Zuri Kumarakom swimming pool with elephant fountains

Introduction to Ayurveda

It’s important to have an introduction to Ayurveda when travelling in South India because it’s a term you’ll encounter frequently. We’ve experienced both authentic and less than authentic versions in our travels. After our own experiences, we feel a proper introduction to Ayurveda will help you find the real deal and avoid anything less than …

Kozhikode-Fish-Market

Kozhikode’s Fish Auctions

It was four thirty in the morning and pitch black when we crawled into Chef Babu’s car. A quick drive down the hill and we crawled back out to roam the huge dock that’s home to Kozhikode’s Fish Auctions.  Lights blared from the top riggings down a long line of trawlers backed into the wharf. …

Pauli-Ann and Karen standing near bananas in Kozhikode (Calicut)

Kozhikode (Calicut)

We long to return to Kozhikode (Calicut). It’s alive and exciting. A bustling commercial town, it’s often referred to as Calicut because of the white, unbleached cotton called Calico that originated here. Textiles are still a part of the long-standing economy along with spices. Vasco de Gama landed near here in 1498 and set up …

Nilgiri Hills vista

Ooty and the Nilgiri Hills

Ooty, also known as Udagamandalam, is high in the Nilgiri (blue) Hills of Northern Tamil Nadu. Every 12 years, a native shrub called kurunji turns the hills blue with its blossoms. That sight inspired the name. It must be quite a sight to see. Sadly, we did not catch this phenomenon during our brief visit. …

The large golden orb of the Matrimandir in Auroville - City of Dawn

Auroville – City of Dawn

Imagine a vast plain of dry, fissured red earth baking like clay under the hot sun. It collapses and erodes under the weight of each South Indian monsoon. Scruffs of grass are the only growth it bears after decades of deforestation. Visiting the city of Auroville now, you’d never guess that this was the condition …