Tatz's Travels Around the World

Last night the day ended with my having a real Keralan massage so my body was re-energized from all the sitting in the car. Therefore I started today by taking an early morning walk on the beach, regretting that I didn’t swim yesterday.  The romance of the upcoming walk was destroyed as I passed remnants of Diwali fireworks and litter on the harrowing path over broken rocks and sandbag steps down to the beach. 

My first view, which didn’t help my mood, was seeing crows fighting over a fish carcass.  However, my mood started slowly changing as I observed animal behavior when the birds froze because I was near.  I froze as well to see what will happen. Slowly, one brave bird started picking at the carcass. As I continued to stand frozen in my spot, the others inched forward and returned to their fight for dominance.

My communication with the birds continued as the white birds on the beach, with their thin legs and yellow claws, gracefully take a step from me as I take a step towards them. Sideways steps didn’t seem to frighten them as much as forward steps.  My quasi-scientific experiment indicated that 20 feet is the safe zone between me and the birds. Anything closer and they fly away!

In the end, the power of the sand between my toes and the warm water rushing over my feet overcame the gloominess of my initial walk.  I started enjoying the beach, the water, the birds, and my creativity soared as I took photos with my phone.  It was a magical time.

A virgin beach has beautiful patterns of wave painted lines, and swirls.

I spent some time at the large rock which was covered with mussels mostly picked clean by the birds, but some mussels seem to still be closed and hanging on for dear life.

Then my hour is up and it is time to return to the hotel for the car ride to our next destination. As I turn around to walk back I see human footprints marring the beauty of the sand and I get pissed off, only to realize they were mine!

By this time the lone lifeguard is sitting on the beach with his red flag. I was able to confirm the water was too rough because the one time a wave went up to my knees, I was almost knocked over. I also saw a second person on the beach, so it was clearly time to leave!

My final moment of joy was seeing the bird prints frozen in the tide pool, along with a lone jellyfish with swarming mini minnows around it.

Of course, with my mood restored the way back doesn’t seem as ominous as it was on the way down, and I quickly walk to the hotel. On the way I notice even the fancy hotel has sandbags at the bottom of the steps, clearly protecting from the elements and high tide and not a cheap set of stairs. I even saw some beauty amongst the rubble and snapped some photos. Life is really all about one’s attitude!

As we waited to check out, I finally saw the offending peacock who has been screeching consistently over the whole time I have been at this hotel.  While he did not cooperate by showing me his tail, I did see him fly down plus was able to get some shots of him making his annoying sound.

For today’s journey we left the State of Kerala and entered Tamil so that I could stand on the very southern tip of India. One interesting tidbit is that while in Kerala the temples are colorful, in Tamil they are white.

We arrived at the town where Thiruvallivar and Vikekanantha Rock are located, and on the way to the beach we stopped to have fresh coconut, where I found out there are different types of coconut – both in flavor and consistency inside.

The actual tip of India are these two islands, one with a temple on it and one with a huge statue (closed for renovation). One takes a ferry to the island but we opted against it mainly due to the huge lines to get there and return. Thinking this was the only place to get a good photo of the islands, I started walking towards the shore. The guard called us and said only those with tickets can be here. So Zeeshan went to get the ticket (less than $1) and we went through. The guy just wouldn’t understand that we didn’t want to go on the boat and we weren’t gonna go in that alleyway where the boat line is. Finally the Russian of me took over and I just went and took my photos with Zeeshan doing his magic, chatting with the guy. After all that, later there were much better views of the islands!

After that exchange, I calmed down and was able to enjoy the moment of standing at the very tip of India!!

Because this is where three waters meet (Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Indian Ocean) it is an auspicious place, so many people were taking a dip for good luck. As the temperature was 88F with a clear sky and bright sun, when someone splashed in the water, the sound was so refreshing I was tempted to jump in but refrained!

Being a highly touristy location meant there were many stores and stalls. We bought some absolutely delicious pineapple, although being Southern India we had to stop the man from putting spicy Masumma on it!

There were fortune tellers and for a lark I decided to have my fortune told. The bird chooses the card and then the fortune is read. He had an English translation which made absolutely no sense. If anyone can figure it out, let me know!

Then it was time for lunch. I very much wanted seafood, being this close to the water, so we went to a restaurant that very prominently advertised seafood everyday. This turned out to be false advertising to the extreme: sign says fresh seafood every day. Yet no fish. Cocktail menu. No cocktails. Very much the shades of the Soviet Union: full menu but only a few choices. The chicken was very tasty and the biriyani was actually too spicy for Biju! But there was an amazing view, so it was worth it!

Then it was time to head back. This is a good time to share a few observations about Kerala. First, there is the open attitude to all religions, and the way towers dominate roadsides. There were many of these Hindu and Christian towers all over, with statues inside to commemorate and pray to. Oddly enough, when I looked at my photos, I only saved the Christian ones, but trust me, there were Hindu ones as well. I also saw many mosques. While the Jewish temple was limited to Cochin, what I wrote there symbolizes the tolerance I have heard about in this State.

I will also take this opportunity to share Bijou speaking in the local dialect, which was so melodious. I always enjoyed listening to it.

Another interesting tidbit was how dresses were sold – the same dress displayed in various sizes.

Being Asia – rice paddies of course!

Here are some other roadside observations:

We then arrived at one of my favorite destinations: The Padmanabhapuram Palace and Museum of Antiquities. This wooden palace is located in the state of Tamil but is managed by the Keralan government, because the Travancore royal family this palace belonged to, ruled in Kerala. It is being considered as a UNESCO heritage site, and I truly hope it receives this status. In each room there was a guide who was able to answer any and all questions posed. The palace itself is made from teak, while most of the furniture inside is made of rosewood. The layout was carefully planned and very well maintained, which is why we had to cover our shoes:

The first room we explored was the Council Chamber. There was very little here so we could focus on the carved ceiling. However, the single chair was a gift from Chinese merchants, which reminded me how trade with India was so critical throughout history. The sticks displayed were used to greet the kings, although I don’t remember how or why. In one section, where the group of chairs are located, lets one know this was where the king received guests.

This huge room, the length of the entire building, was the dining hall. The kings would serve free meals on a daily basis, serving up to 1000 residents at a time on each of the two floors. The huge Chinese urns stored pickles for feasts.

Going from building to building gave us beautiful courtyard views. Walking along when on the top floor also gave some close ups of the details on roofs.

In the prayer room, the ceiling had 63 carved lotus flowers on it. This room was the first to be built and the center lotus has three layers while the rest have two. The pillar is carved from a single jackfruit tree.

Next was the Water Pond Room, where it looks like rainwater was gathered for bathing.

Next was the king’s bedroom with its intricately carved bed with a specific wood which gave a purposeful fragrance. The ceiling has Chinese carvings.

Like. many palaces, the rooms go from one directly into the other:

Next was the ladies’ section with the Queen mother’s bed (bamboo inlaid with ivory) and a swinging bed which I think might have been the queen’s.

More beautiful courtyards to enjoy!

The last room we visited in the main palace was the kitchen. Not a huge space considering they were feeding 2000 people per day!

Below you see the various building styles: pure wood and then brick with stucco, used later as additions were added to the palace.

The requisite flower photos by Tatz, as well as yet another monkey shot!

Next we discovered a less traveled part of the complex, which is the ‘modern’ building, erected in 1780 for visiting dignitaries (the palace was built in 1601). This building had a more Western feel to it. I felt the two photos of columns below symbolize the differences, as did the stairs!

The first hall had painting depicting court life and history. It was like getting a tour within a tour!

Since this building looks out onto the street, this alcove is where the king would watch parades, chariot races and so on.

While the window with small slots was for the women to watch.

This part of the complex was also being worked on. The workers, as is with all Indian men, loved being photographed!

This is a photo of a neighboring temple. There was a lot of music coming from it while we toured this building.

We walked through one more garden and then saw our last building: the dance hall. While my modern mind thought they had parties here, I was quickly corrected when I realized it was dance shows! Either way, the same motivation of not always proper behavior existed even back then, because there were racy carvings on some of the pillars.

And then….a torrential downpour! I made sure my camera stayed dry but everything else was fully soaked except my shoes since we had to be barefoot in the palace and they were kept at the entrance.

As quickly as the rain had started it stopped, and there was a beautiful sunset as we made our way to the last city of our journey.

The next two nights we were in Kovalam, where our simple hotel had beautiful views of the water and a beach.   My morning started with sitting on the balcony and reading my book, listening to the sound of waves which always gives me a sense of the reassurance of eternity. I was able to watch fisherman drop their nets across an arc and then return to shore. It looks like they dropped off one member who had to walk through the water to shore and then returning to their nets.  Unfortunately, I missed them collecting the nets as I was so engrossed in my book.

Part of this peaceful morning was seeing two birds, one a falcon (I think or maybe a hawk?), a crow as well as listening to the caw of a peacock which framed the scene. The birds perched on the branches, move their heads step by step looking for a meal: the crow for scraps, the falcon for worms. What I took from these photos is that up close, even a crow looks beautiful.

Then it was time to meet downstairs for the day’s touring. On the way we saw the local goats, which we regularly passed going to and from the hotel. It took me a while to orient myself and realize they were the same goats!

Our first stop was the Rock Cut Cave Temple.  I was pleased to learn Biju our driver had never been to this temple, I found something off the beaten track and was able to give this devout Hindu an experience!  This shrine dates back to the 8^th century, at least the sculpture does, and is one of the oldest carved temples in India.

Then Biju returned the favor and drove us to another temple and statue complex called Aazhimala that we didn’t know about!  This is one of the colorful southern temples and it was interesting to see it being worked on, the paint being updated and repaired.  Aside from enjoying that, I loved having the time to look at all the details of the various gods and goddesses represented.  Inside, you can see there are three temples, the center temple is to Shiva. Ganesh is on the left and Parvati is on the right.

Recently added to this complex is a giant statue to Shiva, finished in 2021 after six years and six months of construction. His hair with a woman floating out of the locks represents the Ganges River, symbolizing that the male and female principles are inseparable.

The local legend is about a wealthy woman who was at the temple to pray for a safe delivery as she was pregnant. She was murdered for her gold. Then there was a period of unrest and Shiva came and sat there to return balance to the area. Connected to that legend is the tree with mini-cradles attached to it, where families offer thanks for healthy babies.

Kovalam and Thiruvananthapuram (the towns seemed to be connected with each other somehow) was a coastal town so seafood is a big part of the economy. 

Our next stop was an unexpected gem: the local aquarium.  A small, unassuming building with around 50 small tanks where I thoroughly enjoyed looking the fish and getting some wonderful photos. One of the highlights was watching the graceful movements of the Lionfish, who danced like a ballerina as well as learning about upside down jellyfish.

Outside the aquarium was disapointing as the turtles were in concrete tanks. Having observed sea turtles in the wild while in Ecuador, seeing them in captivity was sad. On the flip side, getting close to see their intricate designs and coloring was nice as was listening to the mothers with toddlers thoroughly enjoying seeing ‘real’ animals.

Next was our meal of the day, where I enjoyed more delicious seafood. Bijou wanted a photo of the real me: with glasses and camera. I then returned the favor and took his photo.

My day ended with a short walk to the local lighthouse with its scenic views and very familiar design. The elevator ride up to the top was a bonus!

My location:

One of the things Kerala is famous for are the houseboat rides on the backwaters, hence this area has the nickname ‘Venice of the East’.  While I didn’t have the time (or the inclination being a sole traveler) to do an overnight on the boat, I did a “three hour tour” (luckily not on the South Pacific so any Gillian Island worries were not manifested) that focused on the villagers living on the water.  It was a lovely ride: peaceful, quiet, a comfortable boat with a lounge bed to sit on at the front while I listened to bird songs and watched fisherman at work. My kind of relaxation: nature, photo opportunities and learning about the culture I am exploring.

As this trip took place in the morning, I watched the village come to life: washing in the river, couples fishing, kids going off to school, raking leaves…let me show you the details in my photos!

So I boarded at the Alappuzha terminal passing other boats moored and waiting for customers. My driver was, of course, a lovely man who lived in the village. We passed his house and his younger daughter waved to him. I missed that photo as I was focusing on the house next door. This house is raised above sea level, being built by a friend of boat driver who clearly has more money as his home will not be effected by flooding during the rainy season.

Living on the river, means the river provides the sustenance, transportation and bathing. I saw several men thoroughly soaping themselves and then jumping into the water to rinse off (women wash in private).

Many people were fishing for their lunch or dinner. I especially loved the round boats, where the couples or mother/daughter were catching fish in front of their homes.

Since Kerala cuisine is served on banana leaves, I call the photos below ‘washing the dishes’:

Houseboats is a big business, there were a lot of them on the river with customers, as well as moored waiting for their turn.

The following photos are from the dock area, I am just choosing to post them here.

Lunch (well actually breakfast) was unexpected but another great experience. I was able to choose the fish I wanted- literally; the refrigerator was opened and I pointed! The huge shrimp were cooked to perfection.

A bonus was the two eagles next door. For a very small fee I had A LOT of fun with these beautiful birds.

The morning hour afforded more bird photos, always a joy for me. Cormorants were plentiful.

Trees and flowers are an obsession for me as well when I am with my camera.

The abandoned home above on the right show the down side of life on the river. While the locals love the lifestyle, healthcare is always a concern as serious illnesses and hospitals are quite a journey to get to. I also learned that only 20 years ago, there were no motors on the boats!

Then it was time to return to the port, with a speed boat stopping on the way asking if I wanted a ride…no thank you!

Two beautiful pieces of river (not street!) art found under a bridge!

I leave this section of the post with a video showing how peaceful most of the ride was, you can even hear the birds!

After the boat ride we went to have breakfast (not knowing I had fish for breakfast!). I tried the local omelet (delicious) and as recommended by Zeeshan, the best mango smoothie (yes, without a doubt!).

Our next stop was the coconut oil factory. The tour was really nothing special, walking around and reading the signs, however it was interesting to see how the process works. Since I had already bought my virgin coconut oil (and this place doesn’t sell it) I wasn’t planning to buy any HOWEVER, when I saw Zeeshan buying a gallon for his mom and the man filled the container from the spigot I HAD to buy some. While I am not using this for cooking, I use it for my massages and it is excellent – moisturizes my skin without being too oily. If you ever want to learn about the health benefits of coconut oil you can come here and read the signs…or just google it!

There are some interesting tidbits I learned that I will share with you. First, copra is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which the oil is extracted. It takes 8 days to be sun dried for processing (but a mechanical process takes one day) and 5-6 coconuts will create 1 kg of copra, which only generates 600-650 grams of oil. Chopping and steaming the copra makes the process more efficient. Using pipes keeps the oil from evaporating and staying warm. This process is repeated several times to get as much oil as possible from the copra. The oil cakes (leftovers) are packed and sold as cow food. Filtration is the final step.

Here is another ‘aside’: like in other parts of Asia, trucks are decorated!

Our next stop was the Coir Museum, which is also a training center for this craft and business. Coir is the hair from coconuts and is used in many ways. The development of Coir yarn was started in 1859 by two men who were familiar with woven products in Bengal. Their success resulted in many other businesses coming to the area to develop this industry. The little museum had a lot of information about the history and uses of coir. It also had artwork created with this yarn.

Some of the art work on display:

The school was shutting down for the day but there were a few people still practicing, and one teacher helping a student.

Then it was time to drive to our next location. We had to stop for a restroom break and that turned out to be a most fortuitous stop where I got amazing photographs.

Temples in southern India are known for their colorfulness. As this was the first such temple I saw, I was thrilled and in awe. I also learned that while the gods all across India are the same, they might be known by different names or forms. For example, here Vishnu is the most famous while up north his reincarnation is more important.

Next was walking down this street and its market, where the salesmen all asked me take their photos…their pride shows but smiling did not come easy! It is here I feel I took some of my best people photos of the vacation.

At the time of publishing this blog post, I still could not decide whether I preferred this shot as color or B&W. Thoughts appreciated!

Who knew there were so many types of bananas!

Kerala is known for spicy food. These are two different types of chilis. The first is from Kashmir, which are not spicy but have more color, while the ones on the right are from Rajasthan and are hot.

No matter how you like them, there are ALWAYS a lot of chilis for sale!

Back on the road…

Next was the drive to Varkala where we were going to have dinner. 

On the way I saw something I would never see in the US: beachfront property inhabited by normal, lower income families. I wonder how long that will last.

Varkala is definitely a place to return to for a break. It is a lovely beach town with great shops and restaurants. You get to choose your own fish and they cook it to your liking. This was one of the best meals I had during this vacation. I had Snapper perfectly cooked with the spices (lemon garlic and butter) enhancing the flavor of the fish. The rice had pineapple, mustard seed, curry leaves, coconut, and cashews. I highly recommend Caffe Italiano if you are in the area. Zeeshan and I enjoyed our dinner and watched the sunset on the water. 

As it got darker, white lights started showing up on the horizon, which we realized were fishing boats… there were quite a lot of them!

I finish with a screen shot of our location in India and the knowledge that I had yet another great day in Kerala:

Today started with a 5:30 am pick up for the jeep safari to the Periyar Tiger Reserve.  About halfway into the park entrance I realized I didn’t put in the battery for my Nikon which was recharging overnight.  The benefit of traveling luxury style was being able to call our driver Bijou (we were in the safari jeep) who was allowed to enter my hotel room with us on the phone, deliver it to where we were waiting, and having a delicious, perfectly brewed roadside tea while waiting.

This is a good time to share that Kerala has had a communist government for a long time and so you see hammer and sickles all over the place.  I am not sure how the government works philosophically since Communism is rooted in the government owning all land and people being paid by their ability – neither of which is happening! 

We finally entered the tiger reserve, knowing we wouldn’t see tigers.  However, thanks to Eagle-Eye Zeeshan we saw: Nilgiri Langura monkeys, a large spider, huge beehives, and Giant Squirrels.  Since the photos I took were not very good (bad light and far distances), on the left are the photos I took, while on the right are what the animal really looks like thanks to the internet!

I do have two videos of the monkeys. If you look at the top of the video on the left side, you will see one of the monkeys jump from one branch to the other! It was fascinating to see how the older, bigger monkeys were on the top branches, while the smaller ones had to settle on lower branches where the leaves were smaller.

The drive was of course beautiful, but the main part of the day was a hike to look for elephants.  This was a grueling walk, with rain and leeches!  Let me give you the details!

First we stopped at the restaurant for a mediocre breakfast but with a lovely view.

To get ready for this hike, one had to put on leech pants and salt – to prevent leeches from crawling up. Unfortunately, this didn’t prevent them from climbing up my poncho when it rained or dropping down on my hands while we were walking. I noticed most of them but did end up with three bites that irritated me for a week until I learned that the poison stays in the wound area because either the leeches throw up when you pull them up, or their head comes off. Once I scrubbed the area with salt (thank you Alex for the advice) the wounds cleared up.

As we started our walk, we passed some hostel rooms with this traditional art called Warli.

Periodically the two guides would walk off while we waited, seeing if they saw elephants in the distance. While waiting I took some of these photos and then was politely told that the small noise will alert the strong hearing of elephants, so I switched to my phone on silent mode.

We knew there were elephants close due to the VERY fresh dung and broken branches. 

The first elephant we saw was across the valley eating on the hillside. That was exciting as we were really giving up on ever seeing one.

Then the amazing happened – we saw a female with her baby. I knew this was a special moment because even the two seasoned guides were jumping up and down excited! No good photo as the mother and child were walking very fast away from us, but the moment is in my memory!

Feeling complete, we then started the hike out of the dense woods to a road. Luckily the rain stopped so I was able to take off the poncho. Of course, it must be noted, that while I was fully covered – the guides were in flip flops! They had some leeches attach to them but of course calmly pulled them off…

As we left the park, we passed this homestead, where a family farms cardamom. As this is rural land, a man was carrying tree trunks home for his fire. Of course, we waited for him to return and our guide helped him get the next very large, heavy trunk onto his head to carry home.

We made it back to the jeep and started the ride back, not interested in any more walking but stopping a few times for some scenic views.

There were two magical moments on the way back to the hotel. First, was seeing the temple and homestead of some tribal people (the only ones allowed to live in the forest). The teenage boy was building the amazing car. I wanted to complement him but he thought I wanted a photo of him, so he never looked up. Oh well.

I loved seeing these types of homes along the road – clearly made by the residents, who maintain them to the best of their ability while also choosing beautiful colors for individual expression.

This was fascinating, seeing men on their puja to the famous temple called Sabrimala. No women are allowed inside because the god it is dedicated to is unmarried. The celebrants walk 15 km and carrying the offering on their heads as a sign of respect.

Closer to town, I saw this truck transporting tapioca plants, saw some growing on the roadside and then being sold!

We then checked out of the hotel and on the way to our next destitaion stopped at the wholesale spice market. Zeeshan bought kilos of everything his mother cooks with, her supply for the year! I went a little crazy but the prices were amazing for such organic goods! Christmas presents….

Saffron 1g 350 rupees, approximately – $4.20

Vanilla 40 g 1000 rupees, approximately – $12

Turmeric 100 g 80 rupees, approximately – $1

White pepper 100 g 140 rupees, approximately – $1.70

Green pepper 100 g 150 rupees, approximately – $1.50

Bay leaves 50g 30 rupees, approximately – .30

Cloves 100 g 120 rupees, approximately – 1.40

Black cardamom 100 g 160 rupees, approximately – 1.60

Black pepper 250g 150 rupees, approximately – 1.50

I end today’s post with a screenshot of our location in India.

In getting ready to start today’s blog post I realized I forgot to post the photos and share the cultural performance at the Thekkady Kathakali Centre I attended the night before.

Therefore, I will start with that. Kathakali, a local art form, is one of the oldest theatre forms in the world and it is a combination of dance and drama which enacts Hindu epics.  This show reminded me of Chinese opera.

In Kathakali there is an elaborate and structured make up and costume code, so part of the show was to see one of the characters put on his costume.  Quite fascinating to see how the base was newspapers folded and layered to create the ‘skirt’.  The colors of the face make up are specific to the character’s personality.  For example, the faces of noble male characters, such as virtuous kings, are predominantly green but if they have a red slash on the face it means they have an evil streak. Women and ascetics have lustrous, yellowish faces.

The technique of Kathakali includes a highly developed language of gesture and eye movement, through which the artist can convey whole sentences and stories.  Music is limited to a few instruments, and while the real traditional show would last all night, we were presented with a shorted version of the story where good triumphs over evil (of course).

The finished product:

After this, the other character came out and demonstrated the various acting techniques, from eye movements to hand gestures and footwork.

Then the actual show began and even though the performance is very stylized, when the king killed the woman, I jumped from the emotional impact.

At the end of the show we were able to be photographed with the two actors and see up close how exhausting even such a short performance was..

OK, now on to Day 5 ‘officially’. Today was a lovely day.  There was only one official event, a tribal dance show in the evening.  I had a traditional massage which was disappointing, as it wasn’t a good masseuse – that happens, but it still felt good to get the kinks from all the sitting in a car taken care of.

I started the day sitting on the hotel roof reading my book and taking photos of the lovely flowers.

Next was a quiet stroll around the neighborhood, seeing monkeys (of course) as well as one monkey who chased a female and did his business, interrupted because I walked by which gave the female a chance to get away!

The late afternoon show was at the Ecotourism center.  This is a show that is reviving the forgotten culture and folklore of the Mannan and Paliyan tribes.  The youth of these groups performed six dances, with themes such as a prayer to wake up the mountain god, hunting, thanks to a good harvest, and joy.  For the final dance volunteers were invited to participate which of course I did!  The nice man sitting next to me took my phone and taped me!

Dinner proved the common perception that for the best meals when traveling you go to the hole-in-the-wall joint recommended by the driver or tour guide. My tandori chicken was cooked to the spice level I asked for, the bread fresh and divine.

Thus ended a quiet, interesting and restful day!

Woke up to a beautiful sunshine surrounded by bird song with a bass line of running water.  Really doesn’t get much better than this.  After a yummy breakfast and some good tea cooked on the open fire, we hiked out of the park.  On the way, more evidence of wild animals and some actual animal sighting.  We also enjoyed climbing the fire watch tower and seeing the views.

More hoof print evidence, one is a wild boar but I don’t remember which. Probably the one of the left. The other one is a Samba Deer and I think one is a peacock.

Again I don’t remember the animal that made these webs but since I took the photo it was something interesting. Maybe some kind of insect?

As we walked closer to our original starting spot, we started hearing human sounds, cars and other evidence of humanity. Oh well, time to move on.

The drive to our next location continued to present many beautiful sights, as well as a VERY brief stop at the Ripple Tea processing center. This is a low quailty tea (called tea dust) and we didn’t particularly enjoy the visit. So we politely finished the tour, I saw some of the machines at work and then we moved on.

Our fun stop during this portion of the day was to the Munnar Spice Farm. While the actual spices are grown elsewhere, during this lovely walk we saw all the major spices as plants.

One of these two trees is a bay leaf tree:

We arrived at our location for the next two nights: the town of Thekkady where the Tiger sanctuary Priyar is located. Of course, you don’t see tigers because they are located in ‘zone 3’ and no tourists are allowed there.

After the very long detour to the Chinnam wildlife park (while a lovely time really not worth it for one night), I wanted a nice hotel and two nights, with one day being relaxed. I also wanted a cocktail to unwind….not an easy feat as the only ‘bar’ in town was this grungy room off of the lobby of a hotel. I felt very strange going there, so I gulped my drink and we moved on.

That night we took part in a night safari walk. No big game noticed, but did see Samba deer and a porcupine. I had no idea those creatures waddle as they drag their quills! It was too far away to take a photo with my phone so the memory is etched in my brain. We saw evidence of wild boar (footprint) and bison (dung).

That night was a VERY restful sleep, especially with the promise of a quiet day tomorrow.

Having arrived in the dark, it was wonderful to wake up to see the view and memories of my stay in Manali, India – complete with seeing locals going off to work on the mountain path in front of my porch.  Zeeshan ended up cooking me breakfast since the local chef was afraid of messing up eggs for the foreigner (!) while I took photos of the beautiful garden flowers.  Then it was off to explore the area, during which I had ‘one of those’ travel moments.

It turns out we are in the middle of one of India’s tea growing regions.  We passed tea plantations with rows of bushes that are almost like an artist’s canvas with their lines looking like designs.  These lines are the spaces between the bushes allowing workers space to cut the leaves.

We stopped at one spot where leaves were being gathered.  This is a Tata plantation (Tata owns massive amounts of businesses and is one of the wealthiest men in India with 60% of his profits automatically put into a foundation for charitable works!). 

The women I watched were hard at work, using these special clipper boxes that cut off the top leaves.  They put them into their bags and lugged them down the STEEP hill to the station to be weighed (they are paid by weight, not bag). Nilgiri is tea grown here, and the local Tamil population does most of the harvesting.

Seeing how hard it was for the women to carry the bags down makes me appreciate the tea I drink that much more.  I also learned of a little trick they do: when the manager is not looking, they dip their already heavy bags into water to make them heavier.  I enjoyed taking photos of them (they did as well, especially the youngest one) and I gave them 500 rupees for the honor.

The drive continued with more interesting sights, facts learned, and beauty witnessed.  One especially interesting factoid is that Indonesian fishermen are paid to pick up floating plastic in the water, paid by the weight when they return to port.  A brilliant idea I feel!

Zeeshan bought me a real flower necklace where the flowers are braided with vines. The smell was so sweet and filled the car! Then we bought the carrots from a roadside vendor the driver knew, learning that you do not leave pineapples out at night otherwise the wild elephants will come to eat them and mess up your stall (they roam the area at night)! Unfortunately we did not see any elephants wandering….makes we want to return at night one day!

More tea plantations as we drove along.

I was enamored of the trees we saw while driving, so intricate with their branch designs.

Kerala is known for its nature, of course, and I was seeing lovely views throughout the day.

We finally arrived at Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, where we are spending the night in the middle of the park.  I read about this in the Lonely Planet book, and to get to your cabin you have to hike for about 3km.

As we were waiting to check and for our guide to arrive, there were naughty monkeys hanging around.  Before we even knew it, one monkey jumped into the car and grabbed our carrots.

This baby monkey was cute beyond words!

The park is home to two indigenous groups: the Muthivans and Mala Pulayas – 1800 people from the two very different ethnic groups.  We were accompanied by two men from one the groups.  They spent the night with us, cooked our meals and brought the water for flushing from the nearby river (no running water – beautiful nature and as close to roughing it as I am going to do at 63!).

The walk was not hard, but a bit long. 3 km through brush and rocky paths takes a lot longer than just walking. After we settled in we took an evening walk. There was LOTS of evidence of animals nearby but we didn’t see any, other than some spotted deer, the butterfly, centipede, and a few other insects below.

The evening walk afforded us some stunning views.

The evening was lovely as I finished my book, chatted on the porch with Zeeshan and listened to the birds, crickets and running water from the nearby river.

Whenever I mentioned I was traveling to the state of Kerala for Diwali break, every Indian’s face would break into a smile and this look of wonder would cross over their face.  I now know why: This state is full of beauty – natural and personal.

My trip can be divided into three experiences: living history, exploring the natural world, and experiencing new art forms.

The trip started with me enjoying a lazy day in a 5-star hotel, recuperating from a very long and exhausting 4 months of work.  With Diwali falling late this year, while there were only days off here and there (quite a few festivals) it was not enough for me to fully rest my 63 year old body and mind!  I ended up falling asleep by the pool for several hours. Napping during the day is something I rarely do, which shows how tired I was.

Being a lovely hotel, which I highly recommend if you are ever in Cochi/Kochin, the Trident had demonstrations on cupcake decorating and bracelet making, which I of course joined and fully enjoyed.

The bracelets are made from lacquer, which I learned is something left on a tree by an insect.  According to the internet: “This varnish, or shellac, is the resinous exudate produced by the female Indian “lac” bug, an insect that spends its whole life attached to a tree, sucking its sap and converting it into the familiar sticky substance that has long been used to provide a glossy protective coating on wood.”  Learning this is what is also used in Chinese red boxes and Russian Palekh boxes held a special meaning for me.

The sap, which is ready to be used after 15 days, is put onto these bars which are used to create the bracelets.  It was wonderful to watch the artisan take the colors I chose and after a few twists and turns, heating and melting - the lacquer was molded it into a stunning bracelet.  I also learned the artisan and his brother make these bracelets at their home.  Some bracelets had a texture which he informed me comes from pressing cloth on the warm lacquer.  If adding bangles and stones, this is done at that time as well.

The decorating class was just about putting icing on cupcakes with sprinkles, not what I expected, but it did teach me that to get good icing designs, one should press while pushing the icing bag.  I am looking forward to trying this one day.

Dinner was at the hotel restaurant (I was too tired to explore) so Zeeshan (my friend and guide who joined me on this trip) and I sat in the courtyard and had an amazing meal.  I had the traditional Keralan fish dish in banana leaf, enjoying my Pear Spot Fish from the nearby Arabian Sea, with the request to cook it with no spices (which in India means it was still a bit spicy but tolerable!).

Day 2: Cochi

Today the official touring began, during which I experienced what I call ‘the other side of history’.  In elementary school we of course studied explorers and as a history buff from early on I loved how the process of exploration happened (of course back in the 1960s we didn’t look at the other side of the story).  The motivator was to get to the valuable spices and not pay the middleman! I distinctly remember being fascinated by how Portugal would travel down the coast of Africa little by little as they learned how far the continent extended, and how Vasco de Gama was the first to reach India.  So here I am as a 63-year-old remembering this tidbit of information from my youth and standing WHERE HE LANDED!  I knew in my head that India was all about the spices, but at that moment I learned that INDIA was where the Europeans were trying to get to.  India, where I am now living.  India where I am deeply aware of the negative and positive aspects of colonization. India which I am having fun exploring.

We started the day by visiting the colonial old section of Cochi. By the way, there are two spellings of this city: Kochin and Cochi. The one I am using is the proper/newer one. The name is derived from two words: Koch and Azhi which means small river mouth, where the salt and fresh waters meet. While founded in 1405 when the local king changed the capital to this location, the majority of spice trading was happening here. This is where the Portuguese settled and started their spice trading – when pepper was as valuable as gold.

From our guide I learned the story of how spice traders from China and the Arab world would make up stories about how hard it was to find the spices, thus defending their prices.  Stories were made up about how lizards and dragons guarded the pepper, how it was so hard to find cinnamon because only certain birds could find it.  This area of the world kept this secret until 1498 Vasco de Gama.

Our first stop was the Saint Francis Church, one of the oldest European churches in India built in the 16^th century.  This is where Vasco de Gama was originally buried until his son moved the body to Portugal.  Originally a mud and bamboo structure dedicated to St. Bartholomew, it was later re-built in stone with a tile roof. The current structure was built by the Franciscans in 1516 and named after St. Anthony. In the 17^th century it was officially changed to St. Francis with the Dutch making alterations in 1779.  The British also made major renovations in the 1800s when it became a Protestant Church.  This building has been a Catholic, Dutch Reformed and Anglican church.  This building alone tells the history of the colonization of India!

At one point, gravestones from outside were brought in and put on the wall to honor the deceased. The memorial to the WW1 dead is in front of the church.

Punkar fans (see below) were operated from outside.  A man traveling with his daughter talked with us about how his family had such fans when he was young!

The sign below telling us not to wear shoes is partly because it’s the Indian tradition, and partly to protect the old tiles.

Walking towards our next location, we passed this hotel which was the location for the very popular TV show (movie?) Marigold Hotel. You can see the VOC Dutch East India company logo left over from the past. Today this is a very expensive heritage hotel.

The walk was very pleasant and pictuesque.

A lot of Dutch Jewish families immigrated here during the Spanish Inquisition. The bridge connects a wealthy merchant’s house with his department store business. The Koder family lived in Cochi until the 1960s when they moved to Israel.

The photos below are of Rain Trees. This is not an indigenous species, it was brought by the Europeans. The ferns on the tree help bring moisture to the tree so it’s a symbiotic relationship. It’s called the Rain Tree because after the monsoon rain finishes, it will still rain under the tree from the collected water on the leaves! A local nickname for the tree is The Umbrella Tree. It’s a great shade tree to sit under.

Fishing and selling fish is a big business here. Local hotels will cook tourists the fish for you but unfortunately, it wasn’t time for lunch or dinner.

Our next stop was to experience the Chinese fishing nets.  This elaborate yet simple contraption has been used effectively for centuries.  While we paid for the ability to walk into the fishing area as tourists (I was happy to support the fishermen), these nets are fully functioning and the fishermen struggle to compete against those next to them, as well as those fishing with more modern methods.  The videos and photos will do a better job of explaining how these work – amazing engineering!

The nets are located within the brackish waters and combined with the Purple Water Hyacinth, they are able to draw enough fish.  Since the net where we were visiting is the last in the row, the only time they caught a few sellable fish was when they timed their dip to coincide with the other nets being out of the water.  While they must dunk their nets 100 times per day to make a living, it is enough to survive.  I particularly enjoyed seeing the mini-swordfish being taken out of the net.

The connection to China was especially poignant to me, having lived in China and seeing how China and the Arab world had a strong presence here, my current home, before the Europeans arrived.

Of course, where there are fish, there are birds!

Here you can see the wall from the original European fort with the bastion house in the background.  This has been renovated into a museum, but we decided not to visit it.

The cannonball tree has very fragrant flowers, along with being quite photogenic.

We were lucky to stop at the oldest Dutch cemetery in India, with the accompanying church of St. Francis, also the oldest.  Being with Tom (our local guide) afforded us the ability to enter the grounds (normally only allowed with permission from the church).  I was struck by the unique designs of the graves and gravestones.  As we were leaving another western tourist was denied entry, and to prevent the guard from getting into trouble, I said we had permission from the church.

We were unable to see the Dutch Palace, a gift for the local maharaja by the Portuguese, build in the 16^th century to win his favor.  It is called the Dutch Palace because they paid for a major renovation (which resulted in the Maharaja working with the Dutch to oust the Portuguese).  From here we could see the historic Hindu temple and Jewish synagogue, which shows how harmoniously the religions lived together back then – they even shared a courtyard.

I was told the inside of the Dutch Palace is a beautiful blend of Kerala and Dutch architecture. The Maharaja moved to another palace more inland in the 1800s.  Interestingly, it was only when the British took over that the Keralan matriarchal society was abolished!

During the walk to the synagogue, we walked through Muttoncherey, the old spice quarter.  Again, I was living history, reflecting on how spice traders from Europe roamed these streets while waiting for their ships to be filled with cargo for the return to Europe.

One of the activities that Kerala is also famous for is boat races which happen in August each year.  We walked into a store selling valuable antiques for the 1% to see one of these boats.  Called snake boats, this boat is 130 feet long and 100 people will row it synchronously.  The races are a big deal on this lake (the largest lake in India), and villages from all over bring their boats to participate. 

Next to this shop/museum is the Ginger Hotel, which was a warehouse where spices were processed, located on the water for easy transport of the spices to the waiting ships.  By the way, ginger needs a lot of space for processing, hence, this is a large hotel.  I also learned pepper is considered the king of spices, cardamom the queen.

During the Spanish Inquisition Jewish families escaped from Europe and settled here, living peacefully for many years. 

The synagogue is Orthodox and is located in what was the foreigners’ section of town. While still functioning, there are few services because there are only two main families left in town and to have a service there needs to a quorum of 10.  In 2018 many families returned from abroad to celebrate the 450^th Anniversary of the synagogue’s founding.

The museum section of the Paradesi Synagogue (also known as Cochin Jewish Synagogue and the Mattancherry Synagogue) was very informative and talked about how Cochi was the original gateway to India for other civilizations.  There were paintings of trade with India and Solomon’s kingdom (992-952 BC).  Even back then, sandalwood, spices, ivory, teak, and peacocks (!) were exported.  I learned the first Jewish settlers arrived in the year 72 and were received by the local Maharaja of Cranganore.  In 379 a Jewish Kingdom was established.  It was only with the arrival of the Moors in 1542 when this Kingdom was destroyed at which point the last Jewish prince swan to safety towards Cochi under the protection of the local Maharaja.  This peaceful co-existence continued until 1949 when the last Maharaja addressed the local Jewish community in the synagogue when he relinquished his throne upon the founding of modern India.

Above is the replica of the copper plates which presented the rights and privileges of the Jewish people who settled here.  It was presented by the Maharaja and is written in Tamil, the local dialect.

As this was an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, the women sat in a room behind the balcony. They were able to enter through their own bridged entry.

The influence of international trade is seen throughout the synagogue. The floor is Chinese pottery (Tom made a wonderful joke this is proof that everywhere you go there is something made in China).  These tiles were hand painted tiles in Canton – another connection to my past – and each tile is unique. The beautiful glass votives are from a Venice, Murano glass. The silver chandeliers that encircle the room are from Belgium. Like with every religious building around the world, you can see on the bottom right photo, the donor’s name etched into the class sconce.

The clock tower was build in 1760 and paid for by a merchant named Ezekiel Rahabi.  Three of the four faces of the clock are in different languages: Hebrew, Mayalaman (local dialect) and Latin, with the fourth being blank.  To add to the symbolism the Mayalaman faces the palace, the Latin Rome and the Hebrew the synagogue.  Thus everyone could use this clock to tell time.

As this was Friday, the eve of the Sabbath, a new cover was placed in front of the Torah cabinet and it is in memory of some family.

After the visit to the synagogue we walked to buy some organic spices from a woman’s Cooperative and said goodbye to Tom.  

We then started the long drive up the mountains to our next stop: Munnar.

Along the way I learned some interesting tidbits.  First, Kerala has a 100% literacy rate! I saw rubber trees collecting the latex sap from rubber trees which is what rubber is made from. I saw similar scenes several times during my trip.  We also passed quite a few stunning waterfalls.

Dinner was a roadside restaurant where Biju had the traditional Kerala lunch served on a banana leaf.  I had King fish, which was delicious, with the perfect bite being some yoghurt sauce, paratha (bread like Naan) and the fish.  The meal for all three of us (with drinks and Cadbury chocolate for dessert) was less than 1000 rupees (about$10).

After lunch we started up the windy road of the Nilgiree mountains to Munnar, stopping on the way at a farm store for spices, but more importantly, Ayurveda medicine.  The actual farm has 2000 acres and its yield is 70% for medicine and 30% for spices.  This homeopathic medicine was started 5000 years ago and made prominent by Chakara in 300BC. It’s premise is to prevent and treat illness by maintaining balance in the body, mind, and consciousness through proper drinking, diet, and lifestyle, as well as herbal remedies.  On our walk we saw sample plants of various medicines growing, learning what they are used for.  According to this man, even cancer can be cured!  While that sounds a bit far-fetched, I hope the medicines I bought will help my sisters’ arthritis!

The walk in the woods was pleasant, with some stunning trees. I don’t remember what I was told about what is growing on the bark, or maybe I took the photo because I liked the pattern it made.

We finally arrived at our hotel, greeted with a lovely hanging garden and a comfortable bed!

Weekends can be a time to rest and a time to explore.  These past two weekends I was able to do both!  I had heard about the Mumbai at 5am tour offered by the Be The Local company, and the positive reviews prompted me to get up ridiculously early on a weekend and set off to explore Mumbai’s key businesses getting organized at dawn.  Be The Local, which only uses university students who are from the Dharavi slum, is the ONLY way to see this amazing tight knit and organized community.  For those in PYP schools: the Dharavi community is How We Organize Ourselves in action.  But I digress – on to the tour.

The tour started with visiting the chicken ‘market’ – and I use the term loosely because basically the farm trucks from from the countryside park on the street.  Vendors and couriers with their smaller trucks or handcarts come to buy what they need and deliver all over Mumbai.  This visit (and the photographs below) is not for the vegetarians among us, as it is not pleasant to see these creatures being handled – but since I eat chicken I cannot complain.  As always, kind people happy to be photographed and excited to be part of the ‘show’.

Next stop was the newspaper market.  A large truck from the printers arrives and the middlemen collate the proper combinations of newspapers, insert sections and make sure languages match – which they then deliver to their vendors.  There are 378 languages spoken in India and with Mumbai being a commercial mecca, many people from all over India now live here. As a result there are newspapers in at least 6 languages for sale: Hindi, English, Gujarati, South Indian, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and of course Marathi the official language of this state: Maharashtra.  Of note is how the main newspapers often have full-page ads in lieu of the banner headlines found in the US.

I hope I got the languages correct:

Our third stop was the infamous fish market.  The original inhabitants of Mumbai, the Koli people, have been fishermen for hundreds of years and as a result are the only official fish wholesalers in Mumbai.  As this market is next to the Naval station, you are not allowed to take photos.  Being me, I was able to snap a few secret photos and I hope they capture some of the essence of this place.

The first area we went to – calm and with no crowds – was the export section of the market.  A lot of the fish sold here goes to Japan and other countries. 

There are 3000 fishing boats, and the various colored flags on them represent the various sects within the Koli community.

The fishing boats go out for a week at a time and return with several tons of fish (they return when the ship is full). I was lucky enough to see one arrive with the baskets of fish thrown up to the dock.  I was amazed how the fish floated in the air (out of the basket) yet landed all together on the dock.  Clearly a well rehearsed skill!

Next, we walked to the neighboring dock to the ‘local’ fish market.  There were men auctioning off collections of fish for restaurants and stores.  The women were selling to individual customers.  I saw two massive red snappers being auctioned – the first price I heard was 825 but they were sold for 800.  Look up the price on the internet….

Of course, I wanted to buy some fish!  With the guide (who also wanted some fish for his family) we purchased: one whole red snapper, one whole sea bass, a kilo of shrimp, and 500 gm of giant prawns totaling 2400 rupees (around $30 – so far I have eaten the red snapper which was delicious).  The fish was cleaned and filleted for us (at an additional cost of $1). I was shocked at how large the scales were: the size of quarters.  Then I saw some lobsters, so I bought the equivalent of 6 lobsters for $10. I ate them with some friends and the large one was not tasty but the small ones were.  Last, I purchased what is considered the most delicious fish in Mumbai, pomfret, as a gift for the guide (I also split the two whole fish with him).  Lobsters are not usually eaten in Mumbai, so I gave one tail for the guide to try. The driver was not interested in one, and in his limited English the driver said ‘lobsters are not a smile’.    A last highlight was the HUGE sting ray that was on display – which I shamelessly photographed without hiding my camera!

As we were leaving, the vendors were heading to the export market with their carts and scales.  We also passed the ice factory where ice is made and sold to protect the fish.

There was a quick stop at an outdoor laundry market.  As I had already toured the largest outdoor laundry in Mumbai, this was a quick stop.  It was nice to get close to the unique way these laundries hang the clothes and the system to tag customers when one is illiterate.

On our way to the next stop we passed the lone horse racing track. I learned that betting on horse races is the only legal betting in India.

Our next stop was the wholesale flower market, which specializes in flowers for temples as opposed to your house (although there were some cut flowers for sale).  Outside the official market, like everywhere, were women making the various wreaths and necklaces for sale.  Inside the official market there were also large tubs of petals for sale.

Walking through the hordes we passed garbage collectors cleaning up sections of the market that were empty, probably because the sellers sold out. 

We then arrived at the wholesale vegetable market – with of course individuals selling on the street.  I was able to buy some of the vegetables I needed for my weekly meals and was pleased to learn that my veggie guy at home gives me good prices. 

Outside the market there was a knife sharpener at work. You can’t tell by the photo, but once he parks his bike he raises the rear wheel and pedals to get the stone wheel to turn!

Once inside the official market, the expected crowding and intensity was at play.

Carrying the produce was hard work. One always had to be on the lookout for young men lugging huge bags of heavy carrots so as to get out of their way.

As expected, there were items for sale that were a mystery for me!

The ride back home passed two interesting views.

First, the ‘basket market’ where the trays and bowls were being created on the street.

The second was a VERY long line of women waiting to get into a temple for a particular goddess.

Once home I stopped to buy a few last minute vegetables from my guy. While there I saw one of the middlemen vendors arrive to deliver some goods.   I was tickled to know that we were probably both at the wholesale market at the same time!

The next weekend I was invited to a family from my school for their annual party to celebrate the goddess Mata Rani.  This was my opportunity to witness how a Hindi ceremony works. 

First there was the opening of the celebration with both the goddess and family being blessed (I believe I missed the idol’s arrival).  Everyone in attendance was standing at this time. Then the music and blessings continued over several hours as people arrived, paid their respects, sat for a while in the temple area, and then went downstairs for the buffet dinner (delicious of course).  After a long and hard week, it was so relaxing to sit and listen to the music and develop a sense peace.  I did some small talk with families I knew, smiled at the students who were thrilled to see me, and then went home as Friday nights are not my time to party!

I am ending my post with a week-day treat….we were celebrating our annual Arts Week when I was chosen to try the puppet (one of the benefits of being the principal!). I also bought one of the real puppets from the puppeteers. The snake charmer now adorns my apartment wall.

Not all weekends are this exciting, but when they are it is energizing and inspiring!

They are four important days in the celebration of the god Ganesh, a holiday that is huge in Mumbai. The first is when he is brought into the home with music and celebration. Then there are three possible days when he needs to be immersed into the water to disintegrate.

This year I started the festivities by again visiting Lekhika‘s house. It was so interesting how one year later I was not tense or quiet, but rather relaxed and enjoyed my time with the family. The good food, of course was a pleasure with the first two plates given to the two idols in the household.

On the fifth immersion day, which was Saturday, a colleague and I went to Juhu Beach to see families immerse their idols (made of clay or papier mache).  It was raining but that did not diminish the enjoyment and festivities.  I am assuming that only the men in orange/white shirts were allowed deep into the water for safety reasons, getting a tip at the end.  I saw some family members immerse the Ganesh in shallow water. 

While I took the above photos, Lynn took the video below. Two perspectives of the same moment!

In preparation for the immersion family members say prayers.  Traditional offerings are shared with those around. 

I also learned that volunteers go to the beach the day after immersions to clean all the debris.  There is much debate about the practice, which only began during British rule as a way for freedom fighters to congregate and plan (groups of Indians could only gather for cultural and religious celebrations).  Before then, immersions were done in people’s homes and were less damaging to the environment.

Upon returning home, our luck was with us for it was the exact moment our apartment complex’s Ganesh was being taken for immersion.  The rain had stopped so I was able to take better photos!

Another lucky day was when I was taking a walk in the neighborhood and came upon a family immersing their idol in the temporary pool (which is one way the environment is protected).  It was fascinating to see how the flame used for praying was passed around, worshipers then put their hands near the flame and passed it onto their faces. 

After the excitement of Ecuador, it was nice to get re-excited about the culture and colors of India. Tomorrow we have no school to celebrate the birthday of Ghandi, and the festival season continues!