Another Kind of Massage

i decided it was a good time and place to experience my first massage. i was on a beautiful beach, massages offered all around, and kerala is infamous for ayurveda. so i found a reputable place, and returned 1 1/2 hours later as scheduled, anxiously awaiting the medicinal oils. i had heard accounts of them and was mentally prepared, but that turned out to be a false confidence.

"take off clothes," requested the petite indian ayurvedic doctor preparing to massage me. she spoke enough english to communicate instructions.
"all of them?" i modestly asked. she nodded. i waited a moment for her to leave the premise or hide behind a curtain, or somehow dim the natural light shining through the windows for privacy. i realized she that was not in the plan. there i awkwardly stood, my nakedness unapologetically revealing itself awaiting further instruction.

"sit here." she motioned to the wooden bed. i sat suddenly aware of every imperfection on my body, but the masseuse professionally ignored my thoughts.
as she dumped the herbal oil concoction on the crown of my head, i could feel it trickle down my neck and the earthy, musty scent filled my nostrils. a hand motioned for me to lie back onto the table. i automatically crossed my arms over my body to try to dress it as best as i could, but the shield did not last long. my arms were removed from their intentional strategic placements, slathered with oil and massaged in a precise brisk pattern 1 by 1, moving to each section of the body, leaving little untouched. i closed my eyes to allow myself to relax. i had already committed. my only choice was to surrender my pride and modesty. it was silly to hold onto it.

before i knew it, the hour was up, and i was nearly asleep. i was relaxed. it was all good.

The Mirrored Salwar

after our time in the ashram, we headed to the closest beach, varkala. it is a small but beautiful beach with clifftop views, restaurants and guesthouses. there were many tourists, sure, but it was a nice contrast and a pleasant place to ease our way back into the world.

on the path to my hotel, i passed 5 basically identical stalls of sarongs, scarves, clothes and ankle bracelets. and they were mainly run by interns. at 6-7 years of age, these interns were programmed well. not a time went by that i could quietly walk past w/o requesting me to "take a look, madam". politely refusing their usual tactics each time not wanting to give them false hope in my cheapness, i eventually caved. i went to take a look. and i did find a scarf i was truly interested in, so i bargained per protocol. not wanting to sell it at my offering price, i began to walk away. so they began bargaining with themselves until they came to my offering price.

but before making the final sale, i requested a mirror to try it on. before the young intern could retrieve one, his grandmother lends her left arm my direction where i noticed my reflection (with scarf) was a mosaic on her sleeve. with a genuine laugh shared by all 3 of us, and the rest of the family in the audience hoping for a sale, how could i refuse? THAT was a sales tactic i had not seen before!

Life in the Ashram

Om namo narayanaya...these sanskrit words (a chant for world peace) along with "jaya ganesha", "om namo sivaya" cannot seem to leave my head. chanting them daily morning and evening left them occupying my thoughts. at first they were a bit irritating, but these singing chants grew on me...the whole group singing together, drumming away, jingling the tamberines, good voices, bad ones, good rhythm, bad rhythm. i could not understand the meaning of the sanskrit, but the intention behind it all was a bit intoxicating.

but after nearly 2 weeks in Sivananda ashram in the sw kerala, we were excited to hand in our official exit passes and be on our merry way, back into the temptations and pleasures of the outside world. it was a nice change of pace being in the ashram however. basically all decisions were made for us via the daily schedule. there was no deciding "where do we go next?", "how long should we stay?", "where should we stay?", "how do we get there?", "what should we eat?" each day was similar: early morning rise and shine, satsung (meditating and singing chants), yoga, brunch, karma yoga (chores), lecture and free time, yoga, dinner, and satsung.
it felt great to slow down and recenter, taking time to process the people, places, faces, sights, and sounds over the past few months, and discussing anything and everything as the mood struck with fellow travelers. doing more yoga in 2 weeks than i have ever done, my body felt great...longer, taller, and happier.

PHOTOS (from Karnataka and Kerala)

okay, sorry it has been awhile. you can check this website for updated photos (i apologize, the last website i left would not get you very far, but try these):

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/coffeewithkatie/IndiaMysore#
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/coffeewithkatie/IndiaCoorgRegionMadikeri#
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/coffeewithkatie/IndiaKerala#

i hope you all are great! thanks again for reading and browsing!

Farming Mishap and Happy Little Trees

we were excited to reach our first wwoof farm. the description sounded lovely and simple enough at paradisa resort. resort? hmm, not exactly what we had in mind, but optimistic, we carried on. organic spice and coffee plantation adjacent to the tiger reserve. housing in dorms and tents. the prospect of it was all very romantic. and it WAS very beautiful, relaxing setting and location. then we met the owner. i, being the single female, was housed in a high-end room next to the owner who knocked on my door multiple times a day/eve and invited me over for cocktails. clue #1. straight, simple answers were difficult to come by. what time do we meet in the morning? where do you sell the coffee we are picking? why are we tossing organic coffee into paint and motor oil cans that you can still smell the chemicals radiating from? we awkwardly showed up at hours we thought might be reasonable to eat gourmet food in a corner of the kitchen where we were served by staff. receiving special treatment felt uncomfortable. the fellow harvesters were kind, friendly and hard workers, however, i got the impression they had no idea who we were or why we were there. unsure of the entire operation and unconvinced we were exchanging valuable help or information, we left after 3 days.

in need of renewing positive energy, we will be heading into the hills to holistically rejuvenate our beings at an ashram, working on a different kind of (yoga) tree. tomorrow will begin a new year in positions my body may or may not like. perhaps i will comfortably be able to touch my toes in a couple of weeks!

a very hap hap happy new year to you all and a free mind, body, and soul!

Happy Holidays!!

We arrived in Cochin (the main city in the sw state of kerala). we spent a majority of the time catching up on things we had been needing to do, and taking in the more european/christian-influenced state. and because of this influence along with being coastal, the cuisine is slightly different and delicious, incorporating meat and fish. so we thought it would be fun to take a cooking class here. it turned out to be more of a demonstration, but still was fun to see an experienced cook prepare local fish curry and veggie dishes with coconut, and chapati (flat-bread), and to take home some ideas. the best part was indulging at the end. we headed a bit south for the holidays.

i guess i should be getting used to creating new holiday traditions in the nontraditional sense as i am not often home for the holidays working as a nurse. but that does not mean i do not miss them. a good chunk of our celebration was spent discussing how we would be celebrating the holidays at home. "okay, so what would you be doing right now?" is a question that has come up quite frequently the past few days. and while christmas has lost its religious value for me and gift giving has vastly downsized, the spirit of being surrounded by family and friends, kicking back watching christmas vacation and the christmas story, listening to cheesy christmas music, taking on my dad in our biannual ping pong match (and often losing), listening to the off-key "i said the donkey" at midnight mass on christmas eve trying to hold in my laughter so that i do not draw too much attention to the scent of alcohol on my breath, and eating until i cannot eat anymore makes me a bit homesick.

but the holidays have treated us quite well. with the christian influence here in kerala, christmas is present more than most areas of india. we "splurged" and stayed at a guesthouse ($10/night) along the backwaters adn spent christmas eve and christmas in the sunny, humid heat to spend two lazy days lounging, reading, strolling, canoing, and feasting on traditional indian fare in a small village. the family is fantastic, and so were the other travelers. we got a big kick out of the fireworks the family set off and evern moreso, the christmas carolers complete with drums, trumpets, and a wildly dancing santa with a red-face/white beard mask. it's a hoot!

the backwaters is a beautiful place, but environmentally speaking is a bit sad to experience. it is easy to imagine serene waters in the not-so-distant past with sporatic hand-made wooden canoes powered by good old fashioned manual paddles transporting locals from place to place, and healthy birds feeding on healthy fish, and the waters providing a source for food, bathing, laundering, and perhaps even drinking. while most of these traditions and aspects are still fulfilled, the "health aspect" has been corrupted by increasingly polluted waters encouraged by travelers like us who increase the demand for large houseboats, thus filling the waters with the sounds and waste of motors. and despite the pollution, the waters are still used for such practical purposes of food, bathing and rice paddy farms. our host family, for instance, informed us that they farm "organically", the way their ancestors did without chemicals. but the pollution in the waters that they flood their paddys with counteracts their efforts.

in any case, the backwaters remains a beautiful and mostly tranquil space with a tight and open community of villagers who have remained for generations. i also found it interesting that this remote area, being quite well-educated and using traditional techniques, is self-sustaining, growing its own food, fishing, and exporting rice, (and now tourism) as its main source of income. they are quite aware of the increasing pollution of the houseboats, and are able to flush the backwaters with sea water periodically, but it still cannot keep up with the quantities infusing into it daily. and that which is flushed out goes somewhere, and that somewhere is the ocean. they are doing their best, and the tourism supports their income. so what is the answer? who knows? tangeant done.

and so today we are heading to our first farm a bit inland near a tiger reserve. it is on a coffee and spice plantation. easing our way into the farming scene, we will probably be harvesting coffee. it will be a nice change of pace to be in one place for a couple of weeks...working on an organic farm.

I Hear That Train A Comin', Comin' Round The Bend...

i generally enjoy traveling by train. the gentle rock of the train and the rhythm of the chug chug chug soothes me to sleep. trains can be the most comfortable way to travel in india...or perhaps the least. we hopped a train to Cochin (the largest city in the southwestern-most state of kerala). what a trip! it is cheap, sure! i did not sleep a wink over the course of the 9 hour night train ride. we rode second class unreserved b/c that was the only available. it cannot possibly be that bad, right? hmmm, i think i might have to argue that one, although i am glad on some level that we experienced it...once. i have gained a whole new level of respect for those who travel this way more than once. they are way more self-disciplined than me.

when the train arrived, we forced our way onto the crowded car, and luckily found an empty bench on the top/second tier. meant for 3 people, meg, tim, and i fit perfectly. but it does not work that way. each 3 person bench squeezed 4-5 people on, and each stop brought more passengers, piling on the seats, and spilling into the aisles. people were sitting on the ground, standing, and intertwined on the seats trying to find a position comfortable enough to settle into. my body was not quite able to find that position, however. maybe i can dangle my legs (but then they are hanging in people's faces). okay, i will sit cross-legged (but there isn't enough space). i will try hugging my knees (but the bar my feet rest on is digging into my heels and the bar between my buttocks isn't super cozy). i got it. i will sit on my shoes and rest my feet on the bench across from us. damn, i can only reach with my toes. i hope that roach does not scurry over this way. and that was the extent of the night, repeating itself in a predictable cadence. once we arrived in Cochin, we found a clean guesthouse, and the best night's sleep i have had in weeks!