Mysore

Transvestities

 

 

Palace Light Show

Jan. 15, 2013-Wishful Thinking

Firecrackers from a birthday celebration next door woke us at 2:30AM beating our alarm & the mosque. We had to get up at 4:30AM anyway to leave for the airport As usual Charles smoothed the way through check-in & again at the airport in Bangalore.

Bangalore & Mysore are in the state of Karnataka. The airport is only three years old. Known as the Garden City, the landscaping around the airport bears that out. It is clean & modern with billboards advertising high tech companies. It's the Silicon Valley of India. It's also known as the Pensioner's Paradise.due to its climate. Recent growth has  led to the highest cost of living in India & the real estate market is saturated.

We were lulled into thinking things would get cleaner after the rest rooms at the airport. We were impressed with our shiny new bus & ready to roll. Within the hour we wanted our old bus & driver back. The new one has A/C but it's either on full blast or barely there. It's so noisy our ears are numb from the whir. The seat backs are at an uncomfortable angle & there are no hooks & pockets from which to hang our gear. Charles joined our discontent about the bus. He called the main office & was holding the phone up so they could hear an engine noise he didn't like. The mechanic will be out tomorrow before we leave. Charles is a perfectionist much to our benefit.

Two hours later we were at our rest stop. It had the filthiest bathrooms we'd seen yet & the driver's assistant just watched as some of us struggled getting off the bus & navigating that last big step. This isn't a group of complainers but we've begun to whine. We passed a McDonald's & KFC on the way to Mysore & asked if that could be our rest stop on the way back to Bangalore in a few days. And why, oh why, do they have speed bumps at frequent intervals on a four lane highway?

When we remarked on the cleanliness of Bangalore versus the expected cleanliness of Cochin Charles clued us in on the background. He noticed the trash problem had gotten worse in the last two years. When he checked with a friend he was told it's a political issue. The main cause of the trash is culturally Moslem. If they are singled out for education on the issue it will be seen as discrimination. So trash piles up.

We did an impromptu stop at a cow market. It's a huge affair &  jammed with, well, cows. This was the first day but they usually number around 100,000 cows. They sell for from $100-2,000. At least we're not at the cow festival in Tamil Nadu. There 100,000 people will take a dip in the holy river.

As we crossed a bridge over a littered gully Charles pointed out several transvestites seated on a wall. They were somewhat attractive & enjoyed posing for pictures. I asked Charles why they were at the market & he said they were waiting for customers. They're prostitutes. Quite sad. Non-discrimination laws are starting to be passed. In April there's a trans festival in Tamil Nadu. 

Our lunch stop was at a riverside cafe. It was tacky at best & looking at the sluggish water was uninspiring. There was a playground nearby & Kayo & I took a spin on the foot propelled merry-go-round & climbed the jungle jim. I found out she'd been a gymnast in Japan & is still pretty nimble.

Charles’ Favorite

Mysore is known as the City of Jasmine, sandalwood, & palaces. It's Charles' favorite city. Of course they have their own language, Kanada, which, isn't spoken in the state of Kerala, nor does Charles speak it. Gonna be interesting.

He was anxious to take us to the market here but saw how exhausted we were. We all slept on and off on the bus as did he so the market visit will be tomorrow. Instead he let us rest. David & I fell into such a deep sleep we didn't hear our alarm. We woke in time to tumble into our clothes & rush to the lobby as they were loading the bus for our night experience.

Charles was excited about the surprise he had in store for us. We were on our way to the sound & light show at the Palace. Even at night we could see how, well, palatial, the grounds were & how grand a city this is. Monuments & grand arches were plentiful as tributes to a glorious past. And we couldn't see the trash at night. We brought flashlights as we were told & muddled through the grand entrance & over the grass in the dark to the viewing area. We've been to a couple of such shows where the site is illuminated in time to music & narrative. This was on the same order but in the Kanada language. We understood words like "British, architect, Krishna, & tuk tuk," but beyond that it was "Greek" to us. In good old Indian style they blew a fuse at the climactic moment. I hoped they'd be able to restore the performance since I was sure that if they couldn't Charles would drag us back there tomorrow night. They managed to re-boot & finish in style with the illuminated outline of the entire palace in tiny white lights.

Tomorrow we'll tour an archaeological site, the palace, & have our final banquet for those not going on to Goa.

Toby

Cochin-3

Chinese Fishing Nets

Beach Trash

Kathakali Dancer

Jan. 14, 2013- Fish Tail

So the mosque not only uses amplifiers to call people to worship, they also broadcast the entire worship service. So be it. We had to get up early this morning anyway.

The body count today is less one. Charlotte flew home yesterday as she was too ill to continue. We have some with colds & two with bronchitis. The doctor saw them today & gave them antibiotics. He'll come with expectorant this evening. The cost was $35 including meds.

Charles had a gleam in his eyes when we assembled at 6:30AM to board a ferry for parts unknown. We then took a bus & ended up at the wharf where the fishing boats unload and auction their wares. What fun listening to the auctioneer running the show in Malayalam. We knew exactly what was happening if not the amounts. The lot of fish we saw him sell was about 200 lbs. & went for $350 as translated by Charles. Cats lurked in the shadows waiting for an opportune moment to snatch  & grab. I don't think they've been very successful judging by how skinny they were.

Learned something about segregation here. It exists on buses. They are divided by gender. Women either sit in the front or the aisle is used as a division between the sexes. I told Charles we tried that in the States by race & it was overthrown. Tom from S. Africa said they had similar results. Charles said there's already the beginning of rebellion among university students.

We were ferried back, had breakfast, & strolled to see the Chinese fishing nets in action. Enormous blue nets are suspended over the water & lowered then raised every five minutes. The catch is meager each time but the profit nowadays is in tourist trade. We were allowed to "help" them raise the nets as they "assisted" us by pulling on the end of the ropes from where boulders used as weights hung. As they were lowering the nets once more, one of the men got his ankle caught in the rope & was being lifted into the air. Reactions were instant & he was safely extricated.

We continued our walk along the shore of the Arabian Sea.Trash, trash, trash. Another bird shat on Charles, lucky man, & he wiped it off with a tissue. He's immaculate & very disturbed & embarrassed by the filth of his country so he & we were on the lookout for trash receptacles in which to toss the tissue. It was a challenge.

Something Old, Something New

We diverted to St. Francis Indian Anglican Church, the oldest European Church in Kerala. Vasco de Gama found the route to India in 1498 & the church was built by the Portuguese in 1501. He had the help of a Muslim guide who advised him of the route. He traveled by caravan to S. Africa timing it so the wind of the S.W. monsoon pushed them to the Malabar Coast. They waited for the winds to rise up against the Himalayas where they reversed & became N.E. winds pushing the boats home. Vasco de Gama died here on his fourth trip. He was buried in the church until his son came to claim his body & bury it in Lisbon. We have a picture of the tomb where de Gama is not.

In 1667 the Dutch took over & the church became Dutch Reformed. When the British came it became Anglican. It is now Indian Anglican. They're not responsible to the Archbishop of Canterbury. When the Brits left other Christian denominations moved into the area.

Onward to the dhobi walla to pick up our duds. Our thirty-four pieces cost a grand total of $13. They were ironed, folded, & the shirts were folded around newspaper. Charles said  to keep the paper in the shirts. His always look fresh & immaculately pressed. The paper is his secret.

We boarded the bus for the newer area of Cochin called Ernakulam & a trip to a shopping mall. The area had new construction, high rise apartment buildings, nicer shops, & somewhat less trash. The mall was not air-conditioned & most of the stores were closed. Those that were open sold watches or tech stuff. We wandered around for half an hour then found our way back to the meeting place.

Lunch was at a lovely popular hotel restaurant patronized by Indians & us. David noticed that Charles tips as we go. He tipped the hotel doorman, ticket takers, & most anyone who does anything for us. It surely smoothes the way for his groups.

There was a biennial art exhibit at a "palace" across from our hotel. I wonder if the old, distinguished, mold ridden, peeling buildings were ever lovely. We wandered over there, paid a dollar entrance fee, & meandered through the rooms. The first exhibit was an image projected onto the fabric covered end of a heat duct. It showed an elderly person moaning in agony then sneezing.  The sneeze was so loud & juicy that I almost ducked. The next room had a photo of thirteen chador clad women posed ala Last Supper. It was entitled Last Supper-Gaza. The interpretation was that Abbas had betrayed the Palestinians. Just my cup of tea. The next display made us think we'd wandered into the Minnesota State Fair. An entire wall had been hung with a hundred or more small black boxes of different grains of rice. They were labeled meticulously in English & some language using Sanskrit letters. I'm sure it was a labor of love. It was lost on me. At least at the fair I could get the rice fried & on a stick.The other rooms were sprinkled with various works that lost out to my sense of being steamed in the ever oppressive heat. When we emerged onto a waterfront lawn we sought refuge at a cafe table, downed Diet Cokes, & fled back to the hotel. I'm such a Troglodyte.

Night Life

There was a little excitement at our hotel this evening. We were waiting to meet Charles around the pool when three policemen appeared. They were joined by the manager as he led them up to our floor. They knocked on a door & the police entered. They were in there a very long time & we left before they emerged. We asked Charles for an interpretation. There was a Pakistani staying in that room. The hotel has to report all Pakistani visitors to the police. They were checking to be sure he was legitimate. Perhaps they were searching his room. We'll never know.

Our treat for the evening was seeing the Kathakali dancers. We arrived early for the last part of what is a two hour long application of make-up. The narrator then walked us through an explanation & interpretation of the facial, neck, & eye movements conveying the nine emotions while the thirty-four hand gestures filled out the rest of the story. The Kathakali is a dance indigenous to Kerala & performed only by men. Faces are painted in vivid blue, black, yellow, & red while the costuming can only be described as over the top in opulence, color, & grandeur.  The dances are usually devotional in nature & tell the story of the supernatural adventures of the gods. In this case, the storyline was similar to a good old Gilbert & Sullivan operetta. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, girl isn't who she seems to be, boy cuts off girls breast & banishes her to the netherworld. Well, maybe not exactly like G & S.

Through some housekeeping glitch we have washcloths! Oh joy!

We fly to Bangalore tomorrow & have to wake up at 4:30AM. From there we drive directly to Mysore. It's 100 miles & will take four hours.

Toby

Cochin-2

Dhobi Walla

Sarah Cohen

Host Family

Jan. 13, 2013-Religious Mix

It's 5:30 AM & the Muslim community has started their call to prayer. I wouldn't mind it if they used a calling chain, but waking the entire community seems selfish to me. It's the 21st century. They could at least set the alarm clocks on their iPhones. In all honesty, it was David who woke me. He was having a bad dream, thought I was in trouble, & called my name. I had trouble getting back to sleep & then the noise started.

Charles once again outdid himself. It was laundry day & he took us to a real Indian dhoubi walla. That's your basic Indian version of a human powered laundromat. We handed over our bags of dirty, smelly gotkes (undies) & in full view of the group they were sorted & counted. No modesty here. Charles was outside in the wash area where they were actually beating clothing on concrete when a bird pooped on the back of his shirt. He returned to the sorting area and they spot cleaned it. He removed the shirt & they took it to the padded concrete ironing shelf. Thereupon George, a former dancer & tailor from New Zealand, proceeded to iron it with an old fashioned coal heated iron that weighed a ton. He said it reminded him of the old days.

Our hotel is in the old section of Cochin called Port Kochi. It is rife with churches & mosques. We passed a Syrian Christian church & learned that minority religion still prays in Aramaic. Mishpocha (relatives)? As I mentioned before, there's a large communist presence in Kerala. It's not unusual to see the red flag with hammer & sickle flying from homes & telephone poles. Odd bed fellows.

The Mattencherry Palace name reflects the Hebrew for "give" & "cherry" is fishing village in Tamil. The Portuguese gave the Palace to the maharajah in 1855. The next occupants were the Dutch.  It's now a museum with un-retouched frescos from the 17th century. In the time of the raja the throne was passed down through the king's sister's son. Although royal women had power within their homes, they were sequestered behind screens in palanquins when they went out. As a means of exploitation of the Dalit class the king declared their woman had to go naked from the waist up. If they could afford it they could pay a tax & wear a blouse. I wondered if they got cut rate to cover one side or if they could get a two-fer. In any case, it was win win for the king.

The Portuguese gave land to the Jewish community in 1555. As we entered Jew Street we passed a shop where Sarah Cohen,in her 90's, still sold embroidered Judaic goods. We bought. The synagogue, built in 1558, was impressive with a blue & white 200 year old  Cantonese tile floor. Interesting to see Muslim women clad in chadors in the synagogue. It was typically Sephardic with a central bima (pulpit) & torah in a rounded case in the ark.  Although this is the only open synagogue in Cochin there are six more in town & five thousand Jews in the whole country. As if Jews didn't' have enough trouble with shrinkage, St. Thomas saw fit to come here to try to convert them.

Hospitality

Tonight was our home hosted dinner. We divided into two groups. We were in the group that wasn't going to have fish since there are several in the group who don't like it. We went with that bunch since they don't distinguish between fish & shellfish here. We were served boney yucky fish. Again David ate  it & I didn't. The before dinner beverage was a dark liquid we thought might be juice. It was Coke. They also served an angel hair- like pasta with coconut sauce. The fish was next & served on the same plate, then the green bean dish on top of that. Several people asked for new plates. I didn't mind the melding of the sauces. It was the bones I couldn't deal with. The house was five years old & designed by the husband who's a tour guide. It was large & lovely although we had to walk over an open sewer to get there. At least the odor didn't get into the house. The wife was a 4th grade teacher. They're Catholic (5th generation) & have two teen-age sons. One wants to join the navy and follow in his grandfather's footsteps. Military service is prestigious & admission is competitive. The other wants to be a doctor. Very nice boys.

I think Charles successfully & indirectly convinced us all not to go to the evening optional dance show & dinner on a boat tomorrow. It cost $83/person. He told us we could see the same show for $5 around the corner from the hotel then go to dinner. He needed ten people to reserve the boat. Only three wanted to go. I asked how many wanted to join us at the $5 dance show & the rest put their hands up. Charles is arranging for our tickets.

Tomorrow begins at 6AM with a boat ride “somewhere.” Another surprise.

Toby

Cochin

Pilgrims Celebrating

Elephant Encounter

Canalside

Jan. 12, 2013-Not Camelot

Down the same mountain we went passing tea plantations & following workers carrying parcels on their heads.

We were barely awake & captives on the bus when Charles hit us with politics. In 1947 Pakistan was divided from India into East & West Pakistan. It was based on religion so that now East Pakistan is Bangladesh & both are Muslim. Millions of people have been massacred over the division. Over 15 million refugees have crossed the border over this issue. Kashmir is the hot button area today. Kashmir has different regions: Hindu, Muslim, & Buddhist. It was ruled by a Hindu king who wanted to be aligned with India so signed a treaty with India not Pakistan. After three wars Pakistan occupies a portion of Kashmir. Nehru signed the treaty giving them that area two days before the Indian army would have overrun it. That's one of Al Qaida's training grounds now. Today India is spending 17% of its budget for land that gets down to -20 degrees in winter. Just when things were getting better with trading goods & playing cricket matches between the two countries a Pakistani terrorist attack occurred

With all the tensions here there isn't any between Shia & Sunni Muslims. But some Muslim boys run a scheme to dupe Christian girls into marriage. Girls convert then the boy divorces her. The goal is conversion. It's politically motivated. Extreme Hindus want Christians to go to Europe & Muslims to go to Pakistan & murder them for their cause. This is by no means Camelot.

We were in tea heaven. Having been raised on a tea plantation we dubbed Charles "Charlie Chai."  The tea bushes spread over the hills like vineyards in California. Tea plantations are owned by big corporations. Tea as a beverage, also know as chai, was discovered by the Chinese around 3000 BC. The Dutch introduced it in Europe. India is the largest tea producing nation in the world. In 1835 tea was first planted in Calcutta by the British. In 1851 it was started in the South. Some bushes are 100 years old. Tea is harvested every fifteen days by hand with quantities picked varying from 80-200 pounds a day per picker.

Stopped to see a rubber tree being tapped. Not so foreign for Akronites. Rubber trees are originally from Brazil. David took photos & I returned to the bus. I was fading from the heat...again. To refresh us Charles plied us with cookies & spicy  manioc chips once we were rolling.

There was an article in the newspaper complaining about the pollution of roads & rivers by the twenty million pilgrims since there are no toilet provisions for them as they walk to the temples. We suggested that Charles invest in porta-potties. Any takers?

As we headed farther down the mountain we started seeing lovely homes. The economy was definitely improving. One town was dominated by new university buildings all painted different bright salmons, greens, & blues.  Most churches sported Stars of David for the Christmas season. Curious.

Impressing The Guide

Then the road turned into a swirling sea of humanity. Since Jan. 14th is the day the fire is lighted at the hilltop temple in the preserve where we hunted tigers yesterday, pilgrims were all converging in time for the deadline. Somehow the buses & trucks wove between the supplicants without flattening any. 

Charles told us not to take anything but hats & cameras as we scurried off the bus. We entered the melee of Hindu pilgrims going into the mosque to pay respects before continuing to their temple. Ecumenism ruled. You know it's going to be special when the guide takes his camera. Men, boys & pre-pubescent girls wore paper crowns reminiscent of Burger King crowns depicting fire & a tiger. We took photos of them  often at their request & they took photos of us.  One shopkeeper insisted that David take a picture of his wife & beautiful daughters. Bodies painted with powdered dye surrounded us & soon we were dotted with specks of what I hope is water soluble paint. People on their first pilgrimage were the ones wearing the dye, dancing & drumming.

We followed the mob into the porch around the mosque & watched them hurl coconuts into a pit as a sacrifice to the saint of the mosque. The piece d'resistance was when we were crossing a street & Charles herded us back from where we came. Yesterday we'd climbed a mountain to see an elephant from afar & here was one coming towards us. I can tell now from its lack of freckling, that this one wasn't distressed despite its shackles. It carried what looked like a palm tree in its trunk although I'm sure it was only fronds. There was a police presence (wearing masks against pollution) but the local shopkeepers  were comfortable displaying machetes as part of their wares. All in all, the hoard was amazingly peaceful.

Wet & Not So Wild

Exhausted, we walked back to our bus, our haven, & fell asleep. We were awakened by Charles alerting us that we were about to board a houseboat for our backwater cruise & lunch. The boat has two bedrooms & the deck area was set up for our meal. Private parties can rent it starting at $200/night. As I dropped my tusch into the molded plastic chair I glanced down. The tables were sitting on lovely oriental (I'm guessing Kashmiri) rugs. Ironically one of the many dishes served was fish. It was served whole. David ate it. I didn't. I don't do heads & bones.

Some of us opted to take an extreme backwater canoe excursion through the extensive canals serving as roadways here. A few people stayed behind moaning about safety & sun exposure, but I figure my dermatologist has to eat. The canoe held all who went, about thirteen. Some of the small homes lining the banks were doll-like in size, color, & tidiness. They were on narrow slices of land with canals in front & rice fields at their back door. It was worth coming back to the houseboat to eat the fried bananas that greeted us as we returned from canoeing. Unfortunately they have similar problems with water hyacinth that we do in Florida. The flower originates in South America & the Brits thought they were lovely enough to import. They're now clogging the waterways. Sometimes I forget where I am. When I looked out on the river it took a moment to realize I wasn't in Florida or the Amazon. This is India.

Romantic Coastline

Onward to Cochin. I wasn't impressed by the approach to the city. Maybe less garbage, but garbage strewn none the less. Our hotel, Killian's Boutique, is across the street from the Arabian Sea on the Malabar Coast. Sounds romantic & exotic. Wi-fi here is awful. It's free but only available at poolside. We arrived in the evening & were eaten by mosquitoes as we tried to read our mail. We'll have to be well sprayed with Deet before we try again. I'd rather pay & have it work better. One of the Toms said, "Don't give me god damned ambiance. Give me things that work." It's an oven outside. At least the A/C seems to be dong  its job.

Tomorrow we have a later start & get to drop off our dirty duds at a laundry walla avoiding the hotel prices. We'll see the synagogue & the Jewish quarter. Charles warned us not to buy silver or anything with gems there as they're know to be phony. He added that there are only eight Jews in Cochin now. Stores in the Jewish quarter are run by Moslems.

Toby

Periyar-2

Should Have Looked Here

Tiger Hunters

Jan. 11, 2013- And Tigers?

I forgot to tell you about the monkeys. We're living with them here in our treetop aerie.

We were wakened at 6AM by a phone call, not a monkey, in preparation for our trek. Thirteen of us left at 7AM & didn't return until 9:45. We walked to the national forest with Charles then were met by a guide. We had to fill out information forms listing name, address, & age. This wasn't auspicious. At least I learned we weren't the oldest. The age range was 56-78. We joked about them wanting to notify next of kin if we actually found a tiger and that was in fact the case. There's a lake in the forest & tourists can take a boat ride. Last year a boat capsized & fifty-five people were lost. They had a hard time contacting family. We joked that if a tiger got us they wouldn't have to ship a body home.

The tribes that used to live in what is now the preserve have been relocated to the outskirts but are still permitted to hunt there. Hope they have better luck than we did. Due to the increased population during pilgrimage season the animals have pulled farther into the interior & are harder to find.

Our first sighting was a giant squirrel. Really? It was very, big but it was a squirrel. They'd have to do better than that. The next was a barking deer. We live with deer all the time & even have barking deer at the Akron zoo. Then we were led to a killer ficus. Now that was impressive since I could never keep a ficus alive long enough for it to grow larger than a short shrub.

Ah! Elephant dung was spotted! It was fresh! It was ripe! We were hopeful. I didn't know that elephants being the humongous beasts they are were capable of moving up a mountainside hardly disturbing the foliage. We were hot on their trail & I'm sure we were doing more damage than they as we climbed the literally slippery slope to their feeding area.  We were cautioned to be quiet even though we lumbered upward crunching leaves & twigs. And then a cell phone rang.

At last. There they were. The guide was very pleased with himself as he pointed yet upward where the herd grazed. We didn't see them. It took a while with lots of pointing & gesticulating for us to realize that the large grayish brown boulders at the hilltop were indeed elephants. It was easier when they started moving about & someone would excitedly point out a trunk or tail. That was it. No tiger. We headed down lots faster than we went up. We were eager for breakfast & our massage.

Sublime Torture

So the massage wasn't what we were expecting. We were asked to take all our clothing off. No fooling around with modesty here. And no male on female or vice versa massages. I was given what amounted to a diaper-like loin cloth to wear. Fortunately it was made of paper like doctors use & was disposable. Shades of Depends to come? It was held in front of me whereupon she tied it around my waist. A long strip of the paper fabric was hanging almost to the floor. She went behind me, reached between my legs, & pulled the hanging paper up the back & tucked it into the waist tie. David opted out of his. I was seated on a stool where the first part of the oiling & boiling took place. She kneaded & mushed away & then it was time for the table. The first thing I noticed was there was no well in which to rest my head when on my stomach. It was uncomfortable & she was determined to de-stress my shoulder. As she worked along my spine she kept asking if it hurt. At one point it did. She just said, "Very boney." At last she cracked my back & turned me over. A shower & shampooing was included. Fortunately I  got to do that myself. Of course she was right there in her ivory & gold silk sari handing me shampoo & bath gel. All this for $20 plus a $2 tip.

We skipped the afternoon cooking class & elephant ride & walked into town to shop. Didn't buy much but it was fun watching the activity.

The late afternoon was a planned visit to a spice plantation. We took an educational stroll with the owner as he explained the medicinal & food value of each spice. We got to smell & taste some leaves & spices. The cinnamon leaf was remarkably tasty. Just like chewing gum.

The best part of the trip was watching twenty people line up & pile into a jeep. They're day workers from Tamil Nadu & travel fifteen miles daily each way like sardines, Believe me a fifteen mlle drive here takes an hour or more.

Sabbath Rest

It was Shabbat tonight so we invited anyone who wanted to join us to meet at 6:30PM. Tom, the Lutheran minister, agreed to participate. We had my battery run Shabbat candles, wine in the plastic bottle we'd bought along the way, & a stale croissant from yesterday's breakfast. It was very lovely & Tom gave a short speech about our commonalities. Charles was quite moved as he'd never participated in a Jewish Sabbath & Kayo, the Japanese woman, reminded us that she'd spent years with a Jewish family as a nanny.

We head out early tomorrow for Cochin. It's a long drive & we won't arrive until 6PM. Cochin was a haven for Jews after the destruction of the Second Temple. It has the oldest synagogue, mosque, & Christian church in India. Vasco de Gama arrived in 1495 having figured out a shorter route to India than Columbus did. At least de Gama found it & the rich spices. People are still thriving in Cochin where the average life span for women is 88 & 85 for men.

Toby

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

Madurai-2

Meenakshi Temple

Pedicab Ride

Jan. 9, 2013- On A Dark, Not Stormy, Night

I know it's India. I know there are frequent blackouts here. I know there are more blackouts here than in other cities. I know that nighttime blackouts make David's CPAP machine turn off then on. I did not know I'd be affected by blackouts at night.

I was asleep. The room was dark. So what if we lost power for a few minutes...more like seconds? WRONG! At this hotel with it's techno touch pad electrical system, when there's a power failure then the electricity returns, ALL lights in the rooms go on even if they'd been turned OFF. That includes 4:30 AM. We were soundly sleeping when this happened. We just looked at each, got the giggles, & switched the lights off....again. We were so privileged to have this modern Indian moment because we were in the renovated rooms. Those rooms not yet brought up to the 21st century don't provide the full experience.

The beauty of traveling with strangers is they haven't heard our old travel tales & lifetime of anecdotes. They don't know about our careers, triumphs, & the glitches of our lives. Do the math. Most of us are over sixty-five. Multiply this by sixteen in the group & you have an endless variety of fascinating conversation, tall tales, & humor.

Comfor & Other Zones

Madurai is the seat of Dravidian culture & we were primed for our visit to the Meenakshi Temple today. The building itself takes up fifteen acres &, as all temples of its ilk, serves as a community center. Located mid-town it provides a mercantile & social center as well as cares for the spiritual needs of the people. Started in the 5th century, building continued through the 17th. Talk about a capital building project.

We had to remove shoes & socks for this visit. It was beyond my comfort level but I complied. We'd been prepared in advance & brought sanitizing wipes from home.  The temple is dedicated to Shiva & Parveti. The tale is that a king had a daughter who was born with three breasts. He was distraught until a wise person told him the third breast would disappear when she met her true love. Wouldn't you know it was the god Shiva who filled the bill.

A museum is part of the temple complex & we were set free for ten minutes to see the entire thing. It was more than enough time. That was followed by a much too long visit to a rug store where they sold Kashmiri knotted (rather than loomed) rugs. I'm semi interested in something maybe for our entry hall but they don't understand “maybe” here. The salesman followed me to the rest room asking all the time if I'd like another color or size or didn't I like rugs at all?

By that time I was feeling punk. I was sleep deprived after the sunrise "light" display, my stomach was threatening to revolt, & the heat was getting to me again. Our next stop was a lame palace museum.At least that’s what I was told by those who went. I stayed on the bus & napped.

I revived at lunch which was at a very plain restaurant catering to tour groups & Indians alike. The starters were fish sticks, chicken tenders, & french fries. When I saw ketchup on the table I dug in. Indian fare followed & now Charles has David's number. He shares his food with him. David said what Charles eats is not oppressively spicy & has real flavor. We both got heartburn.

Our afternoon activity was a forty-five minute pedi-cab (pedal rickshaw) ride through the back streets of Madurai. We each had our own rickshaw as two people would be too heavy for one man to pedal. The area was like an outdoor drive-thru Super Walmart & Home Depot combined. Streets were categorized by the products sold & it wasn't uncommon to find cows being milked outside hardware stores. I've noticed that if Indians smoke they don't do it in public & I have yet to see cigarettes for sale at any of the stands we've come upon.  At one point Charles came up beside our procession on the back of the motor bike driven by the owner of the pedi-cab concession. We were in such tight formation as all modes of traffic & pedestrians swarmed around us that my cab gently rear-ended the one in front. No hard feelings. A festival was about to begin & we plowed through a crowd of sari-clad women & police as we played follow-the-leader back to the cab stand.  Police here are unarmed. As usual people waved & smiled. We were definitely the show.

There's a night ceremony back at the temple but I'll send this now on the unreliable wi-fi so we don't have to pay another day's fee. I'll catch you up tomorrow.

Toby