Alleppey Day 2

I am awakened this morning at 3am by the sound of thunder.  And rain.  More rain!!!!  I drift in and out of sleep listening to the rain slowly ruining my plans for the day.  Today was to be pool and beach day.

I finally crawl out of bed around 7am and get ready to go to breakfast.  It is still raining.  I trudge through the rain in my poncho (red with Willo embroidered on it).  I have my breakfast but service is poor here, I have to ask for my coffee to be refilled and no one jumps to peel my hard-boiled eggs (everywhere else it has been a race to see who could peel my eggs first).  As I ea,t the sun slowly emerges, HOORAY!!!!

At 10:30 I am off to the ayurveda center for my day's treatment.   This massage is for detoxification and rejuvenation.  It starts the same as the day before with a head and shoulder massage them I am moved to a teakwood table.  The table is at an angle with the head higher than the feet.  My head rests on a pillow made of newspaper (this is a popular theme for this hotel chain with recycled newspaper used for bags, floor mats and file folders.  I start face down and as before I am pummelled before moving on to the main attraction, hot oil is drizzled over me.  LOTS of hot oil.  3.5 litres of hot oil.  I am soaked in oil until I nearly slide off of the table.  Then I turn over and am dosed again until I am greasier than the KFC chicken that is so popular here.  My therapist explains that this is a medicated oil good for alleviating joint pain and removing toxins.  I cannot believe that having oil poured over me for an hour is going to accomplish much of anything but I am in not position to argue, literally.  Again I am showered and scrubbed with neem (it takes much more neem to remove the oil this time).  My hair is washed, I am dried and dressed, given tea and sent back to the doctor.  He again explains to me it is essential I see my cardiologist as soon as I get home (this guy just won't let it go).  He then hands me the bill for 7100rps NOW I have a heart problem. 

I spend the rest of my day lounging by the pool.  At dusk I head down to the beach to listen to the waves, enjoy the silence (no honking, no talking) and meditate.  No such luck.  Everyone walking down the beach feels the need to stop and chat (apparently staring intently at a crab hole does not deter interruption).  It becomes so bad that the security guard posts himself directly behind me and scowls at anyone who looks my way.  Sneaky way to earn a tip.

I get no meditation time but I do get some great pictures:




My feet in the Arabian Sea

Fisherman bringing in his net

Eagle soaring

 











Indian version of a seagull











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Sand crab in his hole



Sand crab







Sunset

Tonight it is raining.  Tomorrow I tour the Alleppey backwaters on a houseboat.  It is supposed to be fabulous.  I only hope it does not rain.