Geo: 11.583, 76.5843 After 36 hairpin turns descending the Niligiri mountains, a drive through a very dry Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary with no elephants or other wildlife in sight, we eventually arrived at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve where the driver told us to transfer from our teensy weensy car to a jeep. No one had mentioned this but we trustingly did as we were told. Good thing. The road into The Wilds (www.serendipityo.com/thewilds/index.html) was the bumpiest road I had ever seen with ruts that were over a foot deep throughout most of the kilometre drive. And nothing, up to this point, in all our travels around the world had beaten the bumps of Costa Rican roads. The warm breezes, bird songs, monkeys scurrying, Chital deer chomping in the surrounding coffee plantation and the pretty gardens (even with ... read more

Geo: 10.012, 76.2251After our comfortable train trip from Varkala to Kochi, navigating the tuktuk ride to the ferry, squished on a barely seaworthy ferry where we missed our stop, and the subsequent tuktuk trip across town with our two large backpacks, two day packs and another bag with odds and ends in it, we felt acclimated to the realities of travel in India. Our Varkala cocoon of Ayurvedic treatments, beach and western tourist centric offerings was over. There is an uncomfortable beauty about India; sights my eyes are unaccustomed to set on a background of scenic vistas. Or fascinating scenes of people set to a background of hungry dogs or filthy beaches. We arrived worn down yet safely at our guesthouse, the Fort Kochi Beach Inn. Taking a quick nap to bask in the air conditioning, ... read more

Geo: 8.73, 76.72When we start to develop...unconditional acceptance of ourselves, then we're really taking care of ourselves in a way that pays off. We feel more at home with our own bodies and minds and more at home in the world. As our kindness for ourselves grows, so does our kindness for other people." Pema Chodron Everyone looks so vibrant and healthy here in Varkala. There are masses of yoga-body women of all ages with glowing faces, tight, lithe bodies, long hair pulled up into loose ponytails. Many wear snug-fitting LuluLemon-like yoga clothes covered with the flowy cotton Indian clothing being sold at every little shop along the cliff edge here. I'm having a yoga crisis. How can something that is so good feel so hard and unsatisfying to me? My belly fat prevents the free ... read more

Geo: 8.73, 76.72"I'm happy to be here, but still a little sad to be here too. Sometimes it's better to travel than to arrive." - Robert PirsigAnd to arrive and be so far from home during Christmas is always hard for me. Ah, but sometimes being home at Christmas is also hard with no family living near us. I've been listening to Firestarter Sessions from Danielle LaPorte and I'm taking some advice from her. Easy is not always lazy or undisciplined; sometimes it is you intuitively waiting for the right timing or inspiration. And easy is just the other side of the coin of hard; you don't have one without the other. But you can choose where you want to spend more of your time. Think of your body, your attitude, your life...do you want to ... read more

Geo: 15.3913, 73.9485We set out on our adventure, dreaming of exotic culture, food and warm weather. That, of course, was after we did the usual frenetic run to the finish line of house cleaning, preparations and packing. As we had cancelled our internet connection and didn't check to see if our flight was delayed and sure enough, it was...from an 11:30pm departure to 2:00am, making for a strained beginning to our travel.And so it began...a rush through Heathrow airport to catch our connection to Mumbai, another delay (1.5 hours) in Mumbai then 4 hours sitting on the runway only to arrive in Goa with no baggage. Although we have never lost our baggage before, I always prepare by ... read more