My Way – Dela Frijoles

Welcome . . . . to travel MY way!!

The last part/chapter of my travels, I wanted . . . . no I NEEDED . . . to do it my way! I had seen things, had some amazing experiences, was given an overview of different parts of India, but the way we travelled – the fast pace, the skimming the surface, the control, the lack of space – came at a cost. I NEEDED to be in one place for longer than 1-2 nights. I was extremely ungrounded and looking back now, I can see how it was even affecting me physically.

So, I decided I’d stay somewhere for 5-7 days and then travel intuitively from there. My path for this portion of my travels ended up looking like this:

Varkala -> Munroe Island -> Fort Kochi -> Mumbai -> Bangkok -> Soon Tawee Meditation Centre

Varkala

Varkala reminded me about the element of trust while travelling.

My roomie and I got along well. We were on the same page about many things, she was also staying longer and also wanted to stay rooted in one place. We had both really liked Varkala, and the thought of having more amazing massages was also a huge draw! So, when the tour ended, our group was cut in half with the other two women heading home, and roomie and I making our way back to Varkala.

She had been communicating with one of her friends who had previously been in Varkala for a while and recommended a few places for us to stay. We ended up at a super cute, very unique place that not only had real trees growing in the bathroom and a bath tub (sort of), but it also had a heart shaped bed! Three weeks of sharing the same space almost every night and we were still happy to share a heart shaped bed 😆 True friendship!!!

At one point, we decided to take surfing lessons. It reminded me about the element of trust that is sometimes involved in travel. Roomie called to book us in, and they told us they would pick us up at our hotel in the morning. The next morning, a random rickshaw saw us come from the hotel and said “surfing?” Yes, we said as we got into a vehicle that was not marked in any way with the surf school logo. He drove us around winding streets, and we had no idea where we were going. He dropped us off at a street corner, told us to get chai and took off. We didn’t know who we were waiting for or for how long. Eventually some other guy approached us and said “get in the car” “Ok” we said as once again we hopped into a car not marked with the surf school logo in any way. Another drive in winding streets we didn’t know until we ended up at the beach. Never were we worried, but it was funny to relay the story back and contemplate the trust that is involved when you don’t quite know the subtle (and not so subtle) ways that other countries work. Finally arriving at the beach, we got ready to hit the waves. (surfing is fun btw, but also really exhausting!)

The rest of our time in Varkala was spent swimming, watching sunsets, eating seafood, drinking chai and coconuts, having massages, taking a yoga class and basically chilling out, doing what we wanted to do when we wanted to do it and recuperating from the last few weeks!

*I loved how locals were always out also enjoying the beach.*

*Amazing massage and facial (roomie convinced me to try one) with THE sweetest couple!*

*I’m usually not a “fish with a face” person, but our last meal together was 😋*

Munroe Island

Munroe Island reminded me that ✨magic✨ happens when travelling solo.

At the end of our stay in Varkala, our group was cut in half again. Roomie went to Delhi to begin her journey home, and I was the last one left in India. Over the course of the five days in Varkala, I decided to head to Munroe Island.

We were in the state of Kerala which among many things is known for life on the backwaters. There are houseboats you can stay on or boats you can take through. The backwater experience we had in our group tour was very disappointing, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do a houseboat on my own. With the amazing research skills of a friend and some rabbit-holing of my own, I came across a place that was relatively close that I could take a canoe through the backwaters. Munroe Island it was!

The guesthouse I had contacted directly advised me of a train I could take and the adventure started immediately. The train they had recommended was a local commuter train. I got to the station early and discovered that seats couldn’t be reserved on these trains! I felt my nerves increase a bit every time (what I assumed was) a commuter train passed through the station bringing with it the stereotype we may have of Indian trains from movies – standing room only with people spilling out of the car doors. As my train approached, I had my pack on ready to push my way in if I had to!

It didn’t come to that, I actually got to sit, and it was as basic as I expected it to be! There wasn’t a lot of time to relax as train stops aren’t announced, so with an app in hand and watching train stop names intently I was on my way. When my stop appeared, there was nothing but a dirt road! I hesitantly got off, a bit unsure of my decision until the train pulled away revealing a very small station on the other side of the tracks with the stop I was looking for. I can’t tell you how proud I was of myself in that moment! 😄

*Questioning my decision to get off the train in this moment!*

I F@$&ing LOVED Munroe Island!!!! My guesthouse was right on the water with THE best host family that made amazing food, it was a quiet area (or as quiet as India gets), it was peaceful, it was small and had fewer tourists. Basically, . . . . it was PERFECT!

I always get a bit nervous when I set out on adventures on my own. I don’t think that will ever go away. But, I’ve always had ✨magical✨ things happen and meet some really interesting people when I’m solo, and this was the case once again.

*Where our meals were served. I spent lots of time here* . . . .

*or watching different boats slowly passing by*

*Edin served the meals and we had lots of nice chats*

*One of the homestay brothers even gave us a cooking lesson one night*

Around Munroe Island

*Not many places to see, but my host told me to check this out. At first there was signage.*

*Then you had to cross the tracks randomly.*

*Which eventually led to this path with a few different branches.*

*I had to ask for directions, but was also asked for a selfie. 😆*

*It was actually* *quite* beautiful in its simplicity.

There were two American ladies staying at my guesthouse and our host suggested we do the canoe trip together. It worked out perfectly!

*We set out from the lake around sunrise*

*Of course there was a chai stop along the way!*

Not only did the ladies and I get along, but we ended up having some other adventures together AND they super inspired me! They were two friends in their 70’s (the oldest was 75) travelling together because none of their other friends or spouses wanted to go to India. They were up for ANYTHING!! They taught me that my travel days are FAR from over . . . I still have at least 25 more years of these adventures!

One day, our guesthouse host told us about a festival happening at the local temple and suggested we go check it out. Did I mention my new friends were up for anything? On the way we came across some ladies making coir. They called us over to show us how it’s done, let us try and have some laughs!

When we did get to the temple, it was a bit overwhelming with tons of people, and not quite sure what was happening. One of my friends got right in there with someone who looked official, asked tons of questions, told him she wanted to be sure we were doing things (or not doing things) in order to be respectful and we were welcomed immediately.

After the ceremony, there was a free meal which we were also invited to. Two women ended up adopting us, showing us the ropes and basically taking care of us. It was a super special experience!

*Despite the language barrier, such amazingly nice women that took us under their wings*.

*We were hopeless at mastering the art of eating with our hands though (to the amusement of our friends)*

To round out the magical few days, I rented a kayak to go out on the lake and into the backwaters. By the time I got back, it was getting dark, so the woman who rented me the kayak ordered me to hop on the back of her scooter so she could drive me back (did I mention I LOVE Munroe Island?!)

I was actually kind of sad when the time came to leave. I can definitely see myself back there someday!

*Me and my American friends with our amazing host*

Fort Kochi

Fort Kochi reminded me of how special intuitive, go with the flow travel can be

After our group tour ended, I knew that I was going to eventually make my way to Mumbai. Days in Varkala passed by, adventures in Munroe Island, and I thought I’d go back to Trivandrum to fly to Mumbai. But while hanging out and talking with my new Munroe Island American friends, they told me about an amazing culture centre they had just been to in Fort Kochi. Some digging showed that instead of back tracking, I could go a new way, check out this centre and fly from Kochi.

We all left Munroe Island on the same day, travelled to Fort Kochi on the same train (I had my host family help me get a ticket on a reserved train this time where I could have an assigned seat AND would take me two hours of travel instead of four), and then parted ways from there.

My one and only goal here was to go to a Kathakali performance at the Kerala Kathakali Center. I reserved my ticket and then wandered around town.

*Fort Kochi is known for these Chinese fishing nets*

The area I stayed in wasn’t very big, and I was able to walk to the water. However, it was another one of those places where vendors, and especially rickshaw drivers were really pushy. I struggle a bit because I can totally understand where they are coming from and the difficulties in the tourism industry in the last few years, but it’s also exhausted having to have the same conversation every few blocks about not taking a rickshaw tour right now.

The Kathakali performance, however, was AMAZING!!! They showed how the make up was applied an hour before the performance started. It was all so interesting.

*An explanation before the performance starts about what all the gestures and movements mean (the actors don’t talk in these performances)*

Not only was the performance interesting and informative, the whole centre was incredible with lots of different activities. I just didn’t have time for it all! I ended up doing the sound meditation (as recommended by my Munroe Island friends which was so relaxing) and a yoga class with a teacher who was the first to really inspire me in a class in a very long time! I even changed my flight the next day from the morning to the afternoon just so I could go to class again and end my time in Fort Kochi in this way!

Mumbai

Mumbai reminded me of the power of connection.

I thought when it eventually came time to leave the country, I’d have to go through Delhi or Mumbai. Since I’d already experienced the chaos of Delhi, I kind of wanted to see how different Mumbai was. More importantly though, I knew a couple people there I wanted to see and one even so kindly and generously offered me a place to stay ❤️

As expected . . . . Mumbai was crazy! Yes I spent hours in traffic, yes honking horns drove me insane, yes there are A LOT of people, but I actually saw blue sky in Mumbai and having a visit to this city be more about the people I got to spend time with and less about the actual place made it way more special.

I had some unique and special experiences here. One of my friends is a breath work practitioner, so not only did I get to experience a one-to-one session with her, she had a group session while I was there (anyone interested in breath work?! She does online sessions and is incredibly gifted!!)

Another friend was in town selling her amazing artwork at a pop up market in the city, so not only did I get to see her work, I got to experience the market and try some more street food.

*I finally got to try pani puri! My roomie and I had wanted to try it up north, but it didn’t happen*

What I didn’t know is you stick the whole thing in your mouth to eat. That was fine, but what I didn’t further know is a bunch of them keep coming like a bunch of shots. You think you’re done and they just keep coming

*By the end, my eyes were watering and I was crying! I couldn’t even do my last couple. That definitely made for some good laughs!!*

My other sweet friend (also an amazing artist) was determined that I try some of her favourite food that I hadn’t yet tried AND was adamant that I leave with a very full belly!

*The last couple of years, my friend and I have exchanged sunset/sunrise pics from where we are. We were determined to see one together, but I was stuck in traffic (this was my view)*

*This was her view while* waiting for me.

*We missed the sunset, but caught the last few colours. Either way it was good to see her!*

*She was also determined to introduce me to pav bhaji 😋*

I did spend a bit of time wandering and checking things out on my own.

*Still some cows around, but not like in the north*

*This was as close as I was willing to get to the Gateway of India . . . didn’t feel like fighting crowds*

*I only got a small snapshot, but there was interesting architecture here.*

*I was most excited to see these rickshaws!*

It was nice to see and experience Mumbai, but the most special times where definitely those moments I got to spend with my lovely friends who amplified what I had already discovered . . . . Indian people are so incredibly generous and warm-hearted.

My time in India was EPIC, and it somewhat surprised me that as I left, I had the distinct KNOWING that I will be back!

Bangkok

Bangkok reminded me how much I LOVE that city.

If you know me well, you know I feel at home most places in SE Asia. You also know that I’m not a fan of being cold. Though I committed to going back to Canada for Christmas, when I left India, it wasn’t close to Christmastime yet! I also still felt like I needed stillness and peace. As much as I came to really like India, India is INTENSE!!

I started 2023 with a New Year’s meditation retreat with a Buddhist nun just outside of Bangkok. She holds these retreats in the winter months. So, though I couldn’t go to the new year one again, I could make it to the one in December. So . . . . off to Thailand I went.

I landed in Bangkok with three full days before I needed to be at the retreat centre.

I laughed when my uber driver lamented about the traffic in Bangkok. I just couldn’t get over the fact that no one was honking, cars stayed in lanes, and they signalled when they wanted to move over!

Out of the blue, I chose a new area to stay in. The place B-Rod and I called our “regular place” closed down during Covid, so I took a chance on somewhere else. It was a good call! In a city that can be hectic and crazy if you want it to be, I found a place in old Bangkok that was quiet, next to a canal, next to a temple (which isn’t usual) and was so cozy and comfortable. I’ve found my new fav area!

*My place was full of windows and looked into my neighbour’s yard*.

*The restaurant next door was right on the canal.*

*The neighbourhood and surrounding areas involved navigating through these narrow alleyways. It was so cool!*

My guesthouse also has a tour company and offered me a discount to do their canal tour the next day. I ended up going and it was soooo worth it! The tour guide gave useful information and had some interesting stories (I later found out this was his side gig to relax because his job with the police is stressful). We also went to Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen, a temple with a newer, completed in 2021, huge Buddha statue made of pure bronze (the only kind like this in the world).

So interesting to see the different ways of life on the canal

*Our female boat driver was not the norm, the boat was a slow boat (most tours use speed boats), and the tour guide was awesome . . . . 👍🏽*👍🏽

The rest of my time was spent just being in the city, eating my fav food, riding the local ferry across the river and checking out the neighbourhood markets. My favourite ways to spend a few days!

Soon Thawee Meditation Centre

After an epic adventure and many weeks of travel, I ended my journey with a retreat at this centre which is the same retreat I did in January. It has felt very much like a full circle moment.

Though I won’t share here how it went and what we did (it was a lot of internal work and similar to my experience in January), I will say it has helped to calm my nervous system and prepared me for the “next adventure” of trying to get home to the Christmas season in North America 😳🫨🙈😆

Thank you India 🇮🇳 for the epic adventure.

Thank you Thailand 🇹🇭 for helping me to ground before heading back.

Thank you travel for the opportunity to walk these amazingly different lands, to connect with heart centred, compassionate, curious people along the way AND to eat some pretty dang good food! 😄😋