Circle Manor Kerala

... morning to the before dawn prayer that lasts 15 minutes). I go see the local caves, which turn out to be overpriced and super crowded, much to my dismay (after climbing a mountain for an hour), so I return and try to go to the Wayanard Reservation (again overpriced). I arrive only to see it's also super crowded, so again I did not enter and after talking to the warden, he advises me to come at 6:30.

The ...

... India. By now I have become accustom to this country, though some things I find silly and strange. Like filling up cars full of people, anywhere from 10-15 people shoved in a car Some unfortunate souls do not even get a seat on top of someone, so they simply hang outside the cars, gripping for sheer life around the hairpin curves, coughing up exhaust. Some other things I have also learned is that every vehicle has been blessed with a God name written in cheerful ...

... water is feeding into the nearby river). A few local families lived in the area (altho' many of the homes are so small and inconspicuous that you can hardly see them behind the shrubbery) and their fathers and sons were filling up small canoes with the fish caught. I took a few children to the local 'shop' to buy them some pens and little chocolate bars - they were all so cute! I was to learn here that coir (coconut fibre),copra (dried coconut meat) and cashews are loaded ...

... l* h*s its office *nd f*rm ne*r K*ik*tty. The F*rm sells squ*shes *nd j*ms of fruits like pine*pple, or*nge, p*ssion ...

... it was all over very fast. We were invited to stay and sit with Amma on stage for awhile and we stayed there until we were asked to leave about twenty minutes later. Most people feel a temporary high energy rush when they meet her but i really just felt her strong presence of love the whole time we were close to her. A little bit dazed and confused and vague in the brain. We had drunk love shots from Amma's bar. Considering we had waited such a ...

... beautiful garden. Last night walking home from dinner we found a mass of fireflies flashing and twinkling in a field and up in the trees. It was amazing. Haven't seen so many before and it was quite magical. They illuminated the trees like Christmas trees and we stood like children in front of them. We've hired a couple of push bikes to get around and spent today ...

... up small cooking fires; there was a very large lamp in the main room of the boy's hostel; the temple office was doing a roaring trade in receipts but no Vinod and no teachers. Then the excitement rose when the jungle drums announced the arrival of the temple elephant, figuratively speaking - the Temple Drummers had clearly been at it for hours. The star of the show was not inside the temple precinct, however; they did try but he was too tall to fit below the banner. Instead he ...

... in a few days. Love you All JAI MA JAI MA!!! I'm back for a few minutes at least. The computer that I'm on won't let me upload pictures. I may not get a chance to upload until after I leave here. I will probably stay here a week or two. Amma leaves in early October probably around the same time I'll check out. It is pretty cool weather here. There has been lots of rain, having caught the tail end of monsoon season. I got ...

... relaxation in very hot temperatures! We had a beach hut about 5m from the sea in a secluded cove! Spent the next 5 days swimming, reading, sleeping and tanning! Palolem was not that busy which was great for us and not too full of package holiday tourists! Then took an overnight train which was crowded, small and over an hour late! Then a very scary bus, rammed with locals and a very fast driver! It ...

... haunt of hippy stayed-too-long-timers with a penchant for Bob Marley and polyester sarongs that the locals laugh at. Finally inland for a brief tour up the backwaters (get there before The God of Small Things becomes a Julia Roberts movie!) and then three days in Fort Cochin, a port town with Dutch colonial architecture, iconic Chinese fishing nets, and a rich religious heritage incorporating a gorgeous Jewish synagogue and several Asyrian Christian churches