Periyar

Naga (cobra) Temple

Beauty at the Market

Cardamom County Resort

Jan. 10, 2013- Night Sights

Another one bites the dust. Constipation was the cause. All her potions didn't work & she was in real distress. Charles had the hotel call the doctor. He was there in ten minutes & worked his magic. The cost was $16. The woman who was in the air force & who saw a doctor earlier paid $15 but isn't doing so well. Whatever she has isn't heatstroke. It's something she had before & I think they're arranging for a flight home from Cochin.

Last night we experienced rush hour in India at street level riding in tuk tuks instead of above it all in our bus. I had full confidence that the drivers knew what they were doing. Anyone driving like that in the U.S. would be thought to be drunk. My faith was shattered when I realized our driver had gone the wrong way on a divided street. As the headlights of oncoming traffic bore down on us he managed to swerve & reach his goal to arrive at our destination before the other tuk tuks. There are minor accidents & we did see two motorcycles bump fenders. There was no road rage. They just repositioned their bikes & moved on. For some reason there were suicidal traffic police posted at intersections vainly trying to make a difference.

We were headed into town to see the night ceremony at the temple. Every night the idol of Shiva is carried to his wife's idol to have a "conjugal" visit. Last night was special in that a family paid to have the idol carried on a golden chariot in celebration of a special occasion. Yes, this was the barefoot temple again. I dealt with it in style. The floors are stone, swept, though dusty, & animals aren't permitted. Birds are the exception so droppings are to be avoided.

There was a long delay since the priest was held up in traffic but once he arrived things went quickly. This is unlike Varanasi where the night ceremony is full of color, fire, & pomp. The chariot here was hooked up to a large green generator so the electric lights would work. Said generator was then shlepped along behind the chariot as the family members pushed & pulled the entire assemblage through the temple corridors. Somewhere a band found us & we were off.

Charles was obsessed with giving us unusual experiences & kept asking if we wanted to do this then that. We were game so our next stop was an almond milk stand. Frothy boiled milk was infused with almonds & sweetener then poured from one brass container to another with much steam & ceremony until it was cool enough to drink. It was served in tall glasses & we all imbibed. It was delicious. So far no ill results.

We moved on to a "bakery" specializing in dosa. We didn't eat the bread but watched them make it & tasted one of the fillings. It was a combination of eggs, onions, shredded naan, & veggies sautéed on the grill where the dosa is made. Charles had them leave out the hot chili curry but it was delicious all the same. We were given small banana leaves to hold out while the concoction was spooned into it.

There is a lot of smoking here, but it's not tradition to smoke in front of people. It's a sign of respect not to smoke in front of others especially if you know they don't approve. For example, Charles' brother would never smoke in front of his parents. To set an example for the children, drinking isn't done at home either. I think he was talking about upper class behavior because he then said that thirty per cent of youth are addicted to alcohol & I've now noticed people in villages smoking.

Daylight Diversions

This morning we came to a roadblock due to a pilgrimage & our driver tried to bribe the police so we could go through an interesting town. It didn't work. We took an alternate route & were able to see the pilgrims' goal, an enormous rock monolith where the temple was situated. Hundreds of steps led up to the summit with many pavilions to rest along the way.

A roadside termite mound drew us out of the bus. It was a temple where the cobra was worshipped. The cobra is one of four venomous snakes in India where there are 256 varieties of snakes. The cobra is a symbol of fertility & it seems to be working for the monkeys living nearby. While we were there four very old women arrived to pray. Charles assured us they were praying for their families, not for themselves.

With down time on the bus, Charles returned to the subject of marriage. The official marriage age is eighteen for girls & twenty-one for boys. Since 2009, marriages have to be registered. Muslims, Hindus, & Christians all have arranged marriages. Once arranged & agreed upon, the couple may not live together. Hindus consult the calendar for auspicious days & times, usually very early in the morning. The couple may never be  alone together before marriage but can socialize when others are present. Marriage is between two families. Sometimes a thousand or more people are invited. The couples' university degrees are listed next to their names on the invitation. The bride's family pays unless there's another reception in the boy's community. The cost of weddings is one reason girls are liabilities.  In a recent high profile Bollywood wedding there were 10,000 guests. The family also invited 140,000 poor people & paid for 101 poor people to be married also giving them cash gifts.

If one of the couple changes his or her mind after betrothal the wedding is stopped. If it occurs as late as the time of the ceremony, compensation is paid to the other family for expenses incurred. Intermarriage is a problem but there is civil marriage. People who are unmarried find it hard to fit in & mostly still live at home. There is still the problem of some parents killing their child if Dalit marry non-Dalit.

Giving a dowry is now illegal but it's still done. Bride burning is a result of the dowry system & a severe offense but it occurs. It's like a family business. More & more money is asked for & if it's not forthcoming they burn the bride. They then move on to the next marriage arrangement & another dowry.

Of course there was another market stop. Each is similar but different enough to be interesting. People were anxious for us to take their pictures & one man in particular got David's attention & mimed what he wanted. He finger-combed his hair, lowered his longhi to its full length, preened, smiled, & posed. He seemed to be quite pleased with the results when shown. As we walked  on I spotted a barrel of multi-colored pasta shaped like Stars of David & we bought some. Most of the products should have signs in English saying "Eat me & die."

Back on the bus! We slowed by a village temple where people, probably pilgrims, were enjoying a free picnic lunch. I'm telling you South Indians are the friendliest people we've met anywhere. They waved & beckoned for us to join them. We didn't but if not for fear of intestinal disaster I think we would have.

Moving right along we stopped at a roadside brick factory. While we've seen the process before it's always interesting to see how hard the people work. These were hand made & wood fired. Charles elaborated on the subject of salary & minimum wage. In Tamil Nadu minimum wage is $3/day while in the state of Kerala it's $5. Kerala is heavily influenced by the Communist party. Entry level government jobs are usually $200/month plus bribes; university professors get $500-2000/month; IT workers employed by private businesses can make from $2000-10,000/month. For those who go overseas the sky is the limit. Most taxes (30-60%) are indirect while only 8% of the people pay income tax.

We were pooped after lunch & no one wanted to get off the bus to take pictures of mourners taking offerings into the river nor did we want to see sugar cane being grown, processed, or sold. Ultimately we fell asleep.

Climbing The Heights

When I woke the topography had changed as we headed toward the state of Kerala & our hotel at an altitude of 3500 feet. Kerala is generally cleaner than other parts of India but we were warned that the pilgrims leave a mess. This is the area where Charles was born. Malayalam, an offshoot of Tamil, is the language of this state.

The switch-back road up the mountain added a dimension of excitement as buses passed each other & trucks vied for their fare share. Then it all came to a halt. A truck had rear-ended a bus inflicting minimal damage & the drivers were on the road negotiating a settlement.

We finally pulled into the town of Periyar & up to the Cardamom County Resort. Built on the side of the mountain it looks like something out of a travel brochure. Rooms are situated overlooking the pool & each has a lanai. The public areas are open air & sprawl throughout the facility. Bougainvillea vines creep over rooftops in various colors & it's hard to decide whether to get a drink or have a massage. Why not both?

As we'd pulled into town a young man at a stand was making banana chips cooked in coconut oil. He had a mandolin & was shaving the banana slices into the oil. When he saw us watching he kept moving farther & farther from the oil kettle until banana pieces were flying through the air. After we settled into our room we walked into town for an ATM & bought chips from him.

Charles arranged for a dance performance before dinner. A brother & sister (ages 14 & 16) did traditional dances from Kerala. They were stupendous. She was an award winning dancer & the intricacies and grace of the choreography emphasized the story telling quality. Her eyes alone, an integral part of the dance, were worth the show.

This was the best dinner we've had so far. I'm already looking forward to breakfast but that will be delayed a bit. Tomorrow we start with a 7AM jungle trek in hopes of seeing elephants, leopards, or tigers, oh my.. Breakfast is when we return unless we become breakfast.

Toby