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Right, this could be the last message I write for a while, tomorrow we are heading for Neyyar Dam, near Trivandrum, to enrol in the Sivananda Yoga Ashram for two weeks.

Unfortunately we are only allowed out on Sundays, so you will have to hang on for a weekly update - though I'm sure it will go on at great lengths about all the wierdos I meet! (That is, unless I cannot handle the 5.30 wake-up - in which case the update may come much sooner!!)

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmm

Day 53 - Verkala

Last day in Verkala and the weather is glorious. I've spent most of the day sat in a german bakery working my way through their book collection and getting jittery on milk-coffee.

It is still quite quiet here in Verkala - have discovered this is mainly due to an outbreak of mosquito-born Chikungunya (or chicken-gunky disease as we call it) in Kerala. Turns out the main hotspot is Alleppey - dur, guess that was why not many travellers were there, why does no one tell us these things?! Seems the whole thing is slightly exaggerated, but they are giving the full works here - mosquito coils, zappers, nets, incense, you name it. So anyhoo, when I awoke this morning with a rash on my face and upper arms, visions of being struck down with chicken-gunky disease gave me the complete be-jeebies... until I remembered I'd bought a new wrap the day before and worn it to dinner. Yeah, guess it was washed in something that I'm somewhat allergic to (poor, sensitive me), hence rash. Whew! Narrow escape (I do have a tendency toward hypochondria when it comes to tropical diseases - let me not even start about the time I was slavered on by a skanky greek dog, and the ensuing rabies-paranoia). Good news is that Chicken-gunky is not fatal, merely excessively painful and yukky... great.

Today is party night in Verkala. Each restaurant has told us, nudge nudge wink wink, that they are having a party with live music - but sssh, it's a secret. Due to strict Keralan licencing laws, pretty much no bars or restaurants have a license - cocktails come in innocent glasses (it's fruit juice - honest) and beer occasionally, and hilariously, comes in teapots. So, I can't quite see how they're going to pull off the all-night drinking without the cops noticing, to be honest. Still, I will attend - it may be amusing!

Day 52 - Verkala

Well, not much to update, apart from that this place is still lush. Finally got round to uploading a few photos...

The girls in Palolem:

Me and Lisa on a looocal bus (looking a bit ikky - it was a long day of local bus travel in hoot weather - ok?)

Cruising down the Keralan backwaters (note embarrasing umbrella to hide from sun)

Some general touristy photos:

Some more at my photobucket site

Day 51 - Verkala

It's official - we've found heaven on earth, it's in India and it is called Verkala (ok - this may be sliight exaggeration, but after the last few roach infested pits this really is nice!)

We went a bit crazy getting here from Kollam, and tried to do it the cheapest way possible - i.e. local buses. The first was fine, but it dropped us off in some random town where no-one spoke any English, and we had to catch another bus to Verkala town. Luckily we managed to find the elusive bus and haul our bags on - but the bus ride was the most humerous to date. All the ladies packed into the front whilst the men packed into the back (definite gender divide), and every time we stopped people would squeeze off, and others squieeze on to take their place. We parked ourselves and our rucksacks in the aisle, and spent the whole ride being thrown forwards or backwards like a sketch in some exaggerated old black-and-white comedy (to the great hilarity of all the cheerful ladies we kept cannoning into). By the end we were clinging, white-knucked, onto seat backs, and almost cried with happiness when the conductor finally told us that it was our stop. Then it was a rickshaw ride up to the accomodation we had randomly chosedn from the Lonely Paranoid. Needless to say said accommodation was grottsville - but across the way was the perfect Kerala Bamboo Village, with huts for 300R per night, and the rest is history.

Verkala is next to the sea, and the bit we are staying in is on a slightly touristy stretch perched on the cliffs overhanging the looong sandy beach. We are staying in a Bamboo hut in aformentioned 'village'. These aren't the grimy, tumbledown type - nooo, these are really classy bamboo huts - pristine showeroom, posh wooden furniture, little porch with a candle and comfy wicker chairs. We are also in a prime location on the cliff top, sandwiched between restaurants and beautiful little shops. In the morning we stop off at sunset cafe for their special 40R deluxe breakfast, then you can potter along to the beach, or go and sit in a cafe and read (lots of bookshops too). In the evening all the restaurants lay the daily catch out on tables infront and vie for your attention (yesterday I had barracuda, and Lisa blue marin, v. tasty indeed!).

We are here for 4 days or so, after which we will head south to Trivanandum then a short Bus trip to Neyyar Dam where we will start the yoga course.

Sod greece, I'm coming here for my summer holidays next year!

Day 49 - Kollam

Well, we're really back in India now. Kollam is a busting, friendly southern town somewhere between Alleppey and the capital of Kerala, Trivanandum.

We arrived here last night after our all day cruise along the Keralan backwaters. The cruise was nice - 8 hours of palm trees, water-side huts, women washing their clothing and thousands of ducks (saw the first Duckherd - the man was cadjoling about 100 quacking ducks down the waterway with the aid of a bag on the end of a pole). The boat was full of rich Indian tourists who took more photos than us, and a few travellers who had obviously just arrived in india (pale skin, clean clothes, dazed expressions). We stopped briefly at Amma's ashram, and breathed a sigh of relief that we weren't visiting - the 2000 people who reside on the little island do so by staying in a hideously pink block of grotty flats - not quite the twee huts we envisioned.

The boat dropped us off at Kollam Jetty at about 7, so we jumped on a rickshaw and booked into a dump (New Lacshmi Tourist home - poisonous showeroom, cockroaches as big as mice). We left the room sharpish, and wondered aimlessly looking for somewhere to eat. There are quite a few restaurants around, and they look pretty nice, but generally the moment we entered, a sea of male heads turned to look at us, at which point we invariably went "meep" and run away. We ended up eating in an airconditioned, curiously empty restaurant - All Spice (looks like Indias answer to Pizza Hut) - with the most inept waiters to date. Food was okish, but the bill was slapped on our table pretty much the second we ate the last mouthful (a strange eculiarity here in the South - I think they think they are being efficient), so we paid and left. The room was as bad as we remembered, so we turned the light off as quickly as possible and got an early night.

Today we had brekkie at the Indian Coffee House (for a taste of real india). We were undecided which room to sit in : The dark 'Ladies only' room? The empty middle room? Or (as we finally chose) the 'Ladies and their Families' room? Now we are leaving to pick up our bags. At 11.50 we are catching a local bus to the beach town of Verkala, which sounds very nice by all accounts - can't wait!

Day 47 - Alleppey

Here we are in Alleppey, base for boat trips across the Keralan backwaters (right). The train journey wasn't all that bad after all. We got to the station about 11pm and spent a couple of hours waiting for the train (suprise suprise - it was running late). The station was empty but for a few Indian guys, and a young english couple travelling to Cochin. Luckily the little station shop was open, so we sat sipping chai and watching cricket with the station master.

The train came about 2 (by which point we were a bit jittery due to excessive amount of chai) and we practically had to run up to our carridge and leap aboard as the train barely stopped moving. The carridge was quite clean, and although it felt like we were on a prison train (bars), we could open the windows for fresh air. The train was full of families and a bunch of schoolgirls, a few guys too, but it felt like we were less of an exhibit than on previous journeys. We both slept well, and woke late the next day. Across from our birth there was another travelling couple, a family with a cute kid and a straaange man who insisted on chain smoking throughout the trip and kept whistling and clicking his tongue when he wanted to get someone's attention. The aisle was a steady stram of vendors, beggers, sweepers and performers ("CHAICHAICHAI", "cOOOOOOFFEEE", "CUTLEEETSS" - by the end we started fantasising about throwing chai seller, who went yelling past every five minutes without fail, out of the window with his darn tub of chai). At one point crazy man bought 2 bottles of foul smelling perfume from the perfume seller and proceeded to spray himself, his bag and everything in sight - from whence the fans spread the hideous smell carridge-wide - and I thought the cigarettes were bad! Luckily our window was a fire escape, so I was able to pull the bars up and hang out, gasping for air.

We got into Alleppey in total darkness at about 7pm. It must be quiet season at the moment, before even leaving the train we had several offers of rooms. At the station we were immediately offered a bargainous rickshaw ride into town - it did mean that the rickshaw driver tried to pursuade us to go to several hotels on the way (from which he would probably receive commission) but we stuck to our original plan - the Koralam Hotel (felt a bit guilty that the driver missed out on his commission, so left a nice tip - everyone is happy). The room was cheap, but spacious and with a shower that actually works, reliable power and (shock horror) a full length mirror. After a month of just seeing my face I wince at my bad tan lines, and grin cbecause it looks like I've lost a few pounds and am generally a bit brown (if somewhat freckly).

We went for a wonder, looking for a restaurant, and grinned at each other when it occurred to us that we were back in the real india - a sea of rickshaws, bicycles and inquisive Indian faces. No touristy cafes serving alternative cuisines, aried breakfasts and beer, no multitudes of Israeli pot-smoking travellers in skimpy clothing - it was kinda nice. We gave up on finding a restaurant so late, and headd back to the hotel restaurant. It vaguely resembled a canteen, and the fact that we received no cutlery. All I can say is it's a good job we practiced eating with our right hand. You try tearing chipatti only using one hand, or eating rice soaked with goo and getting it all in your mouth in a dignified, precise manner - its exceedingly tricky!

Good sleep, we left our room (dripping washing strung everywhere and fan on full blast) at about 11. Took us about an hour to find a cafe, then we had to resign ourselves to the fact that we would not be getting any muesli, fruit salad, or even toast. Chilli omlette, two cups of tea, water - grand total - 35p. We are now on a mission - book ferry to Kollam for tomorrow, explore, organise.

We want to stop off to visit one of Indias few female gurus, Amma, also called the 'hugging mother', whos darshan (blessing) consists of hugging thousands of people every day in mammoth hugging sessions. She apparently hugs for hours without sitting down, eating or going to the toilet. I fancy a hug (and apparently if you make a wish whilst she hugs you, it will come true - worth a try!!)

So that is the plan for tomorrow - we have to make sure that she is in residence first (she tours for 8 months a year).

Update: Nooo! Amma isn't here! What a shame. She is now on a tour of Europe and the USA - can you guess where she is at present? London, that's where!

London, Great Britain
October 10 -12
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, Ledrington Road, Crystal Palace. London SE19 2BB
* Info: Shanker Nair, Tel. int +44 207 603 6868 (6 pm to 9 pm),
eMail: shanker@amma.org.uk
http://www.amritapuri.org/yatra/europe.php

So, if you around, give her a hug for me!