Snakes in the undergrowth

Varkala - Kerala

Varkala beach - Kerala

 We headed to Varkala to spend some time with two friends from home. They have been running personal development and yoga holidays for nine years now, at this relaxed beach town on a cliff top over looking the Arabian Sea. We arrived with our friends from the Ashram - A- a young woman from California had asked if she could join us in our travels to Varkala and on to Pondicherry. She had been travelling for a month with her Mum (since returned home), for a while on her own and then had arrived, just before us, at the ashram. She is a gorgeous 18year old - a wise and spirited girl - she reminds me a lot of my daughter, born with their generations inner confidence and wisdom. She had practice yoga and ayurveda for years, had her own teachers at home in Berkley California and very much her own practice. She occassionally dropped into a couple of yoga sessions a week at the ashram but regularly went to Satsang - using the ashram as a safe place to rest for a while and practice her own graceful yoga. She had been finding single travel difficult and we were happy to have her along for a while. 

A2 another young woman, from Chile - also come to Varkala with us - as did a French Canadian couple, I and P, from Quebec. A2 and A stayed in a nearby hotel, Clare and I with our friends in their luxury pad, as B had managed to negotiate a fantastic rate for us! Turns out B is quite terrier like in her determination to get good prices for everything from rickshaws to day-long treks in the jungle - we became quite dependent on her skills, looking to her every time we went anywhere. B was exasperated with us and exhausted too - its such hard work! but she saved us a fortune. I wish some of her doggedness had brushed off but I'm afraid not. 

Clare says she is fed up with the wheeling and dealing that has to be done here, in every interaction with anyone the game has to be played. Every aspect is designed to freak out the english middle class. - the seller always acts distraught at the price you offer, sending us into a emotional guilt edged whirlpool. He then claims he or she will make no profit, saying that in their shop they have good prices and never discount or barter, more guilt and self reproachment - we try hard to keep these emotional responses hidden, only betrayed by a shifty shoulder droop or broad smile through clenched jaw. The sorrowful, even pained expression on the shopkeeper/ guides face appears so quickly and apparently genuinely that I am constantly impressed, I would award oscars. All comes to an end as a price is agreed and we find that we can indeed get the sale for half the original offer price despite all protests and grimaces and in fact the dealer is more than happy to have done business with us - then leaving us thinking we have still been ripped off... not really surprising that Clare has had enough. I have taken a break from it all whilst Bo has been around and am psyching myself back into the groove (for which I thank Bo and appreciate the effort she put in and her teaching(failed)). I am hoping to relax and remember that the signals coming my way are nothing more than an improvised game, all an illusion and to handle myself slowly, gracefully and with a steely determination to get the best deal possible. TII is B and S acronym for life here - THIS IS INDIA - relax and go with the flow for goodness sake!

on the beach first night - already a beach dance organised by Bo and Sanjay - with Bo, Amber and Augustina.

I was keen to spend some time with B as I have been unable to see her much at home recently, so Clare, who I know is not keen on beach sitting agreed kindly to delve more deeply into 'The God of Small Things' whilst I tried to reconnect with my neglected friend. We spent five nights in Varkala before escaping the humidity and heat. B wanted to come too and we jumped at this opportunity to get her on her own - away from family and work. (We missed S, and the children so much though and B nearly cried at the sight of a tap named after R - within 2 hours of leaving her babies behind!)

B posing by the plastic Elephant heads at Raja Park Hotel

B, S and the children were feeling the strain of the end of a group when we arrived. The yoga holiday was just coming to an end and their group was dispersing, S looked grumpy and tired but B was welcoming and seemed relaxed. It wasn't long before we saw the zestful and spritely S jump back into his full entertaining persona. It had been hot and humid for days and the work they do is quite demanding -  they have created a great life for themselves and their children - spending 4 months every year here in India. The children have their own tutor and are as familiar with mongooses as with rabbits, equally at home in the crashing waves of the Arabian Sea as the country lanes of rural Wiltshire. 

I love these two for their high energy, their zest for life, their thoughtful approach to life and their willingness to look beyond the superficial. We had fun with them in Varkala as I expected, and I feel closer to B again - Hoorah! B and I spent a few nights sharing a room and did that rare sort of talking where it doesn't really matter if you are making any sense or not, you can chat away freely! Going to try and see more of you in the summer.....

In Varkala we ate well, carried on with our yoga and got very hot, we swam in the increasingly wild sea every afternoon. We went to a wildly Indian Temple Festival and got entranced by the elephants bedecked in all their temple finery, the little girls all dressed up in their fancy pants dresses and flowery headresses to offer the family prasad to the goddess Durga - this is the job for the youngest girl in the family and they looked a very fine too. The boys and men had the job of heaving two enormously high sky scraping structures three times around the inner shrine in lieu of the elephants. This involved hundreds of men, for the largest structure and hundreds of boys for the smaller one, all shouting and heaving and running and pulling and holding onto huge ropes to prevent the disaster that would be if this structure fell over. Quite an exhilerating show of masculinity, as only the men here can do - great team work and a huge, lively and fun energy generated in all this frolicing! Thank goodness for the goddess Durga - who represents stepping into vulnerability or fear. 

people all looking soooo serious...

trumpet man

more serious people

Bella elephanta

Youngest girls in the family get to give the family offerings to the goddess Durga at this festival - so they are dressed up in very fine flowers and dresses. 

People looking like they are having a cool time

Waiting for the action...

THE ACTION Here the guys lift this huge tower high above their heads and carry it precariously around the temple 3 times. The tower is at least 30 feet high - couldnt get it all in the picture - ropes are held by strong chaps in an attempt to keep it from toppling and it didn't but it looked possible most of the time!

There is me trying to get in on the picture - this beautifully breasted creature was having none of it - too right!

Rather a cute Kathkali dancer who entertained us for hours as we waited for the elephants to tour around the streets of Varkala

my favorite friends - as the 5 giant elephants came through the main gate the eldest of these 5 brothers - thats him at the back looking serious - pulled all his younger siblings back making sure they were safe, they all listened to him too. I was touched by the scene - then we had some fun! Elephants are quite feared here, respected at least for their potential to make mince meat of us I suppose, people get out of their way and were making sure we did too.