We’re now in Unawatuna, a beach town near Galle, on the South Western tip of Sri Lanka, on a few days of “vacation”, celebrating our one year of traveling through Thailand and India!
Since my fall in the stairwell eight weeks ago, I’ve been progressively, albeit slowly, recovering. It’s taken me this time to feel anything close to “normal”, and energy is still in limited supply. Recovering while traveling India is a challenge, even if you stay as quiet as possible.
Once out of the Ayurvedic hospital we headed to Alleppey, in Kerala, southern India, where our dear friend Don from California had come to celebrate the holidays with us. We spent a week at a homestay directly on the Kerala backwaters, a beautiful, extensive network of lakes, lagoons and canals bordered by coconut and palm trees and vibrant with wildlife. This was the very first nature setting we had experienced in 4 months. We were so lacking silence, nature and wildlife, especially in the five week confinement of the hospital. Being in a tropical water garden was a total feast for our senses. We rested at the homestay, took a long motor boat ride, discovering the villages strung along the canals. Don and I also took a couple of sunrise and sunset canoe rides. We spent a memorable Christmas Eve on the edge of the water, merrily singing Christmas carols with a couple of British guests.
Canal through tropical vegetation~~~~~~~~~~View from our homestay
We then went an hour north to Fort Cochin for another week, a quaint, old Portuguese and Dutch port. By then I could walk without a crutch and started to stroll around town, visiting the Chinese fishing nets that were brought there hundreds of years ago. We loved the Dutch palace and Jew town, one of Fort Cochin’s most picturesque neighborhoods, with buildings dating from the 16th century and rich architectural antique stores and yards. The fantastic variety of ancient doors, furniture and house accessories got me thinking about getting back into the antique business!
We spent New Year’s Eve dining on Indian white wine and cheese on a small terrace above the courtyard of the Malabar House restaurant, where festivities of music and dance were taking place for the guests. It was a very special way to welcome 2009!
Cochin Carnaval~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chinese fishing nets
A night train to Chennai brought us back to the East side of southern India, to catch our plane to Sri Lanka. For the past months we had been working out where to get a visa renewal (the options were Nepal, Thailand or Sri Lanka) and had reservations about coming here, not knowing what the situation would be in the North between military and the Tamil Tigers who have been at war for the past 27 years. Having read many different tales of travelers, we were wondering what to expect. In the two weeks here, we've been enchanted by the people, the sites and the general atmosphere.
Avoiding Colombo and its big city hassle, congestion, frequent police blocks-searches and pollution, we went directly to Negombo, a beach town to the north of the airport. The next day a van took us to Kandy, the ancient capital in the mountains, in the center of the country.
The Temple of the Tooth with the relic's shrine golden roof
Buddhist devotional candles and incense
Kandy has the main Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, the Temple of the Tooth, where lies an actual tooth relic of the Buddha. There, it took a week to renew our visas for India – only 3 month visas were granted instead of the six months we had hoped for, which is changing our plans for the future.
We discovered a good deal of Kandy and some of central Sri Lanka – the bit my weak energy allowed towards the end of our stay: a tea factory, a spice garden, an elephant orphanage and a mountain meditation retreat that Nandana, the owner of Shangri-la guesthouse in Kandy, is creating.
Shangri-la guesthouse~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Assortment of teas
Having lunch above the elephant orohanage bathing pool
Sri Lanka is very different from India and reminds me of Malaysia or Thailand. It’s a predominantly Buddhist country with Muslim, Hindu and Christian minorities; you feel the Buddhist influence in people’s behavior. They are generally calm, tolerant and welcoming. We immediately observed that people care about their environment. It’s clean and organized; you can actually expect vehicles to respect some road rules, and even to stop when you cross the street, a big contrast with the Indian traffic free for all where the law of the biggest prevails. So it’s been very relaxing to take a well needed break from busy India where we had been for the past 10 months.
Kandy, 4:45 am. Kamala next to a clear, antique timetable
The VERY crowded train to Colombo (picture taken from outside the window)
Two days ago we came by train to Unawatuna on the south-western coast for a few days, before heading back to India. Singhalese trains are like antiques, with woodwork inside, thinly padded seats, narrow wagons and bumpy, rough suspension and track layout. It took 6 hours, leaving at 5am and the train got very crowded with commuters one hour before arriving in Colombo.
We’re now immensely appreciating our little bungalow in the Secret Garden, a beautiful guesthouse in a luxuriant garden, held by Simona, a Swiss woman who has lived here for 22 years. Writing this at 8:00 am, the sound of chanting from the yoga class in the meditation hall is mixing with the tropical birds in the garden. We've had several conversations with locals about the Tsunami, that hit Sri Lanka's East, West and South coasts very severely, with a death toll of 45 000. I will write some stories on this topic.
It’s been a gift to change environments and be able to completely relax. Discovering Sri Lanka has changed our view of where we want to live and where I will network for my next job. South East Asia was my initial target and this experience brings me back to that vision. We will be deciding what will follow in the next 3 months.
Our bungalow at the Secret Garden~~~~~~~~~~Relaxing at night above the beach
Back in India we’ll head to Goa for 6 weeks of yoga workshop with Sharat, our Iyengar Yoga teacher from Dharamsala. This will be a new challenge to my weakened body; working out will help me recover to my best.
2009 is going to be the year of us finding our new spot in the world. Though today location and employment are still to be defined, we are looking forward to the adventure of settling down, getting back to work and creating our new life.
More committed to and passionate than ever about my profession, I am integrating the cultural and personal learning of this year into my coaching and consulting practices. You can read more about this in “Being a cultural alien”, “The Yoga of Alignment” and “How everything is perfect when I let go of control and handle my priorities”, blogs to come in the next few months.
Namasthe
Since my fall in the stairwell eight weeks ago, I’ve been progressively, albeit slowly, recovering. It’s taken me this time to feel anything close to “normal”, and energy is still in limited supply. Recovering while traveling India is a challenge, even if you stay as quiet as possible.
Once out of the Ayurvedic hospital we headed to Alleppey, in Kerala, southern India, where our dear friend Don from California had come to celebrate the holidays with us. We spent a week at a homestay directly on the Kerala backwaters, a beautiful, extensive network of lakes, lagoons and canals bordered by coconut and palm trees and vibrant with wildlife. This was the very first nature setting we had experienced in 4 months. We were so lacking silence, nature and wildlife, especially in the five week confinement of the hospital. Being in a tropical water garden was a total feast for our senses. We rested at the homestay, took a long motor boat ride, discovering the villages strung along the canals. Don and I also took a couple of sunrise and sunset canoe rides. We spent a memorable Christmas Eve on the edge of the water, merrily singing Christmas carols with a couple of British guests.
Canal through tropical vegetation~~~~~~~~~~View from our homestayWe then went an hour north to Fort Cochin for another week, a quaint, old Portuguese and Dutch port. By then I could walk without a crutch and started to stroll around town, visiting the Chinese fishing nets that were brought there hundreds of years ago. We loved the Dutch palace and Jew town, one of Fort Cochin’s most picturesque neighborhoods, with buildings dating from the 16th century and rich architectural antique stores and yards. The fantastic variety of ancient doors, furniture and house accessories got me thinking about getting back into the antique business!
We spent New Year’s Eve dining on Indian white wine and cheese on a small terrace above the courtyard of the Malabar House restaurant, where festivities of music and dance were taking place for the guests. It was a very special way to welcome 2009!
Cochin Carnaval~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chinese fishing netsA night train to Chennai brought us back to the East side of southern India, to catch our plane to Sri Lanka. For the past months we had been working out where to get a visa renewal (the options were Nepal, Thailand or Sri Lanka) and had reservations about coming here, not knowing what the situation would be in the North between military and the Tamil Tigers who have been at war for the past 27 years. Having read many different tales of travelers, we were wondering what to expect. In the two weeks here, we've been enchanted by the people, the sites and the general atmosphere.
Avoiding Colombo and its big city hassle, congestion, frequent police blocks-searches and pollution, we went directly to Negombo, a beach town to the north of the airport. The next day a van took us to Kandy, the ancient capital in the mountains, in the center of the country.
The Temple of the Tooth with the relic's shrine golden roofBuddhist devotional candles and incense
Kandy has the main Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, the Temple of the Tooth, where lies an actual tooth relic of the Buddha. There, it took a week to renew our visas for India – only 3 month visas were granted instead of the six months we had hoped for, which is changing our plans for the future.
We discovered a good deal of Kandy and some of central Sri Lanka – the bit my weak energy allowed towards the end of our stay: a tea factory, a spice garden, an elephant orphanage and a mountain meditation retreat that Nandana, the owner of Shangri-la guesthouse in Kandy, is creating.
Shangri-la guesthouse~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Assortment of teas
Having lunch above the elephant orohanage bathing poolSri Lanka is very different from India and reminds me of Malaysia or Thailand. It’s a predominantly Buddhist country with Muslim, Hindu and Christian minorities; you feel the Buddhist influence in people’s behavior. They are generally calm, tolerant and welcoming. We immediately observed that people care about their environment. It’s clean and organized; you can actually expect vehicles to respect some road rules, and even to stop when you cross the street, a big contrast with the Indian traffic free for all where the law of the biggest prevails. So it’s been very relaxing to take a well needed break from busy India where we had been for the past 10 months.
Kandy, 4:45 am. Kamala next to a clear, antique timetableThe VERY crowded train to Colombo (picture taken from outside the window)
Two days ago we came by train to Unawatuna on the south-western coast for a few days, before heading back to India. Singhalese trains are like antiques, with woodwork inside, thinly padded seats, narrow wagons and bumpy, rough suspension and track layout. It took 6 hours, leaving at 5am and the train got very crowded with commuters one hour before arriving in Colombo.
We’re now immensely appreciating our little bungalow in the Secret Garden, a beautiful guesthouse in a luxuriant garden, held by Simona, a Swiss woman who has lived here for 22 years. Writing this at 8:00 am, the sound of chanting from the yoga class in the meditation hall is mixing with the tropical birds in the garden. We've had several conversations with locals about the Tsunami, that hit Sri Lanka's East, West and South coasts very severely, with a death toll of 45 000. I will write some stories on this topic.
It’s been a gift to change environments and be able to completely relax. Discovering Sri Lanka has changed our view of where we want to live and where I will network for my next job. South East Asia was my initial target and this experience brings me back to that vision. We will be deciding what will follow in the next 3 months.
Our bungalow at the Secret Garden~~~~~~~~~~Relaxing at night above the beachBack in India we’ll head to Goa for 6 weeks of yoga workshop with Sharat, our Iyengar Yoga teacher from Dharamsala. This will be a new challenge to my weakened body; working out will help me recover to my best.
2009 is going to be the year of us finding our new spot in the world. Though today location and employment are still to be defined, we are looking forward to the adventure of settling down, getting back to work and creating our new life.
More committed to and passionate than ever about my profession, I am integrating the cultural and personal learning of this year into my coaching and consulting practices. You can read more about this in “Being a cultural alien”, “The Yoga of Alignment” and “How everything is perfect when I let go of control and handle my priorities”, blogs to come in the next few months.
Namasthe
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