We're back from Chennamkary, the little village in the Keralan backwaters. Had a really relaxed time- but first, I've got to tell you about various friends we made on the buses back to Ernakulam. Well, Pat was the one talking to them as he was sitting in the middle of our three-seater...which turned out to be a blessing in disguise with one of them!
The first guy was very sweet- although he didn't speak a word of English, he still tried to engage Pat in a conversation! Then when Pat would ask him a question, he'd wobble his head, pat Pat's knee and say 'language!' They still managed to communicate though, mostly through expressive hand gestures!! We think he may have been trying to tell us about the area- little did he know that just by trying to tell us, despite the language barrier, he was speaking volumes about the nature of Indians!
After the very sweet man got up for his stop, beaming away, we were joined by a very clean-cut Indian. I heard the beginning of his and Patrick's conversation- I thought he was being especially curious, even for an Indian. Then I kept hearing the words 'religion' and 'knocking on doors'- but then couldn't hear the rest because of busy Kochi traffic. When he got up for his stop, Pat filled me in...you've guessed it, turns out the guy was a Jehovah's Witness trying to convert Pat! Hilarious- you can travel to the other side of the world, but there are some things you just can't escape!
To roam the roads of lands remote/To travel is to live (Hans Christian Andersen)
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Up in the hills of Munnar...
As much as we love the buzz of the cities, both of us have been really craving something a bit more chilled and wild- so Munnar, just a 5 and a half hour ride from Ernakulam, seemed the perfect place to visit next.
We got to take our first public bus, which in a strange way I've actually been looking forward to- the buses here amuse me, with their funny musical horns, fairy lights...and reckless driving. At one point in the journey, Pat said to me 'I'm enjoying this bus ride, mainly 'cos of the fear that everyone seems to be ignoring!' That pretty much sums it up! As we wound up the beautifully lush hills to Munnar, we almost always seemed wincingly close to the edge, although nobody else seemed bothered. And if not to the edge, then to other buses- we had various Matrix-style moments where two buses would abruptly slow and squeeze past each other on a cliff-side road, each bus's passengers having a stare-down before we were whipped down the road again. Lots of fun though- and very cool to travel through all the inland Keralan villages!We also got our first glance of the tea plantations surrounding Munnar, that seemed to go on and on into the horizon.
Our accommodation is probably the best yet. It's a 'homestay'- the family that own it live underneath, and their living room also doubles as the office! The very sweet owner knew the way to our hearts- as soon as we'd put our backpacks down he offered us a 'cold beer'! We're very easily persuaded- especially after an 18 hour journey!
I mentioned before the tea plantations; this is the main reason for visiting Munnar, so we decided to go for a little wander out of town today. As we were walking up one of the hills, stunning views all around, we came across a little 'chai' stall. Here we got chatting to a few Indian men from the local area, who were kind enough to give us their chai's and order more for themselves! One taught English and Maths, and I think the other was an auditor. One thing I love about India already is how warm and infinitely curious the people are. OK, getting beeped at and people shouting 'hello' to you ALL THE TIME can be exhausting, but somehow the excitement in their huge smiles stops you from getting too annoyed- even after the 200th picture!
We head back to Ernakulam tomorrow, then to Alleppey for the night. We're both very excited about Tuesday, when we're going to be staying in a typical Keralan village just 10km from Alleppey. We'll hopefully have the opportunity to go canoeing, cycling around, and learning local crafts! Just the kind of experience we've been waiting for. Will tell you all about it very soon! And thanks very much for reading this far! xxxx
We got to take our first public bus, which in a strange way I've actually been looking forward to- the buses here amuse me, with their funny musical horns, fairy lights...and reckless driving. At one point in the journey, Pat said to me 'I'm enjoying this bus ride, mainly 'cos of the fear that everyone seems to be ignoring!' That pretty much sums it up! As we wound up the beautifully lush hills to Munnar, we almost always seemed wincingly close to the edge, although nobody else seemed bothered. And if not to the edge, then to other buses- we had various Matrix-style moments where two buses would abruptly slow and squeeze past each other on a cliff-side road, each bus's passengers having a stare-down before we were whipped down the road again. Lots of fun though- and very cool to travel through all the inland Keralan villages!We also got our first glance of the tea plantations surrounding Munnar, that seemed to go on and on into the horizon.
Our accommodation is probably the best yet. It's a 'homestay'- the family that own it live underneath, and their living room also doubles as the office! The very sweet owner knew the way to our hearts- as soon as we'd put our backpacks down he offered us a 'cold beer'! We're very easily persuaded- especially after an 18 hour journey!
 |
| Some guys who asked for our photo- so we asked for theirs! |
I mentioned before the tea plantations; this is the main reason for visiting Munnar, so we decided to go for a little wander out of town today. As we were walking up one of the hills, stunning views all around, we came across a little 'chai' stall. Here we got chatting to a few Indian men from the local area, who were kind enough to give us their chai's and order more for themselves! One taught English and Maths, and I think the other was an auditor. One thing I love about India already is how warm and infinitely curious the people are. OK, getting beeped at and people shouting 'hello' to you ALL THE TIME can be exhausting, but somehow the excitement in their huge smiles stops you from getting too annoyed- even after the 200th picture!
 | ||||
| The chai shop where we made some friends |
We head back to Ernakulam tomorrow, then to Alleppey for the night. We're both very excited about Tuesday, when we're going to be staying in a typical Keralan village just 10km from Alleppey. We'll hopefully have the opportunity to go canoeing, cycling around, and learning local crafts! Just the kind of experience we've been waiting for. Will tell you all about it very soon! And thanks very much for reading this far! xxxx
A Few Words on Mangalore...
For a random detour that we'd never really considered visiting, Mangalore turned out to be a pretty interesting stop. One thing I didn't expect was to find a 'studenty' town- there were nursing and physiotherapy institutions everywhere! Although less intense than Mumbai, it still has that Indian city chaotic feel, especially on the roads- I felt sorry for the Michael Jackson wannabe in a white trilby that seemed solely responsible for the daunting task of directing the traffic.
Very tired from a VERY bumpy and loooong bus ride to Mangalore (pot-hole hell on the roads!), we experienced our first auto-rickshaw to the hotel. How those things can go so fast on three wheels, I'll never know- mechanical marvels!
One of our best finds was the bar 'Liquid Lounge', where all the cool kids (except us) hang out. Not the most quintessentially Indian place we went to, admittedly- when we walked at 7pm in they were pumping 'Insomnia' by Faithless at club volume, even though there was no dance floor in sight. It was here that we caved to Western food finally- those damn French fries. As much as we love the spice, there's only so much our tummies can handle!
Speaking of food, I have to give a special mention to the seafood cuisine- delicious! Pat's 'crab masala fry' proved a little tricky to eat- he still sustains some cuts from having to open the shells with his bare hands! I tried the typically Mangalorean 'kane', or 'ladyfish', just because I wanted to see what was so ladylike about it. Turns out not much- just three little fishes that looked like they'd been caught 10 minutes previously. Good job I've gotten over my fish-head phobia!
We also found out why we haven't been able to get to Kerala- it's the Muslim holiday of Eid this weekend (the end of Ramadam), so all students/holidays headed out of town to celebrate. This seems to be a very exciting time to be in India- lots of festivals going on all over the country. We got to see a sweet night-time procession down the street, with about 50 people pulling a float of.....a Muslim statue (I didn't get to find out who!)
So! There's Mangalore...more musings on Munnar in a mo! xxx
Very tired from a VERY bumpy and loooong bus ride to Mangalore (pot-hole hell on the roads!), we experienced our first auto-rickshaw to the hotel. How those things can go so fast on three wheels, I'll never know- mechanical marvels!
One of our best finds was the bar 'Liquid Lounge', where all the cool kids (except us) hang out. Not the most quintessentially Indian place we went to, admittedly- when we walked at 7pm in they were pumping 'Insomnia' by Faithless at club volume, even though there was no dance floor in sight. It was here that we caved to Western food finally- those damn French fries. As much as we love the spice, there's only so much our tummies can handle!
Speaking of food, I have to give a special mention to the seafood cuisine- delicious! Pat's 'crab masala fry' proved a little tricky to eat- he still sustains some cuts from having to open the shells with his bare hands! I tried the typically Mangalorean 'kane', or 'ladyfish', just because I wanted to see what was so ladylike about it. Turns out not much- just three little fishes that looked like they'd been caught 10 minutes previously. Good job I've gotten over my fish-head phobia!
We also found out why we haven't been able to get to Kerala- it's the Muslim holiday of Eid this weekend (the end of Ramadam), so all students/holidays headed out of town to celebrate. This seems to be a very exciting time to be in India- lots of festivals going on all over the country. We got to see a sweet night-time procession down the street, with about 50 people pulling a float of.....a Muslim statue (I didn't get to find out who!)
So! There's Mangalore...more musings on Munnar in a mo! xxx
Friday, 10 September 2010
Finallly off to Kerala...
...leaving Mangalore tonight, on Overnight Jolty Bus Journey #3 (because we apparently can't get enough of them.) Wish us luck- see you in Ernakulam, Kerala! xxx
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
A Short but Sweet Stop in Goa...
Well well well, its been a v hectic couple of days since I last wrote- mainly spent on crazy overnight bus journeys! I'll begin with the one from Mumbai to Goa...
It didn't exactly get off to the greatest start- we were on there 2 minutes when we were told that the bus had no wipers. In monsoon season. Great! The bus was then an hour and a half late taking off- when Pat went to investigate, he saw the driver taking the battery from a smaller bus to our one.My faith in the bus was ever increasing. But, 14 hours later, no doubt by some intervention with fate, we made it to Panaji, the capital of Goa- exhausted, but relieved to be alive!
Then came Close Brush With Death #3- crossing the roads from the bus station. After being stuck on a roundabout for 15mins, we decided to copy the Indian method of 'just cross and hope for the best'.Luckily, we found accommodation quickly, and at a bargain price- only 200 rupees a night! We soon found out why it was so cheap- the toilets were truly GRIM (I won't go into why!)- but hey, it was a place to lay our heads for the night.
Today was the day that were were booking our trains to Kerala- or so we thought. As it stands, we STILL haven't got a way of getting there! All the trains are booked out, which means we'd be on a 'waiting list' (still a little unsure of what this means...). Hence why we've made this random detour to Mangalore- we don't mind though, it seems like a slightly smaller, less dirty version of Mumbai, and random detours are all part of the fun, right?? Besides,we get to try the Mangalorean seafood cuisine, which is meant to be unbelieveable!
ANYWAY, back to Goa! Sorry for sidetracking! After a looong first day in Panaji,and discovering there was some sort of Indian party in the room next door, we decided to de-stress in the Top Gear pub down the road. Sadly, no Jeremy Clarkson or Richard Hammond in sight, but it was a very COSY little place- there were 6 people in there (including us),and lets just say 4 more people would have made it decidedly cramped! So Pat and I shared a Kingfisher pitcher and chatted to the English couple and Indian businessmen about everything and anything, then once they had gone to the Indian owner about Indians' extraordinary ability with language. On a completely random note, I find it bizarre how Kingfisher is both a type of beer and an airline- its a bit like having Carlsberg Airlines (which would probably be the best airline in the world, right? Ha!)
As we set out the next day with very sore backs (I think it would have been more comfortable sleeping on the floor!), we found an old Indian man trailing us, saying 'Hello? Hello?' Thinking he was going to be one of the many who ask if we want a 'taxi?', we automatically said 'no thank you' and quickened our step. However, he soon caught us up and said 'Where are you from? Do you have any stamps?' He turned out to be a collector of foreign stamps, and just wanted us to send him some stamps from Canada and the UK? Such a sweet man- v curious about what we did back home. He then proceeded to write down his address, a strict instruction to only call between the hours of 10pm and 11pm (wonder what he does the rest of the time?)and ended with the words 'God Bless You!' He was so nice that I actually felt a little choked walking away from him! I will definitely send him some stamps!
My first Indian post office experience was also a funny one! We went to but a box to send one of my bags home, but were told in no uncertain terms that it was past the 'box buying hour'(which is 3pm, apparently,just so you all know). Equally confused and bemused by this, we headed down the road to a 'parcel packing' shop- a quaint,musty smelling place with old typewriters and pictures of Jesus on the wall! My standard idea of a parcel is brown paper with lots of duct tape- but no no, not in India! I wondered what was taking so long, when the little Indian shop owner presented me with my bag in a little cotton sleeping bag he had just made and sewn up! Very cute- just like a pillow!
I'm sure I'm beginning to bore you so I'll wrap up the Goa chapter. Final thoughts on Panaji? A very quaint, brightly painted little town (although its Goa's capital city, it doesn't feel big) with cobbled streets, LOTS of scooters EVERYWHERE, and lush trees surrounding the river. It was surreal seeing such a Portuguese influence- for example we headed to the 'farmacia' to get some Strepsils! Glad we stopped there though- needed a but more of a chilled place after Mumbai!
Just one more Indian encounter before I sign off. While we were waiting for the bus, we had the usual fan club gather around us- especially women who'd smile shyly and mutter 'how are you?' The meeting that really made me smile was a group of guys that came up to us, explaining they were from Gujarat- they seemed incredulous that Pat was from Canada! They kept repeating 'CA-NA-DA?' all the way to the bus, then even when they were on the bus they were still talking about it! Funny stuff!
Anyway- enough from me. I will write soon about our very jolty Mangalore bus journey and Kerala experience soon (if we ever find a way there!). I'll hopefully put some pictures up soon too. Namaste! xxxx
It didn't exactly get off to the greatest start- we were on there 2 minutes when we were told that the bus had no wipers. In monsoon season. Great! The bus was then an hour and a half late taking off- when Pat went to investigate, he saw the driver taking the battery from a smaller bus to our one.My faith in the bus was ever increasing. But, 14 hours later, no doubt by some intervention with fate, we made it to Panaji, the capital of Goa- exhausted, but relieved to be alive!
 |
| One of the tiny Panaji streets |
Then came Close Brush With Death #3- crossing the roads from the bus station. After being stuck on a roundabout for 15mins, we decided to copy the Indian method of 'just cross and hope for the best'.Luckily, we found accommodation quickly, and at a bargain price- only 200 rupees a night! We soon found out why it was so cheap- the toilets were truly GRIM (I won't go into why!)- but hey, it was a place to lay our heads for the night.
Today was the day that were were booking our trains to Kerala- or so we thought. As it stands, we STILL haven't got a way of getting there! All the trains are booked out, which means we'd be on a 'waiting list' (still a little unsure of what this means...). Hence why we've made this random detour to Mangalore- we don't mind though, it seems like a slightly smaller, less dirty version of Mumbai, and random detours are all part of the fun, right?? Besides,we get to try the Mangalorean seafood cuisine, which is meant to be unbelieveable!
ANYWAY, back to Goa! Sorry for sidetracking! After a looong first day in Panaji,and discovering there was some sort of Indian party in the room next door, we decided to de-stress in the Top Gear pub down the road. Sadly, no Jeremy Clarkson or Richard Hammond in sight, but it was a very COSY little place- there were 6 people in there (including us),and lets just say 4 more people would have made it decidedly cramped! So Pat and I shared a Kingfisher pitcher and chatted to the English couple and Indian businessmen about everything and anything, then once they had gone to the Indian owner about Indians' extraordinary ability with language. On a completely random note, I find it bizarre how Kingfisher is both a type of beer and an airline- its a bit like having Carlsberg Airlines (which would probably be the best airline in the world, right? Ha!)
As we set out the next day with very sore backs (I think it would have been more comfortable sleeping on the floor!), we found an old Indian man trailing us, saying 'Hello? Hello?' Thinking he was going to be one of the many who ask if we want a 'taxi?', we automatically said 'no thank you' and quickened our step. However, he soon caught us up and said 'Where are you from? Do you have any stamps?' He turned out to be a collector of foreign stamps, and just wanted us to send him some stamps from Canada and the UK? Such a sweet man- v curious about what we did back home. He then proceeded to write down his address, a strict instruction to only call between the hours of 10pm and 11pm (wonder what he does the rest of the time?)and ended with the words 'God Bless You!' He was so nice that I actually felt a little choked walking away from him! I will definitely send him some stamps!
My first Indian post office experience was also a funny one! We went to but a box to send one of my bags home, but were told in no uncertain terms that it was past the 'box buying hour'(which is 3pm, apparently,just so you all know). Equally confused and bemused by this, we headed down the road to a 'parcel packing' shop- a quaint,musty smelling place with old typewriters and pictures of Jesus on the wall! My standard idea of a parcel is brown paper with lots of duct tape- but no no, not in India! I wondered what was taking so long, when the little Indian shop owner presented me with my bag in a little cotton sleeping bag he had just made and sewn up! Very cute- just like a pillow!
I'm sure I'm beginning to bore you so I'll wrap up the Goa chapter. Final thoughts on Panaji? A very quaint, brightly painted little town (although its Goa's capital city, it doesn't feel big) with cobbled streets, LOTS of scooters EVERYWHERE, and lush trees surrounding the river. It was surreal seeing such a Portuguese influence- for example we headed to the 'farmacia' to get some Strepsils! Glad we stopped there though- needed a but more of a chilled place after Mumbai!
 |
| A guy just sleeping by the roadside- a pretty common sight in Panaji |
Just one more Indian encounter before I sign off. While we were waiting for the bus, we had the usual fan club gather around us- especially women who'd smile shyly and mutter 'how are you?' The meeting that really made me smile was a group of guys that came up to us, explaining they were from Gujarat- they seemed incredulous that Pat was from Canada! They kept repeating 'CA-NA-DA?' all the way to the bus, then even when they were on the bus they were still talking about it! Funny stuff!
 |
| Our very cosy sleeper bus! |
Anyway- enough from me. I will write soon about our very jolty Mangalore bus journey and Kerala experience soon (if we ever find a way there!). I'll hopefully put some pictures up soon too. Namaste! xxxx
Sunday, 5 September 2010
A poem I wrote...
...upon meeting a beggar on a Colaba sidestreet:
The Walking Skeleton
From the restaurant doors
Sweet aromas creep-
Food some can afford,
Others only in sleep.
Both starving, we rush-
'This place looks a delight!'-
But hungry fingers clutch
My flesh, plump and white.
'Namaste!' he says
And wiggles his head-
As I shiver in the face
Of the living dead.
Sharp breath- I turn
Towards the light,
And leave him to creep
Back into night-
And let tastes so sweet
Overpower my sight.
The Walking Skeleton
From the restaurant doors
Sweet aromas creep-
Food some can afford,
Others only in sleep.
Both starving, we rush-
'This place looks a delight!'-
But hungry fingers clutch
My flesh, plump and white.
'Namaste!' he says
And wiggles his head-
As I shiver in the face
Of the living dead.
Sharp breath- I turn
Towards the light,
And leave him to creep
Back into night-
And let tastes so sweet
Overpower my sight.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Other Mental Mumbai Moments...
Oh, there have been a few..I'll try and keep it short!
That first night we had guests in our room- bedbugs. We'd been lucky enough to avoid them in Australia (narrowly), so I guess we were owed the compulsory cameo appearance.
Needless to say, we scarpered out of that hotel pretty sharpish the next morning!! After a breakfast of SWEET scrambled eggs (with raisins and nuts- who knew that would work?!), we went shopping in Colaba, where I had my first haggling experience! I was so proud when I got him down from 250 rupees to 200- until I wore it for more than an hour, and managed to rip it pretty badly. Dammit!
We headed back to the Gateway to India, where once again our white faces were the new tourist attraction. This time, a few Indian tourists asked to have their photo taken with us. That was fine- a little surreal, but fine- but then a few more groups came. Then a few families with young children. Then a few professional photographers...It was all starting to get a little crazy, so when we got 2 seconds we upped and left. After shaking off a few more tourists wanting photos, a VERY persistent woman (tying bracelets around our wrists and asking for 'bread for the children'), and various 'balloon-wallahs' (men who sell man-sized balloons with paint speckled on them- and look at you incredulously when you don't want one), we finally headed home. In the evening we tried 'dosas' for the first time- delicious!
All the madness has taken its toll on us a little bit today- a very slow As much as I'm growing to love Mumbai, I'm very much looking forward to a chilled out few days in Goa. Although we've got a 12 hour night-time bus ride first.... See you there! xxxxx
That first night we had guests in our room- bedbugs. We'd been lucky enough to avoid them in Australia (narrowly), so I guess we were owed the compulsory cameo appearance.
Needless to say, we scarpered out of that hotel pretty sharpish the next morning!! After a breakfast of SWEET scrambled eggs (with raisins and nuts- who knew that would work?!), we went shopping in Colaba, where I had my first haggling experience! I was so proud when I got him down from 250 rupees to 200- until I wore it for more than an hour, and managed to rip it pretty badly. Dammit!
We headed back to the Gateway to India, where once again our white faces were the new tourist attraction. This time, a few Indian tourists asked to have their photo taken with us. That was fine- a little surreal, but fine- but then a few more groups came. Then a few families with young children. Then a few professional photographers...It was all starting to get a little crazy, so when we got 2 seconds we upped and left. After shaking off a few more tourists wanting photos, a VERY persistent woman (tying bracelets around our wrists and asking for 'bread for the children'), and various 'balloon-wallahs' (men who sell man-sized balloons with paint speckled on them- and look at you incredulously when you don't want one), we finally headed home. In the evening we tried 'dosas' for the first time- delicious!
All the madness has taken its toll on us a little bit today- a very slow As much as I'm growing to love Mumbai, I'm very much looking forward to a chilled out few days in Goa. Although we've got a 12 hour night-time bus ride first.... See you there! xxxxx
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