Mararikkulam North, Mararikulam, Arthunkal & Alappuzha, Kerala, India – Catholic Churches & Hindu Temples

This southwestern area of Kerala has many Catholic churches and Hindu temples. We think there is an ashram on the way to Alappuzha, but none in this immediate area. India is the birthplace of yoga – and there is absolutely nothing to be seen here related to the practice of yoga!  It has been a…

Mararrikulm North, Kerala, India – Of Scooters & Transformers

This is my husband Michael’s first contribution to my blog!!! He’s an electrician who can’t help but notice transformers in whatever country we travel! Without further ado, Michael’s first blog……..enjoy!!!  🙂  <3 Six full weeks in India, but I wasn’t afraid. I wasn’t afraid of being bored or worried about what I might do to…

Alappuzha, Kerala, India – “The Notary Express” ~ Our Bollywood Movie!

I call this blog our Bollywood movie because our backstreet dealings with notaries in the Municipal Rest House in the city of Alappuzha sure felt like one!  It had all the drama ingredients to make a Masala, a Bollywood movie. All that was missing was a song-and-dance number!  The mixed spice ingredients that made our movie was intrigue,…

Mararikkulam North, Kerala, India – Kanichukulangara Devi Temple

Michael and I ride past the Kanichukulangara Devi Temple, almost daily. What interested me, what caught my attention was the gathering of people near the temple – seeming to be cooking food over little fire pits. We stopped one afternoon to check it out. What I’d later come to learn is that this Hindu temple…

Mararikkulam North, Kerala, India – Early Morning Fish Market

One early morning, I decided to go to the beach to enjoy the sounds of the waves as I practiced meditation. I was eager for the usual solitude of “our” beach, because we’re usually the only ones there! Usual solitude: What I walked into that early morning was not peaceful solitude but a thriving fish market…

Mararikkulam North, Kerala, India – Moments

India. The names conjures up a dichotomy of images from the peaceful, spiritual ideal of yoga retreats and ashrams, to the chaos of crowded cities overflowing with crime, garbage and slums. Michael and I have been in the southwestern village of Mararikkulam North for almost a month, staying at a rustic, oceanside homestay called Arakal…