THE SOUND OF ONE HAND CLAPPING

The beauty of traveling solo- no one else to consider- just go with the flow!



I gotta hand it to myself
I took myself on a tour of Mysore and asked a rickshaw driver for places with interior design ideas. His English was wonderful- a 'gift' from yoga students he said...

First was the 'Windflower' a Balinese spa on the outskirts of the city.
It was an oasis of beauty I never knew existed. High class cottage style accommodations, luxury spa and an Olive garden restaurant! The decor was beautiful and set on waterways, with gushing waterfalls, one into the swimming pool. A private butler and maid service twice a day and women walk around in white robes and slippers- all set outdoors. A white parrot (who thought it was a puppy) tried to eat my ankle bracelets from my feet. It then crawled into my shawl to hide and cuddle me.

I visited an art gallery/ museum and saw the rich culture through the paintings from over the centuries of royalty in India. There were 'trick' paintings where the eyes followed you wherever you stood in the museum (like the Mona Lisa). I wanted to visit the zoo to see the famous black elephant and the other animals that roam free, but not this time. These things can be boring when you're by yourself on one hand, but on the other, you are free to do whatever you want at any pace you choose.

Time on my hands
Sunday morning was my first shift at the orphanage. I arrived and was handed a tiny baby boy of 6 months, no diaper, swaddled in a plastic mat. I bottle fed him for a bit, and he smelt of sour milk. He stared intently at me, smiling and cooing as I put him to sleep in his cradle. Baby girls lay on a plastic mat, one wailing in pain and I tried to comfort her, but she was disabled. Another had small fleshy bumps where her ears should be. One boy, about 6 years or so, was twisted up and dragging himself on the floor. His eyes were crossed and he drooled, but had the brightest, happiest smile. He kept looking at me and saying 'Hi!" A native lady was feeding him rice with her fingers. I then played patty cake with the 3-5 year olds. They smiled ear to ear and their large black eyes were wide with delight. They all fought over whose turn it was. I then asked for some crayons and paper and was bombarded by the children all grabbing and fighting over the colours. They have that scarcity mentality, so they were hiding them, even in their mouth. They hit each other often, some crying for attention or to manipulate me. The older girls would get quite cross with them. I tried putting a crayon in the hand of the twisted boy on the floor. I took his hand to draw on the paper, but he wanted to eat the crayon. A girl of about 11 sat next to me, playing with my silver necklace. She stroked my cheek and then pinched it! She secretly then put her fingers to her nose to see what I smelled like, before running away. Very primal! The colouring was chaos as I tried to draw cows, palm trees, houses and cats. They were all trying to chatter to me, but I couldn't understand...just me and this mob of kids! A little girl of 5 started to sing the ABC's. She only knew up to 'H'. Her and her 3 year old sister were new to the orphanage and from the streets. She seems very bright, and a sponge. There was 2 kids on my lap at a time as they all vied for my attention. After 2 hours, I was exhausted!

Healing hands
Later, Rachel and I went to Sean's house, for yet another spiritual quest: a Diksha*. He played a rhythmic, African chanting song while placing his hands on the crown of my head. I could feel the spiritual energy transformation, while seeing flashing lights with my eyes closed. We then lay down on the pillows on the floor to collect our thoughts after the energy transfer. Sean is from London, volunteering acupuncture therapy for orphanages. Next time...my first acupuncture!!!!

(*Diksha info: www.experiencediksha.com)