Big Trees in the Royal Gardens......
Wild and Exotic flowers....
The view in Ella....
Trees in the Royal gardens...... 
Wild root systems......
Here is my sister city tutoring center in southern India....
Rice and curry is served on a banana leaf in the Kerala region of India...... 
Hi Friends, I hope that this message finds all of you well. I'm sorry that I have not updated this blog recently...so here it goes. The last time I wrote I was in Varkala, India. I went to Varkala to do a Thai Massage course. It was a wonderful experience and now I have a whole new skill to share with people. I've always enjoyed giving and receiving massage but now I have learned a whole new set of techniques. Since I've been back at Rocky Point I have been able to practice on many willing guests.
So, about 3 weeks ago I left Varkala early in the morning (4AM) before the sun had risen. I caught a tuk-tuk to the local train station and waited on the platform. When I arrived there were only a few other folks around. I like to be early for things so I don't miss them...especially when I need to catch a plane. The train was scheduled for 5:05 and I was told that it's usually only about 20 minutes late. Like clockwork it rolled into the station around 5:30 and I hopped on. I only had about an hour ride, but it still provided a nice glimpse into train travel in India. I am definitely going to come back and do some long distance train travel in Asia. I was in 3rd class traveling with the local crowd....and of course there were people everywhere. If there is room to squeeze one more person in, then 3 get on.
In India the spectrum of have and have-nots is so apparent. On the train I was sitting across from a nice older man who was on his way to the University to help his daughter. She is in graduate school studying Botany. Meanwhile, about 15 feet away were the bathrooms....on the floor in front of the bathrooms was a man who appeared mentally ill. He was just sleeping on the floor and sort of writhing about periodically. No one noticed, they just stepped over him and proceeded to use the toilet......which is a squat toilet that has a 4 inch diameter pipe that open to the tracks below. By the way, squatting is an extremely healthy way to go to the bathroom and if practiced daily can help prevent many digestive track problems in life.
In India the spectrum of have and have-nots is so apparent. On the train I was sitting across from a nice older man who was on his way to the University to help his daughter. She is in graduate school studying Botany. Meanwhile, about 15 feet away were the bathrooms....on the floor in front of the bathrooms was a man who appeared mentally ill. He was just sleeping on the floor and sort of writhing about periodically. No one noticed, they just stepped over him and proceeded to use the toilet......which is a squat toilet that has a 4 inch diameter pipe that open to the tracks below. By the way, squatting is an extremely healthy way to go to the bathroom and if practiced daily can help prevent many digestive track problems in life.
When I arrived in Trivandrum the train station was alive (or maybe I should say swarming) with people. Bodies were sleeping everywhere. They looked like neatly arranged sardines in a can. People were just shoulder to shoulder with their heads against the walls and happily sleeping. There were many school groups and cricket teams traveling together. It's interesting that amongst all the chaos and hecticness I felt very calm. I made my way to the airport via another tuk-tuk which is a process in itself. Upon exiting the train station everyone wants to take you somewhere, sell you something, or ask you for money. Simultaneously 6 people will approach you and try to convince you of why you should go with them. In the end it's easier to just keep saying "No" and walk away from the station. It is always better to approach a tuk-tuk driver instead.
In India there is much more begging and poverty right in you face than in Sri Lanka. If you just stay focused and not let the flood of stimuli overtake you it's not so bad. I can see, however, that it cloud be very daunting and overwhelming. It's almost like I needed to put up an energetic wall around myself to protect my being. If I engaged with each person who tried to talk with me or each begger on the street it would just overwhelm me. Once I arrived at the Trivandrum airport, however, it's like stepping into a different world. All the suffering, dirtiness, and chaos is gone and it's back to check-in counters, gates, x-ray machines, etc. It is still India, however, so things move at their own pace and there is lots of paper shuffling. Between entering the airport and boarding the plane I had my paperwork and boarding pass examined about 8 times. I remember that last year when I left Sri Lanka it was such a shock going to the Colombo airport. I had not been in a "western like" environment for 3 months and the difference was so extreme.
On the 45 minute flight between Trivandrum and Colombo I met another traveller, Greg, and we started chatting. I love how the universe works. Greg was on his way to the same place I was going that evening so we headed off together. To get from the airport to Kandy we hopped on a bus and cruised up into the hills. At first we were standing for about 45 minutes but then we reached a major junction and a bunch of people got off so we got a seat for the remaining 3 hours. Riding the buses in Sri Lanka is always an adventure. Music playing, people checking us out......we are always the only white folks on the bus. Food vendors passing by with baskets of snacks. Some are traditional food like spicy chick peas or fish balls but it's sad to see how much the "junk food" revolution has taken over the world. Even in the most rural place I still see coca-cola and garbage food options.
Once in Kandy I found Shakti and we spent two night there. Shakti is a regular guest at Rocky Point and she is like a grandmother figure there. She lives in Dharmsala, India and teaches English to the Tibetan Nuns that are living in exile in India. I had planned to meet Shakti in Kandy, Sri Lanka on the 27th of January. We were going to do a few tourist things together and then travel back to Rocky Point via the hill country. The whole time I was doing my Thai massage, she was sitting quietly meditating in silence. The center is called Nilambe Mediation Center and it's in the hills above Kandy. What's even more interesting is that Greg used to the be manager of this meditation center and was on his way to visit it again.
In India there is much more begging and poverty right in you face than in Sri Lanka. If you just stay focused and not let the flood of stimuli overtake you it's not so bad. I can see, however, that it cloud be very daunting and overwhelming. It's almost like I needed to put up an energetic wall around myself to protect my being. If I engaged with each person who tried to talk with me or each begger on the street it would just overwhelm me. Once I arrived at the Trivandrum airport, however, it's like stepping into a different world. All the suffering, dirtiness, and chaos is gone and it's back to check-in counters, gates, x-ray machines, etc. It is still India, however, so things move at their own pace and there is lots of paper shuffling. Between entering the airport and boarding the plane I had my paperwork and boarding pass examined about 8 times. I remember that last year when I left Sri Lanka it was such a shock going to the Colombo airport. I had not been in a "western like" environment for 3 months and the difference was so extreme.
On the 45 minute flight between Trivandrum and Colombo I met another traveller, Greg, and we started chatting. I love how the universe works. Greg was on his way to the same place I was going that evening so we headed off together. To get from the airport to Kandy we hopped on a bus and cruised up into the hills. At first we were standing for about 45 minutes but then we reached a major junction and a bunch of people got off so we got a seat for the remaining 3 hours. Riding the buses in Sri Lanka is always an adventure. Music playing, people checking us out......we are always the only white folks on the bus. Food vendors passing by with baskets of snacks. Some are traditional food like spicy chick peas or fish balls but it's sad to see how much the "junk food" revolution has taken over the world. Even in the most rural place I still see coca-cola and garbage food options.
Once in Kandy I found Shakti and we spent two night there. Shakti is a regular guest at Rocky Point and she is like a grandmother figure there. She lives in Dharmsala, India and teaches English to the Tibetan Nuns that are living in exile in India. I had planned to meet Shakti in Kandy, Sri Lanka on the 27th of January. We were going to do a few tourist things together and then travel back to Rocky Point via the hill country. The whole time I was doing my Thai massage, she was sitting quietly meditating in silence. The center is called Nilambe Mediation Center and it's in the hills above Kandy. What's even more interesting is that Greg used to the be manager of this meditation center and was on his way to visit it again.
Kandy is the largest city in the central hill region of Sri Lanka. Due to its remote and relatively inaccessible location it was the last place that the British conquered. The Sri Lanka kingdoms in the hill country held out until the mid-19th century. Once they were finally taken over it still took the British over a dozen years to build a road up to this area. Kandy is at about 600 meters elevation. Just outside of Kandy is a lovely botanical garden. Since the 14th century it has been a royal garden and WOW what a place. So many incredible trees, flowers, plants, and one area had thousands of large bats (3 foot wingspans). So we spent about 5 hours just wandering around the gardens.
The next day we boarded a train for Ella. It was an 8 hour ride across the central hill country through tea plantations and pine forests. Ella is a lovely mountain town that is quiet and sleepy. We took some great walks around there and even visited Ravana's cave where Sita was hidden. That reference is from the Ramayana, which is an Indian epic story in which Sita, the queen, is captured by the evil king of Sri Lanka, Ravana, and keep hostage on this island.
After a couple nights in Ella we caught a bus down and out of the mountains and back to Rocky Point. Since the 1st I have been back here. Many new folks arrived this week and there is a lot of nice energy here now. I'm still teaching partner yoga often and in a few weeks I'll be heading back to Oregon. Rocky Point is an easy place to get sucked into, however, and never leave. I am glad that I did leave for these past few weeks and explore a little corner of India and some new places within Sri Lanka. When I was in Kandy I stayed at a guesthouse of a man who leads walks through the hills of Sri Lanka. Apparently there are still some hunter gathers that live in the hill country here. There are many places in the hills that are only accessible on foot and I would love to spend a week or two just walking with him someday through this island jewel.
So, thanks for reading this far. I hope I didn't bore you too much and that you have a great day. Peace. Jacob
