February 6: TRV Arrival Pick Up & Transfer to AyurSoma

Welcome to South India. Private drivers from AyurSoma will pick up all guests at Trivandrum International Airport (TRV) regardless of your arrival time. Look for the driver outside the main airport doors. The driver will be holding a handheld AyurSoma card with either your personal name or "James Bailey Group" written on the card. These are private AyurSoma staff drivers in AyurSoma owned cars. Their job is to transfer you directly to AyurSoma. Do not pay the driver for the transfer (transfers are complimentary), but a tip of $3-5 is appropriate. It's ok to tip the driver in US dollars if that's all you have.
Unless you’re the only person arriving at your arrival time, you will likely share a car with other members of our group or other guests staying at AyurSoma. Many of you will arrive close to 3:00 am on February 6 and will ride together on one of AyurSoma's large private buses. It’s up to the AyurSoma drivers to decide who rides in each car. They’ve been assigned certain people to pick up. The drive will go quickly, and depending upon the time of day you’ll see lots of cows, coconut trees, and the occasional temple. Although you may be tired from travel, you have an exciting first day ahead of you.

Arriving at AyurSoma

Once at AyurSoma, the reception staff will welcome you with a namaste, a garland of fragrant jasmine flowers, and a fresh water-coconut. We encourage you to drink the coconut water. They're delicious and they help to reduce the effects of jet lag. Keep in mind that things move slowly in India, so be patient. It's been a long journey, and you'll be wanting a shower and a bed, but do your best to slow things down. Because of the distance, they don’t see a lot of Americans in India. Americans have an amazing reputation as the chill, easy going, fun ones that laugh a lot. Indians love Americans. So help us to maintain that reputation.
Because it’s peak season, there’s the chance there will be no rooms available until later in the morning. Don’t panic. Just go with the south India flow, and they’ll let you know when your room is available. We recommend that you go to the AyurSoma restaurant where you can enjoy a pot of fresh chai while overlooking the Arabian Sea. There are tables and lights for reading and you'll meet others from the group there. The beach is a short walk and there’s a pool at AyurSoma, so bring your bathing suit for a refreshing dip. Also enjoy the amazing south Indian breakfast buffet which usually starts around 7:00 am.

Should Your Driver Not Show Up at TRV

In the 20 years of working with AyurSoma, and almost 1000 guests, this has only happened twice, so it's highly unlikely. That said, it's good to have a plan for everything. If a AyurSoma driver is not waiting outside TRV to transfer you, we recommend you hire a prepaid taxi. You'll see dozens of them outside. Show the driver the address below and phone number (everyone knows AyurSoma and their sister property Somatheeram), and we will reimburse you. I would suggest you print this out and carry with you, just in case you need to show the address to a taxi driver. The customs agent may also want to see it too. Remember to tip your drivers.

AyurSoma Manager: Chitra
mail@somatheeram.in
Address:
AyurSoma Ayurveda Royal Retreat
Chowara, Balaramapuram
South of Kovalam
Thiruvananthapuram 695 501, Kerala INDIA
Tel# +91-471-2266222

If you are unsure of anything and need support, feel free to call James Bailey at 310-393-4124. He will walk you through what to do and if needed will have a AyurSoma private car sent to pick you up.

February 17: Final Departure

On the morning of February 17, the group will take a short bus ride from our hotel in Nagarkot to Kathmandu. It is recommended to arrive at the airport 3 hours prior to departure, therefore it is mandatory that your flight departs after 6:00pm on February 17. We will have our final farewell hugs and goodbyes at the KTM arrival terminal gate and then head to our separate ticketing areas and gates.
If your flight departs much later in the evening, or after midnight in the early morning hours of February 18, we recommend you book a room at a nearby hotel to rest, shower, nap, and have dinner while waiting for your flight. You will find it much more comfortable to rest in the hotel room than wait for several hours in the airport check-in area. If your airline has staff working the ticket counter when we arrive, they will check you in as early as you like, but if the next flight isn't until 2:30am, you could be waiting for several hours for the check-in counter to open. That's time you could be spending resting, showering, and eating healthier foods at the hotel. If you are interested, our travel agent partners, Kuldeep and Ritu Singh, are happy to book that room for you at your own expense. Guests can share rooms to save on the cost. Guests with rooms at a nearby hotel are responsible for their own transport to their hotel.