Givin' Back!

SHAWNA - CEO.

HOT DAMN! It always feels so grand to give back!

On our 7th day in Bhagsu (wowzers, how time flies when you're in paradise!), Eland and I enjoyed a typical start to the day - breakfast from our mountain-top perch, surrounded by a wonderful community of international hippies. Thinking of the abundance of dreadlocks, juggling routines, jam-sessions, yoga and crafts that take place in Upper Bhagsu makes me smile. What a lovely and peaceful way to live. Anyway, after finishing off a delicious bowl of papaya, mango and bananas, we started the trek down the mountain to McLeod Ganj to help out with some Language Courses at the Tibet Hope Centre.

Unsure of what exactly was expected of me at a "Language Course", I was secretly feeling a bit nervous to help with one. Was I expected to stroll in and give an on-the-spot English lesson? Eland was excited about it, having done it before and knowing how incredible the entire organization was. So, I figured it would be something I would not regret stepping out of my comfort zone to do. Lucky for me, it was the furthest thing from an uncomfortable experience, and was instead very enjoyable! Turns out it was a "Conversation Class", which is a very casual and effective way for Tibetan refugees (and whomever else in need) to learn English in a natural setting.

SIDE NOTE: There is a large Tibetan community here due to Chinese government policy that has created extremely hard times in Tibet. Many have fled to India in search for a better future. (My knowledge and understanding on the topic is very limited...but I bet Google knows what's up if you're interested in learning more! :D )

Sitting in small groups, we slowly discussed the topic of the day - Sports. We went over questions like "Do you like sports? Are sports important?...", giving the very eager students a chance to learn and practice new and recently learnt words in a realistic conversational setting. One of the men I was chatting with had only started learning English 20 days earlier, and was already able to get his point across! He had learnt English by simply attending these hour-and-a-half classes every day and listening to English music/movies. He was quite hilarious, and the fact that he could convey a joke in an unfamiliar language blew my mind. (Seriously, you should hear me attempting to be funny in Spanish. Just painful.)

 Eland in his English Conversation Class group

After the class was done, I got the chance to speak to the founder of the Tibet Hope Center. He started up this NGO in 2008 with the intention of helping Tibetans gain independence and confidence in their new setting. The center offers many different forms of services (most of them run by volunteers), from Life Skills Classes, to getting hearing-aids for the elderly, to helping students gain work experience. He decided to put a continual emphasis on language courses since one of the biggest challenges they face when coming to India is communication. They generally only speak Tibetan, and since English is known as the international language, learning English is invaluable.

Needless to say, I am excited to go back and help out with some more of this organization's projects, and to get the Let Live Travel community involved too! This experience also got the wheels turning and relations forming in order for us to set-up our own projects! How exciting it all is!

Well, time for me head back out to the streets and discover!

Peace, love and happiness!

Shawna

Just the cutest, pranciest goat! Named...Philippe. Probably.

The adventure continues...

Eland

 

Blog entry 2

April 19, 2013

 

Lots has changed since the hot deserts of Rajastan. We spent a few days in Mumbai that were a lot of fun. We took a boat out to a place called Elephanta Island which ironically has no elephants but a lot of monkeys, including one that stole a water bottle directly out of my friends hands. We explored around the massive caves with ancient carvings in the walls. Then I ran up to a peak that had cannons that could see 360 degrees around the ocean. For just a second my imagination took me back to a time when these gigantic cannons were actually being used. 

A look into the Elaphanta Island caves

 Ancient Hindu carvings in the caves.

After I ran down the mountain to catch the last ferry we arrived back into the famous Gateway to India as the sun was setting. On our way back to our hotel I noticed a posh event happening on the dock in the harbour. I didn't look back as I walked down a long red carpet in my shorts, sandals and sweat stainded t-shirt to the fully catered buffet style event overlooking the ocean. I felt like Vince Vaghn in weddings crashers as I tried every possible food offered. Rule #67 always be outgoing and act like you belong. 

 

The Gateway to India.

 

 

View of the event we crashed

 

 

After our bellies couldn't fit much more we took a walk through the night vegetable markets (apparently people love to buy veggies at night). As I sipped a chai from a rooftop restautant I watched in classic Indian style a massive parade with trucks pulling sculptures of Indian gods, full truckload of speakers and hundreds of young people dancing behind. 

 

After Mumbai we took an overnight train to Delhi (which again everyone should do at least once in their life). When we arrived we decided to catch another train directly to Amristar (or so we thought). Shortly after getting on the next train we met the people next to us that were part of a group of 170 people on their last day of a five day pilgrimage to a special temple. It turns out the entire train car was full with their group and they started making music, singing traditional songs and dancing. Within minutes we were summoned into the center of the circle to dance. 4 hours later I was still in the center having a dance off with the leader of the group that included a lot of lightbulb screwing dance moves. After photos with just about everyone on the train, the group leader and his wife invited us to spend the night at their place and they would send us of to our destination in the morning. I thought any man that can dance on a train for 4 hours without stopping is worth visiting.

Dancing on the train!

 

Little did we know he lived on the foothills of the Himalayas in a beautiful house. No words needed to be said as we sat on his rooftop patio looking at the mountains. Later that night he took us to a posh hotel on the side of the mountain for a nice meal. 

The great family we stayed with outside their beautiful home.

 

 

We didn't end up leaving the next day. He toured us around Chandigarh which is beautiful. After seeing the best spots which I won't spoil (you will just have to see yourself) we went to The Great Bombay Circus. This is exactly what you think of when someone's says circus before Cirque D'Solie existed. The colourful tents, camels, elephants, clowns, junk food, trapeze and other strange contraptions. It wasn't the most amazing tricks I have seen but it was certainly entertaining. After dinner we went to my first nightclub in India which happens to play the exact same music as back home. We took it upon ourselves to make total fools of ourselves on the dance floor and leave directly after.
 

Going to the circus!

 



Finally the next afternoon we were back on track on the train going to Amritsar. Amristar is home to the famous Golden Temple. This Sikh temple is stunningly glamorous. As its name implies the temple has more then 750 kilograms of gold. When we entered the temple the amazing sounds of their tradition drums, harmoniums and singing filled the room giving me a new appriciation for religious music.

 

A sneak peak at the Golden Temple.

 

We then headed west to the Pakistan border where every night there is a border reopening ceremony that both Pakistan and India participate in. This is quite the spectacle, thousands of people fill the stands on both sides of the border preparing for the gates to be opened in a ceremonial fashion. It's amazing to watch each side try to dance and cheer harder then the other side. It would be nice to see all borders in the world have a celebration like this one. 

A view of the Indian side of the border.

Namaste for now,

Eland

Please "Like" the Let Live Travel Inc. Facebook page and tell your friends! 

 

Why do I travel?

SHAWNA - CEO

After having a lengthy discussion with a fellow back-packer, I felt inspired to write. Once my new friend and I had gone through the typical traveller introduction questions (i.e., Where are you from? How long have you been travelling? Where have you been?...), our conversation moved directly into personal and philosophical contemplations. Questions such as "What's the importance of culture, and cultural awareness?", "What are your priorities in life, and what are you willing to sacrifice for them?" and "What does 'being successful' really mean?" guided our chat, both of us willingly sharing our thought processes and belief systems for each other to challenge.

Seven years ago, before travelling became my true love, I would have been rather uncomfortable discussing such in-depth topics with a person I had only met 5 minutes earlier. But now, it just seems pleasantly normal. In fact, when I meet people now and the conversation doesn't progress past small talk within a few minutes, that's when I feel a bit uncomfortable. Learning to relate to people quickly and feel comfortable unveiling myself is just one of the many traits I've developed by constantly moving around and meeting new people. Thinking of how traveling has changed me on this level got me to think on the bigger scale. In what other ways has travel help mold who I am today? What is it about travel that changes us so much? And why is it, that once travel gets into your bones, it's there to stay? And this is what I came up with:

Why do I travel?

Travel helps me find balance. It's so easy to get caught up and stressed out over things that don't really matter, i.e. gossip, material possessions, titles... But when you travel, you are removed from all of this. You are taken out of your bubble and comfort zone, and everything you believe about yourself and your world are challenged. You are reminded of the bigger picture and given an opportunity to rediscover what truly matters. Traveling provides you with new perspectives on life, as exploring different cultures not only exposes us to the surface differences like food and clothing, but also allows for us to experience different paces, priorities and religions/philosophies. It challenges you in different ways than your everyday home life does, allowing you to see yourself in a new light and discover a more complete view of who you are and what you are capable of. All of these changes and new views provide me with a sense of calmness, purpose and appreciation in my life. Ultimately, traveling brings me clarity. And how can such a thing not be addicting?

Until next time,
Shanti xoxo
Shawna

Back To The Motherland!

 Eland Bronstein - Volunteer Relations Coordinator/Tour Guide


April 11, 2013

Hello everyone!

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Eland and I am the Volunteer Relations Coordinator at Let Live Travel. This means it's my job to find, meet, befriend, organize and plan with the people who we want to work with in India. We want to do projects that have a positive effect on a community and build a lasting relationship where the communities offer us an amazing experience in return.
This is the dream job for me. I truly believe that we all have a responsibility to give in some form. This belief lead to starting a project a few years ago called The GiveProject that aims to inspire people to give and connect more. I have also been involved in many, many cool volunteer, non-profit and fundraisers of different forms. The other reason this is my dream job is because I LOVE traveling. I have spent well over a third of my time overseas in the last three years and been to 20 some-odd countries. I love meeting interesting people, immersing myself in different cultures, eating different local cuisines and seeing different landscapes and ways of life. Every time I do a trip or live abroad I come back more full and with new perspectives that give me a little more understanding about our short time on earth.
I have been asked to write a travel blog for our new Let Live Travel website which I am very excited to do. So much seems to happen in a week overseas compared to a week back home, I'm glad I can share a bit with you all.

I have been back in India about two weeks now and already experienced some amazing things. Last year I spent two months in India and upon return it feels a bit like I never left. India has a funny thing like its always expecting and welcoming you when you arrive. There is an overwhelming feeling that everything happens for a reason when you get here. India always has a gift to give everyone who comes here wether it's new perspective, new creative inspiration, direction or just pure beauty. Out of all the countries I have spent time in, India has been the most stimulating for me in so many ways. I really feel like everyone should come to India at least once in their life.

I am so exited to be bringing people from Canada to experience India in a safe way that shows as many of the sides of India as possible (good and bad and everything in between). The Let Live Travel team (Shawna and I) are working hard to put together an amazing tour.  I have already met with people and visited small villages that show a real need for improvement but that are also extremely creative and are managing in their own way. My goal in approaching any places or people we work with is to ask what THEY need and see if that's something we can offer without drastically changing anything about the culture, society or tradition.
Some of the highlights for me so far have been Holi Festival (festival of colour), camel riding in the dessert, having dinner and playing local music in a tent village, riding a cable car to the top of a mountain and the many amazing sunsets. This first two weeks were spent all in the Indian desserts of Rajasthan. I just met Shawna in Mumbai (Bombay). A big change of plans has pointed us back up north as we have decided its just too hot to go south of Mumbai at this time.

Namaste for now,

- Eland



 
Traditional music in the tent

 
One of the many great sunsets - Udaipur


Me - after Holi Festival

 
Having some Holi drinks

 

Ridin' camels through the dessert

Livin' It Up Hippie Style

 

SHAWNA - CEO of Let Live Travel

Where to begin...hmm. I guess there's no better place to start than from this exact moment. Let me paint a picture...

 

Looking up from my computer, my eyes are spoiled with the view of luscious green forest, brightly colored buildings scattered on an endless roll of mountains, and two chillin' goats. The only sounds circling me are the birds' soothing choir (seriously, I think even the birds are calm here), a soft wind, "Namaste"s, and an occasional echoing laughter. The temperature is surprisingly perfect, currently having no extremes of scorching heat or frozen feet. A moment of thanks to Mr. Sun for providing me with a satisfying dose of good ol' vitamin D. And don't let me forget the food that completes this scene! This cook has created the most phenomenal dal (beans with a mixture of spices) - who knew beans could taste like the heavens?! Honestly, the blend of spices they've got going on with these black-eyed peas not only makes for a healthy lunch, but creates a tantalizing glory-mix that I can't seem to get enough of.

 

My view

 

It's really quite powerful- this setting and its result on your mind. Surrounded by beauty and being immersed in a slower pace of life, you have no choice but to take a deep breath, soak up the splendor and say "Thank you!" (or in the case of Eland, Mei and I - "Is this real life!?"). Peace, gratitude and joy continue to nestle deeper and deeper into my heart everyday. During the 6 weeks I've spent in India, I have seen, experienced and learnt more than I could possibly imagine soaking up over the course of many months back home. Beware friends and family, I may return to Canada wiser than intended ;).

 

I started my Indian journey in February, and in a very epic manner (if I do say so myself). Firstly, I did the most ridiculous of all things and travelled for 46 hours, alone, from Edmonton, Canada to Khajuraho, India. Anyone who is reading this - please learn from my mistake. Do not attempt this. No. Never. Spend the extra, oh, $150 to get a more direct flight. When you can't sleep on planes, have 5 flights, unnecessarily long lay-overs, no companion and 4 time changes - confusion, exhaustion, loneliness and ultimately a pathetic amount of weeping is bound to result. However, it does make for a good laugh and head-shake when you think back on it later.

 

My final destination, Khajuraho, was where I stayed for an entire month as I attended a yoga teacher training course in an ashram. Without exaggeration, that month triggered a snowball-effect of change within me, that is bound to never halt. In addition to learning loads of bad-ass new yoga concepts and body contortions, I was exposed to new perspectives on all the essential topics of life: health, love, purpose, happiness, peace, attachments, ego, ethics, soul, interconnectivity...the list goes on. And as goes with all intense learning, the more I learnt, the more questions I had. And the more questions I had, the more I craved to keep discovering. All the teachings were challenging my belief system and forcing me to contemplate those things you wish to ignore. Yet, the more I confronted these topics and came to understand the teachings, the more I realized how nicely they fit together with and complemented my former beliefs and values. To go into detail would make this blog entry endlessly, painfully long, so instead I will let specifics arise naturally in my following entries.

Weird body contortions :)

 

After my time at the ashram, I ventured with 4 incredible new friends (and fellow new yoga teachers! Whew!) to Varanasi. Holy catfish Batman. I am in love. Varanasi, a stark contrast to Dharamasala where I am currently hangin' out, is India on steroids. Vibrant colors, intense smells of spices and incense (and being truthful, cow poo as well), spiritual and cultural rituals at every hour, the incessant sound of tuk-tuk horns, and people, people, people! In the bizarre paradoxical world we live in, the intensity and hecticness of this place forces you to mentally slow down and relax in order to take it all in. (It's one of those things you've just gotta experience to understand.) And when you find this balance, you will inevitably fall in love with this city. The streets lining the Ganges are an exciting maze of narrow alleys, filled with vendors selling all sorts of goods to satisfy any of your senses, from chai to gold bangles to harmonicas. The Ganges itself is always full of activity - boat rides, local swimmers and bathers, floating candles sent out as prayers and for good karma, spiritual ceremonies, and the burning of dead bodies. Everything they do here has a philosophical, cultural or spiritual reasoning behind it, and the locals are more than happy to explain it all to you if only you ask. In my opinion, this city has captured true beauty and full-on life at it's finest. My main advice to anyone who visits Varanasi is to watch out for smeared piles of cow/goat poo. I learnt the hard way that they are incredibly easy to slip on and fall in. Yum yum!
 

The Ganges at night.

 

Okay, I need to wrap this bad-boy up. Turbo speed - after Varanasi I peaced out to England and France to spend some seriously fun and funny family time (these adventures would need a whole other blog). After 3 weeks in Europe, I returned to India to meet up with Eland and Mei, and make my dream company turn into a reality.

 

Until next time, folks! And don't forget to go "like" the Let Live Travel Inc. facebook page ;) - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Let-Live-Travel-Inc/179647395507061.

 Shanti! Xoxo


P.S. - Ali K., and any other grammar-crazies, I apologize for the run-on sentences. I just get so excited, okay!?
P.P.S. - My lunch, which consisted of 2 large helpings of dal, rice, freshly made watermelon juice, and coffee, cost me around $3 (including a generous tip). I love you, India. And so does my wallet.

　 

Goodbye from myself and Jeremiah the Goat!