The Un-Superbowl
The Game
We got up early this morning -- around 5 a.m. -- to watch the Superbowl. Boy, what a dissapointment. The opening kickoff return and Prince aside, the game was quite a bore. And to top it off, of course we didn't even get to see the American ads. Just the ads on Indian ESPN for cricket and professional men's field hockey.
Varkala, Kerala
We have moved from the medium hot, dry weather in central India to the very hot (our guess is the mid 90s), humid weather of Varkala, Kerala. We apologize to those who are reading this blog from frigid places, which we know is most of you. We truly wish you were all here with us!
Here is a video of a traditional dance performance we saw to other night called Kathkali. To actually understand what this is all about, see the description below.
Varkala is a beautiful town. We have been here for a few days now. Alison is ready to move here, while Benny is (almost) ready to move on. The shops and restaurants are set on the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. Stairs wind down to a wide, clean beach with water the perfect temperature to cool off, but still comfortable. We are staying in a very cute hotel called Preeth Beach Resort.
Each night all the restaurants display the fishermen's daily catch. We have seen the world's biggest prawns, swordfish, butterfish, and more. Last night we shared a delicious whole snapper that must have weighed about 3 lbs., and it only cost around $5.50 (including salad and rice).
Sunsets here are beautiful -- though not quite up to par with the Cape Cod sunsets from "Marshoulam" (Benny's parents' house in Eastham). Every evening as the sun is setting you can see people paragliding off the cliff. Don't worry, we're not going to try it. The idea of jumping off a cliff to float at the wind's whim does not sound like fun to either one of us.
Alison took her first yoga class in India here. The teacher was knowledgeable, but it was different from American classes she had been to. Class began with a long series of eye exercises, and after each pose we would rest in Savasana (for those who don't speak "yoga" this is the posture we do at the very end of class and you are just lying on your back in complete relaxation).
Yoga and ayurveda are big in this town, and almost every single hotel offers massages, ayurvedic treatments, and yoga classes. Each morning on the beach you can spot several very experienced yogis doing their practices on the packed sand near the water's edge. Actually, as Benny is writing this blog posting Alison is getting a massage.
More about Kathkali
A couple of nights ago we went to a traditional Indian dance called Kathkali. The dancers spend nearly 2 hours just getting ready, applying intricate makeup, and putting on their ornate costumes. In fact, watching the dancers get ready is part of the performance. The dance itself involves lots of very expressive eye and facial movements. Prior to the performance a dancer did a demonstration of some emotions. "Romance" was probably the funniest demonstration and it involved a lot of eyebrow waggles, lip puckers and head bobbles. After the demonstration they did a performance. With live music accompaniment (basically a drum and a loud clanking cymbal) they danced the story of a demon who falls in love with a man. She transforms into a beautiful woman and asks him to marry her. He sees through her facade and she gets angry and transforms back to the demon, at which point the man chops off the demon's nose and ears.
Our next stop
After Varkala we will be taking a train a few hours north to Kochin, a small city which used to be one of the centers of the world's spice trade, and included Syrian, Jewish, and Arab communities.
