Post 10 - India Travel Journals

August 14, 2013:

·      Yoga –

Tom enjoyed yoga in Udaipur so much that we decided to get up early and attend Coconut Lagoon’s yoga class.  Our teacher began the class by taking a few minutes to get to know each of us.

“What is your good name,” asked our instructor.

“Tom”

“And Tom, how long have you been practicing,” asked the yoga instructor. 

Tom held up ‘1 finger.’ 

Pleased, the instructor said, “one year – that is wonderful.” 

Tom quickly corrected him, “No.  One time.  Earlier on this vacation in fact.” 

“Oh,” he said disappointedly, “well, you should practice everyday,” our instructor advised pleadingly. 

He then explained that the style of yoga in Kerala was all about relaxation.  In this class, we worked on sun salutations (or Surya Namaskar) and tree pose.  Sun Salutations are a common series of flowing poses that are typically performed in the morning or at the beginning of a yoga class.  Our yoga teacher explained to us that the most important component of yoga is the breath.  He further elaborated that the transition from posture-to-posture is facilitated by inhalation or exhalation, and this is what is critical to your practice and not your level of flexibility. He encouraged us to slow down out movements, perform our movements smaller, and watch our breath closely.  He encouraged that same with tree pose, which requires a sense of rootedness and centering down through your core. 

Tom and I both agreed that this was an amazingly relaxing yoga class and a great way to start our day.

·      Boat Ride through the Back Waters

The part of Kerala we stayed in is called Kumarakom, which houses a renowned bird sanctuary that spreads across 14 acres, making it an ornithologists’ paradise.  Our boat driver – assumed that like most visitors to the area, we were bird-folk – thus, on our relaxing cruise through the backwaters, he pointed out every egret, heron, wild duck, and kingfisher we encountered.

Our driver was incredibly sweet; however, the birds were not the highlight of our backwater trip.  Rather from the boat, you have a front-row seat to the real-life stories of locals.  Huts and houses line the river along with rice fields. 

As you ride along the backwaters, you see women chatting while beating their laundry on stones; men scaling trees to retrieve ripe coconuts; people bathing in the river; fishermen pulling up their nets to examine the day’s catch; and goats, roosters and various animals wandering about.

And the absolute highlight came as our boat passed by an elementary school.  As we passed, several of the students (with their teacher’s permission) ran onto the front porch to wave and smile feverishly to us as we passed.  They were absolutely thrilled to see us there.  And for us, the sight of their beautiful, smiling faces was absolutely adorable. 

To further explore local life, we took an afternoon stroll through the local village.  Kerala is truly amazing and has been coined “God’s own country” for a reason.  But as far as I am concerned, Kerala’s true beauty is found in its villages and in its people.


The people in Kerala live humble, serene lives.  They emanate warmth.

The people live off the water and off the land.  Each small home has waterfront property with three or four steps leading into the water.  The people bathed in the water, did their dishes in the water and even did their laundry there.  Everywhere we walked, the people looked at us, nodded and smiled.  Everyone made us feel welcome, safe and appreciated.

Our initial apprehension about our time in Kerala proved to be the furthest thing from the reality of our experiences there.  Tom, Emily, James and I all absolutely loved Kerala and were sad to have to leave.

Other Memorable Moments in Kerala:

Emily and I decided to get henna while in Kerala.

Practiced mainly in India, mehendi, also known as henna, is the application of a temporary form of tattoo.  Henna paste is applied to the skin using a plastic cone.  After about an hour, the henna paste will dry and begin to crack.  When the henna paste is removed, the henna design is pale to dark orange in color;  this color gradually darkens through oxidation, over the course of 24 to 72 hours. The final color is reddish brown and can last anywhere from 1-3 weeks depending on the quality and type of henna paste applied, as well as where it was applied on the body (thicker skin stains darker and longer than thin skin).

Tom, Emily and James also spent many memorable hours in the pool, while I made frequent treks to the Butterfly Sanctuary in hopes of getting some photos for GG!