Second Daytrip (Ashram)

Same procedure as last friday. We left at 6 a.m. heading towards Kollam to take a boot ride in the Backwaters. We again stopped for dinner and because it proofed to be a good idea I again took advice from someone, who knows the local food, on what to order :).

Shortly after we arrived at a small harbour and went on a houseboat. It was a very nice boat made out of wood with a rooftop that to my joy was covered by a plane that provided some shadow. It was very interesting to see the different vegetation, huts, boats and so on at the shores but after a while it got a little bit boring so in summary the boat tour was an amazing opportunity to completely chill out without the fear of missing something ;). I will try to come back here and maybe stay on some remote island and do a canoe or tiny boat trip through more varied waterways.

On our way to the next, second and also last sight for the day, the beach at Varkala, we stopped at the breakfast place again for lunch. This time everything was preordered. It was rice with probably Bhatura and lots of curries and other stuff which all tasted amazing.

At Varkala Beach we had 3 hours on our own, which we mainly used for walking around, watching the sunset and having dinner. It was definitely touristy here but all the shops, bars and restaurants had very different and original styles. I really liked it. We also met other people from the Ashram. Some took their own transport option like a taxi rented for the day (totally affordable here) and some came after their stay in the Ashram to chill for the remaining days.

In summary this was a very relaxing trip which most of us badly needed. Sadly we were again home late at 11 p.m. because some people got lost on their way to the bus which delayed our return by one hour :).

First Daytrip (Ashram)

I apologise. I am getting lazy writing new blog posts already, but to my excuse it's a really busy schedule here and so far I preferred to use my free time for relaxation :).

So in this post I will cover the first daytrip from the first Friday (Friday is the day off here, and if enough people are interested the Ashram organises a trip) and the second one will follow in the next post.

The bus took off at around 6 a.m. heading towards our first destination...breakfast. I sit in the back which feels good at first but it turns out to be the worst position in the bus because of the roads and the not so good suspension :D. On the way we stopped at some kind of a Pittstop to put some air into the suspension I guess, because they did not connect it to the tires. To my disappointment it did not help much.

It's a very nice landscape down here in Kerala. There are small mountains and lots of vegetation so the ride is still quite enjoyable. After some time we arrive at the breakfast place. I am glad I am sitting at a table with someone from our group who knows the local food so he helped me to order :).

After breakfast we drive to the first sight which is a palace. We had a nice tour through its long halls. It was mainly made of wood and had a lot of very cosy chill out areas inside and a pretty garden. Yes, I did not mention whose palace it was because I don't remember and still don't care ;), so if anyone wants to read up it was Padmanabhapuram Palace. After this we drove to the most southern point of India where 3 oceans meet (Triveni Sangam). We took a short ferry ride to get to the close by super small island Vivekananda. It's a cool place including a footprint of some Guru in the rock, his statue and also a dark meditation cave where you can meditate - mysterious place so of course I gave it a try. There are a lot of tourist here but mainly people from india. "White" people seem to be rare so every couple of minutes we were asked to be on a foto with someone or sometimes even a group of 20 people :). It feels very strange but fun at the same time. After some time we decided to ask them to return the favour, because to have a picture with Indian people is cool for us especially if it's a group of girls ;).

After this we went to a spot on the mainland where you can go down some stairs into the water of Indian ocean, Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal. The custom is to wash your head and feet a the bottom of the stairs.

The downside was that it's a very touristy place which attracts a lot of poor people asking for money and so this was the first time I got into contact with the very dark side of india. A lot of these poor people were badly disfigured and/or burned, it was very shocking and I was unsure how to deal with it. I probably have to get used to this especially at tourist places.

The last sight we visited on that day was the Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple. Sadly it was already dark so we could not see much of the outside area but what we could see was impressive. Nevertheless the main aim was to visit the inside. Like with any holy site cameras were not allowed, but one thing was new to me, men have to go in shirtless - too bad only the men ;). The inside of the temple was even more impressive. It was huge and everything was made out of stone, so it felt like being in a cave. The temple looked extremely old and was not mainly a tourist attraction but an actively used temple so there were lot's of different things going on. On our way through it we got color to paint the front of our head to mark the third eye. In summary a again very mystical and awesome experience.

On our way back we stopped for dinner and than we went back to the ashram where we arrived at 11 p.m.. It was a long day ...

Yoga and Meditation (Ashram)

It's been a week now that I am living in an Ashram for my first time and I actually like it a lot.
When I arrived there was directly a lot of life going on everywhere. There are many international guests but also a lot of Indians from India or other parts of the world.
Everything that happened on that first day directly made me feel at home. It was like being part of a new family and that is actually also one meaning of an Ashram, to become part of the Gurus family. No worries, so far nobody wanted me to donate all of my money ;).
Luckily I got a twin room that means the experience to live in a dorm still has to wait. My flatmate is Indian so I have the chance to get to know the culture a little better.

The first thing from the daily schedule happening on the day of my arrival is Dinner at 6 pm ;). I wait with some other people in front of the dinning hall (one of the few good moment to chat) while the food is being prepared by the students who have this as their Karma Yoga (selfless service). When we go in they are chanting, which creates an incredible lovely atmosphere hard to put in words. Of course everybody sits on the floor on straw mats, the food is on a metal plate and after the final prayer we start to eat. We eat in silence and as everywhere in India you only eat with your right hand. In the meantime I kind of got the hang of it and find it very practical :).

After dinner there is a little bit free time, where people use the Boutique to shop (e.g. toilet paper, meditation shawls, yoga mats ...), go to the Health Club (kind of a bar for tea and fruit juices) or use the WiFi ;) (which is only on in the break after brunch and dinner). At 8 pm the Satsang begins. It's in the main hall, the Shiva hall. A very deep repeating Oooommmmm is sounding from the speaker, on the stage the statues of the Gurus and Shiva are dimly lit, again an amazing and also mystical atmosphere. First there is a 15-25 min meditation, after that the Satsang (singing of prayer like chants) and at the end a talk with changing topics.
The next morning the wake up bell rings at 5h20 to be on time for the 6 am Satsang (same as in the evening). I get up at 5 though, because my roommate has to be there earlier because of his Karma yoga duties and he has a really loud alarm clock. Jumping under the shower I realise that I quickly have to get used to showering cold, since there is no other option. The really warm outside temperature of 26C at night and over 30 during the day makes it relatively easy though. Fresh and full of energy I go to Satsang. The Satsang is followed by a short tea break.
At 8 am the Yoga Class starts, which has a program designed for 2 weeks. It's not only Hatha Yoga but includes also the other aspects of Yoga, like proper breathing.

At 10 am we have brunch, everybody is quite hungry until now :). After lunch there is Karma Yoga from 11-12 am, but times can be different depending on what you do, I work in the Boutique from 12h30 to 1h30 pm, a very easy job.
At 1h30 pm there is tea and snacks before the start of the lecture at 2 pm. At the lecture you learn a lot of stuff about the background of the ashram and what's the goal of it all. It's taught by
a Swami who learned under the latest of the Ashram's Guru. He is a very cool and almost always slightly smiling guy.
At 3h30 pm there is Yoga again followed by dinner at 6 pm, which concludes the daily schedule.
Except after food there usually is not more than 15min time between the classes, so after about 7 days now I do feel a little exhausted, but good exhausted :).
To mix it up there is a Silent Walk on Wednesdays and Sundays instead of Satsang. The first one was up to a close by mountain to watch the sunrise and also meditate and sing :). That was totally awesome. It was also surprising how fast they were walking, I never hiked with a group anywhere close that fast, Yoga really seems to have a good physical effect ;-).

The Silent Walk after that was to the lake of the Dam very close by, still very pretty but a much easier hike.
Every Saturday evening they do a talent show here were everybody who wants is invited to demonstrate his or her talent, like singing, dancing, telling jokes and so on. I enjoyed it and it shows how relaxed this Ashram is.
Every Friday we have a day off and usually they offer a tour. This will be covered in the next post.

For more pictures see link on the right.

Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

After it took some time to settle in, especially because of the money problem, I am slowly getting the hang of how things (don't) work in India. I already managed to take a bus from the hotel to downtown, although it's kind of a luck game, since I can't read the destination sign on the bus, but almost all go in a good enough direction :). On my way back I have to take the Rikscha though, still improving on my negotiation skills.
I visited the Zoo, which is located pretty much in the center and is a nice relieve from all the noise and heat since it is a green Oasis. You have to pay a pledge for ever plastic bottle you take in, which you will get back when you also leave with it. That's kind of a good idea because outside no one seems to care about throwing their garbage everywhere.
I also went to the closed by Kovalam beach. There are many tourists which comes with its pros and cons. I spent the whole day there so I noticed that most Indians come in the early evening to see the sun set.
On the next day I left for Neyyar Dam where I am in an Ashram now. This will be part of the next blog post.

Off to a good start ... not

Getting to India was very easy and comfortable, especially the first half to Dubai in the huge A380. I also did not have too many problems with my stuffed carry on, only my travel cutlery got some attention in Düsseldorf and Dubai - it includes a small knife but they let it pass 😅. Immigration in India went also without problems, I booked my flight out of India for nothing ☺, but then my first little adventure started ...
It already announced itself on the plane where I read some strange news about India declaring the bigger part of their cash for invalid. Thanks to Dubai Airport WiFi I also received a warning from my travel agency via email. Then I checked the news in more detail. There is basically no way at the moment to get cash. All ATMs are offline and the exchange offices don't have valid bills anymore. Nevertheless there were 3 people sitting in the exchange office at the airport doing nothing 😁.
OK so I am at the Airport in Trivandrum, only EUR and Credit cards as payment, which I both can't use to get Indian Rupee. Super thirsty and no idea how to get something to drink nor transportation. After some time and lots of Indian English I got a Taxi driver to drive me to a Money Exchange. This exchange only had the now invalid 500 INR notes which no one will accept anymore, including the Taxi driver, so I left without changing.
Long story short, I am at my Hotel now, the Taxi driver is happy about his 10 EUR note (he was not lucky enough for me only having 50s 😂, still no idea how to get money, but at least here I can pay with card.
Taking a nap now. Lots of honking outside ... Welcome to India 😉
To be continued ...

Packed

This is my first post using only my phone. I have to get used to this, since I won't take a laptop with me 😢.
Everything is packed and tomorrow...wait no...today I will leave for India to Trivandrum.
This should be all for now, typing on this phone is not working too good while being tired Zzzz ;).
Next post will be from India...Yeah!

Clothing

Fits...

Will be taken out again soon :)

Accessoires (hope they let everything through security)

Light backpack, protective cover for backpack, tripod and pillow Zzzz

Like a glove

Looks good. Slightly below 8kg.

Documents and other stuff I want to keep close (also to keep some weight of the bag)

What I wear on the flight...going to change pretty quick at Trivandrum Airport 😰