naked foreigners, police and approving holy men

hello there, armchair travellers,
greetings from the motherland. new strategy on the pictures ok. i will now be posting all the new pictures, for the time being, at the very bottom of the blog. I have discovered that in this way.... they appear larger and not like thimble size, the way they have been along the right hand column. so, we'll try this for a while and see if it works. i woud eventually like to find a way to archive the older photos so that the website doesn't have to open up all the photos everytime you go there, taking forever, but baby steps, baby steps.
tech, tech, tech.
things bode well here. so much "progress" and work is going on in my mind and my heart, and ironically, it is all so that i can turn my mind off and just be in the moment. aah, so free.
having just enough challenges to keep me on my toes and just enough rewards to keep me delighted for a good portion of the day.
i am studying ayurveda and massage with a woman ayurvedic doctor here. i am learning alot. and i am learning so many things from just random people i meet in the street and stuff. i love this about it here. someone is always inviting you for tea or sharing their life with you in some small but significant way and my heart is touched on dozens of occasions every day. the place is pure magic for anyone who wants to see it.
i am still so glad i have come to rishikesh. it is a city but i am in the part of town that borders on the jungle hills, so it is almost tranquil at times, and it is easy to access nature, which is important. The river continues to be a huge source of energy for me. I thought at first I was imagining it. But it is unmistakeable. If i am not around her for a few days and then i go back to her side, and especially if i wash any part of my body in her waters and listen to her voice, something strange happens inside of me. something very pleasing and good. So i understand the love the Indian people have for their sacred river. I am just ever so grateful that i am so near to her source, so that the waters are still clean and unpolluted .
Youtube is giving me some grief again and i hope to have my latest videos up and running soon.
Today I found a spot by the river, just a short walk upstream where the beach is white sand, untouched, pristine, with big boulders here and there to lounge on, relax on, dry your laundry on. Miraculously there is no trash at all on the beach, and for a moment, with nary a shred of plastic in sight, you can imagine that you are not in india. or that you are in india before the evil invention that is plastic was discovered. The spot i found is idyllic. I found the hut i would like to live in, beside the river, but it is already inhabited by an old holy man, a sunnyasi, someone who has given up worldly possessions and lives very, very simply so that he can dedicate his time to spiritual life and pursuits rather than the constant acquisition and maintenance of material possessions. I don't think the hut has a door. It is made out of concrete or clay and looks quite sturdy, like it would stand up to a few monsoons, but you would have to sit quite away from the doors and windows, which are open except for a cloth, during a rain to ensure dryness. I doubt power or plumbing are part of the deal, and i know it sounds crazy... but it looks perfect for me.
At the water's edge, i removed my shoes and socks to feel that satiny sand under my feet. I hiked up my pants and waded in to my knees. so cool and refreshing. i offered water to the east, to the sun, and then poured two handfuls of water over my head and splashed my face before sitting down on a nice rock to meditate for a spell. So easy it is to sit in calm stillness, stillness of the body and stillness of the mind, listening to the sound of the river. The holy man sat back, looking over me from above at his hut so i waved and he waved back. He watched the foreigner perform the rituals of his people and sit down on a rock, like a rock, unmoving. He watched it all. Two other foreigners came down to the river, a young couple. Stripped to their shorts and tank tops and underwear. In they went, into the sacred river, where they stood up to their waists and embraced and kissed. This is not the rituals the Indians perform in their sacred river. I smiled, in appreciation, understanding their culture and understanding the thrill to stand with your lover in the sacred river, embracing. I looked away and gave them their privacy. Later, as i stood to leave, i noticed 3 police were talking to them. I took my shoes and socks closer to inconspicuously dust off the sand, dry my feet and put them away back in my shoes. I overheard the police questioning the kids about "smoking", accusing them of smoking and reprimanding them for their particular form of "bathing" in the Ganges. I listened, amused, as the foreigners argued with the men in uniform about what they were or were not doing there. Clearly the federales were not amused with their frisky frolicking in the river, half naked. Society is very conservative here. Nakedness, even partial nakedness, especially of women, is simply not done. no bare shoulders, no short skirts. anything less than full cover up is considered promiscuous and riske. There is a sign that says "no bikinis" at the beach, painted on a rock. Indian ladies bathe with clothes on. And that goes double for public displays of affection. I figure, why buck the customs? Why go against their culture and norms when you are guests in their country? if it was your country, parade around in your skivvies if you like (and we do), but why do it here? why?
Amused by the exchange, i carried on up the path. The path passes by the hut i want to live in and i look up into the gentle face of its inhabitant. I smile deeply and bow "namaste" to him, the common greeting here. he is responding to me with a huge beautiful smile and one thumb up and one hand up and he is excited. he is saying "good job" without speaking. With actions and sounds only he is expressing to me his great approval and acknowledgement as he was watching me from above. i put my hand to my heart and bow my head to accept his recognition. This warm and heartfelt exchange on both our parts sends me off with spirits soaring and my heart all melty and gooey. it is moments like this that make india pure magic.