I made it to Trivandrum, South Kerala, two weeks ago after an epic two day train journey - wonderful views of life and plenty of time to read. Found a massage and explored the town but nearly died of heat and mosquitoes in the night and so headed for a 'yoga vacation' at the Sivananda ashram inland. There we woke for six o'clock satsang - 'spiritual butlins' as my new Scottish friend called it. Then two hours of yoga before the most delicious lunch, sprinkled with a good dose of chanting "Hare Krishna"!! After three days of total aversion to the chanting I then realised that I may as well enjoy myself and even picked up the tamborine - to the horror of my neighbours. We did four hours of excellent yoga/day which my body relished and then there was time to hang out and swim in the lake - a beautiful dam just opposite the ashram with an alarming sign which says "swimming is forbidden there are crocodiles in the lake" The first day this reduced the pleasure of swimming, then someone said they had removed the crocs after they killed someone three years ago. I choose to believe this story and haven't spied a croc yet!! You can hear the lions roaring across the lake from the safari park.
We had a wonderful day off - went on a boat trip across the lake and walked for an hour or so into the jungle, elephant turds on the path, up and down to a large waterfall where there was plenty of space for sixty of us to swim, read, rest and relax. The ashram staff had carried lunch and cookpots and prepared a simple meal to be eaten from banana leaves, and we even had a cup of chai. Then the rain came..and it bucketed down for hours, warm and extremely wet. Walked back to the lake and wrung our clothes out before boating home for dinner - skin completely pruny. We are surrounded by mountains here and no doubt you could walk for days.
After ten days and with a new, more flexible body, I escaped to Kanyakumari, at the very southern-most tip of India with two new friends, staying in a wonderful room with sea views all around! The town is full of Indian pilgrims and a lovely energy. There is a rusty old ferry which plies the windswept waters from the town to the holy rock where the goddess Kanya danced her dance to dispel the demons, and where a more recent saint Vivekananda achieved enlightenment before beginning his mission to improve the situation for the downtrodden masses. There is a vast statue of him rising out of the other rock. The boat journey involved hours of queuing and then donning an ancient lifejacket (most of the Indians just clutched theirs nervously) for the rough ten minute journey. There was a footprint of the goddess in the rock and an temple with a peaceful meditation hall underneath. Then back on the boat to go to the Statue rock - climbing up the base to appreciate the 133ft creation, and feeling somewhat like we were viewing the Statue of Liberty. Very happy to get on the boat for the final struggle with lifejackets and return to shore in time for lunch.
Heading to a Zen centre next for a sesshin with India's only Zen priest! Wasn't expecting to find a Zen centre in Tamil Nadu but I met some people at the zoo who recommended it!!
