We arrived in Kochi after a 4.5 hour plane delay, and got to our homestay at 1am. We were surprised to notice so many differences in the south. First of all, there are signs of Christianity everywhere. Throughout the rest of India, 60-80% of the population is Hindu, and the rest mostly Muslim, but here it is the Christians who dominate. The whole area is cleaner, less crowded, and the smell of flowers and spice linger in the air. Kochi is an old British Fort and port...from here spice is sent around the world. There are few open signs of poverty, the homes are larger, and those who are poor live in a sort of community, ensuring everyones needs are cared for.
We had two days to explore here, but it was difficult to do anything in the heat. It was so humid too that your clothes stick to you, and the sweat literally pours - running down your face, your legs, your back...all I could think about was water. Nathan and I found ourselves often talking about pools, fridges, icecubes, etc. It has become a bit of an obsession...trying to figure out how to get cool. So, while others were out melting in the heat checking out the city, I managed to find an upscale hotel who for 350 rupees let me use the pool. It was wonderful!! I would have paid 10 times that just for a quick dip.
In Kochi we watched the fishermen using an old Chinese technique of catching fish. The are long poles on a fulcrum, weighted on one end with large stones, with a large net tied to the other....the net end is lowered into the water, and then, like a teeter totter, is balanced, when it tips the other way, the net comes out full of fish.
We have noticed a strange thing here in India. People sweep the ground endlessly, whisking away the leaves and flower petals, meanwhile leaving garbage strewn everywhere. The garbage is the toughest thing to get used to here. It is everywhere. You notice it especially when you go to parks and water - things of beauty that we would never imagine would be full of trash.
We left Kochi (formerly called Cochin)for Conoor. Conoor is high in the mountains, and we climbed slowly to the top on the most hair raising roads you can imagine. Cars and busses pass on blind corners. It was like driving the horseshoe canyon back home - only with 4 lanes of cars squeezed onto it - all of them trying to pass while going around hairpin turns. Crazy. And when cars stop on the road to look at wildlife...they are looking at elephants! Too cool!
Conoor was refreshingly cool - about 20 degrees, so we went for a long walk through the hilltop village and had a nice dinner. Our room was lovely - though the bed was so high off the round it required stairs to get into. We also visited a tea plantation which was very interesting...I think the Britts in our group are on to something! Here they even had Masala tea and chocolate tea and they were both amazing.
From Conoor we took a tourist type train for an hour through the hills - and that was quite interesting. All these Indian tourists were there, like us, waiting for the train. Then when it pulled up, they all started pushing and shoving to get on. This of course created a total jamm of the door, and no one could get in. People were pushing and pulling and lifting children in through the windows. We just stood and watched as person after person piled in. Like sardines they jammed into the train. We stayed on the platform - dumbfounded, and then after they were all jammed into the 3 rail cars, the workers brought another car, attached it, and the few rich Indians, and us white people, walked casually onto the train, and sat in our spacious seats. It is weird how things work here - but caste is what it is - and different kinds of people get different kinds of treatment.
We then continued on to the tiger reserve. There we went on a safari, but did not see too much...just a few deer, a wild boar, a few elephants, and a peacock. The best part was each time we passed another jeep full of Indian tourists, they would all squeal and point, and take our pictures! Clearly, a jeep full of white people was the most interesting thing they saw on their safari!
The scenery really was spectacular along the way though. I had no idea there were such tall mountains in India. Much like those back home - only covered with forests of Ecalyptus and palm trees. And all along the side of the road are monkeys. Mist hangs in the mountain tops, and the picture really was quite breathtaking at times...if you could look past the piles of rubbish.
Nate was sick for a day when we first arrived in Kochi, and for the past couple of days I had been feeling a fair bit of stomach pain, and was in pretty bad shape by the time we left the tiger reserve for Mysore. Fortunately it was not too long of a drive. One of our tour girls spent the night vomiting, and sure enough, by the time we got to our hotel here, it was my turn. I just emerged from 24 hours in bed. It was a rough go - and I missed seeing the amazing palace here, but was well enough this morning to join the tour for a trip through the countryside to a temple built in 1259. The entire temple was made of small soapstone carvings. I especially liked the row of all the Kama Sutra positions for sex. Apparently, the Kama Sutra is a part of Hindu eduation, and taught at the temples. Hmmmm.
This afternoon we will go walk through the market here, and then we will be catching the overnight train for Chennai. I have heard the trains in India are qwuite an experience. A person told me he took the overnight train (in a private first class sleeping car) from Dehli to somewhere, and when he awoke, there was a baby in bed with him and a family of five sleeping on the floor!
If I am lucky, I will have time before the train to post pics - though not likely. That will have to wait until the next time we have internet. Love to you all.
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