Well, we are back in Fort Kochi - just ahead of the monsoons which have begun to approach. As a result, the weather is much cooler (low 30's I suspect) and the sky is cloudy. Each night it rains...welcomed really.
At the Hill Station, after our walk in the jungle - Nathan and I wnet for an elephant ride. Big, majestic animals they are...much like riding a horse, only slower, and higher. Afterwards, some of our collegues took a bath with them - getting showered by filthy water sucked up through the elephant's trunk. I cannot say I strust the water - anywhere in India.
Before we left the Hill Station, we stopped at Abraham's spice farm. Abraham was an interesting man - in his 60's with bushy tufts of hair growing out each ear. He spoke amazing French, German, Italian, Hindi and English - all which he says he learned strictly from tourists. His 2 acre farm was jammed packed with every kind of spice tree you can imagine - and all kinds of other edible things....22 different kinds of bananas, all different kinds of fruits and vegetables. When he wasn't looking I stole a cucumber off his vine...so strong was my need for crunchy and green. He also gave us these sour chili things that were crunchy...but tasted like a cross between a lemon and a cucumber. Amazingly delicious. I ate 5! Speaking of lemons, he had a variety that grows to 10Kg each. Seriously - these lemons looked like watermelons! We chewed on the leaves of cinimon trees, ate green peppercorns right off the tree, and smelled all manner of spiuces. It really was very interesting. Afterwards, we went into his humble home and ate a hoomecooked meal. Here we tasted some of his banana varieties - and learned to make "banana mush"...rice, banana pieces, yougurt, and sugar, squished together with your finders then eaten. Quite yummy really.
Next we headed back towards the west coast backwaters. The backwaters are a large area of land that lies below sealevel, where thousands of smnall islands have been created over centuries. People live on the islands and farm rice all around in the feilds that are easily flooded. With the fields currently flooded (sone once a year for 2 months), it looks like you are on a huge lake, hopping from island to island via tiny raised dikes. Here we took a large canoe across the channel to a private home where we stayed. 
We walked around the island, learned about this type of rice farming (different than the terraced type), and enjoyed some intercultural exchange. In the evening we went on a long canoe ride through the backwaters, and as we slowly paddles along, the boat paddlers sand us traditional folk songs. It was lovely, and eery all at the same time. The songs had a sad whine to them - echoing across the water. Above head as the sun sunk behind the coconut trees were the largest bats I have ever seen. They looked as large as flying cats!
In the morning, we went by motor boat through the backwaters to the town where we were met by our van. All along the backwaters you see house after house (shack after shack) built on the narrowist strip of land...backwater 4 feet in front of their abode, and flooded feilds 10 feet behind. So the amount of dry land these people actually have to live on is very limited. Each house has steps built down into the backwater channel where they bathe, drink, wash dishes, etc.
We arrived back at our starting point at noon yesterday, and everyone said their goodbyes. We travelled with people from Switzerland, Australia, England, and Ireland. Each person brought something to the group - and all in all it was nice to get to know everyone. It was interesting to observe the young people in the group - who clearly were more interested in the social aspects of travelling. They would sleep during the day on the van - not too interested in the hours of incredible scenery. They kept things lively (and loud), and hopefully their world travels will contribute to their own personal growth - it certainly has mine.
At the Hill Station, after our walk in the jungle - Nathan and I wnet for an elephant ride. Big, majestic animals they are...much like riding a horse, only slower, and higher. Afterwards, some of our collegues took a bath with them - getting showered by filthy water sucked up through the elephant's trunk. I cannot say I strust the water - anywhere in India.
Before we left the Hill Station, we stopped at Abraham's spice farm. Abraham was an interesting man - in his 60's with bushy tufts of hair growing out each ear. He spoke amazing French, German, Italian, Hindi and English - all which he says he learned strictly from tourists. His 2 acre farm was jammed packed with every kind of spice tree you can imagine - and all kinds of other edible things....22 different kinds of bananas, all different kinds of fruits and vegetables. When he wasn't looking I stole a cucumber off his vine...so strong was my need for crunchy and green. He also gave us these sour chili things that were crunchy...but tasted like a cross between a lemon and a cucumber. Amazingly delicious. I ate 5! Speaking of lemons, he had a variety that grows to 10Kg each. Seriously - these lemons looked like watermelons! We chewed on the leaves of cinimon trees, ate green peppercorns right off the tree, and smelled all manner of spiuces. It really was very interesting. Afterwards, we went into his humble home and ate a hoomecooked meal. Here we tasted some of his banana varieties - and learned to make "banana mush"...rice, banana pieces, yougurt, and sugar, squished together with your finders then eaten. Quite yummy really.
Next we headed back towards the west coast backwaters. The backwaters are a large area of land that lies below sealevel, where thousands of smnall islands have been created over centuries. People live on the islands and farm rice all around in the feilds that are easily flooded. With the fields currently flooded (sone once a year for 2 months), it looks like you are on a huge lake, hopping from island to island via tiny raised dikes. Here we took a large canoe across the channel to a private home where we stayed. We walked around the island, learned about this type of rice farming (different than the terraced type), and enjoyed some intercultural exchange. In the evening we went on a long canoe ride through the backwaters, and as we slowly paddles along, the boat paddlers sand us traditional folk songs. It was lovely, and eery all at the same time. The songs had a sad whine to them - echoing across the water. Above head as the sun sunk behind the coconut trees were the largest bats I have ever seen. They looked as large as flying cats!
In the morning, we went by motor boat through the backwaters to the town where we were met by our van. All along the backwaters you see house after house (shack after shack) built on the narrowist strip of land...backwater 4 feet in front of their abode, and flooded feilds 10 feet behind. So the amount of dry land these people actually have to live on is very limited. Each house has steps built down into the backwater channel where they bathe, drink, wash dishes, etc.We arrived back at our starting point at noon yesterday, and everyone said their goodbyes. We travelled with people from Switzerland, Australia, England, and Ireland. Each person brought something to the group - and all in all it was nice to get to know everyone. It was interesting to observe the young people in the group - who clearly were more interested in the social aspects of travelling. They would sleep during the day on the van - not too interested in the hours of incredible scenery. They kept things lively (and loud), and hopefully their world travels will contribute to their own personal growth - it certainly has mine.
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