Ayurvedic Bliss?!

As part of the 3 weeks itinerary, Stella and I had decided to indulge in a 7 day Ayurvedic retreat. Ayurveda is the knowledge or science of life and is a natural way to treat the body. Similar to Chinese medicine or other alternative health treatments, Ayurveda uses natural remedies to enhance overall well-being. After consulting with an Ayurvedic Dr (Rama Prasad) in Sydney on what are the best treatment centres in Kerala, on his recommendation we pre-booked Vaidyagrama, a purpose built Ayurvedic “healing village”. We figured if we were going to get treatments, we may as well get the real deal. There are loads of places offering a range of treatments in Kerala, mostly geared towards the tourist market so they consist mainly of oil massages. Not that there is anything wrong with that, as 7 days of oil massages is my idea of heaven, but given we wanted to experience something more authentic and tailored to our own individual needs (and we trust Rama's opinion) we booked into our “healing village”.

The garden at our village, fully sustainable, everything is used for either medicine or food

Ayurevdic treatments are known for their purification purposes, however it is the full panchakarma treatment where the benefits really occur. This is typically a 3 week program of everything from therapeutic vomiting to enema's....fun stuff! Unfortunately (or fortunately!) we only had time for 7 days which would be more like a rest and relaxation package. Bliss. Or so we thought, or was that maybe hoped. We checked in on our first day with a brief visit with the residing Dr, a consultation based around why we were here and what all our ailments were. The clinic was quite full (23 other “patients”) so we were unable to receive our first treatment that evening but tomorrow, it would begin. Awesome, oil massages daily, I can not wait. We had no idea what else to expect so waited dutifully for our schedule, or routine (the ashram had trained us well) but to our surprise, there really wasn't one. Morning and evening prayers were at sunrise and sunset and then the day was free to relax. Our room was very spacious, clean and even remotely modern. It appears they had just completed building our section and construction was underway for another 3 blocks, obviously this place was successful. But, back to our schedule, or lack there of.

Our first day Stella had her first treatment (oil massage) in the morning and we both began our prescription of herbs or “medicine” that we were to receive up to 4 times per day. I had the entire day to fill in before my treatment in the late afternoon. Now this place is secluded, away from any towns or villages or so it seems other life. Great when you are healing. But with no common area, just our room and a verandah to hang out on, what on earth were we to do for an entire 7 days? I was starting to get a little concerned....7 days of nothing. Sitting around, maybe reading a book, listening to my iPod, and then what? Thank god we had not booked in for the full 3 week program, this was going to drive me nuts! But by the third day, I came to appreciate the space, the time, the silence. I feel like most of my life I had felt I never had time to do everything I wanted to, and now I had it and I was lost. The mind is funny though, after 2 days of complaining, it started to realise we weren't going anywhere, so it may as like it or lump. So it started to shut up. Peace at last.

Our room for 7 days

 

The daily treatments did literally consist of medicine and an oil massage that was specifically concocted for us. A small Indian lady would come knocking at any point in the day and say “Fleur – treatment” and off you would toddle to the treatment room which consisted of a large beautiful carved wooden table. “Clothes all off!” she would indicate, and you did as you were told. She would then say “Sit please” and the treatment would begin as she poured warm delicious oil over your head and started to massage your scalp and face. After 45 min, your entire body was dripping in more oil that the colonel uses to cook his chicken, it was almost impossible to stay still on the table as you slipped and slid around. A warm bath from the little Indian lady and you were done. Dignity out the window, but feeling warm and fuzzy from inside to out.

So we are now into our final days of our Ayurvedic retreat, I am not sure it has been blissful, but it certainly has been interesting to slow down and almost come to a complete stop. Something I highly recommend. The place and people are absolutely amazing. The simple ayurvedic diet, well lets just say I am glad I am not staying for 3 weeks. The prayers each morning and evening are probably what I have enjoyed the most, the Dr sings in sanskrit for up to one hour and it is the easiest way to meditate and a lovely start or end to the day. You get used to the guy in the next room retching, or the incredibly off key om's, and the daily herbal medicines, and you come to look forward to the guy who brings you water, and after you thank him every time says “don't mention it”. Or the lady who comes in the late afternoon to smoke our room (a natural disinfectant and mosquito repellent that smells faintly like incense) or the fact we got to attend the annual pooja – the ceremony that honours the serpents of this land as the might of killed one or two in the building process – I could go on with all of the little things that make this week incredibly unique and experience I am sure not to forget.

From here, we are changing pace, or perhaps planets as we head to Mumbai on Monday and then Dehli and the infamous Taj Mahal later next week. Will keep you posted on our adventures!

1001 things to do before you die

I gave my sister a book once, entitled “1001 Things To Do Before You Die”. Like me, she has the travel bug so I thought it was a great gift. It is inspiring to read about all the amazing places in the world, or it can also be depressing as you realise you haven't even scratched the surface on this amazing planet. I decided to borrow it before I left so I could see what the recommendations were for some of the places I was planning on travelling to. In India, there was the obvious Taj Mahal amongst other historic sites and for Kerala, it listed the backwaters. Lonely Planet describes the backwaters of Kerala as the undisputed main attraction of India's far South but I had heard mixed reports on whether it was worth the effort or not. Some fellow travellers we had met along the way said it was a bit over rated, and somewhat touristy, but we thought we would make our way to Allepey the main port for back water tours and decide once we got there. We rang ahead and booked a hotel that sounded ok and made our first train journey of our trip. Three and half hours on a local train all for the princely sum of 44 Rupees (about $1 AUD). Bargain. The train journey is almost an entire story in its self, not for anything overly exciting for us, but more for the excitement for the locals on the train with us....I felt like a celebrity. Children stopped and waved, people greeted us hello, we were asked our name, where we were from, were we travelling alone? Where were our husbands (easy, at home playing cricket) and how much money did we earn? All completely acceptable and normal questions to ask a random stranger, or so it seems. But back to Allepey, and the infamous backwaters of Kerala.

The front proch our guest house

We arrived after dark and experienced our first ride in a rickshaw (this was turning out to be a day of firsts) with a driver who seemed to have no idea where he was going, we finally found the sign for our hotel. The driver, with no english and who previously didn't know where he was going, indicated we should follow him. So loaded down with our backpacks, we scampered out of the rickshaw and proceeded to follow this little man down a dark pathway that hugged the waterway. It was only after about 5 minutes that it even remotely dawned on me that not even 10 minutes ago this guys had no idea of where our hotel was, yet here we were, following him down a dimly lit path surrounded by water. Oh well, it would be fine. And fine it was, we arrived at our hotel that was perfectly positioned on the banks of the backwaters. Our host Jose was expecting us, and although we were late arriving, managed to rustle up a simple meal of omlette, toast and the most delicious milky tea. Perfect end to an interesting day. We arose the next morning with all intents of making use of the bamboo sit out that was perched over the waters and meditating as the sun came up. We found ourselves too distracted by the constant flow of boats that were passing, all shapes and sizes, and when the offer of breakfast and hot coffee arrived shortly after, the idea of meditation was completely gone as we settled into to watch the world go by. It did not take long before Stella and I looked at each other and said “we HAVE to go on one of those house boats!” So our host Jose, arranged a boat for the following day, we even got to see the one we would be on as it cruised past later that morning. Whilst it is quite an expensive experience for India, the $100 AUD we spent for 24 hours was money well spent.

Our hang out

Later that day, while perched on what became our favourite hang out, the bamboo sit out. A couple arrived at our hotel looking for a room – I looked at the guy, and thought, I know you...what are the chances of running into someone you know here though? But he turned around and for sure, it was Gav, Bec's old housemate from the UK. Who would believe it, checking into the same hotel. We caught up and arranged to meet for dinner that night. So nice to run into old friends and to meet new ones along the way.

We set off on our houseboat adventure mid morning the next day, we had a one bedroom boat complete with dining table and chairs, a TV, lounge chairs and an upstairs area with day bed. We spent the entire afternoon watching the scenery, our books nor conversation really could drag us away from the other boats passing by, the expansive open lake where we purchased fresh water prawns for dinner or the more narrow water ways where we were privy to village life. Women washing their sari's, men brushing their teeth, children bathing – the waterway providing a necessary source for the local villagers. The waterways were lined with palm trees and houses dotted the foreshore. The sun shining through the trees made for a truly magical experience as we watched local fisherman trawl for their daily catch. We moored late in the afternoon and after a snack of home made hot chips and steaming tea (Stella was as happy as a bird with a french fry) we took a wander around the local village area. As soon as we were spotted by the local children, the ran up to us “Pen,Pen!”. These kids were used to tourists and begging. Westerners are known for handing out pens to local children which is not actively encouraged, donating to a local school is a much fairer way of donating to these local communities. I much preferred the shy children on the train that were more interested in playing peek-a-boo with us. But that's what western tourism does for you I guess. As the sun set over the rice paddies, we made our way back to our boat for another delicious meal – I think I counted 7 different dishes this time! We could not wipe the smiles from our faces. Sorry fellow travellers, but I have to agree with the Lonely Planet on this one, and the Kerala backwaters is really one of the 1001 things to do before you die.

Ashram virgins

A trip to India would not be complete without a visit to one of the many ashrams that form part of the deeply spiritual and sometimes "interesting" beliefs and practices that exist in this country. Ashram's seem to draw a mix of people searching for the meaning of life, dedicated yogis who want to deepen their practice, curious travellers wanting to know what all the fuss is about and then a crowd that falls into the Gen Y bracket who covers all of the above.

The first challenge was deciding on which Ashram to visit on our short stay in Kerala - we had 2 main options which consisted of Sivananda Yoga which is known for it's hatha yoga and Amma's (otherwise known as Hugging Amma, one of India's few female guru's).  We opted for Sivananda, 1 to experience the yoga and 2, it seemed easy and close and fitted our rough plans nicely. Something that is important when travelling with limited time in India. I had been in contact with Sivananda prior to leaving as I was not sure if it was required to book, they had informed me that they were very busy during this time but they never turned away visitors. So we headed off to see what was it really like being part of ashram life.  It turns out, they were right. They were very busy.....close to 500 people were in residence when we arrived as they were hosting 200 teacher trainees all dutifully clothed in their uniform of yellow shirts and white pants. But they did not turn us away as promised, and offered us a make shift dorm which had been set up and asked - "Do you have yoga mats? Good, as they can double as your mattress."  Now, my yoga mat is like my best friend, I love my mat as I have spent so many hours on it, it has been there through good times and bad....but sleeping on it? Not sure I wanted to spend that much time on the 5mm thick piece of rubber. However, someone once said to me when travelling "adventure babe" which has become my mantra whenever I may hesitate a litte, and it seemed like this was a perfect moment to embrace my travelling mantra.  So we agreed that 3 nights on our yoga mats with a sheet, pillow and mosquito net would be a great adventure. As Stella said, it will be just like camping.

On arrival we were given our list of clear Ashram guidelines that ranged from the rigorous schedule to how to eat (with the right hand as left is used for hygiene purposes) and how to dress appropriately. Our day began at 5.20am by the first bell and at 6am all 500 of us made our way to the main hall for a morning meditation (30min) and chanting (30 min) and then talking (which was basically the Swami giving his daily lesson (30 min). The early starts did not really bother me as I am morning person but I did find the 90minutes of sitting in cross legs a small challenge, my month of limited asana practice prior to leaving was not such a good idea after all. We then had a quick chai (milky sweet tea) before heading off to our 2 hour asana class. I have never tried the Sivananda series and became quite accustom to the eye and neck exercises by the 3rd day. The sequence is quite structured but reasonably simple - except for the girl next to me who could manage full locust pose and peacock pose seemingly in her sleep (google them if you don't know, they are crazy!) 10 am a hearty breakfast followed by 11am Karma yoga (helping out in the ashram) 12.30pm optional coaching followed by 2pm lectures and a 3.30pm asana class - dinner at 6pm and then satsang (a repeat of the morning meditation, chanting series) from 8pm. Lights out by 10pm - which was no trouble as we were pretty tired after our gruelling schedule - so much from some R&R! At some point in the day, a rumour went around new mattresses had arrived, so we were fortunate enough not to have spend our first night on our yoga mats. Sorry mat, maybe next time.....

The grounds at the Ashram

Our 3 days continued much the same, the variation of yoga in the hall or by the lake was a pleasant change of scenery. One of the rules of the ashram was to not leave the ashram, so to get out was like being naughty school children. The ashram was located near a lion reserve so we were often blessed during meditation or class with the sounds of animals, however I am still not convinced it was not a group of locals standing out side imitating lions, or a group of people throwing up, or even people having sex...it really sounded more like that than real lions to me.  I did enjoy the routine of ashram life, having yummy meals cooked every day and the chance to practice asana twice a day a real treat. But I am not sure that this as a permanent life of existance is for this yogi, living yoga in my daily life, whilst much harder and filled with many more distractions, is also so much more fun. (So no need to worry mum!) 

We're in India

The first thing you notice about the budget airport in Singapore is the noise. It is a bustling and almost vibrant terminal that is not part of the main international terminals at Changhai Airport. The second thing you notice, is that we are the only white faces as far as the eye can see. Whilst we are still in Singapore, we are clearly already experiencing a taste for what it will be like once we actually land in India. A distinct minority. We happen to end up in a line next to the only other white faces in the airport, and funnily enough a family from Darwin.  But this is only the beginning of moments we start to fondly refer to as "we're in India". Moments that make you stop, maybe first get a little frustrated and then you find yourself smiling and saying "we're in India".  The time between frustration and smiling can vary, from a minute to a couple of hours, but ultimately you can find the amusing side in the idiosyncrasies that are India.

We arrived late on our first night so the taxi drive from the airport through the streets of Trivandrum was limited to glimpses of deserted streets and quiet lane ways, our pre-booked accommodation seemed very clean and adequate and the beach front location a bonus. Staying in Kovalam is really an easy sideways step into India, the beach side resorts, shops and restaurants all cater for the western tourist on vacation.  A day by the beach was not hard to comprehend as our first experience in India, enjoying the sunshine and getting a taste for what it might be like being a western women in a country where shoulders and legs are deemed provocative. Groups of India men also like to enjoy the sunshine, along with the views of western women that are sunbathing on the beach. They cruise the beach, ambling along, often hand in hand, and unashamedly try to cop a view. Not even a strategically placed sarong could deter them. Something you get used to is plenty of attention from the opposite sex. 

The beach is patrolled by guys dressed in police like  uniforms wielding red flags and whistles - it was almost like being at a  mardi gras parade except there where a few too many clothes. We pondered how the life guard in his full uniform could actually save anyone. We were soon to learn as the whistle blowing got louder and more urgent, the life guard began to strip down to his speedos and stride into the surf - it was getting more and more like mardi gras every minute.  A rush of people to the rescue and the youth was saved and the life guard returned to don his uniform and patrol the beach, whistle and flag in had - peace is restored on the beach until next time.

The beach at Kovalam