Sometime in the middle of the night, I heard a loud crackle emanating from the sky followed by rain pelting the roof and grounds of Saj Homes. Too drowsy from my slumber to give a shit, I brush it off and fall back to sleep. Waking around 7 AM, I notice the rain hasn't subsided. It didn't matter I tell myself, I'm leaving Fort Cochin anyways. I just hope the rain doesn't follow me to Alleppey. I say my goodbyes to Sam and Saj, and with my rain jacket and backpack over my shoulders, I catch a rickshaw, then a ferry, then a bus, then a rickshaw, lastly a canoe boat to GreenPalms Homestay in Chennankarry outside of Alleppey.
I had to take a canoe boat because my homestay was located on an island. Sweet huh? The ferryman came from the other bank to pick me up. At this point, I couldn't help but think of Charon's crossing. With a little unease, I slowly board the canoe. Having been deposited on the other side, I make my way to GreenPalms where I'm immediately welcomed to have some lunch.
Later that evening, the other guests Karen, Susie, Jacob (pronounced Yacob), and I go for an evening walk with Thomas the proprietor. We learn about the town's two main crops, rice and coconut. Thomas also educates us on the recent development of tourism which centers on the hire of a thatched houseboat. Each houseboat can accomodate anywhere from 1-14 people with a staff of 3-5. This tourism boom while providing income for the local economy has also contributed to an increase in pollution.
After the walk through rice paddy fields currently in harvest, we take a canoe back to the homestay. The sun has already set and its dark out. Lightning and thunderstorms erupt overhead. The night is beginning to look ominous and we're all a bit worried being out on the water. With two oarsmen in the back and Thomas occupying the front, and the four of us seated in the middle , we slowly make our way back to the homestay. Thomas begins singing folk songs and rapping the side of the canoe to create a rythmic beat. Both oarsmen follow Thomas' lead and repeat the chorus line. The interplay of singing lightens the mood and soon we are enjoying ourselves. Looking to the banks, we spot fireflies dancing in the bushes. Thomas continues singing 4-5 songs until we reach home. This proves to be a magical night that would be better if not for the lightning, thunder and rain. I sure wish Marie were here right now!
Returning home we find a meal of paratha, curried potatoes and salad waiting for us. It was a real treat to have fresh cucumber, tomato and red onion salad. It reminds me of my Mom's recipe. All I've had thus far in regards to vegetables have been in curries that have been stewed. Nothing is raw. I crave biting into a fresh crisp salad.
I retire early to get some much needed rest.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
10/26/10 Delhi Belly
I had a tough time sleeping last night. Something I ate the prior day hasn't settled well with my stomach. Considering this I change my itinerary and stay in the homestay one more night to wait it out. By 1 PM, I'm feeling better and getting hungry. Risking it, I take a rickshaw to the last historical site I've yet to visit, Mattancherry Palace. After receiving an interesting history lesson of the Royal Indian family and grabbing a fresh but bland lunch, I head back to the homestay to freshen up before attending a cultural presentation of the Keralan's local dance, Kathikali. Having fully recovered from the bout with my stomach, I begin to really look forward to attending. Like all ethnic groups all over the world, the people of this region are trying to preserve a dying art form, in this case their dance form. In this day and age where everything is slowly being homogenized, preserving one's identity is a really noble undertaking.
The Kathakali dance performance was fun and very unique. Indicative of this type of dance is the complex use of 9 facial expressions, 24 hand gestures, and of course the footwork. The background music was an interplay of traditional and modern which didn't quite make it authentic, but did provide an upbeat tempo.
After the performance and another so so dinner, Sam (who happened to book the same show) and I made our way back to our favorite haunt, "Cochin Fort Restaurant" where we had ice cold "teas" in their respective bottles. We talked the night away with a Vancouver couple, Bob and Vicky who we met at Saj Homes.
The Kathakali dance performance was fun and very unique. Indicative of this type of dance is the complex use of 9 facial expressions, 24 hand gestures, and of course the footwork. The background music was an interplay of traditional and modern which didn't quite make it authentic, but did provide an upbeat tempo.
After the performance and another so so dinner, Sam (who happened to book the same show) and I made our way back to our favorite haunt, "Cochin Fort Restaurant" where we had ice cold "teas" in their respective bottles. We talked the night away with a Vancouver couple, Bob and Vicky who we met at Saj Homes.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
10/25/10 Fort Cochin Jew Town and Cherai Beach
I must say that Fort Cochin is a world away from the rest of India. Although touristy, its got an indelible charm about it. There's significantly less trash than any of the cities I've visited thus far, far fewer traffic with less pollution, and the mix of British, Portuguese and Dutch architecture makes for a rather quaint town.
Having had a tasty Keralan breakfast this morning at the homestay, Sam and I agree to venture out to Jew Town to have a look. To give a brief history of Sam, he's a 6'4" Jew on a business trip to Bangalore where he is literally training his replacements. Having finished up early, he decided to visit the Kerala region of India. Sam possesses a very easy going attitude and has proven to be a fun companion through our days here in Fort Cochin.
The highlight of Jew Town is the very modest Pardesi Synagogue originally built in 1568. After a brief run through, Sam and I catch a rickshaw to Cherai Beach an hour north of our current location. I'm not expecting much at this point considering it received a one sentence mention in the LP. But you never know! Sometimes taking the road less traveled yields unexpected treasures as evidenced in Munnar.
So with myself and the 6'4" Sam in the back of the rickshaw, we head out to "discover" Cherai Beach. On the way we board a ferry while in our rickshaw to take us to the north side of the lake. Bumping along rocky, pot hole ridden roads, the surrounding trees suddenly opens up to an narrow but expansive beach. It must have been a mile long. I notice several things on arrival. There's barely any trash in sight! There's hardly anyone here! It's a nice sunny day! This is sweet! I roll up my pants and I make my way to the water. Feeling the warm Indian Ocean swirling around my feet made the hour long rickshaw ride well worth it. Sam joined moments later and we both remarked with positive enthusiasm at how great a find this was.
Now only if only there were beach chairs with beach umbrellas and a bucket of beers, we would be set to laze the day away. Not finding this we spend the next 2 hours "chilling", I with a coconut and Sam with his drumstick ice cream.
Arriving back at Saj's, we both clean up a bit and head out for some dinner and another round of beers. As this was the day of elections, the ban on serving alcohol was lifted at 5pm. We decide to find a properly served beer out of a bottle instead of the "tea" mugs from the past two nights. We find a new spot and with a beer in hand we make a toast. Yuck! Usually Kingfisher is a great lager but they served it to us slightly chilled or slightly warm, whichever way you look at it. To be fair the waiter did tell us it was "medium cold". Yeah right! After only one beer, Sam and I head back to our rooms to call it a night.
Having had a tasty Keralan breakfast this morning at the homestay, Sam and I agree to venture out to Jew Town to have a look. To give a brief history of Sam, he's a 6'4" Jew on a business trip to Bangalore where he is literally training his replacements. Having finished up early, he decided to visit the Kerala region of India. Sam possesses a very easy going attitude and has proven to be a fun companion through our days here in Fort Cochin.
The highlight of Jew Town is the very modest Pardesi Synagogue originally built in 1568. After a brief run through, Sam and I catch a rickshaw to Cherai Beach an hour north of our current location. I'm not expecting much at this point considering it received a one sentence mention in the LP. But you never know! Sometimes taking the road less traveled yields unexpected treasures as evidenced in Munnar.
So with myself and the 6'4" Sam in the back of the rickshaw, we head out to "discover" Cherai Beach. On the way we board a ferry while in our rickshaw to take us to the north side of the lake. Bumping along rocky, pot hole ridden roads, the surrounding trees suddenly opens up to an narrow but expansive beach. It must have been a mile long. I notice several things on arrival. There's barely any trash in sight! There's hardly anyone here! It's a nice sunny day! This is sweet! I roll up my pants and I make my way to the water. Feeling the warm Indian Ocean swirling around my feet made the hour long rickshaw ride well worth it. Sam joined moments later and we both remarked with positive enthusiasm at how great a find this was.
Now only if only there were beach chairs with beach umbrellas and a bucket of beers, we would be set to laze the day away. Not finding this we spend the next 2 hours "chilling", I with a coconut and Sam with his drumstick ice cream.
Arriving back at Saj's, we both clean up a bit and head out for some dinner and another round of beers. As this was the day of elections, the ban on serving alcohol was lifted at 5pm. We decide to find a properly served beer out of a bottle instead of the "tea" mugs from the past two nights. We find a new spot and with a beer in hand we make a toast. Yuck! Usually Kingfisher is a great lager but they served it to us slightly chilled or slightly warm, whichever way you look at it. To be fair the waiter did tell us it was "medium cold". Yeah right! After only one beer, Sam and I head back to our rooms to call it a night.
10/24/10 Backwaters Tour
The early 7:30 am breakfast of Masala Dosa at the homestay was good. Sam and I were slated to board a van at 8:00 am to take us on a 7 hr. boat tour of the area. An hour later we arrive at our destination and 8 of us hop in a canoe boat. For the next 2 hours the gondolier guides us through lush narrow waterways where we observe daily Indian life. Along the banks, people were washing their clothes, taking baths, or tending to various chores. At one point we hopped off to tour a spice plantation and to see the process of making coir (rope) out of coconut husks.
People lead such a simple life here. While it's nice to observe, I know its not a life for me.
Arriving back at our starting point, we board our van. They're taking us to the next part of the tour, a journey in a larger boat through a larger river system. After a brief stopover for a disappointing banana leaf thali meal, we continue in our thatched roof open boat. For the next 4 hours, the gondolier lazily guided the boat across calm waters around islands fringed with palm trees. The was certainly a very relaxing way to spend a sunny afternoon. I found myself drifting to sleep. I assume the other passengers followed suit as we all remained silent through most of the journey.
Back at the hotel that evening, I wash up and meet Sam for a dinner of whole tandoori butterfish and rice. The whole dished screamed tourist food but it filled me up nonetheless. That night we made our way back to the prior evenings watering hole to enjoy a couple more rounds of "tea".
People lead such a simple life here. While it's nice to observe, I know its not a life for me.
Arriving back at our starting point, we board our van. They're taking us to the next part of the tour, a journey in a larger boat through a larger river system. After a brief stopover for a disappointing banana leaf thali meal, we continue in our thatched roof open boat. For the next 4 hours, the gondolier lazily guided the boat across calm waters around islands fringed with palm trees. The was certainly a very relaxing way to spend a sunny afternoon. I found myself drifting to sleep. I assume the other passengers followed suit as we all remained silent through most of the journey.
Back at the hotel that evening, I wash up and meet Sam for a dinner of whole tandoori butterfish and rice. The whole dished screamed tourist food but it filled me up nonetheless. That night we made our way back to the prior evenings watering hole to enjoy a couple more rounds of "tea".
10/23/10 It's raining!
One last meal of Egg Dosa at SN Restaurant and I take off for Fort Cochin on the west coast of India. I wanted to change it up a bit from my regular breakfast of Masala Dosa and I was not disappointed.
Leaving JJ Cottage was hard only because I really liked the homestay. Great proprietors, clean rooms, and a hot shower gives it my top recommendation. The bus station was only a hop and skip away. Its starting to drizzle now but I expect it to last an hour before it dies down. I ask the station attendant how long till the bus arrives. With a thick accent he tells me it will arrive soon and to take a seat. The drizzle soon gives way to full on rain. It feels like San Francisco with the rain, cold air, and the fog.
I hurriedly step back into the station office to shield myself from the downpour when the bus arrives. It looks like it came straight out of hell. The buses yellow paint has long since faded and gave way to a reddish hue from the rust. It creaked as it settled in for a brief respite from whatever journey it has recently undertaken. As soon as it came to a full stop, the driver and the on-board ticket taker hopped off to enact some repair on the front right wheelbase. I told myself, "Oh boy, this is gonna be a rough ride. I sure hope we don't break down on the five and a half hour ride."
As soon as I take a seat, another lady boards the bus. She was an older woman dressed in hippy beachwear. "She must have been to Goa recently" I think to myself. Spotting me in the empty bus, she starts up a conversation. That's different was my reaction! I was so used to approaching others to strike up a conversation that I was a little surprised. This was actually really refreshing! Ovid, an Israeli woman was traveling around India for a month and ending her vacation in Thailand for the second month.
On the way there and despite the rain, I notice that the countryside here is soooo green and beautiful! They have a slogan for Kerala, "God's Own Country." I can't argue with that.
I arrive in Ernakulam and take the first ferry out to Fort Cochin. The rain has subsided and the weather is starting to look promising. Arriving at Saj Homestay, I was greeted at the door by the man himself with a warm greeting and a nice cold bottle of water. I instantly know that I'm going to like it here. Not too long after unpacking, I receive a knock on my door. It's Saj and he's introducing me to an Oakland, CA native by the name of Sam. What a small world this is! We exchange introductions and quickly decide to venture out into town together.
After seeing a few local sites and grabbing a mediocre dinner, we inquire of our restaurant waiter about the nearest bar in town. The waiter tells us, "It's not possible." The next establishment we seek out which clearly states in its signage "Beer and Wine", tells us the same thing, "It's not possible." Apparently the local goverment has frozen all sales of alcohol in the runup to the local elections. The 3-4 licensed restaurants/bars in town won't be serving alcohol for the next 3 days. Crap! Undeterred by this, Sam and I spend the next hour going in and out various establishments in our quest for beer. We try every corner market, restaurant, and bar we passed with no luck. After a couple of deadends and misleads, we get a tip that proves successful! The only catch was that the restaurant served them in white mugs. They called it "tea" and so we spent the remainder of the night having our fill of "tea".
The restaurant having emptied of patrons, began to close down for the night. Sam and I slumber back to our respective rooms after hitching a ride in an "auto" rickshaw with an Isle of Man couple we met over "tea". Count em, five total in the rickshaw including the driver.
Leaving JJ Cottage was hard only because I really liked the homestay. Great proprietors, clean rooms, and a hot shower gives it my top recommendation. The bus station was only a hop and skip away. Its starting to drizzle now but I expect it to last an hour before it dies down. I ask the station attendant how long till the bus arrives. With a thick accent he tells me it will arrive soon and to take a seat. The drizzle soon gives way to full on rain. It feels like San Francisco with the rain, cold air, and the fog.
I hurriedly step back into the station office to shield myself from the downpour when the bus arrives. It looks like it came straight out of hell. The buses yellow paint has long since faded and gave way to a reddish hue from the rust. It creaked as it settled in for a brief respite from whatever journey it has recently undertaken. As soon as it came to a full stop, the driver and the on-board ticket taker hopped off to enact some repair on the front right wheelbase. I told myself, "Oh boy, this is gonna be a rough ride. I sure hope we don't break down on the five and a half hour ride."
As soon as I take a seat, another lady boards the bus. She was an older woman dressed in hippy beachwear. "She must have been to Goa recently" I think to myself. Spotting me in the empty bus, she starts up a conversation. That's different was my reaction! I was so used to approaching others to strike up a conversation that I was a little surprised. This was actually really refreshing! Ovid, an Israeli woman was traveling around India for a month and ending her vacation in Thailand for the second month.
On the way there and despite the rain, I notice that the countryside here is soooo green and beautiful! They have a slogan for Kerala, "God's Own Country." I can't argue with that.
I arrive in Ernakulam and take the first ferry out to Fort Cochin. The rain has subsided and the weather is starting to look promising. Arriving at Saj Homestay, I was greeted at the door by the man himself with a warm greeting and a nice cold bottle of water. I instantly know that I'm going to like it here. Not too long after unpacking, I receive a knock on my door. It's Saj and he's introducing me to an Oakland, CA native by the name of Sam. What a small world this is! We exchange introductions and quickly decide to venture out into town together.
After seeing a few local sites and grabbing a mediocre dinner, we inquire of our restaurant waiter about the nearest bar in town. The waiter tells us, "It's not possible." The next establishment we seek out which clearly states in its signage "Beer and Wine", tells us the same thing, "It's not possible." Apparently the local goverment has frozen all sales of alcohol in the runup to the local elections. The 3-4 licensed restaurants/bars in town won't be serving alcohol for the next 3 days. Crap! Undeterred by this, Sam and I spend the next hour going in and out various establishments in our quest for beer. We try every corner market, restaurant, and bar we passed with no luck. After a couple of deadends and misleads, we get a tip that proves successful! The only catch was that the restaurant served them in white mugs. They called it "tea" and so we spent the remainder of the night having our fill of "tea".
The restaurant having emptied of patrons, began to close down for the night. Sam and I slumber back to our respective rooms after hitching a ride in an "auto" rickshaw with an Isle of Man couple we met over "tea". Count em, five total in the rickshaw including the driver.
Friday, October 22, 2010
10/22/10 Munnar
5 am and on queue the Muslim chants started up in Munnar. Its very exotic I have to say! I take my cold "tabot" shower in my $5/night hotel, pack some essentials and take off to do some trekking. On my way to the tea plantations, I stopped by SN Restaurant(recommended by LP) for some breakfast. There I had the best Masala Dosa I've ever eaten. The Dosa was light and crisp with excellent potato (aloo) filling. It was accompanied by small dishes of sauce: veg soup, chili paste, and a spicy rice/yogurt concoction. All this made for one kick ass meal. "Super" as the Indians would say it. I washed the meal down with a cardamom milk tea.
Having satiated my hunger and my first proper meal in 36 hrs, I made my way to the Pothamedu Viewpoint to check out the tea estates. Following the path outlined by LP, I found myself walking along paved roads straddling the estates. "This is it?", I thought. What I actually envisioned was walking in and amongst the the tea bushes. I decided to backtrack and discovered a section where the barbed wire fencing had been trampled on. That was my sign! I discreetly made my way through. Soon I was joined by a Swiss couple and together we forged on and upwards! It was a bit misty this morning but the fog seemed to roll in and out rather quickly allowing us fantastic views of the tea bushes hugging the hillsides. The tea bushes themselves were neatly trimmed and of various shapes. They seemed to fit together along the landscape like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. After a little difficulty deciphering which path to take to the top, we finally made it. There we met a British couple with their guide. I had initially considered spending 1,500 Rs ($35) to hire a guide but immensely glad I didn't. The only bummer so far was that the fog had rolled in and stayed put blocking any views of the countryside. It also began to drizzle so the Swiss couple and I decided to make a beeline back to the bottom. After making it back to the road, we wished each other safe travels and parted ways.
On my way back into town, I decided to investigate other hotels recommended by LP as the one I was currently staying was extremely "budget"! More so than the YWCA in Ooty. I found my way to JJ Cottage, took a quick tour of the rooms, was quoted 400 Rs ($8) and instantly decided to check out of Kaipallil Homestay. Upon returning to JJ, I took my first hot shower in 4 days. The room was immaculately clean and well constructed with stylish wood paneling. After my shower, I made my way back to SN Restaurant to have an awesome Veg Biryani. The meal was accompanied by small servings of yogurt with red onions and spices, chutney, and a chili ginger paste. Wow!
Returning to the hotel, I lounged a bit with a milk tea in hand and had a pleasant conversation with Eric, the on-site manager. His family owns the impeccably maintained establishment and have been in operation for the past 10 years.
I need to mention that I got leeched while trekking through the damp tea estates! Yup, after taking my shower in JJ, I discovered my right ankle dripping with blood. I tried cleaning it at first thinking it was probably from a sharp branch in the tea estates. But it wouldn't stop bleeding so I surmised that it was probably from a leech. (anti-coagulant). I later found the bugger under my boot and dispensed with it down the toilet. Now I have to wash my sock and shoe which is caked in blood!
Having satiated my hunger and my first proper meal in 36 hrs, I made my way to the Pothamedu Viewpoint to check out the tea estates. Following the path outlined by LP, I found myself walking along paved roads straddling the estates. "This is it?", I thought. What I actually envisioned was walking in and amongst the the tea bushes. I decided to backtrack and discovered a section where the barbed wire fencing had been trampled on. That was my sign! I discreetly made my way through. Soon I was joined by a Swiss couple and together we forged on and upwards! It was a bit misty this morning but the fog seemed to roll in and out rather quickly allowing us fantastic views of the tea bushes hugging the hillsides. The tea bushes themselves were neatly trimmed and of various shapes. They seemed to fit together along the landscape like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. After a little difficulty deciphering which path to take to the top, we finally made it. There we met a British couple with their guide. I had initially considered spending 1,500 Rs ($35) to hire a guide but immensely glad I didn't. The only bummer so far was that the fog had rolled in and stayed put blocking any views of the countryside. It also began to drizzle so the Swiss couple and I decided to make a beeline back to the bottom. After making it back to the road, we wished each other safe travels and parted ways.
On my way back into town, I decided to investigate other hotels recommended by LP as the one I was currently staying was extremely "budget"! More so than the YWCA in Ooty. I found my way to JJ Cottage, took a quick tour of the rooms, was quoted 400 Rs ($8) and instantly decided to check out of Kaipallil Homestay. Upon returning to JJ, I took my first hot shower in 4 days. The room was immaculately clean and well constructed with stylish wood paneling. After my shower, I made my way back to SN Restaurant to have an awesome Veg Biryani. The meal was accompanied by small servings of yogurt with red onions and spices, chutney, and a chili ginger paste. Wow!
Returning to the hotel, I lounged a bit with a milk tea in hand and had a pleasant conversation with Eric, the on-site manager. His family owns the impeccably maintained establishment and have been in operation for the past 10 years.
I need to mention that I got leeched while trekking through the damp tea estates! Yup, after taking my shower in JJ, I discovered my right ankle dripping with blood. I tried cleaning it at first thinking it was probably from a sharp branch in the tea estates. But it wouldn't stop bleeding so I surmised that it was probably from a leech. (anti-coagulant). I later found the bugger under my boot and dispensed with it down the toilet. Now I have to wash my sock and shoe which is caked in blood!
10/21/10 on to Munnar
Woke up this morning at the Y to what I gathered to be Muslim chants broadcasting from loudspeakers. They seemed to be emanating from the city center. That's just fine as it made for a perfect alarm clock 5 am in the morning. Took a "tabot" shower, gathered my belongings and headed for the Ooty bus station. On my way I spotted a tea shop and settled in for a few minutes with a milk tea. It was nice taking in the town as it slowly began to wake up.
On the bus, I soon befriended a British couple visiting India for 2.5 weeks. They were only my 3rd sighting of foreigners in as many days. We alternated between watching the gorgeous scenery of the Nilgiri Mountain ranges and talking about our personal history. Robert was a retired British Airways employee. I never did catch Jeanie's line of work but I swear that she's a spitting image of Helen Mirren. After the bus, the three of us soon discovered that three people could fit into an auto rickshaw filled with our belongings. Over stuffed, the "auto" meandered towards the train station where Robert and Jeanie hopped off. We said our goodbyes and off I went taxied in the same auto to the Ukkadam bus station.
After another round of "Frogger", I made my way to the Munnar platform where I soon found myself buying a milk tea and two Aloo Somosas. I spied a coconut vendor and bought myself some coconut water straight out of a real coconut. Ahhh!!!
As I was minding my own business waiting for the 2:15 pm train to Munnar, a male police officer waved me into his office where another lady was sitting behind her desk. I had been waiting near there thinking it was the safest spot at the station. After routine questions of "Where are you from?", "Where are you going?", I soon found that they were puzzled at why a Chinese guy was in Coimbatore. We made friends real quick and I was quickly introduced by the male officer to another lady officer as his "friend visiting from America!". The other lady sitting behind the desk was a Computer Science college student named Sonja. After another round of friendly and funny exchanges with the lady officer, she stepped outside and whistled over to one of the snack kiosks to fetch me some milk tea. How nice! I was really started to have fun as more officers came to have a laugh, when I found myself being ushered out of the office by Sonya to catch the last bus out to Munnar.
While on the bus, I was yet again the center of attention, this time amongst my fellow passengers. One particular fellow who looked like a bum, gave me somewhat of a hard time. He kept asking in Tamil (the major language in the area) for things to eat, my telephone number, to take him to America(holding my arm in the process), money, etc. Another passenger Srinath whom I later befriended acted as the translator, begrudgingly I might add. Starting to look annoyed, the "bum" translated through Srinath that he was only having "jolly". He even produced what looked like 10,000 Rs from the folds of his Longi. After the guy exited the bus, Srinath relayed that he was an unscrupulous pick pocket. Needless to say I checked my pockets and found all to be in order. Relieved, I began asking Srinath about himself. He was a Mechanical Engineer college student on his way home for a break. We soon exchanged e-mail addresses and then he was gone. Seems like traveling involves a lot of brief friendships.
It soon got dark out and I was still on the bus to Munnar!!! I began to worry if I would be able to find the homestay Matthias recommended. After 13.5 hrs on the road, I luckily found myself in an auto rickshaw taking me to my destination. Without a proper meal all day, I hunkered down to what I hope to be a restful night in a $5/night homestay.
On the bus, I soon befriended a British couple visiting India for 2.5 weeks. They were only my 3rd sighting of foreigners in as many days. We alternated between watching the gorgeous scenery of the Nilgiri Mountain ranges and talking about our personal history. Robert was a retired British Airways employee. I never did catch Jeanie's line of work but I swear that she's a spitting image of Helen Mirren. After the bus, the three of us soon discovered that three people could fit into an auto rickshaw filled with our belongings. Over stuffed, the "auto" meandered towards the train station where Robert and Jeanie hopped off. We said our goodbyes and off I went taxied in the same auto to the Ukkadam bus station.
After another round of "Frogger", I made my way to the Munnar platform where I soon found myself buying a milk tea and two Aloo Somosas. I spied a coconut vendor and bought myself some coconut water straight out of a real coconut. Ahhh!!!
As I was minding my own business waiting for the 2:15 pm train to Munnar, a male police officer waved me into his office where another lady was sitting behind her desk. I had been waiting near there thinking it was the safest spot at the station. After routine questions of "Where are you from?", "Where are you going?", I soon found that they were puzzled at why a Chinese guy was in Coimbatore. We made friends real quick and I was quickly introduced by the male officer to another lady officer as his "friend visiting from America!". The other lady sitting behind the desk was a Computer Science college student named Sonja. After another round of friendly and funny exchanges with the lady officer, she stepped outside and whistled over to one of the snack kiosks to fetch me some milk tea. How nice! I was really started to have fun as more officers came to have a laugh, when I found myself being ushered out of the office by Sonya to catch the last bus out to Munnar.
While on the bus, I was yet again the center of attention, this time amongst my fellow passengers. One particular fellow who looked like a bum, gave me somewhat of a hard time. He kept asking in Tamil (the major language in the area) for things to eat, my telephone number, to take him to America(holding my arm in the process), money, etc. Another passenger Srinath whom I later befriended acted as the translator, begrudgingly I might add. Starting to look annoyed, the "bum" translated through Srinath that he was only having "jolly". He even produced what looked like 10,000 Rs from the folds of his Longi. After the guy exited the bus, Srinath relayed that he was an unscrupulous pick pocket. Needless to say I checked my pockets and found all to be in order. Relieved, I began asking Srinath about himself. He was a Mechanical Engineer college student on his way home for a break. We soon exchanged e-mail addresses and then he was gone. Seems like traveling involves a lot of brief friendships.
It soon got dark out and I was still on the bus to Munnar!!! I began to worry if I would be able to find the homestay Matthias recommended. After 13.5 hrs on the road, I luckily found myself in an auto rickshaw taking me to my destination. Without a proper meal all day, I hunkered down to what I hope to be a restful night in a $5/night homestay.
10/19/10 additions
So I forgot to mention that the highlight of the bus ride from Bangalore to Coimbatore was a family of elephants blocking our progress. The sight of these majestic creatures seemed to perk up the passengers a bit as we all gathered towards the front to catch a glimpse. This was a much needed distraction halfway into the trip as I was tired from not being able to sleep through the road bumps.
10/20/10 Ooty After 16.5 hrs
So it took 16.5 hrs to get from point A (Bangalore) to pt B (Ooty). At least I got to ride the Toy Train:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nilgiri_Mountain_Railway.
The slow pace of the "Toy Train" ride coupled with the scenic views made for a very relaxing 5 hrs. I was fortunate to receive the first class caboose and sat window side in the front row! First thing that pops out in this part of India is its lush landscape. Similar to the Philippines in many ways. What made this trip even more enjoyable was meeting two Indian lovebirds who were on their 2nd honeymoon. They were very nice people. The husband was a banker for Citibank and the wife a school teacher.
The miniature train stopped at 5-6 hillside stations where everyone had a chance to freshen up with some chai and various Indian snacks. Most stops had spectacular views of the countryside. I have to admit contrary to numerous warnings about eating roadside food, I partook in many 4 Rs($0.09) teas and one fried dal snack. Yumm!
So, upon checking into the YWCA (very budget if you get my drift), I made my way to the middle of town (Commercial Rd) to have my first meal in 24 hrs. Recommended by Lonely Planet (LP), I headed straight for Kabob Corner where I proceeded to devour a whole plate of mutton kabobs and a good sized Aloo Paratha. Oh baby! I had initially vowed to limit my meat intake during this trip but I just couldn't resist. How can you not order a kabob from a restaurant with that as its namesake?
Met a couple of Canadian girls and a German fellow named Matthias. Matthias recommended a hotel for my next destination in Munnar. Its an unfinished homestay but has fabulous views of the town and surrounding tea plantations. I think I'll check it out.
Well, its going to be a short day as I need to leave early for Munnar tomorrow morning. Time for my "tabot" shower.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nilgiri_Mountain_Railway.
The slow pace of the "Toy Train" ride coupled with the scenic views made for a very relaxing 5 hrs. I was fortunate to receive the first class caboose and sat window side in the front row! First thing that pops out in this part of India is its lush landscape. Similar to the Philippines in many ways. What made this trip even more enjoyable was meeting two Indian lovebirds who were on their 2nd honeymoon. They were very nice people. The husband was a banker for Citibank and the wife a school teacher.
The miniature train stopped at 5-6 hillside stations where everyone had a chance to freshen up with some chai and various Indian snacks. Most stops had spectacular views of the countryside. I have to admit contrary to numerous warnings about eating roadside food, I partook in many 4 Rs($0.09) teas and one fried dal snack. Yumm!
So, upon checking into the YWCA (very budget if you get my drift), I made my way to the middle of town (Commercial Rd) to have my first meal in 24 hrs. Recommended by Lonely Planet (LP), I headed straight for Kabob Corner where I proceeded to devour a whole plate of mutton kabobs and a good sized Aloo Paratha. Oh baby! I had initially vowed to limit my meat intake during this trip but I just couldn't resist. How can you not order a kabob from a restaurant with that as its namesake?
Met a couple of Canadian girls and a German fellow named Matthias. Matthias recommended a hotel for my next destination in Munnar. Its an unfinished homestay but has fabulous views of the town and surrounding tea plantations. I think I'll check it out.
Well, its going to be a short day as I need to leave early for Munnar tomorrow morning. Time for my "tabot" shower.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
10/19/10 Fortuitous Encounter
This post is dedicated to a very nice gentleman by the name of K. Viswanath. Sorry K, I didn't want to botch your name so I'll just use K.
After exiting our Volvo bus, K overheard my queries to the bus driver asking where I might find the Coimbatore Junction train station. At this point I only had 10 minutes to catch the train. According to my ticket we were scheduled to arrive at 3pm but actually arrived 2 hrs later. Go figure...Well, my savior quickly stepped in and took me to a local bus stop where he boarded with me. K even paid my way. As soon as we got to the stop K told me to run for it. Looking back through the crowded bus I spotted K making sure I got off. All I can say is if it weren't for the generosity of this man, I wouldn't be on my train.
We did have a chance at a quick conversation en route to the station. Through our talk, I found out K was in the silk business and frequently traveled to China where he has many friends. He seems to be a very religious man as he stopped by a temple to pray and donate money on our way to the bus stop. Now you may think I was stressing at this slight detour but nope. I was actually impressed by his religious devotion.
My only regret is that I wish we had more time to talk. He is the consummate Samaritan through and through and I'll never forget his good deed.
After exiting our Volvo bus, K overheard my queries to the bus driver asking where I might find the Coimbatore Junction train station. At this point I only had 10 minutes to catch the train. According to my ticket we were scheduled to arrive at 3pm but actually arrived 2 hrs later. Go figure...Well, my savior quickly stepped in and took me to a local bus stop where he boarded with me. K even paid my way. As soon as we got to the stop K told me to run for it. Looking back through the crowded bus I spotted K making sure I got off. All I can say is if it weren't for the generosity of this man, I wouldn't be on my train.
We did have a chance at a quick conversation en route to the station. Through our talk, I found out K was in the silk business and frequently traveled to China where he has many friends. He seems to be a very religious man as he stopped by a temple to pray and donate money on our way to the bus stop. Now you may think I was stressing at this slight detour but nope. I was actually impressed by his religious devotion.
My only regret is that I wish we had more time to talk. He is the consummate Samaritan through and through and I'll never forget his good deed.
And I'm Off
Having left the comfort of Marie's embrace, I made my way to Bangalore's Kempegowda bus station. (yeah I know... :p )
The bus station was maddening. Tons of people, I happened to catch them just in time for rush hour...bleh! Walking there I had a chance to practice my Frogger skills and I must say I did quite well dodging motorbikes, autorickshaws, cars and buses. You just need to have a bit of faith that the vehicles aren't there to run you over. Perhaps, but it felt good nonetheless that I could do as the locals did. Anyways, after walking around a bit I located platform 7 and proceeded to wait for my Volvo A/C bus. Meanwhile I was treated to a barrage of sounds, smells and visuals. There were people conversing everywhere, loud Indian music blaring, yummy aromas of fried Indian snacks, other not so pleasant smells, and a wave of bright colored saris going this way and that.
The actual bus ride wasn't too bad. The only exception was sitting on my bony ass got painful real quick going into hour 4 of the 9.25 hr ride over some tough terrain. The bus ride got really hairy with what seemed like a 2 hr descent through 27 hairpin turns in our Greyhound sized bus. I'm sure glad it was dark out. Not sure how I would take seeing the cliff side as we made our way down.
I'll post pictures soon. This netcafe's computers aren't accepting my camera's usb.
The bus station was maddening. Tons of people, I happened to catch them just in time for rush hour...bleh! Walking there I had a chance to practice my Frogger skills and I must say I did quite well dodging motorbikes, autorickshaws, cars and buses. You just need to have a bit of faith that the vehicles aren't there to run you over. Perhaps, but it felt good nonetheless that I could do as the locals did. Anyways, after walking around a bit I located platform 7 and proceeded to wait for my Volvo A/C bus. Meanwhile I was treated to a barrage of sounds, smells and visuals. There were people conversing everywhere, loud Indian music blaring, yummy aromas of fried Indian snacks, other not so pleasant smells, and a wave of bright colored saris going this way and that.
The actual bus ride wasn't too bad. The only exception was sitting on my bony ass got painful real quick going into hour 4 of the 9.25 hr ride over some tough terrain. The bus ride got really hairy with what seemed like a 2 hr descent through 27 hairpin turns in our Greyhound sized bus. I'm sure glad it was dark out. Not sure how I would take seeing the cliff side as we made our way down.
I'll post pictures soon. This netcafe's computers aren't accepting my camera's usb.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Bangalore
Well, we had a chance to take in a little of Bangalore the other day. We arranged for a car through the hotel reception and found ourselves being driven to a state sanctioned emporium. Hmmm….seems the receptionist talked us into accepting a “free” ride into town but didn’t let us in on the fact that it was first taking us into a high end gift shop. I don’t think I’ll fall for that one again as these schemes always results in high pressure sales and overpriced souvenir items. I will say that the emporium did have some fabulous looking stuff. If you’re curious, no we didn’t but anything. It was fairly easy to say no to $200-300 pashminas. Yep, that was USD.
Before leaving for India, I had always envisioned the Silicon Valley of India to be a thoroughly modern city. Of course, I’m comparing this to the SF Peninsula/South Bay. My idea of a visually modern city includes an assortment of businesses (retail, commercial), well paved streets, orderly traffic (signal lights, etc.), little to no rubbish from periodic street cleanings or a good drainage system. Of those criteria, I’ve only seen Bangalore to contain an inordinate amount of businesses and malls. You can certainly tell that Bangalore is growing considering the amount of construction and traffic going on everywhere.
For a little background on Bangalore, before its immense expansion, it was and still is considered the “Garden City of India” for its numerous parks. That may certainly be so but the increasing level of pollution is creeping up on that title due to industry and traffic. The local government did not plan for Bangalore to grow to its current 6 million or so inhabitants. But due to the many local and multi-national companies opening offices there, it has grown from a sleepy town to India’s fastest growing high density metropolis. Looking to modernize its transportation system, Bangalore is currently building a metro system to alleviate their traffic congestion. I’ve been told that during peak hours, driving a car 10-15 miles can take an hour or more. Ouch!
Marie and I have had a positive experience thus far. Meeting her coworkers has been an absolute delight and I look forward to spending more time with them. I’m sure I haven’t seen all that Bangalore has to offer, but I plan on exploring Bangalore some more when I return from my two week journey through South India. Now I have to concentrate on getting better before my journey tomorrow.
Oh, and besides the many cows that roam the streets of Bangalore, there are numerous stray dogs as well. Hmmm…didn’t get my rabies shot…I’ll need to pay particular attention to those dogs.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Itinerary
Here's a brief outline of my itinerary.
1. City of Ooty by way of Toy Train(World Heritage relic from the British Days). Tea plantation trekking.
2. Fort Cochin - beaches, backwaters, homestay.
3. Alleppey - Backwater cruising, riverfront homestay, toddy tapping
4. Kumily - Periyar Tiger Preserve( safari!)
5. Madurai - temples and more temples.
First Post
I've been nursing a slight reaction to the immunization shots(Hep A, B, typhoid and Flu). Hopefully I'll be better before leaving for my 2 week journey through South India from Bangalore.
Giants 1-0!!!!!!
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