Excursion to Gokarna

Tuesday afternoon we skipped classes and went on excursion. 2 taxis came to pick us up and I had the honor to sit next to the driver in the front. I am not quite sure that they did this out of respect of my Grey hair or out of fear. It is quite an adventure to be seated in the place where you normally sit when you drive and not being able to do anything. It is like being in an attraction park : the cars are really small, but so are the roads … The driver is avoiding confrontation with other cars, scooters, motor rickshas, people, dogs and ….. cows …. and this at full speed. Adrenaline boost is guaranteed ¡¡¡

Arriving at the station, the train was delayed, and then delayed again, and again, …...and the only comment was : don't worry, this is India. One hour and a half late, it finally came and you could hear its arrival from far and all of a sudden everybody was kind of 'running' around to find the place were his wagon was going to stop. This is important because when you are on the wrong place, you risk not to get in. The train stops only short, then it starts moving again, slowly, giving you the chance to jump on. Now, why did this train have so much delay if it hardly stops to let you go on ? I think you find the answer once you are inside the train : this thing only functions on a 'philosophy of 1000 years' Everything is dirty, old, broken and the most spectacular are the vans hanging from the ceiling. I am sure that once they were white, now they are as black as lava stone.

Arriving at Gokarna it was almost dark (it is getting dark here at about 19.00) and we set out to find a restaurant. For those people that have an obsession with hygiene and cleanliness, India can provide a quick fix giving you the opportunity of becoming more flexible and adjusting … or it can be a continuous torture. If you want to enjoy the flavors of your meal, it is best not to look around you because you could catch an indigestion only by what you are seeing.

The next morning, we started our tour of the temples. Gokarna is a bit like Benares, it is a pilgrims place as the main temple is dedicated at Shiva. It is also a place to bury the death or better to throw the ashes into the water. People come here from far away villages with the ashes of their relatives and they do all kind of puja's and rituals in honor of the deceased. In total there are over 60 temples in this, according to Indian standard, small town.

In the Kali temple, we had a puja done for us. The puja's are very interactive and not at all quiet : while the priest is doing his fire ceremony with the goddess, we were clinging the bells as if the whole town was on fire. Later, the priests offers you the fire, some flowers, put the red paste on your third eye, pours some water over your head … all symbols of the 5 elements that are honored to have the deities boon.

Gokarna is not only a pilgrimage town, but also a beach town and therefore a tourist town. And that comes with shops so the afternoon was dedicated at shopping. I was pleased to find an ayurvedic pharmacy where I could find the most essentials as shampoo and massage oil and toothpaste ….

Going back, we did the same ritual all over : taxi, train, delay, delay, delay and more delay, the 'Disneyland' again but now at night (more adrenaline, same price) … and then we arrived back at the ashram where everything seemed much cleaner and quieter now we had lived something else. After a day and a half of 'flavoring the taste of hectic India in its sweetest and mildest form' we were all tired and dirty and longing for a bed and already dreaming of the next morning and feeling blessed that we have the opportunity to respire the tranquility of the sea and nature with our pranayama exercises. That night it was the first one since a long time that I slept without waking up.