Month: March 2017

Meenakshi Ashram will be home for the next couple of weeks. It is located in the middle of nowhere outside of Madurai, and the grounds are impossibly beautiful with flowering trees and shrubs, palm trees, bamboo and five-foot high coleus hedges. The buildings are all low profile in contrast with the Neyyar Dam location. I was a bit worried that the heat would be worse here but it is not; calming breezes flow through the two larger yoga halls and the library has fans so it’s usually comfortable. We’ve also enjoyed a bit of rain the last few days, or at least I have. The locals find it cold. It’s 34 degrees.

My roommate Evi is from Greece and we are two peas in a pod in terms of how we like to live. She is here for six weeks or so and was alone in the room before I came, so I know that it’s more difficult for her. I’m trying not to be a pain ? She is smart and funny and gregarious and I like her a lot.

The yoga is hard, especially since I have been away from it for some time. It is coming back slowly, at least the knowledge of how to perform the asanas. The actual performance thereof will take longer.

As usual, lots of high energy, bright young people here but also a few older folks…my favourite combination! Oh yeah, cheeky monkeys, a couple of ashram dogs and a cat that meows non-stop. It ran up to me today and rubbed against my leg so I knelt down to pet it. It bit me.

My hotel is within walking distance of Madurai’s largest shopping mall. What’s a girl to do? Hire a tuk tuk because it may be within walking distance but I wouldn’t say it’s walkable…

I was able to find something suitable to wear for temple visits. (The sleeves were either non-existent or too short on everything I brought with me.) And I had a fish pedicure – the kind where you submerge your feet into a tank of tiny fish that immediately nibble off all of the dead skin. It was weird but not unpleasant.

I decided to scout out my neighbourhood for fruit and I’m happy to say I found a filtered coffee shop and my favourite bank in the process. The coffee shop is a neighbourhood joint, and I’m certain they don’t see many tourists. Every person in the place talked to me even though none of them spoke more than a few words of English. They were horrified that I was drinking black coffee and encouraged me to add sugar. I got more than a few looks of incomprehension, and I’m not surprised that diabetes is a big health issue here.

I’ve booked a rickshaw tour of Madurai for the morning which includes the Meenakshi temple but since I saw it six years ago, I won’t be upset if we don’t spend a lot of time there. I’m more interested in the stuff that surrounds it. Madurai may have two million people but it’s just a village at heart and I’m eager to see those winding alleys, markets  and textile shops with all those cows at the heart of things, including the major intersections.

My hotel is positively luxurious. That’s what you get for $36 a night compared with my usual $15-20. The bed is like a cloud compared to the one in Chaudi. I’m going to make the most of it because I have a feeling the ashram beds won’t compare.

Just when I think I’ve got Indian train travel worked out, I get thrown a curve ball. Like food, for instance. The train I took from Mumbai to Goa had full meal service delivered to your seat. Expecting the same on the Goa to Madurai journey, I brought nothing. And they served nothing. One woman across the aisle took pity and gave me biscuits and fruit, and I was eventually able to grab samosas from a station stall, but otherwise was offered only coffee or chai, both of which are so sweet as to be somewhat sickening.

And then there are the lack of aids- visual or otherwise – to help you figure out where your stop is. There are no announcements, and the staff disappears for long periods of time, so you’re pretty much on your own to decipher the signs as you approach the various stations. If you happen to be disembarking in the middle of the night or early morning when it’s still dark , you’re really up the creek.

And that’s exactly what transpired this morning. First of all, I thought my arrival time in Madurai was 12:30 am. When that came and went, I settled on 5:40 am because everyone in Goa kept telling me it was a full day’s journey. But that went by too and here’s me, still on the train. Madurai was an hour or more behind us when a porter asked where I was going. When I told him, he bundled me off at a place called Kovilpatti and told me to get the next express train in the other direction.

To say I was a novelty on that station platform would be an understatement. I don’t think they see a lot of tourists in Kovilpatti. I found my way to the ticket counter and asked about an AC car but he shook his head and told me it was an unreserved train. I’ve always wondered about unreserved trains when you have to run like crazy and walk over people to secure a seat; this was my chance to experience it!

I aligned myself with a group of women and kids and took my cues from them, including elbowing old men out of the way as we all scrambled to get inside. It wasn’t so rough after that. I found a seat with five women and in addition to a fan, the windows opened. Not bad for 25 rupees (50 cents). And everyone around me made sure I got off at Madurai Junction!

My room feels like heaven. The only thing missing is a mound of food which I will go in search of shortly.

Eye update: all is well. I had a follow-up visit on Wednesday. The eye is healing and hemorrhaging has decreased. No sign of a tear, so nothing further required other than – well – keeping an eye on it??? The doctor also gave me the name of a person to see in Madurai just in case.

Been hanging out with my UK friends Ruth and Lucinda this week since they moved to Palolem. Our boat ride to see the dolphins on Tuesday was fab. Saw lots of the critters including a baby swimming along between two adults. We then stopped at Butterfly Beach for a swim and to give Ruth a chance to pick up garbage – two bags full. I don’t think the boatmen were too impressed with having to bring it back but she was determined, and there’s nothing more stubborn than a tree-hugging hippie, which Ruth definitely is!

I met them for breakfast this morning. We were hoping to go out on a river boat ride to see more of the amazing array of birds that make their homes here. Unfortunately, no one around. Tomorrow marks the Holi celebration – the festival of colour – and we suspect that many may have already left to be with their families in their villages.

There are signs of the impending celebration everywhere you look…women stocking up on food and gifts, people in costumes with elaborately painted faces, fireworks at night and roving bands of women and youngsters who want to paint your face pink. I’m kinda happy I’ll be on the train tomorrow on my way to Madurai as pink isn’t my colour. But I will miss the water. It’s been lovely to swim every single day.

Some of the characters around the beach today:

Before I go any further, I am fine. My pupils are dilated…huge actually, like back in the day ?…but otherwise I’m as I should be.

It started on Tuesday when I noticed an increase in the amount of floaters in my eyes…little dots that drift back and forth across your field of vision. They are generally harmless, so I didn’t think much of it, other than to wonder about the frequency.

On Wednesday morning, I experienced bright flashes of light at the periphery of my right eye. I got a little nervous about this as I know that both are symptoms of a detached retina, so I found an optical shop down the road and went to see them. Unfortunately, they only perform vision tests for glasses, but the guy gave me the name of an eye doctor in Margao. The flashes eased in the afternoon so I decided I was overreacting.

Thursday…no issues.

Friday, floaters back along with a haze that slid back and forth my right eye like a curtain being drawn. So I called and got an appointment for this (Saturday) morning.

Margao is about 45 minutes away by taxi. (The guy next door gave me the name of a fellow he uses…always appreciated to know your driver isn’t a cowboy).

The waiting room was filled with bare-footed people as you have to take your shoes off to enter. I waited about 40 minutes before seeing the eye doctor and her four assistants (two of whom seemed to be there to hold my head in place). Eye test, drops to dilate, a further examination and a referral to a retinal specialist which she arranged to take place right away so that I wouldn’t have to make another trip. Three hundred rupees…$6.

Across town to the eye hospital where I saw the specialist immediately. It was like no other eye examination I’ve ever had, but he was thorough and reassuring. He suspected a small retinal tear but couldn’t actually see one, only the presence of blood. One thousand rupees ($20) and instructions to come back for follow up in three or four days just to be sure.

Cab ride to and from Margao and 90 minute wait time…$36.

It’s not completely over, but I have a good feeling about the whole thing. Fingers (not eyes) crossed…

Another perfect morning.  It’s hot.