Germany 4 - Argentina 0

We are sitting in Steve and Mary's house with their 11 dogs and 2 cats having some beer and the delicious local banana chips watching football with our Canadian friend Audrey, our Belgium friend Tina and her Indian boyfriend. It is so close to being just like England minus the random blackouts and monsoon moments. I have been spending the evening making sure I give each of these dogs a kiss and cuddle, as I want them all to get the same amount of attention. Today has been a very sad day and it has been so nice to relax tonight and have a few beers and just be very detached from India. Today I took my sick puppy in the Animal Rescue Kerala to the vet to be put to sleep, as she was cold and floppy and unable to stand or even lick...she was wimpering and so unhappy and in pain so I just could not see her like this anymore. It did make me cry and then Tina came to sit quietly next to me on the stair. We sat there in silence for a few moments and then she said, "I saw a dead body pulled from the lagoon near Kovalem beach today and I took pictures. You wanna see them?" I thought to myself, well your day has been worse than mine so you win. It did make me chuckle and I did look at the pictures. The police just stand around and locals get into the lagoon and swim out to the body to bring it in...there is no crane or aparatus used. They just get nearly naked, swim out and drag the body to the grassy area with their arms. It was weird, but did make me stop thinking about my little puppy who joins me in my meditative state each night. Earlier, Alex and I spent several hours going from dog area to cat area back to dog area passing out treats and chew toys, giving cuddles and love and cleaning out cages for each of the dogs. The staff at this rescue santuary are so lazy and just do not have the connection to animals that we do. We have discussed this in depth, as we have never been faced with or experienced such autrocities towards animals in all my days. It is hard to even fathom the things that people can actually do to these animals. We have discussed poverty and lifestyle and ability to empathize and just everything, but the bottom line is heart...and no one with a heart can treat an animal in the way in which we have seen. It has moved us. I did pull it together and go back into the puppy room to complete my volunterring chores and give about 100 puppy cuddles and then of course some to the kitty with the broken front paws and the dog with the broken spine who drags his legs behind himself. It was a hot day today and we were both ready to leave and get some respite so we walked the winding dirt road up the two massive hills back to the beach to have a nice chai tea and get some cocout oil from the local ladies selling friut from baskets they carry on their head. They do get very feisty with one another and will fight and argue over customers if one sells something and the other doesn't so that can be a bit scary. We decided NOT to purchase the oil from the fruit lady who stood in front of me and just took a piss on the ground at the beach as if it was the most natural thing to do! Now, please believe that despite the fact that this oil comes in some random somewhat dirty bottle that they found in piles of litter no doubt, the oil inside is ambrosia. It smells like the banana boat oil with spf 2 that we used to put on when we were teens and had no skin cancer fears, but this oil is the real deal and has magical healing powers. It takes our straw like hair and turns it into silk, it takes our scabby meaty legs and turns them into smooth unbroken skin. I am sure we will find other benefits as well, but we are really enjoying the natural holistic treatments we are discovering in India. Since it is our last day in the yoga retreat (they gave us one more night for free, as we have been such positive yoga students) they arranged a traditional Keralan meal served on banana leaves and you eat with your right hand...not you left, as that one is used for toileting...Daddy, I know you would love that! So, they fill this banana leaf with all different kinds of local cuisine, rice, chutneys, sauces, currys and you crush the papadom on top of the mixture and scoop the delicacy into your mouth with your hand. The food keeps coming and you mix it and scoop it until you think you are going to burst, then they serve a rice pudding like dessert that you squish a baby banana into and eat with your hands. There are some roasted cashew nuts in the mixture and it is sweet and warm. Then, you eat ANOTHER dinner! More rice, more curry and soups poured directly into your hand for you to slurp up...one salty with tomatos and one that is yogurt based and bitter. Our yoga instructor joined us and it was interesting to see him interact with the rest of the staff, as we have found it to be a tad bit uncomfortable when they stand quietly next to you staring at you while you eat until every last drop is gone. They don't seem to sense the typical social cues that you give with body language and total lack of eye contact, but we soon realized that this is normal and there is no eye contact given between food servers and those of a "higher class." The class/caste system here is very tough to take...with that we mean it is hard to understand and accept in our own way of living and thinking. People are born into a cetain caste and this has to do with the job your ancestors have and it is almost impossible to extricate oneself from this plight in life. There are arranged marriages and dowries and women (including female animals) have their place. Povery is rife and people are so desparate for money that they will beg, steal, rob, almost anything for just a few pence. At times throughout this trip, we have both had to just let go of our sensibilities and way of life to fit in and get by and just enjoy this experience and sometimes it cathces up with you and there is just a sort of pause in your day...mine came today when I cried for my lost puppy. Things picked up and now I sit here in Steve and Mary's house with thousands of happy well cared for dogs and cats and there is a good solid positive spirit and energy here. Tomorrow we leave this place and it was a rough and bumpy start and now we wish we were spending another week exploring Kovalem and volunteering at the Animal Rescue Kerala, but we have a house boat through the back waters of Kerala awaiting us and 20 days in Goa to look forward to. We will return to our original home in the south of Goa and then explore the north and volunteer at all the aminal sanctuaries in between, as it has become somewhat of a passion during this trip. We will continue our sun salutations ach morning at sunrise and our meditation session each night at sundown and see where the next month takes us. Goodbye Kovalem.