Arriving in Cochin

JFK - departing for India

 Happy New Year!  Amy and I arrived in Cochin at 3:30 am (!) on Dec. 30, after 18 hours of travel.  We crossed 10 ½ time zones, slept maybe four or five hours in total, and arrived to 28 degree heat!  We waited another two hours for the bus to Cochin, avoiding the expensive taxis, and arrived at our yoga teacher’s house at around 7:45 am, greeted warmly by Sajee and his family. We stowed our suitcases and gear, and went with him to a nearby Homestay to seek accommodation for the month of January.

Waiting for the bus, Cochin, 5 am!

Costa Gama is the name of the preferred Homestay.  It is very near Sajee’s, and is a family home with three rooms for guests upstairs.  All the rooms were taken for the next three days, so we walked around looking for other places for three days.  We found another place nearby called Wills Homestay, and it was available after 3 pm. We finally settled in, and then went for our first yoga class at 4 pm.

I love my yoga teacher!  Sajee is one of the main magnets for being in Cochin.  I am starting to open up again, having mostly abandoned my regular Yoga practice over the past year.  It feels so good to stretch, breathe, and be surrounded in the cosmic energy of a truly spiritual yoga practice.  This will provide great healing and strength, and Lord knows we need it!

Cochin is incredibly hot and humid, unlike the last time I was here three years ago.  Sajee and others say it has never been so hot in December/January.  So like the rest of the world, climate is changing.  We are slowly adjusting to the heat, but it is hard on the body and mind.  We even paid extra for air conditioning for two of the three nights at Wills Homestay, which is very unusual for us.  We usually avoid A/C and opt for a good fan.  There are also lots of mosquitoes, though here at Costa Gama Homestay there are good screens so we can keep them out of our room. And this morning, I woke up and it was a little cooler, so that’s an excellent sign.

New Year's Day Carnival Float

New Year’s is a real trip in Cochin.  Most of Kerala does not make a big deal of New Year’s, but Cochin is different.  The custom here is to make hundreds of Santa Claus effigies, and to have many people dress as Santa Clauses and other characters and monsters.  At midnight, the effigies are burned (to start the New Year fresh, to burn away the past year) and there are incredible fireworks.

We celebrated with Sajee, who invited musical friends to come and play ragas.  I joined in meekly on the violin for a few tunes.  There was alcohol (which is rare) and food for the men.  The women were in a different room hanging out.  There is such a division of the genders in India.  The women are strong and beautiful, but their roles are so defined it’s like we’re in a different century.  Lots of evolvement required here, as we read of the horrendous rape that, tragic though it is, may actually finally spur a change in some attitudes, especially Indian men and government, those in positions of power. Things have to change for women in India (and everywhere!)