Monday, November 29, 2010

walk into the sunset

as the sun is setting...i look towards the sky... i am reminded of the many sunsets i have witnessed...the earth is always the same...yet our perspective changes depending on our physical location, the associations, and the people around...
the eye is the same, but am i the same

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Yoga

 


...and i return home to Toronto

The journey of a lifetime always begins with that first step.  I took that step, many times in many directions...the journey on Dec 2, 2009 which took me to Rancho Margot, was another life changing journey.  I discovered a piece of paradise, with the slogan "where the middle of nowhere is somewhere"...

October 24th, I ventured on a journey, with a soul, in other words we had "one life, one love and one hope" for humanity...the first stop in this journey was unplanned, yet very enjoyable...Continental offered us a night at their expense, and we spent the day exploring Manhattan.  Listening to a concert in Central Park, eating hot dog.  "The sun was shining, and the weather was sweet" as I lay on the grass, engulfed with a feeling of bliss...

Onwards we continue to meet a family in Antwerp, Belgium; it felt more like a reunion, was there never a separation.  The warmth, love, generosity and the welcome shown by Nadine Herz.  the waves coming to shore...

November 4th, we embarked on our flight to Tel Aviv...once we had moved away from the airport terminal, the soil welcomed us.  At the Budget car rental, at 2 am in the morning, the staff felt like family...we were all sitting by the curb, looking up the directions to the apartment in Jerusalem...and Frederick decided it was time to do his yoga, including a headstand...the scene seemed so normal and homely.  Does everyone not do what we did at that car rental place, Lamalo? (Hebrew for why not)...

Jerusalem...the apartment we stayed, thanks to Nadines' cousin Dan...in the night time, maybe 3 in the morning,  driving around, feeling the place as we searched for the apartment.  Waking up to yoga, and on to the old city and the western wall.  We walked, we looked, on a roof top we sat in  meditation, we heard and saw the symbolism of the three major religions, in one space; and my heart said "YES" there is oneness, and one day "we will all live as one"...

The afternoon at the Dead Sea, the healing of the water and the body mud mask was another amazing added to the list...Makseem.  We met some interesting people, so generous in their sharing of a delicious, freshly cooked lunch.. and so we did yoga on the sand...more connections made, and the human family continues to grow.

We decided to drive towards Elat, and actually  made it there by 11 in the night.  After checking out places to stay, and not deciding on where, did we really want to pay Hilton price, I can resist anything but temptation...we walk away...instead sat at a restaurant by the water, and smoked shisha and drank Bedouin tea till 3 in the morning.  We invited a young couple to join us, and shared many laughs with them...what do you do at 3 in the morning, find your car and sleep in the parking lot...great sleep it was.  

At the bus stop the next day, we meet Roman and Sivan...later shared a laughter, and the bus drivers' annoyance as I chased an apple that has rolled out of my bag, it was never found...but we found a foursome, and spent the next 5 days or so together in Sinai, in Ras Sataan and Mondial...the word for this trip was "shuaya shuaya", or like Sivan said "akuna matata"...sitting by the Red Sea, smoking Shisha, eating, chatting, sharing our inner fears and our desires, life experiences, who knows what, each day and each moment flowed into the next.  Many firsts...learning billiard, smoking a joint and the yoga practice after 3 puffs...we enjoyed a great yoga session with the few people who joined us...one night the big meal we ordered, that lasted into the lunch the next day...the Egyptian who shared how successful he was and suggested that I should stay back and he will look after me...
or Omer, who found Frederick in yoga, and spent the next half day chatting, he also invited us to his home and served us tea and gave us two beautiful postcards...he was very proud of his 3 children and we saw their video on his phone.  As tradition of that culture, you never get to see the wife. 

One cannot leave Dr. Sheesh Kabab out of the story of Neweba, a half hour walk from Mondial...what a great guy, he entertained us as he bar-b-qued, spoke about his ideas of the world, and we saw a man living with his heart. 

This was the spot where we met Mario, and moved on to St. Katherine and Dahab...Mario, what a guy...smart, technical diving instructor, who had seen success in his businesses, and was now living between Egypt, Germany and Croatia...Mario guided us on up the Mount Sinai, a 3 hour trek, and we made it in time to see a beautiful sunset. 

The spot we stayed in St. Katherine, the first night the boys joined a group on the street playing soccer, and for the remaining days, we saw familiar faces from that group as we walked around the small town. 

Next morning a yoga practice with Mario, and we took the cab to Dahab.  A touristy place only as a refreshing change...the 20 meter dive that Frederick did with Mario, he was exhilarated...the half an hour I spent with Mario, in the water, getting my first feel of diving, another first for me...the next morning we packed up, said good-bye to Mario and headed towards the bus station to make our way back to the border between Israel and Egypt, Taba...the border was closed till 9 that evening, so we spent 6 hours with four other people, and shared their stories, an Arab women asserting her individuality in a a traditional family, a New Yorker of Hispanic background, full of energy as she sang rap, and the couple from UK, who inspired us to visit Petra.  That night we spent at Taba Sands Hotel, great value, and a beautiful hotel...leaving us so refreshed that when we crossed into Israel, we immediately took a cab to the border of Jordan...

Petra, Jordan a memorable place...learning our lesson, when we thought we were on the right path, but not...we became the observer in a situation where we were the players... the horseback ride to the top, sitting or rather flying on top of the world, and we later found out that we were sitting on top of the treasury, was that the reason we felt the abundance and lightness? it seemed we flew?  The guide walked us down, taking us through some breath taking views, he held my hand as he wanted me to walk/run fast, it was getting dark and we needed to be out of the gate...we had to slow down once we came in front of the treasury, it was again shuaya shuaya, the moon guided us, as Venus sat perched on top of one of the peaks...no words can capture the feeling, especially when we paused and looked up and the stones spoke...as we stood mesmerised looking at the face in the stone, the eyes seems to open and look down at us...

many connections made, time will unveil those connections...we travelled back to Elat, rented a car, bought our favorite falafel from the shop in the bus terminal and drove towards the Sea of Galilee...the Dead Sea was not to be bypassed, and in full moonlight we absorbed the beauty and the feel of the water...I released, the journey and any attachments, it is always very powerful when the release happens in the moment, rather than later...that night we slept by the Sea of Galilee...One of Jesus' famous teaching episodes, the Sermon on the Mount, is supposed to have been given on a hill overlooking the lake. Many of his miracles are also said to have occurred here including his walking on water, calming the storm, and his feeding five thousand people (in Tabgha) ~Wikipedia~
we slept in the car in a parking lot, to the soft sounds of the water lapping the shore below...the next day we drove into a camp site, and spent most of the morning, in meditation, yoga and took the opportunity of the showers to wash ourselves and some of our clothes...the sun and dryness of the region always helps to dry the clothes quickly...nourished we were.

Another beautiful day, and we drove through Acco, and alongside the Mediterranean, towards Tel Aviv...encountering an interesting episode, buying fruit, and when we parked our car in Tel Aviv, we were not sure how this last evening will end...the trip was a celebration of life, of souls journeying together, hence it was befitting to end in style...two yogis in dress, mannerism and style checked in to Sheraton Tel Aviv, our room overlooked the sea, and the view from the balcony was impressive, you saw the whole promenade, and water walk...we spent the evening in Tel Aviv and the next day in Jaffa...the closing highlights...

Frederick and I parted ways, sure that our souls and energy will be connected, and we will continue to share this energy with all being we encounter...the night I flew out of Tel Aviv, was a full moon, we had begun and ended our journey with that moon, it will always guide us and remind us of our purpose, in our journey through life...

The last 2 days in Antwerp, were spent with Linda, who had flown from Ireland and Rosa who had taken the train from Amsterdam.  Nadine once again opened her home to us, and we caught up on the past year and a half in our lives, our dreams, and the next day shared a great yoga practice together.  Refreshed we hugged our goodbyes, sending flying kisses as the train pulled away...
To all I say Adios, till we meet again...