Transitions

The day I left the ashram, I woke for 6am meditation, one hour satsang and Kirtan. I savored my morning chai. I was elated to include scorpion/vrishikasana as the last pose of the day, and completely immersed myself in the pranayama practice. I packed, said goodbye and had my final ashram meal.

It was going to be a long day before I arrived in Bangkok. The first cab took me to Madurai airport where I took a domestic flight to Chennai. From there, going quite in the opposite direction, we flew to Mumbai. I have several hours til my international flight

so I checked in and walked outside to the thick, city bustling air and hailed a rickshaw. I had researched an area, a restaurant to make my destination. Passed the Annawadi (the slums) and over a bridge and into the sun setting through the congestion of pollution and rush hour traffic, I was amazed that I had been in this country for five weeks. He dropped me off nearby what I realized was the gem/jewelry district attracting more tourists than anything. I could

have been in NYC or LA, the streets were lined with high end boutiques and artisanal shops. I crossed over a street and found myself being followed by children and I was following the sound of a street market, and with every turn, I was offered this thing or that. I was overwhelmed. I went into a bar with awful techno music and televisions blaring Muay Thai boxing and used their wifi to check in with the world and with myself. My last stop was the ITC hotel near the airport (same as the one Vidya and Tasha and I stayed in during one of our fancy moments in Agra). I ordered the butter black lentils and a cocktail. The layover would cost me almost as much as the flights but I wanted to say goodbye to my special India. So that's 1 cab ride, 1 domestic flight,1 multi-hour layover, 2 rickshaw rides, 1 international flight to land me in Bangkok.

Now, I needed to get to the domestic airport. I went in a circle, and landed right back at the international airport. Clearly I didn't know what I was doing but I had hours before my next flight so I didn't mind. So add a cross-city bus airport transfer, 1 domestic flight, I arrived in Chumphon where I would stay a night because I missed the last ferry to Ko Tao. Tomorrow, I will dive, deep.

2 countries, 3 planes, 4 take offs and 4 landings: 30 hours. From India to Thailand, the journey to heal, to educate, and to celebrate continues.