Kochi to Mysore...more photo and stories

From Kollam, we made our way up the coast towards Kochi...finally a journey that didn't take all day. Kochi turned out to be something of a tale of two cities - touristy, unsettling, infuriating Fort Cochin and bustling, friendly, spirited mainland Ernakulam.

This chap invited Christian over for a friendly chat as we wandered around near the Chinese fishing nets at Fort Cochin. Slightly inebriated, he asked for his photo to be taken, and as soon as the deed had been perfomed, he demanded a small sum of money from Chris! He may not catch many fish, but I imagine a fair few unsuspecting tourists have fallen foul of his net!

One of Astrid's many beautiful photos. Dolls for sale at a market stall on the waterfront.

Another Astrid shot...colourful lanterns at another stall.

And another of Astrid's photos - the cantilevered fishing nets that dot the water's edge at Fort Cochin

After leaving Kochi, we made our way towards Kalpetta for our Indian wildlife adventure. Arriving at the tourist information office at the stated opening time, we waited for half an hour to see someone and then spent another two hours trying to work out how we could possibly get into the park, with the added dilemma of our car permit being about to expire. In the end, we had our adventure, despite the bungling beauracracy!

We passed through some lovely areas on the way to Bandipur, that really made us feel like we were at last in the real India - the rural villages where life goes on at the most casual of paces!

The vehicle we toured the park in was rather noisy, but luckily the animals seemed pretty used to it!

A familiar roadside sight almost everywhere in India

The very large and impressive Maharaja's Palace in Mysore. We spent an afternoon here and were really taken with the sheer size and beauty of the place on the interior. Everywhere we looked we saw ornately carved wooden doors, beautiful paintings and sculptures (no photos allowed of course!)

On our last night with Rajendren, we treated him to a meal out and bought him a large box of sweets to take home to his family...needless to say, we were very sad to bid him farewell, but glad that he would be able to make it back to his family in time for Christmas!

We spent a fun day wandering the markets in Mysore on our last day. Here, Astrid & Shanks are hearing all about the process used to make the famed sandalwood oil of Mysore.

Bangles anyone?

Many children still work in the market stalls every day, with no thought given to their education. These children would have been primary-school aged. Seeing these children made us reflect on the vast inequalities that still persist between the developing and the developed worlds.

Another lovely child at his stall selling limes, red onions and potatoes.

This boy was eager to share with us the tricks and techniques of incense making, and chased us down a few times until we came to his stall! It is certainly a struggle to survive for many families and there are no options but for the entire family to work all day doing anything possible to make that extra few rupees.

Another young lad selling marigolds, used to make garlands and for offerings at holy temples

Astrid having a design applied to her hand using the coloured tikka powders, seen in the background. No charge this time, just the usual hard sell!

One night as we were walking back to our hotel, we came across a group of kids playing cricket in a dusty alleyway. Shanks and Christian were quick to replace the rock that they were using for a cricket ball with a couple of tennis balls. Astrid and I sat and chatted with the younger children, while Shanks and Christian took another caning at the hands of the youngsters!

Maybe the current Indian selectors need to scout around Mysore to inject some new blood into an ailing side! I think Australia can stick with McGrath and Lee though!

To market, to market...

The hardest thing about being home again, apart from failing miserably to adjust our sleep cycle back to Perth time, is the thought that we may have to start shopping in ordinary shopping centres again....aaaaagggghhhhh. After weeks of haggling and wandering in markets and bazaars all over India and in Turkey, and having laid eyes on the mind-boggling array of olives, cheeses and assorted delicacies (marinated eggplants, capsicums, tomatoes) in small supermarkets in Haifa, not to mention the luscious treats on display in sweet shops everywhere we went...how can we ever face going back to Coles again???

The truth is, supplies have run low in our fridge and pantry but neither of us are game enough to venture out of doors...I opened a can of tuna for dinner last night and Shanks went without! The area we live in isn't exactly renowned for the fresh produce on offer. There are no fruit and veg markets nearby...the only hope we have is our little Italian grocer about 10km down the road and a cheese shop across the railway line (where we buy our supplies of parmesan, mozzarella and ricotta). The other difference is that shops and markets in India are open till late at night...often 10pm (in Perth everything shuts at 6pm) and wandering the streets of Istanbul and Haifa it was easy to find small delis open even later (no such luck in Armadale)!

Also, being in India, and witnessing the daily lives of hardship and suffering lived by so many thousands has also made us reflect on the life of excess it is so easy to lead here. Maybe changing spending habits on an individual level doesn't affect the quality of life for others the world over, but we will certainly start looking at our purchases more carefully from now on.

Anyway, here are some more marketplace photos (just from India) to tide you over until we have a chance to fill in the gaps from Israel and Turkey. Check out our friends' blog, http://allanmuna.blogspot.com/, for pictures of the markets that we never quite made it to in Haifa and also of their recent trip, like us, to Turkey (some of you will remember Allan - he was the celebrant at our wedding and has recently moved to Haifa with his wife, Muna).

Fruit stall in Ernakulam, Kochi

Another vegetable stall owner keen to pose with the towering Aussie in Ernakulam!

Quality control

Sweets, sweets and more sweets...

...makes it a very hard choice for Christian!

Chillies anyone?

Lentils, pulses, garlic and pasta-type things on display in Ernakulam

Shopping for sarees in New Delhi

Christmas decorations, Indian style!

Kodai to Mysore photojournal

Lorraine:
Here are some more photos from Kodaikanal right through to our arrival in Mysore a couple of days ago. Enjoy!

Scene from the gardens at our hotel in Kodaikanal...

...where we started each day with a leisurely breakfast and steaming hot chai!

Astrid & Christian cooling off with coconut water

during a break on one of our long car journeys!


What if the one you want is at the bottom?
Fruit & vegetable markets at Kollam.


Men at work making pappadums at the markets in Kollam.
They were very pleased to have their photo taken!


In Kollam, we went on a beautiful boat tour through the backwaters that meander through some villages. These boys were after pens and scored three from Astrid!


Enjoying the ride!


Lush tropical scenery on either side

The backwaters are predominantly used for trade, transportation and fishing

Midway through the journey we stopped for a quick drink and bite to eat...

Now that's what I really call "fast food"...and healthy too!

Our wonderful guide who steered us through the backwaters. In one of the many examples of the people who do the really hard work getting the least money, we were shocked to find out that he was being paid Rs 125 a day (equivalent to about $AU 3.65) for up to three 3-hour cruises he takes tourists on each day. Our group of 6 paid the government-run tourist department a sum of Rs 1800 ($AU 53) for the cruise. Needless to say we gave him a big tip.

More market action at Ernakulam

...and more

Arriving in Kalpetta (a town close to Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary) late one night, we were suprised and excited to see a sign saying "Baha'i Centre". We were able to meet with a beautiful couple the next day and the warmth and hospitality that we were greeted with was a powerful reminder of one of the underpinning Baha'i principles that the earth is one country and we are all one family.

Beautiful pheasants at an aviary in Mysore

White peacock at the aviary

Very happy campers!

Enjoying the peace and quiet at Karinji Lake in Mysore

Remembering Kochi

Lorraine:
Years ago I faintly remember travelling to Kochi (Cochin) with my family as a young girl. My memories were pleasant ones...mainly of sipping fresh pineapple juice by the beach and taking a cruise along the river at sunset. My anticipation was great. The Lonely Planet guide also painted a picture-perfect scene...winding alleys, spice markets, Chinese cantilevered fishing nets gracing the shoreline...

Shanks, Christian & Astrid talking to one of the fishermen who operates the Chinese fishing nets at Fort Cochin

And then we arrived, and the realisation struck hard and fast that all the other Western tourists in Southern India must have been thinking the exact same thing as us! The roads leading to our chosen hotel were literally overflowing with tourists - something that we neither anticipated nor were prepared for.

One of the joys for us as tourists (or 'travellers' as Shanks prefers to describe himself), is that as much as we enjoy looking at the locals, they also enjoy looking at us! We are as curious to them as they may be to us! So we have enjoyed being considered something of an oddment and being asked various questions - the most common one is "Which country you are coming from sir/madam?", to which we reply, and then the mandatory association is made to various members of the Australian cricket team! We have enjoyed chatting with the locals, eating at tiny little restaurants tucked away in side alleys where the entire restaurant grinds to a halt as they gaze upon this hapless bunch of foreigners trying to master the art of eating food only with the right hand and work out the correct ways of doing things (often to be met with a shake of the head or a smile). So in a way, there is a little bit of give-and-take - there is enjoyment and fun on both sides.

Not so in Kochi. Or to be more exact, Fort Cochi, a peninsula, away from mainland Ernakulam. Here, tourists are a commodity, not a curiosity. Here, Western tourists seem to outnumber the local population by 4:1. It is not altogether unexpected that where large groups of tourists gather, they tend to associate predominantly with one another and so slowly the restaurants and businesses start to cater for Western tastes and culture, and so slowly the real experience of India is obliterated. Going out for dinner the first night was the first time that when we placed our order the waiter politely enquired "No spice?" to which he was met with four equally aghast faces as we all tried to signal "NO! Lots of spice - Indian style not Western style"!

On the bright side, Kochi was our first experience of traditional classical Indian music and the Kathakali music/theatre/dance phenomenon. Although the shows attracted a wholly-tourist crowd, the evening was well worth it. We particularly enjoyed one evening concert featuring flute and two traditional Indian drums (which names we have now forgotten). The performances of the three musicians as they played together were nothing but superb and their mastery of their instruments was enough to send our senses soaring.

On our second day, Shanks and I headed away from Tourist-ville over to the mainland on a ferry. There we engaged in one of our favourite activities - visiting the maze of markets that every Indian town or village can lay claim to. The scenes in these markets are always so bright and colourful that I did away with my embarassment and whipped out my camera to take a few photos. This was what many stall-holders were waiting for as they eagerly asked for us to take pictures of them, and better still, pictures of them with the tall Westerner accompanying me! Shanks and Christian are big hits wherever they go...they even managed a game of cricket with some lads in one of the playing fields in Fort Cochin...I just hope they did Australia proud!

Some on field action from the Aussie contingent in Fort Cochin!