Allepey
As if to confirm the Wheel of Dhamma works, I forgot my change at the train ticket booking counter and the woman actually came to find me to return it. If we all began the day by starting a ripple of goodwill, how many other people's day would be brightened by the end? To the next day and following? When Han and I were traveling in Indonesia and ran into a pickle, I remember telling her I believed in the goodness of others and I still do.
Charged on this golden energy, I journeyed to Alappuzha: the backwaters of Kerala awaited and coconut fiber factories. This city was advertised as the Venice of India but I felt like I was back in Amsterdam. A peacefulness prevailed drifting through the small canals surrounded by greenery that was not synonymous to the hustle and bustle of Venice. The backwaters of Kerala are one of the few locations in the world to practice agriculture below sea level. This raised many questions in my mind: How did they develop this farming method? If other parts of India had this ability, would economy of households improve? Would salt farming along with rice paddy farming be viable?
I searched for the coir, or coconut fibers, factories in the afternoon. I had a déjà vu moment of being back in the jute factory of Bangladesh except with more freedom. One of the employees cordially gave me on a tour of the factory. Massive man operated looms were used to manufacture coir carpets and coconut fiber mats of any design. I was jubilant to find the welcome mats were actually spelled properly.
Varkala
My last stop in Kerala was a workaway volunteering at a coffee shop I had been looking forward to since arriving in India. I got to the Coffee Temple in Varkala with the thought of staying two weeks to relax and plan for Sri Lanka. I cut it short when I saw the real face of the owner, Leslie. I had contacted him months back and kept in contact with him weeks before arriving inVarkala. He was informative about good places to visit in Southern India and replied to messages dutifully. I owe it to him for passing on contact information to a coffee plantation I could visit and stay for free. Yet, his drunk, rude and abrasive manner were his true colors. (It was sad to hear he had treated the staff on the coffee plantation in a similar way. I discovered this when I was about to leave and will follow up on this in a later post after Maldives.) Imagine going from an environment encouraging the recycling of positive energy to a dark vortex. To maintain peace, dhamma teachings encouraged the avoidance of these situations. It's better to take a step back and not get completely sucked in to maintain your own peace of mind.
You never know how far the wheel of dharma rolls. Life is such that if you create negative energy it goes to others. It could trigger reactions in others you did not intend but was inevitable to happen. Wouldn't you rather receive a spark of positive energy? To forgive others or to not let them get under your skin is not being passive, but giving yourself the peace you deserve. There is still much for me to learn. I need to keep planting within me more seeds of compassion and ridding those of anger and ignorance. They only lead to sorrow in others for which I don't want to generate. Happiness or suffering, we are always craving something. Sadness could be caused by either. You met someone awful; you want to escape from them. You met someone wonderful yet you have to leave them too. Either way sadness arises. I leave Varkala heavy-hearted since I've met both of these types of people. I can't deny the yin and yang of life. I miss all of you my dear sisters and brothers. As for the bad seeds I've met, may you find clearance in your mind and heart one day to realize your faults.
So I escaped, but not without meeting other awesome travelers, making new sisters and brothers and knowing that I want to further my skills on the path of coffee. Next, I hightailed it to Kanyakumari, thinking of two people:
1. Ana Soper: as this place was her favorite site in India and
2. Mari Pyhajarvi: Mari, Mari, Kanyakumari. I won't forget you, Tia.
As if to confirm the Wheel of Dhamma works, I forgot my change at the train ticket booking counter and the woman actually came to find me to return it. If we all began the day by starting a ripple of goodwill, how many other people's day would be brightened by the end? To the next day and following? When Han and I were traveling in Indonesia and ran into a pickle, I remember telling her I believed in the goodness of others and I still do.
Charged on this golden energy, I journeyed to Alappuzha: the backwaters of Kerala awaited and coconut fiber factories. This city was advertised as the Venice of India but I felt like I was back in Amsterdam. A peacefulness prevailed drifting through the small canals surrounded by greenery that was not synonymous to the hustle and bustle of Venice. The backwaters of Kerala are one of the few locations in the world to practice agriculture below sea level. This raised many questions in my mind: How did they develop this farming method? If other parts of India had this ability, would economy of households improve? Would salt farming along with rice paddy farming be viable?
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| The start of the backwaters from Allepey. |
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| The houseboats. |
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| Everyday life and a common sight in the backwaters. |
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| The rice paddy fields below sea level. |
I searched for the coir, or coconut fibers, factories in the afternoon. I had a déjà vu moment of being back in the jute factory of Bangladesh except with more freedom. One of the employees cordially gave me on a tour of the factory. Massive man operated looms were used to manufacture coir carpets and coconut fiber mats of any design. I was jubilant to find the welcome mats were actually spelled properly.
 |
| One of the giant looms. The man on the left was introduced as the strongest man in the company. |
 |
| An employee weaving coir. |
 |
| Coconut fiber carpets ready for export. |
Varkala
My last stop in Kerala was a workaway volunteering at a coffee shop I had been looking forward to since arriving in India. I got to the Coffee Temple in Varkala with the thought of staying two weeks to relax and plan for Sri Lanka. I cut it short when I saw the real face of the owner, Leslie. I had contacted him months back and kept in contact with him weeks before arriving inVarkala. He was informative about good places to visit in Southern India and replied to messages dutifully. I owe it to him for passing on contact information to a coffee plantation I could visit and stay for free. Yet, his drunk, rude and abrasive manner were his true colors. (It was sad to hear he had treated the staff on the coffee plantation in a similar way. I discovered this when I was about to leave and will follow up on this in a later post after Maldives.) Imagine going from an environment encouraging the recycling of positive energy to a dark vortex. To maintain peace, dhamma teachings encouraged the avoidance of these situations. It's better to take a step back and not get completely sucked in to maintain your own peace of mind.
 |
| My first sight by the Varkala Cliff. No big deal. |
 |
| Have you ever wondered how those coconuts come off of the tree? |
 |
| Mari's cat, Pitipuki, with her one week old kittens. |
You never know how far the wheel of dharma rolls. Life is such that if you create negative energy it goes to others. It could trigger reactions in others you did not intend but was inevitable to happen. Wouldn't you rather receive a spark of positive energy? To forgive others or to not let them get under your skin is not being passive, but giving yourself the peace you deserve. There is still much for me to learn. I need to keep planting within me more seeds of compassion and ridding those of anger and ignorance. They only lead to sorrow in others for which I don't want to generate. Happiness or suffering, we are always craving something. Sadness could be caused by either. You met someone awful; you want to escape from them. You met someone wonderful yet you have to leave them too. Either way sadness arises. I leave Varkala heavy-hearted since I've met both of these types of people. I can't deny the yin and yang of life. I miss all of you my dear sisters and brothers. As for the bad seeds I've met, may you find clearance in your mind and heart one day to realize your faults.
So I escaped, but not without meeting other awesome travelers, making new sisters and brothers and knowing that I want to further my skills on the path of coffee. Next, I hightailed it to Kanyakumari, thinking of two people:
1. Ana Soper: as this place was her favorite site in India and
2. Mari Pyhajarvi: Mari, Mari, Kanyakumari. I won't forget you, Tia.
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| Vinoy pulling a shot. |
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| Le Chef. |
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| Mari and Vinod setting up for dinner, Kerala-style. |
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| Late afternoon yoga with Ludo (photo courtesy: Melinda Carpovich). |
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| Hermanito and budding tattoo artist, Sergio, with a really fluffy puppy. |
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