7 Feb. - My body, my outer casing - turns today 68 years
The sun has broken through from early morning, after 4 days where the otherwise had been hidden behind a fog density filter. All night, it thundered and rained. This larger external nature shift on the day when my body, my outer casing age turns 68, I perceived this as a symbolic positive signal from Brahman that a new era in my life has begun. Brahman heat rays warms my meat old heart, all the way into my young soul on my birthday. I think of all the millions of incarnations of life, I and my soul must go through before we / I am enlightened enough as a person to become one with the universe.
I look at myself a little outside via the mirror and my camera. Yes I look like an elderly gentleman, the deep furrows and wrinkles on the face of a person who has been out for a little of everything in life.
My body casing looks OK. On this day, I can see that the little hard hardships have removed my lifebelt, I usually wear around the waist and had given me a little stronger upper arms, but thinner thighs, since I do not use and strengthen them as I usually do on my bike. The physical change can go fast.
When I look at peers, I can see that there are many ways to grow old and be older. Since I not is the great self-reflective person, I avoid long periods visually, to be confronted with the older gentleman I look at in the mirror this morning. I collect reverently my hands in front of my chest to greet and congratulate the soul of this divine mirror image.
Wind down and discovers that spring has come here to India
Chitrakut – Khajuraho 135 km.
The trip to Khajuraho in bright sunlight, was just perfect. From the beginning I had chosen to drive the smaller roads, to avoid most of the heavy and dense traffic. Instead, the roads in many places very hole.
After the night's torrential rain the road was as slippery slopes. Other roads were perfectly fine where I was up to drive 100 km. in hour. Stretches where the road wound in the mountain landscape of approx. 800 m altitude. Something most MC. runs enjoy. A kind of slalom driving instead of downhill that you make on the major highways.
When the soil is not as fertile, I could now drive some miles. without a car or a human being in sight. I enjoyed running through the great forest, where one sometimes got a nice larger view beyond the landscape. So it was a wonderful gift to receive on my birthday. I stopped a few times for Thai and photographed a small aesthetic enclave of farmhouses.
These small farmhouses exudes harmony and sense of aesthetics
He wrote his address in my log book, so I can send him some photos
Rakshan Guest House
1:30 pm I arrived at Rakshan Guest House, which I had been recommended. It is located in the new part of town, away from the main street with all the tourist shops. From my windows at the very top, I have a view of the mountain range I just pass this morning.
Karan, who had shown me the way to Rakshan Guest House, as he works for, would be happy to show me around the old town. In principle I do not like to be led around, but this time I break my principle because he spoke good English and maybe it would be a little easier to walk around and shoot when all probably familiar with him.
The room cost only 350 rupees = 6 $ cheapest guesthouse on my trip, paradoxically, in the otherwise expensive tourist town
Outskirts of the old town
On the outskirts of the old town, a little round Indian with round glasses who insist that I should come with him into his blue house, where he would show me his shop with antiques. I had so far been good to get past all the merchants who wanted me to see and buy their product. But here I had my guard down a little, I was on some kind of journey of discovery into the old town and this house with antiques, was like a part of the district.
Karan, waited outside while the traders show me many small beautiful Indian god. I sensed that the objects in bronze and brass, he showed me was genuine antiques, so I asked where his price range was. I made clear to him that I would come back in a few days. My psyche and physics was on the way out in the street to experience a bit more of Khajuraho in daylight.
Karan's family
Karan and his family
Karan is 12 years old. He does not go to school because his parents can not afford it. He would otherwise love to go to school like his younger brother. His father is a farmer and has a small farm with his cousin just outside the city.
Karan lives in a house just off the side of a couple of small temples. After seeing them, I said hello to his family who offered me Thai. His father and uncle were up on some rocks at the edge of a small lake, where they took a nap. Here in India takes men a nap tells Karan me. The mother shows up and I took some family photos.
I then visit the neighborhood along with Karan and his cousin and had taken some photos. Karan asks me to come this evening, a cousin of the family was going to get married and I was welcome to attend this wedding ceremony.
Karan
Karan's family held a Birthday Party for me
I told Karan and his cousin, that this day also was a celebration day for me, because I have birthday. The two would make a celebration if I paid for a birthday cake. Karan's father would buy the cake. I just had to write my name, so the baker could write it on the cake.
While his father was driven by the cake, I drove together with Karan as passengers on the back of his uncle's MC. out to their farm. They had a nice large fertile land and a tiny farmhouse. They did not live there, but in the house in the old town. They had jointly purchased a tractor. When they not use it, they rented it out with the driver to the other farmers.
When we came back, I was invited into the house, where I greeted all the residents. It was a large family on a total of 25 persons consisting of grandmother with her sons and their families. Paternal grandfather died 6 years ago. The house had two floors with a small open courtyard in the middle, where they cooked over an open fire. The house had 5 rooms of approx. 3x4 m.
Preparations for my party was incredibly cozy. In Karan's family's private room, I sat on their bed, in addition to a kind of dresser and a small table, were the only furniture in the room. Here slept probably his entire family. Quilts were piled up in one corner.
The father had besides birthday cake bought a lot of small heart-shaped balloons were inflated and then tied some string and hung in the room. The kids, yes there were many, as the cousins would also help. But no one could blow up balloons.
The cake looked quite nice with 'Happy Birthday BvHHS' on top. After a little explanation they realized that it was the abbreviation of my full long name and I used this abbreviation as my artist name. We had placed 6 lights, one for each decade of the cake.
Karan activate my third eye, symbol of 'the inner guru'. Thats make, the balance between the inner and outer aspect of life. A beautiful birthday ritual
Indian Wedding Ceremony
Wedding ceremony would take place in another village. I said that I would drive on my own MC. to the party. I might leave the ceremony before them.
When I got back on my motorbike. it turned out that it was only tobether with Karan and his father, who had to go to the ceremony and not the whole family. So it was probably just someone farther out in the family, a kind of 'cousin'. I never found out how close family ties they had with this young man.
Karan and his father insisted that they would sit on the back of my motorbike. OK when everyone else is breaking the law, so I might as well. It was pitch black, so I had to run a little cautiously, since the roads were filled with ugly holes. We reached a kind of community center, where there was little food to eat. Slowly there arrived more than one hundred people, only men.
Now came the young groom, sitting on a dark brown stallion and dressed as a prince to mark this special night before his wedding. In addition to drummers who beat the same noisy drums swirls over and over again was mixed with the rhythmic noise from the speakers on a car and sometimes there were fired luminous fireworks.
After the speaker car that ran in front, followed wildly dancing young men and then the young man on the dark stallion, already before the parade was set in motion, was foaming at the mouth. two of its leg was tied together with a short rope, so it could not be steep. It could not handle all the noise and visual disturbance from drummers, fireworks bright and shining light effects that were worn on the shoulders of young men on either side of the procession. At the end of the procession came the wagon on which the generator power for lighting effects were.
The parade work forward at a snail's pace because it has to take a few hours to travel the route of 1 km. to the company's premises where the wedding ceremony would continue. After half an hour gave either the Prince or stallion up, for now the prince sat in the front seat of an big car. The limping and wildly frightened stallion, was for me a 'zen picture' of this absurd hobbling ceremony.
After 2 hours as a spectator to this noisy show had Karan's father fortunately had enough. It would take at least ½ hr. more. So we drove back to Khajuraho, on the bumpy roads, through the cold evening air.
Indian Prince
1 kg. sugar
Karan tries to latch onto me, but I did not need a guide, when I am sitting on the Internet or ate. But the city is so small, so I bump into him all often or he found me. I had agreed that I would come by his family again for Thai. I took some small toys for the children and a few small painted toy lead soldiers for Karan and his brother. The kind of soldiers I had played with as a child. These small gifts I had brought from Denmark, in the event that I came in contact with some children. I bought a whole kilo, small sugar cakes in different shapes and shades in off-white, which I gave the mother and the whole family, as thanks for their hospitality.
Karan, which I only use as a sort of guide on the first day and that I had given him money for, tried on his way to get a little more cash out of me by telling that he would like to buy some school books for learning to read but he had no money. At another time he asks also for help to her mother to buy a sari.
I keep him two steps from life, by not going into this dialogue. It is very sad that Karan did not go to school. He's smart and clever and have a desire to learn. I can see, that deep down inside he is not really happy. Yet he asks many times me 'are you happy'. - Just before I go on towards Orchha, I gave him a slightly larger amount, as thanks for his help.
I think it's the dance troupe clothes hanging to dry on this hotel, it was just above the Cultural Center
Maintenance my body
It requires physical, to sit so many hours in a row on a motorbike. and physically handle a slightly larger MC. So in addition to my daily hatha yoga workout (45 minutes), that keeps my body supple and healthy and to counteract stress and muscular tension, I have also a few months before this journey, to made various abdominal and back exercises and push-ups.
This is my 5 MC. journey, so I know a little better what is required of me physically.
I was well aware that it was important not to be drive to much in the beginning. Which I still have done all my MC. journey's. My restlessness and psyche pressed again my physique, to proceed to the next and the next city in my search for a visually fascinating city and guesthouse with a view.
This physical and mental 'tour de force' from the beginning of my journey, in my quest to get to the right places have done that I now even after several days of rest, still feel a little stiff. I have otherwise been getting Auvedic massage 2 times, 2 different locations in Khajuraho. The last therapist was thorough and profound, something my body and soul needed. - It takes time for an old case which my whole being recovered.
On my next MC. journey, it is important that I set my mind not to expect too much in the beginning of my motorbike journey. It takes time and insight to find the right places.
After 3 weeks, I feel that I have found the rhythm and adapted my conditions
Now after approx. 3 weeks, I feel that I have gotten used to and found ways to relate to this tremendous sensory constantly bombardment.
This MC.journey are totale 44 days. My last MC.journey to Rajasthan was 33 days. I have chosen to run around 3,000 km. It has allowed me more rest days in the city, I like to be. I could for example allow me to be two days longer in Orchha, because of the rain.
Initially, it was exhausting to romp around with this heavy large Royal 500 cc. But after 3 weeks of hard training, I've got a little larger upper arms and a bit more technique to handle it. Now the machine is absolutely perfect, moving through the landscape. As other lads, I think it's great when young Indians sends recognize glances after one and the MC. They love their own Indian Royal Ensfield. They just like me enjoy the sound of the deep harmonic base sound when idling.
I am pleasantly surprised that my old physical sheath till date not in any way have gone up at the seams. I had otherwise thought that my right shoulder would cause me difficulties along the way, since I still have some problems with it. In fact it is only left knee that squeaks a little, due to I'm using left ankle to shift gears with. So sometimes I have to stretch my legs by raising me up at MC. My wrist holds, however, the occasional shake vigorously as they go in a little cramp, but that I got on all the previous journey. My back, I have no problems with. My small backpack, in which I have my laptop, for avoid getting too many strong shocks, give a little tension in the shoulders.
The biggest strain on my body is when I write on the computer, because at the guesthouse you don't found a proper chair with a table in writing height. It strains the back when you sit in front of the computer many hours every day.
MC. journey of 6 weeks, fits my physique and psyche
For me it has taken 3 weeks to catch up with the Indian culture. I have now completed just over half of my journey. And yet, I still have 3 weeks left of this, which I just think is scary long time. Normally, I would quickly get bored most places, since I am the dynamic and restless type, on, on.
When I have to communicate it to the world via this blog, it requires that I have these rest-working - any visual locations that speaks to my mind. - I'm very happy and relieved that I have found interesting cities like Nochha, Dati, Agra on my route back to Delhi. Cities I feel I will enjoy visiting, as here in Khajuraho.
6 weeks is a perfect MC. journey length for me. After 3 weeks I have come into a good MC. journey rhythm. I have a wonderful feeling of having been on the road for a long time. I have reached more than halfway through the journey, and I still have plenty of time - entire 3 weeks, it is a long time. I have this time a better sense of body and mind to be present here in India, and not only at an ultra-short visit.
My previous MC. journey was 4 weeks. So after only 2 weeks of journey where you have not yet found a good MC. journey rhythm, you start to think, now I'm already on the way back to the starting point. So at the mental level, I ending a bit of my journey already after only 2 weeks. The disadvantage of renting a motorbike you had to return to the starting point.
So a 6 week MC. journey of 3,000 km. seem to be ideal for a man of my age, with my physique and psyche.
I got polished my boots, so now it can take mud again. His cans of spare parts for the repair of various shoes, most sandals are impressive
Khajuraho
Khajuraho is famous for its 1000 year old temples and erotic art. There are 22 temples out of the original 85 there have survived in unusually good condition. This is mainly due to that they are relatively isolated. It is one of the largest collections of medieval temple art. I visited the temples early in the morning, so I avoided too many tourists.
Only one of the temples are actively used by local
The subconscious in action
On such a journey, you have little defense against new and unknown sensory impressions that boosts one's subconscious fantasies. One of the nights here in this otherwise peaceful town, I wake up by a blow to the head when my jaw hits the stone floor. I taste blood in my mouth, the teeth are drilled into my jaw soft flesh.
I remember that I sleep trying to escape a bunch of aggressive gorillas with a friend. During the flight, I spot a lion in the distance - grabs my friend and make a strong hand jumps out of bed to prevent it sees us. I landed a little flat on all fours on the cold stone floor, but beats unfortunately my jaw on the floor.
It is not the first time that I make physical action in half awake and dream state. I have not made any attempt at logical to interpret dreams. - But the physical layer affected unfortunately my neck vertebrae, so it took me a few days to get over these neck strain.
My slumbering buy and own gene was brought to life
I made the little round antique dealer a visit. He had aroused my otherwise dormant buy and own gene to life. There were some of his god figures I wanted to buy as a gift to myself or to some friends. I trusted my intuition, that his prices were OK. I had not been in any other store so I knew the price.
I bought including a small god with four arms one of which was lost. I can not remember which god name the antique dealer gave it. I asked another expert if it was the god Shiva, the oldest of all Hindu gods. He told me that the figure could be any god, even if it had abseil arms. It could also have 8 arms or 3 heads.
I have taken this little symbolic god to me. It is now my Shiva I put in front of me in reverence when I meditate. In its short life with me, it has already been out for 2 accident. First, I lost it, so it went in half, so I stepped on it after the meditation, so it broke the left arm. Shiva has been an excuse for my inattention and lack of concentration. I have promised to tighten me up, so I avoid more such accidents in the future.
Trimurti, the trinity of gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The many different names of Hindu guides reflect the corresponding many aspects of the human mind
Shiva as Nataraja dancing god. Shiva's four arms symbolize the 4 corners of the world, North, South, East & West. Each hand holds an object or make a particular gesture. The upper right hand holds an hourglass drum, symbol of creation. It beats the universe pulse. Drum creates the music that accompanies Shiva's dance. It represents the sound that created the universe. The top left hand, carries a flame in his palm. Fire is the element that destroys the world. The contradictions 'Creation' and 'Destruction'. The bottom right hand shows the open palm symbol of fearlessness and the lower left hand pointing to god one foot, where it is possible to seek refuge and salvation.
Mediterende Shiva
Shiva-figure with 3 arms, which I both lost and entered on
AUM AUM AUM
Bjarne
Auvedic masseur worship multiple gods daily
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