the best food joint in town

the best food joint in town
Originally uploaded by mjrijnen.

This is my foodjoint in the morning and the everning. Click on the picture to see more food pictures or click on the link " Pictures ofTamil Nadu" on the right of this entry .

My daily dabba

Every morning I eat in my Dabba, together with some other westerns, attracted by the nice idlys and the good prices.

 

My morning starts always with 2 idly and 2 vadais. Idly is made of rice and fat and spice free, but very yummie. The vadais are fried but together with the idly it is a nice combination I finish it of with a single chai made with a lot of milk and water and not so much tea. The whole breakfast is on average 11 rps about 0.10 euro cent. Then I move to Arvind corner along the street to Bangalore for the best chai shop coffee. Arvind corner is a chai shop and in the evening a food dabba. It also the only chai shop which use real coffee they other chai shops use a combination of coffee and chicory mostly made by Nescafe sad stuff esp if you know how much coffee they use only a pinch of the top of a teaspoon.

 

 

Lunch i take either in Ragini they have a nice satvic thali with nice vegetables but it is 50 rps or I go to She Sadre Ashram for a meal ( 19 rps). All meals consist out of rice and some overcooked vegetables and are served on banana leaves. The good thing of She Sadre Ashram is I get my meal quickly and I'm out in 30 minutes. Sometimes I go to Tasty they make western look a like food. It is ok food in the beginning great but now it is getting boring and expensive (I get use to Dabba prices :)).

 

For dinner I go to my dabba joint... Parotha, dosa and omelet they "serve" it on banana leaves, the sambar and the cocunut chutney comes in buckets.   It is a nice place in the evening some Indians and many western longstay people come here. Dinner cost me about 15 rps at the most. The evening drink is for the more western places like Tasty, Pumpernickel or Mana cafe. These are the places to hang out an evening. 

 

Oh Arunachala!!!!

Ohm shanti, shanti, shantihi
Meinoud
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
From Amsterdam to India by bus and train

oh Arunachala

Everyday people walk around the this holy mountain a walk of about 15 km. During their walk they utter Arunachala shiva, Arunachala shiva. Arunchala destroys sins and bondage's. The mountain is according to Indian mythology a manifestation of Shiva. Shiva is endless and master of the universe. Shiva gave the humans this mountain Arunachala and a Shiva lingamto worship. So they can worship the creator of the universe.

 

When I walk around the mountain in the morning or in the evening I see many sadhus and baba's around the mountain holding out there begging bowl or just asking for money. They are part of this Pradakshina (around the mountain walk). They make it colourful with there orange robes they sit, sleep or talk. Then there are numerouse chai shops, farmers farming the land, schoolchildren, workers going to there job on bikes. Between this all are many small Shiva lingams, temples and shrines and on the right hand there is Arunachalla, it's magic shines over India.   

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Happy travels,
Ohm shanti, shanti, shanti
Meinoud
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
From Amsterdam to India by bus and train

some books I read lately

 Living by the word of Bhagavan by David Godman, this is a book about Ramana Maharshi it a great book, this book gives a different look about Ramana.

 

A new Earth by Eckhart Tolle an amazing new book by Eckhart a must read and that is the same with The power of Now by the same writer. Both are amazing books.

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Happy travels,
Ohm shanti, shanti, shantihi

Happy Pongal

Another festival in Tamil Nadu, the last 2 weeks I heard the build up to this festival. The last 2 weeks they play very, very loud music from 4 am till 6:30 am in the morning,......why...why...? The good thing is I get up early for a walk around Arunachella (15km) in the morning.

 

Pongal  is a harvest festival to express gratitude to the farmers. Pongal is also a rice dish with some spices, the strange thing is that during this Festival the Pongal has been sold out or disappeared..how strange maybe after tomorrow it will back on the menu. 

 

During Pongal they use sugar canes to decorate the houses and they use turmeric plants to wrap it around the Pongal pot. The green leaves of the turmeric plant symbolise prosperity. Normal the woman here in the south use turmeric against the sun, they smear it in there face...with as result that they look a bit yellow. 

 

Last evening I went to town what was happening in the big temple in town as usually I was just to late to see one of the gods carried around the temple...I only saw the back.  

During Pongal...the live of the westerns goes on.... with all kind of satsangs....yeahhhh...

 

One of the satsangs I'm following lately is Mooji look at http://www.mooji.org 

 

And of course still visit Ramana Maharshi Ashram everyday..the chai shops.the pumpernickel etc....

 

Happy Pongal!!!

--
Happy travels,
Ohm shanti, shanti, shantihi
Meinoud
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
From Amsterdam to India by bus and train

skype

By the way since today I'm using skype for calls.

Skandra ashram

This morning I got up early had breakfast with Idly and chai and then I walked to Skandra ashram. Skandra ashram is located on Arunchella about 20 minutes uphill. I had a nice meditation then I read some bits out of Eckharts Tolle "The Power of Now". For lunch I went to Sadhu ohm, yummie tali for 30 rps.

Carl Rens

According to the world of Carl Rens there is nothing, no form. It is that as it is that and that is it. You are that what you are and that is it and nothing more. Today I went for an half hour to his satsang..breaking down everything and every question. Because the question comes out of your ego or "my" ego. There is only energy and consiouse if you are enlightend you will know this and will not ask any questions about it. Those people who still go to these satsangs are still asking question and therefore far a way from that what is.

HERE in Tiruvannamalai it is the season for satsangs... guru's and other seekers.....

And there is Arunchella, Shiva....

Happy New Year

Happy New year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I started the new year with a big party here in Tiruvannamalai in sunshine cafe. With  a lot of trance music  we went dancing into the new year...we missed the fireworks...

The day started it very relaxed, because the day before I travelled from Sai Baba's ashram in Puttaparti back to Tiruvannamalai. This journey took about 9 hours. In the morning we (Gil and I) went for morning Darshan with Sai Baba. It was the first time that Sai Baba was sitting in the morning with us for some time (since Christmas) normally he goes into another place for Bhajans. So we could say goodbye to Sai Baba and the we took the bus to Bangalore and back to Tiru.

To surprise I met Andrew again, he came back after 2 months travelling in India and Nepal.
Together with Andrew and Andrea (she and Andrew stayed with Ammaji in Karela).

At 7 pm we went to Manna cafe for a some live music bhajans, rock and blues via Usha restaurant we went to Sunshine cafe for some good dancing.

The next day (1 Jan) was a day of sleeping and resting. In the morning of the second Jan I climbed for the first time Arunachella this is 2,5 hours steep climbing up and the about two hours walking down. After the climb we were exhausted (I met Andrew  and Andrea on the way down close to the top). But to our suprise we walked the same day around the mountain together  with hundred of thousand of Indians bear feet. Walking without shoes was surprisingly easy. We did the 14 km in about 3 hours and 15 minutes incl tea and coconuts.

The day before yesterday I visit a friend (Tamar)  who stays 10 km outside Tiru in a lovely house. I stayed there for the night.

Today I went to a satsang with Carl Rens.


 
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Happy travels,
Ohm shanti, shanti, shantihi
Meinoud
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
From Amsterdam to India by bus and train