Return of Ashtanga Yoga!!!

Ok, so maybe we've been the worst bloggers ever the last few weeks.

But have no fear- Ashtanga Yoga on Sundays at DSY is near!!!


In case you haven't heard, we will resume our Ashtanga class on Sunday, August 10th, 11am sharp- Hope you've been practicing!

Backwaters

Kerala is an Indian province on the southwest shore of the country, just south of Karnataka (home of Mysore and Bangalore) along the Indian Ocean. It is currently very hot and humid. Evan and Kelly are sweating, even as you read this.

After the briefest of stops in urban Kochi, we're moved onto greener, and soggier, places. Currently that's Alleppey, a nice little place with great access to the famous Keralan backwaters, and a lovely afternoon chat (snack) tradition of banana-fry.

We had begun to think that all of this monsoon talk was a bit like the "Midwestern winter" - more legend than annual occurrence - but we have been corrected here on the coast. The rain comes at any time, for any duration. Usually no more than 15 minutes, but sometimes for hours. Sun, rain, sun, rain, rain, rain, sun. It's a free sauna and we had a bit of "the grouchies" until we (barely) acclimated and accepted that sweating is normal and healthy.

Yoga continues. Sharath really made an impression on us. We've considered other classes or shalas, but each time realized that we would likely be disappointed having jumped straight into the intensity and austerity of Mysore. Instead, we're getting to know just how much space is needed for two mats to fit around a guesthouse bed, and are sure to scope out the room before taking it (always a good idea in India anyway). One exception to this was by chance discovering Sharath's sister in Bangalore, where she heads the Bangalore branch of the Ashtanga empire.

Yesterday being a birthday, we splurged on an overnight house-boat cruise through the backwaters - a network of fresh-waterways and rice paddies interspersed with slivers of just enough land for all things rural Indian: houses, banana trees, and random chickens. The backwaters are just as wonderful as you might expect, which is a surprise for India where the promoted things usually fall short and the unanticipated is the treasure. It is a bit like a tropical Venice (not that we've been there). Each house along the waterway has steps right down to the water, where they do their dishes, laundry, and bathing, and park their canoe after the daily commute. Ferries full of uniformed schoolchildren go by in the morning.

The houseboats are big business - there must be thousands of houseboats lining the shores, or in various states of construction or repair - but the waters are enormous and we didn't feel the least bit crowded. The promotional material promised that "Your time on the backwaters will make all the hard work you do all year long worthwhile." Difficult to argue with that - where do I sign?

It's off to the train station now, time to move a little further south. We've got a few more weeks to circle slowly back toward Bangalore, moving more inland and perhaps again, briefly, experiencing dry clothes between showers.

Have you had your lunch?

In India, it seems customary rather than asking "How are you?", to ask "Have you had your breakfast/lunch/chai?" To answer the question, it is vital to know a bit about the choices, which at times, can seem minimal.
There are certain items which you can usually have anytime of day. At breakfast, lunch or dinner you can nearly always find idli, vada, dosa or perhaps, a paratha of some sort. Idli are white, steamed rice flour patties. Vadas are a bit like savory fried donuts.

Poori are breads which when deep fried, puff up. They are usually served with coconut chutney and a veg curry.


Dosa are made from fermented dahl and rice batter, fried on a flat grill or pan. They come in may varieties, one of the favorites being the masala dosa which is filled with cooked up potatoes and onions. Parathas are another types of gently grilled soft bread. All are served with coconut chutney and another side, often sambar.

Thali's (also called meals) are a lunchtime favorite, rice with several small portions of unidentifiable-to-us gravy. Each is poured on the rice a bit at a time and consumed sans fork or spoon. There, of course, are other choices which have not been mentioned. Variations on a theme depending on what part of the country you are in, but these seem to be staples.

We thought it might be interesting to report a three day menu, which we consumed while staying in Bangalore. Not flashy Bangalore, but the city market area, also called Old Bangalore.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner beginning at the train station.
Day 1
Idli/Vada
Thali
Veg fried rice

Day 2
Poori
Poori
Masala Dosa

Day 3
Poori
Masala Dosa
Masala Dosa

Not much variety, but who can complain when it's considered normal to eat fried bits of bread for every meal?
Sooo, "Have you had your lunch?"

On The Move

The Indian transportation system is a funny thing. In some ways, it is a lumbering behemoth, spilling over with passengers and belching exhaust, unstoppable and carried along largely by its own momentum. But in other ways, it is a delicate thing, a house of cards that could collapse at any time.

And so, we just couldn't get out of Hampi. With a perfect storm of human error, monsoons, canceled trains, two extra days, misinformation, a country-wide political protest, suspension of all bus routes - among other things - it was a long, long, dare I say it again LONG day in Hospet before we finally escaped, paying way too much to catch an overnight charter bus back to Bangalore, abandoning plans for Goa. There's probably a colloquial Indian phrase that captures this situation perfectly, but I don't know it.

Bangalore, thankfully, is a transportation hub. You can go pretty much anywhere from here, so it's a good place to regroup. We've ended up in a great hotel just by the market, in the "old" part of town, rather than on MG Road as before. A much better feel. We both love the market and walk around just to look every day. It just bubbles with a kind of unrestrained energy and enthusiasm that you can find at, say, Target, even if you could get the same goods. Many of the vendors put on a whole show, all day long. Just outside our room there is a fellow selling windbreakers - windbreakers - who's working harder than I have my whole life, chanting and clapping about who knows what. But it sure sells some windbreakers.

We're not so big on the windbreakers, but the Indian sense of style is appealing - scarves, shawls, wraps. It's all very nice. And I just can't fault a country where, nationwide, footwear is optional.

The food is our favorite, and we enjoyed some red bananas, fresh figs, and unknown fruit (koki?) yesterday. There are also burlap sacks full of tens of kinds of rice, dal, dried peppers, etc. Out before sunrise this morning, we saw it all being trucked, biked, carried (on the head, of course), and otherwise schleped in. Day in, and day out, it is remarkable how it all works.

It is more difficult to maintain posts/pictures while moving around, but there seem to be internet cafes most places, though you never know what kind of Frankenstein PC you're going to find. Part of the adventure, I suppose, along with wondering what exactly is all this grime on this public keyboard?

Departing for Kochi tomorrow, determined to see the coast one way or another. Still have the yoga mats in tow, and we're becoming experts at rearranging hotel furniture to accommodate a good practice. You'd be surprised at how many Indians - Indians - don't recognize a yoga mat bag slung over the shoulder. They just can't imagine what might be in there. Can you believe it?