Our trip to India this year hasn’t been all
about fun for me. My dentist here, in India has been encouraging me for years
to consider dental implants and fixing those teeth that have been creating
problems. Though I’ve been procrastinating, this year I could hold out no
longer. Knowing that our trips to India might be limited in the next few years
and knowing the cost here is a quarter of the price of the same treatment in North
America, I decided to do it.
The surgery was a bit brutal. My teeth are
older (as I am) and the roots were difficult to clear off the bones. Grafting
was necessary and the recuperation has been slow. Our travel time has been
seriously hijacked with the process and ‘vacationing’ has been out of the
question.
As we arrive, thick clouds of smoke envelop
us, and the smell of burning wood alerts us that something grand is happening. Our
approach exposes us to rows of Indian women dressed in elaborately adorned
saris. Hundreds of beautiful women, each standing in front of a cauldron of
water, are feeding banana and palm leaves to fuel the fire and keep water in
the pots boiling. Water from the nearby well cleans the rice. The sound of singing
and drumming and reed pipes permeate the area. Individual devotion and prayer
keep each woman focussed and participating. Eventually with loud ululations,
the cleaned rice is poured into the pots for cooking into paysam and then made as
a sweet offering in the Temple. The celebration honours Devi, the female expression of the divine and, according to
Hindu tradition, one of the five primary forms of God.
The cuisine here in Varkala is
exquisite. We’ve eaten everything from biryani to fish in banana leaf to pizza
to sashimi. Each morning the nets are pulled in on to the shore. You can see line-ups
of men tugging on the thick, solid ropes hoisting the fishing nets out of the
water. As we pass the men on our way to Yoga, it is not unusual for them to
invite us to help. Playfully we join their efforts pulling the ropes. You can’t
get fish any fresher! At night the fish are displayed at the front of each
café. “What is his good name?” I joke with the proprietors as I point to a
large red snapper. Paul looks at me with his ‘you’re so obnoxious’ kind of
eyes. He calls it “western humour”. They don’t understand me! It doesn’t even
matter how they cook the fish. It is always delicious!
Two front implants, a back molar crown, and
an extraction of another molar that has been infected for some time were the
focus for the ‘heavy’ work. A night guard for further prevention and a general
dental cleaning also are included in the plan.
The surgery was a bit brutal. My teeth are
older (as I am) and the roots were difficult to clear off the bones. Grafting
was necessary and the recuperation has been slow. Our travel time has been
seriously hijacked with the process and ‘vacationing’ has been out of the
question.
So journeying to Varkala is a treat and
offers me an opportunity to heal. Varkala is a beach village in Southern Kerala.
It is, like Goa, Gokarna and Pushkar, a place where East meets West in a
respectful and mutually beneficial manner. Indian gift wear and clothing is
available all over the city, especially on “The Cliff”, a long pathway of
shops, restaurants and spa centres offering travellers anything they could
desire during a vacation. Below, the Arabian Sea roars, lined with luxurious
white and also black sandy beaches. People from all over the world take
advantage of sun and beach time.
We’ve been here several times before and
our accommodation of choice is a small beach resort one and a half kilometres from
the busy “Cliff” part of the beach. A small room with a private bathroom and a
working fan is simple and very quiet. For 425 Rupees ($9.00) a night, who can
beat it?
Yesterday, forgoing morning Yoga practice,
Paul and I wander in the opposite direction from the touristy area to revisit a
Hindu Temple from an earlier stay. At that time we experienced a festival with
elephants and horses and competitions whereby groups of men attempted to knock
over a huge decorated wooden horse. At that time, new to India, we didn’t even
question the purpose of the event. Yesterday, music drives us towards the same
temple.
As we arrive, thick clouds of smoke envelop
us, and the smell of burning wood alerts us that something grand is happening. Our
approach exposes us to rows of Indian women dressed in elaborately adorned
saris. Hundreds of beautiful women, each standing in front of a cauldron of
water, are feeding banana and palm leaves to fuel the fire and keep water in
the pots boiling. Water from the nearby well cleans the rice. The sound of singing
and drumming and reed pipes permeate the area. Individual devotion and prayer
keep each woman focussed and participating. Eventually with loud ululations,
the cleaned rice is poured into the pots for cooking into paysam and then made as
a sweet offering in the Temple. The celebration honours Devi, the female expression of the divine and, according to
Hindu tradition, one of the five primary forms of God.
We stay for quite a while,
observing, engaging and communicating with the women without words or language
other than smiles, soft touch and signs of Namaste. I continue to feel so
blessed to have these experiences and to participate with others of such
diverse culture.
The cuisine here in Varkala is
exquisite. We’ve eaten everything from biryani to fish in banana leaf to pizza
to sashimi. Each morning the nets are pulled in on to the shore. You can see line-ups
of men tugging on the thick, solid ropes hoisting the fishing nets out of the
water. As we pass the men on our way to Yoga, it is not unusual for them to
invite us to help. Playfully we join their efforts pulling the ropes. You can’t
get fish any fresher! At night the fish are displayed at the front of each
café. “What is his good name?” I joke with the proprietors as I point to a
large red snapper. Paul looks at me with his ‘you’re so obnoxious’ kind of
eyes. He calls it “western humour”. They don’t understand me! It doesn’t even
matter how they cook the fish. It is always delicious!
My teeth are healing. I’m feeling better. It’s been a wonderful beach vacation! Tomorrow our evening train ride will carry us back to Fort Cochin. Our friends there await our arrival to spend our last days in India together. We are almost ready to go home again!
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