Hi everyone,
So, our sub-continent experience is over. Overall we covered a lot of ground and had a fantastic time to boot.
When we last left the blog, we were in Fort Cochin in the Indian state of Kerela. Fort Cochin is famous for Chinese fishing nets that are still used. These are big structures that use a series of counter weights to lift the nets in and out of the water. We spent our time wandering around the streets and also spent an evening watching a Kathakali show, for which Fort Cochin is also famous for. Karthakali is a performance in which the actors have a series of movements in the eyes and body to convey they story through.
After Fort Cochin, we stopped in the city of Calicut, which isn’t exactly filled to the brim with tourist attractions. The reason for the stop was to catch up with one of Glen’s work collegues who was over for a wedding. He showed us around a typical Indian home and allowed us to sample some of the home cooked food. It was good being able to see a familiar face after being away for so long.
Next up we headed towards the beaches. The first was Gokarna and then on to Goa. I will let the photos do the talking for these places as all we did was relax. One thing we did get to do was the famous Wednesday flea market at Anjuna. This was basically a massive market that had hundreds of stalls selling everything. We picked up a few clothes and enjoyed the location which was right by the beach.
After a week and a half of doing nothing we felt that we should make it to at least a couple of the three world heritage listed sites nearby and headed to Aurangabad to visit the Ellora and Ajanta caves. These two sites are a series of temple caves that have been cut into the sides of cliffs. Ajanta is famous for the paintings that still adorn the walls, while Ellora is famous for the massive Kailasa Temple which has been cut right out of the rock (200,000 tonnes of rock was removed) to form a temple covering twice the area of the Parthenon in Greece and 1.5 times as high. Basically, the temple is one solid piece that has been left after all the other rock was removed. Impressive, to say the least.
From the caves we then headed to our final destination in India, Mumbai. Mumbai is a very impressive city that we only touched the surface of. One of the highlights was being given the opportunity to be an extra in a Bollywood movie. We spent a whole day on a set where we were fed and paid for sitting on our bums all day, being a fake audience. Not too shabby. Apart from becoming stars, we also checked out a massive fish market, and a washing ghat where a lot of Mumbai’s clothes are taken to be washed. All in all it was a great way to finish off.
We are currently in London, and head to Morocco tomorrow morning. After that we are off to Canada.
Until next time, enjoy the photos.
All the best,
Glen and Robyn
The Chinese fishing nets in Fort Cochin, India
The performance of the Kathakali in Fort Cochin, India
Glen and Ranjith wearing some typical Indian wear in Calicut, India
Robyns hands after a hour in Calicut, India
Cows are a common feature of any beach in India
A nice dinner on the beach in Gokarna, India
Walking from one beach to another in Gokarna. There were five in total
Ahhhh, milk shakes on the beach. You can’t top that. Gokarna, India
Sunset over Gokarna beach in Karnataka, India
A nice refreshing drink after a hard days swimming, Goa India
Relaxing in Palolem, Goa India
Palolem Beach, one of the more beautiful of the bunch, Goa India
The flea market of Anjuna stretches all the waay to the beach. Goa India
Robyn’s breakfast of half a watermelon on Arambol Beach, Goa India
Sunset over Arambol, Goa India
Templed out? Glen taking a well earned rest at Ajanta Caves
A reclining Budha carved into the walls at the Ajanta Caves
Some of the paintings that have survived time, Ajanta Caves
Glen praying with Budha, Ajanta Caves
The spectacular horse shoe setting of Ajanta Caves
Robyn relaxing in Budhas lap, Ellora Caves, India
Sitting Budha, Ellora Caves
Deep inside the caves at Ellora
Kailasa temple from above, Ellora Caves
One of the most impressive temples in India. Kailasa Temple, Ellora Caves
Marine Drive, one of the most popular areas of the city, Mumbai
Dhobi Ghat from street level, Mumbai
The washing action down at the Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai
Robyn enjoying a streetside Thali (meal) for less than a dollar, Mumbai
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nice skirt glen :)
Rach - Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009 09:00:52