A not-too-long time ago in a country 8,000 miles away . . . 

After a 27-hour journey via overnight train and too many games of Egyptian Rat Screw to count, twenty representatives of eight countries arrived in the rainsoaked streets of Cochin.

We forded great rivers,

and battled fearsome serpents,

and learned from the masters the ancient Chinese art of net fishing.

We also made stops at the St. Francis Cathedral – the very first church of India,

and my personal favorite stop on our southern odyssey, Jew Town:

Mysteriously, Jew Town suffered a distinct lack of visible Jews.

Next, we scaled perilous mountain heights as we journeyed into the many beautiful hills of Munnar.

It was absolutely gorgeous. All you can see are endless green hills of tea plantations.

During lunch time, Mauricio and I decided to skip the food and explore Munnar on our own. We discovered a church and a temple on a ridge that overlooked all of Munnar.

We also explored the markets, and I had my first passionfruit.

We also visited a tea museum, Echo Point and the Eravikulam National Park.

The day we left Munnar marked the day that I lost a very cool pair of pajamas. All losses aside, it was a damn good time. Munnar was probably my favorite part of the tour.

We arrived in Thekkady via fleet of jeeps, as our first bus broke its axle and our SECOND bus overheated. We arrived just in time to witness the ancient South Indian art of eye-wiggling. Also known as kathakali (literally – story dance).

The make-up is ridiculously thick and takes several hours to apply.

Pretty much 90% of kathakali is facial expressions and hand gestures.

It also contains high levels of badassery.

The next day, we paid 300 rupees to see some invisible tigers and elephants, and a very cool, very visible spider.

That spider will fuck your shit up, but not as badly as the leeches.

My shit, fucked up.

The next day we found ourselves at the Hotel Germanus in Madurai. It’s a shame we didn’t get any time to explore Madurai on our own, because it’s a very fascinating city visually. We visited a very unspectacular Gandhi Museum, and after that the famous Madurai Temple.

While still a functioning Hindu temple and hotspot for religious pilgrimages, it has unfortunately become quite a tourist trap:

Afterwards came Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India.

Scenes from Kanyakumari:

A very cool church, which apparently contains the bones of Vasco de Gama.

enjoying some rest and relaxation at the hotel:

Gandhi Mandapam:

This is where Gandhi’s ashes were kept before they were submerged.

We spent the night exploring the seaside and enjoying the beauty of Kanyakumari.

A Hindu man bathing in the ocean at Land’s End Point – the southernmost tip of India.

The next day we visited the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and the Thiruvalluvar Statue

We spent the next night in Koyalam, where we spent our time just enjoying the pool and beach. A few of us woke up at 4 AM the next day hoping to see the meteor shower, but no luck.

Next we were in Alleppey, and enjoyed a very nice riverboat ride at twilight.

AND THEN, THERE WAS GOA:

We did a lot of sightseeing of Old Goa which included a few churches and a museum. I didn’t really think it was that great. It mainly just cut into our much-loved beach and exploration time, as pictured below:

We went also went on this fairly lame boat cruise where we danced for about an hour or so before it was over.

Along with beach time came far too much shopping.

Scenes from the Tibetan market:

Goa also included high levels of debauchery, motorcycles, nightclubbing, and late night pizza shop odysseys.

All in all, it was the absolute best two and half weeks of my life, and although it was completely exhausting, it was over far too soon.

Monkey man eats a coconut on the beach

Next stop was Kerala, further south down the West coast, a welcome break from the party-tastic state of Goa and a brilliant direction to head when we heard the cyclone was heading north! Our group at this point was the Brighton couple – Brad and Lorna, and we hadn’t quite managed to shake off Kara from Jaisalmer. The first town to tick off was Kochi, a quaint town with Portuguese influence, which we noticed more the further south we moved through India. The architecture was European and the beer was getting more expensive…were we in a crap version of Europe? Except for the Chinese style fishing nets and numerous Catholic churches there wasn’t much to do but chill out here, so it was a swift overnight stop (catching up with some Scottish friends from Palolem and a few new acquaintances) before heading to Alleppey for some Kerala backwaters houseboat action.

Sunset by the fishing nets in Fort Kochi

The first night in Alleppey was a pretty much a sleepover. We decided to squeeze five of us into a double room, saving so much that we could even ‘splash out’ on air con! Next morning, after picking up some supplies and 2 replacement bottles of spirits for the ones broken by Mikey, we hopped onto our own personal houseboat to do a 24 hour tour of the Keralan backwaters – a series of peaceful, lush water channels and the perfect way to see a bit of Kerala away from the towns. It rained most of the time on the boat, but we were able to relax under cover with a few beers, ably steered by the captain of the boat, and ably catered for by the boat’s cook. The Keralan delicacies he created were a definite highlight and were capped off by some enormous fresh water king prawns we purchased from a passing fisherman.

Relaxing on our houseboat

Captain of the ship!

Rain on the Keralan backwaters

Suitably relaxed, and slightly hungover, we moved on to the Keralan beach resort of Varkala the next morning. It had been almost a week since we had seen a beach! Varkala had a similar feel to Arambol and Palolem with an array of restaurants lining the cliff side above another pretty Indian beach. We managed to find another gem of a hostel – this time, one opened just 3 days before we arrived called Woodstock, run with a passion by the endearing Ignacious. His interest in the environment gave him and Mikey a head start and they became best buds!…which lead us straight into a stint at volunteering with picking litter from the cliff later in the week!

An early morning litter picking session in Varkala

Feeling so at home in the hostel, we managed to while away another week by a beach, getting a solid workout each day going up and down the cliff stairs to the beach and being thrown about by the big waves and strong currents and catching up on a few good books and old friends who had followed us there.

Brad and Lorna on Varkala cliffside

Concealed alcohol in a Varkala restaurant

The beach at Varkala

After a week has passed, we realised we had better get a move on if we wanted to catch our plane out of India. One stressful transport arrangement later (you need a degree to book a train online in India!), we were on our way to the state of Tamil Nadu and the city of Tiruchirappalli (conveniently shortened to Trichy by the locals). The overnight train journey was unexpectedly smooth for once and we arrived in Trichy eager to squeeze out as much Indian culture as we could in for our last day but within the constraints of our dwindling stockpile of rupees. We ate Indian for all 3 meals of the day at the cheapest but busiest local restaurants, travelled by crowded inner city buses (a rickshaw was a rupee too far at this time) and saw the largest temple in India – a breathtaking complex with a 73 metre colourful gateway that looked almost alien from a distance, all on budget of £2 each. We even had change left over for the bus to the airport the next morning, and with just 10 rupees to our names we said farewell to India.

The 73m high Srirangam temple in Trichy

Ollie: Did you get pistachio flavour Ice cream?
Mikey: No, its vanilla.
Ollie: Thought it was green?!
Mikey: It is!

A lazy day for some...

Vid forum i nokkra daga ferd med tveimur bretum i gegnum halendi Kerala (kalt eins og islenskt sumar) og erum nuna i bae sem heitir Alleppy. Netid er sma bilad i fartolvunni, svo blogg faersla kemur ekki alveg strax, vonandi eftir 2 daga.

Kvedja fra Indlandi

Seen outside the Pozhiyoram Beach Resort, Alleppey, Kerela.

A must visit.

View On Black

Director Gautham Menon decided to shoot some scenes for Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya in some of the exotic locales in Kerala’s Alleppey. The film’s leading stars – Silambarasan and Trisha – who joined the director at the location recently, were also in awe over the backwaters in the region. So much so, that Gautham and team decided to shoot a song sequence in the area to capture its beauty on screen.

Due to this, the Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya team was stationed in Alleppey for more days that planned earlier.

Kerala police along with bomb squad are searching for LTTE men who allegedly landed in Cherthala, Kerala. Fishermen reports they saw fishing boat in Cherthala occupied by around 15 men and all men were wearing dress similar to the LTTE uniform. Kerala police has hiked police presence in both Cherthala and the industrial city of Cochin.

Commando search happening in Cochin

Around 3 pm, Alappuzha police first received information that LTTE unit landed in Cherthala beach and are moving towards Cochin. Some reports saying LTTE landed in Arthungal beach. News in media are largely vague. Commando units are searching all vehicles crossing over into Cochin district.

5.30pm Update: Police along with commandos, coast guard, and navy are searching in various parts of Cochin, but from what news media are now reporting, it seems the information of LTTE landing in Kerala coast are vague and chances of it being true are very less.

6pm Update: According to official police report, there is no information of any LTTE boat landing in Kerala coast. All searches that are going in the state are part of a followup on a central intelligence report.

7pm Update: Kerala Home Minister says there was intelligence reports on LTTE infiltration to Kerala coast.

11pm Update: Police confirms that the fishing boat which arrived on the Arthungal coast is not of LTTE. Police have identified the owner of the boat – Mr. Benny, a native of Arthungal. Police clarifies that the boat went for fishing in the Indian territorial waters and on their return home, they shifted machinery and their ‘catch’ into the new smaller boat. As this was happening an unmanned Navy helicopter which was patrolling the coast happened to record this activity and Navy command saw it as a “suspicious transfer of material in the coastal waters”. This is said to be the trigger which lead to a massive search and combing operation in the southern districts of Kerala.

Continuing my India trip observations, the next set of observations relates to the tourist industry, primarily in Kerala.  Parameters surrounding my observations are documented in this initial posting.

Tourism

• Our experience with the tour operators of Kerala was exceptional.    We found a Kerala tour operator/travel agent while still in the US who arranged for our 6 day stay in four different locations in Kerala- Cochin, Alleppey, Kovalum, and Trivandrum.   She planned everything meticulously and truly exemplified service.

• In Cochin, we stayed in a home-stay, a growing tourist concept in Kerala; basically a home where each room is rented to guests who are served meals together; similar to a bed and breakfast.    In Kerala, this concept adds to the tourist experience since Kerala has a diverse tourist pool, tourists throughout parts of Europe, Americans, domestic and NRI Indians, as well as Japanese tourists.   I really enjoyed dinner conversations with other tourists from Tibet, Ireland, US, and Germany.

House-stay in Cochin

• In Alleppey, exceptional service was again exemplified by the house boat manager.    He gave a vivid history and description of the area and even had us meet his family, wife, mother, brother, sister in law and even niece.   It clearly felt like genuine service and I certainly would recommend his service to others.

• The backwaters of Alleppey are truly a memorable tourist experience.    Coconut, banana, and rubber trees surround you on both sides of your house boat along with villagers working on the adjacent rice paddies.   Being able to see images of locals commuting to work in canoes amidst the houseboats and greenery while also seeing other daily life images of hanging clothes, taking care of children, and other routine interactions is what makes this experience truly unique.

Houseboats along the backwaters

Commuters to the rice paddies

Life along the backwaters

• An additional unique experience of Kerala is observing the ocean side fishing techniques seen across the beaches of Kerala. Traditional practices continue today and one will see a variety of local clothing, boats, and language while watching the fisherman in action.   Here is some video I took at Kovalum Beach:

• I did notice that the Mumbai terror attacks did impact the number of tourists in Kerala.  The house boat manager in Alleppey indicated that two large 100 person Japanese tourist groups cancelled their trips to Kerala due to concerns over safety after the terror attacks.  In Cochin, Kashmiri shop operators who sold rugs and other handicrafts described noticeable drop offs in sales volume and tourist traffic.

• We met an ayurvedic doctor in Kerala and learned that a medical service such as an ultrasound or MRI would be a bargain compared to the US, without weeks of wait for scheduling or availability.   I can clearly see how the medical tourism industry in India is prospering.

Here are links to each of the individual India trip observation postings

India trip observations- Economy

India trip observations- Globalization

India trip observations- IT Industry

India trip observations- Environment

India trip observations- Lifestyle

Looks like recession has made the producers think twice about investing in foreign locales for a few songs. Two upcoming movies, Dhanush’s Kutti and Silambarasan’s Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya, are being shot in different parts of South India.

Dhanush’s next flick Kutti, directed by Jawahar and also starring Shriya is being filmed in the Orissa – Andhra border. This off the beaten track location was discovered by director Jawahar where shoots are being carried out after obtaining special permission from the Railways. On the other hand, Gautam Menon is stationed at his favorite hangout Alleppey with his VTV crew. While Gautam is exploring Alleppey for the right locations to shoot, Trisha and Silambarasan are awaiting the director’s call from the backwaters.

When four people want to ride in an autorickshaw, someone has to sit up front, one cheek on the driver’s seat, arm around the driver to keep from falling out. With three girls as my fellow passengers, front-seat duty was mine. And here’s what I saw, with my camera held at exactly the level of the auto driver’s eyes:

I’ve seen a similar banners on taxis and autorickshaws around the country,  taking up precious visual real estate one would expect to rely on to see the massive trucks bearing down on you with no intention of turning. This particular banner read “Al Lazam” (the driver’s name? His favorite soccer team? Free advertising for his brother’s restaurant?). Fully one fifth of his windshield was blocked by this opaque blue bar  — exactly the portion best utilized to see what vehicle is hellbent on ramming you next.

Is driving in this country not already dangerous enough?

With three girls in the back and me in the front, the auto driver decided to make me look cool. He grabbed my hands and put them on the motorcycle-style controls, the left hand working the brake and the right pumping the accelerator. For fully ten seconds I was in charge, discovering that the steering mechanism is surprisingly stiff and sensitive at the same time. The auto driver laughed along with me until he suddenly wrested back the controls and saved us from a car I had no idea was coming. The blue bar may have prevented me from seeing more than fifty feet in front, but somehow the driver was able to manage — ending my career as an auto driver as soon as it began, and saving all of us from becoming Keralan road sambar.

Another example of intentional auto blindness:

If you want to know where Alleppey is Click here

From Varkala we took a few local buses on to the small town of Kollam, where we spent an uneventful night. The next morning we packed up and headed for the town jetty, where we caught the eight hour tourist ferry to Alappuzha, aka Alleppey. The ferry winds its way through a section of

The Keralan backwaters

the world famous Keralan backwaters, an interlinked series of lagoons, lakes and canals that create over 900 km (about 560 miles) of navigable waterways. We only saw a tiny portion of that, but what we did see was stunning: lazy waters backed up by endless series of palm trees, tons of exotic looking birds flying all over, locals paddling or polling by in small boats. Really it is the greenery of the palms and other plant life that hits you the hardest; it just looks almost overwhelmingly tropical and beautiful.

Unfortunately I’d contracted a bit of a flu-like bug and fever the day before the ferry trip,

Andy's fort at the back of the ferry.

and although I’d improved I was still far from 100 percent when we set off. As a result I missed a lot of that amazing scenery I was just raving about, while I slept. The double bench seat Denae and I grabbed for the trip wasn’t the most comfortable for sleeping, so I ended up making a shade fort out of my sarong out back on the stern, where I could stretch out a bit. When that got too hot I ended up lying down on the floor in a bridge area between two cabins. People were giving me some weird looks as they walked by me, sprawled out like a drunk on the dirty floor, but I wasn’t feeling too well and was just thankful I’d found a shaded place to stretch out.

Eventually we made it to Alleppey, the so-called “Venice of the East.” “Venice of the- Whatever-” is one of those annoying and grossly overused phrases that generally don’t apply very well, and Alleppey was no exception. It did have canals that were used for transport, but it didn’t have much in the way

A Keralan house boat

of architectural beauty that makes it European counterpart so famous. To my eye Alleppey was just another bustling and low key Indian town, with not a lot to do or see for the average tourist. The lush tropical beauty of Kerala is much better seen elsewhere. The reason it sits so prominently on the tourist circuit is that Alleppey is reputed to be the best place in Kerala to rent one of the famous kettuvallams, houseboats made along the same lines as the traditional rice barges that have been used to transport grain throughout the backwaters for centuries. These boats are pretty incredible, with beautiful curving thatched roofs and all the comforts of home, things like real toilets, DVD players, large sitting and dining areas, and staff to cook and cater. Not too surprisingly, they are also pretty expensive, generally well over $100 USD per night. That’s pretty big money in India, so we decided not to stay on one of the boats. In retrospect, that may have been a bit of a cheapo mistake, but we’re dirtbags to the core so it is what it is.

So without a houseboat stay, we spent a couple lazy days around Alleppey just wandering around and doing the usual eating and reading and whatnot.

These Chinese fishing nets lined the canals. They are large counterweighted nets and operated from shore by about six fishermen who pull on ropes to lift the nets out of the water.

This was high season in Kerala, which has developed quite a reputation over the last few years, so the place was pretty packed with tourists. After Tamil Nadu, seeing all the pale white flesh and backpacks took a bit of getting used to. As a result of the financial crisis and Mumbai attacks, tourism in India has been way down this year, and we’ve enjoying a usual lack of other tourists. Kerala was one major exception. Anyway when we’d cruised into Alleppey we had a hard time finding a place to stay that wasn’t full, so we ended up following some touts a long way through dark alleys and dirt paths and over bridges- Denae was suspecting that we’d be mugged at any time- and finally to a family run guesthouse next to one of the canals. It was a decent place, but the family was very eccentric… Okay they were kind of weird. They were very proud of the food they served us, which proved once again that home cooked definitely shouldn’t be a synonym for good, and we’re pretty sure the adult daughter was gaping and stroking and touching Denae a bit too much to be just friendly girl admiration- not that I blame her.

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Alappuzha, formerly named as Alleppey, in Kerala is one of the major backwater destinations. The thrilling boat race awaits you at Alleppey or Alappuzha. Imagine to just lazing on a houseboat or enjoying fishing in Alleppey Kerala. Kuttanad is also known as the ‘rice bowl’ of the state, Kerala India. Alleppey is a captivating destination in Kerala India that provides backwaters, traditional Kettuvallooms (house boats), beaches, boat race, swaying palms, gourmet delight and many more.

Tips: They have daytrip and 22 hrs trip. Better go with 22 hrs trip. Hire house boat for 22 hrs it will cover all places and includes break fast and lunch. Cost will be depending on house boat normal boat with 10 member capacity will cost around Rs 3000/-.

Kollam to Alleppey – 90km

Aryaas Pure Vegetarian Restaurant

Stopped in Haripad for lunch and to use the internet.  For some reason that was never divulged we were asked to hand over our passports at the internet cafe.  We refused, but allowed the attendent to write down the numbers.  Before an hour was up the power went out so we rode onto the supermarket to buy curry spices and rice.  Contrary to popular belief  the roads have been very good and we rode on one that was being laid down.  Then to Alleppey stopping for road side snacks and a foot bath in the Arabian Sea.

We arrived in Alleppey by late afternoon and called Joseph (Joy) our first couchsurfer.  He arranged for Reggie one of the Sreekrishna Ayurveda Panachakarma Centre staff to pick us up from the main road.  We followed him on his scooter .  It was our first night of peace and quiet.

The following day we took a 2 hour  backwater cruise through the water lillies, past boat houses, rice fields, coconut stands and finally back to finishing point.  This is the stretch of river where every August the Nehru Trophy boat race is held and is also the home of the worlds longest steel canoe.

What happened this morning was very trivial but it made me think something very important that I was taught as a child and probably had forgotten.

In the morning rush hour when I was frantically getting ready, my 2 dogs in their usual style were continuously fiddling with my things. Pondi was busy chewing my quilt and Alleppey was busy sniffing around the side table where I keep my phone, books and bottles. With her continuous inquisitive investigation of the table I knew she was soon going to drop something from the table and “thud!” goes my expensive phone. Luckily nothing happened to my phone but in that sudden impulse I called her a “stupid dog”. Hurt, she left the room but in that moment I realized that for her the expensive phone is just another plastic toy.

No matter how many thousands of rupees we must have spent on our furniture, music systems, other valuables, at the end of the day they hold no value to them. They are just there for them to sit and chew and break. What really matters to them is “us”. They adore us, we are their mom and dad. Every evening they wait for us to come home to play with them, every night they need to be wished goodnight with a kiss on their wet noses else they would keep whining the whole night. Every morning they need to come rushing to our bed to give us our 1st morning lick and these are the things which hold utmost importance in their lives.

As a child I also learnt the value of family, friends and love and how to cherish them. But as I grew up and got busy with my job and pay cheque, inflation and grocery bills somehow my expensive cell phone took priority over my life rather than the phone calls from loved ones for which I have the phone in the 1st place. I say this because I sometimes don’t even bother to answer my phone when I don’t feel like talking but if I leave my phone at home by mistake I would probably go all the way back to my home to pick it up. As if I were really bothered about the missed calls. I mean who am I fooling.

As a soon to be mother I need to remember the value of human emotions because that is what I would want my child to remember too. These little nuances of life like what happened today morning teach you so many forgotten things. Like our dogs teach us everyday how important we are to them than any other thing in the living room.

Been in the country of coconuts for the past 15 odd days and its been a delighful experience…from my wedding to our treks across the hills of Munnar, the backwaters of Alleppey and the forests of Thekkady.

I am a Malayali (Mallu as defined by non keralites) but this was my first foray into my land as a tourist and the experience has only added to my respect for the land, the people and the food.

In the course of my next few posts I shall be showcasing the beauty and the heritage of God’s own Country