Where ever I lay my head that's my home...

---

Alleppy, I’ve found and lost my heart here, I’ve experienced extreme pleasure and extreme pain, yet unlike returning to paradice which I learnt a few years ago was not a good idea, returning home is.

Sujit was waiting at the train station to collect us and take us to Mandala, they had kept aside my favourite room for me, the bamboo hut, that first night, I had a beer on the beautiful lonely beach and slept on the comphyest mattress i'd experienced in India. Absolute bliss.

So I first rocked up here in 2010 when a really kind smiling boy approached Daniela and I at the train station, I then returned a few days later with Matthias, then after my first stay in the Ashram I took Fiona and her 3 American girlfriends, I then met Bevan and stayed with him, all in the space of two months, if anyone remembers the men who owe it are the people I went on a 2 hours search for king prawns for, they let me cook, they are almost to me like my Indian brothers.

On the second night after spending the day lazing on the almost deserted beach, I arranged a BBQ, riding on the back of Sujit's bike it could have been 2010, a strange sensation, them bam...back to reality.

A local small, shitty supermarket supplied me with the bare essentials, and after returning home, I collected up the other travellers and we walked to the fish stall together to choose something yummy... I brought a 3.5kg Tuna which made 9 5inch stakes for... 660r (£7) !!!!



Waking up to the sight of swollen Tamzin was actually incredibly scary... her lower lip was huge, her hands were massive and she had a rash all over her body... Rickshar to the hospital ASAP, thoughts running though my mind, of how to get her to the nearest hospital, i'm thinking fly to Bangkok... home...?

Turns out Tamzin is allergic to something... Tuna maybe... although we eat raw tuna in sushi... maybe the local coconut beer... What ever it is she is out, all drugged up she sleeps for the rest of the day as I take in the local beach and beer on tap 😊



An 8am start the next day brings me to the back waters once again, after a local bus ride and breakfast in a villagers home we spend the day steadily canoeing around the tranquil waters, spotting; water snakes, jumping fish, goats, kytes, monkeys and the national bird of India the kingfisher.

Its seems this holiday i'm been hopping from beach to beach, my next 6am start brings me to; Valkarla; cricket with locals, a boy named Jeremy and momos



Om shanti



Saskia



xxx

---