Hotel Rockholm Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

... were ready for a little refreshment. There was a brawny guy right outside the entrance with a big pile of coconuts and a large knife. He would hack of the end of the coconut at just the right place to expose the top of the white coconut meat inside. He then used the knife to make a little hole in the coconut meat where his assistant inserted a straw so you suck out the cool coconut water inside. The coconuts were giant, and ...

... friends from the yoga vacation for their support, health hut company and laughs, gave American Pie Mikey his very own dinkum di, true blue, g'day mate, up ya clacker pet koala then left the Sivananda Ashram. What a fabulous experience it had been and we actually learned some yoga asanas as well as socializing and practicing clowning. Mono Loco received a lot of attention from his new buddies and was sad to be leaving. It did feel like we had been living there for ...

... like a song- reminded me of oliver's 'who will buy', then a lady with an acordion got on and i was tempted to throw my shoe. So now we are in Varkala, we are in the 'gratitude inn'- hehe, near the beach and near the cliff top restaurants which are beautiful. Unfortunately we have a temple situated behind our room which plays Indian music from 4am to 6 am and then for the rest of the morning lights fire crackers so people know where the temple is..i presume ...

... it on my own...or continue to let it grow on my own. Perhaps meditation isn't working here because of the group of people or the forcedness of it. I feel like a few days on a beach just relaxing and doing what I want when I want may do me some good. So. I head to Varkala with Lilah (another Canadian I met here at the ashram) for a few days and then I'll be heading up to Hampi. Then from Hampi ...

... I've been here for 3 days now and it's finally sinking in that the world is my oyster, and have officially stopped planning out my next move for once. In a week I could be relaxing in the Maldives or just exploring another town in India. Who knows??? To have the freedom to follow your own path and go wherever the wind takes you is truly remarkable and empowering, and I don't take it for granted for a second. I'll keep you posted as to where I end up next... Thanks for tuning in.

... you mixed feelings. If your idea of a royal residence is on the lines of the Rajasthani extravaganza, or even the magnificient Mysore palace, the Padmanabhapuram Palace can be a little disappointing. But wait, don't fall for that deception yet. Royal architectural beauty isn't really just skin deep. Just for the records, you are in front of the biggest wooden palace in the whole of the country. To boot, this was the ...

It's Wednesday mid-afternoon, and consistent with most of my Wednesday mid-afternoons over the past couple of decades, I'm sat at a terminal. In contrast however, I can hear the sound of the ocean as it crashes against the bottom of a remarkably red and remarkably sheer cliff located just outside the building. (It's also rather warmer than my typical Wednesday mid-afternoon, even allowing for the dodgy office air conditioners I have known.) According to the guidebook the cliff is ...

... sielun tien taivaaseen raskaaksi. Taman takia myos naisia, sentimentaalisia kun ovat, ei paikalle perinteisesti paasteta.Varanasista vierahti viikon verran, hieman odotettua pitempaan. Tama johtui niin siita, etta kaupungissa tuli viihdyttya kuin myos siita, etta kaupungin mikrofloora sitoi minut hotelliin pariksi paivaksi.Vakaa aikomuksemme jo tuolloin oli paasta Keralaan. Matkaa oli maitse enemman kuin aikataulumme sietaisi joten haaveilimmekin kivuttomasta lennosta ...

... Despite the hoards of tourists, the first sight of the Taj Mahal leaves any visitor in awe...There is a uniformity of the lines and geometry, the layout of the grounds, the sheer grandeur of it all...and the gentle sunset light transforms the white marble domes with each moment passed. The visual experience is like something out of a fairy tale, and all one can do is sit and take it all in. I posed for my "India" shot in front of the Taj and enjoyed my moment. We left Agra on Mark's ...