just got released from the ashram....shilo and i binged: eating pop, chips and chicken street food....hmmm....MEAT YUMMY!!!!
the yoga was fantastic, we both look and feel great...i have never felt so strong! But I guess 4 hours of yoga a day for 14 days will do that to ya! ashram life however, is not really our thing...
more later...sleepy now!
xoxo
day
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
beached blissed in Varkala
so i, in my morning rush to get this internet shit done so i can get back to the beach and maximize my tanning time, forgot the card reader and usb memory stick...so no photos today. only my rant. te he.
Loved Munnar (tea plantations) and Marayoor in the Keralan Nilgiri Hills. Shilo and I were able to wonder independently in both towns (which is unlikely in India, where you MUST always have a guide...rules are very important here...more on that later). Munnar, was CHILLY, around zero degrees at night, which makes for showering with no hot water NO FUN. But the views were totally worth it. Just so unimaginable, such a different landscape...a sea of tea plantations bright green, dark green, bluish tea leaves, with poinsettas and other crazy flowers growing at the roadside.
Then we hit Marayoor ?sp?, lower altitude, warmer, and way more mellow. Stayed for longer than we expected as we could cruise the hillside unaided.....no tea here, too low....but the hill tribal villages grow lemon grass, and the valley below hosts rice, sugar cande, bananas and coconuts. we did a one night guided trek in a local sancturary, stayed in a tree house, and were able to see wild elephants and bison on the opposite hills....feeding...elephants eat 250kg/day! that night the elephants came down to the river to eat/drink...while shilo and I layed wide awake listening to them rip apart trees, blow through their nose, small trumpeting sounds, and to feel their vibrations of their footsteps....WOW!
Now vacationing from our travels in Varkala. Pure sun hedonism. LOVE IT. I am getting dark, dark, dark!!!!! Tomorrow we leave for the ashram. So no posts until the end of January...
Hope you all are staying warm and snuggly in snowy Vancouver, LOL!
xox
day
Loved Munnar (tea plantations) and Marayoor in the Keralan Nilgiri Hills. Shilo and I were able to wonder independently in both towns (which is unlikely in India, where you MUST always have a guide...rules are very important here...more on that later). Munnar, was CHILLY, around zero degrees at night, which makes for showering with no hot water NO FUN. But the views were totally worth it. Just so unimaginable, such a different landscape...a sea of tea plantations bright green, dark green, bluish tea leaves, with poinsettas and other crazy flowers growing at the roadside.
Then we hit Marayoor ?sp?, lower altitude, warmer, and way more mellow. Stayed for longer than we expected as we could cruise the hillside unaided.....no tea here, too low....but the hill tribal villages grow lemon grass, and the valley below hosts rice, sugar cande, bananas and coconuts. we did a one night guided trek in a local sancturary, stayed in a tree house, and were able to see wild elephants and bison on the opposite hills....feeding...elephants eat 250kg/day! that night the elephants came down to the river to eat/drink...while shilo and I layed wide awake listening to them rip apart trees, blow through their nose, small trumpeting sounds, and to feel their vibrations of their footsteps....WOW!
Now vacationing from our travels in Varkala. Pure sun hedonism. LOVE IT. I am getting dark, dark, dark!!!!! Tomorrow we leave for the ashram. So no posts until the end of January...
Hope you all are staying warm and snuggly in snowy Vancouver, LOL!
xox
day
Sunday, January 4, 2009
3.5 weeks in India
Writing from the beautiful tea plantation lined Nilgiri Hills in Munnar, Kerala.
Its taken me a while to absorb all that we have seen in the short 3.5 weeks we have been traveling. I seem to zip through different emotions and feelings towards India every few days.
I love our trip so far. We covered alot of temples/history in Tamil and are now getting some outdoor time in Kerala. We were able to meet up with Marnie and Benji. Spending a wonderful day on a tour of the surrounding villages of Kochi and a backwater canoe trip, even some beach time. That night was New Years, what an amazing display of Indian culture. They stuffed scarecrowish Santa clauses along the road, and then burned them at midnight. There was a huge all male dance party (girls dont get to dance, poor form apparently) underneath a fabulously lit and decorated tree. Unfortunately for Benji and Marnie (they had to go home, neener neener neener), the fun continued the next day with a bizarre (of course, this is INDIA) mixed parade. Think gay pride, halloween, christmas, new years, hindu, christian, and muslim all mixed together...with all Indian flavour. WOW. I will attach some pics...not much else can describe it.
India is not easy, it is so loud, complete sensory overload with horns, traffic, music, touts, and of course just so much more people than we are used to in Canada. I have days where I am completely frustrated with the patriarchal/conservative culture, and other days when I don't even notice.
Generally the people we meet day to day (except for touts) are exceptionally welcoming, kind and genuinely interested and curious in exchanging a few words with us. The smiles blow me away. As does the patriot pride that many Indians have. The country is vast and varied, and I am still so psyched to keep it exploring it. I do need to learn better ways to deal with persistent touts other than publically dousing them with my water bottle, shaking me finger in their face and yelling (although it was the MOST effective approach yet); I dont feel very good about it latter, and all it takes is one revengeful bugger...
so some pics.....
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