Friday, January 16, 2026:
An Ayurvedic Experience, A Solitary Walk Along the Incredibly Beautiful Backwaters of Kerala, A Traditional Home-Cooked Brunch and Afternoon Tea at a Friend’s Home in Kottayam.
Today was truly idyllic. We saw Kerala at its best. It revealed itself to us in layers, offering incredibly beautiful natural sightings that were unexpected in the extreme, wonderful aromatherapy and physical massages that soothed the muscles of the body and lifted the cobwebs of the mind and meals that were simple but deeply soul-satisfying.
A Lovely Walk with the Kids Before Breakfast:
One of my greatest joys in Kerala has been waking up to the most delightful bird song in the mornings. I walked out to sit on the balcony of our villa to watch and listen to a variety of birds who were singing their hearts out before breakfast. Then, when the little boys, Zack and Zane, showed up, they insisted on taking us for a walk on the farm. We had a most charming time with them as we visited the ducks and the dog and a bridge over which they suggested I walk—except it was much too narrow and daunting. We passed by coconut groves and banana plantations for this is a working farm that produces an abundant yield each year. By the time we had finished our walk, it was time for showers, to get dressed and organized for the rest of our day. At my recommendation, Llew decided to get a massage—a typically Kerala experience that involves aromatic ayurvedic oils. Accordingly, our hosts Crispin and Sony, tried to find an appointment for him. It was quite impossible for me to get one too as the place was fully booked.
A Light Snack of Coffee and Rusks at our Heritage Home:
Before we set off, Sony brought us cups of steaming coffee and offered us rusks. She told us that a proper breakfast would await us upon our return from the massage. I was grateful for the snack or light breakfast as the clean, unpolluted air, seemed to be doing wonders for my appetite.
Off for An Ayurvedic Massage:
Sony gave instructions to our driver Shiju on how to get us to the place where Llew was scheduled to have an ayurvedic massage. It was a fifteen minute drive away and once we arrived there, we saw that it was a whole ‘village’ (a gated community, really) devoted to ayurvedic healing. It was called Deepmahi Ayurvedic Village and as I read up more about it, I discovered that it is a residential community consisting of boarding and lodging facilities for people interested in retreating from their stressful lives, recharging their batteries and returning rejuvenated for another go at a more serene existence. Among the many facilities that it offers are physical massages using aromatic oils. Llew was connected with a masseur who led him into a room where he disappeared for an hour. I said bye to him and was directed to a small cafe where I could sit down and wait for him. I, however, decided to go for a long walk and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
A Lone Walk Along the Backwaters of Kerala:
The road outside the village led me along one of the canals that then networked with another canal and yet another so that as I walked further away from the village, I was surrounded by the most blissful images of Nature at her undisturbed best. I started off by spying a huge white egret and an Indian pond heron and, of course I took pictures. There were two fishermen who rowed right by me in a narrow canoe, their fishing tackle in their hands. They were headed out to the Lake to bring in the day’s catch. Just a little ahead of me were brilliant patches of water-lilies in full bloom in vivid shades of pink and magenta. Still ahead were a group of black cormorants basking in the sunshine. At every stage, my camera worked hard to try to capture the stillness and serenity of the scene because I wanted to preserve it in my memory for posterity. A group of ducks then created streams of foaming water as they skimmed past me. Their iridescent feathers were such a striking sight as they paddled furiously alongside the banks.
And on the canal banks themselves, there were more domesticated ducks. They’d just eaten their breakfast and were ready for their first swims of the day. A little arched bridge spanned the banks, a few meters ahead of me. Men wearing mundus (the customary linen lengths of cloth that they wrap around their waists to cover their legs in place of trousers) were attempting to get some coconuts off the trees right outside their little shacks. In the distance, where the lake widened, I could see houseboats and other river craft. Birds circled in the skies above me. It was all so beautiful and so soul-satisfying that I simply cannot put into words how uplifted I felt by this walk. It was the only time in Kerala that I was really and truly alone and I have to say that I enjoyed every bit of my solitude.
After about half an hour, I turned back and retraced my steps to the Ayurvedic village. I entered the gates and then took a walk around it, passing by the cafe and the swimming pool and then, eventually, found a quiet spot in the cafe to sit down and await Llew’s return. At this point, I entered into conversation with one of the residents who had come to this spot from Washington DC. She had spent two weeks detoxing from her fretful life and would be returning home, the next day. She told me a whole lot about the village, its aims and objectives and how relaxing it had been for her to take a break from the rat race in this rural haven.
In about ten minuets, Llew was ready. He had enjoyed his massage and found it very refreshing. He settled the bill (it cost him Rs. 1200—about $15–for an hour’s massage) and then he was all set and ready for us to get back home. We were both ready to do justice to breakfast which, we knew, awaited us.
Breakfast at our Heritage Home:
at our heritage home was truly that—a very homey affair. There was iddiappam which was served with (of all things) maple syrup. It was very good indeed. There were also small dosas with coconut chutney and poha (beaten rice) sweetened with jaggery and freshly grated coconut and bananas. All this was dished out by Sony who worked hard in the kitchen to give us a great spread. We washed it all down with filter coffee—a truly wonderful South Indian breakfast.
Off to Marari Beach for the Morning:
As we had decided that we would have a truly relaxing day today with no real agenda, we resolved to spend a few hours at Marari Beach. This is a lovey stretch of beach that is popular with locals and visitors alike. Shiju drove us there and we procured beach chairs that for Rs. 100 an hour (rental) that allowed us to face the crashing waves of the Arabian Sea and enjoy watching the antics of children and adults as they fought the waves or attempted to swim. It is always fun to watch Indians at the beach as their inhibitions make them behave in really peculiar ways. Women go in fully clad in saris and salwar kameez suits. Men wear jeans and full-sleeve shirts. It is next to impossible to find a local Indian actually wearing a swim suit. Dogs were wading in the waves chasing balls, children were attempting to build sand castles. There were no vendors to be seen—they were all safely placed near the car park and are not allowed to litter the beach which is impressively clean. We spent a most relaxing couple of hours in this manner—doing nothing more strenuous that people-watching and enjoying the quiet relaxation of it all.
A Drive to Kottayam for Afternoon Tea:
At about 2.00 pm, we were ready to move on to the next item on our agenda: an invitation to Afternoon Tea at the home of my school classmate Rachel and her husband Joe. They had given us their address and directions, but we did not realize how very far away it was or how much time it would take for us to reach there. We also had a bit of difficulty finding the place as the road leading to their home was closed for repair work and we needed to take a roundabout route to get there. However, finally, we were at their doorstep—at least an hour behind schedule, much to our chagrin.
However, our hosts were very understanding indeed and it was not long before we sat down to eat. We were badly in need of refreshment as our last meal had been a late breakfast. We met Joe’s mother and sister Elsie and enjoyed a lot of lovely small talk as the ladies fried bajjias and pakoras for us at their stove while also supervising the making of hot cups of tea. When all the ado about food offerings were done in Rachel’s humongous kitchen, we sat down to chat about old times and our childhood in Byculla, Bombay, our convent school days and the like. We were simply overwhelmed by Rachel and Joe’s outpouring of hospitality that included a most generous spread: there were onion bajjias, mixed vegetable pakoras, rice dumplings filled with sweetened grated coconut, banana chips, appams and for dessert (at my request) vermicelli payassam (or pudding). And, of course, cups of tea. Suffice it to say that we never stopped talking and that the evening flew past. We were given a wonderful tour of the garden (a vast sprawling space that is filled with flowers and fruit trees) and then took the grand tour of the home. It is amazing how much domestic space one can occupy when away from a big city like Bombay.
It was a really lovely reunion with a very warm and affectionate friend. Rachel has always been caring and was the only one of my classmates who actually called me during my very first week in Bombay, to welcome me back to the city and offer me any help, if needed, when I relocated to India. I have never forgotten her gesture and will appreciate it all my life. It is little things like these that stay with me forever and I told her how much that call meant to me and why I will never forget it. I was also glad that Llew had a chance to meet Rachel and that both of us had the opportunity to get to know Joe a little better.
With night having fallen over the garden, it was time for us to leave. Don’t ask me where time had flown as we spent precious quality time together. However, after we said our goodbyes, we were back in the car and in Shiju’s hands as he returned us to our lodging where we made straight for a good night’s sleep.
Until tomorrow, see ya’ …
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