Arrived at AyurVedic Clinic in Uttarakhand , India

View from my room in Kausani

Yesterday morning at 6 AM I started out for Kausani, India from Delhi via train. There is an Ayurvedic Clinic in Kausani and I am here now to spend some weeks cleansing and resting before I start out on additional travels.

The train ride was quite pleasant though long. At first, the oppressive , overcrowded scenes of New Delhi life predominated but as we slowly made our way north to the mountains, the views softened to farmers working in their fields: bulls pulling plows, women in brightly colored saris squatting and moving up and down long rows of vegetation. Lone bicycle riders following narrow dirt paths. 

We reached Kausani in about 6 hours. From there, a taxi received me from the clinic to deliver me to my destination. I use the word taxi loosely! The vehicle was a jeep sent by the clinic and the driver had already been busy shopping for the clinic’s kitchen. The jeep was overflowing with burlap sacks of veggies, paper wrapped papayas, huge jack fruits the size of watermelons. The roof rack of the jeep was spilling over with provisions as well. We eventually found some room for my luggage and started off for the 4 hour drive to the ashram clinic.

As we climbed upward to 6,000 feet elevation, the route was regularly punctuated by the following signs in English and Hindi: WARNING:  hair- pin turn ahead, WARNING falling rock, WARNING narrow road ahead.  I will leave the rest to your imagination.

About half of the way to the clinic a box of bananas from the roof rack escaped from its ropes and flew behind us and landed with a splat. Risking life and limb, the driver got out and dodging the traffic on the narrow road, salvaged what he could. I welcomed the opportunity to stretch my legs and savor the view. 

Anyway, I am here now and enjoying meeting about 10 other international guests here at the clinic. My room is quite comfortable and I have views of mountains, monkeys, beautiful vegetation and a lovely sunrise. I enjoyed yoga and meditation on the verandah outside my room this morning.

My meditation consisted of transcending on the calls of the birds. The air is busy with twittering, squawking, cawing, cooing, warbling, trilling, chirping, whooping. I can’t see the birds but their sounds come in call and response from every side and there is nothing more needed on this restful morning as the sun rises.