Merry Christmas to ALL my friends and family. Enjoy the festivities and have loads of fun and laughter! Be safe.Lots of love and peace,
Tracy xoxo
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to ALL my friends and family. Enjoy the festivities and have loads of fun and laughter! Be safe.Lots of love and peace,
Tracy xoxo
Sivananda Ashram
My time in Fort Cochin is coming to an end and tomorrow morning bright and early I am off via Tuk Tuk and ferry to catch a four train ride to Trivandrum. I then have about an hour bus ride before I arrive at Sivananda Ashram.
I will be staying at the ashram for two weeks! I am really looking forward to my time there and I'm going in with very few expectations of what the two week journey will be like. I have been asked lots of questions regarding this part of my trip such as:
Here is my daily schedule:
0520 hrs WAKE UP BELL
0600 hrs SATSANG (meditation)
0730 hrs TEA TIME
0800 hrs ASANA CLASS (yoga)
1000 hrs BRUNCH
1100 hrs KARMA YOGA (volunteer work - I can only imagine what I will be assigned)
1230 hrs COACHING CLASS (optional)
1330 hrs TEA TIME
1400 hrs LECTURE
1600 hrs ASANA CLASS
1800 hrs DINNER
2000 hrs SATSANG
2200 hrs LIGHTS OUT
The entire schedule is mandatory....
There you have it! Looks pretty damn good to me. I don't think I will have computer access when I am there. On my day off, if I leave the ashram, I may be able to find an internet spot but I'm not really sure. This means more than likely, you will not be hearing from me again until December 30th. Now, my fellow bloggers have told me I will lose readership with such a gap but I look forward to giving you a blow by blow of ashram life and then the remainder of my travells.
I will be staying at the ashram for two weeks! I am really looking forward to my time there and I'm going in with very few expectations of what the two week journey will be like. I have been asked lots of questions regarding this part of my trip such as:
- What is an ashram?
- What do you do there?
- Why are you going?
- Are you scared?
- Will you chant?
- What will you eat?
- How much does it cost?
- Are you religious?
Here is my daily schedule:
0520 hrs WAKE UP BELL
0600 hrs SATSANG (meditation)
0730 hrs TEA TIME
0800 hrs ASANA CLASS (yoga)
1000 hrs BRUNCH
1100 hrs KARMA YOGA (volunteer work - I can only imagine what I will be assigned)
1230 hrs COACHING CLASS (optional)
1330 hrs TEA TIME
1400 hrs LECTURE
1600 hrs ASANA CLASS
1800 hrs DINNER
2000 hrs SATSANG
2200 hrs LIGHTS OUT
The entire schedule is mandatory....
There you have it! Looks pretty damn good to me. I don't think I will have computer access when I am there. On my day off, if I leave the ashram, I may be able to find an internet spot but I'm not really sure. This means more than likely, you will not be hearing from me again until December 30th. Now, my fellow bloggers have told me I will lose readership with such a gap but I look forward to giving you a blow by blow of ashram life and then the remainder of my travells.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The backwaters of Kerala
There is a 900km network of waterways in Kerala and still to this day many people have to use these highways to get from their villages to the pavement. The only way to see this part of the country is to take a full day tour.
The driver picked me up at 8am sharp as it was a 35 km ride to meet the boat. Well, 10 minutes into the drive we pulled into a truck stop and he informed me I was joining another group. Being the last person to join the group I was in the front seat of a mini bus. Now, Indian driving is reckless but when you are in the front seat you gain a whole new perspective! I have decided there is an invisible lane in the middle of every two lane road. This lane goes in either direction and is based on telepathy who is going to go first! Actually I had a perfect view of the sights, a window that opened plus I was not sitting so close to the next person that I was stuck to them! 45 minutes later we arrived at our destination and boarded a covered houseboat which held 20 of us.
The morning was spent cruising the large open waterways which was extremely pleasant and peaceful. There were many fishers going after tiny mussels and our guide told us mussels are not only used for food but the shell is used as a medical agent used to help with osteophoris.
We stopped off at a small village and learned about different spices but I was more interested in checking out how the household was run. The kitchen was outside as were the toothbrushes hanging in a basket nailed to the side of the house and the toilet was inside. Makes no sense to me to have the sticky part of the house inside and trust me it smelled... These ladies from the house had homemade snacks to sell. I bought fried bananas and tapioca chips which were delicious!
The driver picked me up at 8am sharp as it was a 35 km ride to meet the boat. Well, 10 minutes into the drive we pulled into a truck stop and he informed me I was joining another group. Being the last person to join the group I was in the front seat of a mini bus. Now, Indian driving is reckless but when you are in the front seat you gain a whole new perspective! I have decided there is an invisible lane in the middle of every two lane road. This lane goes in either direction and is based on telepathy who is going to go first! Actually I had a perfect view of the sights, a window that opened plus I was not sitting so close to the next person that I was stuck to them! 45 minutes later we arrived at our destination and boarded a covered houseboat which held 20 of us.
The morning was spent cruising the large open waterways which was extremely pleasant and peaceful. There were many fishers going after tiny mussels and our guide told us mussels are not only used for food but the shell is used as a medical agent used to help with osteophoris.
We stopped off at a small village and learned about different spices but I was more interested in checking out how the household was run. The kitchen was outside as were the toothbrushes hanging in a basket nailed to the side of the house and the toilet was inside. Makes no sense to me to have the sticky part of the house inside and trust me it smelled... These ladies from the house had homemade snacks to sell. I bought fried bananas and tapioca chips which were delicious!
After three hours of cruising we headed back to the dock and lunch was served on board. It was pretty good but I was hesitant as I really did not want to have to use the washroom on board!
After lunch we transferred back to our bus and headed to much narrower backwaters which can only be accessed by wooden canoes. I was upgraded to business class on this trip too!
The afternoon in these boats was really nice as the highway was now down to a single lane and you could hear all the wildlife and see the plants up close! We had a couple of stops the first being at a coir factory :) It was amazing to watch this woman make what I call twine. I had no idea that this kind of rope came from coconuts. Nothing is considered waste in India.
After lunch we transferred back to our bus and headed to much narrower backwaters which can only be accessed by wooden canoes. I was upgraded to business class on this trip too!
The afternoon in these boats was really nice as the highway was now down to a single lane and you could hear all the wildlife and see the plants up close! We had a couple of stops the first being at a coir factory :) It was amazing to watch this woman make what I call twine. I had no idea that this kind of rope came from coconuts. Nothing is considered waste in India.
The second stop was at a coconut field where I tried coco milk and fresh coconut for the first time. I am not big on liquid that is room temperature and it was not as sweet as I thought it would be but none the less I managed a sip or two! The actual coconut was slimy and tasteless. At lunch we had it dried and flavoured two different ways which was great!
The day ended at 4pm and the trip home was a repeat of the start except in Saturday afternoon traffic, which is heaviest in India as Sunday is the only day off most people have, so there is much more movement taking place. More motorized vehicles to share the 'middle' lane with!!
The day ended at 4pm and the trip home was a repeat of the start except in Saturday afternoon traffic, which is heaviest in India as Sunday is the only day off most people have, so there is much more movement taking place. More motorized vehicles to share the 'middle' lane with!!Fort Cochin, Kerala
After a 13 hour train journey, 20 minute tuk tuk drive, 15 minute ferry ride and a 10 minute walk I arrived dazed, tired, and wrinkled at the Vintage Inn. The first day was a write off but once I was functioning with all senses I discovered this little town has a really nice vibe!
Fort Cochi was the centre of the spice trade for the Jews, Chinese and Arabs for many centuries so it has quite an eclectic feel to it! At the crack of dawn I went to the water to check out the ancient chinese fishing nets:
It was amazing to watch them in action powered by 5 men using what seemed like all their strength. It is a weighted net and three men let the weights go gently while two guys walk on the poles to sink it fully. After about 15 minutes they pull it up. All this work for what looked like about 5 tiny fish!
I left the fish nets and wandered to Kashi Art Cafe and had the best breakfast I have had since leaving home! French toast (brown bread) with honey, loads of fresh fruit and (drum roll....) french pressed coffee! I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. In actual fact, my stomach did not know what hit is so pretty soon there after I hit the toilet! (I am now on round two of antibiotics but this time it is a different color and flavour :) Hopefully this set will kill the bug in my gut!) While eating I was reading the Indian Express newspaper and there was an article about Patsy George from Vancouver who received the Order of Canada but is here visiting her hometown!
With a smile on my face after the yummy food I made my way to Jew Town which is a district in Fort Cochin. It was delightful to poke about in all the different markets and stores. I was keen to find a shop called SPR as they sell essential oils and I really wanted to bring some home for my diffuser- fresh from India!!! I had the most delightful time smelling all the smells and in the end I settled on 5: white rose, black jasmine, lotus flower, kerala flower and vanilla. All their oils come from natural flowers and wood extracts.
Shanti was a wonderful lady and we chatted away about her family as she filled my bottles and packaged everything up! She has a 24 and 22 year old and has been working for the last 10 years in this shop to see them through university!! Now she is working to fix up her dilapitated 'house.'
Fort Cochi was the centre of the spice trade for the Jews, Chinese and Arabs for many centuries so it has quite an eclectic feel to it! At the crack of dawn I went to the water to check out the ancient chinese fishing nets:
It was amazing to watch them in action powered by 5 men using what seemed like all their strength. It is a weighted net and three men let the weights go gently while two guys walk on the poles to sink it fully. After about 15 minutes they pull it up. All this work for what looked like about 5 tiny fish!
I left the fish nets and wandered to Kashi Art Cafe and had the best breakfast I have had since leaving home! French toast (brown bread) with honey, loads of fresh fruit and (drum roll....) french pressed coffee! I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. In actual fact, my stomach did not know what hit is so pretty soon there after I hit the toilet! (I am now on round two of antibiotics but this time it is a different color and flavour :) Hopefully this set will kill the bug in my gut!) While eating I was reading the Indian Express newspaper and there was an article about Patsy George from Vancouver who received the Order of Canada but is here visiting her hometown!
With a smile on my face after the yummy food I made my way to Jew Town which is a district in Fort Cochin. It was delightful to poke about in all the different markets and stores. I was keen to find a shop called SPR as they sell essential oils and I really wanted to bring some home for my diffuser- fresh from India!!! I had the most delightful time smelling all the smells and in the end I settled on 5: white rose, black jasmine, lotus flower, kerala flower and vanilla. All their oils come from natural flowers and wood extracts.
Shanti was a wonderful lady and we chatted away about her family as she filled my bottles and packaged everything up! She has a 24 and 22 year old and has been working for the last 10 years in this shop to see them through university!! Now she is working to fix up her dilapitated 'house.'
It is backwater cruising tomorrow.....
Thursday, December 11, 2008
SFX
On my final day in Panaji I went to Old Goa which is 12km from Panaji via public transport. Up until 1843 Old Goa used to be the capital of Goa and it had a population exceeding London and Lisbon at the time. Needless to say there are many churches in Old Goa. The one church I was most interested in seeing was Basilica of Bom Jesus. This basilica is famous because it holds the tomb (pic above) and mortal remains of St Francis Xavier.
While going to university at Acadia we were great sporting rivals of SFX. I also have a semi (wedding date to be set...) sister in law who attended SFX so seeing this tomb and learning about St Francis Xavier put a little perspective in place for me.
My last night in Panaji I met Thomas and Tony who have been travelling for the last 14 months!!!!! We spent the day in Old Goa together, it was a scorcher but I was glad we went and then we ended our day together with lunch. Thomas and Tony have a beautiful travel site: www.contemporarynomad.com.
The next phase of my trip was to take the 'non stop' shuttle, which stopped three times, to Margao where I then got a tuk tuk to the train station and boarded the ever dirty Indian Railway train for an overnight journey to Fort Cochi!
This is as glam as it gets!
After a lovely three km walk along the promenade, in which I was followed by a young Indian boy I arrived at the Goa Marriott. I enjoyed an Americano and marvelled at the difference between being a tourist and a traveller! Cold water showers, backpacks, motorbike taxi's and having to provide your own toilet paper is being a traveller, using the bathroom with an attendent passing you a facecloth and a toilet seat that does not wabble is being a tourist - it was good while it latest but I am back to being a traveller!
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