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Moody scene - On the houseboat on the lake at Kumakarom, Kerala as the afternoon rains came in. Peaceful and eery. lots of other houseboats and floating plants, birds and strange plopping noises in the water......

Houseboat on the lake at Kumarakom, Kerala from the hotel balcony.Such unusual shapes

Toot toot! Been learning the local language of the streets. Tooting your horn is a big part of the culture and I've worked out how to translate it, depending on whether it's 1,2 or 3 beeps. It can mean: Here I come! I'm coming through! I'm here Hi! Eat my shorts Hasta la vista! It's noisy and chaotic but miraculously seems to some how pan out. In this crazy place flow somehow happens more than when you stress about things. Letting go seems to work!

And that was India. Wonderful amazing India

Kumarakom Day 6 Final Ayurvedic treatment One of the things I wanted was better neck rotation and it's definitely better. I had a herbal facial and final nasal clearing so got to keep my shorts on! Going to miss popping along to the treatment centre each morning as we’re flying home tomorrow night. Felt extra special today as got to lie on a pad on top of the treatment table instead of just lying on the slab. Much comfier. The ceiling is quite pretty with exposed beams and the underside of the tiles showing ornate stamping. It's warm and theirs a ceiling fan. The facial involved rose water, creams, hot towels, scrubbing (lots of that) and a mask. I had to pop into the bathroom to wash it off at the end and was a bit alarmed to see it was shiny dark brown – “Different herbs”. I was then allowed to put my top back on for the nasal drops and sinus massage – the oil stings the back of your throat. I also got the soles of my feet and palms rubbed. Then it's gargling with warm water and kneeling for the anointing and dots on the forehead and throat. It's been amazing to experience all these things. I feel light, bright and sparkly new and love how my skin and hair feels. It's like a purification treatment. Don't know what's in store in the months ahead but this trip has been nurturing and centering. I'm feeling very connected and loved and would recommend it.

Shirodhara - 40 million gallons of oil dropped on my forehead!

Fourth day of Ayurvedic treatments, Kerala I could get used to this life! Slept through last nights tropical storm and did some yoga first thing with Veronika on the upper floor that looks out over the gardens and lake then went back to Backwater Ripple to see Dr Benny for day 4 of Ayurvedic treatments. The staff are always so lovely and gentle and greet me with ‘Hello madam’. They never use my name. Not sure if they can't pronounce it or if it's a courtesy thing (?) Usual routine, my sweet little lady leads me through to her room, a dimly lit room with a large heavy wood treatment table in the middle and high ceiling that goes up to the beams and ornate roof tiles. She had the big gas cylinder ready to heat the oil and I'm delighted to see she's pulled out the huge pot that rests from frame that is used to drip the oil from for the Sirodara. I'm told to “Undress please!”and my lady squats down to position the modesty towel onto its string round my waist. It's a piece of long white synthetic fabric (think J cloth) that fixes like a very small nappy or loin cloth. We start off with a head massage so I perch on a stool and get my head anointed with the burnt marmalade syrup (I keep asking what's in it but all I get is “Different herbs madam”). I then get a complete head massage and it ends with her pulling my hair into a bun for the next bit, pummelling with a bundle of herbs bound in linen and dipped in hot oil. She works on my neck, traps and back and it's lovely. The oils smells a bit like roast vegetable, I guess because the herbs are kind of cocking when the get dipped in the hot oil. Next is full body massage. I get told to lie on the bed on my front and she undoes the string holding my loin cloth on as she covers the entire back side in long sweeping strokes. She covers from my hands to my feet in one unbroken movement. It's impossible to be modest in this treatment, I guess it's like a horse being groomed, it's practical and through. Every bit gets attention including hands, toes and earlobes. When I roll over so she can do my front I'm able to quickly sneak a look at what she does as have felt it wasn't right to make eye contact, given I'm naked and she's massaging me. What she does is scoop handfuls of warm oil and drizzle it in lines down my centre and along each limb. It's glorious. When she massages my front she again covers me in long sweeping movement and circular ones that go from collar bone to hips. She does reflexology on my feet and a facial massage and then I get the big wad of herbs and hot oil thwacked and massaged. I end up swimming in oil and grit from this and she massages it in so you get exfoliated at the same time. My skin is looking and feeling incredible after the last 5 days here. Next was the Shirodhara and I had to move up the bed to the end where it was specially shaped to catch and funnel the oil. I got covered in a white sheet and she put a cloth over my forehead to keep the flow out of my eyes. The Shirodhara pot looks like it was made of clay but has absorbed so much it is glossy. It hangs from a limb above my face with a wick poking out. I have to close my eyes but can feel the never ending trickle of oil stream over my hairline. The treatment is 30 minutes and incredibly soothing. Each time the pot needs replenishing my lady give me some soothing massage on the front of my head. People experience different things with this special treatment. It is said to remove all your anxieties layer by layer. I found it soothing but did not experience any life changing or emotional effects. I was like a complete oil slick at the end of this and allowed to have a shower before the facial and nostril cleaning. It's super slippery dismounting from the bench so each time I get off I'm told to sit across the bed with feet out and my lady carefully rubs as much oil off that she can so I can walk to the shower. I took some photos as hard to convey just how oily this treatment is! The towel is a rough linen cloth a bit like a giant tea towel, not very absorbent though. I'm allowed to get dressed for the final part. Yesterday was my first experience of the sinus clearing massage on my face and forehead with special oils up the nose. I expected to see something gruesome but nothing scary. Bit disappointed actually (!) Dr Benny told me to take 3 treatments so I had a massage on sinuses then head tilted back and oil dropped in each nostril, instructed to gently sniff it in the more massaging. She then told me to go into the bathroom and use the hot water in the metal dog bowl to gargle with to ease the stinging pain from the herbal oil tricking down the back of my throat. The final flourish is more oil on hairline and a spoldge of sandal on the forehead between the eyes and at the base of the throat. It's been an amazing experience to be able to try all these things and learn about Ayurvedic medicine. Unlike any of the western treatments I've experienced and a million miles from the Swedish massage routines drummed into me at college. It seems more connected, in flow and holistic.

Treehouse in the spice gardens in Thekeddy. The locals used to live in them to keep safe from the snakes. This one is in among the collection of cardomen, vanilla, pepper berries, tumeric, ginger, cloves and nutmeg

#sari shop in Kottayam - 5 floors of choices

Storm heading in over the lake. Wedding planned next door.....

My therapist, day 3 ayudvedic treatments. Had bundle again and oil in my sinuses!

Day 3 at Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve, Thekkady in the Western Ghats. We travelled inland and over the mountains. This reservoir has been here since 1895 after the Mullaperiyar dam was built. Saw wild monkeys, deer and lots of birds including kingfishers and cormorants. Exquisite space

With Veronika Andersson

Pummeled with a pommel Day 2 of Ayurvedic treatments, Kerala, India - Pummeled with a pommel So today Dr Benny had something new planned for me. I'm going to get bundled! I'm posting a picture of his weapon of choice, it looks innocent enough but it packs a punch, believe me. We both walked over to the centre and were greeted by out therapists and Dr Benny who had a quick consult with us both. Veronika’s hands had healed up amazingly well and my cough had pretty much disappeared after taking his nasty brown crystals that he referred to as ‘candy’. I got taken to my room which looked really pretty, my therapist had a candle and some hibiscus flowers out and the bundle. It's a big wad of special herbs in a cloth that gets dipped in hot oil. It's called Podikizimi. Usual thing, clothes off, loin cloth on, perch on stool and get my hairline anointed with the burnt marmalade again. Full and thoroughly scalp massage and hair pulling then back and trap massage. Hop up onto bed onto front, loin cloth off and told to spread eagle, sure. Warm oil the. Drizzled up each leg and arm and along spine and rigorous body massage over entire body. I know it was only my lady in the room but at time it seemed like she had more than two hands she was so quick. I wasn't complaining. Flip over and loin cloth back on and front done. Somehow she managed to do these really strong movements that swept down my entire body from arm to soles of my feet. I am actually a trained masseur and spent 2 years studying anatomy and kinesiology at college and have never had such thorough massages. This felt right to treat my body as one entire connected thing not to segment it into areas, legs, stomach region etc. After that a facial massage then sitting up across the bed for traps and back again. I was so oily and glossy and it was hard not to slide off the bed as she was so powerful. That was 60 minutes then on front again for the pommelling with the big bundle. She brought out a gas cooker to hear up the oil and dipped the bundle in it and then whacked me in sections with it. No gentle tapping, this was a thud thud thud! The oil was quite hot and the smell from the herbs was one I just couldn't place. Roast vegetables perhaps? Buttered carrots? She after search section of me was whacked she then massaged each area again and by then it was a bit gritty with the dust from the herbs. This was another 60 minutes of pummeling. Incredibly through and energetic. I was then allowed to shower and this oil is not coming out easily. We're just living with very oily hair at the moment. Bonus is it's easy to look after in this weather. Final touch is on the stool again for the anointing on the third eye and throat and one foot (the opposite foot today?). How do I feel? #@£&% ing fantastic! Like I've shed a skin. Sparkling.

Day 2 we went exploring. Found the local markets but didn't fancy the warm fresh fish and seafood that was for sale.

Some of the plants this morning

Foraging with a difference - wild bananas, coconuts and pawpaw