Varkala, South Kerala

This place is a little piece of heaven, as long as you like it hot! Varkala is a small beach community set on the Arabian Sea with a south beach and a north beach set on a cliff. This is where we call home for now. It is about a three hour boat ride plus a 30 minute bus ride plus a 15 minute rickshaw ride away from Amma's ashram. Varkala is exploding with Indian culture and the community openly welcomes you as you arrive. One thing I noticed was that there are not very many children here, except the ones brought by tourists. The few I did see were gypsy children but the business owners were more into playing loud Indian techno and hangin' on the beach.

The water is splendid and, as long as you apply sunblock, is an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, we learned that the hard way. The sun is incredible as we are very close to the equator and I didn't see any rain on this trip until two days ago here, and it was only a light sprinkle. There are several stray dogs here as in most of India and if you don't watch your clothes carefully they could be carried away by an overly excited morning riser. I witnessed a playful puppy carry away a woman's pants as she and her husband frolicked in the waves. I saved them and hid them until she returned and decided to tie my shoes and clothes together next time I went for a swim. There are three or more fresh water springs on the beach to wash away the salt water. They flow through plastic tubes embedded in the red rock cliff and pour cool water down, creating pools in the sand. The sunset on the beach is very nice, especially if you can time it just as you open your eyes after meditation like I did one evening.

The food is erratically great but consistently slow, once you finally get your order taken that is. Most people here seem to have no sense of time, unless you are using one of their computers - then it's another story. Our favorite saying here has been, "you never know." People are so amazingly nice and friendly, though everywhere in India, like they say, "India could test the patience of a saint." I am by no means a saint, but I am surely being tested.

In America we are so used to having everything fast. Instant gratification is the norm. But this causes much suffering because if we aren't gratified when we expect it, anger, hostility and disappointment rise to the surface like bubbles in a fish tank. So India is the perfect place to challenge yourself, to expose negative qualities so they can be released forever. This work takes place every moment and you don't have to come to India to do it! It is a challenge though, especially when you have high expectations of yourself. So then you just surrender, the only way to truly experience this culture. When you do you see that everything comes when it comes, you get there when you get there and each moment begins to unfold perfectly. Easier said then done, yes?

The restaurants at night have big display cases on the walkways proudly showing the catch of the day. Butter tuna is one fish I had never heard of but it was the largest I saw, about four feet long. Each evening there are two places to catch pirated movies shown while you eat. We saw four different films including King Kong, Narnia (my second viewing - loved it!) and Pride & Predjudice. Occasionally a line of text scrolls along the bottom of the screen saying "it is illegal to have public showings of this film." Hehehe. We have been frequenting a place called the Juice Shack where they make fresh juice drinks and use only mineral water so no worries about getting belly aches. It is owned by an English woman and her Indian husband. Mueslix has been a favorite snack on this journey which is simply yogurt (or curd as it is called here) topped with granola, fresh fruit and honey. Great breakfast too.

We are leaving today for Anandashram - our next stop. Check out the website: www.Anandashram.org. It looks beautiful. I'll try to find internet there but "you never know."
Love & light to you all!
Lynne