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We flew to New Delhi and the next day traveled several hours by bus to Rajasthan, in northern India. The dilapidated cobblestone roads along the way led to still-narrower streets crowded with stores and one-room houses.
On a hill overlooking the village of Samode, we stayed in a former maharaja�"s palace that has been turned into a luxury hotel.
Each morning, our group spent four hours practicing yoga, meditating and listening to lectures on philosophy. I was surprised to discover that these practices, unlike those back in many New York City gyms, were not physically difficult, but they were mentally and emotionally intense.
The goal of such practice, if there is a goal, is to become centered, to experience a level of consciousness called Samadhi or stillness, and to know yourself.
I got to love these meditation mornings in the palace, when I could go deep into a heavenly state of inner quiet.
In the afternoons, Gagu, a local artist in Samode, volunteered to be our tour guide. He set me on the back of his scooter, while another guide took someone else from our group, and we sped by children, pigs and goats. Gagu took me to a school and we handed out the supplies, enough for every child there.
As a foreigner, I was followed in the streets and hassled until the moment I got back on our bus. I felt helpless as I tried to get away from women begging with their babies, from the never-ending crush of people that included the old, the sick, and innumerable children.
Extreme contrasts of wealth and poverty have existed for centuries here, but they are still startling � even mind-boggling � to visitors.
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