We’d be ‘young’ lovers here walking, resting, being attentive and present for each other.
It’s now a short cycle ride from no 179
Here, I’m just opposite what might have been the first all India radio broadcaster.
These pics do not show the park at its best but I’m resting!
Who’s the very young guy who dive bombed my photo?
I’m not old, right? Or so I keep getting told by those who care.
After staying with us in 2025 and 2026
Initially here for yoga conference she soon branched out to all sorts of activities — stone carving, chanting, Kannada and Sanskrit — she returns to France next month to continue her studies to become a doctor.
She’s a great example of why we do this. Making new friends from India and around the world and together doing good in our community.
She’s joined our ‘family’ in so many ways. Probably the most important is how she helps us with Kaveri.
Kaveri is one of the young people we support in the community. She stays with us alternate weeks and Maïlis has been her chaperone this year. Ensuring that each evening and night there’s a woman available also staying who can guide, support Kaveri and generally available to help ensure she’s happy and safe.
We’re asking our women friends if they can help us and become a chaperone, like Maïlis. That’s being here and staying overnight when Kaveri does. It doesn’t pay but there’s somewhere to stay and sometimes a meal to share, most importantly you’re making an important contribution.
You can get involved as little or as much as you can.
Want to find out more? Help us broaden Kaveri’s horizons through the diverse people she meets.
We’ve shifted from enlightenment street (Moksha Marga) to
Yes, she’s most definitely with us
Images of MAnjula are all around the house, as is her memory wall,
Billet-Doux and messengers.
and her latest portrait from our favourite artist
And lots of Mangoes
Helping us connect with our new community
…
We’re at
https://maps.app.goo.gl/eyHFxUAiRUaQd7RW8?g_st=ic
The mouthful of our actual address is…
No. 179, 10th Cross, 2nd Main, Gokulam 3rd stage, Mysore – 570002
Climbing trees
Finding and moving house
Looking after Kaveri
Shopping
Welcoming Guests
Eating
Activity
Tolerance
Robustness
Nursing
Holidaying
Mango cropping, making Lassi and clearing up afterwards
Thank you Sowbhagya
We haven’t quite finished moving yet as there’s much moving to do within the house itself.
The moving that’s necessary is distributing things within the house, emptying the garage, getting rid of more excess (selling art and whatever remains being hung) and I suppose generally diminishing the chaos.
Here’s photographs of the main rooms and guest bedrooms.
Guest bedrooms (en suite)
First guests have been and given it the thumbs up.
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Library and study
Photos to come later
Sit out and garden, Out front. Tibetan flags
Terrace (what could go here?) on the first floor
Halls (aka lounge or living rooms), there’s two and a dining area
It will, of course, continue to be sharing our home….. with other species too…
We’re almost moved in — well sufficiently to welcome our new guests.
Kurt and Loe from Belgium, the very first guests and returners, having first visited us a few years ago. How cool is that? Complete with a soon-to-be new family member.
Luca, a ‘warm showers’ guest, has reached the final stage of his fund-raising cycle ride for a school in Bangalore.
and another chapter for our family community.
We’ve been here a week.
and visited Depth and Green
Nearly everyday. My fave drink is Beetroot, ginger lemonade and we all like the veggie burger, pasta, pizza and apple pie! When they’re available.
But very sorry to let Gingee go …
Two young dogs had proven too much.
And Kaveri set out on a ‘new foot’ with a bath for Lucca
Breakfast is ready.
We’re on a slow start with Kurt and Loe returning to visit from Belgium (with a third member of family) our very first guests.
Last evening we even had games night.
Thanks for helping relaunch us.
…
Manjula and Lucie in their varied forms are beginning to settle into their new home. Dragonfly and pennants are already here with a dramatic new episode to their story.
More later.
Into the new house.
Shifting Manjula’s library to our new house. The team were fab.
Manjula loved the joke
After acknowledging a job well done —— we realised the light switch was trapped behind the shelves.
Celebrating later at home.
Factoid
We opened Manjula’s library after her spirit left for its search.
She’d joked that my constantly bringing books home would lead to her setting up the house as a library when I stop guiding tours at age 75.
So as we never reached there together I set it up in her memory
And now it’s the first bit to establish itself at the new house.
We are so fortunate to be able to share our home with wonderful people
Homestay and BnB means such different things to different people. Ours is a shared home and not a commercial set up — plus of course we have mycycle tours — the second city cycle tours to be set up in India.
We continue to provide insights and adventures from all sorts of perspectives initially from a beautiful wife, Manjula plus a pale, stale firangi (me). We now also have Kaveri, age 11 who has plenty to say, Sowbaghya who’s helped hold me and the place together for over five years, Billet-Doux (aka sweet letter) our cat sent by Manjula and the two barky monsters (following on from the other irreplaceable — Lucie): Luca and Gingee.
..
It’s a real place and that’s partly why people come again and again. Since 2011 we’ve had thousands of guests from around the world.
Just this last week we’ve had guests from India, Australia, Germany, Netherlands and U.K.
Richard, (with Rhonda) from Australia, first came over twelve years ago
and shared photos from his meeting with MAnjula —- our sunshine.
who’d have thought it?
It’s been wonderful living, with my gorgeous wife and after her spirit moved on we’ve continued to share …
So what’s next?
Me and MYCycle 