Day 3 Varkala and yet another sleepless night last night - but so worth it, we gotta hug from Amma!! Didn't have a clue who this lady was until we bumped into a couple of other travellers who were planning to visit her ashram or already had - Peter in Aramabol completely sold her too us. he wasn't a spritiual dude at all 'don't beleive in that shit!' but he got a hug from this lady and the way he described it 'tingles all over his body' - 'hair on back of neck standing on end' you could just see from the way he spoke of it that it was great for him!
Any how this Amma is a guru here in India - a big star and very popular here in Varkala which is near her ashram. She donates all her monies to local charities and has done a huge amount of good work for India (universities, hospitals, tsunami relief - the list goes on) so basically she is good egg and is beleived to be a reincarnation of some God (sorry get a big vague on the spiritual bits - names and all that)and she hugs people - that is what she does, people travel to see her/stay at ashram so they too can get a hug from Amma - she is the hugging guru ; )
So we hear she is holding a public darshan (hug fest) nearby and jump on a train last night to join the queue. Meet fab Iranian guy Sam on train who knows nothing of Amma but decides to tag along with us to check it out - love it how these things just happen just never know who you are gonna end up spending your day with here! Get to beach where hugfest is held and there are thousands of peoples and they all have tickets to hug her - so we go insearch of our own tickets. Loads of Amma devotees dressed in white robes prevent us from getting near stage at first - they are slightly scary and not what you would expect from such spiritual dudes but we soon come across the friendly ones who do what they can to get us all hug tickets.
After a good few hours waiting for my ticket D6 to come up on the board we join the queue - about 1.30am after arrving about 9pm - Annie already been up for one hug before. Once tickets started coming our way we were overflowing 'em!! So she joins the queue with me for 2nd hug - shuffle up to the stage where devotees wash our sweaty faces with napkins (ok?!?) then take our bags and shoes before sending us in for the hug!! Amma is a wild looking little plump lady and the hug is a good one - she grabs you tight in her bosom, whispers something in your ear and passes you a parcel containing a sweet and healing powder then the devotees man handle you the hell out of there. Think this late night hugging session is beginning to wear on some of the devotees (who are TRULY devoted - 'Mother is amazing!!' 'I wanna be near Mother!!)as they boss people around with their crazy seating plans . .Me and Annie get invited onto the stage with many other Westenrers where the atmosphere is fab - live indian music - vase playing, fiddle and dancing girls. Watch in amazement at Amma hugging upto 60,000 people - she will be there til 10am the next morning hugging!
Eventually leave stage after we are roped into tearing napkins into quarters by hot French devotee - rescue Sam and then get some sweet, sweet chai next to giant sculpture of naked lady (?!?!)It is 4am by this time and we are fading fast so grab rickshaw/train back to Varkala and finally hit the sack about 5.30am. Night life is great here in India and it is the best time to be awake as it is so much cooler.
Staying in Varkala for one more night at Zion guest house - (wicked place to stay if ever in Varkala) before heading to Amma Ashram via the beautiful backwaters here in Kerala.
Five things to get used to here in India: -
1. Old Indian men with hairy ears (hair sprouts from every part of ear no exaggeration!)
2. Man Love (Indian men walk hand in hand with their best buddies - it's the norm!)
3. Bartering for everything and paying way over the odds on those days when you just can't be bovvered!!
4. Morning phlegm collecting rituals / spitting (men, women and children where does it all come from!?!?)
5. Bumpy rides and sore bums - rickshaw / buses / trains . . . .
