Join Yogiraj Mona Anand for 11 blissful days of yoga and meditation in Kerala, India: Cochin – Marari – Alleppey.
Retreat Snapshot
March 15 – 18 Cochin / Brunton Boat Yard: Moored on a historic stretch of Kochi’s famed harbour, The Brunton Boatyard Hotel was resurrected from the remains of a Victorian shipyard. Today, it gives the modern traveller a unique opportunity to dwell amidst the shadow plays of 19th century history.
Cochin, the capital of Kerala, has one of the best natural harbors in the world. From time immemorial the Arabs, the Dutch, the Chinese, the English and the voyagers from Portugal have followed then sea – routes to Cochin and left their imprint on the town.
March 18 – 24 Marari Beach: Marari Beach Resort is a celebration of Kerala’s coastal fishing villages. Marari Beach sprawls across 55 acres of lawns, far-flung lotus ponds and whispering coconut groves, all threaded through with stone-flagged pathways.
March 24 – 25 Houseboat on Backwaters: Float along and gaze over paddy fields of succulent green, curvaceous rice barges and village life along the banks. This is one of Kerala’s most mesmerizingly beautiful and relaxing experiences.
Sample Yoga Program
- Morning Asana Practice – Meditation/Yoga Nidra
- Breakfast
- Free Time – optional scheduled activities / beach/ pool/ spa treatments*
- Lunch
- Afternoon – free time by the pool or beach / Ayurvedic treatments*
Evening Yoga Session- Specialty Workshops with ISHTA Teachers
- Restorative /Yoga Nidra Practice
- Dinner
- Book Club one evening
- 2 Chakras chats and one Ayurveda workshop will be scheduled after lunch or dinner during your time in Marari. These one hour discussion groups will give you the opportunity to understand the chakras and Ayurveda better and how to recognize and correct your own chakra and dosha imbalances.
RATES:
All Inclusive – hotel, all trips and activities on itinerary, meals and yoga program.
Early Bird Rates (ends December 21st): Double $2,700; Single $3,900.
After December 18th Double $3,000, Single $4,200
All Inclusive – hotel, all trips and activities on itinerary, meals and yoga program.
Plus optional 6 Days / 5 Night Sight Seeing Trip Extension: Mumbai, Udaipur
Extension rate: $1,500 for a double and $1,950 for a single
Includes breakfast and lunch. Dinner package available at additional cost.
Registration:
To register or for any logistical information please contact Donna Fillios at donna@ishtayoga.com.
Detailed Itinerary
DAY 1: COCHIN – “THE QUEEN OF THE ARABIAN SEA“
The Cochin harbour is one of the best natural harbors in the world. Cochin, as we will discover, is also believed to be the oldest European settlement in India. It is a cluster of islands hugging the coast. To this day the old harbor – front of Cochin looks straight out of an ancient book – Arab dhows in the foreground and behind, the elongated tree – shaded buildings of the spice traders and coconut merchants, the descendants of the families who sold gold, ivory, timber and peacocks to King Solomon nineteen centuries ago! From time immemorial the Arabs, the Dutch, the Chinese, the English and the voyagers from Portugal have followed the sea-routes to Cochin and left their imprint on the town.
Upon our arrival in Cochin, we are transferred to our hotel Brunton Boatyard.
Brunton Boat Yard
Moored on a historic stretch of Kochi’s famed harbour, The Brunton Boatyard Hotel was resurrected from the remains of a Victorian shipyard. Today, it gives the modern traveller a unique opportunity to dwell amidst the shadow plays of 19th century history.
For what is essentially a small and intimate city hotel, The Brunton Boatyard possesses a remarkable sense of scale, evident the moment we turn into the tiled forecourt. The lobby is a vault of sunlight and air, framed by arches and overhung with punkhas, enormous, old-fashioned fans of Indo-Portuguese origin.
The hotel’s nautical past seems to follow us around. On one wall, Old Dutch maps, on another, a small navigation device, in the courtyard lawns, an ancient anchor. Walk further, turn a corner and we find us outside the Armoury Bar with old Portuguese breastplates and musketry for company.
A short saunter down the corridor brings us to a little doorway. Pass through and suddenly, the whole vista of Kochi harbour opens up beyond the pool’s inviting waters. This is the spot to read a historical novel, take in the sun and watch the ships sail by, so close we can almost reach out and touch them. Crane our neck a bit and we can spot a serried rank of Kochi’s famed fishing nets. They first made their appearance in 1350 A.D. and their much-photographed preying-mantis shapes form one of the city’s most enduring images.
DAY 2: ECHOES FROM THE PAST – DISCOVERING FORT COCHIN
Cochin harbour, one of the best natural harbors in the world. We drive past the giant Chinese fishing nets; ingeniously constructed these nets are used throughout the year except during the monsoons.
From time immemorial the Arabs, the Dutch, the Chinese, the English and the voyagers from Portugal have followed then sea – routes to Cochin and left their imprint on the town.
We walk to the Chinese Fishing nets which were introduced by the traders from the court of Kublai Khan. The nets are mainly used at high tide, requiring at least four men to operate their system of counterweights.
We visit the St. Francis Church is a granite church set on quiet lawns amidst the bustle of Fort Cochin. Originally named as Santo Antonio, this protestant church was originally built by the Europeans in India & was the first church to have been built in the new
Following our visit of the Chinese Fishing nets and St. Francis’ Church, we proceed by Auto Rickshaws (tuk tuks) for our visit to the Dutch Palace.
Built in oriental style and one of the oldest buildings Mattancherry Palace or the Dutch Palace (closed on Fridays), situated in Ernakulam district of Kerala was originally built by the Portuguese and presented to the king of Cochin, Veera Kerala Varma, in the year 1555 AD. It was later taken over by the Dutch who improved it through extensions and repairs in 1663 AD.
The best in Antique Shopping We walk to the Jewish Synagogue built in 1568, is the oldest in the Commonwealth. Only a handful of Jewish families remain in Jew Town today. A couple of hours of leisure time to shop at the antique shops in Jew Town where you could spend a few hours and strike a good bargain.
DAY 3: AFTERNOON:
We drive to Marari (Approx. 2 hours). Upon arrival in Marari, we check-in to our hotel Marari Beach Resort.
DAYS 4 – 9:
Welcome to Mararikulam The village of Maraikulam lies on the Malabar coast, where the Indian Ocean finally becomes the Arabian Sea.
Marari Beach Resort is a celebration of Kerala’s coastal fishing villages. Inspired by this ancient way of life, we sought to capture its essence and create a new experience in sensitive travel for the modern-day visitor.
Marari Beach sprawls across 55 acres of lawns, far-flung lotus ponds and whispering coconut groves, all threaded through with stone- flagged pathways. A windbreak of palms runs the length of the property. And beyond is a milk-and-azure ocean, fringed by a beach more ochre than yellow, a sand-meets-sea combination we’re not likely to find anywhere else.
Trips at Marari
- Explore The Butterfly Garden Spend some time in our butterfly garden and enter a dancing, flitting new realm of nature.
- Naturalist Led Walks Marari is a nature lover’s paradise and a morning stroll with one of our naturalists in tow is a fine way to introduce yourself to the Malabar coasts unique ecosystem and explore its myriad charms. Just to give you a taste, you can expect to find 97 species of butterflies, more than 350 species of endemic plants, 3 varieties of turtles, and even 10 kinds of frogs. As for the birds, there are too many to even name.
- Enriching Village Visits Life in the fishing villages around Marari Beach Resort is both fascinating and endearing. Spend some time on your holiday exploring these villages and the ways of life they represent. You can choose to walk, cycle or cruise to any of these villages. We have a visit itinerary that is immersive and inspiring.
- Fish-Landing Take an early morning walk with our naturalist to the fish-landing harbor. Fresh catch being brought in from the sea, middlemen bargaining for their stock, to a sea of baskets being hurried away inland with the freshest of fish, a visit to the harbor will give you the pulse of this small fishing hamlet.
- Cooking Up A Storm! The chef at the hotel will give us a cooking demonstration on how to cook typical Kerala dishes – let’s try our hand at a fish Moily or an appam!
- Bird Watching The lakes, canals and paddy fields near coconut lagoon are very good birding places. You can spot birds like Magpie Robin, Red Vented Bulbul etc.
DAY 10: MARARI – ALLEPPEY
Noon: We drive to Alleppey Jetty (Approx. 1 hour).
Welcome to Alleppey!
Alappuzha – more romantically known as Alleppey – is the hub of Kerala‘s backwaters, home to a vast network of waterways and more than a thousand houseboats. Step out – and Alleppey is graceful and greenery-fringed, disappearing into a watery world of villages, punted canoes, toddy shops and, of course, houseboats. Float along and gaze over paddy fields of succulent green, curvaceous rice barges and village life along the banks. This is one of Kerala’s most mesmerizingly beautiful and relaxing experiences.
Upon arrival at the jetty, we board the houseboat.
Backwaters of Kerala
The backwaters of Kerala offer an enchanting experience of fun and relaxation and a chance to see authentic local life; a world of coconut trees, shallow lakes, deep canals and long boats….
Lunch and Dinner is on board the Houseboat.
Overnight is on board the houseboat.
DAY 11: ALLEPPEY – DEPART COCHIN
Breakfast on boat
Morning: We drive to Cochin airport (Approx. 2 hours) for our onward flight.
6 day / 5 night Extension – UDAIPUR – MUMBAI
DAY 11: A Vision in White – MUMBAI – UDAIPUR
Flight from Cochin – Mumbai – Udaipur
Welcome to Udaipur!
Udaipur is often called the “Venice of the East” and the most romantic city in the state of Rajasthan. Udaipur nestles like a gem in a valley surrounded by green hills, reflected smooth and white in the clear blue waters of Lake Pichola. The city is a kaleidoscope of narrow lanes flanked by bright stalls, gardens, lakes, palaces and temples. A city which nestles like a gem in a valley surrounded by the green Aravalli hills, reflected smooth and white in the clear Lake Pichola.
Upon arrival in Udaipur, we check-in to our hotel Trident
Trident, Udaipur
Built over forty three acres on the banks of Lake Pichola, Trident, Udaipur is perfectly located to explore the famed sites of the city, such as the City Palace, the Crystal Gallery, the Monsoon Palace or the beautiful Jagmandir. After soaking in the sights of this historic city, return to your private sanctuary at Trident, Udaipur to unwind. Inspired by the architectural and cultural heritage of Udaipur, all the 137 rooms and 4 suites are furnished in hues of muted beige and cream with traditional artefacts, reflecting elegance and charm. No royal hospitality is quite complete without a lavish feast. Our main restaurant, Aravalli, serves authentic dishes from the Kingdom of Mewar, known for its fine cuisine. Children will love our signature Trident Kids’ Club, their very own paradise with games, play area and their very own tent!
Overnight is at Trident
DAY 12: IN UDAIPUR
Breakfast is at the hotel.
Morning: We set off for our visit of Udaipur city with a visit to the City Palace complex which houses the private residence of the Maharana of Mewar (a title which means “king of kings”) who belongs to the oldest royal lineage in the country. This palace complex consists of four major and several minor palaces forming a single breathtaking façade of almost 900meters in length overlooking the Pichola Lake. Built by successive Maharanas, every addition was so flawlessly integrated in style and feeling with the existing structures, to make the whole seem one.
The southernmost part, the Shiv Niwas Palace is a Luxury hotel today. The central south eastern part of the complex houses the Shambhu Niwas, the private residence of the royal family. The third palace which lies on the western side towards the Lake Pichola is called Fateh Prakash Palace, and is converted into a hotel. The oldest part of the complex is the City Palace dating back to the 16th century. We visit the City Palace within which are several architectural and artistic highlights known for its stunning peacock mosaics and a series of wall paintings. The City Palace was once the home of the Mewar rulers. Most of the Palace is converted into a museum. It houses a huge collection of rare miniature paintings and beautiful decorative motives made with mirrors and colored glass.
Afternoon: At leisure.
Boat Ride on the serene Lake Pichola
Evening: We enjoy a relaxing boat ride along serene Lake Pichola. We glide along the lake and enjoy the fantastic views of the legendry Lake Palace, the façade of the imposing City Palace as well as the magnificent Jag Mandir Island.
Overnight is at Trident
DAY 13: JAGDISH TEMPLE
Breakfast is at the hotel.
Start with a visit to the Spice & Vegetable market.
Guests can then walk towards the Jagdish Temple area which is full of shops.
Following the Jagdish Temple area, we will visit a Miniature painting shop and demonstration.
Overnight is at Trident
DAY 14: CITY OF FORTUNE – MUMBAI
Breakfast is at the hotel.
Morning: We are met and transferred to airport for flight to Bombay
Bombay – India’s City of Fortune; a City that never sleeps
“One day…an East India Company officer saw a vision. This vision – a dream of British Bombay, defending India’s West against corners – was a notion of such force that is set time in motion” – Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children.
Welcome to Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay)! ‘A city which by god’s decree is meant to be one of the most important ports….’ was how the island city of Bombay was described by Gerald Aungier, the Director of the East India Company who had received it for a princely sum of 10 pounds sterling a year rent from the British Crown. That was the value rightly put for what he saw was a group of seven marshy swampy islands with a handful of fishing villages on the coastal areas. Today these fishing villages have become India’s most modern and cosmopolitan city where the price of land per square foot, is the highest you could find in the world.
Bombay is India’s commercial capital and city of fortune. The very name conjures up a host of vision. The vision of glamour and megastars, of industrialists and business houses, of multifarious futuristic lifestyle which is likely to become even more intense as Bombay moves closer and closer to it becoming the world’s largest metro after Tokyo by the year 2015. And all the while, Bombay – the largest, most cosmopolitan, richest and fastest growing of India’s metros, continues to maintain and add to its impressive portfolio. Just consider the following: the oldest Stock Exchange in India is located in Bombay where 75% of the nation’s financial business passes through daily scrip transactions that take place at the Bombay Stock Exchange, which has become an important indicator of national stability and the general “health” of the nation. Bombay is the base for prestigious financial institutions including the Reserve Bank of India. It is also in Bombay that the largest number of Merchant Bankers can be found. With the spirit of enterprise and an inspiration of dreams, Bombay’s attraction is the promise of a fortune that has become so intimately associated with its image over the years.
Upon arrival in Mumbai at 1135 hours, we are transferred to our hotel Trident Nariman Point
Trident Nariman Point
Nestled in the heart of vibrant and bustling Mumbai lies Trident, Nariman Point. Soaring 35 storeys tall, it offers panoramic views of Marine Drive or the Queen’s necklace, as the beautiful promenade is lovingly called. An iconic Mumba landmark, featuring one of the finest accommodations in the city, the 555 rooms and suites at Trident, Nariman Point, offer stunning views of the ocean and the famous city skyline. Spacious and well-appointed with all modern amenities, the rooms are well complemented by our attentive yet unobtrusive service.
Head to one of our award winning restaurants – Frangipani or India Jones, which offer cuisine ranging from Indian to Italian and Asian. Relax and rejuvenate in the calm environs of the Trident spa or recharge with an energizing workout at the fitness center. In a city that never sleeps, there is always much to discover and Trident, Nariman Point is perfectly located to do so.
Afternoon: Visit Mumbai city.
Bombay City Discovery
Like any great and soulful city, Bombay is overwhelming. This city tour will introduce you to the complexities of India’s second largest city, a city built at the height of the British Raj that later became home to the Indian freedom movement, a city of textile factories and fishing villages, Islamic mosques and Hindu temples, the elegance of Marine Drive and the shocking paucity of the slums.
Start with a drive along Marine Drive, the main boulevard on to Malabar Hill which is an exclusive residential area in Bombay city and one of the most expensive in India.
The Dabbawallahs of Bombay
I am standing near Mumbai’s Churchgate Station in the commercial hub of the city. It is almost noon, and about five hundred yards away, I catch a glimpse of a man I have been waiting to see. He wears a loose white shirt, cotton pyjamas, and, the trade mark of his profession, a white “Nehru” cap.
His name is Naru Bhade and he is with a group of similarly clad men who are frantically sorting out about a hundred cylindrical metal containers (“dabbas”) set out on the sidewalk. Some are being hitched to the handles and back-carriers of bicycles, while others are placed on wheeled wooden trolleys.
Bhade and his fellow-workers are dabbawallahs (“dabba” translates as lunch ‘box’ or ‘tiffin carrier’; “wallah” means a ‘man’). In the next hour, he and his team, along with about 5,000 other dabbawallahs (emerging from other suburban railway stations) will deliver approximately 170,000 lunches from suburban households, to schools, colleges, mills and offices spread across the entire city and its environs. Their customers are middle-class citizens, who for reasons of economy, hygiene, caste and dietary restrictions-or simply because they prefer wholesome food from their own kitchens-rely on the dabbawallahs to deliver a home-cooked midday meal.
Amazingly enough, most of the dabbawallahs are illiterate. Yet, according to a report published by Forbes Global Magazine in 1998, they reputedly only make one mistake for every eight million lunches delivered-a record that would be the envy of most multinational companies. How do they do it?
Each tiffin-carrier lid carries a complex coding system: colours identify each suburb, and individual sectors of the downtown core. Dashes, crosses and dots pinpoint the street, the building and even the floor to which the dabba will be delivered, and eventually returned to its source. The entire system depends on teamwork and meticulous timing. Depending upon the distance to be covered, dabbas are collected from customers’ homes between 7 and 8 o’clock in the morning, and taken to the nearest suburban railway station. At various intermediary suburban stations, the tiffin containers, are hauled onto platforms and sorted out for area-wise distribution, so that a single dabba could change hands three to four times in the course of its daily journey. At Mumbai’s downtown terminus stations, the last link in the chain-a final relay of dabawallahs-fan out to specific locations. After lunch hour is over, the whole process goes into reverse, and the dabbas are returned to suburban households, by 6 in the evening.
Visit to Dhobi Ghat, the local open-air laundry
Mark Twain described it as the height of patience “where the Indians try to break a stone with a piece of cloth”.
We drive on to the Mahalakshmi road bridge which overlooks Dhobi Ghat – a huge public laundry uniquely different from laundries anywhere in the world and India. It is fascinating to see the ‘dhobi’ or the washer man thump away on a block of granite with the laundry, which definitely knocks out the dirt but does wonders for the buttons on your shirts as well. Any further dirt left is boiled away in huge vats. The clothes are then rinsed in indigo blue and sun-dried on the rooftops of the shanties which are the residences of the ‘dhobis’. They are then pressed by coal irons, folded and tied into neat bundles and delivered back to the various homes. Although the clothes are not marked they are rarely misplaced. A visit to the Dhobi Ghat is truly an exciting and unique experience.
Visit Mani Bhavan. The house belonged to Shri Revashankar Jhaveri, Gandhi’s friend and host in Mumbai. Whenever he was in Mumbai between 1917 to 1934 Gandhi stayed here. It was here in November 1921 that Gandhi conducted a four-day fast in order to restore peace to the city. On the terrace, a bronze plaque marks the site of the tent in which Gandhi was arrested in January 1932. He also used to sleep and say his prayers on this terrace.
Inside the house is a library of Gandhi-related works (about 50,000 books and periodicals), as well as displays of photographs, posters, slogans, and other items that document and explain Gandhi’s legendary life. You can also see Gandhi’s old charkha (spinning wheel), which in many ways symbolized the struggle for independence, and which now appears on the Indian flag.
Drive past the impressive architectural vestiges of the Raj – the High Court, the Bombay University and the Raja Bhai Clock tower, Victoria Terminus railway station to the shopping centre of Colaba Causeway. Visit the The Gateway of India which was built to commemorate the visit of King George V in 1911, but officially opened in 1924. It is Bombay’s Arc de Triomphe. This is the most impressive landmark in Bombay.
Overnight is at Trident Nariman Point
DAY 15: LEISURE DAY IN MUMBAI
Breakfast is at the hotel.
Morning: Yoga at Bombay Gym.
Lunch at Bombay Gym.
Rest of the day is at leisure (Vehicle is at disposal).
Overnight is at Trident Nariman Point
DAY 16: DEPART MUMBAI
Breakfast is at the hotel.
Morning at Leisure
Lunch at Royal Bombay Yacht Club
Time to explore the Gateway of India, shop and explore the area around the Yacht Club
Tea at a residence in Mumbai
Transferred to the airport for onward flight
“I came to your shore as a stranger, I lived in your house as a guest, I leave the door as a friend”
– Rabindranath Tagore