We arrived into Bodhgaya early this morning; on first impressions, a very peaceful, colourful village, (especially orange!) obviously proud of its spirituality. But first, I have to tell you/vent about our day yesterday. To say it was frustrating is the biggest understatement since we were told overnight buses could get a 'little' bumpy. Get ready for it- I'll try and leave out expletives...
Discovering that there is a Chinese embassy, we though we'd be geniuses and get our Chinese visas in Kolkata, so that we didn't have to worry about it for the rest of the trip. Sounds easy, right? Well, we get one of Kolkata's signature taxi's- sort of a mixture between New York and London cabs, yellow with a 1950s style. They drop us in Salt Lake City, a newly built 'town' that is characterized by letters, like AB Block and EC Block, which are distributed randomly- very peculiar and confusing. So, we get to the embassy, give in our visa applications, only to realiza we need photos. Oh, I wish that was the only mistake we were to make...
Applications given in, we're to come back the next day. Great, job done, easy enough. The only thing we have to do is get a 'demand draft', like a bankers cheque, made out to the Chinese Consulate General in Kolkata. Easy right? The people in the bank were lovely as well, asking us questions, giving us tea- when do you ever get tea at your local bank? A girl working at the bank came and chatted to us a while, and said some very poignant words. When I said I wanted to be a writer, she said that was good because it was the 'best way to people's hearts'. Such a lovely way of putting it! Also, when I told her how much India had inspired my writing, she nodded and said it was because 'India has a lot of heart. You speak to the people, they tell you their heart'. So true, and so well put! I've never left a bank with a smile on my face before, or with inspiring words swirling around in my head!
Excited to have figured out the bank and met some lovely people, we get the taxi and head to the Embassy, demand draft in hand. Time's ticking away; we only have half an hour to get there. Somehow our taxi dirver manages to work our what block we need, even though they all look the same, and we run in, 15 mins until the visa office closes. We excitedly give our demand draft over; the Chinese lady at the counter sadly shakes her head. 'The wording has to be exact,' she says, and points to a sign on the window. We'd spelled Kolkata wrong. Insert big swear word here.
We'd been planning to do a bit of sightseeing that day, but this was all now out the window because of our stupidity. Blaming everything from the sign to the bank, we hailed a taxi back to the bank, embarrassed to have to see the bank people again after they'd been so friendly before.
To cut a long story short, we're idiots, BUT fours hours and four taxi rides later, we FINALLY got our Chinese visas! It was tight; the Chinese lady told us we needed to be back by 4pm, and we made it at 3.30pm. The security guard nearly didn't have any of it, but we pleaded, and told him how urgently we needed our passports- we were leaving that evening, and we couldn't leave them behind!
SO! It probably doesn't sound as dramatic in writing, but needless to say it was a bloody stressful day. Ah well- good job we're now in a village known for its meditating and spirituality! We could sure do with some inner peace after yesterday!
To roam the roads of lands remote/To travel is to live (Hans Christian Andersen)
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Monday, 27 September 2010
Planes, Trains and Scooters...
At the moment I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Kolkata, all sorts of crazy honks in the background. We finally said goodbye to South India today, flying from Bangalore to begin our North India trip. BUT I'll have to fill you in on what's happened in between!
After weeks of trying to work out how to reserve a bloody ticket, we FINALLY managed to get on the train from Ernakulam to Bangalore. The organised station and comfy seats were both pleasant surprises, but the real highlight was the men who kept bringing the cheap snacks through the carriages- I think I ended up buying every one going!
So, we arrived at about 4am in Bangalore. I won't bang on about Bangalore (haha- not)- a city is a city is a city after all. But I will say that the IT capital of Asia (apparently!) is one of the best cities we've been to- corporate organised bustle by day and neon cool by night.
OK, so onto one of my favourite places we've been so far...HAMPI! I should probably explain what the initial attraction was. Hampi has a very unusual landscape- huge volcanic formed boulders next to banana plantations and the peaceful 'ghats' on the river. Combine this with ancient 15th century ruins scattered around this environment, and you've got a pretty interesting place! We took our favourite (ahem) mode of transport, the overnight bus, and this time, it was a nice smooth ride, no potholes at all. Yeah RIGHT! In our dreams! Our early arrival into Hampi was made all the more intense by the fact we were the only ones- rickshaw drivers were clambering onto the bus desperately shouting '10 rupees! I'll take you anywhere!' This wasn't the peaceful, spiritual place I'd been told so much about!
But after we got a room and took a wander into the village, we realised why this place was so special. We walked through the streets, stepping around goats and cows, into the main bazaar, only to be suddenly confronted by the majestic Virupaksha Temple, which stood proud at the end of the road. As we moved closer to take a look at the beautiful architecture, we saw some brown furry things running around the statues. Thinking they were rats at first, I jumped back, but I soon realised that they were monkeys, some with babies clinging onto them!
Entranced by this surreal sight, we decided to explore some more, and headed into the temple, where a little man told us we could be blessed by Lakshmi, the temple elephant! Well, I couldn't pass up an opportunity like that, so we walked on in to meet the adorable Lakshmi. The guide then told me her secret talent- give her a 10 rupee note, she'll give it to her attendant then bless you on the head with her trunk! So I gave it a go- probably should've taken my sunglasses off first though!!
The little man then offered to be our personal guide, and take us to 'secret' places in the temple. We were unsure at first, wanting the freedom to walk around ourselves. But it was so worth it- if not for the pitch black tower with moss-covered stairs and bats, then for the huge terrace it led to, monkeys galloping (!) around the tall walls whilst we took in the unbelievable views of Hampi's ruins and bouldering landscape.
The next day, we decided to go and explore these ruins that we saw from afar- and we decided to do it in style! Despite a very persistant auto-rickshaw driver, we chose to rent a scooter- much more of an adventure that way! And it lived up to the dream- despite the slightly shaky start, soon Pat and I were flying down Hampi Bazaar...until we were told that scooters weren't allowed down the path we'd chosen. Damn! The walk to Vittalla Temple was lined with ancient ruins and the odd child guilt-tripping us into postcards...so lovely that we walked straight past the temple a few times before accepting 2km later 'oh, it might be that building we passed earilier that we took pictures of'.
The other ruins were great- the Elephant Stables with their Indo-Islamic architecture and immaculately clipped gardens particularly so- but by then we'd fallen hard for the pathetic thrill of driving our scooter. It was just such a great feeling with the wind in your face, ancient ruins one side of you, banana plantations the other, palm trees in between, and hardly anyone else on the dusty paths, both of us humming 'Born to be Wild'...ermmm...
Anyway! The sun was setting in its gorgeous baby-fushia pink way, with cheeky streaks of purple. It was time to say goodbye to our scooter, and an hour later to Hampi. Oir visit to this small, but thriving village has only whetted my appetite for all the spiritual sights we're going to explore up North!
Well, that's all for now- we're spending a few days here in Kolkata, then onto Bodgaya and the Buddhist monasteries! Should be quite an experience! Catch up with you soon xxxx
After weeks of trying to work out how to reserve a bloody ticket, we FINALLY managed to get on the train from Ernakulam to Bangalore. The organised station and comfy seats were both pleasant surprises, but the real highlight was the men who kept bringing the cheap snacks through the carriages- I think I ended up buying every one going!
So, we arrived at about 4am in Bangalore. I won't bang on about Bangalore (haha- not)- a city is a city is a city after all. But I will say that the IT capital of Asia (apparently!) is one of the best cities we've been to- corporate organised bustle by day and neon cool by night.
OK, so onto one of my favourite places we've been so far...HAMPI! I should probably explain what the initial attraction was. Hampi has a very unusual landscape- huge volcanic formed boulders next to banana plantations and the peaceful 'ghats' on the river. Combine this with ancient 15th century ruins scattered around this environment, and you've got a pretty interesting place! We took our favourite (ahem) mode of transport, the overnight bus, and this time, it was a nice smooth ride, no potholes at all. Yeah RIGHT! In our dreams! Our early arrival into Hampi was made all the more intense by the fact we were the only ones- rickshaw drivers were clambering onto the bus desperately shouting '10 rupees! I'll take you anywhere!' This wasn't the peaceful, spiritual place I'd been told so much about!
But after we got a room and took a wander into the village, we realised why this place was so special. We walked through the streets, stepping around goats and cows, into the main bazaar, only to be suddenly confronted by the majestic Virupaksha Temple, which stood proud at the end of the road. As we moved closer to take a look at the beautiful architecture, we saw some brown furry things running around the statues. Thinking they were rats at first, I jumped back, but I soon realised that they were monkeys, some with babies clinging onto them!
Entranced by this surreal sight, we decided to explore some more, and headed into the temple, where a little man told us we could be blessed by Lakshmi, the temple elephant! Well, I couldn't pass up an opportunity like that, so we walked on in to meet the adorable Lakshmi. The guide then told me her secret talent- give her a 10 rupee note, she'll give it to her attendant then bless you on the head with her trunk! So I gave it a go- probably should've taken my sunglasses off first though!!
The little man then offered to be our personal guide, and take us to 'secret' places in the temple. We were unsure at first, wanting the freedom to walk around ourselves. But it was so worth it- if not for the pitch black tower with moss-covered stairs and bats, then for the huge terrace it led to, monkeys galloping (!) around the tall walls whilst we took in the unbelievable views of Hampi's ruins and bouldering landscape.
The next day, we decided to go and explore these ruins that we saw from afar- and we decided to do it in style! Despite a very persistant auto-rickshaw driver, we chose to rent a scooter- much more of an adventure that way! And it lived up to the dream- despite the slightly shaky start, soon Pat and I were flying down Hampi Bazaar...until we were told that scooters weren't allowed down the path we'd chosen. Damn! The walk to Vittalla Temple was lined with ancient ruins and the odd child guilt-tripping us into postcards...so lovely that we walked straight past the temple a few times before accepting 2km later 'oh, it might be that building we passed earilier that we took pictures of'.
The other ruins were great- the Elephant Stables with their Indo-Islamic architecture and immaculately clipped gardens particularly so- but by then we'd fallen hard for the pathetic thrill of driving our scooter. It was just such a great feeling with the wind in your face, ancient ruins one side of you, banana plantations the other, palm trees in between, and hardly anyone else on the dusty paths, both of us humming 'Born to be Wild'...ermmm...
Anyway! The sun was setting in its gorgeous baby-fushia pink way, with cheeky streaks of purple. It was time to say goodbye to our scooter, and an hour later to Hampi. Oir visit to this small, but thriving village has only whetted my appetite for all the spiritual sights we're going to explore up North!
Well, that's all for now- we're spending a few days here in Kolkata, then onto Bodgaya and the Buddhist monasteries! Should be quite an experience! Catch up with you soon xxxx
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Photos!
Have finally gotten around to updating each section of the blog with some piccies...hope you like them! xxx
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Another poem...
...this time when I went for a little wander on the beach by myself while Pat was napping...and feeling a little sorry for myself, haha...
This Beauty Is Too Big For Me
This beauty is too big for me;
it feels like a dream.
I desperately need
you by my side
so these wonders can spill
into both our eyes.
Which way should I turn?
I need us to take turns
To drink the whole scene in.
On this poor lonely page,
these picture-perfect palm trees
have now overflowed
into hyperbole.
This beauty is too big for me.
I want you to smell the salt with me,
I wish you could walk through waves with me,
I need you to make it real.
This Beauty Is Too Big For Me
This beauty is too big for me;
it feels like a dream.
I desperately need
you by my side
so these wonders can spill
into both our eyes.
Which way should I turn?
I need us to take turns
To drink the whole scene in.
On this poor lonely page,
these picture-perfect palm trees
have now overflowed
into hyperbole.
This beauty is too big for me.
I want you to smell the salt with me,
I wish you could walk through waves with me,
I need you to make it real.
Houseboats and Hammocks...
Well, last time I wrote we were off to try and haggle ourselves a good deal with a houseboat...and I'm very happy to report that we did a damn good job! We left it pretty late to find a good deal, i.e. only 2 hours before the boats were due to set off. After walking around for half an hour, waiting to be accosted with 'boating? boating?' like we had the day before, we admitted defeat and began to walk back to our hotel to re-think our options. This seems to be the way in India- when you want to be left alone, every tout going senses your stand-offishness and cries out their deals to you. But when you actually WANT to be harrassed with offers, the touts feel your desperation and turn their backs on you.
2 minutes before we reached our hotel, we finally heard 'boating?'. Before we knew what was happening, a little guy on a scooter was telling us to both climb on board, whisking us down the dusty side-streets to the houseboat dock. I wa surprised at how safe I felt, considering that Pat was clinging onto me like a monkey, and I was clinging onto my seat!
So, this guy shows us his very nice boat, with an upper deck and everything, and tells us his initial price- 4000 rupees non air-conditioned. It was time to get cheeky. With his best haggling smile, Pat asks for 3500 rupees, air-conditioned. The guy pretended to look shocked and appalled, and said the lowest he could go down to was 4500 A/C. We pretend to think about it, before getting up and saying we have another boat to go and look out. He panics; his price drops to 4000 rupees. We say a final firm 'no' and walk back towards Alleppey. Wihtin 30 seconds, he runs after us and breathlessly tells us that we can name any price. Result! We're finally learning the art of haggling! BUT we still played hard to get. Like we said we would, we went to look at our hotel owner's houseboat- also very nice, but refused to negotiate the price. So back to our original guy and his bargain, to tell him we'd accept! He was a bit of a cheeky git, asking for service charge before we even set off, but hey, he saved us a bit of cash!
I've been recommended the houseboat experience by a few people in India, and I have to say that its definitely worth it! The boat itself is beautiful, designed in the old 'rice-barge' style. We were worried that the on-board crew (2 men) might have been told to shun us because we'd been so stingey with the price- however, they were nothing but friendly and helpful!
The food was exquisite too, as all Keralan food seems to be! If we hadn't already been to Chennamkary, I think cruising the backwaters would have made even more of an impact, as they truly are a world apart from crazy India. We encontered some crazy parties along the river, and when we were docked in the harbour for the night- no doubt the Kingfisher beers had been flowing freely in their boats! They certainly had in ours!
The next morning was a beautifully sunny day, which have actually been few and far between since we've been here! We left our houseboat, after saying a big thank-you to the crew, and headed towards a rickshaw. We were all prepared to head back to where we stayed before in Alleppey, when our driver (who possibly has the friendliest smile I've ever seen) suggested going to the beach. 'Very nice place,' he said, 'lots of coconut trees!' Both in the mood for an adventure, we agreed. For some stupid reason, I was wondering about the quality of this beach as it hadn't been mentioned in Lonely Planet. But it soon became clear that although Lonely Planet is bloody brilliant, it doesn't know all. My mouth fell open when he turned onto the quiet lane towards the beach. We had stumbled upon paradise! In our window of sight was palm trees lining vanilla-coloured sand, and all we could hear was waves crashing upon the shore.
This was definitely the place for us! After the driver told us that the other options were a 15,000 rupees a night hotel, he took us to a tiny homestay minutes from the beach, where we were immediately greeted with warm smiles by the family. And Pat was happy as he spotted one of his favourite things in the world in the garden- hammocks! Not quite believing our luck, we agreed to stay there and asked our rickshaw driver his name- Ali. The happiest and most helpful rickshaw driver we've met so far. This was the kind of place that if we hadn't been taken there, we would have never known it existed.
So we spent the next few days lazing in the hammocks, strolling along the near-deserted beach save for a few fishermen and Indian families, and getting to know the adorable family we were staying with. Every member of the family introduced themselves to us and asked us many questions. There were two houses; one was for Dominic (the home-stay's owner) and his family, the other for his older brother and his family. I spent ages chatting to Neethu, Dominic's 17 year old niece. We were yabbering away for ages about our hobbies; hers were 'watching TV and Bollywood dancing'. When I told her my age, she asked me if I was married; I've noticed that people assume I'm either Pat's 'wife', and if not, 'friend'- they never ask about anything in between! She walked me to the local shop, where I met the toothless, humorous shop owners, and got a gage of how mall this fishing village was! On the way back, she turned to me with a big smile and said very innocently 'I like you very much!' That really touched me- such a sweet girl! I've told her I'd keep in touch; it would be great it we could. I loved her baby cousin as well, who kept wandering around naked and beating things with a stick!
I'm so grateful we stumbled across this gem, just the chill-out haven we needed before we tackle the hectic North! Tomorrow we head to Bangalore, then fly to Calcutta. City life is going to take a lot of getting used to after these relaxed two weeks! Goodbye, Kerala- I'll miss your palm-tree lined canals, your delicious coconut- based curries that suit my mild palette so well, and your ambling pace of life. But don't worry- I'm pretty sure I'll be back...
2 minutes before we reached our hotel, we finally heard 'boating?'. Before we knew what was happening, a little guy on a scooter was telling us to both climb on board, whisking us down the dusty side-streets to the houseboat dock. I wa surprised at how safe I felt, considering that Pat was clinging onto me like a monkey, and I was clinging onto my seat!
So, this guy shows us his very nice boat, with an upper deck and everything, and tells us his initial price- 4000 rupees non air-conditioned. It was time to get cheeky. With his best haggling smile, Pat asks for 3500 rupees, air-conditioned. The guy pretended to look shocked and appalled, and said the lowest he could go down to was 4500 A/C. We pretend to think about it, before getting up and saying we have another boat to go and look out. He panics; his price drops to 4000 rupees. We say a final firm 'no' and walk back towards Alleppey. Wihtin 30 seconds, he runs after us and breathlessly tells us that we can name any price. Result! We're finally learning the art of haggling! BUT we still played hard to get. Like we said we would, we went to look at our hotel owner's houseboat- also very nice, but refused to negotiate the price. So back to our original guy and his bargain, to tell him we'd accept! He was a bit of a cheeky git, asking for service charge before we even set off, but hey, he saved us a bit of cash!
I've been recommended the houseboat experience by a few people in India, and I have to say that its definitely worth it! The boat itself is beautiful, designed in the old 'rice-barge' style. We were worried that the on-board crew (2 men) might have been told to shun us because we'd been so stingey with the price- however, they were nothing but friendly and helpful!
The food was exquisite too, as all Keralan food seems to be! If we hadn't already been to Chennamkary, I think cruising the backwaters would have made even more of an impact, as they truly are a world apart from crazy India. We encontered some crazy parties along the river, and when we were docked in the harbour for the night- no doubt the Kingfisher beers had been flowing freely in their boats! They certainly had in ours!
The next morning was a beautifully sunny day, which have actually been few and far between since we've been here! We left our houseboat, after saying a big thank-you to the crew, and headed towards a rickshaw. We were all prepared to head back to where we stayed before in Alleppey, when our driver (who possibly has the friendliest smile I've ever seen) suggested going to the beach. 'Very nice place,' he said, 'lots of coconut trees!' Both in the mood for an adventure, we agreed. For some stupid reason, I was wondering about the quality of this beach as it hadn't been mentioned in Lonely Planet. But it soon became clear that although Lonely Planet is bloody brilliant, it doesn't know all. My mouth fell open when he turned onto the quiet lane towards the beach. We had stumbled upon paradise! In our window of sight was palm trees lining vanilla-coloured sand, and all we could hear was waves crashing upon the shore.
This was definitely the place for us! After the driver told us that the other options were a 15,000 rupees a night hotel, he took us to a tiny homestay minutes from the beach, where we were immediately greeted with warm smiles by the family. And Pat was happy as he spotted one of his favourite things in the world in the garden- hammocks! Not quite believing our luck, we agreed to stay there and asked our rickshaw driver his name- Ali. The happiest and most helpful rickshaw driver we've met so far. This was the kind of place that if we hadn't been taken there, we would have never known it existed.
 |
| I asked for a fruit juice; they gave me half a coconut with a straw! Amazing! |
So we spent the next few days lazing in the hammocks, strolling along the near-deserted beach save for a few fishermen and Indian families, and getting to know the adorable family we were staying with. Every member of the family introduced themselves to us and asked us many questions. There were two houses; one was for Dominic (the home-stay's owner) and his family, the other for his older brother and his family. I spent ages chatting to Neethu, Dominic's 17 year old niece. We were yabbering away for ages about our hobbies; hers were 'watching TV and Bollywood dancing'. When I told her my age, she asked me if I was married; I've noticed that people assume I'm either Pat's 'wife', and if not, 'friend'- they never ask about anything in between! She walked me to the local shop, where I met the toothless, humorous shop owners, and got a gage of how mall this fishing village was! On the way back, she turned to me with a big smile and said very innocently 'I like you very much!' That really touched me- such a sweet girl! I've told her I'd keep in touch; it would be great it we could. I loved her baby cousin as well, who kept wandering around naked and beating things with a stick!
 |
| The grandfather of the family with the baby boy |
 |
| My new friend Neethu with her baby cousin |
I'm so grateful we stumbled across this gem, just the chill-out haven we needed before we tackle the hectic North! Tomorrow we head to Bangalore, then fly to Calcutta. City life is going to take a lot of getting used to after these relaxed two weeks! Goodbye, Kerala- I'll miss your palm-tree lined canals, your delicious coconut- based curries that suit my mild palette so well, and your ambling pace of life. But don't worry- I'm pretty sure I'll be back...
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Village life in the Keralan backwaters...
...is actually swankier than we imagined!
We had to ring our Keralan host, Thomas, the evening before we arrived, in order to get directions. I should never be allowed to be the speaker in such important conversations...poor Thomas was being so patient! The dialogue was going a bit like this...
Thomas: So, your ferry stop is after the 3rd church on the left.
Me: The third boat jetty?
Thomas: No, church.
Me: The third island?
Thomas: No, church.
Thankfully, I eventually realized what Thomas was saying (probably to the expense of his sanity). So the next afternoon we set off on the ferry from Alleppey, looking obsessively at every building along the beautiful palm tree-lined canals to see if it had a cross on it. We eventually found the right church (even after counting schools as churches) and got off onto the island of Chennamkary.
Thomas' directions of 'walk 7 minutes to the right' had seemed so simple at the time, but not when you were walking through a tiny village, surrounding by all sorts of tropical trees, children inviting us into their homes. But we should have had more faith, for 7 minutes later we were stood in front of Green Palm Homes- although we probably would've walked past he we hadn't seen the sign. It looked like an overgrown doll's house, rather than the village hut we had been expecting! And we finally had TOILET PAPER and HOT WATER- this probably made both of our weeks! Sad but true!
This was no bad thing, though; we eventually came to realize that village life in the Keralan backwaters is not all about roughing it. Kerala is one of the most successful Indian states, and we believe that the gap is only going to grow with the progression of its youth. Pat and I visited a little tea shop along one of the canals, and found the little boy of the family to be the English translator between us and his (very cute) parents! A sign of how things are changing. We learned from the little boy that his father was a prawn fisherman, who took his prawns in the basket of his bicycle to Alleppey! The mother was an expert at masala chai- the best we've had so far, - and we tried a very yummy savoury spicy doughnut!
Speaking of children, I have to mention all the schoolkids' obsession with PENS! We first encountered this on the ferry over, when we were literally SWAMPED with about 50 schoolchildren, all wanting pens, chocolate and money! I thought the little girls were cutest, until one cheeky little madam emptied her pencilcase and thrust it in front of me asking for 'coin'! One little girl I fell in love with a bit was our host Thomas' 7 year old daughter. She was obsessed with playing cards, but didn't seem to know any games- so I taught her 'snap', and played with her for about an hour. She was damn good by the end- I had to really watch every card!
One of the highlights had to be the morning walk- a 7am start (ouch) but worth every minute! We saw every kind of tree the island has to offer- cocoa trees, trees with teeny tiny bananas (sweeter than the average banana), mango trees, coffee bean trees...it was immense!
Along one of the smaller canals, we stopped in the house of a lady called Maria, and had an AMAZING breakfast- a steamed, dense cake of rice with a vegetable curry, then shredded coconut wrapped in rice flour and a banana leaf.
And of course steaming hot chai! I loved our guide, very funny and interesting- and the most amazing teeth! He was guiding to fund his way while trying to make it as a painter- I can obviously relate to that! On the way back, it was time to try some TODDY- very potent smelling and tasting coconut beer! In the morning, the fermented coconut milk has 10% alcohol, but by the evening its gone up to 30/40%! Sitting in the male-only toddy bar, we had our first taste, despite the disgusting vinegar smell. It was the most bizarre thing- it sort of mixed sweet with sour flavours, then had an extra vinegar aftertaste! Not the best beer I've had, but still a cool experience!
Pat and I hired a canoe out for a few hours in the afternoon. We rowed through the tiny canals in beautifully peaceful surroundings, only hearing crickets and the odd calls of 'Hello!' from fishermen and women washing their clothes in the river. Well, it would have been more relaxing if there hadn't been shouts of 'PADDLE HARDER', and 'KEEP PADDLING', behind me- apparently I have a weak technique! Only joking, it was very serene (especially for me- ha!) The sun was beating down as well, which although it made the scenery gleam, made for hot, sweaty work!
On that unsavoury note, I'll wrap up about our village experience. Quick mention for the food- delicious and plentiful! The banana lassi was a particular highlight! Even though it was a little posher than I was expecting, I truly felt that we got a genuine insight into the simple Chennamkary life- which, to my eyes, seems a very happy one! Our host's wife actually shunned her washing machine for washing her clothes in the river, which I think is brilliant- it just shows living the simple life doesn't have to be forced upon you, it can be a choice. Tomorrow we're on the search for houseboats to head back down the backwaters for a day- fingers crossed we can haggle ourselves a good deal! Speak later! xxxx
We had to ring our Keralan host, Thomas, the evening before we arrived, in order to get directions. I should never be allowed to be the speaker in such important conversations...poor Thomas was being so patient! The dialogue was going a bit like this...
Thomas: So, your ferry stop is after the 3rd church on the left.
Me: The third boat jetty?
Thomas: No, church.
Me: The third island?
Thomas: No, church.
Thankfully, I eventually realized what Thomas was saying (probably to the expense of his sanity). So the next afternoon we set off on the ferry from Alleppey, looking obsessively at every building along the beautiful palm tree-lined canals to see if it had a cross on it. We eventually found the right church (even after counting schools as churches) and got off onto the island of Chennamkary.
Thomas' directions of 'walk 7 minutes to the right' had seemed so simple at the time, but not when you were walking through a tiny village, surrounding by all sorts of tropical trees, children inviting us into their homes. But we should have had more faith, for 7 minutes later we were stood in front of Green Palm Homes- although we probably would've walked past he we hadn't seen the sign. It looked like an overgrown doll's house, rather than the village hut we had been expecting! And we finally had TOILET PAPER and HOT WATER- this probably made both of our weeks! Sad but true!
This was no bad thing, though; we eventually came to realize that village life in the Keralan backwaters is not all about roughing it. Kerala is one of the most successful Indian states, and we believe that the gap is only going to grow with the progression of its youth. Pat and I visited a little tea shop along one of the canals, and found the little boy of the family to be the English translator between us and his (very cute) parents! A sign of how things are changing. We learned from the little boy that his father was a prawn fisherman, who took his prawns in the basket of his bicycle to Alleppey! The mother was an expert at masala chai- the best we've had so far, - and we tried a very yummy savoury spicy doughnut!
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| The family of the tea shop we stopped off at |
Speaking of children, I have to mention all the schoolkids' obsession with PENS! We first encountered this on the ferry over, when we were literally SWAMPED with about 50 schoolchildren, all wanting pens, chocolate and money! I thought the little girls were cutest, until one cheeky little madam emptied her pencilcase and thrust it in front of me asking for 'coin'! One little girl I fell in love with a bit was our host Thomas' 7 year old daughter. She was obsessed with playing cards, but didn't seem to know any games- so I taught her 'snap', and played with her for about an hour. She was damn good by the end- I had to really watch every card!
One of the highlights had to be the morning walk- a 7am start (ouch) but worth every minute! We saw every kind of tree the island has to offer- cocoa trees, trees with teeny tiny bananas (sweeter than the average banana), mango trees, coffee bean trees...it was immense!
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| Our guide blowing bubbles through a plant! Crazy! |
Along one of the smaller canals, we stopped in the house of a lady called Maria, and had an AMAZING breakfast- a steamed, dense cake of rice with a vegetable curry, then shredded coconut wrapped in rice flour and a banana leaf.
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| Our host Maria standing outside her house |
And of course steaming hot chai! I loved our guide, very funny and interesting- and the most amazing teeth! He was guiding to fund his way while trying to make it as a painter- I can obviously relate to that! On the way back, it was time to try some TODDY- very potent smelling and tasting coconut beer! In the morning, the fermented coconut milk has 10% alcohol, but by the evening its gone up to 30/40%! Sitting in the male-only toddy bar, we had our first taste, despite the disgusting vinegar smell. It was the most bizarre thing- it sort of mixed sweet with sour flavours, then had an extra vinegar aftertaste! Not the best beer I've had, but still a cool experience!
Pat and I hired a canoe out for a few hours in the afternoon. We rowed through the tiny canals in beautifully peaceful surroundings, only hearing crickets and the odd calls of 'Hello!' from fishermen and women washing their clothes in the river. Well, it would have been more relaxing if there hadn't been shouts of 'PADDLE HARDER', and 'KEEP PADDLING', behind me- apparently I have a weak technique! Only joking, it was very serene (especially for me- ha!) The sun was beating down as well, which although it made the scenery gleam, made for hot, sweaty work!
On that unsavoury note, I'll wrap up about our village experience. Quick mention for the food- delicious and plentiful! The banana lassi was a particular highlight! Even though it was a little posher than I was expecting, I truly felt that we got a genuine insight into the simple Chennamkary life- which, to my eyes, seems a very happy one! Our host's wife actually shunned her washing machine for washing her clothes in the river, which I think is brilliant- it just shows living the simple life doesn't have to be forced upon you, it can be a choice. Tomorrow we're on the search for houseboats to head back down the backwaters for a day- fingers crossed we can haggle ourselves a good deal! Speak later! xxxx
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