Holiday Home Resort Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

... rest in Savasan - Corpse Pose

=============
Balance Postures
=============

Asana 10 - Kakasan - The Crow
squat on haunches
plant hands in front, fingers spread slightly inward
bend elbows slightly, rest knees on them
looking forward ...

... flopped down on my side with my hand caught underneath, pressed against my ribs, thumb bent an unhappy direction. I'd been smitten down for athletic blasphemy in Ganesh's house of worship. I should have known the consequences of making him angry.

My thumb was sore to press but didn't swell up much, and its mobility was partially but not completely limited so my guess was that it may have ...

Varkala Beach We weren't expecting much from Varkala, at least not up to par with the beauties of Southern Thailand. We had some time to kill waiting for Ana's friend Linda to come to India and then Ana and Linda are going to do a week in an ashram while I wait for them. My only stipulation was that I be close to a beach so I have something to do for a week all by my lonesome. It turned out to be a blessing as Varkala beach is an exceptional place. I usually spend about 12 dollars ...

"Kerala" every one says, "you must go, it is beautiful". Yes they are right you must go and it is beautiful. I get to this little resort in Kerala called Varkala, there is not an Indian person in sight there are little hotel cottages and hammocks and the beach is very carribean and the sea is warm and the food is all fresh seafood and salads and under the table booze. I think that I shall stay ...

... to the end of a 3 and a half week trip. We arranged to meet them for drinks that night and me and Lydia spent the rest of the day on the beach. Had the probably our best dinner yet that night in "The Funky Art Cafe". It was swordfish wrapped in banana leaf with a load of spices and rice. We had good craic with Rory and Dee on the Monday night. He's from Tallaght and she's from Templeogue ...

... Indra was said to have been purified at the spot where the temple now stands, hence Suchindram - suchi meaning purity. It is popular belief that the God Indra still pays a visit to the temple and performs the Ardhajama pooja every night. While non-Hindus and foreigners are permitted inside, men have to take off their shirts. Nor are any electronic items - hence photography - allowed inside. The temple complex is ...

... landscape and the bright colors of the women's saris, it was a constant festival for the eyes. Tourism is a big push in this area now and has already created change - more people, more lodging, more shops, more roads. And yet, it hasn't matured and so you get Kerala as it is. These villages and towns are very much unchanged except with the natural progress of life and the world - cars, television, cell phones, and iPods seem to be the coveted material items ...

... a big rambling Indian bus. We were ever so pleased that the breaks on the little car were in good shape. A 4 lane super hiway connects Mysore to Bangalore. 4 lanes for traffic means about 10 lanes across if you include busses, autos, rickshaws, walkers, bicycles, and oxen-driven carts - all which share the same road. It's a constant Indy 500 (pun intended). It's best to assume you will live and not ...

... India for five weeks. My plan, book into an Ashram and stop for a while. I didn't know anyone that had spent time in an ashram, and I didn't know if it was a bit of an extreme thing to do. But I did my research and booked a bed for two weeks (URL: http://www.sivananda.org/neyyardam/ashr am.html)

... arrive back from her European tour. The view from our room is spectacular, looking over the backwaters of Kerala and palm trees for as far as the eye can see. Across the hall, the rooms look over the west coast at the Indian Ocean. We were very quickly accepted into the ashram community and by the time we had finished our first dinner, we had agreed to come the next morning to volunteer at the western cafe, serving breakfast to indidividuals who didn't care for free rice ...