Elephant Festivals and Big Beaches
Trip Start
May 11, 2005
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Trip End
Ongoing
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Varkala,
Kerala,
India
Friday, February 20, 2009
There is very little night life here since alcohol is semi- illegal. Most places have it but its served in a tea pot with tea cups. That way if the police walk by everything looks kosher. One cafe did not even bother with tea pots they had a look-out that would whistle if they spotted the police. Everyone would put their bottles under the table. I can't believe the policemen are not wise to this..... I think it just comes down to who has payed the bribe and who hasn't.
I took 2 Yoga classes while I was here too. These hour and half session were pretty good until I pinched a nerve in my neck. I think this mishap is on the same scale as ping-pong or chess injuries. I am getting old! I will try again later. I'm keen to do it again and my bad knee could defiantly benefit from increased flexibility.
The next day Sue had to return to snowy England. Booooo! It was good to have travel partner for 2 weeks! That night I went for a sunset walk along the cliffs and stumbled upon a huge Indian festival honoring Shiva. There was a massive pink structure that was covered in all sorts of Hindu decoration. This thing was super heavy and was supported by two huge logs by which it could be carried. The only problem is that it weighed a ton. From what I could surmise, the object was to have all the men pick it up and circle the temple. It literally took hundreds of men to lift it. The whole process was a massive cluster fuck. One side would lift while the other side would get crushed. When it finally managed to get lifted, the thing tilted and swayed like it was going to fall.. More than once the crowed (including me) had to run away from the float or else get crushed to death. It was seriously amusing to watch this thing cirlce the temple in a drunken fashion.
A couple days later I ran into the Israelis (Roi and Leora) from the Ashram. We caught a tuk-tuk to check out yet another celebration of Shiva. This parade was complete with elephants, drumming troupes and elaborately dressed men. Some were dressed as Hindu gods but I can't be sure which ones since there are over 36 million.
Check out the photots!
