The Big Detour: India and Kenya
The fragrance of temple flowers and incense anointed my body. The varied scents from kitchens. A collision of smells — a kaleidoscope of colors and views.
The red earth of Africa, the sunsets, the vivid flowers after a hard rain. Kids laughing.
I spent a month in Goa, India near the seaside and climbing many, many stairs to the shala. I was contemplating the foolishness of signing up (at my age) for this intense month-long course to improve my yoga. I felt a bit of a know it all having previously studied across north India at 19 and working in New Delhi for two years more recently. I really felt everyone needed to know more about the amazing Hindu goddesses. I was also wishing I had a few more arms to get into some of these yoga postures. Agonda, Goa is picturesque and rich with trinket shops enticing all your rupees to leave your pockets and enter the hands of new owners.
I was able to connect with friends and former colleagues and enjoy Lodhi Gardens and Old Delhi. If you feel separate from life, just walk the corridors of Old Delhi and dodge cows, the scooters and endless treacherous lanes that make your heart stop and your breath catch and feel you are fundamentally alive. Eid celebrations in Old Delhi meant the main mosque and accompanying streets were filled with food and teeming with people. I may have been the only foreigner in sight for many hours. If you are not equipped with personal calm and zen this will surely irritate you. I was encased by friends and felt blessed for their company and introduction to other new foods.
My time had come to exit India, with a visa still valid and the hope for more laughs with good friends and a timely return. I was abundantly blessed by the Hindu priests at the small temple in my old neighborhood that I had passed many times. This time I entered with a friend and this time I received all the needed prayers.
To avoid the chaos in the Middle East, I left India and flew south to Africa. There is so much overlap between India and Kenya. It is amazing to see the Hindu temples in Kenya and how the cultural exchange has played out - same same, but different – and fundamentally unique. Swahili also represents the accumulation of words from the cross-cultural engagement of people and trade routes.
I was able to connect with friends and former colleagues in Kenya and ended up in one of my favorite areas visiting the endless sea of bright green tea fields just outside Nairobi. This excursion landed me on my a$$ and in a hospital bed after a turbulent ride in an ambulance. This great detour was met with personal courage to undergo surgery and graciousness by friends who accommodated my recovery. I also made friends at the hospital and feel forever grateful for their care.
With all the uncertainty swirling in my life, I mentioned to a friend that my head was spinning. There were too many questions and the direction was vague. I didn’t know which way was up, which was down and if at best I was moving sideways. I appreciate her wisdom – when your head is spinning, envision the Whirling Dervishes (like the ones in Istanbul), spinning in divine ecstasy.
The ground in Kenya literally rose up to meet me in Tigoini and I took a piece of Kenya with me forever. (There remains metal in my foot.)
The lessons, endless. The blessings, abundant. The friendships, strong. To tea and whiskey and more Nairobi nights.
If you are seeking spirituality, India is calling. If you are in need of rest and recovery, Kenya’s beautiful horizons and landscapes are there.
And if you are seeking an intrepid journey, Turquoise Curated is here.
