White Nights and Inspirations

 Flinders Street Station

I've had a lot going on lately... family illnesses and so on. After such an intense time, it is nice to get back to the blog and a little bit of creative normality.

Melbourne had a White Night a few months ago, mid February it was, a hot night with music, art and street performance from dusk till dawn. White Nights have been happening in other places around the world - including Saint Petersburg, Paris and Tel Aviv - but this was the first time we had experienced one in Australia.

I was impressed! The city was packed, so it made it difficult sometimes to see all the things there were to see, and find all the things that there were to find, but the volume of people added to the buzz. And it was a good sign for art in Melbourne - I have never seen so many people going into the National Gallery before.

I've been inspired by the colour, the lights and the fun to create a new jewellery range based on White Night. I might even include some textile and fashion designs in the mix! Watch this space for more news to come...

Buildings along Flinders Street 

 Busker in Hosier Lane

Flinders Lane

Money for the busker, Swanston Street

Princes Bridge

Foam artwork installation, National Gallery of Victoria (photo from NGV website)

The India Adventure Part 3: Dharamsala

After a 14-hour overnight bus trip on winding mountain roads, we finally arrived in the small town of MacLeod Ganj, perched in the Outer Himalayas above Dharamsala. This part of my trip was mostly an internal experience, as I learnt about meditation and Buddhism at Tushita Meditation Centre in nearby Dharamkot. Fortunately, the surroundings were also quite amazing and provided a great backdrop to my internal adventures.

For those of you who aren't aware, Dharamsala (or more accurately, MacLeod Ganj) is the location of the residence of the Dalai Lama, and perhaps 30,000 Tibetans also call it their home. This gives it a very different feel to other parts of India.

After attending a ten-day silent meditation retreat, I was fortunate to attend teachings by the Dalai Lama at his residence, along with many other foreigners, Indians and Tibetans. It is a remarkable place and I am very glad I made the journey there, even despite the long and arduous bus trips!

 Amazing scenery of the Outer Himalayas, near Bhagsu

Chalet-style house, Dharamkot

 Views of MacLeod Ganj

A Buddhist temple in downtown MacLeod Ganj

The remarkable Norbulingka Institute, Dharamsala

A temple in Bhagsu

The forest near Tushita Meditation Centre

Getting to know the locals

My travel buddy, Vicky, and I, after we finished our ten-day silent retreat

More happy post-retreat faces

Rishikesh: Lights on the Water

At dusk people go down to the banks of the Ganges to make offerings. We buy little woven baskets of flowers, incense and a candle. In the darkness all you can see is the offerings floating down the fast-moving river. With the evening wind, some of the candles are blown out as they touch the water, or even before. But the ones that last make a magical journey downstream...

Music: Meditations on Landscape by Delphine Dora (http://www.delphinedora.com)

The India Adventure Part 2: Rishikesh...

Oh I really did like Rishikesh. It is a holy city of Shiva, on the Ganges, the shops and ashrams and other buildings are strung along the two sides of this great rushing river, linked by two suspension bridges. The bridges and some of the streets are so narrow that only pedestrians, cows, and slow-moving motorbikes can pass by. All three wind patiently, and sometimes impatiently, stepping sideways to dodge each other as we go. Monkeys sit on the bridge, spectating, and stealing food if you happen to have it in your hand or a transparent bag.

 Lunchtime on the Laxman Jhula bridge

 The Ram Jhula bridge

 Ashram

 Shiva. This was my favourite statue in Rishikesh!

 The heart of Hanuman

 Another statue of Shiva

Fabric tied to a tree outside the temple - symbol of devotion?

In the old town of Swarg Ashram, beggars and religious men (sadhus) line the roads, begging bowls lined up in front. Religious pilgrims from other parts of India swarm to the temples. In the sister town of Laxman Jhula, backpacker cafes jostle with shops selling harem pants, yak-wool jumpers and hiking gear, and signs for yoga classes, past life regression, and palm reading. Jeeps hasten along the narrow roads, nearly wiping out the pedestrians as they honk their horns insistently.

 Street food, Swarg Ashram

 Our home away from home, the Oasis Cafe

 Street scene, Laxman Jhula

 Donkey laden with bricks, Laxman Jhula

 Sadhus watching a performance, Swarg Ashram

Local children, Swarg Ashram

 Beggar, Swarg Ashram

 The family that followed me, got about 40 different photos taken with me... and then I got one of them!

 Women in sarees, Laxman Jhula

 The glorious Ganges

The Ganga, the day we went for a swim

This is the city where the Beatles came, and the ashram where they stayed is now abandoned, but visitors can still wander through the crumbling buildings and weed-choked surrounds. The vibe is strange, lively, a bit eerie. 

 Entrance to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram, where the Beatles stayed

 Accommodation huts

 A pagoda shaped like a mushroom?

 The yoga hall

More space-age scenes - a pod on top of a building

An abandoned hall

Rishikesh is filled with good memories for me, good experiences and great friendships!