no opportunity for them to graze (a work in progress), some are taken for walks!! The objective is to preserve & propogate the native breeds. Cows are also donated to those in financial hardship to provide families with dairy products plus the opportunity of extra income through the selling of milk. Amma donates 100s of cows to poor farmers every year. I am unsure as to why deer, geese, doves & an emu are kept, but again, they have good lives. Apparently, it was decided to import emus to India as a source of protein, but the idea didn't really take off!! Speaking of protein, I have no idea where Induans got their protein from apart from dairy products. It's one of the great mysteries!! Anyway, it was a beautiful peaceful walk following the Temple wall. The Green Sakhti Afforestation Program donates many thousands of saplings & fruit trees to the surrounding area. It is one of many charitable projects initiated, blessed, and guided by Sri Sakthi Amma. Others include the Anna (food) Dhaanam (giving) - nutritious food using locally grown ingredients is served free to more than 7,000 people who visit the Temple each day; Mathoura Ganga - the distribution of drinking water to villages in the Vellore district who regularly experience drought. Water is pumped 20km & stored & supplied to villagers in tankers. Bores are also sunk & donated each year; Primary & Secondary schools have been built & for some children they are the first to attend school & also have the opportunity to learn English; to provide quality medical care at affordable cost to the rural public & free of cost for the needy, Amma built the Sri Narayani Hospital & Research Centre along with a College of Nursing. There are future plans for a Medical College giving local rural people the chance to train & move back to their communities to set up clinics. So much amazing good work being done here. 💙💚🩵Read more

  • TravelerTo Bali & beyond....
    1
    Day 8

    To India

    February 4 in India ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    It was hard to leave Lost but exciting also. A long day travelling, via Singapore, then a 2 hour + car drive in the early hours to reach Sri Narayni Peedam. Located in Tamil Nadu state at Ariyur, near Vellore, this ashram is an oasis amongst the colour & movement that is India & home to the famous Golden Temple & seat of The Divine Mother. In order to completely understand the how & why of this place I recommend you have a look at the website.

    https://www.narayanipeedam.org.

    It will be my home for the next 2 weeks. I like it here despite feeling as though I am on a film set! However, not quite the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel!! Our rooms are spartan but very clean with everything we need & all requests are swiftly dealt with. There is a dining room where we can go for included meals & the "Divine Cafe" is nearby.
    There are devotees of Amma here of all ages from every corner of the globe. Some come for a week, others months or years. Activities have been slightly curtailed as Anne has been quite sick since we arrived. High fever, (slowly coming down) & flu symptoms but she has been checked out at the hospital & we have been told to wait a few days. Fingers crossed. So I have just been exploring, sometimes with Edie & chatting with some very interesting people. Daily ayurvedic treatments will ensure I come home a new woman. I've also been witnessing the poojas conducted by Amma each night which is considered very auspicious. These are quite fascinating ceremonies of worship to the Hindi goddess Narayani. You can see them on the Sripuram Sri Narayani Peedam Facebook page. I am getting used to life here - not eating with my left hand (usually there are forks), not forgetting to wear my scarf, learning slowly about the food & the meaning of the head wobble! Waking to the sound of chanting is a lovely start to the day.
    Unfortunately, no photos are allowed on the Temple grounds, so I have stolen them from a book. When there is no chanting there is devotional music piped everywhere. Sometimes discordant with loud trumpety noises & lots of drumming. You get used to it!!    Read more

  • TravelerTo Bali & beyond....
    4
    2
    Day 6

    Coastal day trip

    February 2 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    A beautiful floral birthday surprise 😊
    Then a trip north to Perancak for lunch by the river - bbq prawns & calamari with a cold beer, perfect! Onto a famous Hindu temple, Rambut Siwi, on the cliff top overlooking the Indian Ocean with rice paddies alongside.  Rambut Siwi Temple is one of the biggest of all the Hindu temples in Bali and is located in the Jembrana Regency. An interesting day but oh so humid!! Grateful for a cool plunge before dinner. 💧💧Read more

  • TravelerTo Bali & beyond....
    11
    Day 5

    On the move....

    February 1 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Leaving the hustle of Ubud behind we travel by car up the west coast through the real Bali to Lost Lindberg, near Medewi. A beautiful small hotel set in lush grounds by a black lava sand beach. LOST LINDENBERG operates as far as possible in an environmentally friendly, low-waste manner. Solar panels supply our property with energy, and fruits and vegetables from LOST’S own permaculture are used in the restaurant. All products such as soaps and toilet paper, are produced regionally and fairly; litter is collected in weekly beach clean-ups; and our restaurant is entirely plant-based (free of animal products). Idyllic. Very grateful.💚🩵💙Read more

  • TravelerTo Bali & beyond....
    1
    2
    Day 4

    Ubud 3

    January 31 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    More exploring around town today finding new areas; this place is growing! Wish I had been here 20 or 30 years ago. Sights, sounds & smells often remind me of Thailand. Grateful for our pool in this humid weather & the delicious food. 😊. Aussies have definitely had an impact; you can get smashed avo on sourdough everywhere! 😂
    Escaping the hustle - off to the beach tomorrow!    Read more

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