Hi everyone,
We have seen quite a lot since the last post. Our time since then started in a charming little town called Mamallpuram in the state of Tamil Nadu. Mamallapuram is famous for amazing rock carvings and the Shore Temple which is literally right by the beach (no floating feces here). We spent a few night here eating the fresh seafood, checking out the sights and just relaxing. We were lucky enough to be in town for the festival of Pongal which celebrates the end of the harvest season and is the most important among the farming communities. The tourist office had a free organised trip into one of the villages where we saw the dancing, decorations and preparations of the traditional food. They also had games organised which Robyn promptly won prizes in both (musical chairs and ceramic pot breaking - like pinatas). The prizes while thoughtful, were not practical so our yoga instructor now has a 30 cm wide reproduction of Brihadishwara Temple, which he loved.
From there we headed south to the old French port of Pondicherry. Though it was no Paris of the East, it was quite a nice town with some European architecture and heaps of bakeries which gave us the option of croissants for breakfast, which was a nice change. Also close to Pondicherry was the international community of Auroville which is a project in ‘human unity’. Its really a place where people can go to live in peace while becoming enlightened spiritually. The main attraction for us was a giant structure called the Matrimandir, which to quote the lonely planet was ‘a cross between a golf ball and a NASA space project’.
Next up we continued south till we literally couldn’t get any further south. Kanyakumari, is the southern most point of the continent and is famous for being the meeting of three oceans, the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. At one point in the year you can see the sun setting at the precise time that the moon rises. Unfortunately that happens in April. There are also some monuments on a few small islands 400 metres off the coast which look imposing from the shore. We also visited a temple where guys had to take off their shirts, so the ‘Guns’ were on show for a good hour in line.
Onward we moved and finally arrived in Kerala, a state that many people had told us was the jewel of India. We started in Varkala, which was the first beach we felt was clean enough to swim in. The setting was pretty amazing as the beach was a kilometre strip of sand surrounded by some sensational cliffs lined with funky restaurants (which served some more seafood). We spent a few days as you would expect at the beach, relaxing. The water was perfect and was a great change from the dirt and heat of the previous towns.
For the last week we have been experiencing the backwaters of Kerala, which has been a real highlight. The backwaters are a 900km network of waterways that fringe the coast and trickle far inland. We first did a 2 hour canoe ride which went through villages and showed us coir (coconut rope) making, boat building, village life and fish/prawn farming. The best way that we experienced the backwaters was to spend a nice relaxing afternoon and overnight on a custom built houseboat. The boats are all built to look like kettuvallum (rice barges) from the outside but are fully decked out on the inside. We cruised around and were treated like kings with all the food they gave us. Overall, Kerala has been a real treat so far.
One thing I haven’t mention about the last few weeks is that it has been the Indian tourist season. This has meant a few things. Firstly, its been hell trying to book trains. Luckily we discovered the ‘Foriegn Tourist Quota’ where we can often get tickets that have been set aside for tourists which has been a real lifesaver. Secondly, we have turned into stars. We have been asked to be in photos with the locals so many times we have lost count. At first we thought it was fun, but after a while it got really hard to say yes and still smile in their pictures. Needless to say, we will probably be on peoples walls all over the country by the time we leave.
We are currently in Cochin, but we’ll leave that for next time. Until then, enjoy these photos.
All the best,
Robyn and Glen
Robyn enjoying a spot of Darjeeling tea
The view from our hotel roof-top, Darjeeling
The Happy Valley tea plantation in Darjeeling. This is run exclusively for Harrods in London
The 5-second lady’s house
The toy steam train, Darjeeling
Our favourite place to get a snack. I think we kept him in business for a few days, Darjeeling
The famous colourful flower market of Calcutta
Maidan Park where hundreds of games of cricket are played, Calcutta
Glen enjoying a fresh coconut in the Sunderbans
Rice ready for seperating in the Sunderbans
Our first glimpse of the mangrove forest, the Sunderbans
Robs crazy dancing with the villagers and a Frenchman, the Sunderbans
Squish squish squish! Robs after a only a few steps, the Sunderbans
The gang walking in the mangroves, the Sunderbans
Robs and Glen taking a mud bath, the Sunderbans
Glen in the footsteps of a rickshaw driver, the Sunderbans
The view from the boat cruise of the mangrove forest, the Sunderbans
Two ‘Thumbs Up’, India’s attempt at coke isn’t that bad
Some of the intricate carving of the Sun Temple, Konark
Robyn’s thong after her bushman fix!
The Sun Temple, Konark
One of the 24 ‘wheels’ on the Sun Temple, Konark
Our typical meal - Thali
Glen practicing his Yoga at the Shore Temple, Mamallapuram
The amazing rock carvings of the Five Rathas, Mamallapuram
Even when they are made of rock, Robyn can’t resist an elephant. Mamallapuram
The Butter Ball, Mamallapuram
Part of the celebration of Pongal, painting the ox’s horns. Mamallapuram
A lady preparing the Pongal decorations on the street, Mamallapuram
One of the traditional dancers decked out during Pongal, Mamallapuram
The ladies preparing the traditional food for Pongal
More Pongal celebrations - It was loud!
Some local kids wanting to be in photos
The Matrimandir in Auroville
Sunset in Kanyakumari, the southern most tip of India
The island monuments just off the coast of Kanyakumari
The beautiful beach at Varkala
One of the many beautiful sights in Varkala
We finally reached paradise, Varkala
The canoe backwater tour, Kollam
You would never think there would be that many types of bananas!
No, he didn’t catch this. But we couldn’t resist buying the biggest prawn ever!
Pirate Glen (it might help if you untie the boat), Alleppey
Glen about to cool off after a hard days relaxing, Alleppey
Robs relaxing on the house boat, Alleppey
A typical view from the houseboat, Alleppey