This is a view of the rice fields from our cottage during our stay at Green Palm Homes We arrived at Green Palms Homestay on New Year's Eve. It had been quite a journey to get here which seems to be the case when travelling by bus in India. We arrived in Allepey which is the gateway town to the backwaters of Kerala. Upon arriving we walked from the bus station about a kilometer to a boat ferry stop that would take us to the homestay. This was very exciting! We hopped on the ferry and rode for about one hour along the waterways. Riding along in the ferry was a real treat even after being on a bus for four hours, as the air is clean and the waters were tranquil. When we were dropped off, we walked along . . .
0 Comments
Birch I had a very good day today. We woke up early, in order to have a traditional breakfast our host had made for us. I didn't say anything, but I did not like it very much. Spicy food for breakfast? Yuck! Anyway, after breakfast we walked along the shore. I got a good pair of sunglasses with the money Allegra had given me for Christmas. Allegra got three scarves and a bird took a poo on my foot. We hung out on the beach the whole day, but I didn't go in the ocean because the water was polluted and I didn't want to get it in any of my orifices. We had dinner at a rooftop restaurant. The restaurant had a Russian name and served Indian food. They moved two tables together right next to the terrace allowing us all to have an excellent view of the beach below. Off in the distance we could see the lighthouse and the full moon above. After the delicious meal, Allegra and I played tag on the beach as we headed back to our Guest House. Birch This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
Dad and I taking a closer look at the Gandhi Statue The first thing we did was head to the massive Sri Meenakshi Temple in the centre of city. The Temple has four huge towers at four main entrances. We entered through the east entrance. We had to take off our shoes and go through a security check. It was a strange protocol. It was cool knowing that we were walking in one of the biggest temples in India. I liked the painted murals of lotus flowers on the ceiling. Each lotus painting was completely different and there were at least a hundred painted along the ceilings of the corridors. A bunch of young guys kept saying "Hi!" to me and wanted to shake my hand (just because I am white, I think). After that we . . . We had a very special Christmas in Auroville. Birch and Allegra decided to decorate our room to give it a Christmas feel. They found a large palm leaf that fanned out in all directions and Birch made a base by duct-taping three pieces of bamboo together to form a tripod, then inserted the palm leaf in the centre, Ta Da, we had a Christmas Tree! Then they decorated it by making snowflakes out of paper, stringing a banana leaf chain around the tree and hanging our headlamps (four in all) covered in multi-coloured plastic bags. When the headlamps were turned on, our tree was lit up in shades of pink, blue and green. We wrapped our presents in banana leaves and placed them under the tree. It was wonderful! Birch and Allegra were very proud of their Indian Christmas tree and we all excitedly went to bed.
Early the next morning . . . More pictures to come -- we presently have a slow connection A view of the Matrimandir from a distance and the surrounding green belt Arriving in Auroville was exactly what everyone needed. Auroville is not crowded at all and it is very clean. We decided to stay for 6 days and spend Christmas here. Each day here was different and we managed to have a few low key days where we just relaxed, read or just went for a bike ride to explore. Having access to bicycles gave us a lot of independence and we were able to explore the community. Some of the highlights include spending time at the visitor centre where we learned a lot about the history and goals of the community. We also had a tour of the Matrimandir which is the meditative geodesic dome structure in the shape of a sphere that the community is built around. It is. . .
A solar field where the Sandhana Forest community gets all of its energy needs. Allegra at our guest house grounds in Auroville, notice all the trees!! We have arrived in Auroville. Auroville is an intentional "spiritual" community started by a woman whom they call the Mother. She had a vision of creating Auroville a community which belongs to no one yet is accessible to everyone. The present population is roughly 2000 people and they come from all over the world, with the majority of residents from India, France, Germany, The Netherlands and the United States along with many more nationalities including 5 Canadians. At the geographic centre of Auroville sits a huge banyan tree and beside it, they built this golden globe structure which is supposed to be in the shape of a lotus flower and houses their spiritual centre, where people enter in complete silence to meditate.
Before Auroville was created, the area was . . . It had started off as a really. . . |