Well that was a shame. Everything else about the place was great. Except satsang. We just couldn't get on with satsang. Satsang means 'in the company of truth' and is the first and last thing practiced daily at the ashram that we were booked in at. It is the spiritual practice of coming together for silent meditation, chanting and to share the knowledge of the gurus and swamis. But it just wasn't for us. The accommodation was very sparse but livable, the 5.20 morning bell was fine, the communal dining area and eating in silence was great as well. We met a lot of lovely people from around the world as well and doing karmic yoga gave a sense of purpose and community.
We missed satsang one night and were just chilling in our room when the knock came. 'Why aren't you at satsang?' I spent five or so minutes explaining our reasons but it didn't look like we were going to win her over. 'Maybe you could meet with the director tomorrow and discuss it with him?' Well.....maybe I could.
I think it was her parting comment that got me the most, 'well I hope you find peace tonight'. Until then I was sure I would sleep well and wake refreshed and ready for some more yoga. But I suspect in her mind I would be thrashing around sleeplessly all night because I hadn't cleansed my mind the evening before. So, sensing that this would become more of a problem in the coming days and not wishing it to taint the nice experiences we already had we decided to leave the next day and go back to Varkala.
And we ended up in the place above. It's in a compound of government buildings and when there are no visiting dignitaries a room can be rented for Rp220 (£2.46) a night. A real bargain but a lick of paint wouldn't go amiss. Or some more light bulbs and a mirror. When the wind blew dust and plaster fell down through the sizeable holes in the wood panelled ceiling. And there was a mongoose or similar that ran around up there at night. After three nights we moved back to the Akhil Beach Resort that we had stayed at before we went to the ashram.
We shall be here until the 26th Dec and then we will head to Fort Cochin for two nights, and then the tea plantations of Munnar for another two and then back to Cochin for two nights. The reasoning for this is geographical and the time of year. It won't be that easy to escape the area over new year and rooms were becoming less easy to find and book. Here are some photos from our time around Varkala:
A merry christmas and a happy new year to you all and thanks for reading these posts. Over a thousand page views so far!!
Hi both. Shame that satsang didn't work out as planned but it looks like you're having a great time there anyway. The mongoose thing would have freaked me out a little as well methinks!! We've been back in Wales for almost 2 weeks now, rain, rain and more rain! :(. Merry christmas to you both. Carl and Alison.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading again and a Merry Christmas to you both as well, despite the rain. We have had a little rain here actually.....no really!! We are off to Fort Cochin and took your recommendation and are staying at Adam's wood....we'll let you know how that goes. Toodle ooh for now.
ReplyDeleteWell it sounds like you lasted more than the prophetic Lunge's 2 hours at the ashram but another thread to your journey. A little while since your last post - I have a look a couple of times a week and love keeping up. Your travels in India must be the next best thing to reading your blog! Missing the photo of a mongoose but plenty more chances with luck. Happy Christmas, Muff.
ReplyDeleteHeh heh, yea just a little!! Really would've done the two weeks otherwise. Thanks for reading. That night with the mongoose reminded me of that time in the tent with a hedgehog and a maglite!! I don't think I could of protected myself so well with an LED headtorch though!! :)
ReplyDelete