Date Night in Seoul - Our First Concert Together!

A couple weeks ago JM and I found a website that lists upcoming gigs in Seoul, mostly live music, and decided that we should plan a date night. We had never been to a concert together, despite both being fans of live music. We listened to the various artists, none of whom we had ever heard of, and settled on a British band that struck our fancy called White Lies. They had a sort of 80s rock vibe and we both liked their sound.

So last night, after JM got off work, we headed to Seoul for dinner and the concert. It was so nice to get out of Cheonan and see some of the club/bar culture in Seoul. We really haven't experienced any of the Korean night life scene so it was a welcome change of pace. The concert was a tad pricey, but the venue, Yes24 MUVHall, included a few free drinks and the sound quality was awesome. All in all, the show was great and JM spent the entire next day listening to White Lies. We are both loving this band!

Here is a video of their live performance in studio at a radio station.

                  Waiting for the train                                            At the concert waiting for the band to start!

The Inexplicable World of Korea #12 - Mopping the Train Station Floors

This isn't even everywhere in Korea. In fact, this was the first time JM and I had seen this, but it was just plain strange. And dangerous!! (Frickin' dangerous - right Mom?) - This woman was literally pushing around a garbage pail full of water and baptizing the floor. Like showering it. She even asked people to move out of the way so that she could chuck water in their direction. It was so bizarre. 

Of note, there was a man driving around on one of those zamboni floor buffers.  But he was no where in sight when I was taking these pictures. The floor was very slippery.

Wet Floors! No caution sign.

Chuckin' water.

The Inexplicable World of Korea #11 - False Advertising

It is very common in Korea to buy a product because it looks good in an advertisement or on the packaging, only to be thoroughly disappointed when you open it. I'm pretty sure there are laws against this in Canada, but not in Korea! You can promise just about anything, and then give something else and no one seems to complain. It's pretty annoying. We were looking forward to walnuts and flax seeds on these cookies. At least they taste good!!

An Indian Wedding

Just before I booked my trip to Rishikesh, planned for my last week in India, my host brother Simar says to me, 'You cannot go that week! Our cousin is getting married! You must come to the wedding'. Well, who am I to argue with must? So I changed my trip and got to experience one of the most exciting and unique cultural experiences that most people don't get to have while traveling in a country.

Indian weddings, especially Punjabi ones, are huge. Not just huge with lots of people (although, this is true and on the wedding day there are usually 300-400 people who attend), but extravagant celebrations over an entire week. I'm pretty sure there were events every day of the week, but I only attended three (only!). The first was the sangeet and dinner on Wednesday night. The sangeet is the Indian version of the bridal shower where only the bride's family is invited and everyone sings traditional folk songs to her, often teasing her groom. This event was soooo fancy. You would not know this wasn't the wedding. There were fountains, caterers, a huge buffet, tons of seating, and fancy decorations. I had to buy a nice dress for the occasion, but I was not upset. I love Indian clothes and was happy to go shopping.

The entrance to the sangeet's reception hall

Gold couches when you walk in

The buffet

 Me and some of the girl cousins - who were very friendly and made me feel like a part of the fam!

 

Videos of the singing and dancing

Look at how colourful and regal all the clothes are!

On Friday, two days before the wedding, was the mehndi party, where the women all get henna done on their hands and/or feet. It was my first time getting henna and I have to say, I liked it! It was so detailed. Notice the peacock on my left hand.

Colourful women at the mehndi party (I'm in the background somewhere!)

It starts out kind of orange and darkens over the next two days.

The day of the wedding my henna was so dark. There is a saying in India. The darker the henna, the more your mother in law loves you. So Karen .. you must really like me eh? ;)

The actual wedding day was Sunday, February 16th. It was a full day affair. First, the bride's family met at the reception hall for a brunch where we took lots of family photos and waited for the groom's family to arrive. He usually arrives on a horse, but in this family, they arrive in a Mercedes. haha. So, the groom comes to the entrance with a big parade and he must negotiate with the 'sisters', which includes sisters and all female cousins, a price for entry! This can range anywhere up to $1000! The sisters demand cash, and then they all split it. It was funny to watch them negotiate with a nervous groom.

Dressed and ready to go! I had a dress made for the occasion. I chose the fabric and accent colour. My Indian mum generously lent me some bling for the wedding. These earrings were HEAVY and painful after awhile, but I never took them off. I was too afraid of losing them! Plus they totally made the outfit.

Entrance to the wedding day reception hall

Mum and Papa

Me and my mum

                                  Cousins!                                                                   Gunji Baba!

My host family

Family portait

The groom arrives

After eating, we headed to the place of the wedding ceremony. Usually this would happen in a temple, but Navseerat and Amitoj opted for a backyard affair. Arranged marriages are very common in India, and this was no exception. It was very interesting to see how no vows are exchanged in Sikhism, but rather they walk around the altar four times to solidify their marriage in the eyes of God. What I liked was that the 'brothers' (male cousins included) embrace her to show their support as she walks around with her new husband. See the video! After the ceremony, we went back to the reception hall for dinner and the king of Patiala came by to wish the new couple well. Apparently he does this for friends of the family.

                               Walking to the altar                                   Leaving as a married couple!

 Waiting for the bride to walk in

 Wedding ceremony

All in all it was a wonderful day and a treasured experience. I'm so thankful to have been welcome and invited to attend all the wedding events. A once in a lifetime opportunity that I will never forget. It was a fantastic way to end my Indian adventure.

Jennika

Rishikesh and the Himalayan Yog Ashram

My fourth week in India was spent in a lovely ashram at the base of the Himalayas in Rishikesh. It was a much needed holiday full of meditation, yoga, and self reflection. The ashram has a strict schedule which guests are encouraged to follow in order to maximize their stay. My daily routine was something like this:

5:00: Wake up
5:30-7:00: Meditation
7:15-8:45: Yoga
9:00: Breakfast
10:00-12:00: Treatments (massage, ayurveda, etc.)
13:00: Lunch
14:00-16:00 Free Time
16:00-17:30: Yoga Therapy
18:00-19:00: Meditation
19:30: Dinner
21:00: Lights out (but I was usually reading until 10-11pm)

Yes, I got up at 5am every day for meditation. It was hard, but I never missed a single one! The ashram was run by a local Indian man and his partner, a Dutch lady. The ashram itself was located amongst rice fields and a short walk from a decent mountainous hike and the village center. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Himalayan Yog Ashram.

Train to Rishikesh. Although this was first class, it was still sketchy.
Especially when a mouse ran past my feet.

 

The view from the top floor of the ashram

The view from Himalayan Yog Ashram

Monkeys in Rishikesh

My first and last days at the ashram were Sundays, which are 'free' days where the regular schedule doesn't apply. On my first day I decided to head into town and make my way down to the holy Ganges River. This river is absolutely stunning. It is naturally a sea green - but it's a river! Flowing with ice water from the Himalayas, and white sand that makes it look so pure, it's easy to see why Indians decided this was a holy river. That first Sunday I found myself just staring at its beauty, when a young boy came up to me. He wanted to sell me overpriced flowers, but I wasn't in the mood for being harassed. I was thinking of how grand this place was, and how much my grandfather would have loved it. My trip was, after all, supposed to be about grieving his death and trying to find peace with it. The boy sat with me in silence for a long time. Eventually we started talking, about how old he was, going to school, why he was selling flowers, etc. I decided that I wanted to make a prayer for my Grandad and watch the flowers go down stream. The boy showed me what to do and how to do it. After I paid him, he started walking with me, but I told him that I needed to be alone, and he respected my wishes. I followed the flowers as far as I could go before the river took them away from me. I just kept thinking of releasing my Grandad's spirit and letting him be free.

Bye bye Grandad

It is said that dipping three times in the Ganga will cleanse you of your sins, so on my last day I went in for the 'holy dip'. It was freezing! A group of rafters came by right as I was getting in, so I quickly tried to splash myself, knowing that they would do it for me. The river makes your skin feel so soft.

On the Thursday of my trip I did not have any treatments at 10am, so I decided to pack a lunch and go for a hike to a local waterfall that I had heard was a nice trek. The path was easy to follow and I was surprised to find not just one, but many waterfalls along the way. At a private watering hole, I stopped for pictures, lunch, and some meditation, only to be startled by some other hikers who thought I had heard them coming (I was deep in thought). I climbed with them until the main waterfall, and then continued on a bit further on my own. Some street dogs had followed them for the 5km hike and they continued following me when I left the group. I actually took comfort in their company and they walked with me all the way back into town. It was my most favourite day spent in the mountains.

Bench that was buried by a rock slide

 

 The secluded waterfall where I ate my lunch and enjoyed some alone time with my thoughts.

Rice paddies on the back side of the mountain

 

 

 Jekyll and Hyde! My comrades.

You can see the Ganga wayyy down there.

The clear water of the stream was so stunning.

Free roaming cattle

The beautiful Ganga