Lodging at Hotel Lalit in Mumbai was cushy. Far cushier than I'm accustomed to in my travels! I tend towards small, locally owned spots. For retreats, I prefer boutique or unique design. Lalit is geared towards business people. It's comfortable!
The morning after the Flower Festival we boarded a bus to travel about 3 hours north to Govardhan Eco Village. I wish I was better at snapping shots from bus windows. I remember slowing for a toll booth. I saw a sign reading, "bike lane" and a long, single file line of goats. I saw women in saris doing hard manual labor in road construction. I saw big families piled on one seat of a motor bike.
Slowly, the paved highway turned to dirt. The scenery seemed to move back in time a few decades. I didn't see villages per se, but people and the occasional simple hut. I kept an eye out for a recognizable town, somewhere I could run off to a buy a cold coke. Nope.
We turned to the Govardhan Eco Village. The bus driver said he couldn't make it down the narrow dirt road. A golf cart showed up to begin taking our luggage. We disembarked and began walking.
My Mumbai roommate, Annie, and I were shown to our cow dung cob cottage. There we met our other two roommates: Katherina from Berlin and Mish from Sidney. Unfortunately, Katherina sustained an injury during the first week of training and had to return to Germany for treatment. The cottage wound up housing Annie, Mish, and me for the duration.
Annie was our interior decorator. When we arrived we found straw mats on the floor, four twin beds, four chairs, and that was it! No hooks, shelves, dressers, or desks. We began requesting furniture and the kind Devotees provided it. We wound up with two desks for the three of us. Annie moved one on the porch, which became a popular study spot. Most mornings, Mish and Annie woke before me to study. (I know-- I normally wake at 4:30 am. However! I don't normally get home close to 11 pm!)
This is the view as you approach our little Cob G. The Devotees were constantly performing miracles. They built most of the structures needed for our training *this* year and many the week before we came. The monsoon season lasted a month longer than usual, necessitating crews working 24 hours a day! While we were in training we saw crews constantly working, building, and rectifying. They were building more cob structures on our little cul de sac while we were in residency.
The best part of this area? The neighbors. Four other trainees were nearby as were some of our mentors: Yogeswari, Keith & Tomo, and when he arrived, Radhanath Swami stayed next door! That meant that we'd cross paths with him frequently. Such a joy! David Life told me that he sleeps on the straw mats with only his swami robes. He has no possessions.
From our desk facing out. The circular center area was reserved for cultivation. You walked a big loop either to the right, where you could continue on the road towards the agricultural fields, the main Temple, Steiner school, and the exit; or to the left where you found the dining garden, Ayurvedic Center, Amenities Hall, the pool, and the road up to the Go Shala and Yoga Shala.
Annie decorated our door. We had two bathrooms both with hot water! On Sundays, Devotees cleaned and changed our sheets. You could also put laundry on the porch. It would be taken to local women who beat the clothes on rocks and line dried. They did a great job, but we were warned not to send any delicate garments!
I had brought mainly yoga clothes but I started to feel like my shorts were a little short for a spiritual community. I had two pairs of yoga capris that went past the knees. My routine became a quick lunch and then run up to the room. I'd shower myself (it was hot and we'd just done asana practice!) and put my clothes in the bucket. After I was clean, I scrubbed my clothes and hung them on the curtain lines to dry. This way, I kept wearing only two pairs of yoga pants and they stayed clean. In the evenings, I wore my satsang white tunic and leggings, loaned by my friend, Erica. On the weekends, I wore the leggings and traditional tunic I'd purchased before travel. Future Jivamukti trainees take note: if you do the same, you only need to bring 2 normal tunics & 1 pair leggings, 1 white tunic & 1 white pair leggings, 2 yoga capri pants & 2 yoga tee-shirts (covering your shoulders is advised), a swim suit, and pajamas.
We had many cohabitators in our rural cow dung dwelling. I kept hoping the lizard friends would eat the mosquitos. Maybe they did? Maybe they were simply out numbered?
Given that it was SO arid the mosquitos weren't bad during the day-- mainly at night!
Hence, around night 3 the Devotees gave us mosquito tents. I had just come from sleeping in these in St Lucia. I went from a mosquito tent for two to a mosquito tent for one. Whomp whomp.
Pre-mosquito tent gives you a better view of my little area. I used the window sill as a book shelf and herbal pharmacy. The curtain lines gave me space to wash and dry my clothes. Without a dresser or cupboard, I used the chair and my open suitcase. Simple, but it worked!
Annie took her mosquito tent on the ground. One morning a puppy joined us.
Govardhan also has beautiful dorms and private rooms with stone floors and walls (which I think really cuts down on critter co-habitation). I know my accommodations might seem a little raw to some, but Govardhan offers a range of experiences. However! I love cob sustainable housing. I think it's worthwhile to stretch the range of experience. After incredibly full days of training, I slept deeply each night within those cob walls.
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