Marari Beach: CGH Earth Experience
There is a cow grazing
outside of my door with a calf on her teet. The cows have been grazing all day
with a slight tinkle to their bells, giving that bucolic sound so sweet for a
nap.
The fan spins and blows the
air in my room, and I can still hear the crickets outside. It reminds me of my
childhood summer holidays on the south coast of Alabama, where the day began
and ended with telling stories. In between, we caught crabs for making gumbo
and enjoyed long stretches of white sand beaches. We loved the heaviness of the
humid air. It helped us to relax and made cutting into a watermelon that much
more inviting.
Here in south India of all
places, I have found a slice of the good life, like something from my
childhood. A place that gives me simplicity, authenticity, good food, and the
solitude I need without being totally alone. I wanted to write, commit to a
meditation practice, and be near the water. And so I fell into the arms of a CGH Earth Experience, not
knowing what I would find.
I found, first of all, a warm
greeting and a detailed description of what I would find and what I wouldn’t.
The things I would not find were a relief. CGH Earth is not your average
resort hotel. Just ask the guests, of which 80 percent of them return every
year.
I was taken to my
thatch-roofed bungalow, complete with an open-air, yet private, shower and
toilet. There are many ways to be one with nature here—it's at your fingertips
at all times.
At least where I come from in
the United States, the idea of green architecture, operating with
sustainability in mind—recycling, organics, and so forth—was a concept
developed only 30 years ago. Here, it has naturally been a way of life. Taking
those ideas into a resort setting—bringing consciousness to water consumption
and the unnecessary washing of sheets and towels, creating shopping bags out of
recycled newspaper—fits hand in hand with the local profile of keeping Mararikalum
(Malayalam for “Marari Beach”) unspoiled. Here, you will find no beach
umbrellas, just a fishing boat or two, and the occasional fisherman eyeing a
catch with his finely tuned intuition and skill of how to read the water.
What goes on behind the
scenes is even more impressive. The entire property is sustainable. From
bio-gas produced from kitchen leftovers, to recycled waste water, these
practices put back what nature has given us and continues to cycle. Nothing
gained (wasted) and nothing lost (re-used).
Here, signs quietly speak to
me wherever I go. When I'm in the bathroom a sign might say, “If you need more
amenities, tell us and we will bring them straightaway. We are trying to avoid
plastic. “ Or, “we don’t spray for bugs
or mosquitoes, but we do bring around ‘church smoke’, which smells quite good
(frankincense). We prefer not to use chemicals.” The more exotic trees are
named in English and Latin.
Only the most valiant
eco-warriors in America are able to preach and practice these methods, and most
people think they are extreme. To find this in a business setting is
encouraging. The need to pay attention to this way of life is imperative,
especially in the public sector. Our oceans are suffering immensely due to unhealthy
trawling practices that wreck our reefs to the point of no return and the
amount of garbage that makes it’s way to the sea is making a cesspool in the
pacific. “The nature of our future
depends on the future of our nature.“ This is the first sign that greets
you as you walk to your bungalow. It made me stop and think, a heightened sense
of awareness and appreciation arose knowing that these practices are in place.
CGH Earth holds hands with the local culture
and integrates it well. Most of the staff originate from no further than 50
miles away. They call on the locals for guides and transportation and
sightseeing, even though they could offer it themselves.
Sanity breathes in and out on
the property. Nothing is static. A smile and a greeting by name is on every
meeting. “We treat our guests like a god.” It was not necessary to tell
me, as I felt it was also natural. I’m convinced the Malayali are like that:
soft, gentile and sweet as jaggery. Even the breeze is gentle and the sea,
warm. All was elementally ambient.
I took a cooking class in the
organic outdoor kitchen garden. Young Chef Rinto took me through the garden. He
was playful and delighted in quizzing me on things that he thought that I
wouldn’t know, even though I surprised him with a few. I found his questions
engaging. As the night noises grew louder and darkness fell, someone came
around with the ‘church smoke’ and set us up for the evening. It works, I tell
you and I was grateful. It was wonderful
to get my hands on the food, as well as eat a splendid meal.
Menu:
Raw papaya and basil soup
(We picked the papaya and the
basil.)
Plantain curry in a yogurt
sauce
(Plantains were growing
also.)
Whitefish with a ginger,
green chili, coconut paste cooked on a banana leaf
(Just caught fish from the
morning, green chili, coconut.)
Red spinach and cabbage thenga with grated coconut
(We picked the red spinach
and cabbage, and grated the coconut. We did not however, climb the coconut tree
to get the leaves.)
A steamed rice flour dumpling with jaggery and grated coconut inside,
called Kozhukatta was for dessert.
It was simply delicious and
not even hours old. This meal is indicative of how specialized a stay in Marari Beach can
be and a good way to start my self-imposed Ayurvedic diet.
For the next five days, I
surrendered to Ayurveda. There is a time and place for everything and the
moment for me was now. With a traditional Ayurvedic center located just two
steps from my bungalow, I raised the white flag. After eating my way through
North India with a group of ten, and half of the South by myself, my body was
telling me to take it easy. Here at Marari, I could unplug.
For a change, I could focus
on my own mind and body. I set up a meditation alter and made a commitment to
get up and practice everyday before dawn. I would do yoga, write, take walks on
the beach and take a series of Ayurvedic massage treatments, and go to bed
early.
What a relief. Even with a
restricted diet, no meat or alcohol, coffee or black tea, I welcomed the
change. I could have green tea, local Kerala rice, and a piece of steamed fish
in the evenings as well as several vegetarian curries. I even forfeited the
fish. A glass of freshly pressed pineapple juice came with every meal for
digestion. I could eat three tablespoons of something and feel full. It was if
my digestion was on holiday too. I seriously had no appetite at all, so I asked
for smaller portions. When they brought me my meal they would laugh and say,
“Here is your pussycat meal,” with big pearly smiles. A sense of humor goes a
long way. After five days, my dosha (body type and tendencies) felt more
balanced and restored. So did my appetite.
From swimming every day,
walking, eating well and getting amazing ayurvedic spa treatments, my body-mind
started to shift. My mind loosened up and I began losing weight naturally. It
was a pleasure to meet the girls in the center everyday. Their warm smiles and
hands were alchemical, and melted away hidden blues I wasn’t even aware that I
had.
Before each full body
treatment came a sitting-up head massage with their special oils, which I found
to be as valuable as the main treatment. The head is the gatekeeper of stress
and first this commander must be disarmed. In a treatment room that opened
directly onto the garden, I was cared for like a baby.
The treatments are designed
to bring relief to joints, nourish the skin, and
eliminate toxins and stress. Their massage strokes worked up and down the body,
increasing circulation to bring new blood flow to regenerate the cells. A few
of the treatments included the “steam box,” which was my personal favorite. My
body drank the moisture and the oils. My skin never had it so good. And then I
was washed with a special plant scrub, my hair shampooed and then patted dry in
a fluffy towel. The girls' bright smiles lovingly sent me on my way, and as an adult,
I have never felt so young and rejuvenated. I felt radiant.
It will be hard to have other
Ayurvedic treatments in other places, now that I know “the real deal.” I have
already decided to come back. A lover of natural and alternative medicines to
begin with, the value of this gentle way to rebalance, blows away all western
reasoning that we should be filling ourselves with senseless synthetic
medicines and mood stabilizers. Not only does Marari Beach
grow their own food, they grow their own medicinal plants. Growing, brewing,
and using the plant infused oils from the premises increases the energetic
benefit.
Most age-old systems will
tell you that sickness comes from being out of balance. Treating a symptom does
not get to the root. Therefore, popping pills and not changing one’s diet or
lifestyle drives the problem deeper. Our organism wants to be healthy, but it
needs our help.
What a good idea it would be
to bring my daughter here with my two grandchildren, I thought to myself. They
would have a wonderful time. I could be with them while my daughter took
treatments. The staff seemed to love children, making them feel at home and
giving them the ultimate positive cultural exchange. I want to bring other
friends too. My sisters would benefit from this special touch. The affection
and warmth of the Malayali people is healing in itself.
To have a center of this
quality along with the other amenities makes me feel like I can have my cake
and eat it too. Freedom to wander, spend time with others, and, most of all,
not feel like a patient. I am a person choosing to have a purposeful vacation
of tuning in, instead of just sitting with a relaxing drink in my hand. I can
take the time to take care of myself in a different way, a way that will have
lasting results.
I wanted to do everything
listed on the activity list: take a country boat ride down the lagoons, getting
a good look at local life. A
sunset cruise would have been stunning. Never in my life have I seen sunsets
like I have here over the Arabian Sea. A bike ride would have been terrific.
But I couldn’t make it out of the hammock. What I want to say, is that I didn’t
want to leave the property. There was enough to do here for me. I thoroughly
dropped in to myself.
As a cook, what I look for is
to find a balance of what is “not too much, not too little.” CGH Earth Marari Beach has
offered just the right amount of something and nothing. It is a sanctuary, not
only for birds and other creatures—but for all of us. We are safe here. The
feeling is, we are more than welcomed and we belong in balance with nature.
There is a resonance when nature recognizes itself. When there is no fear,
there is nothing to be afraid of.
At one point, I wanted to
make a daily flower offering to my altar, but I was shy to take a flower off
the tree, so I didn’t. But when I left the room for breakfast and came back,
there was a new flower in my bowl. The girl looking after my room understood
right away that she could also refresh the altar. This sensitivity and
attention to detail is unique.
Sunset on the beach is a
party for sand crabs and spindly-legged sand pipers. There is life, movement
and rhythm as the waves roll gently up on the beach.
The sun sinks behind the
horizon leaving me with a rare sense of equanimity. Peace is more precious than
pearls and the moment is to be savored.
