KERALA..The Experience of the Past..
After a few unaccomplished holiday plans, we finally made use of our Indian visa. Kerala was our choice. I really don't like the idea of being stuck in the manic streets of Mumbai or Delhi. We heard Kerala was the place to go to experience real India. It is authentic. The following will be my travel journal and maybe can act as a guide to those of u who are interested in a short honeymoon or a weekend break but don't want to spend so much..
I didn't know Kerala was one of the Indian states (I know I am a stewie n I studies maritime, but still I m a geography retard!). Thought it was a place in India. Well, the major airports in Kerala are Cochin and Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram-the actual name). Trivandrum is nearer to the southern tip of India. Currency is worth about USD 1 = INRupees 43. Apr to Oct is the off-peak period. We were lucky to be able to manage the typical Germans, Russians and English tourists' season. Weather is humid.
Our taxi to our destination was a white Hindustan Ambassador. Dom told me it is a copy of the old 1950s Austin. It cost us INR600. We arrived too early at 4am. Didn't know that the resort we were staying is really on an island coz we thought it was just in the name. So we had to wait at the boat station for almost 2 hrs for the first pick-up. Dom fell asleep on the rattan chair whilst waiting and me, got my first bite by the mosquito.
During the drive to the boat station, I observed that people were up so early to start their daily routine. U will see ladies in sarees carrying metal cylinders on their heads to fetch water from the common tap which is situated along the main street. U can smell the freshly slaughtered meat when u drive past the butcher's hut with 2 or 3 carcasses hanging. There will be huts selling local breakfast.
We managed to catch sunrise while waiting for the boat. It was so tranquil. I could hear different sounds of the morning-crickets, birds chirping, men chopping wood, prayers from the mosque/temples,churchbell ringing, the sound of the river water rippling, etc.
Our boat ride to the resort, we saw labourers only dressed in sarongs and turbans on long tail boats transporting sand. Instead of rowing, they were punting-u know, using a 3-5metres long bamboo pole, pushing it into the bottom of the river to move the boat forward. The boats looked as if they were almost sinking.
We realised we were actually on the backwaters itself. Our resort, Poovar Island Resort, on the backwaters, separated from the Arabian Ocean by a stretch of beach (accessible by boat only). We were lucky to get the floating cottage which has a balcony with that magnificent view. Very basic facilities in the room - ceiling fan and a mini a/c box - no tv no mini-bar; just a basic shower/toilet.
Since we warned not to drink from the tap water, we used mineral water to brush our teeth n rinse our mouth daily. It was weird to see red ants gathering on our toothpaste cap and Dom's toothbrush. Also, we drank only from sealed mineral water and soft drinks (they used the term 'aerated water'-been long time since I heard that term!) bottles.
Food was FABULICIOUS. Original mamak food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, Indian all the way. Prata, biryani, dosai, chapatti, naan, etc. Different kind of curries and side dishes - mutton gosht, chicken masala, aloo jeera, aloo ghobi, bindhi masal, etc etc. Dessert for 3 days in a row was strawberry and vanilla ice-cream. We were craving for choccies and crisps but can't get them as there wasn't any decent supermarket around.
Since India is popular for its ayurvedic thingy, we had to try their ayurverdic massage. We were made to strip naked and practically bathed in oil. Felt like a chicken marinated with excess fat waiting to be grilled! Not really the kind of massage I like. Room was a but dingy and not that relaxing coz I was conscious of myself all the time. Dom felt the same way too. He was a bit traumatised. His masseuse was a man and every now and then, the hands will brushed against his nuts/willy when massaging his thighs. Eeeuuk! Poor Dom...
No tv/radio in our room so we had to find ways to entertain ourselves. Played carrom which is a new game to Dom. I haven't played it for a long time. Used to be an expert when my uncles used to challenge me to a game. We each absorbed in our gameboy. Read our books on our balcony, whilst enjoying the breeze and listening to waves crashing.
2nd day, we went for a tour to the southern tip of India, Kanyakumari (Cape Camorin). This is where the 2 water bodies meet-the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. We had a few stops. We ventured the Padmananabhapuram Palace, Suchendrum Palace, etc. At the touristic spots, we realised, no one was using mobile phones and cameras used were still those big, black ones which needed winding after every shot taken. Amazing! They were soo fascinated by our camera that when we shot a video in the boat, they actually posed and smiled for us. Haha!
Again our drive was full of beautiful, breathtaking views. Lots of banana plantation, lotus ponds, hill, men bathing their cows/oxen by the river, tuk-tuk trucks (called APE), normal tuk-tuk, men scrubbing their balls in public at the commune tap,etc. On some streets, we could hear loud music blaring from huge speakers for a about a stretch of 1 km. Temples and churches actually provide music to the village folks since most of them are poor and cannot afford their own radio. It really made the villages lively. There were still people gathering on the side of the streets to watch a commune tv. It was like a scene from P Ramlee movies u know. I don't know if u peepz noticed that Ashok Leyland dominates the transportation world with his buses, lorries and trucks. In Keral, Ashok Leyland is the underdog, Mahindra rules. Not like it is of any importance. Just my own strange fascination.
In the temple, to enter, the men have to remove their tops. Yes, usually to enter a holy place, one has to be decently attired but not in this case. As for me, I was fine with my white tee and pedal pushers. We had to deposit our cammy as no-photography allowed. Amazing temple. 45 metres high, carvings were made of granite, limestone and seashells. To make the fingernails of the deities more realistic, they carved the granite till they are transparent. We saw the only female Ganesh (the elephant deity) in India. There was a god that is half male and half female which represents man & wife bonded as one soul. The pillars in the temple are structure in a way that they are symmetrical. Each pillar has a story carved on it.There's one with Kamasutra on it. There were 12 granite pillars which were built to make musical notes when hit by the heel of you palm. No metal was used. Everything in the temple was hand-crafted. It's about 350 years old, I think. Paintings were done with colourings extracted from vegetable/fruits/plants oil. We were blessed by a swami. It's a formality and had red/white poorthu made from red paste and cardamom or sumtin.
Next the palace. It is of course not occupied anymore. It is an archaelogical site. To be able to take pics in the place, you have to bring in your camera. Yes, it's true- INR 25. It was a huge maze in the palace. You have to follow signs that said 'THIS WAY' to able you to complete the tour and not get lost.We thought we would never get out. We saw the royal pooty and chamber. Ceilings in the palace are very lo. We were told it was so the people in the palace had to walk with their head bowed always a as sign of respect. However, there was a guest chamber where the windows are big and ceilings high. This was to accommodate the foreign ambassadors who came for an official visit. To me, the palace's built is very similar in style with the Malay palaces u saw in P Ramlee movies.
Stopover for lunch at a local family restaurant. Considered to be a grand one by their standards. It is located in a small district for the rich. We treated our driver to lunch too. It was weird. The Indians there didn't smell at all. Instead they smell of jasmine and musky after shave. And they don't talk like buzzing flies instead it was normal chattering and occasional laughters from parents amused by their children. Even the kids are well behaved. Amazing! I know I may sound a bit racist or judgmental. Trying living in Dubai. We get the not very nice Indians here when it comes to bad smell and manners. People are more humble and laidback. U can spot the few bossy ones and u know they are from Mumbai or one of the bigger, busier, modernised states.
Our drive back to the resort, Dom bought a bunch of bananas for INR 10 = SGD 0.50. They were so precious to him. He didn't realised till I pointed it out that he was clutching the plastic bag all the way in the car. Heh.
Our last day was spent walking on the beach. I had never in my life so close in contact with eagles. There were many eagles perched on the beach. We saw 2-3 Ospreys, white head sea eagles. Dom said so. The rest were mostly the normal black ones. The crows didn't dare to fly near the eagles. The eagles loved to hover around our resort coz there were plenty of chipmunks for them to prey on.
Finally, our last boat trip to the drop-off station, it drizzled. Dom had really wished for rain and it did. We managed to catch sunset as well. At the airport, we spent our last rupees on Kamasutra book, Barbie-dressed in saree, and 3 boxes of vintage cadbury collection.
Before I knew it, I had only few hours of sleep in Dubai and I was off to work-flew to Paris. Kerala was authentic. It is one experience that I'll never forget...
I didn't know Kerala was one of the Indian states (I know I am a stewie n I studies maritime, but still I m a geography retard!). Thought it was a place in India. Well, the major airports in Kerala are Cochin and Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram-the actual name). Trivandrum is nearer to the southern tip of India. Currency is worth about USD 1 = INRupees 43. Apr to Oct is the off-peak period. We were lucky to be able to manage the typical Germans, Russians and English tourists' season. Weather is humid.
Our taxi to our destination was a white Hindustan Ambassador. Dom told me it is a copy of the old 1950s Austin. It cost us INR600. We arrived too early at 4am. Didn't know that the resort we were staying is really on an island coz we thought it was just in the name. So we had to wait at the boat station for almost 2 hrs for the first pick-up. Dom fell asleep on the rattan chair whilst waiting and me, got my first bite by the mosquito.
During the drive to the boat station, I observed that people were up so early to start their daily routine. U will see ladies in sarees carrying metal cylinders on their heads to fetch water from the common tap which is situated along the main street. U can smell the freshly slaughtered meat when u drive past the butcher's hut with 2 or 3 carcasses hanging. There will be huts selling local breakfast.
We managed to catch sunrise while waiting for the boat. It was so tranquil. I could hear different sounds of the morning-crickets, birds chirping, men chopping wood, prayers from the mosque/temples,churchbell ringing, the sound of the river water rippling, etc.
Our boat ride to the resort, we saw labourers only dressed in sarongs and turbans on long tail boats transporting sand. Instead of rowing, they were punting-u know, using a 3-5metres long bamboo pole, pushing it into the bottom of the river to move the boat forward. The boats looked as if they were almost sinking.
We realised we were actually on the backwaters itself. Our resort, Poovar Island Resort, on the backwaters, separated from the Arabian Ocean by a stretch of beach (accessible by boat only). We were lucky to get the floating cottage which has a balcony with that magnificent view. Very basic facilities in the room - ceiling fan and a mini a/c box - no tv no mini-bar; just a basic shower/toilet.
Since we warned not to drink from the tap water, we used mineral water to brush our teeth n rinse our mouth daily. It was weird to see red ants gathering on our toothpaste cap and Dom's toothbrush. Also, we drank only from sealed mineral water and soft drinks (they used the term 'aerated water'-been long time since I heard that term!) bottles.
Food was FABULICIOUS. Original mamak food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, Indian all the way. Prata, biryani, dosai, chapatti, naan, etc. Different kind of curries and side dishes - mutton gosht, chicken masala, aloo jeera, aloo ghobi, bindhi masal, etc etc. Dessert for 3 days in a row was strawberry and vanilla ice-cream. We were craving for choccies and crisps but can't get them as there wasn't any decent supermarket around.
Since India is popular for its ayurvedic thingy, we had to try their ayurverdic massage. We were made to strip naked and practically bathed in oil. Felt like a chicken marinated with excess fat waiting to be grilled! Not really the kind of massage I like. Room was a but dingy and not that relaxing coz I was conscious of myself all the time. Dom felt the same way too. He was a bit traumatised. His masseuse was a man and every now and then, the hands will brushed against his nuts/willy when massaging his thighs. Eeeuuk! Poor Dom...
No tv/radio in our room so we had to find ways to entertain ourselves. Played carrom which is a new game to Dom. I haven't played it for a long time. Used to be an expert when my uncles used to challenge me to a game. We each absorbed in our gameboy. Read our books on our balcony, whilst enjoying the breeze and listening to waves crashing.
2nd day, we went for a tour to the southern tip of India, Kanyakumari (Cape Camorin). This is where the 2 water bodies meet-the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. We had a few stops. We ventured the Padmananabhapuram Palace, Suchendrum Palace, etc. At the touristic spots, we realised, no one was using mobile phones and cameras used were still those big, black ones which needed winding after every shot taken. Amazing! They were soo fascinated by our camera that when we shot a video in the boat, they actually posed and smiled for us. Haha!
Again our drive was full of beautiful, breathtaking views. Lots of banana plantation, lotus ponds, hill, men bathing their cows/oxen by the river, tuk-tuk trucks (called APE), normal tuk-tuk, men scrubbing their balls in public at the commune tap,etc. On some streets, we could hear loud music blaring from huge speakers for a about a stretch of 1 km. Temples and churches actually provide music to the village folks since most of them are poor and cannot afford their own radio. It really made the villages lively. There were still people gathering on the side of the streets to watch a commune tv. It was like a scene from P Ramlee movies u know. I don't know if u peepz noticed that Ashok Leyland dominates the transportation world with his buses, lorries and trucks. In Keral, Ashok Leyland is the underdog, Mahindra rules. Not like it is of any importance. Just my own strange fascination.
In the temple, to enter, the men have to remove their tops. Yes, usually to enter a holy place, one has to be decently attired but not in this case. As for me, I was fine with my white tee and pedal pushers. We had to deposit our cammy as no-photography allowed. Amazing temple. 45 metres high, carvings were made of granite, limestone and seashells. To make the fingernails of the deities more realistic, they carved the granite till they are transparent. We saw the only female Ganesh (the elephant deity) in India. There was a god that is half male and half female which represents man & wife bonded as one soul. The pillars in the temple are structure in a way that they are symmetrical. Each pillar has a story carved on it.There's one with Kamasutra on it. There were 12 granite pillars which were built to make musical notes when hit by the heel of you palm. No metal was used. Everything in the temple was hand-crafted. It's about 350 years old, I think. Paintings were done with colourings extracted from vegetable/fruits/plants oil. We were blessed by a swami. It's a formality and had red/white poorthu made from red paste and cardamom or sumtin.
Next the palace. It is of course not occupied anymore. It is an archaelogical site. To be able to take pics in the place, you have to bring in your camera. Yes, it's true- INR 25. It was a huge maze in the palace. You have to follow signs that said 'THIS WAY' to able you to complete the tour and not get lost.We thought we would never get out. We saw the royal pooty and chamber. Ceilings in the palace are very lo. We were told it was so the people in the palace had to walk with their head bowed always a as sign of respect. However, there was a guest chamber where the windows are big and ceilings high. This was to accommodate the foreign ambassadors who came for an official visit. To me, the palace's built is very similar in style with the Malay palaces u saw in P Ramlee movies.
Stopover for lunch at a local family restaurant. Considered to be a grand one by their standards. It is located in a small district for the rich. We treated our driver to lunch too. It was weird. The Indians there didn't smell at all. Instead they smell of jasmine and musky after shave. And they don't talk like buzzing flies instead it was normal chattering and occasional laughters from parents amused by their children. Even the kids are well behaved. Amazing! I know I may sound a bit racist or judgmental. Trying living in Dubai. We get the not very nice Indians here when it comes to bad smell and manners. People are more humble and laidback. U can spot the few bossy ones and u know they are from Mumbai or one of the bigger, busier, modernised states.
Our drive back to the resort, Dom bought a bunch of bananas for INR 10 = SGD 0.50. They were so precious to him. He didn't realised till I pointed it out that he was clutching the plastic bag all the way in the car. Heh.
Our last day was spent walking on the beach. I had never in my life so close in contact with eagles. There were many eagles perched on the beach. We saw 2-3 Ospreys, white head sea eagles. Dom said so. The rest were mostly the normal black ones. The crows didn't dare to fly near the eagles. The eagles loved to hover around our resort coz there were plenty of chipmunks for them to prey on.
Finally, our last boat trip to the drop-off station, it drizzled. Dom had really wished for rain and it did. We managed to catch sunset as well. At the airport, we spent our last rupees on Kamasutra book, Barbie-dressed in saree, and 3 boxes of vintage cadbury collection.
Before I knew it, I had only few hours of sleep in Dubai and I was off to work-flew to Paris. Kerala was authentic. It is one experience that I'll never forget...
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