LOST IN TRANSLATION

"The words of the tongue should have 3 gatekeepers." ~Arabian Proverb

1- Is it true?
2- Is it kind?
3- Is it necessary?

Many times we are seduced into idle chatter. It is refreshing when two kindred spirits can connect and brainstorm in creative co-conspiracy, as Rachel and I did this weekend.

Getting out of Mysore into the countryside was a good refresher before my trip home. The mountains were breathtaking. Jungle covered in brilliant greens of bamboo, banana and rubber trees. We passed water falls that ran under the road which snaked precariously around the height of the mountains. The edge dropped off thousands of feet below with monkeys perched on the guard rail. We saw tea plantations, rice patties and lush jungle. It was humid and reminded me of Hawaii.
We stopped at one spot for a picture and a monkey approached. "Don't worry Madam, I fight the monkey!" Says Lokash our driver- totally serious.

In Kerelah state, there is even a different language. The streets were cleaner and it appeared to have a more affluent and Arab influence, less honking and cows wandering the streets (maybe because they serve meat and seafood here) We stopped at a store and they were pushing the meat on us, thinking because we were white! They didn't understand why we kept saying 'no'.

We arrived in Calicut and I asked Lokash where he recommends for a hotel. He says, "we'll drive to the beach and go from there." Its exactly what I've been doing the last few months! Listening to life and letting it lead- surrendering to whatever is unfolding: Destiny. Trusting that life will carry me exactly where I'm meant to be.

We randomly arrived at the Beach Hotel, highly recommended by the Lonely Planet. It overlooked the Arabian Sea and our room was gorgeous in plantation style. Wide plank espresso hardwood floors and furniture, shutters and our own private balcony terrace. The palm trees swayed as we overlooked the manicured lawn and tropical bushes. We fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing.

We were the only tourists around as we went for a midnight walk along the tiled boardwalk. Rats a foot long came running out. We nearly even stepped on a snake! Lokash, our big brother protector had been following us in the dark. "Game over, times up!" He scolded us and sent us back to our room, after all it was his duty he said. We laugh at his broken English.

In the morning, some of the locals were excercising on the beach. A first sight in India! Fitness is a sign of wealth, as it means you have enough time because you don't have to work and second, because you have enough food to eat.

Kumar the hotel manager had promised us a complimentary ayervedic massage service to arrive in the morning. As we were sipping our masala chai teas, instead, he arrived and said he would get started on my head massage, and did I have any oil? I was shocked and said, "No, no no!" He said, "Okay, I'll use water then!" I was about to burst out laughing and offered for Rachel to go first. She was equally shocked and horrified at this creepy old man. We cancelled our alleged massages and sent him away. Unspoken rules and unproprietal social codes between cultures can sometimes get blurred but this was unbelievably unprofessional. Much more than lost in translation...we knew he was a pervert!

Thats when we went for our ocean dunk.- The Arabian Sea salt cleanse! I was adrenalized as the waves were rough and I don't like to swim, period!

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to walk through your fear in pursuit of a goal that is important to you" ~Anon.

My face broke out in red bumps after. Significant since one can get acne, as the body pushes out toxins during purification and other types of cleanses.

We chatted with some old fishermen on the pier who were throwing crabs and fish on the dock. It was sad to see them flopping around gasping for breath. I could no longer look at their suffering. They were dying a tortured death! But then would the fisherman suffer if I took a stand and threw them back in? Would it be considered kind and necessary? Now I don't want to even eat seafood anymore...

"Suffering comes to deepen us- comes to help us- causes us to know who we truly are- cracks us open- forces us to let go- surrender what we've clung to." (Excerpts from the many books I'm reading right now...) And another favourite:

"Death is only one of the many ways to lose your life." ~Alvah Simon