Mar 2009

We extended our stay in India by 2 wks so that we can catch the Tibetan New Year celebration in Leh, Ladakh, India (in the Himalayas). To take a break from India, we decided to backtrack and head to Koh Lanta, Thailand, to enjoy its white sand beaches and good food. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the beach, especially a white sand beach? By the first afternoon, lounging in the bar on the beach with a nice cold beer, we had decided that somehow we have to own property on a beach somewhere.

6 days of lazing around on the beach and swimming in the calm cool waters of the Andaman Sea... oh and let's not forget the $8 per hour Thai massage everyday.... Pure bliss!

We did get our butts out of the lounge chairs to explore the island one day.... on a scooter.

It was Ashok's first time and talk about trial by fire - it looked easy enough except that the one road around the island was hilly and unpaved and filled with potholes. We saw one couple turn back half way through, but we fearlessly plowed on.

We also took an excursion to a nearby island, Koh Ngai (pronouced Hi), which is even prettier than Koh Lanta. It looks like it's straight out of a postcard. We only wish we had more time to spend a few days there.

The Thais has got tourism down. They make it so easy to go and relax there: information about accommodation/ transportation is easily available on line, people are friendly, and the price-value relationship is great. Our simple but clean beach front bungalow was only $23 a night, and I've already mentioned the $8 massage! In comparison, a similar room in India would cost around $50, with no wi-fi.

The first night at the hotel the beachfront bungalows were not available, so they put us in this RV-converted room parked next to the pool on the street side. This has to be one of the most unusual rooms we've ever stayed in:

Given what we had to go through the next couple of weeks, it was a good thing we got this week of rest.

The beaches I wrote about last time provided a nice break from visiting the temple towns, which are not places where one wants to stay any longer than necessary. They have all the noise, filth, and crowds typical of India cities, but non of the charm. The temples, however, make it worthwhile to spend at least a night.

The South Indian temples reflect Indians' love for ornate decoration and bright colors. All the buildings, including the entrances, have high towers that are completely covered with ornate sculptures and carvings of the presiding deity, and are oftentimes painted with bright colors.

The inside of the temples vary, depending on the level of maintenance. Regardless, shoes and socks are not allowed once inside the courtyard. Cows, on the other hand, are sacred to the Hindus, and thus are free to roam inside, as are bats in some of the more ancient ones. So, in some cases we found ourselves walking barefoot around the courtyard carefully sidestepping holy shit, literally.

Elephants, on the other hand, have the honor of giving blessing to anyone willing to pay a tip (either in cash or bananas):

We also went to a temple to see the Pongal (new year) celebrations. For this auspicious occasion, the horns of the cows are painted bright red and yellow. Then at some point in the night, there was an Indian version of the running of the (very unhappy looking) bulls through the courtyard, without any barriers for people to hide behind (I read in the papers that, in another town, one person was killed and several injured during one of these bull races).

Kids joining the revelry on the back of a tractor-converted truck:

The temple we really wanted to see was the iconic Meenakshi temple in Madurai. Of course, given our luck, we were there just in time for the once-every-12-year-repainting of the temple so everything was covered up.

A small tower that's not covered up to give an idea of what's under the brown bamboo and leaf covers:

Being inside, though, was quite an experience... seeing the devout Hindus stand in jam-packed lines for hours just to get a distant glimpse of the Goddess shrouded in incense smoke, hearing the chants of the Brahmins (the priests) as they perform puja (ceremony for the God/ Goddess). The Brahmins are the only ones that can access the inner sanctum where the sacred idols sit, but anyone who has money can pay for them to perform the puja (it felt like a big money making scheme for them). We got pulled into doing a few pujas. In one temple in Chidanbaram, Ashok even had to take his shirt off and follow the Brahmin around (sorry no pictures allowed).

Besides temples & beaches, we also went to a couple of unique cities. One of them, Pondicherry (about 4 hrs south of Chennai) ended up being our place to meet up with friends. Josh traveled with us there where we hung out for a few days. We then extended our stay so we can meet up with Ashok's childhood friend, JoJo, and his family. Pondicherry was a French colony for a brief period in history, long enough to leave behind a nicely planned out, clean and relatively quiet French quarter that's unlike the rest of India. And good coffee. In fact, Tamil Nadu is the only state in India where one can find a good cup of Indian coffee.

Besides wandering around the streets, we also spent a lot of time in the charming, breezy courtyard of the Hotel du Pondicherry where the decor makes one feel transported back in time to the 1920's, and where one can just sit back and relax for hours (yes, it's the exact same spot in both pictures).
Hanging out with Josh:

JoJo, Deepa, and Kabir sleeping soundly in his stroller:

Our last stop in South India was in Cochin, Kerala, known for its “backwaters”. This is another place where people go to get away from the noise and chaos of India, and a boat ride through its various tributaries was indeed very peaceful.

Cochin, a Portuguese influenced city, is also known for the Chinese fishing nets right off of the harbor, which have been used for centuries to catch fish. There are plenty of stalls selling fresh, “you buy, we cook” seafood next to the nets. However, one look at the trash on those beaches, and we decided to pass.

Not to worry - we did find good food in Cochin - but were too busy enjoying it to take pictures. Here is a picture of the colorful & tempting spices for sale on the streets... just think of the possibilities:

January turned out to be a whirlwind tour of Southern India (the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala), and a mixture of temple towns and beaches. It was also the month to meet up with friends. I'm splitting it into a couple posts, and will jump around in terms of the places we visited, but here's a map of the route we took:

We started out in Chennai (formerly known as Madras) where Josh met up with us. There's not much in Chennai – even the guidebooks say to get out as quickly as possible – but we did spend an interesting afternoon at one of it's beaches. Everything happens here: horseback riding, photo studios, mini hand-cranked merry-go-rounds, fresh (I think) grilled fish, fishermen mending their nets, kids jumping into the waves (near naked), families wading in the water (fully clothed)..... talk about life is a beach!


Take a picture with a Bollywood star or the Royal Bengal Tiger... your choice:

Hand-cranked merry-go-round:

However, our first real beach time (since we arrived in Asia) wasn't until we arrived in Mahaballipuram (about 2 hrs away from Chennai) the next day. The waves were pretty rough but Ashok & Josh liked it, and the beach was quiet and nobody bothered us.

Of all the beaches we went to in India, the best one is in Varkala, on the western coast in Kerala. Here, the sand was soft and the beach was clean (a rarity in India). One look at the blue waters of the Arabian Sea and you can't help but be relaxed.

In the early mornings, the water is the smoothest I've ever seen with gentle rolling waves. By late morning, the wind picks up but just enough to offset the heat from the sun. Perfect hammock weather, especially with the addition of a glass of ice cold beer. There must be some weird law with regards to serving alcohol in restaurants because they can't do it openly. Instead, beer comes in a teapot (chilled), and shows up as a dish called Mallabar Fish on the check.

Varkala was just what we needed after a very long 9 hour train ride in 2nd class (no AC). Normally I like train rides, but in this case we had to put up with people with no reserved seats trying to squeeze into our bench, and getting indignant because there are only 3 people sitting when clearly you can fit in another 1-2 people. At night the train really fills up, with people sleeping anywhere they can: in the aisles, under the seat, and up on the small luggage rack above the seats which is probably the cleanest part of the train.

Traveling around on a budget in India gives you a completely different experience and view of India. Going one step up doesn't even require a lot more money (the train ticket would have been $20 for 1st class AC sleeper vs. the $2 we paid), but the experience is almost like seeing 2 different countries. One is not more authentic or real than the other. Rather, it just provides a glimpse into the lives of the different classes of people. On this trip, I realized that the Indian governmen may make it affordable for everyone to travel. However, there's no thought given to how the people are treated during the trip... it's literally "cattle class". The bar is set extremely low when it comes to the quality of the goods/services.

Next up: the temples of South India