Well, I am now officially certified as a Reiki healer! I went for my first practice yesterday evening, after which my guru signed the certificate and handed it over to me. The woman I practiced on (his wife?) thanked me and told me I had very powerful energies in my hands... but I imagine she says that to all students who practice on her for the first time. Next week it will be time to practice on papa while he's here, then I'll get an appointment book for practicing on you guys at home! I'm supposed to do a session on myself morning and night for 21 days, and also 30 days of distance healing... good thing I'm unemployed at the moment! After 200 or so treatments, I can go for my master level... maybe while I'm back here next year! Stopped one last time for a delicious salad and mint iced-tea at Brown Bread Bakery, then headed home for an early night of reading and reiki.
To celebrate my new accomplishment, I booked my last night in Varanasi at Hotel Surya (http://www.hotelsuryavns.com), a beautiful building which was originally a Nepali king's palace, built in 1818, and which is away from the frenzy of the old city. It comes equipped with a great restaurant lovely pool and terrace. I headed there almost immediately when I arrived, needing refreshment after walking 15 minutes with my ridiculous amount of luggage through the narrow old city lanes up to the main intersection where I could get an auto-rickshaw. (I vowed in a previous blog not to add any weight to my bags in Varanasi, and what I bought at Open Hand Cafe weighs less than the ashes I dispersed, so I actually left a tiny bit lighter than I arrived.) Pool was great, perfect temperature, even felt a tad chilly in the nice breeze when I got out. Varanasi, like Kolkata, seems to have gotten hotter by the day during my visits. And here, like in K, even the locals are complaining about the heat, still wondering why tourists come at this time of year. (The glacier trek up north with Papa will be fabulous - bring on the ice!) Speaking of cold, the AC in my room works so well that I was actually able to have a hot shower - forgot what those feel like, and how much I like them!
Relaxing at Surya today and tomorrow, reading, swimming and reiki-ing, before getting aboard my last (yay!) overnight train to Delhi tomorrow night. Once there, I putz around for 2 days, then greet papa at the airport :)
Still loving India, happily and gratefully embracing all the amazing opportunities that present themselves.
To celebrate my new accomplishment, I booked my last night in Varanasi at Hotel Surya (http://www.hotelsuryavns.com), a beautiful building which was originally a Nepali king's palace, built in 1818, and which is away from the frenzy of the old city. It comes equipped with a great restaurant lovely pool and terrace. I headed there almost immediately when I arrived, needing refreshment after walking 15 minutes with my ridiculous amount of luggage through the narrow old city lanes up to the main intersection where I could get an auto-rickshaw. (I vowed in a previous blog not to add any weight to my bags in Varanasi, and what I bought at Open Hand Cafe weighs less than the ashes I dispersed, so I actually left a tiny bit lighter than I arrived.) Pool was great, perfect temperature, even felt a tad chilly in the nice breeze when I got out. Varanasi, like Kolkata, seems to have gotten hotter by the day during my visits. And here, like in K, even the locals are complaining about the heat, still wondering why tourists come at this time of year. (The glacier trek up north with Papa will be fabulous - bring on the ice!) Speaking of cold, the AC in my room works so well that I was actually able to have a hot shower - forgot what those feel like, and how much I like them!
Relaxing at Surya today and tomorrow, reading, swimming and reiki-ing, before getting aboard my last (yay!) overnight train to Delhi tomorrow night. Once there, I putz around for 2 days, then greet papa at the airport :)
Still loving India, happily and gratefully embracing all the amazing opportunities that present themselves.
Hi Erika,
ReplyDeletePlease mention the cost of the reiki and please post some of the pictures of Varanasi.
I like to see Varanasi with your eyes.