Signature Residence Varkala

... next catch.

I have had a couple of wonderful ayurvedic massages and back treatments here, including one where they made a kind of pool out of paste on the small of my back and filled it with hot oils. I had an ayurvedic massage in Trivandrum as well, but that was rubbish, just basting me with rancid oil like a chicken, so that I refused to pay for it, but the ones in Varkala were great. It's strange, as ...

... as he pointed out we have had every injection there is going! The following day he told methat a number of river snakes lived in there - apparently thereare harmless - hmmm.... Continuing further downsouth to see someelephants and crocodiles can't wait and the next entry will probablybe ina few weeks in Dehli so take care andfeel free to let me know what your adventuresare uncovering even if it is just down the road to the park!! Lots of love Ash & Alex xxx

... chat was wasted on the poor chap who, as they say, did his talking with his hands). He then shimmied the sorts down a bit, and then a bit further, then swung them clean off with the ease and practice of a trained lothario. This was all very unusual. I was left as, some would say, 'nature intended it'. But he was a trained professional and I was paying upwards of four pounds for this so he surely knew what he was doing. I let him continue and he did a very ...

... y where the N*m*ste sign is. We c*n he*r the oce*n from our room. Next d*y we hit the be*ch *g*in *nd did some bodysurfing. I did * B*yw*tch style rescue *ttempt on Chris trying to dr*g him out of the oce*n *nd do CPR. There is some be*utiful yog* sessions h*ppening on the be*ch *t sunset everyd*y with * s*xophone pl*yer providing the soundtr*ck, nice one. We *ll *te *t the Rock n Roll Rest*ur*nt for Em*nuelle's l*st night. We met * very cute Austri*n girl n*med Victori ...

... night, and no more than 100rs per meal, 300rs per day including all meals and extras. I think this is definatly possible, even with the pound being weaker now. Before I left, a pound got you 80 rupees, but as of a few days ago it is only 70 rupees. Well not much for this one, as I was in Kollam for less than 48 hours, but in the morning I am going to hit the waters again and take the scenic route up to Alleppy by ferry. Takes 8 hours to go 70km. Fun in the Sun.

... hotel is pleasant but we are staying in the room normally reserved for a guide or driver. We are closest to the sea and get the sea breeze. It is brutally hot, and the back rooms are stifling. When Lisa opened her door, I could feel masses of hot air coming out. We also have a small covered porch where we can put our chairs when it rains. The other buildings are made of brick with tile roofs, and ours is made of wood ...

... and traveled to India to bury her past and start a path to a new beginning. In the mornings, I'd stroll into the shop and join the gang for chai. At night, I'd head there after dinner with the Ashram people, and we'd talk into the late hours about anything from Indian culture to American politics. I ended up picking out a tiny gem stone (moon stone) and within a few hours they made me a pendant that will always remind me of my time spent in Varkala. In all my years ...

... for the following nights. a very nice little resort just outside of town offering bargain off season prices for a room, all food and massage combo. they were very quiet - hence the reduction. to the point the owner offered us a few extra nights to keep him company - nothing dodgy i might add - but he enjoyed our jokes, but we declined and got the flock out of there as one shepherd said to the other. they also may have wanted to practise their ...

... waiting in the pitch dark). In the evening we had a very disappointing meal of something that was supposed to be Aloo Gobi, but bore no relation to anything we've ever had under that name before. Still, one good thing the guesthouse owner had done for us was to to find us a backwater houseboat for today (apparently most of the boats are booked up because christmas is such a popular time to do it) so we're leaving ...

... structure but mostly because it was built in the early 1900s after the original burned down. I didn't make it into the palace itself because I hadn't given in my camera. Oh well. There was a museum on the grounds as well that was interesting and had many of the artifacts left over from the Majarajan rulers. Unfortunately, we had to check our shoes in at the palace door so walking over to the museum was one of the most painful experiences of my life. The ground was boiling ...