Morning cycling

Let me be absolutely honest. The sole purpose of this post is to provoke envy and longing sighs...

The topic is my morning cycle rides. Finally, it has become to cold for swimming. Instead, Im cycling 15-20 km in the mountains most mornings. The rides are absolutely fantastic and makes it very hard to imagine life without that habit...

 I usually start at 6.30 am along with the staff's exercise.

 First view point: The Wall - the greatest rapid of Ganga

 I love the bonmots along the way - not least the handpainted that often includes some Indian spelling variations..

 The monsun is rather brutal and every year some parts of the roads are washed away.

 Point of return most days: Daniel's Dip (rapid) and Kaudyala (village)

Yup, it was me.

 Another sign - how would anyone want to rush through the beauty of this valley.

Breathtaking part 1

Breathtaking part 2 

Cows doesn't need much space as long as the got a good view... 

Some mornings I stop at a dhapa for a nice cup of morning chai. 

Steamingly hot and freshly made

Downtown Byasi means almost home at Atali.

 And of course - monkeys. It's been a while since I found them fascinating - they're basically just a hazzle.

On the top, behind the trees, Atali's hiding and Im back home...

The End - jealousy begin!

Christmas

You can't really say christmas has reached Atali - but christmas decorations certainly have. I've never been the biggest christmas maniac, but it seems a lot easier to live with, when christmas is coming in the company of fortysomething rather clueless Indians (when it comes to christmas that is), who still find christmas rather colorful and would like to put up decorations and lights everywhere.

I held them back, so decorations didn't come up till 1. December. They were in charge of that part, I had my own contribution. In the huge box with last years decorations, I found 4 christmas hats. I promised some of the boys a present if they wear them till christmas eve... They were rather reluctant the first couple of days, but as the cold weather has set in (yes, cold!), 4 pixies have joined the staff at Atali and turn up the oddest places. Gotta love it!

Putting up decorations

 Choda Umesh (Small Umesh) put on the hat already on 1. December, most likely because I told him to do so... (in a very nice way).

 Mahendra wasn't either a completely volutary pixy, though, he did surrender for a couple of minutes.

10 days later and 5 degrees colder, Shivpu, Rohit and Rakesh has turned into voluntary pixies. What's not to like? (Jahindra is the fourth wearing a christmas hat, but he wasn't around at picture time).

Actually, Ranaji was the first to go. He got the hat from his son and has been wearing it since some time in November.

PS: Nifle brought me a present, which is waiting for christmas eve to be opened.

Visit from Denmark

Somehow, time suddenly went by without any blog posts. It feels like I've been busy, though to be honest, I haven't. Unless a friends' visit, hindi practise and communication with chaotic India can be considered being busy...

Now it's time to catch up a bit with a couple of posts in a row. First Nifle's visit. Nifle is my very very dear old friend. She used to be my study partner throughout university and the number of hours we've spent in eachother's company is endless. As we've taken almost all exams together (group exams in Denmark allows you to do that) we also write the same way, (though, Nifle has always been in charge of commas). And the most amazing is - we've never ever had a fight. Not even during our 8 months thesis writing in which we spent every single day together. And now it was finally time to show her my India.

Nifle had been permitted 8 days leave from her family and I could pick her up in Delhi airport, where she laughed the first time (not the last) of how integrated I've become. The reason was that I was wearing a down jacket, though, the sun was shining and the temperature on it's way to 15 degrees (Celsius). I was freezing!

We started out with a couple of days in Delhi to give Nifle a quick introduction to some of the major clashes in this country. The clash between noisy chaos and quiet harmony, between poverty and rich extravaganza, between ultra modernity and extreme backwardness side by side. Clash, clash, clash. Some prejudices were eliminated, some confirmed.

Next stop was Atali. The drive up got Nifle's fright in India (almost) focused to the traffic. Ok, it can be brutal. And it is definately completely unpredictable. I had made sure that we got a good car and a reliable driver, but, nonetheless, Nifle found it best to keep eyes and ears shut most of the journey.

The mountains - and Atali - turned out to be a very welcome clash to the traffic. Even if I've tried to explain how immensely jaw dropping this place is, it's still hard to comprehense without having been here. Nifle got the point pretty fast and everytime we left the room or she turned her head, a spontaneous "wauv" slipped out.

Atali is absolutely perfect for getting away from most things and forgetting about hazzles elsewhere, so most of the time, we simply just enjoyed to be, to raft, to hike, to look at the river and the mountains, to visit Rishikesh and to talk about nice things. Way too soon, she had to go back. Søren, her husband, sent me a text politely asking me to send her back home...

Velcome! The staff had recreated the carrying chair for Nifle's introduction brief. This time with an added throwing of flowers - please notice the yellow flowers on her lap.

 Indian school kids are objectively speaking extremely photogenic. And they look good with Nifle.

Early evening by the Ganga - a cow, a monk and a little mermaid.

Lights are send of at the evening Aarti at the Ganga to secure health and good luck.

Find the girl, who isn't an over exided Indian kid aged 3 to 6 years...

Who can understand, what Im doing here - and like it?

Recipe for chai - and a perfect day!

Yesterday, I cycled to Silversands. The camp was empty of guests - and almost empty of staff. I first met Meipal, who'd been home for the night and was on his way back to work. He'd seen me and came running, arms in the air, yelling - with a huge smile: "welcome Pernille madam". Besides Meipal, the only ones in camp were Negiji (Negi: last name - ji: for respect and age) and Manosh.

Even if there are no others, I cannot visit camp without at least one cup of welcome chai. Meipal  cooked - I documented:

 First, mash a big chunk of ginger and put in the pot with water

 Add tea powder

 And sugar...

When the mix is boiling pour it into the milk powder

And back in the pot

Add more tea

Finally pour the chai through the strainer into the cups

...And here you go a damn good cup of chai is ready!

After a cup of tea and a conversation in Hindi (the kitchen in Silversands has always been one of the best places to learn Hindi) and me promising to stay for lunch, I strolled down to the beach. Here, I could sit, first in the sun later in the shade to the view and sound of Ganga, reading Salman Rushdie's fantastic auto-biography until I was summoned back to the kitchen because lunch was ready. And who could anything but (yet again) love these guys for making a special table (out of a frost box) with chair and spending extra time making more and better food just for me? I couldn't! I can love the vegetable dish, the fresh chapatis, the cold and clear water, the suggested red chili for desert. All done just because they like me.  I can love to bits!

Royal treatment

The Indians are such nice people. Not least the ones working at Atali!

This is their latest invention for me...

(The ankle is fine now, so that's not why)

Take off

A real queen of course waves to the photoprapher and the crowd

Entering the main gate

 An extra round for the queen

 Just a bit exited

Apparently, it takes 10 guys to carry 1 me.
PS: queen in hindi is rani... oh, and fat woman is moti. 

Diwali - festival of lights

Autumn has definately reached - or perhaps even winter. Hard to tell as it is still sunny and warm during the days and the cold evenings aren't colder than you can still sit outside by the fire wearing sandals.

The change in seasons also brought Diwali, the biggest festival for the North-Indian hindus. Apparently, there are several reasons to celebrate Diwali, but in my hood, they're celebrating Rama's return after 14 years of exile (in these Garwhali mountains - also according to local history). All as it's been told in Ramayana and as I've been told by my friends.

Rama is welcomed by lighting tiny oil lamps for him (and for the following year's prosperity). On the other hand, the deamons are chased away with fire works and crackers.

There were no other guests at Atali over Diwali; therefore, most of the employees went back to their families on one or more well deserved days off. Last night we were only eight left, which is less than a fifth of the normal. More people were here during the day helping with the preparations.

To celebrate Diwali with all my Garwhali friends, I'd spent the night in Silversands (the rafting camp 3 km down the road) with the old bunch. Around the fire in the evening with a classic rum-pani (rum with water) and a perfect view to all the pretty tiny lights in the village Malakunti on the other side of the river.

The night was cold and clear, so all Diwali well wishes the following morning took place with a hot cup of chai and Indian sweets around the warm tandoor (oven). Those, who'd been home in the evening had brought traditional Diwali breakfast, which were very tasteful and greasy.

Jeetu is one of my very dear friends down here.

I went back to Atali after breakfast and spent my day halfways in bed - leg lifted (se previous post to know why...) and to wander around with my camera to document the preparations.

Hundreds of tiny oil lamps had been purchased for the decorations.

The lamps were put all over.

 General excitement over Diwali in the midst of the preparations.

It is by the way funny, how Im always reminded in India that gender roles are not god given or naturally. Not because they don't have very traditional gender roles down here that are perceived as plain facts. But because they differ in so many ways from the ones in Denmark. For instance, it is not at all weird that 10 guys spend most of their day putting up lights and decorating the premises - or for that matter that men holds hands and hugs - it is considered all natural - luckily. On the other hand, The Indians are some of the most frightened when it comes to homosexuality, though, in my experience, it is mostly a question of not knowing much about it.

While waiting - one of my favourite movies: 3 Idiots

At Diwali, it is custom to give something - that included me. Because of the ankle, I cant cycle and since the drivers had got back to their families, I got a ride on one of the staff's motorbike to Byasi 2 km up the road, where I could go mad in shopping fireworks to the boys.

And then it got dark and time to lit all the lamps. Atali was poetically beautiful. In the next photos there's no artificial light - except for one where I used my headlight to make the artists, who'd created this masterpiece, visible.

 Restaurant and fireplace

 Every light is a tiny oil lamp

 The staff canteen

  No camera would be able to catch all lights or the ambience, but this was the closest I got - and it even includes the artists.

After lights, dinner was served. Tasty fish curry - and of course a dessert. And then. Finally time for the fire crackers. They boys clearly preferred the big booms. And I found myself being the very concerned mother, who'd regularly yelled at her boys on what to do and how to be careful. Perhaps it was because I had bought some of the goodies that they actually listened to (most of) what I said.

Now Diwali is over. The staff is returning and the next guests will soon be arriving. But we will be fine, cause the lights were there...