Ashram: Day 1

Today is my first full day at the Ashram. The schedule is rather strict and I can only imagine how tiring it will be both mentally and physically. It doesn’t help that we will only be served two veg meals a day, which are lacking in both portion and taste from what I’ve heard.  On a more positive note, I’m looking forward to experiencing life at an Ashram and saving money while I’m here (it’s only costing 500rs or $11 per day for all my classes, food, and accommodation).

My daily schedule:

0520 hrs	WAKE UP BELL
0600 hrs	SATSANG (Meditation/Chanting)
0730 hrs	TEA TIME
0800 hrs	ASANA CLASS (Hatha Yoga Class)
1000 hrs	BRUNCH
1100 hrs	KARMA YOGA (Selfless Work)
1230 hrs	COACHING CLASS (optional)
1330 hrs	TEA TIME
1400 hrs	LECTURE (On the philosophy of yoga)
1600 hrs	ASANA CLASS (Hatha Yoga Class)
1800 hrs	DINNER
2000 hrs	SATSANG (Meditation/Chanting)
2200 hrs	LIGHTS OUT

This is an scheduled posting which means I'm still at the Ashram with no internet access. - Simon

Halfway mark

Today marks the halfway point in my trip. I can’t believe it’s already been 45 days traveling around India.

I’ve met so many fascinating people on this trip, both from India and travelers from across the world. There was a group of nine of us who met in Goa that I will never forget. We ate, slept, drank, and traveled together for a month in south India.

To those who I’ve met in Mumbai, traveled with to Goa, met in Anjuna, sailed with through the backwaters of Kerala and to those who I will meet in the upcoming days/months cheers and thank you for all the memories past, present, and future.

-  Simon

Headed south, prepping for the Ashram

I’m headed back down south today after I had my little detour up to Kochin for a couple days. I arrived in Trivandrum (Kerala’s capital city) in the late afternoon after a rather uncomfortable and delayed, but cheap (200rs or $4.50), 5 hour train ride in sleeper class. I’ll be spending less than 24 hours here as I have to head for the Ashram tomorrow afternoon; I still have yet to figure out how I’m actually getting there.

Until then I’ll be enjoying my last little bit of freedom by eating meat, going sightseeing, and living like a tourist.

I probably won’t have access to the internet for anywhere between 7 to 14 days, depending on how long I stay at the Ashram for. But fear not as there will still be posts that I’ve written ahead of time and scheduled for every day starting tomorrow with a description of what my Ashram experience will entail.

This is me signing off with my last live post for a few days; I’ll continue writing as soon as I regain access to the internet. Wish me luck!

Link to my ashram's website: http://www.sivananda.org/ndam/

Killer Coconuts (Random missed post)

I have developed a new fear, one greater than my previous fear of hammoks, a fear of coconuts!

Someone once told me coconuts kill more people every year than sharks do. I have seen coconuts fall from high up in the trees a fair number of times over the past couple weeks. I had a close call in Palolem when a small coconut, about the size of a baseball, fell a couple feet from where I was sitting. They are so far up that by the time they reach the ground the combination of their size and velocity makes quite the impact, sometimes enough to kill someone if hit in the head.

I called home for the first time this morning, other then sorting out my insulin pump. I was talking to my parents on speaker phone when all the sudden, BANG! My back went numb for a minute, it took me a couple seconds to realize what happened. It was a coconut, the worlds most dangerous fruit.

The coconut that struck me is currently sitting in our room. I am planning my revenge, I will soon break it open and turn it into a pina colada.

Dancing, Cake, and Capitalism: Election Time

I had just finished checking some train details at an internet cafe when a huge crowd of cheering people with music and signs crowded me on the streets in Fort Kochi. I’ve gotten use to the rule of dancing first and asking questions later, so I joined the crowd of cheerful locals as we danced and cheered our way down the street.

The festivities were in celebration of the local independent party winning the in the state elections. I’m glad to be here when it happened as it is the first time in 30 years, according to the locals, that the communist party is no longer in power.

After dancing I got free cake, which also happened back in Mumbai, I have no idea what type of cake it was or how to explain its taste. Maybe it was influenced by the heart warming feeling of capitalism overtaking communism, but the cake was delightful.

Random train, hello Kochin

View from the train

I finished packing my bags by 8am and after grabbing my last meal in Varkala I headed off to the train station via rickshaw for 60rs ($1.50). I got a ticket for the first train leaving from the station; there was only one track so it made the decision that much easier. The station master found it amusing that I didn’t know where I was going and simply wanted the first and cheapest train ride out [the train only cost me 88rs (around $2), that’s less than a beer costs in most restaurants].

Just over three hours later we passed through Kochin, I decided to jump off as it is one of the larger cities in Kerala. Four people I had met back in Goa, two from Bolton uk and two from the prairies back home in Canada, had told me about the city a couple weeks ago so I thought it was worth a shot.

After scanning my guidebook for a brief second I decided to grab another rickshaw to Fort Cochin, the furthest part of the city which hosts most the historical sites.


Touts get a bad name: A tout is someone in India who makes money off tourists, usually by directing them to hotels, shops, restaurants, etc. After I arrived in Fort Cochin there was a tout waiting for me before I even got out of my rickshaw. He told me all the hotels on the street where full, which turned out to be true, and that he owned a home stay I could stay at instead. Thankfully I agreed to see it as it turned out to be an amazing place for only 350rs ($7) per night (a clean double bedroom, attached bath, common room with HBO... I hadn’t even see TV for over a month now!)

Departures: current and future

Sea-side view, a little walk from my bamboo hut

After eating a hearty breakfast at the Little Tibet restaurant I called the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram, the name is quite a mouthful, to check if they had received my email  and had any spots available for their courses starting on the first of November. The person who answered the phone spoke barley enough English to let me know that I could just show up on the 31st of October if I was content with living in the dormitories.

Helen and Ceri, the two British girls who I've been traveling with for a month now, are headed north to Chenni later today. They are working their way up to Mount Everest in Nepal. Before coming to India my plan was actually to do the same, but my visa got messed up and I received a single entry instead of a multiple entry, that means if I were to leave India I won't be allowed back in. I'm almost tempted to go to Nepal then work my way down through Thailand to Malaysia. It would be an expensive change in plans as the fees for changing my flights are ridiculous, but it still isn't completely out of the question.

For now, I'm spending tonight in Varkala then heading to the local train-station tomorrow morning without any tickets or set destination. The plan is to arrive with my bags packed and buy whichever ticket is available for a random city in Kerala, I'll figure out the details on the train-ride to the destination.

I'm back to solo travel for a bit which will take some getting use to. The random travelers I have met along the way in India have been great, especially the group from Evershine Guest House in Anjuna (you know who you are) who I traveled with for over a month.

Day 39: Ashrams and indefinite plans

Little Tibet Restaurant/Bakery

I met a girl yesterday that had just came back from the ashram in Kerala that I had emailed yesterday and was hoping to attend if they have space. The good news is it sounds like they have space as everyone is leaving sooner then they planned. The girl I talked to originally planned to stay for three weeks but broke-down and left before the end of the ninth day at the ashram.

I am still looking forward to the ashram, regardless of whether I love it or hate it I know it will be a good experience. There hasn't been any reply from the ashram yet, but I just sent it yesterday asking if they have room for the next period starting on November 1st.

I'm looking into trains today because even if they do have space for me I have just over a week before it starts. Maybe I'll take an overnight train back up north to Hampi or Mysore which I missed on the way down to Kerala.

No definite plans yet, but I love the feeling of not knowing where I'll be ever a couple days from now.



Side-note: The accommodation we are staying at here in Varkala, Kerala is quite different from all the other places so far in the trip. We are staying at the 'Kerala Bamboo House' which is two small villages of bamboo huts for rent. The three of us (Ceri, Helen, and myself) are sharing a decent sized hut with an attached bathroom for 500rs [or 160rs($3-4)/person] per night.

Day 37-38: Exploring Varkala

Varkala turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I didn't really know what to expect as I'd never heard of this town before Helen suggested it. Most of the hotels, resturants, and other tourist attractions are situated on the cliff side which has a beach on each end. The cliff is a steep drop and there is rarly anything between you and it other then a foot or so of grass beside the walk way. I'll have to make sure I walk on the side further away from the cliff when I start drinking.

We found an amazing Hatha yoga class (200rs per 1.5hr class) on the rooftop of a local hotel/building. The roof is covered for shading but you can still head the ocean throughout the class as it is literally a few steps away.

I'm making use of my time here by planning my next step which will hopefully be an ashram close by where I can live for two weeks while studying yoga and meditation.

Valkara? Okay.

We got back to our hostel after the houseboat and arranged for a taxi to our next destination, Valkara.

It's unfortunate that our group has now become smaller as Robert and Fredrick, the two swedes, are leaving for Malaysia in a couple days. It feels a bit odd leaving them as I have spent the last month eating, drinking, sleeping, and traveling with them. I'm not sure if Robert knows but he likes to steal other peoples blankets and pillows while he sleeps.

Helen, Ceri, and myself called for a taxi to Valkara. It was there within 15 minutes as we scrambled to pack and say our goodbyes.

Now that there is a decent internet connection avalible I will be posting more updates regularly and you can see more pictures from the house boat in the Picasa Web Album (Click Here)

I'm on a boat!

We just finished our three day/two night trip on the houseboat through the backwaters in Kerala, India. 

It was an amazing experience. Our boat had the lower level with the two bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a common area with an LCD tv, and the captains seat. The upper level was a large sheltered deck, which is where we spent most our time.


There are so many little stories to recall, I'll try writting some out in future posts. For now here are some pictures from the trip.

Arriving in Allepey

Vendor food on the train, doesn't look promising

Five of us arrived in Allepey after a long train ride in sleeper class. The fare was dirt cheap, less than $10 for a 17+ hour trip.Although the train smelt bad, was dirty and over crowded  I'm glad we decided to take it just for the experience. As a guy it was somewhat enjoyable getting to talk with other locals, but sleeper class isn't something I would recommend to women traveling alone as constant harassment is almost guaranteed.

Fire safety at its finest, water and sand

Allepey, the town we are staying at now, is a dirastic change from what we saw in Goa. In Goa it is easy to forget where you are since it is aimed at tourists. In Allepey I can't even makeout most signs and menus, almost everything in the city is written in sanskrit. The change in prices, for the most part, was a plesant supprise. Food here is half the price it was in Goa, but the price of beer has doubled or possibly trippled.

Last night the girls went off to the 'Jetty' to barter for a houseboat. The plan was to find a two nights three day trip through the backwaters of India stopping off at a couple of villages along the way.

We leave before noon today on what sounds like an amazing houseboat. The girls got them down to 19,000rs for a three day trip with 5 people, all the meals and snacks included.

Review: EverShine Guest House in Anjuna, Goa, India

Fascinating people, everlasting memories

After finding this guest house on Hostel world I booked a weeks stay online before leaving Mumbai for Goa. I ended up staying for quite a bit longer than I originally planned, but that seems to be a common habit for those staying at the hostel.

As soon as I arrived I was greeted by a group of backpackers on the porch and the owner, Sebastianna, who is without a doubt one of the nicest hostel owners I've ever meet. Within 5 mins after arriving I was already off on the back of a scooter of a fellow I had just met to one of the near by beaches.

The hostel is kept surprising clean, especially for India. The guest house offers several private rooms with their own bathroom then a few dorm style rooms that share two common bathrooms.

All the necessities are within walking distance, as is the local beach which goes on for several miles. Scooters, along with anything else you could think of, are available for rent through the owner for reasonable prices.

Prices at the time I stayed (Sept-Oct 2010)
- Scooter rentals 150-200rs/day
- Tours (including car&driver) 150rs-500rs/person/day
- WiFi Internet 100rs/day
- Private rooms 260-400rs/day, Dorms 150rs/day (both vary with the seasons)

Leaving Goa..

View from my last train ride

A group of us finally got our train tickets booked. It feels weird leaving Goa but I'm excited to see what the south tip of India has to offer. Our train tickets are booked for non-AC Sleeper Class, which is one of the cheapest (read most uncomfortable and dirtiest) ways to travel in India. The tickets only cost 475rs($10) for a 17 hour journey.

The train will be leaving after midnight from a station close to where I am now and will arrive in Alleppey, Kerala in the late afternoon. The general plan is to find a hostel for the night when we arrive then barter for a houseboat the next day.

We have a couple things to keep us entertained on our train ride, it should be an interesting trip.


Here are some pictures from my trip so far: Picasa Album - Pictures India

30 days in India

I just realized that today is the 30 day mark of my trip. I can't believe how quickly time has been flying by, especially while on the beaches in Goa. I will be leaving Goa soon, honestly. More updates will be posted shortly with where I am headed.

Updates from Palolem:

I had my first kayak adventure a couple days ago. Four of us rented two doubles and went out for an hour or two. Both kayaks capsized at some point. Helen jumped out of ours to flip Ceri and Luke's kayak in the middle of the ocean. Our kayak was good and stable until we got about 20 feet from shore and stopped paying attention to how the boat was drifting. A wave came from behind and flipped the kayak over pining us against the sand for a moment as we were already back in such shallow water.

I also had my first experience with Yoga, I figured India isn't a bad place to give it a try. We found a local teacher that offers classes on a rooftop. The classes ran for about 1.5 hours and cost 200rs($4-5). I wasn't sure what to expect from Yoga but I enjoyed it. I may look for other yoga classes, or even a yoga retreat, throughout my travels.

I can't find a way to upload my pictures as I'm stuck using an internet cafes right now. I'll put some pictures up as soon as I can find a WiFi connection.

Palolem

I just found an internet cafe so I thought I'd share some updates.

What I get to see every day, the perfect sunset.

Around eleven of us from my guest house in Anjuna shared two taxis from Anjuna to Palolem a couple days ago. With so many of us coming together the ride down was both fast (2-3hrs) and cheap (300rs/person). It reminded me of summer road trips with friends back home. Half way through we asked for a pit-stop to grab some food and water, but he must have misheard us as he pulled over at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.


We found a place right beside the beach that Tony had stayed at last year. The rooms are simple but clean and extremely cheap considering the beach, which is empty, is only a minute walk out the back. I think we are paying around 350-450rs per room most of which are shared between 2-3 people. Accommodation here will average out to around 115rs($2.5)-225rs($5)/person per night, which mean more money for beer and food.

I'm trying to plan out my next move as I feel like I could spend forever in Goa if I don't actively seek to go somewhere else.

Thank you to everyone who has been sending me emails and messages with updates on things back home. They always put a smile on my face. It may take me a while to reply to them but they are the first things I check for when I find an internet connection :)

Day 26: Heading south

With my insulin pump finally arriving mid-last week and having already spent over two weeks in Anjuna it's time to move on. There is a group of eleven of us from my hostel, Evershine Guest House, that are heading down south together.

We leave for Palolem this morning. It's in the most southern part Goa and we will be having a couple day stop there to find some beach huts to rent.  The plan, after 3-5 days on the beaches around Palolem, is to head towards Cochin/Alleppey in search for some houseboats.

Random note: I now have a fear of hammocks. I was relaxing in front of the hostel earlier this week, swinging in a hammock. All the sudden there was a snap, a sharp pain, and I was laying on the group. It took me a couple seconds to realize what happen. Maybe I'll give them another try when they are over soft white sandy beaches.

Day 24? I never know what day or time it is..

Booze, food, and frisbee at ShoreBar

Most interesting food of the day: Mutton Brain. It was the first time I've had brain. There were eight of us that split two dishes of brain masala with bread, so it only cost everyone around ($0.5-1). The chunks of brain in the malasa were surprisingly big and visible. It tasted wonderful with the spices but had an odd chewy texture when eating the large pieces.

Cruising the backroads in Goa, India

Worst part of the day: Landing my foot on a nail that went right through my sandal and in to my foot. There are hazards everywhere in India and a good amount of travelers I've met have some sort of injury. I bought some supplies to clean it from the local chemist and had already got my tetanus before leaving Canada. Won't be going in the Sea today, luckily I still have my scooter to 'scoot' around on.

Vivid dreams

Malaria medication was too expensive back in Canada so I left buying it until I arrived in India. I went on a search my first week in Mumbai after many delays because of getting sidetracked by random adventures with other travelers I had met. It was difficult to find a quality pharmacy, but once you lower your standards a little they are everywhere.

The medication when bought in India cost 335rs($7.50) for 6 weeks worth. There are three main types of malaria medication, two which you have to take daily and one which is taken weekly. I chose the weekly method, even though it has more side-effects than the other two do. I rather like the one and only side-effect I've experiences from my malaria tablets.

The vivid dreams are quite amazing both for how real and intense they are. How good or bad your dreams are depends on your mood and personality.

Day 21-22: Insulin Pump!

Around supper time last night I received a phone call from from the Fedex delivery man. He had my package and was in Anjuna, Goa but had no idea where the hostel was. His heavy accent didn't help the matter and after refusing to meet up with me at Domino's, the most well known landmark in town, he quit abruptly hung up on me. I tried calling him back only to find out he shut off his phone.

External box was so beat up, thank god for the internal padding.

Some of the simplest things, like having your mail delivered, can be so complicated in India where there are no real addresses. It is all dependent on how well your delivery man knows the area and how much effort he is willing to put into finding it.

Tony, the other Canadian at my hostel, joined us at ShoreBar later and told me that the Fedex man finally found our hostel  on his little beat-up scooter and delivered the package just as he was leaving. My parcel was sitting on my bed waiting for me when I got back.

Note: I would just like to point out that it only took one day from the parcel to get from Canada, to the USA, to France, to India but then took over 5 days just to get across India.

Day(s) 19-21: No music, no milkshake

My scooter is the one in front.

I've been putting off renting a scooter for almost two weeks now in Goa. Traffic in India is absolutley crazy when you first see it, there are cars, bikes, cows and people weaving in and out everywhere. After a while I realized that drivers are much more efficient than back home. Every little space on the road is used by someone, or something, and traffic flows continuously, you'll never see a traffic backup like you do in the major western cities.

Shark Steak at Baga Beach, Goa, India. ($5)

Scooter rentals are cheap here in Goa, India. The average price is 200rs($4) for one day or 150rs($3) per day if you take it for multiple days. A bunch of us headed off to a near by beach for the day with our new scooters were I had shark for the first time. I figure I mine-as-well try as many different types of food as I can while in India, I found brain on a menu, maybe I'll have that tonight .

Day 18: Rainy Days

I thought the monsoon had passed this region of India by now, but it ended up raining for most of the day and well into the morning.

Waiting for the rain to clear.

Still no updates on my Insulin pump. It seemed to stopped being tracked by Fedex shortly after clearing customs in New Delhi on September 30th. It's sad how it can fly across the world in a couple days but then when it gets to India this happens. It's a prime example of why I am not going to the common wealth games, India is terrible at anything that requires efficiency or timeliness.

Day 17: Gandhi Day

Today marks Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, he was born back in 1869.

Old Goa, Gandhi Statue

It's a nationwide holiday but most things continued on as usual; at an even slower pace than normal. One of the things we did have to prepare for was the fact that today, like some other national holidays, is a dry day. There is no alcohol for sale today so we stocked up late last night with cheap 'Monk Rum', its a 42% alcohol that costs 120rs($2.5) for 750ml.

There hasn't been any tracked movement on my insulin pump. It is still marked as 'in-transit' last seen in New Delhi. Oh India, I hope you don't loose my package.

Day 16: Touring Goa

Today was the birthday of one of the girls at our hostel so four of us booked a taxi and driver for the entire day and drove around Goa. 

We found a small monastery that has a waterfall behind it and we were able to go down into the water. Shortly after some of the locals where sending offerings down the river from the monastery. I’m never quite sure what the boundaries are as a foreigner because they will never be posted/explained ahead of time and seem to vary depending on so many variables. Luckily, people at the monastery didn’t seem to mind us going in the water by the waterfall where they were sending their offerings from at the time.

The best memories of today where the little things, singing in the car, playing drinking games on the beach, creating new ways to distract local hawkers, a grand supper of over twenty people at one table followed by hours of great conversation around a Hookah on the oceanside with some travelers from England.

I am still waiting for my insulin pump to arrive but my booking at this hostel has ended a while ago. The hostel owner made arrangements so that I could stay longer, but with tomorrow fully booked it looked like I would have to check out until two of the girls offered me one of their beds for the night so that I don’t have to move hostels. I love the backpacker community here at Evershine in Anjuna, Goa.

Hoping I get my insulin pump soon as I would like to meet some other travelers who are heading south to Kerala for a houseboat trip on the backwaters.