Blogs from Kollam, Kerala, India, Asia

Early morning breakfast saw us on the road to Kollum (sounds like Gollum - a complete other story) which was just up the road from Varkala. We asked our taxi to stop at any ATM's that looked open. I had read in the Times of India whilst down in Sri Lanka that the government had changed the rules and increased the amount that could be withdrawn from ATM's to 4,500 rupees (about $90) due to a higher availability of cash and the new $500 notes being introduced. During our 90 minute trip we stopped 4 times and checked 8 machines (5 were in one place in the biggest bank in Kollum) and none had cash. Our spirits sunk a bit because we were hopeing the daily drudgery of getting or changing cash had disappeared because what ... read more

Wie meist, lange zeit vergangen seit meinem letzten blogupdate, bestimmt 4 monate, viel passiert, intensive und wie immer auch nur ansatzweise wieder zu geben, einiges hat hier im blog ja eh nichts zu suchen. Der erste teil des blogs ist mehr ueber amma und die tour und danach kommt mehr uebers reisen…. Mitte februar habe ich ja meinen yoga therapie kurs beendet und bin dann gleich nach varkala an einen wunderschoenen strand suedlich von amma ashram mit wunderschoenen steilklippen gefahren. Habe dort dahyana besucht, die gerade mit ihrem yogalehrerkurs angefangen hat. Konnten uns so zumindest mal kurz zwischen unseren kursen sehen. Und ich konnte das super essen in deren ashram geniessen, obwohl ich ausserhalb ein zimmer hatte und mich nach meinen 4 wochen wieder ans normale leben gewoehnte, wobei normal, ist mein leben zur zeit normal…. ... read more

Here are some of our fav Indian foods so far and we soon head to Malaysia and Indonesia for more dif dif and different! We put in some website recipes that we hope will do justice to the food we ate – also note we have learned to throw out our old dry bay leaves and find fresh sources and use curry leaves can get fresh on trips to Van and bring home and freeze – fresh spices seem to be key even cashews and all fruits taste better here!!! Navaratna Korma – Hali liked this one in Rajastan and Varanasi – make sure to use fruits as well as veggies like this one – some recipes speak of 9 veggies but Hali for sure like the raisins and cashews are of course crucial http://momrecipies.blogspot.in/2009/09/navaratna-kurma-navratan-korma.html Dal ... read more

I have had such a good day. We got a houseboat and spent the day on the backwaters around Kollam. The boat was massive - 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and outside sitting area, so loads of space for me to crawl and walk around. There was only me, mummy, daddy, the driver and 2 cooks onboard. It was great! After a couple of hours of sailing passed lots of jumping fish, trees, fishermen's housing, churches, mosques and Chinese fishing nets, we stopped for lunch. I think it's the best meal I've ever had!! Mummy and daddy said the same. There were LOTS and LOTS of dishes. Then a couple more hours of sailing and we docked back at Kollam. Daddy gave the crew a tip each - 2 got rupees, the other a piece ... read more

Schade, aber so ist es eben.... read more