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We took a lovely pool villa at the Marari Beach Resort; we had a walled garden and our own small pool, which was glorious luxury.
We learnt from starstruck staff that Paul McCartney and Heather Mills had spent their honeymoon there a few weeks before our stay.
The Marari Beach Resort also had/has a superb Ayurvedic Centre where we could enjoy therapies galore.
Below is my journal for those few days and a sample of the photos. My entreaties that we were busy and having nightmarish days are very tongue in cheek. It was several days of sheer bliss.
21 April 2002
Busy day at Marari Beach resort.
Up early, played tennis, watched cricket highlights, ate breakfast, lounged around, checked out Ayervedic Centre with afternoon massage – also checked out shop.
Lounged around some more (poor weather now) slept, read, rested.
Had a lovely dinner of jumbo prawns thermidor washed down with a bottle of wine.
22 April 2002
Another busy day. Rose a little later today – Janie checked out the yoga class…
– short game of tennis afterwards – then breakfast – then lounging.
Cashews for lunch – I have Ayervedic massage again – more lounging – meditation class – rest – and then supper of butter chicken masala with butter nan bread washed down with beer.
23 April 2002
Another hectic day. Wake a little later and it is too hot for tennis. We sunbathe instead, take breakfast (I tried bacon and beans but realise that I prefer the Indian stuff– dosas, sambal, coconut chutney, puris etc plus fresh fruit and yoghurt).
Anthony (he was in the yoga class) shows us the organic garden and sewage plant (yes really).
Cashew snack lunch followed by Indian foot massage by [Krishnakurup] the yoga master (who is also the meditation master, foot massage master, formerly a maths master and was a headmaster)! Amazing treatment.
Then we take the late day sun and relax followed by cookery exhibition (fish curry and gourd and coconut).
Rest, then dinner of prawns mouli with coconut milk (aka “Prawn Shmuli”) with lime rice and some of that snake gourd stuff washed down with wine.
24 April 2002
Frantic day here at Marari Beach Resort.
Up early for tennis – fail to get cricket broadcast but learn that India won a nailbiter.
Take early morning sun – then breakfast.
Then early massage as Benny (my masseur) has afternoon off.
Then lounge – then snack toasty at beach grill – then lounge – then choose our crustations – then lounge – then try to stroll beach but the sand is much too hot – then lounge until dark – then rest…
…then go to beach grill and eat our lobsters, jumbo prawns and tiger prawns with wine.
25 April 2002
Nightmare of a day!
Play tennis a little later than Daisy would choose – took a little sun before breakfast, more sun, massage at noon, reading in the shade, cashew nuts, more reading (Daisy is rushing to finish The Age Of Kali so that she can give it to Sandeep.
Sandeep was the charming young man who looked after us at the Ayervedic Centre. We had several intertesting chats about ife, the universe and everything.
We take sun, we swim, we take sun, we read – nightmare.
As the sun fades we shower, pack, drop off the age of Kali, say goodbye to Sandeep and have a final stroll along the beach – lovely.
Finish packing and rest before supper – go to beach grill to share a seafood platter (squid, local fish, small prawns, tiger prawns, jumbo prawns) plus the smallest snapper they had which was gluttonously large and delicious grilled, with garlic butter, lemon butter and shrimp cocktail sauce. And wine.
Said goodbye to waiter Joice and returned early.