Jewtown and Ashram, parts 1 and 2

Okay folks, sorry for the long delay between blog posts, but we've found that those seeking spiritual enlightenment don't necessarily place great emphasis on high-speed internet access. We were at the Sivananda Ashram for 9 days before we collapsed from exhaustion (wake up at 5:20, 4-5 hours of yoga a day, 3 hours of meditation/chanting, and an hour of manual labor. Yowzaa. Oh, and on our day off we hiked up a mountain. Not kidding). The Sivananda Ashram was pretty great, though -- food was fantastic (all organic, vegetarian, Ayurvedic, all-you-can-eat), our fellow ashramites were really nice, and the yoga classes were challenging (there were several yoga instructors from other countries who were staying at the Ashram, and even they were taking the beginner classes).

Prior to coming to the Ashram, we visited Cochin (on the ocean, in the far southwest). Cochin wasn't anything special, except for Jewtown. Happy Rosh Hashanah!

In case you think we're making this up -- we'll post a photo tomorrow (internet is about to close).

In Kenya and Tanzania, whenever we registered at a hotel, we had to write down our names, addresses, occupations, and "tribes." We got much enjoyment out of making up our occupations, which was always some variant on something we'd done that day (if we'd taken a boat, we wrote down "captain" or "pirate." One day, Deb was a professional swimmer, and on another, an actress). But we consistently listed our tribe as "Jew," so we were excited to see a place that is actually called "Jewtown."

Ashram, Part 2:

We decided that we needed more spiritual guidance, so, after spending two days relaxing in Kollam (underneath a rather interesting statue), we arrived at Amma's Ashram. This place is fabulous. Thousands of people, literally worshiping Amma ("Mother") -- one of India's few female gurus (people believe she's a saint and frequently burst into tears when near her). I have never seen so many men with Jesus hair (you know, long hair, long beard) and so many people wearing white billowy outfits. In theory, photography is prohibited here, but I'll do my best to take some surreptitious shots for y'all. You won't believe it until you see it.

More to come....