Are we there yet?

The jouney from Kodaikanal to Kollam was an adventure that kept going and going and going...We were expecting a long day, as although Kollam was less than 300km as the crow flys from Kodai, there was no good direct road over the mountains down into Kerala. From Kodai, we wound back down to the plains and followed the eastern side of the Western Ghats virtually to the southern tip of India. In this region we were surprised to see hundreds of wind turbines towering over and seemingly outnumbering the coconut palms lining the fields stretching to the horizon. It was early afternoon as we travelled between the boulder strewn granite peaks through to Nagercoil on the western side of the range. As we headed northward the pace slowed with increasing traffic and virtually no streches of open road and we were lucky to average 30km/hr for the rest of the day. Crossing into the state of Kerala and with our destination still 'two hours away' we gave up at about 8pm after nearly twelve hours on the road and found a hotel at the far too touristy beachside resort area of Kovalam. The next morning we covered the last 67km to Kollam in just under two hours - we still find it difficult to comprehend the time it takes to travel in India compared to Australia - as a general rule it takes two to three times longer to cover the same distance.


Kollam is the southern (and less touristy) gateway to the 'Backwaters' of Kerala - a maze of lakes, rivers and canals through which much of the trade and travel in Kerala still occurs.

Just photos...

Here are some photos from our travels so far...

And we're off!

Changi Airport in Singapore has free foot massage rest stops...

Astrid & Christian took full advantage!

Typical street scene in Chennai near our hotel

Shanks' long-awaited, eagerly anticipated masala dosa...


...was wolfed down in seconds, Indian-style (right-hand only)
...and it lived up to all expectations!

Who let these three near the sweet counter???

One smart cookie!

(We've never even eaten these cookies...ah, biscuits...before, but apparently they're a big hit in Chennai)!

Excuse me sir, do you have any stainless steel cookware?

India has truckloads of coconuts!

Bustling bus stop just outside our hotel in Trichy

Astrid, is that your tenth pakora???

View from our hotel balcony in Kodaikanal

Is that Guru Sri Sri Shankar...

or is it Shanks recovering in icy-cold Kodai?

Hindu temple in a village on the walk to Pillar Rocks...

complete with big stack of speakers filling the entire valley with temple music!

Pillar Rocks makes a brief appearance amidst the clouds

Head in the clouds

The journey from Trichy to Kodai took the better part of a day, and gave us an opportunity to witness the different landscapes of India - from the flat plains dotted with coconut palms and fields of maize, sorghum and rice to the banana and coconut plantations nearer the base of the Western Ghats (mountains). The pace slowed dramatically as the road wound it's way up the thickly wooded slopes with stunning views of the farmland below and cascading waterfalls in the distance. We were treated to another lesson in 'horn etiquette' as we discovered that the horn is sounded before venturing around corners (a very good thing considering the many blind corners there are twisting up the mountain)! As we climbed higher we could be forgiven for thinking our travels through India were just a dream and that we were really driving though the Dandenongs. Towering eucalypts dominate the landscape through most of the area, along with blackwood and wattle...maybe we should send some koalas to Kodai to complete the scene!

We finally arrived at Kodaikanal at around 3pm in the afternoon. The hotel we chose had views overlooking the town and the hills in the distance. At times, the entire area is swimming in the clouds and we felt as if we were on the edge of the world! Kodai is a hill station, population approximately 30 000, and not a rickshaw in sight! This makes for a very pleasant atmosphere and our ramblings in town were much more enjoyable without the pressing crowds and overpowering pollution of the larger centres. On the second day, one member of our party succumbed to the dreaded nemesis of stomach trouble...poor Shanks spent the day in bed feeling a little bit feverish, nauseous and achey. Not entirely unexpected, it was a good thing that he had a couple of days to recover before we have to pack up and head to our next destination.

One thing that some of us were a little bit unprepared for was the cold...Kodai is approximately 2200 metres above sea level, and the night-time temperature drops to about 5 degrees. This sent us scurrying to reception for more blankets after we almost froze on the first night! Braving the cold, today we undertook the 7km walk to Pillar Rocks. On the tourist trail for both Westerners and the locals alike, we weren't quite sure what would be waiting for us at the end of the trek, and it is a good thing that we weren't too attached to the outcome, because when we reached the famous Pillar Rocks we found them bathed in a sea of cloud! A brief break in the clouds allowed for some photo opportunities and as we waited we chatted to an Israeli couple who live close to Haifa. We swopped phone numbers and travel plans and if time allows we hope to catch up with them after our pilgrimage to the Baha'i Shrines on Mt Carmel.

Tomorrow we head off bright and early towards the coast and into a new state - Kollam (Quillon) in the state of Kerala. Here we hope to explore the backwaters and experience life in India at a different pace and at a different temperature to Kodai! We have hired a car and driver to get around from place to place - the most efficient way to travel when you are short on time. Our driver, Rajendren, has told us to expect an eight hour trip, but this doesn't phase us too much as there is always plenty to see and discuss along the way. We are all having a fantastic time and can't believe that we have been here for almost a week already.

Next post...Kollam!

Adventures in an Ambassador

At 8:30am this morning we departed Chennai headed for Trichy (Tiruchirappalli) in central Tamil Nadu. Eight hours, 350 kilometres, 1/2 kg of scrumptious Indian sweets and 6 bananas later we were there! Along the way we had a number of scares...the first within an hour when we thought we saw our driver start to nod off behind the wheel! Astrid's method of bringing him back to a full state of consciousness was to start singing "When You're Happy and You Know It" at the top of her voice. Christian's method was to quickly offer him some sweets to get his blood sugar back up again. Finally we all decided that the safest bet would be a coffee break, so stop we did, and very glad we all were when we saw him downing a steaming hot cup of coffee a few minutes later.

The other scare, of course, was the crazy Indian traffic. However, by the end of the eight hour trip, we can all safely say that we now have a fairly good understanding of the "Indian horn usage etiquette guide"...it is not as random and purposeless as we first thought...there is a definite system which all drivers know and abide by (unless you're a big truck and then you can do what you like!).

The major road south from Chennai started out as a four lane highway (two each way) and as we were making good progress we were planning what to do upon arriving at our destination early in the afternoon. These plans went out the window as soon as heavy rains started beating down and the road deteriorated to two lanes of potholes connected with sporadic bits of bitumen. 'Two lanes' was also a generous description, as each vehicle attempted to find the path with the least potholes, with priority given according to the size of the vehicle. Only a few small kamikaze cars flaunted this 'rule of size' which even the multitude of roadside animals seemed to obey.

Tomorrow morning we will get up bright and early to go to the Rock Fort Temple nearby...then we all pile back in the Ambassador and make the trip up into the hills to Kodaikanal for a few days...what we are hoping will be a haven of peace and tranquility away from the smog, dirt and pollution of the city.