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Southern India Trip |
Posted:
Jan 30, 2003 10:17 AM |
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Okay
everyone, I'm done fooling around. This post will be the truth (with some
possible exaggerations). It will be from the second half of my trip, which
includes the Southern India states of Karanatika, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
And, it will be in a different format than before; organized by places
rather than topic or strictly chronological. I will begin where I left off
in Goa. Please forgive me in advance for any misspellings of place names!
OLD GOA - On the way to the Margao train station, my I had my driver take me
to Old Goa. Goa is the one Indian state that has a majority of Christians.
But, it still felt like I was in a Hindu culture. There were statues of Mary
and the saints everywhere, shrines on the roadsides, and even small shrines
with flashing lights on the buses and in the taxis. All of these shrines
were wreathed with garlands of flowers and other offerings. It is like the
Goans traded their belief in reincarnation for that of only one life, and
that they traded idols of their gods for new ones.
IN TRANSIT - TRAIN TO BANGALORE - Transportation in India is better than any
other country that I have seen. It is so easy and cheap to get around the
country. My favorite are the trains. In the trains, you get to see the
landscape pass by in relative comfort and without crowding. They are smooth
enough to sleep comfortably, and cheap (this night train was more than 12
hours, and cost $6). There were only two train platforms so, of course, the
train took off from the one other than announced! It climbed beautifully
away from the ocean into the hill country, going beneath a huge waterfall on
the way to Londa. In Londa, I waited a few hours for the connecting night
train to Bangalore. It was 2 hours late, but somehow got to Bangalore a half
hour early.
BANGALORE - Bangalore is the technology capitol of India. You can find
ANYTHING in this city. It is the capitol of the state Karnatika, and the
fifth largest city in the country. It is also listed as a nuke target for
Pakistan. The amount of people in India is astounding. I have been in the
five largest metro areas of India; as well as Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong,
Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. The combined population of these 11
cities alone means that I was in close proximity to over 100 million people
in the past year. If I count the smaller cities, and numerous towns and
villages, I could easily have been within 15 miles of the entire population
equivalent of the U.S.A. India has a billion people, and the estimates now
are that it will pass up China in the year 2011. Back to Bangalore. I met my
friend, Shiva there. He is the computer teacher from my school in Leh, and
is originally from Bangalore. As he knows South India, and as he is short of
funds, I had promised him lodging, travel and meal expense for him to show
me around. With his command of all these languages, I'm pretty sure that he
saved me more than I spent on him. He got very good prices almost
everywhere. In Bangalore, I visited his friends in a suburb that live on a
sort of commune and spend their time drinking, smoking, and using marijuana.
The conversation that day was VERY repetative and boring. But, it was only
one afternoon and evening. We then dropped off my film at a camera store,
ordered a crate of mangos to be shipped to Leh in May and a few other things
before leaving town.
IN TRANSIT - BUS TO MYSORE - I've talked about the trains, so now let me
talk about the buses. These are amazing! There are so many buses going
anywhere, that we NEVER had to wait more than 30 minutes for a public bus.
And, they are cheaper than trains. I enjoyed the buses because they got into
the villages where you could see the "real" people and culture. This, Shiva
had promised me. The down side of buses, is that they are hot and crowded. I
had to get used to standing, and to people pressing against me. All buses
require two people. The first, of course, is the driver. All he does is
drive. The other guy is the conductor, and he really runs things. He
whistles loudly once for the driver to stop and let someone off, and
whistles twice for the driver to take off again. While the bus is moving, he
shifts throughout the bus collecting money from people and finding out where
they need to get off. At bus stops, he is hollaring the destination of the
bus, so that if someone is headed that way, they will come running. Once
they are on the bus, he whistles twice and the bus is off. The buses are
noisy with people talking the whole time, and most drivers lay on the horn,
which is a lot louder than those in the states.
SOMNATHPUR - On the way to Mysore, we spent a couple of hours in Somnathpur.
Here, is the place where three rivers meet, each having a different color.
Sunset here was spectacular. It was here that Shiva dumped the ashes of his
father. Nearby was the summer palace of one of the Maharajas (Tipu Sultan),
as well as his assassination site and a mosque.
MYSORE - We got to Mysore on the afternoon of the 14th. This place is
probably the "must-see" place in the whole state of Karnatika. Just outside
of town, there is a hill that is a thousand feet above the city (900,000
people, or as Indians say "9 Lakh people" - they notate "lakh's" like this:
1,00,000). Great views of the city from the temple at the top of the hill.
There were many people there, as there is a harvest festival going on. A
lady goddess is in charge at that temple. We took a bus up there, and walked
down. On the way down, I visited with a lady who teaches at GW high school
on Guam. There is a huge stone bull a third of the way down. Probably the
best thing to see in Mysore is the Royal Palace. This place impressed me
much more than the Taj Mahal! It was huge, and virtually every square foot
was either carved fancy, painted or inlaid with silver, marble, ivory or
something else. Many chandeliers, and much painted or stained glass. Huge
wall murals of specticals. Portraits of the maharajah's and their families
that ruled (puppets under the British). The zoo in Mysore was also
excellent, and as large and much better than the one I saw in Mumbai
(Bombay). Here, a black panther was fighting a leopard. And, three chimps
climbed a high tree for a better view of some cows being run over hot coals
as some kind of harvest festival activity. The other site we saw was the
Brindavan Gardens. North of town, they are near a huge reservoir. At night,
the gardens and numerous fountains are lit up with colored lights. The royal
palace mentioned earlier also was lit up.
IN TRANSIT - BUS TO KOZHIKODE - We caught the night bus to Kozhikode (Calicut)
after sightseeing a full day in Mysore. The road was narrow, being about one
lane wide. So, we were constantly driving onto the shoulder with big bumps
off and on. I didn't sleep well! But, with a near full moon out, we could
see some beautiful countryside as we passed through a wildlife sanctuary.
About midnight, we passed from Karnatika state into Kerala. The language
changed, and so did the script. It is also a form of sanscrit, as all these
languages are, but it was obvious in that the script was very circular and
not as angular. As we descended to the coast, the road got better, but more
curvy. So, we still didn't sleep well. We got to Kozhikode at 3AM and got a
hotel.
KOZHIKODE - Nothing to see here really, so we moved on.
IN TRANSIT - BUS TO THRISSUR - Pretty ride through banana plantations,
coconut plantations and rice fields. Also many villages. Kerala has the
third highest population density in India. No huge cities, but an almost
constant village in places.
THRISSUR - Got a hotel there, where we had some great fish curry. Spent an
afternoon sightseeing, and that was all that was really needed. Saw a zoo
there that wasn't too good, but respectable for a smaller city like this. We
also saw an art gallery and another museum. This museum had pottery that was
cracked, an insect display minus half the wings, paintings that were ripped,
and other things that were in disrepair.
IN TRANSIT - BUS TO ERNAKULAM - We caught an early morning bus to Ernakulam,
also called Kochi and Cochin. Same as the last bus, and pretty.
ERNAKULAM/COCHIN - After Mysore, this was the first place really worth
seeing. We took a ferry boat over to Fort Cochin Penninsula. Here, we saw a
couple fancy Catholic churches, as well as a Jewish synagogue that was very
simple. But, what was best were the Chinese fishing nets. These are about 25
feet square and counter-balanced with ropes and rocks. It takes 4 men to
raise or lower the net. When the net is up, a guy takes a hand net and
scoops out any fish or prawns that fall to the bottom of the net which they
can reach. Then, those same men lower the net, with one walking up the main
beam using his body to counter-balance and lower the net again. Shiva and I
bought crabs and prawns and paid someone else to cook them. Our driver over
here only charged us 20 rupees (40cents). In exchange, he took us to 2
Kashmiri showrooms. The price here for a 3 X 5 foot silk on cotton carpet
was quoted as $2,700. In Leh, I can get them less than $500. In the U.S.,
you'll find these going for 4 thousand dollars! Cochin is also the spice
coast of India. I went into a spice shop and got several kinds of spices to
bring back with me, and for the kitchen that Shiva and I have. Back on
Ernakulam, Shiva and I saw a very fine south Indian dance. It was good,
because the narrator first explained what it was all about. They have very
elaborate costumes and make-up, and use their facial gestures and hands very
effectively. We also caught a temple celebration on the last day where
elephants were decorated up with fancy headdresses. In a nearby park were
fireworks and a stage with Hindi musicians. The other thing that we did out
of Ernakulam was a backwater boat tour. This 7-hour tour turned out to be 9
hours, and was worth it. We saw locals dredging the channels by hand. They
use the sand as a building material, making it into brick. Others were
fishing or pushing pole boats. Our stops included ones at a spice
plantation, and one at a family's house that was making rope from coconut
fibre. Very fascinating. Shiva was asking questions from the locals, as he
knows the language, and was giving information to our tour group as much as
our official guide. Our tour group included people from Germany, Holland,
Israel, England and New Zealand. The four English were on a round-the-world
sailing excursion, and told interesting stories.
IN TRANSIT - BUS TO THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - After our boat tour, we took a
night bus to Thiruvananthapuram, which is near the southern end of Kerala.
More of the same, but it was easier to sleep on this night bus than the last
one.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (TRIVANDRUM) - Thankfully, the hotels here all have 24
hour check-out. This entire trip we were checking in and out of places at
all hours of the day and night. This one we checked into at 5AM, and out of
at mid-afternoon. This city is famous for its Horse Palace, which was fancy
but on a smaller scale than the one at Mysore. The most famous raja was Raja
Ravi Varma. He was also a musician, composer, and painter. His paintings,
which we saw in an art museum here, are world-class. Raja Ravi's works were
featured at the Columbian Exhibition in the United States around 1898.
IN TRANSIT - RICKSHAW TO KOVALAM BEACH - We took an auto-rickshaw the 20
kilometers out here. Rickshaws are the third form of transportation, and we
rode them in every city we were in. This was the only long-distance rickshaw
we went in, because he gave us a good rate. Rickshaws are like 3-wheeled
motorcycles with a back seat that can fit 3 people (or 2 with luggage).
There is a canvass roof over the top that keeps out monsoon rains in summer.
Rickshaw drivers are fierce drivers. They weave in and out of traffic with
the best, and seldom give way to other drivers. And, they know the exact
width and length of their vehicle, often cutting things as close as a
centimeter or two! They use their horns as often as buses or trucks, as
well. And, they are found ALL OVER INDIA. You can always find one on almost
any city street to take you anyplace. Great for when not near a bus stop,
don't have the time to wait for a bus, or want to request a specific
location without waiting for the bus to constantly start and stop letting
people on and off. In Kerala, the rickshaw drivers used meters, and were
reasonable. In Tamil Nadu later on, they refused to use the meters and
dictated prices to some extent.
KOVALAM BEACH - I liked this beach better than Goa. It was touristy, but the
seafood was better, the waves were better, and we could rent paddle boards.
I was often able to ride waves on these boards right up to the sand at the
water's edge. We swam for 4 hours one afternoon, and another 3 the next
morning. Yes, I got a sunburn!
IN TRANSIT - TAXI TO KANNIYAKUMARI - We caught a rickshaw back to
Thiruvananthapuram. At the bus station, we met a guy who had just dropped
off a fare there, and was desperate for a return fare to Kanniyakumari. So,
for $6, we got a taxi right away and didn't have to wait for the bus. When
we crossed into Tamil Nadu state, the language again changed, and the script
became less circular and more elongated. Many people on this stretch, and
some beautiful hills and cliffs above the road. Shiva bought 4 varieties of
bananas for me to sample. Some were small, some were large, some were fat,
some were thin, some were sweet, some had an after-taste. It was amazing all
the varieties of bananas.
KANNIYAKUMARI - This city is at the very southern tip of India. We paid the
most for this hotel, as we had a balcony view of the sunrise where the
Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and Bay of Bengal all meet. Fantastic! Offshore
are two small rock islands. We took a boat out to them. On the first was a
huge 150 foot statue of Swami Vivekananda, a Hindu philosopher who also was
a guru in the states. I bought some of his literature, and am not impressed
so far. The second island houses a small temple and meditation site. This
would have been good, except for the ladies with their loud voices that kept
anyone from actually meditating! On the line waiting for the boat to take us
back, I was singled out (white skin) to fill out a comment card survey.
Then, of course, I was asked for a donation. An official way of begging. I
might as well talk about beggars in India. They do not starve, even though
their standard of living is low. It bothers me when they ignore Indians and
walk up to foreigners, especially in tourist areas. I made the mistake of
giving a coin only once. It was at a train station, and the very next thing
the beggar did after thanking me was to light up a joint! After that, I
ignored beggars that approached mainly foreigners. Those that looked like
they were in need, I bought or gave a little food to. One beggar later in
the journey kept begging, even after I had given her a banana! I had Shiva
explain "food, yes, rupees, no" in her language. The other thing we saw here
was the shore temple. Not really impressive to me. The thali lunch was,
though. Thali's are the standard meal in India, and every city has its own
version. It includes either rice or a kind of bread, and about 4 or 5 kinds
of dipping gravies. These are usually poured over the rice. It is made into
a mash then and eaten with hands.
IN TRANSIT - BUS TO RAMESWARAM - Hell on wheels. It was a night bus for 9
hours, and I slept maybe 1. Road was horrible, the bus was hot and crowded,
and many people (driver and conductor included) knew each other and talked
loudly. Everyone in India talks loudly. We arrived at 5AM.
RAMESWARAM - We took a rickshaw out to Dhanushkodi, which is the last
village before Sri Lanka. There used to be a road connecting the two
countries here, but the bridge is under water now, and the road in this area
is covered by sand dunes. Still, we had an okay sunset from the beach here.
Back in the main city, we saw the huge temple. All of the South Indian
temples are very large, and are something out of an Indiana Jones movie.
This one was no exception. The main thing about this one is that there are
22 stations with water tanks or wells. At each station, the pilgrims lower
buckets to fill with holy water, which they pour over their heads. They then
move on to another station. We also had some time to relax at the beach in
Rameswaram.
IN TRANSIT - TRAIN TO MADURAI - Beautiful train ride. The first part had
views of ocean on both sides of the tracks, as we were on a narrow
penninsula. Later, it widened out and we saw rice fields with wild pea****s
in them.
MADURAI - A great temple here. Probably the largest and most famous temple
in South India. Madurai was the traditional capitol of this whole area. But,
being a non-Hindu, I was not allowed into the inner sanctums of the temple.
Even without that, it was impressive. We also saw an excellent Ghandi
museum, telling about his life, and about the struggle for Indian
independence. Madurai, though, was a cheating town. Rickshaws had a racket
going here. And, for the second time, I had a tour operator cheat me. This
time, I was unable to get the refund.
IN TRANSIT - BUS TO KODAIKKANAL - We paid 300 rupees for a luxury bus at
2:00 to this hill station. After waiting until 4:30, we were led to the
public station, wasting 2 hours and 2/3 the cost for what we paid. If we
knew this, we would have paid 100 rupees to begin with and saved those 2
hours. This is the tour operator that cheated us' fault.
KODAIKKANAL - This is a hill station that lies about 7000 feet above sea
level. Very cool up here during the hot months, and a little cold at night
in January. But, the views from up here were very nice, and it was a welcome
change from the larger cities and crowds. We took a tour of the parks,
forests, and overlooks.
IN TRANSIT - BUS BACK TO MADURAI - Nothing remarkable. This time, we got
what we paid for. And, as it left earlier, we got the views on the descent.
MADURAI - We got out of here as quickly as possible after arguing
unsuccessfully with that tour guy.
IN TRANSIT - BUS TO PONDICHERRY - Much better than the last night bus. I
slept almost the entire 9 hours, and woke up in Pondicherry near sunrise.
Checked into a place at 5:30 AM.
PONDICHERRY - Peaceful city that was once French owned. In fact, virtually
every other tourist was French, and the locals still speak that language.
This town is famous for the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, named for its founder.
It's co-founder "The Mother" lived to be 93 years old, and I bought one of
her books of fables and moral-ending stories. I haven't read it yet. We also
saw a pretty good museum, a Ghandi statue, and an art museum, as well as a
beautiful church.
IN TRANSIT - BUS TO MAMALLAPURAM - Afternoon bus, that had good views.
MAMALLAPURAM - Nice beach, but not as nice as Kovalam. Still, it was good to
get one last afternoon, and one last morning of swimming in. As an added
benefit, this city has a set of granite rock carvings similar to the caves
at Elephanta and Ajanta. But, instead of being in dark caves, they are wall
panels quite often being exposed to daylight, making for very good photos.
Vendors were a real pain in this city. They don't realize what "no" means.
They just bring their price down. I started bargaining at "1" rupee and not
raising my price. That worked!
IN TRANSIT - BUS TO KANCHIPURAM - An early evening bus that was uneventful.
KANCHIPURAM - This place has dozens of temples. Shiva and I went to six or
seven of the more important ones. I won't even try to spell all those names,
although I have them written down in my journal. Kanchipuram also is known
for their ladies silk sarees, which they make here and embroider with real
gold thread. Beautiful!!! Shiva's sister lives here, as well, so we visited
her and got stuffed with excillent Tamil food.
IN TRANSIT - BUS TO BANGALORE - Our last travel leg was the night bus back
here. Again, I was able to sleep most of the way. And, again I checked into
a hotel at 5:30AM. That is okay because I have to check out at 5:30AM
tomorrow in order to catch a plane to Delhi.
BANGALORE - Today was spent getting pictures and slides that I had dropped
off, a USB cable for my digital camera, two games (a British style monopoly
and clue games), books and other things. Now, I head back to Delhi and Leh.
Two more treks to go before school begins again for me!
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I Love the Mountains |
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