So a week in Borneo, and I’m finally getting around to an update here. It’s been pretty hectic – we really packed it in this time, mostly because my friend is only here for the week. And I want to spend more time in Sarawak, so we planned back-t0-back adventures here in sabah.
And adventures they were. First, we climbed Mt Kinabalu, all 4000+ meters of it. As usual, I didn’t quite know what I was getting into, and the 2 am ascent to summit before sunrise was a bit of a surprise for me. But totally doable, because we were just coming off a full moon so the landscape was lit up beautifully (once we cleared the jungle and were on the bare granite). It was not the easiest climb, but coming back down was much much harder (still waiting for that bionic knee surgery….).The sunrise was stunning. I got a few decent pictures, tried not to freeze, and generally just enjoyed being on top of the world (or, at least, Sabah).
Then back to KK, in time to pack, drop off laundry, and get some sleep before an early wake-up to head to the airport to fly to Sandakan. In Sandakan, bleary-eyed and quite sore, we cabbed to Sepilok, and Uncle Tan’s B&B, where we dropped our bags and headed out to see the orangutans at the sanctuary.
My little secret: I LOVE LOVE LOVE orangutans. They are absolutely adorable, like little orange grumpy old men. If they wore clothes, you know it would be golf pants pulled waaaaay up. Too cute. Got a couple good pix, and then headed back to Uncle Tan’s for some lunch, and our transfer out to the Sungai Kinabatangan.
The Kinabatangan is the largest river in Sabah, and used to be deep in the jungle. Nowadays it’s more like deep in the palm plantations (let me take this minute to note: palm oil = bad! stop buying it!). Still you really feel like you are far away from civilization, sitting in a jungle camp in the middle of nowhere next to a muddy river.
But Uncle Tan’s Wildlife Camp likes to make you feel like home. Though sometimes, I felt a bit like I was back in UB, what with the karaoke singalong. Minus the absurd humidity. And heat. And bugs. And water. And, ok, not like UB at all.
It’s a lot like summer camp, in that the guys that work there act a lot like camp counselors – singing songs, taking you on nature walks, boating around running into sandbars, and cooking some pretty freakin’ awesome food. Also, they told me I look like Preity Zinta, and who doesn’t love a guy who says things like that?
We saw lots of wildlife, and got really lucky on our expeditions. Plus my group of “elephants” was pretty damn cool.
Tomorrow…. Kuching! Goodbye Sabah!
Two weeks. Beach. Lots of yoga. Yummy food. Nice people. It doesn’t get better than this. Here’s to India, and my 5 weeks here. Yogashala was a fabulous place, and I am so happy to have met Padma and spent time in her glowing presence. She is a wonderful person and a great teacher. My practice has deepened so much.
Tomorrow, Kota Kinabalu and the mountains and jungles of Borneo.
Now that I’m wrapping up in Kerala, I thought I would do a quick overview of some of the wonderful places I’ve stayed and eaten while here.
Kollam – We called the DTPC and arranged a homestay through them, at either Summer Home or Summer House (can’t remember) run by Shashi. It’s right on the beach and was a relaxing getaway. Shashi also owns a seafood restaurant, so dinner is not to be missed! We also did a canoe toe of Munroe Island in Astamundi Lake. Also quite nice.
Alleppey – Our first night was in Alleppey, where we stayed at the Palmy Residency. VERY nice people, very nice place. Then our second night we went out to Chennamkary to stay at GreenPalm Homes. An amazing experience.
Kochi – We bucked tradition and stayed in Ernakulam, instead of Ft. Chchin, at a cute little place called John’s Residency. Very basic, but clean, and John is a nice guy. Dinner was at a great place called Hotel Aryas. We also had lunch at a great place in Fort Cochin called Dal Roti. Yum. And to top off a wonderful time, we found a women’s collective spice shop in Fort Cochin…. and a great bookstore in Ernakulam.
Kannur – I went up specifically to see the theyyam. A must-see, I think. Stayed at Costa Malabari, right on the beach. Food was great.
Periyar – I stayed at Chitrasala Homestay. The family is soooo nice. I really enjoyed the tea factory tour and spice garden.
Kovalam – I was here for 2 weeks, so lots going on. First of, I’m staying at Pink Flower, which hosts Yoga Shala. Padma is really super nice and a fantastic teacher. I’ve been having meals all over the beach – everything is great. Going off the boardwalk and further back from the beach nets some better deals on shopping. And don’t forget to bargain!
Recently I had one of those conversations with a friend about living a life of leisure and never having to work. Of course, secretly, or maybe not so, a life of leisure wouldn’t suit me at all. I definitely need to keep myself busy and be passionate about something, and if I get paid for it, then even better.
But in this conversation, we hit upon an important point. To work because you want to, and not because you have it, is a really small but majorly significant thing. For some of us, it means the difference between misery and happiness. Knowing that you are doing what you do because you love it is an intensely rewarding experience.
Which brings me to the subject of debt. It’s probably not a surprise to anyone (or actually, maybe it is), but I used to carry a large amount of debt. Embarrassingly, it’s not even “good” debt, but more the accumulation of random spending sprees on nothing important. But it adds up when you don’t pay attention, and my creditors loved me.
They still love me, but maybe not so much now that I net them no interest (on the other hand, they don’t have to worry about my defaulting…). I paid off my debts in a very short amount of time, once I decided it had to go. And it’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.
Because here’s the thing. There’s nothing wrong with random spending sprees on nothing whatsoever. What’s wrong is when you don’t actually have that money to spend. Living on borrowed funds isn’t much more fun than living on borrowed time.
Ironically, being in debt was helpful for my ability to save – once the debt was paid off, the additional money went into savings, and frugal lifestyle changes I had incorporated managed to stick. There’s room to breathe, of course, hence my current 2 month vacation, but there’s also a sense of fiscal responsibility (even on vacation) that I think will always stick with me.
So today, when I walk into the restaurant for dinner, I’m going to order whatever sounds tastiest, and not have to worry about whether I can afford it. Because I can. No regrets.
Jack Kornfield has this amazing book called After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. It is about what it sounds like – life after enlightenment, and all the little things you still have to do to lead your life.
In some ways, I’m reminded of that book right now as I sit here in an internet cafe. I’m halfway through my decadent yoga holiday, in which, for two weeks, I do nothing but sit on the beach, do yoga, and eat fish curry.
All of which I am doing (though less fish curry and more banana lassi and thoran, I find). But that’s not all. I also diligently sweep my room and clean my bathroom every day, and wash my clothes (by hand) every few days. I’m also planning next moves (ie, Borneo and Korea), job hunting, getting my eyebrows threaded, figuring out how to pack everything, working out my finances, and basically everything else I do when I’m not on yoga holiday.
Which all leads me to think two somewhat different but in some ways similar things: 1) that “vacation” is an exotic-sounding term we use to describe something that is NOT our regular lives (and therefore, in some ways, an unattainable nirvana), and 2) who needs vacation when we can transform our seemingly mundane daily lives into something more profound? I mean, if I still have to do laundry and wash my hair and assess my finances in nirvana, why wait til nirvana to feel like I’m on holiday?
The laundry has to get done anyway. And on vacation, I have to wash by hand – far more work than my washing machine back home. So instead of making some false distinction that makes more sense in fantasy than in reality, maybe instead I’ll take my normal, every day life and turn it into a permanent vacation.
Which I guess is a long-winded way of saying that instead of waiting for some idealized perfection in some distant future that will never happen anyway, we can just enjoy how things are in the moment, because you know, enlightenment isn’t that great. You still have to do laundry.
So after a few hectic weeks of travel, I’m on the beach in Southern Kerala – Kovalam to be exact. I’ll be here for 2 weeks, doing yoga twice a day and generally just relaxing. It will be a welcome break before I head to Malaysia for more hectic travel.
Kovalam is pretty touristy, but I’m sure it is nowhere near the scale of Goa. Still, it’s pretty hard to avoid sellers, tour operators, money exchangers, restaurant hosts, etc, haranguing you to come and “have a look” in their shops. I’ve already succumbed and had chappals made, and a couple pairs of pants. Tomorrow’s errand might have to be the post office….
The ocean is gorgeous, though I haven’t brought myself to go in it yet. Maybe tomorrow. 
In the meantime, lots of fruit (even mangoes!), fish, coconut, lassi, and fresh lime soda!
The more time I spend in Kerala, the more different it seems from the north of India. The people look different, the food is different, even the clothes are different. And most striking to me, is how religion in the South, particularly in Kerala, is unlike much of the rest of the India.
For starters. Kerala seems to have managed to find a way for its various religious adherents to co-exist peacefully. One of the big roundabouts in Trivandrum has a massive cathedral, impressive mosque, and humble temple all within spitting distance of each other. No one has to sneak in, no guards are visible, and traffic bustles along as if this were some every day scene.
But in India, and much of the world, this isn’t ordinary. Religious and ethnic groups the world over collect in their little groups, and tend not to mix so overtly. Not so in Kerala, where “syncretism” seems to the catchword.
The theyyam is a great example – it seems to pre-date established Hinduism, reaching back to some murky roots of animism and shamanism. But it’s managed to incorporate Hindu deities (many of whom I’ve never heard of before). Granted, Hinduism is a religion that easily lends itself to consilience – explanations of the divine tend to revolve around so-and-so being an incarnation of Shiva/Vishnu/Parvati.
More interestingly, theyyam also includes some popular Muslim figures, many of whom who have been deified themselves. Not something you see everyday. And then there are the various warriors, wronged women, ghosts, etc, incorporating an astonishing complexity of social justice as well. Af ter all, unlike the rest of Hindu rituals, the theyyam is dominated by lower-caste families, and not Brahmins.
But there is more. The Sabrimala temple plays host to a massive pilgrimmage every year to honor Ayappas, a god not mentioned in any Vedic texts, but revered by Malayali Hindus all the same (some stories of course claim him as an incarnation of Vishnu).
Kerala has its history of religious violence, but always perpetrated from the outside. The Christians trace their history back to St Thomas, who visited India after Jesus’s death (which means Christianity came to India before Europe). In the 4th Century, they aligned themselves with the Syrian church. When the Portuguese came centuries later, they brought Roman Catholicism in all its violence with them, converting by the sword, so to speak. Eventually religious fervor calmed, and today both Catholics and Syrian Christians worship peacefully.
Islam has a strong presence in Kerala as well, with strong ties to the Middle East. There are madrassas here, and also Dubai’s own religion – capitalism (which melds seamlessly with communism here). Kerala is the would-be poster child for utopia.
Some long awaited pictures of my travels in India here.
Kannur was an idyllic 3 days. after which I headed back down to Trivandrum. There, some family friends picked me up and brought me to their house, where I dozed a bit before hopping a bus to Kanyakumari, at the very southern tip of India. Kanyakumari is in Tamil Nadu, and it is located at the confluence of 3 seas. Inevitably, the sunset/sunrise is gorgeous, and I managed a fabulous picture of the former. Kanyakumari is the sight where Gandhi’s ashes were set adrift in the ocean, and where Swami Vivekananda meditated on the social justice aspects of Hinduism. Both events are commemorated by excellent memorials.
Then I hopped an overnight train to Rameshwaram, which I shared with about 10 other people, all elderly. It was nice to be in A/C and have the compartment to myself. At the very early hour of 5:20 am, we arrived, and I departed and wandered my way through the dark to the main temple of Ramanathaswamy.
There are 4 main temples in India that form the Char Dham, sites of pilgrimmage undertaken by all Hindus in their lifetime. Two of them I’ve seen – Dwarka in the west and Badrinath in the north. This third one is in the south, and I decided, since I was in the area, that I would go visit.
So, before sunrise I showed up, and made my way to the water to take a quick dip (or rather, dip my toes). Then I dried off to some extent, and made my way into the temple.
The temple is enormous. I walked the corridors for quite some time (coming across an elephant in a pen at one point), stopping for darshan at various points. Then I meandered my way to the center (after considerable wandering and getting a bit lost) for a brief puja, and then made my way out again. Then I hired a rickshaw driver to take me to the end of the island, where I could just barely make out Sri Lanka in the distance.
At Rameshwaram, it is said that Rama took his steps toward Lanka to free Sita from the demon Ravana. It is also said that Ravana’s brother surrendered here, and offered penance. After defeating Ravana, Rama offered penance for his sin of killing a Brahmin.
After leaving the temple, I made my way to the bus stand, to take the bus to Madurai. Just as a note, always ask about where the bus stops…. in my case, it took almost 5 hours to arrive as we kept stopping everywhere…..
Madurai is the home of the Sri Meenakshi Temple – a blinding display of S Indian architecture. Also huge. Tonight, I take the train back to Trivandrum, and find some way to Periyar…..
I left Kochi a little sad, as my friend had departed the day before for her yoga teacher training in Goa. I was on my way to Kannur, a town in the northern part of Kerala, where tourism is growing, but hasn’t yet reached the proportions it has further south.
But Kannur definitely has its reputation, and I certainly saw tourists. But the beach was empty for the most part, and even the big draw in town was blissfully free of foreigners.
Kannur is known for its annual theyyam festival, which runs for almost half the year. Theyyam is a Malayalam word that is supposedly derived from daivam, meaning god. During theyyam, a performer, one who has trained all his life, induces a trance and takes on the persona of a deity.
Not just any deity – the theyyam ritual is specific. Only certain people within certain families can perform it, and even then, they invoke only specific gods at specific temples at specific times of the year.
The performer dances, often with props such as swords, fire, staves, etc, and in his rthymic motion, induces the trance. When he glimpses himself in the mirror, he no longer sees himself, but his god or goddess. The change is measurable – even the casual onlooker can sense the presence of a different persona.
The ritual is not unlike spiritual possession found in so many cultures, and is itself a syncretic mix of Hinduism, animism, and even some Islam. The gods are not strict to the Hindu pantheon, but can also be warriors, unfairly accused girls, and deities from other religions. But whoever the god is, he or she is an integral part of the family who performs that theyyam every year.
