Short cut

We haven’t been communicating much lately, sorry about that. We were busy and full of doubts. Bringing travellers together has been a challenge and at some point we had to admit our failure. Indeed everyone wanted to be part, but for some hours only, when the opportunity was good enough to shine out the rest. How to actually build something this way? We were giving all our energy away with no result to cheer us up at the end. Everyone was motivated one day to do something the day after, but then no one was there, rainbow style. The tribe was only made of “tourists” meaning people waiting for us to provide good time but not willing to get involved. I guess many people can relate (kiva collective for example, have five guys!) and I would be curious to learn about those who succeded into such caravan (the horse caravan for example).
So now we splitted up with Jeanne, each one of us following her own flow and opportunities. It is great, but for me the main thing of this project was about bringing a tribe together, with people looking into the same direction (which is the definition of love according to St Exupery) and I have to admit it is not easy to accept the failing and not to take it personally. For one year I was preparing and dreaming of this, it barely started and I feel like no chance was given to this “baby”. But I guess it’s ok not to be able to shape reality, not to be someone who brings the people together, I guess it’s ok not to be perfect, to have feelings and emotions, not to be inspiring and I know if anyone would be at my place I would be like “hey, you gave it a try, was a cool idea, but that’s the way it is and it would take to much to make it maybe work so be happy you are free and make the best out of it like everyone does!”
And so that’s what I do! I am now in Arambol with the magnificent Anais, creator of Kiva. We live in the jungle, we dance, do music, accro yoga, have chai etc… If you guys come around let’s meet!
And to those who want to keep in touch with my future projects (I’ll actually never fully give up lol, next time I’ll try with travelling families! They are looking for tribes I know!) and my work as a dancer you can follow my page Calima .
Wishing you the best, may the wind lead your feet to the greatest paradises of this earth!

 

Malika

News from Pushkar!

– By Malika 

So much going on everyday, we didn´t find the time to write about our adventures! We met so many people, from litteraly everywhere! We have many friends now here. We are doing workshops almost every mornings, and we organize parties in hostels in the evenings! Actualy we can´t really call this “organizing” cause we have almost nothing to do. Just ask an hostel the very same day, and call everyone!

We dance everyday but we still havn´t find our kalbeliya dance teacher yet. Raki is nice but too expansive for our budget, but I got the contact from another local drum master who knows all the gypsies! Apparently he knows the dancer I am looking for. Apart from dance, Romane and Sacha started to learn jewelry, they work on silver and they crafted amazing things already!

But it is hard to write about what is going on here! Smiles and colors and friendships and surprising ways and… I leave you with some photos taken by the talented painter of our group: Sir Emiliano del Mexíco !

Rama Vaikunth temple (“Foreigners not allowed to enter the temple” – the Manager)

The Camel Fair

On the way to Papmochani Mata-Gayatri temple

View from Aloo Baba Temple (The baba who eats nothing but potatoes)

View from Kali Mata temple

Bathing ceremony in the holy lake of Pushkar

Feding the camels

“Not spicy” they say !

Indian Showbiz

– by Malika, with Jeanne and Romane

Things are going very fast here! Yesterday Romane and Jeanne went early hoping to fix a sim card problem, while I met Nathu Ji, from a famous musician family. We had met before in France at Dosta festival in Lille, with Raki and others. He offered us to give shows with him and his band. The same evening was one at the camel fair and he asked me to dance there. I asked for Jeanne but as he wanted to meet her first, he said “next time tomorrow, we go to a wedding!”. Alright!
So I joined the girls in town to find some costumes. We made very good deals, ate something and ran to the fair, leaded by our dear friend Farouk. There was the stage: huge, so so huge! Big like a stage from an AC/DC concert! Oh my… I went backstage and Nathu asked me for Jeanne! So I called her, and she had to sneak in as the policemen garding around were kind of not understanding anything… Nathu wanted her to play contact ball, even if the audience could barely see it. He also told us that politicians and military were there so we should absolutely not dance with our belly, hips, and breast. Oye, hard time for belly dancers! We didn’t know when exactly we were performing, and had no idea about the music. All we knew was that it would be difficult to resist bumping our asses on those great drums!
We thought the concert would last an hour so we were joking about being nervous for an undefined time when Nathu called us on stage. I was so focused on not moving what I’m always moving, I guess I had a weird face all along! We won’t know as Romane’s camera choosed that moment to run out of space.
Then we were like “oh they said we have to wait for the final” but actually the concert was over, as programmation had too much delay.
So we went home to have a good sleep for the wedding the day after.
Nathu came to pick us up this morning with his friend. We are pretty used to drive with 3 people on each bike now. We joined the rest of the band, in their small bus, full of white people. I guess having white people performing at one’s wedding is a sign of wealth.
We ride 3h30 instead of 2h, and stopped to change clothes. We asked them how much time we had and they said “no problem, drink chai, musicians go when back you ready”. Of course I only had the time to put my dress on that we had to go!
The place was big and decorated in pink and white. We were with 2 women doing Kalbeliya dance. It felt quite awkward, apparently our outfits were not ok (belly out) so we had to change and the guys from the band were not giving us any infos about what and when. They made me sing and play zills, not giving me the choice. I felt milked. We agreed with the girls to find our own band, which would feel like family and not to do that again unless the pay is good and the infos clear.

We decided to give more workshops as well. They give us motivation to practice and exchange our knowledge.

Cracking the code

16/11/2018

– By Malika, with Jeanne, Romane, Sacha et Farouk   

This day have been happily crazy!

We started with our first workshop, at Sacha’s guest house, the Old Moon Cafe, near to Sunset view. We met there nice travelers, and some joined us for the “tribal bellydance and ATS introduction” class. As always I was quite shy (although people are often telling me I don’t seem at all), but the class went smoothly and I was really proud to see we could actualy dance some ATS at the end! ❤

After eating at Sacha’s guest house, we’ve been to Farouk’s place and quickly adopted the place and the man. Or maybe it was the opposite? Farouk is really nice, and he is helping us a lot here! As he knows everyone, we feel protected, and he can introduce us to many people.

The place is really nice, it’s peaceful here, green, and close to the gypsy camp and the fair, away from the town. I set my tent under the trees, facing the big garden, and I was happy.

Shadu, Rika’s husband, whom you can see in many documentaries on the kalbeliya (he showed us all of them since we met him), came to pick us up at Farouk’s. We went with him and his friend to the camel fair, riding 2 bikes for 6 people. I was feeling so free on this gypsy bike, riding between the camel carts! Sadly when we arrived to the camel fair, all the fun had gone. The camels are quite mistreated, their reindeer were hold by a huge piercing through their nose or in the skin of their throath, many had various wounds, they seemed to be really unhappy camels… Also all the gypsy kids asking for money were tearing my heart. I still don’t really know how to deal with this yet. I know if I give to one I will never get away with the others but aaarg… Maybe volonteering in the Gypsy School will be a good other way to help. It’s a beautiful project Raki and Shadu built there, for all the gypsy kids willing. They get basic instruction, art classes, and they are assured to get one meal everyday. You can see there website here. If you also feel touched by this beautiful project, donations are helping them a lot, and 2€ is already something in India.

So we went to meet Raki and her beautiful family at the gypsy camp. We spoke a bit, and Raki started cooking. Shadu and his friend were offering us alcool and bidis. A bit to much, his friend was drunk and really insisting. We were kind of forced to accept those gifts, but as we were sharing the glasses I could just act like drinking. Shadu’s friend was clearly hitting on me, which were kind of unconfortable. Many people, mainly the youngs, came to see us, and spend some time around. So nice! Jeanne have a very nice feeling with the kids, she makes them play and laugth so nicely with no word! Really cute moments! Then Raki brought the meal and it was really the best we ate since we arrived. Although it was sooo spicy! Shiva party in da mouth!

Then Sacha went back to his hostel while Shadu and his friend (I never got his name right) brought us home. There we had some akward moments – like his friend asking me for marriage, and as I was saying no, asking me if Jeanne was maried… But Farouk knew Don Juan, so when he met Sacha in town, he decided to directly come back home. The guys went away and we had the quiet terrasse to nicely chill out.

We thought to wait a bit before choosing a teacher, as there are many here, and as Raki’s prices seemed to be too high for us now. Farouk said during the camel fair everybody is doing harder business. We will take our time, and dance a bit around to show we’re in da place. Here we can dance easily in the street at the sunset view and in many concerts. I thought bellydance was not ok here but actualy it is very appreciated and if you keep your outfits in the indian pudic standards you are not misunderstood.

Then I went to sleep in my tent, already smiling about wakening up quietly, staring at the nature. But soon one of Farouk’s dog started to try to cundle me… through my tent! I couldn’t make her stop, she was just too happy to find me here. I finaly had to go to sleep in the girls’s room, not able to stand before so much enthousiasm and love. Mmgn…

 

First step in Pushkar

15/10/2018

– By Jeanne, with Malika, Romane and Sacha

After a long train trip we ended up in pushkar, not without a new challenge as the guest house we booked online was a fake one, the real one being too expensive for us… At that time in pushkar, it’s day one for the biggest Camel fair of India, so the guest houses are full and the prices are higher. So we went out, walked five steps and an old woman told us she had rooms and good price. After some discussion, she offered us to put mattresses and blankets in the rooftop… The place was beautiful, clean, and the woman was running the place, called the White House, with her family. We really liked her, to us she was the perfect balance between clever, strong and nice.

Then we went to meet Sacha, at the sunset view near the lake. Before joining him we weren’t able to avoid the religious people who didn’t let us the choice whether or not to make a prayer to the multiples gods of the lake. We were once again trap without having the time to say no, and after the little individual ceremony, with flowers, spice, sugar,… We obviously were proposed/pressured to pay (and not just few roupies). Once again you know: people just arriving in town are the best preys. But then everything seemed to happend so easily!

We joined Sacha to the beautiful sunset view, people were playing music and watching the sun going down behind the mountains in the other side of the lake. There I had the pleasure to meet Mae (not sure about how to write neither how to pronounce it, as her father kept calling her by her nickname, Mayou). The 2yo girl could barely speak few words, only in Hindi, but played with, our hands and our eyes. She left and said “Bye djidji” which means “sister”, I felt so honoured! Moment of bliss… We also met a rajasthani rainbow brother, Farouk, who offered us to come to his place: Suleman’s Mango Garden.

Later we were sitting around a fire in the Sunset view hotel, with amazing Indian drum players and musicians, when Malika started to talk to the man sitting next to her. She told him that we were looking for a very good kalbelyia Gypsy dancer named Raki. Guess what: he happened to be her husband. I don’t know if the lake gods have something to do with it but I will definitely thanks them… Just in case! And for now I can say that after all the difficulties we’ve been through, pushkar is a breath of air. Now I’m going to sleep under the stars, with the feeling that everything is about to start! Tomorrow is a new day, and we will begin it with the first Aeolian tribe training: initiation to Tribal fusion bellydance and ATS basics!

India: First impressions

By Malika, an episode with Jeanne and Romane –

Here we are, the incredible India! People were telling me so many stories about it! Some scary, some funny, some sad, some really amazing… I got so many spoilers that I felt not really surprised in this country where they say everything can happen. And indeed, everything happens, all at once, all at the same time!

Care for the landing !

Although I was not so surprised, there is a huge difference between having a vague idea and having it all in live! “Intense” is THE word for India. People told me they came from love to hate and the other way around few times a day here, as India is the country of all contrasts. I have to say, when you know about the bad sides of India, it is quite a relief to actually be there: as always the described picture is nothing but one particular focus on reality. After all what people said,  I was expecting to be scamed all day long, harassed as a woman, asked for money by 15 kids with tearful eyes, walking on a ground made of trashes, seeing dogs being beatten in the streets etc etc.. well, I am here just for one day but I already can say to my family: “stop worrying it is really not as bad as you think!” And I totally get India’s lovers : here you feel life with all your senses, and sure there are more than 5!

The first scam:

After a long trip with Jeanne, we almost got scammed at our very arrival at the airport! Of course, it’s the best moment to scam people: they are happy, they are new, they don’t know anything, they are often lost and tired… And so we were going for the metro when a guy came with a beautiful smile and a “namaste!”, willing to help us finding our way (although we didn’t think we were lost). He was saying that there were no metro at this time (we landed in the early morning) and that he was assigned by the metro company to bring us to the “metro cab”. Hmhm… The situation was not feeling so right, the guy was speaking everytime we were trying to speak to each other and we were kind of forced to follow him as he had taken our metro tokens (they use tokens instead of tickets in Delhi) but recalling quickly Chandra’s advises we stopped being nice and polite, we ask our tokens back, refused to leave our bags in the trunk, and when the guy and his friend started to say  they had to call our hostel to make sure the place was reachable, we started being more aggressive and they brought us back to the Airport. We decided to wait for Romane’s landing 4 hours later, as she wasn’t speaking English we thought she may have difficulties to get to the hostel without troubles. To resume: yes some people will try to scam and white people are the best targets, but don’t worry, they are not mean and they will rather find another pigeon than get in a fight with you.

Reassured by this experience where we stood up and got out with all of our feathers, we started to have a nice dynamic, taking care of each others so no one gets in the trap of being too nice for her own good!

The first walk into Delhi:

Being surrounded by cars and rickshaws and scooters and bycicles, honking crazy all around you, sellers trying to get your attention by every mean, smells of amazing food and stinky trashes, the stray dogs and the cows, for me it was kind of super exciting! But we were all exhausted by the trip. We found a cheap hostel in the main Bazar (Hindustan international Dx   350rs/pers in a 6 beds-dorm), had some good how-my-god-this-is-spicy food, and went to shop some of the things we would need for the rest of the trip before taking a nice nap. As our train to Pushkar was at 4 am, and we were afraid to take too much time to get to the railway station (also afraid not to go to the right one!) we went to miss the last metro at midnight. We were not afraid at all in Delhi’s streets despise the night. The railway station were far so we decided to take a rickshaw.

Rickshaws are everywhere, so numerous and cheap when shared. It is really funny if you’re not too afraid of the trendy anarchistic circulation in India! As it was late, traffic was clearer and we got very quickly to the train station. There was crowded of people sleeping on the floor. As everywhere here, some people were staring at us with great curiosity, and so were we. Sometimes we even were taking pictures of each others, as it seems to be some kind of compliment rather than an offense here. When the train arrived we got completely lost: it was so big! At the end we couldn’t find the seats we booked so hardly, and landed in a sleeper.

And here we are! 7 more hours to go to reach the bus which will bring us to Pushkar where we will meet the Kalbeliya gypsies, enjoy the camel fair and join all the lovely people of our brand new tribe! ❤

Top 10 travel tips to India

Hello Family! I am sure you must be planning and preparing for your big trip to India to join the tribe. I thought of helping you all out through my experiences. I have been hosting travellers from around the world through Couchsurfing, Workaway etc. at my home and travelled with many around India and abroad. I have made a list of 10 travel tips and here we go :

 

1. Embrace the culture 

Almost every travel article points to a culture shock. You just need to embrace the rich culture and diversity India has to offer with an open mind and wide arms. You will be filled with tranquility and happiness instead of a shock. India is a land of a thousand cultures and the way people dress, talk, eat, etc. change every hundred kilometers or so. Be adaptive and get involved and you will feel comfortable.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said “To other countries I travel as a tourist, but to India I travel as a pilgrim”.

 

2. Plan well and in advance

India is a country which requires meticulous planning and organization.

• Stay Connected. There is no public WIFI. Get a SIM card and buy a data pack. It is best to get it in the airport but if you are arriving late, you can get them at mobile stores. I would suggest AIRTEL or VODAFONE.
• Make sure you carry a set of passport size photographs, copies of your passport and visa as they will be required everytime you check-in to a hotel and also while applying for a SIM
• Book your train tickets in advance. The official site is irctc.co.in Tickets can also be booked on www.cleartrip.com All other sites are either fake or charge extra money. Please note that you have to register on the website for booking and it will take upto 2 weeks for you to get a confirmation. I would suggest you to register in advance. For journeys less than 6 hours or day journeys, you can get tickets at the railway station itself.
• For bus tickets use the “Redbus” App or “Abhibus” App. They also have websites which you can find on Google. You can also directly go to the bus station and get your tickets for short journeys. (There are specific seats allotted to females on the night buses and a female will be seated next to a female. Just make sure you use that option.)
• It is also possible to make group bookings once we decide where we are heading next from pushkar. We can book it all together. But make your own arrangements to get to Pushkar. The nearest airport is Jaipur. You can also take a train from Delhi to Pushkar but book well in advance.

 

3. Dress Appropriately

This is for the females. It is culturally appropriate to cover your legs and cover your hands till your elbows or just above it. Avoid low necks, bare backs, or any kind of cleavage. Please Google out “Salwar kameez”, “Kurta”, “Chudidhar”. These are the kinds of dresses India women wear. However, there are many tourists in places like Goa, Hampi, Kerala and you can dress western.

Also I have been told by western female travellers that they felt very safe carrying a scarf or a Chunni – A long Indian scarf, to cover up your front parts to avoid stares and any unwanted attention.

 

4. Learn to use your hands

Yes. It is not just using your hands but using the appropriate hand for appropriate things.

Only the right hand is used while eating, accepting or giving money, gifts or offerings in temples, greeting people. If you are not comfortable eating with your hands, you can request the waiter for a spoon or a fork but all restaurants do not have them. It is better to carry a spoon or fork with you. Remember never ever to use the left hand.

The left hand is used for wiping your shit and other personal work. Left hand is considered to be the dirty hand doing the dirty jobs. If you are not comfortable using your hands, you need to carry toilet rolls which you can buy in super markets.

 

5. Learn to bargain and Be rude

There are no words like Please, Thank You, Sorry etc. in the Indian vocabulary. But that does not mean the Indians are not respecting you. And if you use these words, you are considered as soft and vulnerable.
Also, Indians do not understand a polite “NO”. You need to be harsh, rude and stand your ground especially while dealing with beggars, street vendors, or other sellers. Learn to bargain as there is no fixed price. If they say 250 for a dress, you can ask them to give it for 100. They will not agree at first but you keep insisting and act like you are walking away to the next shop.

 

6. Get an Insurance and eat healthy

India is a very cheap country to travel in but if you fall sick or break a bone, the hospital bills can pile up and it can burn a hole in your pocket. Also, make sure you insure any expensive items you are carrying like a camera or your tablet.

Also, you need to look after your health. Always carry bottled water. Avoid street and junk food. It is always good to keep trying different foods but start slowly as I see most of the travelers falling sick in the first week or 10 days of their travel as their stomach is still adjusting to the spices and oils in the Indian food. So, take it slow and then enjoy yourself to the fullest.

Also a clear indication to know if a restaurant is good is to see if there are families, kids and women eating in the restaurant. If there are only men eating, avoid it and just go the next one.

 

7. Be at the right time at the right place

India is a huge country and there are various festivals celebrated at different parts of the country at different times of the year.  You can download the festival calendar of India. To make the best use of your time in India and experience the real culture and traditions, it is very important to plan your trip according to the festivals.  I will make a separate blog post soon on the prominent festivals in India and the best places to celebrate and experience them.

 

8. Do not believe the media

India is NOT the RAPE capital of the world. It is one of the safest countries to travel in. It is just sold media carrying their fake propagandas trying to create sensational news and is always looking for an emotional reaction. We, Indians love and respect women. You will all experience it soon. Ofcourse, there are a few rotten apples in every basket you need to be careful of. You need to be careful of them like in any other country.

However, it can be risky travelling alone as a female especially late at night. But we do have safety in numbers.

 

9. Get ready for stares and Selfies

The selfie fever has caught India and people just go mad when they see a white person. Most of the Indians are curious to know what a white person is doing here. They will just keep staring at you, mostly out of curiosity. There will be groups of people asking for selfies wherever you go.

I was travelling with a British female recently and there are about a 100 selfie/photo requests per day. You can always politely decline them if you feel uncomfortable.

The more you cover your body, the fewer stares you get and lesser the selfie requests.

 

10. Pack the essentials

I have seen many travellers carrying a lot of unwanted luggage with them. Travelling in India will need a lot of patience, will be long and tiring on the body. Any extra unwanted luggage will only add to your problems. Make sure you do not over pack and get only what is required.

I always found it comfortable to travel with one backpack and one daypack. Make sure you do not put all your money and bank cards in one place but keep it at different places.

 

Feel free to write to me if you need any further information or help with planning the trip. You can reach me at chandrashekarbellary@gmail.com or on whatsapp on +91-9535297299