From Julie Palmer »
What an excellent trip this was. Kerry is a great leader. This is the way to go for nervous first-timers to India as you get a little bit of everything and your hand held through everything and by the end you know how to do India on your own.
We had yoga most mornings led by either Kerry, her assistant Kabir or master yogi Gopalakrishna who spent two whole weeks with our group. We travelled way way off the beaten track to the real India where locals where amazed to see white skinned folks and were as eager to take our picture as we were to take theirs. We got to really connect with them even through a language barrier. This part was a real cross-cultural experience where we visited schools and did yoga with children (Kerry's passion), attended a neighbourhood festival day and even stayed at an ayurvedic hospital, which despite the hospital like setting, was my favourite part as we were so well looked after - given a royal welcome and fed very well, experienced ayurvedic massages and other treatments and given lectures on ayurveda by one of the doctors there. We had yoga every morning and pranayama classes in the afternoon. We also had traditional flute-tabla music performed just for us.
We also had a meal put on by Gopalakrishna's whole family and neighbourhood of friends - a very special and traditional meal served on banana leaves, eaten sitting on the ground and cooked by the women but served by the men. Yum!
But it is not all learning - there was a lot of fun time. We were given "how to" sessions with Kerry, as in how to bargain and shop in India, to get appropriate clothing (to cover shoulders and thighs but still keep you cool in this hot climate), how to use squat toilets and a hilarious session on how to do Indian dancing (screw in a lightbult, put out a cigarette, a little hip and shoulder thrust and you're there), how to use the post office, the phone etc.
Another great thing was always having Kerry's Indian contacts meet us at airports and rail stations with taxis so we never had to figure out how to get from here to there. The amount of work Kerry puts in ahead of time and during the trip behind the scenes to book guesthouses, buses, outings etc. is enormous and well worth what we pay her. Another fun thing was getting around part of the time by minibus with the bollywood tunes blaring. I felt like I was in a movie and it made the heart attack experience of road trips in India bearable. (You wouldn't believe how they drive here - horns blaring, passing unsafely ALL the TIME, and believe it or not you eventually get used to it and just trust that you will arrive safely).
We had some luxury events with meals at fine hotels and even got to swim and eat at the "exclusive club" in Calicut. The most relaxing and fun time was a kind of re-entry experience at the beaches of Goa for the last week. Where we saw more tourists than we did the whole trip, of the European variety, as this is like our Caribbean resort for them. So were finally able to wear tank tops and shorts and swimsuits and just float on the Arabian sea and eat all manner of western food from Mexican to Italian and even British fish 'n chips.
This cross-cultural yoga experience is very unusual and Kerry has built up a host of contacts and friends that support the trip in numerous ways. Because of its unique nature our group was photographed several times by local media and we had articles written about us both in English and Mallayallan the local dialect of Kerala State. We also photographed ourselves and each other a lot and were dubbed the papparazzi group! Too much fun.
Despite getting sick a couple of times I thoroughly enjoyed this outing and this group and now feel ready (but still nervous) to take on the next 3 weeks where my husband and I travel solo without our leader and group.
From Jennifer Surette »
Hi from India!!! I'm here in Mysore with Kerry's Yoga-Adventure group and I just wanted to say to anyone who is even slightly considering signing up for this trip...upgrad it on your priority list. Its a once in a life time experience. Can't believe all of the amazing things we've seen and done. And the yoga in the exo...tic locales is truly amazing and enlightening! A simply incredible experience creating lifelong friends and wonderful memories. Hope all is well in Yarmouth!! Namaste
From Donna Rubenstein »
Thank you Kerry for a fabulous trip to India. I returned home feeling strengthened, stretched and invigorated. It was a wonderful smorgasbord of life, all packed into a month. The people, smells, sites and sounds awakened my spirit and reminded what life is about. As you heard me often say it was like being in Oz. I learned a lot and made new friends- thank you for making it all happen. There were some tough moments and I thank for your support. Your talents are many and your willingness to share your passion is much appreciated. Anyone taking this trip is a lucky soul.
Namaste,
Donna Rubenstein
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