Yoga, Breakfast, Massage, Lunch, Yoga, Dinner, Bed

By the time you add in a philosophy class or two, some guided meditation, a few meals and a little down time by the pool, there has not been much time for anything else.

As we start our last day, this has been an amazing place to stay – the yoga classes have been challenging but enjoyable and we have had three different teachers, each with his own style. The food – almost all with produce from their own gardens – has been tasty and varied and filling, and while the accommodation is basic, it is comfortable and everything works.

Having a daily ayurvedic head and full body massage has probably helped to avoid any stiffness or aches from the exercise – although I am not sure where I will find something similar in Newhaven – think Rebus had a fairly negative view about ‘massage parlours’ in Edinburgh

It is very relaxing to be in a place where you do not have to think about what you are going to do tomorrow because the routine is mapped out for you and the only decision is whether to participate or not.

Jury’s still out on the guided meditation – if I am going to lay on my back and nod off for an hour or so, I would probably be more comfortable on a sun lounger. In the same way, I have not missed the cold beer etc while we are here but I am not about to sign the pledge – just in case Jimmy C is getting concerned.

Our next destination – a retreat near Munnar up in the hills among the tea and spice plantations – is also vegetarian and alcohol-free and while there are still yoga classes, the focus will be more on the environment. But that is for tomorrow – just off for my next massage!

P.S. There are some photos to accompany this but life is too short to wait for them to upload so they will follow once we find some better internet access.

The Healthy Bit

As we left the 3 Elephants at Cherai Beach, they were getting ready for the wedding party of an Indian/Belgian couple who had taken over the whole place and the next-door property for all their guests. Lights being strung from every tree and bush and banqueting tables being dressed all around the grounds – probably a good time to leave.

Our taxi man arrived promptly and agreed to make a detour so we could call at one of the mobile companies to pick up a local sim – interesting detour into the heart of the busiest city in the region. The traffic flow while appearing chaotic seems to work - you just need to be assertive or large like the fuel tankers which gave no quarter whatsoever.

Our home for the next 6 days is Hinterland Village, a place developed by the owner – a naturalist – which has been replanted and developed over the last 10 years as a retreat with over 200 varieties of trees, their own rubber plantation, rice fields and market garden which provides most of the fruit and vegetables for the retreat. It is a really pleasant environment with a variety of pet animals roaming around – including Emma the Emu and some turkeys. The accommodation is comfortable but simple – although there is AC instead of a ceiling fan.

Our routine starts with yoga at 6.30am for 2 hours, breakfast, and massage treatments in the morning followed by lunch, and a break with a class on yoga theory and philosophy followed by another 2 hour yoga session at 4.00pm. By the time we fit in a shower and dinner, I think it will be probably be time for bed to be ready to start it all over again at 6.30 in the morning.

Since I usually only manage 1 hour of yoga each week, 4 hours a day for 6 days will either help me to improve or kill me – after our first session the jury is still out!

Blame it on the jetlag!

Day two started with a peaceful - punted - boat trip around the backwaters behind our hotel. We had the boat to ourselves, and having set off in a light mist, we watched the sunrise and managed to spot a few new bird species as well.  A much better start!

Back in time for breakfast, a relaxing morning reading in the shade, followed by an afternoon at the pool.

Very pleasant climate with a daytime high of 28C and a night time low of about 22C. The ceiling fans cope well so there is no need for AC. On the downside, being so close to the backwaters means that there are a lot of mosquitoes but so far the bug spray and the bite pen are coping. Have also got accustomed to the morning prayers which are broadcast from the temple at about 5.30am - a bit of a challenge on day one but hardly noticed them today.

Because the majority of the sand on beach was removed during the cyclone, many of the local tourist business are empty and there are only two real choices for our meals - thankfully they are both good but they have very similar menus with an international / Indian mix so not really typical local food - guess there will be plenty of that in the next week or so.

Moving on tomorrow to our yoga retreat so a whole new experience awaits - watch this space!

A Trip too far?

Or maybe I'm just getting old!

Mosquitoes, bug spray, a beach which was washed away in a cyclone before Christmas, Indian Bureaucracy, and that's not to mention that there is hardly a licensed premises to be found.

Perhaps I need a day or two to acclimatise but not overwhelmed with the charms of the place just yet, or perhaps its time to let someone else take care of the tour arrangements - jury is still out.

Lets see how I am feeling after 8 days of vegetarian, alcohol-free yoga retreat - probably as chilled as that ice cold beer that John Mills drove all the way to Alexandria for!

Having said all that, we are staying in a very peaceful place on the edge of the backwaters and can watch the fishermen at their work with their 'chinese' nets and see the Brahminy Kites flying all around. Up early tomorrow for a boat trip and some bird-watching - I'm sure that will make me feel better.

While it is a pity that we are unable to enjoy the beach because most of the sand was washed away in a storm, we are only here for 4 days - what about all those businesses around us who rely on the beach to draw in their customers!

Where's Scotty when you need him?

Our departure was only spoiled by the failure of the jetway so that instead of walking from the warm dry terminal to a warm dry aircraft, we had to walk out into a cold, wet Edinburgh morning - just like Ryanair and queue in the rain. Still the first glass of fizz made us feel better.
Uneventful flight - service and food were fine but the A330 is getting a little bit dated and worn. Had plenty of reading to catch up on so not really bothered that my screen system wasn't working.
Arrival and transfer at Abu Dhabi went smoothly but what a busy place - and of course primarily a shopping mall. Interesting to note that a litre of Johnnie Walker Black was about £28 - not sure its much of a deal when you can buy a bottle in Asda for about £23!
Think we took the bumpy road to Cochin - seat belt sign on for most of the flight and at one point even the cabin crew told to take their seats - but otherwise fine except for the air traffic delay which meant that we were about 40 mins late.
Cochin is a very new, very shiny, and very efficient airport - claims to be the first airport wholly powered by solar energy. Straight through immigration, the bag arrived quickly and even our driver was waiting in the agreed place - but again a very busy place even at 4.15am on a Sunday morning.
Transfer to the hotel took about 45 mins and we finally got to our room - and bed - by about 5.15.
Would have been so much easier if Gene Roddenberry had invented the transporter machine instead of just the TV series!

Its that time again!

A bit later than usual this year but we have reached that point where the spare bed is covered with holiday clothes waiting to be packed; the bags have been prepared; shopping finished; vaccinations (9 of them each) up to date; so all that remains is a bit of packing.

We have decided to head for Kerala in the south of India this year. Originally we had thought about Goa as well but it seemed a little too busy and touristy so we have opted for just over 4 weeks travelling around Kerala.

We leave on Saturday morning - Etihad to Abu Dhabi and then on to Kochi - arriving in the early hours of Sunday. First stop will be Cherai Beach - about an hour from the airport - and a few days to acclimatise and sort out some practical details before we get on the road.

Given the prevalence of vegetarian menus where we are headed, and an apparently growing area where alcohol is prohibited, we are just off to The Ox on Broughton Street for a large steak and a bottle or two of red wine.

A perfect end to our trip

With half a day to fill between our arrival in Tenerife on the ferry from La Gomera and our flight departure for Edinburgh, we followed the advice of our friendly guide Juan Miguel and picked up a hire car from CiCar at the port - €39 all in for the day with fully comp insurance and no worries about checking for scratches and dents etc.

Drove along the coast to a little fishing village- Tajao- which has so far avoided the mass tourism crowd and had an excellent lunch at Agua y Sal.

While we stood waiting for our table we had a chat with one of the waiters about the fish on display and chose the three courses of our meal - Grilled langoustine and Scallops to start, Spaghetti a la Marinara to follow and  sardine and tuna brochettas to finish. A reasonable half litre of ice cold white wine to wash it down and a cafe solo to follow - all for less than £50. Just the sort of meal that Bernie G would have enjoyed - and probably still does.

Due the onset of the Scirocco wind from the Sahara, the temperature was hovering around 37C and really too hot for anything other than a quick stroll around the port and back to the air-conditioned comfort of the airport terminal and hordes of our compatriots who have gone from the blue-white skin tone of their arrival to something akin to the that of the grilled langoustine we had for lunch.