Om

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We decided that 3 days of virtue at a yoga ashram would set us up nicely for many days of hedonism over the Christmas and NY period. So off we plodded to the Sivananda Ashram at Neyer Dam. Took a local bus from Trivandrum and it was the sweatiest bus ride I have ever been on....squeezed in beside Eoghan and an Indian family on a three seater in the midday heat and unbeknownst to myself at the time my top quality punjabi from Mumbai was staining my back black! Great. The sarong I bought in Nepal still runs so beware of clothes purchases in these parts. And the smiley Indian in the shop stood there with bis pendulant head as he assured me that it wouldn't run, after I told him of my previous Nepali purchase. We both deplored the awful quality in Nepal.

So we arrived about 4, as a yoga class was in full swing and Eoghan's first reaction, having minute yoga experience, was 'let's get out of here!' It did look pretty dynamic but it was the advanced class. We settled ourselves in to our respective dorms, separate male and female camps of course, took a wander around the ashram and discovered that there was a massage centre and a health bar. Immediately booked myself in for an Ayurvedic massage...clashed with morning mediation but oh well! That brought us up nicely to Dinner time. There are two meals a day so they are relished. Everyone sits on the floor in long lines, we are served by other yogis and we all eat in silence with our hands. The silence thing didn't work for me but you can get away with whispers. Once the noise level got above a few decibles we were silenced by Vera, a resident swami. The hands thing doesn't either but thought when in Rome..... Mind you on our last day some newcomers whipped out their spoons and tucked in!

It's a strict regime. You are woken every morning at 5.30 by some longtermer who comes into the dorm and sings in a sickeningly syrupy voice... "Wake up everyone....it's another new day....dahdahdahdada." Would prefer a cock or an alarm clock..thankyou. Down for 6'c to the main hall where we all sit on a hard floor and engage in meditation and chant until 7.30. Jaya Ganesha will forever be stuck in my head. Once I got myself a cushion it was more bearable but I think I made 2/4. Not the high point of the day.

Next a cup of sweet tea and maybe a few nuts. Then we launched into the 1st session of asanas for the day. I must say the yoga was excellent, one guy in particular really put us thru our paces and then he brought us back down to relaxation with his tranquillizing tones. While I struggled with the basics some others expertly bent themselves into allsorts of misshapes.

At 10 it's Food! Great and they do feed you well. It's generally a plate of thali and breakfast/lunch is better than dinner. The refills keep coming and it's good to stock up for the next installment of the day...Karma Yoga, where we are allocated a chore. I missed the dorm deterge and was given the all-important task of sweeping up leaves from the lawn, as the leaves continued to fall!!?? Fine by me...Me time then...An optional lecture was on in the afternoon and then more yoga at 4. Dinner, then straight to the health shack for not very sinful snacks. The evening time means another satsang, or session of chant and meditation, and one evening we went on a silent walk. What must the locals think at all these nutters walking along in silence in the dark and then settling by the lake staring at the silence, and then breaking into the chorus of chant?! There was some bongo music coming across the lake to us which was relatively entertaining. Lights are out at 10, not that I had any desire to stay up later than that, what with the 5.30 start next day.

So overall a great experience but we were glad to be getting back to normality on the 23rd and leaving all the purists to their veg spread on Christmas day and the talent show?!

We hit Varkala which was wonderful. Varkala beach strip is perched atop some red cliffs and down below is lovely strand and the Indian Ocean. We stayed at Bamboo village in a cute little hut with just about an ocean view. It is fairly packed with westerners over the festive season but walk left or right away from the strip and you find yourself back amongst the Indian community, the drone from the mosque, the fishermen pulling in their nets or playing cards on the beach, the children playing and the saried women tending to the house. Locals are actually discouraged from coming to the main beach, it's patrolled, but it's more a ban against leering men. Families who weren't interested in perversions weren't a problem.

We had lobster on Christmas day washed down with a few Kingfishers and for the first time managed a Christmas swim. The food is fantastic, fish tikka in the tandoor...blue marlin, squid, tuna, butter fish....laid out every evening and offered alongside very attractive cocktail happy hours as the red sun goes down over the ocean. NY was a good laugh. Drank too much rum as we were topping up under the table. Danced to the beats and watched the police patrol the strip with their batons ready to banish any lewd locals.

Needless to say we found it hard to drag ourselves away and back to the real India

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