KARE Weekend

(Mulshi Lake and view from KARE)
We had a wonderfully luxurious weekend at the KARE Ayurveda and Yoga retreat! It is located at Mulshi Lake, about 1.5 hours from Pune. It is set on the side of a hill/mountain overlooking the lake and is absolutely gorgeous! We got ayurvedic massage treatments, did Iyengar yoga, had a consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor, and ate healthy food. It was such a nice break from the polluted and crowded streets of Pen. We met some cool people who were there for longer stays: a couple from the UK, a man from Australia, 2 friends from Norway, a man from India who is living in Dubai, and a woman from India who is living in Hong Kong - quite an international group! KARE is very connected at the BKS Iyengar Institute in Pune. Iyengar himself actually stays there from time-to-time. The friends from Norway spent a day in Pen and say BKS Iyengar doing restorative yoga at the institute - I was super jealous! The yoga was very nice - lots of props, inversions and backbends with ropes, and some restorative yoga. It was just what we needed.

(Yoga room at KARE)

Yesterday we took a car for the 1.5 hours from KARE to Pune. In Pune we caught a bus to Pen. Had my first and hopefully last "Indian Bus Stop Bathroom Experience". Hole in the floor, very dirty, horrible smells, of course no toilet paper (impossible to find here - so glad we brought wet wipes a la Becky Davidson). I was just thinking how glad I was that I got the Hepatitis A immunization before we left! The 3 hours bus ride back took 5 hours. We've certainly had enough of the bus for the time being....

(Flower bowl at KARE)
This morning we went to one of the private hospitals. Clean, scarce supplies, 50 beds. We got to round with a few doctors, take vital signs, and see some patients. A woman with an atypical presentation of malaria, young man with typhoid that was unresponsive to antibiotics, a man with benign enlargement of the prostate and urinary retention preparing for surgery. Most people don't wear shoes in the hospital. The doctors and nurses wear flip flops that stay at the hospital. We need to invest in a pair - barefeet in hospitals - not so good.... In India, people are barefoot everywhere. You take off your shoes before going in houses and stores. Many walk barefoot in the streets.

Just before arriving at the internet cafe, I witnessed a disturbing sight. A dog fight - one dog standing over the other, while the one on the ground literally screamed. The dog screaming was bone thin and looked like death. I suppose it's an example of survival of the fittest, but it was horrible to witness and I can't get it out of my mind.

(Sand Mandala at KARE)
India is full of contrasts: beautiful landscapes and pollution, excess and poverty, strong and weak, highly educated and illiterate. Such a complicated place. Check out all of the new photos on this post as well as the older posts!!!

लव,
Emily