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quinta-feira, 27 de dezembro de 2018

Choosing Love – Thank you Mother India/ Part 17



Experiencing the NOW

Day 23 (Day 10 of Wonder-Bike Adventure) – 12th May 2018


We wake up early, as usual, for the last leg of our Royal Enfield adventure. Today we will arrive back in Bangalore, after a little over 200 km on the road.

I get ready to cover up my bare skin for protection against the sun’s intense rays, my leg burn is by now looking pretty awful, but not infected and I fully trust my body can take care of it. Given time, space and loving respect all wounds heal.



Love whispers: Patience is one of the most precious treasures of Love.

This reminds me of the days back at the WEF Conference in New Delhi, when I had a huge scab on the side of my nose, from a heat blister that ensued from our monument visit under the scorching sun in Khajuraho. Though I was very exposed to the public, with several talks booked and even Plenary sessions, it didn’t bother me at all and I remember one conversation I had with my friends Sindu and Lynn when I was playfully, but seriously also, sharing with them that I had asked my blister scab what it needed in order to heal properly and that the answer I had felt was “Love”, all it needed was to be Loved, which for me meant being totally accepted, embraced and allowed the time to heal. And though many people kept on telling me I would be left with a mark on my nose, there is no such thing there now, and the same will happen, in its own right time, with this burn on my leg.


Pedro wants to stop over at another place Atul highly recommended: Shravanabelagola Jain Temple. It is just a small detour of about 20 km from the main road so we go there.

Travelling on the road in India is an absolutely out of the ordinary experience for us. There are motorbikes with five people perched on them, other motorbikes that carry a load that not even some cars would seem to manage, regular cars with over 10 people inside, buses with no doors and people hanging on the steps and sitting on the roof, small children sitting in the front seat of cars with no seatbelts on, bikes, tucs and even cars driving on the highway on the wrong side of the road, all types of vehicles overtaking regardless of whichever vehicles are coming from the other side, many people travelling on motorbikes with no helmets, many not stopping at red traffic lights… an incredible maze of free spirited driving that is mind-boggling to any European, but that we enjoy, on the other hand, for the sense of freedom this no rules system offers and for the privilege of experiencing this amazing organic flow that dribbles comprehension.






It is mid-morning when we arrive at Shravanabelagola Temple – perched high up on a rocky incline, with more stairs than I can count. There seems to be some sort of celebration up there but there are no cars or other vehicles where we stop. I decide not to go up. It is already unbearably hot and damp so I choose to sit in the shade and wait for Pedro.

A group of three young men come down the stairs with a few big milk barrels and place them at the gate and then head towards me saying I cannot be in that place. They offer to take our bike out of the parking space, which at first I feel a bit weary of but then allow and trust. Apparently we stopped at a non-parking space.


As I sit on the doorstep of a closed shop, I enjoy watching local life going on, the women’s colourful saris, the calm demeanour of passers-by, the beauty of simple chores executed with a permanent air of acceptance. There is this special feeling in India, this special notion that All is Well, a wise and ancient innocence that transcends common understanding. Something that runs deeper than our notion of ourselves.





I become aware of some sort of celebration going on up at the Temple.

When Pedro finally comes down, he tells me there was a religious ceremony going on up there – possibly blessing elections day. The milk was poured over the head of a huge masculine figure called the Gommateshwara Bahubali statue, which is considered to be the world’s largest monolithic statue and this happens to be one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Jainism, a sacred place of worship.





After Pedro comes down, we go to the centre of town and that's where all of the action is and where we should have parked in the first place. There are many people around, mostly wearing yellow and orange attire, and the girls all have flowers, mainly jasmin, in their hair. Everyone is joyfully celebrating this occasion and it is a pleasure to see the leisurly hustle and bustle of this holy place.







Once again Atul was spot on with his recommendation. We cannot thank him enough.

We decide to move on.

The heat keeps on increasing but somehow the fact that our destination is going back to Bangalore, back home here, makes it more bearable.

Travelling with no plans is a constant practice of NOW, especially when the going gets tougher. It becomes totally irrelevant to dwell on what has gone by or what is to come. It is a constant exploration of our Present moment, no matter how we might be feeling in it. Focussing on each NOW removes the weariness of a long journey, the temporary discomforts and any sort of longing for what’s next as well as any need to dwell on judgemental considerations. Each moment becomes a precious gift in itself, to be savoured fully, no matter what it contains – each experience unique, adding to the whole magnificent opportunity of being HERE.

Round about lunchtime we stop at a restaurant on the side of the highway which is pretty full. It has no air-conditioning, though it is slightly cooler than outside. It only has one dish, which we gladly accept to be our meal today. We stay there for over an hour, somehow expecting the heat to make its way out of our day… but eventually we decide to gather our wits together and hop on the bike again. 

We will find another quieter place to outsmart the heat.

We stop some kilometres further on, by some closed stores, with chickens running about and an idiosyncratic Coca-Cola painting on the wall. Alas, a bit of shade.




We observe the coming and going on the highway. There is an intersection right in front of us so we are amused to see all sorts of vehicles, including a cow driven cart, cross over the highway lanes to the other side. 


Sooner or later we decide to go that way too and try this interesting manouvre of crossing the highway.

The place we arrive at is a small village, where everyone is heading to the voting ballots and otherwise celebrating elections day.

There is a group of men sitting outside a large house and the host comes and offers us food, inviting us to join their celebration. We thank his kindness but decline because we have just had lunch.

We move on, looking for a quieter place to rest in the shade.

We choose a large and beautiful tree, which has a large boulder underneath. Just the right spot to sit. Ahhhh, it feels good!



Passers-by stare and stare at us, but we figure it’s just because we are foreigners. One of them finally has the guts to come over to us and tell us we are sitting on a sacred place – a small temple. 

Apparently I have my foot resting on a sacred stone and I immediately remove it, apologising.

I stand up to go and see the stone and interestingly enough it represents the union of feminine and masculine. Trust our Essences to guide us to choose exactly this spot to sit for a rest! We feel very blessed, amused and reverent of this place.


Karma determines that all actions, present and past have an effect. When our present actions dissolve past pain (of whatever nature), the effect is Love and thus Dharma - the Flow of Insess. By choosing our actions wisely, we necessarily choose the effect - therefore our Reality. In this moment I am sure that this has been a sweet gift offered by our well nurtured reality.

It is around 3.30 pm when we decide it’s time for our last kilometres.

Arriving in Bangalore does not mean we are at our destination yet. The city is huge!

We still stop to check the map and gather our breath for the very final bit.

We enjoy watching a young man weaving straw stools. Nearby there is a work in progress: someone is in the process of making cane blinds and ladders. Had never realised these were handmade!




A heap of rubbish right beside these interesting observations reminds us that India is a land of extreme contrasts, a land that is either loved or hated with equal intensity. I cannot but love it.


We arrive at Anu and Krishna’s neighbourhood at around 4.30 pm and decide to go for some tea at the Music Museum before “bothering” them.


When I call Anu she invites us to come along. They are having a celebration with the whole building. This year they had been intently motivating each other to vote and all are now celebrating the fact that most did go ahead and make their choice at the polls. We are received with much joy, safe and sound and with our belly filled with laughing gratitude. 

Anu and Krishna show us their finger painted with black ink, which is the system used here to avoid people from voting twice. Interesting and surely foolproof system.



We have a lot to share and also need to rest and after a short while they take us up to their welcoming home.

It is so good to have a loving home to come back to, even when we are thousands of miles from home... though we are always at home within us. Thank you deeply for your loving care dear Anu and Krishna. Love you!

💙💚💛💜


Read Post 1 of this series here, post 2 here, post 3 here, post 4 here, post 5 here, post 6 here, post 7 here, post 8 here, post 9 here, post 10 here, post 11 here, post 12 here, post 13 here, post 14 here; post 15 here; post 16 here

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