Southern India First Impressions and the Yoga Retreat Home...
Upon arriving at the airport in Trivandrum, we were met with an foreigner customs line the length of two airplane loads of people. Unfortunately, we soon discovered that Southern India operates on island time. After about a 30-minute wait without any movement in the queue, it was clear that Tierza wasn't feeling well. An airport attendant noticed Tierza's discomfort and moved us to the front of the motionless customs line. Even with us being processed right away, it still took about 10 minutes for them to review our passports and pre-granted visas. Since this region of India has a strong foreigner tourist economy it seems a bit counter intuitive to make it so difficult for them to enter the country, but authority loves itself. Eventually, we cleared customs...at which point, conveniently, Tierza's illness cleared up... I guess she's allergic to waiting.
A slew of motorbikes, rickshaws, buses and cars weave in and out of each other's ways just barely avoiding accidents.
The Road to Moksha's Indian Yoga Retreat
Chicago yoga studio, Moksha, has set up their India retreat to make your arrival and stay as simple as possible in a region that otherwise might be difficult to navigate. Daren, the founder of Moksha, has partnered with a local business manager to help keep the Indian side of things in order for retreat attendees. Vipin, Daren's Indian business partner, met us at the airport with a private driver to take us to the current residence of the Moksha retreat, Surya Villa. The drive there was all but peaceful. Our driver was just fine, these streets are are more hectic than any other roads I've experienced--including all the regions of southeast Asia I've visited. A slew of motorbikes, rickshaws, buses and cars barrel down the road with no sense of organization. They weave in and out of each other's way just barely avoiding accidents. Right-of-way seems like a completely foreign concept. Road striping is merely a suggestion. And honking is a constant just to let everyone know that you are on the road. I'd like to relay that in India, they drive on the left side of the street like the Brits, but really, it's more just...like..."whatever." We arrived in one piece and weirdly I imagine so did everyone else heading to their destinations.
The King of Kovalam
Surya Villa is a rental property owned by Vipin's uncle, who is one of the most prolific business men in Kovalam. He owns two of the biggest hotels and restaurants along the beachfront and he is heavily involved with community engagement. He is so popular that the locals have nicked-named him "The King of Kovalam." If it isn't already materializing, a political career is forthcoming for this man. Although there was no apparent crime in Kovalam, staying at one of the "King's" properties is probably the safest place you could be. It's at the very least comforting having a powerful mogul on your side should anything shady happen during an extended stay... which it probably won't.
All of this means that the outside and inside world lines are blurred.
La Casa Surya Villa
"The King's" financial situation allows Surya Villa to be one of the most beautiful homes in Kovalam. It's a modern 4-story painted white concrete structure that naturally keeps cool for most of the day--which is good when your climate has an eternal Summer season and central AC is really non-existent. The toilets inside the home are Western style and accompanied by a spray hose for clean up--which does the job just fine, but toilet paper can be purchased and used for reassurance toward the Western mentality and for those not interested in a drip dry. If you're desperate to try a traditional Indian squatty-potty, there is also one available. The architecture in this region of India is very different than what you would see back in the States or any other region with climate extremes. There are no weather seals, thresholds, or window screens. Each room has an exterior wall slot for natural ventilation. All of this means that the outside and inside world lines are blurred. Mosquitoes and lizards are frequent house guests. The lizards are harmless and adorable, but if you wish to keep your flying friends at bay, for a little over a dollar, a wall-outlet mosquito repellent diffuser can be purchased. We only turned ours on at night and it lasted over 22 nights. Between the wall diffusers and the high powered ceiling fans, your nights can be fairly bug-bite-less.
The Layout of the Villa
The first floor of the home offers a communal kitchen and a public space used for dining and teacher training. The 2nd floor has (2) double occupancy private bedrooms/bathrooms as well as an area that serves as shared sleeping quarters with a shared restroom. The 3rd floor offers 3 additional private bedrooms/bathrooms with wall AC units. And the top floor is a covered open air roof deck that doubles as our yoga chalet. At night, Vipin sleeps on the first floor in case of emergency. All in all, it's a pretty stellar set up for a yoga retreat. The community living bonds everyone in a way that might not otherwise occur if we stayed in separate housing. It also helps us wake up on time for our daily 8am yoga class.
To Be Continued...
Beer of the Day
Kingfisher Premium, United Breweries Group