Some Everyday Life Photos In and Around the Ashram

Coming up soon,  I am scheduled to go on a 5 day trip way up north to Badrinath, Uttarakhand India. I will be hopefully be able to share a lot of great photos with you on that trip.

Around July 16th I will begin my journey to Nepal and this will yield some new photos and topics. For today, I will just share some photos of daily life here at the ashram that might be of interest.

This is a typical ashram lunch. Stainless steel is used most often for dishes in India. A thali or larger flat stainless plate with a rim is the platform for smaller bowls and your food. At the ashram, all the food is made from scratch. A lot of produce comes from the 30+ organic gardening plots of the ashram

There is no caffeine served at the ashram. A daily ritual for many of the residents is a trip to a local chai shop-which is a 40 min walk (you have to be pretty motivated) . Almost every little shop has a burner and pot to make chai. The standard cost is 20 Rs or about $0.14. 

Hanging from the rafters of the shop are assorted snacks and one time use packs of shampoo and spices etc.  Here are a few of my buddys enjoying a tea. The standard serving is about 2 ounces but it is pretty potent!

People come and go from the ashram. There is usually a "family photo" on the day of departure. This time, a day or two ago, Bruce Reed from the USA was leaving. He is standing in the back row middle with the navy shirt. I am sitting in the front row.  Countries represented are Russia, France, Belgium, Nepal, India, USA, Australia and Poland.

Here is a pretty little pink and yellow flower that is currently in bloom. It reminds me of an alpine flower- growing close to the ground with very little foliage.

A bag of hot chilis in bulk at the local store. No chilis are used at the ashram which in not the norm for the rest of the subcontinent!