Bike Me

"Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul."

I've always wanted to write an entry about riding a superbike and today I learned (again) a valuable lesson.
I am currently in Dubai on holiday. When I used to live here and owned my own bike, we used to go on regular bikeruns (riding in a group with fellow bikers to a specific destination and have breakfast/lunch together) We reunited today and aimed for Hatta Fort Hotel, a gorgeous oasis surrounded by the Hatta mountains. It was a different ride. Little sandstorms greeted us everywhere and I wondered if going slow or going really fast was better. I was afraid. Fear is no state in which a biker should find him/herself. While going down a highway at 200kph, I think how insane it must be if one of the wheels had to burst, or the chain came off, or someone changes lane without seeing me, or, or, or... And when I get over this feeling, I go a bit faster and rather enjoy the ride. There is a saying that: "only a biker knows why a dog likes to stick his head of out the window' :) There is something absolutely mindblowing about feeling the wind at that kind of speed on your bare body, knowing you are in the open, fragile and then you go a little faster. The road to Hatta is full of twisties (you know, those wide winding roads straddling the mountains) and for a moment I feel like Rossi - I look at the turn ahead of me, I look where it starts, where it ends, I estimate the angle, I change gear, I brake a little so that the weight of the bike sinks into the surface, I shift my bum and body to the side, tilt my head a little and then bam! Lean machine. What a beauty! Those bikes understand twisties. They are true iron horses! Whip it some more and see it goes.

Bikers, I believe, are better motorists. We have to know what other people are up to. We know who is behind us, what 5 cars in front of us are doing, left, right and find ourselves in constant peripheral vision. Especially on a highway like Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, I find myself calculating space & time & energy particularly when I'm in competition with myself or another biker. In highway cases, you have to go with the flow of the traffic, right - so you analyze the speed of different lanes and then match that with the space between cars in order to overtake them, in a continuous manner. I LOVE doing this! And my favourite was when I came back from a yoga class feeling all zen and calm and sped down this highway as if I was in a video game. Yes, I'm sure you're reading this thinking, perhaps judging, how mad we are, but it's doing what I love and it's overcoming fear.

So, back at the sandstorms of today. On the way back after breakfast, I slowed down because my borrowed jacket was too big for me making me into a human kite. So I fell behind and the boys didn't wait for me (they'll usually wait at exits and round-abouts) And I took a wrong turn. At first, I was upset and blamed them, and then accepted that it would've been really unpleasant waiting for someone through a sandstorm anyway. Even though the turn said "Dubai", it was just one loooong tar road dividing the ocean of sand. It looked like an orange river flowing, and softly sandblasting my face (it managed to get into my helmet). There I was, alone, tired, lost in the desert and not one single soul or sign to get me back on track. Then I realized our options in life. There is ALWAYS an option. In my case today, I could've given up (which would've meant letting go of the bike and falling) My hands were hurting and cramping. Or I could've stopped (which would mean I stand there in the sandstorm holding up a bike without a free hand to make a call) So my choice was to look into those ripples of sand and persevere, go through it and know I will come out fine at the other side. This was not like in the movies. This was not easy. I was on that road for hours, keeping my bike up against the wind, letting sand scratch my eyeballs, letting the heat of the day drip down my back. But I talked to myself, I sang, I focused and stayed confident (even when I wanted to cry), and I remembered that sometimes we feel lost in life and that we want to give up, give in. But honey, you sometimes gotto go through the storm to see the rainbow (in my case a shower and drinking water).

The experience reminded me that I am a tawwe koekie (tough chick) and that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to (if I focus on the sandstorms, life will throw more sandstorms at me) This goes for when you ask god/the universe to teach/give you patience and it throws a big queue at the bank back at you. You might be blinded by frustration to actually see this perfect opportunity to teach you patience. The experience reminded me that we can't always be in control. All these outside factors made me look inside. I was one with my bike and one with the universe. And then I found my way back. I survived and I was thankful.

I am thankful for all the opportunities I have realized in my life. I am grateful for friends to whom I'm so different from and totally accept me the way I am and sometimes allow a friendly debate. I also thank the friends who happily have my name on their bikes and have it available to me when I visit! May these appreciations ripple through my universe and create a reciprocal gratitude effect.

Now, let me go put my high heels and lipstick on :)
Cheers


"I'd rather be riding my motorcycle thinking about God than sitting in church thinking about my motorcycle."

People and friends from all over the world

It's the first week of Spring and I survived the horrific Winter fashion, haha! It is common to see locals wear two-toed socks with their sandals and sarees, older ladies wearing beanies that say “Canada' on it, open tummies with a scarf, men with sleeveless woolen glitter sweaters, and cows, dogs and goats wearing jerseys. What a hilarious spectacle!

Diwali is a festival and celebration comparable to Christmas to Westerners and I experienced this for the first time. Imagine (really imagine) an entire country lighting fireworks all at the same time for 2 days non-stop. It's like something out of a movie, a war-zone - distant, nearby, noisy and everywhere you go. I'm used to seeing fireworks perhaps twice a year – New Year's Eve being one. Here it's at EVERY wedding (I've been to MANY), every celebration, every festival (and there are many) and every time you feel like it. The dogs & cats are freaked out and the earth is disgustingly polluted and littered as people just leave the packets and residue lying around. It killed it for me. Fireworks will not light up my face with a smile anymore.

And then there was Holi – the festival of colours. On this day, people throw and smear coloured powder (more potent mixed with water) on each other. It's a playful, colourful & fun event, although it leaves a dark mark on the environment. There are chemicals and oxidized metals in those powders, it's poor for your health and skin and stains everything it gets in contact with. It probably takes a year to degrade just in time for the next Holi, haha.

I don't mean to sound negative as much as realistic. Tourists who travel to India often say how nice and positive the people here are and that even though traffic is mad, they rarely make accidents. It is, afterall, a funny, unusual experience. But, reality check!! People are miserable and there are nasty accidents, DAILY and a life almost means next to nothing (I often see pictures of dead persons in the newspaper appealing for identification). It's a 'sweep the dirt under the carpet' attitude. Thing is, no one will ever say anything bad about India when asked about their experience. I gave my honest opinion once when asked, and I thought my head would be chopped off. So defensive!
A lot of celebrities come here all the time, which is pretty cool – it's like, ah, Lady Gaga this week (whom I saw live by the way) and Oprah the next.

I have been given the amazing opportunity to model in India. Just when I thought I'm over the hill for that, I found myself catwalking in Fashion Week. It was a dream come true!

I'm a celebrity, get me out of here....

Traffic Tetris

Namaste

If you don't already know, this 'casual' word actually means "the divinity in me bows to the divinity in you". Isn't that beautiful? And in India, when you add "ji" after addressing someone, you add respect.

A few points:
-Delhi was cleaned up for the CommonWealthGames in 2010, and looks a lot cleaner. I noticed less cows in the streets.
-I found an excellent nail spa and my hands are groomed again!
-Summer pool parties in Delhi, wow!! - Free entry, drinks, food, dj, at awesome farmhouse locations. The host, a person with too much money.
-The demand for white people in this city, unlike my own country, is astonishing. Indians will pay you just to be at their wedding, function, etc.
-I've been warned about getting spoiled in India, thought it wouldn't happen, but I find myself having a maid, a cook and a driver. It's just so cheap and easy.

And then, my main topic, is the traffic and my experience thereof, the personal journey I'm going through; anger:
At first, when you go through the traffic in Delhi, you think it's just ridiculous. And this feeling remains. And this is, as Carl Jung says: "What you resist, persist". It's chaos. And you cannot change their ways in this country, therefore the change is to come within yourself. For me it's a question of: am I going to accept this? Accept that they put my life in danger every time I embark on an auto? (picture

of an auto attached, with the best driver ever) Accept that they jump red traffic lights, or not bother to look left or right for oncoming traffic? Accept that they don't have rearview mirrors and rely on hooters instead? Accept that if they scratch your car a little, because they weren't paying attention and driving too close, that you just carry on with your day - no stopping, calling police or insurance companies? If anyone has to do this in my country, we will shout and get mad! So, I got mad. I got angry, and furious! And that feeling comes from judgement, resistance (non-acceptance) and difference. If I continue in my old ways, I will lead an angry life. Sure, I like it better driving in a country where you follow lanes, obey traffic rules and have courtesy to other drivers. I'm not in such a country at present. So, slowly, every day, I do my best to relax, accept, pray for safety and trust that it will get better. I'm in Delhi for a reason. A journey to challenge me even more. As taught by Cris Baker from Life Strategies, the next step after accept, would be to appreciate and approve. I'm still far from that, maybe months, maybe years, but I'm aiming towards that. I once said on my facebook status: "If you think Delhi is a glorious city to be living in, you are either enlightened or ignorant. Either way, the result is positive." :) Apart from traffic, there's the constant spitting, pissing on the side of the road publicly, and terrorist bombs.

One day I will look back at my time living in Delhi, and I will be grateful. It feels right to be here now. There's a lesson to be learned. And one day when I 'get' it, I will move on. Delhi IS my guru. (Unless Cris, you want to come here for holiday one day so that I can live alongside you:-) and learn more from you)

Furthermore, I've been teaching yoga students privately and loving it! My company's name is KenneK. It means Connect. Ken (in Afrikaans) is to know - know a person, including yourself. It's written in mirrored text - your outside world is a reflection/mirror of your inner world (goodness Delhi for me!) The 'K's create a < >, meaning smaller than, bigger than. You are so much more than what you think you are. It's about re-connecting to yourself, and to others. Becoming aware of your body and your thoughts -> the body-mind connection, through yoga, NLP, meditation etc. Please go check out the facebook page if you wish: https://www.facebook.com/pages/KenneK/151684521576888. The website is under construction. I'll be doing workshops and classes at a studio also, met a great guy to work with.

So, today do yourself a favour and appreciate what you have and where you live. Focus on the good things and discard the things you are tempted to complain about. Param and I play a game every day to only say positive things and catch the other person if they say anything negative with a "eeeh, say that again?" :-)
And find the beauty in yourselves. You are such amazing people. Thank you for being in my life.
Hope to hear from you soon

Shukria,
Namaste:)
A


--
"Did you ever think there's more to life than being really, really, really ridiculously good-looking?" - Derek Zoolander

Namaste

www.altainwonderland.blogspot.com
This is my second blog. My news from now on will be of this nature, no more travel news.

Life in India


Sasrikaal


Even though I’ve been to India so many times, it was still a shock to my
system after quitting my job and packing up my material life, spending a
glorious time in Cape Town with my beloved mom and friends and then island
styling it in Bali…and then; BOOM!! Delhi spits in my face and says: “Honey,
holiday’s over!” Haha. But I came equipped with an optimistic spirit and a
promise to see the positive in every moment. So I’m loving it!

Specifically: walking down to the market around the corner with my bags and
filling them with fresh veggies and fruits (and they would toss in
coriander and chillies complimentary!) all of this while always dodging
cars, scooters, cyclists and pedestrians from every angle. I enjoy my
mornings cutting up different fruits (chickoo being my ultimate favourite –
gosh, every country should have these), accompanied with sweet lassie (a
yoghurt drink – enjoying them while I do, coz I’ll go vegan one day). It’s
mango season, it’s summer also, but having mangoes is looking at the
positive side of things:)

Part of the journey I want for myself, is to learn to be still, in one
place, one person and commit and learn to face challenges more effectively
and constructively. I am proving to myself (and therefore others) that
contentment and happiness, as I already know, come from within and that even
though Delhi wants to spit, that I’ll just close my eyes and smile back,
wipe the dirt off my face and look ahead. In fact, I wish people in Delhi
would stop complaining about the traffic if they themselves are not willing
to drive differently and instead follow Ghandi’s advice and ‘be the change’.
It’s an adventure. Everyday! Do something every day that scares you? Well, I
just need to cross the road for that, haha.

So basically, I have everything I need – except for a good nail salon, but
I’m still searching.

Smile.

Furthermore, I've been getting paid as a hostess at events - which gives me a good insight of the rich life in India and how they mingle amongst each other.

Basically, there is not a dull moment in Delhi. It's impossible. Everyday is packed with unplanned, unorganized and chaotic episodes.The expression: "HOLY COW!!!" was definitely born here:) I love it!

I’d like to share part of a quote with you, one I’ve been living by from
the beginning of the year and made my mission statement, my daily ‘prayer’.

“I promise myself: to look at the sunny side of things and make my optimism
come true, to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for
fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble. To live in the faith
that the whole world is on my side so long I’m true to the best that is in
me…”

Smile
In love and light,
Alta

--
Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes - Walt Whitman