New house in Parvartis mountians

Namaste,

the gaps between my posts keep increasing :-) Nearly forgot that this is still existing.
For a change some new`s than.


We decided to spend the winter in the south of India, because the north can be bit cold.
For Christmas I got my World Citizenship Passport with residential permission for India valid for the next 10 years :-) so I don`t have to worry about Visa any more.

Roti junglestyle 

The house we`ve been living in last years is this year rented out to somebody else,  it wasn`t such a nice story but it`s all right in the end. The owner asked suddenly for an unreasonable high rent because somebody else offered him an high amount of money witch we figured out later.

We - I`m living since about a year with my Grilfriend Tashi.

Tashi and Jimmi down the roads of Kodaikanal

The winter so we spend mostly living on the beaches of Goa and Gokarna. We went to Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu in the end of our holidays to be part of a beautiful gathering and met a lot of beautiful people on the way.

Friends in Kodaikanal on the way to the festival

Situation this year has changed till we can`t get the same place. Now we found an even more amazing house to live in. But the whole story is completely different now the new house doesn`t have the possibility as a guesthouse

Front stairs.  

Since I came from the beaches without proper shoes back again to the mountains and also the gifted slipper fell apart, Tashi got me some new gumboots ;-)

very usefull 

The house is located in Parvartivalley in Himachal Pradesh the area belongs to the village Tulga but it`s on a hill next to it.

on the very left invisible our house
the small village left is Tulga
the village on the right is Pulga

It`s close to an really fascinating forest, actually hugged by this forest. The most of the house is sheltered and guarded by big trees surrounding it.

Foresthug

The front is a big boulder and great view.

Tashi and the sunset on the rocks

Direkt access from the balcony

The mountains around are all year snowpeaked 5000-6000m high. Perfect for some good long treks.

The house is build in traditional way combined with very particular wishes. It`s build without nails and screws, just traditional wood fittings (originally now there are some nails) Made from Wood, Stones and Clay, all local materials and some crazy extras.
The roof is covered with white slits and got some big sunroofs facing south. (front of the picture) 

Big balcony is going completely around, what is great in the rainy days during monsoon. 

It`s there on its hill, standing on top, a bit away from everything else. 

In front of the picture it space for a garden. 

The new old house.

And now a look inside

A huge tandoori is centre of the whole building. On top of it an 80l water tank with direct connection to the shower in the groundfloor. Hot shower isn`t standard in the local houses here. Also backing space for bread, lasagne and cake there is.

Every little space somewhere is used for storage - for long winters to come. :-) (under the seats)

The inside

behind the oven are the stairs nicely melt into the building itself. Some are a bit small but a grew up on steps like this ^^ Upstairs is sleeping space and more good view. 

To the left side is the front entry, right side is the balcony with boulder connection, front door is leading to a small room full of sunlight. (On the picture the windows are closed with wood)

lightroom

Lightshow

Another amazing detail is that the house is build accordingly to the sun. Means the last sunrays shine through the whole house and out to the frontgate! Same on the first floor where you have (behind the oven pipe on the picture) a balcony facing east to sleep on in summer times. 

The groundfloor of the house has a big bathroom with complete water supply hot and cold. Plenty of storage and space for creativity in the front also space for sheep in the winter. Gives as sheep around and lot of nutritions for the garden :-)

A lot of things want to be done now. First we have to fix the rent agreement and get proper papers for it this time. Then we need to fix a water connection from the spring or river. A toilet tank need to be constructed and there is no electricity yet. The garden needs some time and attention as well. On the first floor some wooden planks got fungus because rain was coming through the roof (slits are moving in winters because of the snow) so we need to replace some of the planks. 

but I`m looking very much forward, it`s a beautiful place and I love it already.

So who ever wants to come to India for some time is most welcome for a visit.

Planting the seed

Namaste,

A lot of things happen in the last couple of weeks. I´ve got a house now, much bigger than expected instead of 3-4 small rooms, there are 8 good sized rooms now :) So I had to fit my ideas little bit to the house and place. When I arrived I was dreaming of building up geodomes (spherical houses build up from a wooden triangle structure) now I don´t have too much space around here where domes could be build. Still I planning to set up at least one of these magic bubbles as a trial and use it as a greenhouse. And a lot more small things, but on the other hand it´s great here, so many possibilities...

After the very basic fixing was done (we had to replace some parts of the roof and we got some new stairs) a friend arrived and we moved in. It is very nice to fill this place with life. There was still a lot of rain and some days had too much of winter, but luckily an indian friend came around jumped on the wet roof managed to fix the tandoripipe, and seconds after there was a burning oven in one of the rooms. No problem. Instead of working on the house and in the garden we filled the days with macramé and woodworking. It´s just fascinating what masterpieces the nature around is creating. In one room there was stored oak- and peach wood for burning it, but every single piece was so beautiful it felt like burning art to heat up chai.

carving session 

The indians kept telling me the weather will change soon and it gonna stay nice and sunny. It was an important point because the house was still wet inside (parts of the roof broke down cause of the snow in winter) and we couldn´t start with clay, concrete and colors.

Cleaning Dishes in the beginning, there was no water from the tab but enough rain

paniconnection. Franziska put a lot of stones and big crystalpices for the fairys

mixing the clay with cowshit :-)

Since two weeks now the weather is blessing us and the days keep getting warmer and warmer.

And suddenly there was a lot of work to do. You just get out and have a lot of things in mind what you could work on now. Now this place has running water and electricity most of the time, the holes and cracks in the rooms are filled with clay. It´s just great fun to play around with clay. The only thing is we have to bring it in buckets 20 minutes up the mountain. Quite okay if you want to make some flowerpots, animals or chillums ;-) but for the house we had to walk a few times. Actually the quality of the clay is good enough to create some nice and useful things, without cleaning it too much. Perfect. Next thing to get is a potter's wheel (Töpferscheibe) and somebody who knows how to handle it.

Great fun 

The neighbors invited me for a beer brewing session; an Indian friend gave us some land around to grow some vegetables and salad. Somehow everything what I asked for is there, in a different way than I expected... but doesn´t matter at all :)

An indian friend is making pancakes on our induction stove between to tracks 

There are some Germans living around, seems somehow they are everywhere in remote mountain areas :) (The place in the French mountains where I stayed in the past, was already a German valley ;-)

It´s actually quite nice. She have a lot of experience about gardening, wild plants and their properties, how to handle the indian laws and all these things. And it´s much easier to talk with a "foreigner" about these stuff, most easy in your own language. She brought as some self made pear jam when we moved in the house, it tasted like sweet sweet pears, dust of fairies and some whispering dreams of summer. <3

It´s just beautiful to wake up having a chai in the morning sun with the mountains in the back and singing birds all over. In the evenings we have some flight shows. I couldn't believe it, and I still hardly can but we have kinds of flying squirrels living in the big oak trees in front of our house. Hard to see them they hiding pretty well, but when the spread their "wings" and jump it´s ... stunning ^^

Tandoriroom. Nice session to open a new room and fill it with live

I started to work in the garden recently,  I was digging the fields and was very happy to find some potatoes from last year. There was some flower roots looked pretty much the same but smaller and little brighter. In the evening I prepared our dinner and wanted to use some of the potatoes, one looked like a potato but I wasn´t sure, so I checked it by cutting a small piece, put it on my tongue and within seconds it started to burn like hell. Cleaned my mouth with running water, soibeanoil and more water but it didn´t stopped to burn. I called some locals and they told me it´s not really bad, it will go after 2-3 days. Next day they´ve been laughing about me... haha eating the snake potato.... ^^ jaja funny story. As far as I know now it was a piece of the root of "Arum maculatum" (ger.: Aronstab)

Now I´m much more careful with eating plants around, and double check by asking the locals and my plantbook ;-)

First thing he got when he arrived - a beauty session with haircare and coconutoil 

And a small dog, not anymore a puppy but nearly, moved in with us as well. He´s a son of Kali and named Merlin. Sometimes he is bored with us just working and running around, and he is leaving back to his family two villages down.

<3

At all it´s a great place and a great time. Sure everything is going its own way and there also some sad and exhausting moments but I´m really happy to be here and to enjoy it.

It´s still a lot of work to do, actually there gonna be all the time a lot of things to do ;-) and some days the daily work like cooking and cleaning, watering the garden, washing cloth and yourself keeps you busy enough. It would be a great gift to find some more people who want to share and help. So if you have some friends around in this area... let them know.

and here some more picutres not fitting in the text :-)

Some friends already around. Ramaji running Boom Shankar restaurant in Pulga

Hima, Ramas sister. I didn't managed till now to take a picture while she was not working. And I realy tried. Full Power.

Shankar, Dady of them. He is the owner of the house I rent. Ninjastyle :-)

Eveningview from our balcony. Tulga village our neighbors on the other side of the small valley. 

Next opportunity - use the upper house as a yogasharla

Last sun on the mountains behind the house. 

So far. |
Its already some days back that I wrote and uploaded this pictures but the network over there is so slow that I freak out frequently ^^ So it took me a while and a lot of things happend again in between.

had to protect my garden against cows. They just seem to hate my "german gardening" xD

Franziska left to meditation and where ever the road will take her.

No effects from the earthquake in Nepal here.

I`m right now in Delhi to buy some tools, deco, color and lights. Hope to be back in the mountains very soon. It`s to crowded and to hot here. \\

hope to be able to upload some more storys and pictures soon. 

First Days in Parvarti - Snowmagic

Sunset from Boom Shankar, Pulga

I arrived in Pulga after a little tricky hike, because the way was still partly full of ice and snow.

Snow and Ice on the way from Barshani to Pulga

I met a few nepali kids on my way up

Playing in the mud is for sure a good way to spending the childhood :

He took my firestaff and started instantly with some good moves... Fascinating 

We all have been  very happy to meet each other again.

The weather was little hard in the beginning, specially after escaping the german winter, to Rajastan full of sun and heat  and then coming back to very similar weather. Snow and Rain but this weather gets it own charm when you light the tandoori (indian oven for everything) Enjoying chai, ch...., chapati around the fireplace and sitting with the family is a nice way to meet again, lots of time nothing else to do.
But slowly slowly the first tourists start to come, asked for room and food. So we tried to get the kitchen ready as fast as possible. Also this is more fun when you have some sun, try to keep the fire burning to melt snow for the kitchencleaning, while its raining heavily ... ;-) 

House in Tulga I could rent. Appeltrees around, good view all around ;-)

In between we visited the place where I could rent a house to open a small guesthouse. Everything is little different to what I imagined but it´s nice to get started with this. It have little less space around, so to build a kitchen, make a garden,  a place to sit outside, build more huts around and still have space for doing yoga, meditation or some creative things is too small. There are other places with nothing there yet witch I could rent but to me it seems like a good way to start a connection and find some place to get started with. 

Tulgahouse in Summertime (Picture Sept. 14) - it´s the roof down left side

But on the other hand it´s a perfect place to be. Full power  peace and shanti around ;-) There are just two more houses little bit off. Beautiful old trees, a small mountain river with best water  a hundred meters away. Appletrees all around, they gonna start blooming soon <3
The house needs quite some work to get done but "sub kuch milega" - everything is possible.

So right now we already cleaning the guesthouse, fixing some stories ... like this.
In more or less two weeks when all the fixing is done, we gonna buy some beds, kitchenequipment and all the rest what you need to life there. After that the very basics are done and I can move to this place, start to fill it with live & <3
I just need to attract a few creative people to paint a big welcome sign and the house have to get something else than white ;-)

This morning the weather finally also decided to switch to spring. Wow the mountainview in the  morning is something different with snow :) 

View from Shankar familyhouse. 

Breakfastview

Pulga village in snow and sun <3 

Feel free to share <3

Back to my indian home

After Holy i tryed to get as fast as possible out of pushkar I spend there now already one month, everything took much more time than expected, but it was a good time with some very nice people and moments full of colour. I took a sleeperbus to Delhi and reached there the next morning. Basicly a comfortable way to travel, but I spelled water all over my bed and for sure it´s way too short :-) I had to spend one day in Delhi, luckily I met a guy how was over to go to Manali from Pushkar, so we spend the day together. Dropped our bags in a travelagency and went in the craziness of old Delhi. In the early morning it was quite nice and peaceful, but after breakfast it got more and more crowded. We spend some time in Choldi Chowk a huge basar, with very narrow dark streets overpacked with tiny shops and people. You can find probably everything there, kind of well sorted if you know where to go..... thats the difficult part, to know where to go. There are squares, full of watches in every shape and clour, streets just for tee, a bicyclemarket, some areas full of candles or soap. It was like a bee house and after a few hours I was very tired and exhausted. So we went to the red fort an extremly huge building with different palaces inside, an unesco tourist attraction. We preferred to stay outside in the shadow away from all this people.

This morning I arrived in Kasol Parvartivalley. I wanted to go straight up to the mountains to pulga, but the road is closed for busses at the moment. Here is still a lot of snow, and the road conditions are not the best, so i have to take a cheep tomorrow. Spend the day with some sleep, it was hard to get some during the busride, the guy next to me felt sick from the ride and was vomiting half the way... Anyway. I really enjoy to be back here, even it´s a bit cold it feels like the Indian version of coming home. 

first I took a bath in the hot springs and a dip in parvatiriver, nice way to ARRIVE to a place.

the Mountais from Kasol riverside, somewhere up there is Pulga

Rivermagic

The idea of this blog is to spread my experiences and moments I captured with my camera. So feel free to share it <3

Pushkar - A night in the dessert

The other day Axel (the friend from germany) suggested to do a camelsafari and stay for the night in the dessert. I was already looking forward to take some nice pictures, but then i realized that I left my saving card, what was very funny at least to Axel. (Carrying all these shit for no reason ;-) So all the camelpictures are taken with his camera. 

Axel and Don Johnson 

Pushkar is a city in Rajastan and the most of Rajastan is kind of dessert, but still lots of vegetation around. So we went out with two huge camels, one camelcar and a camelman.

It´s a nice feeling to sit that high on a camelsback you have a very good overview of the landscape, very different to riding a bike ^^ but after a while we´ve been very happy about the opportunity the camelcar offered. Shanti. 

Turbanstyle, again to much sun (pic by axel)

Taking a rest from the camelback  (pic by axel)

We thought a lot about camels that day and what wired funny animals they are. Even if there is just sand and it have to pull a camelcar it´s able to climb a dune easily. 

The night in the dessert was really a great experience for me. We climbed a mountain to watch the sunset after we set up our camp. Our camelman was preparing some food, we really tried to help him, but he was not very comfortable, it seemed like we´ve been more in his way. A great view over the dessert <3 Very different energy, very very still and quiet.

This tree reminds me to these holy trees in game of thrones ^^ very powerful  (pic by axel)

Sunset over the dessert - down the dry river was our camp (right infront of my nose)  (pic by axel)

When we came back to our camp, food was nearly ready.

feeding Ganesh

Chillaxen  (pic by axel)

 We got served the best food I had so far in India I guess. Dal Bathi a dish with dal (red lentils) and balls made very simple out of flower, water, bit of salt and some crushed cumin. He baked it on cow and cameldung what he collected earlier the day. Little strange in the beginning but the taste convinced me. ;-) We made a bonfire and after our guide fell asleep we really felt a little stupid because we´ve been nearly unable to keep the fire burning. There´ve been just very thorny bushes around and it was a spikystory, after a while we managed somehow to keep it going. So we enjoyed the starsky and a half moon rising.

Bildunterschrift hinzufügen  (pic by axel)

A week later the holyfestival came over India. People told me it´s a good place to celebrate holy. And it is really. Even it was in between a bit too much crazy and crowded I had a lot of fun. They´ve been playing loud and fast psytrance on a huge soundsystem in the middle of this old holy city. I spend most of the holydays dancing. 

Holy Lenja

Small Party suddenly in our guesthouse - and more colours for sure

My colourspace was pretty much the same ^^ 

Also the next day, when everybody started to throw colorpowder around. Rainbowfog. I tryed to find out by asking people whats the idea behind holy and this farrydust battle but nobody could really tell me. Something about some goods thats for sure ;-)

I still have some colours on me whats refusing to go off, specialy the dreadlooks gonna take some time to get back to reality.

We had a lot of artists around and the grass in the middle of our guesthouse was our playground :)

Acroyoag

Juggling on the gaths