Advertisement
Published: October 3rd 2008
Edit Blog Post
Wednesday we explored the town in the morning. All the Muslim-owned shops were closed. Tuesday was the last day of Ramadan so Wednesday was a celebration day. Tuesday night they were doing prayer over a very loud loud-speaker right down the street from us. It was still going on when we went to sleep and the next morning it started again around 6 am. Around noon we got on our houseboat, home for the next 20 hours, to explore the canal system that Kerala is famous for. We definitely felt like royalty! There were 3 people all there just for us on our own private boat. Our bedroom was air-conditioned which was nice for sleeping but we weren’t in there at all during the day. The front of the boat is sort of like a patio, open on the sides with a thatched roof. Nice chairs and even an overhead fan! We were fed well, especially lunch and got to just relax and watch life float by. The boats are all very picturesque: the outer layer is made out of bamboo and woven reeds. We were on a small one for just us, but we also passed larger ones, some with
room for up to 10. Our boat was organized through the hotel that we stayed at; the company was Evergreen Tours. There are tons of these kinds of boats and I’m sure during tourist season they’re all full. It’s a big tourist attraction! We passed a lot of rice fields, houses, and people going about their daily routine. It seems like rich Indians would have houses along these canals sort of like how a lot of people have cabins in Alaska, but that didn’t seem to be the case too much. There were also some ayurvedic resorts and other guesthouses or hotels (the Lake Palace was a fancy one that we passed) but mainly just peoples’ homes. We stopped in a little village, Chambakkulam, to walk around for a little bit. It seemed to be mostly Christian: churches, schools.
The boat trip was perfect! A nice way to relax! We’re both very thankful to my mom for arranging all of it for us! But we do wish that she and Delana had been along…
Thursday morning we got up bright and early to be back at the dock by 8 to get to the airport on time. Then
back to Kolkata. These small flights aren’t very full ever so we get to spread out. It’s nice!
South India, from what I could tell from the couple days we were there, seems to be less hectic and chaotic than northern India. The cities are more spread out rather than all jumbled together so there’s less crazy traffic. It’s also more tropical, more like Thailand. There isn’t as much dust so the cities aren’t as dirty. Lots of palm trees. And I don’t know if I was just in the wrong places, but there doesn’t seem to be as many cows wandering around everywhere. In fact, I don’t know if I ever saw one in the streets! I definitely want to come back sometime to explore the south! Other parts of Kerala, Goa, Chennai…
Now some India observations!
There seems to be a lot of sitting. In the mornings before men go off to work they often just sit along the roads/shops, often drinking chai. And then again in the evenings. Almost like they’re waiting for something but they don’t really know what. Just waiting.
Most people in India seem to be living just to survive. They
wake up in the morning, do their work, then go home. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of people going to cinemas or saving up money to travel or trying to get ahead in the world. They all just live to survive. I guess upper-class people have a different lifestyle, but for most people, life is what it is and they just get through it. I don’t think they’re unhappy, don’t get me wrong, I just think that it was how they were raised, probably mostly without much education. They don’t know that there’s anything else out there, that there’s any other way of life that could be possible for them. But most of them are fine with their lives. They provide food for their families, practice their religion, what more could they want? It’s weird for me, and I could never live like that because I need to feel like I’m doing something to make a difference, doing something more than just survive, but for so many people all over the world that’s just the way it is.
Napkins in India…and Nepal, and Thailand, and Malaysia, so I guess all over Southeast Asia: They’re very plastic-y! They don’t really absorb anything because they’re almost like plastic. So it kind of defeats the purpose! I miss regular napkins and paper towels!
Tobacco is huge in India! It’s a big problem when it comes to cancer. It’s mainly chewing tobacco and then also some cigarettes, but they were recently banned in all public places so that should help. So all the men chew tobacco and then spit anywhere and everywhere. Even on buses! It’s quite repulsive! There are stains everywhere and it’s just disgusting when people are constantly spitting all around you. Even when they don’t have tobacco they still spit. Some women too, not just men.
Alright that's enough for now!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.286s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 11; qc: 56; dbt: 0.2293s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Sparsha
Sparsha
India is Great
Thanks for the very nice post. You have depicted your experience so nicely You are most welcome to India, a place with divine beauty, rich culture, nice people. Visit my blog to have in depth information you may need http://www.ourtravelindia.blogspot.com. You will get in depth information of some of the places, which you might like. Happy journey.