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Published: November 18th 2007
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N. Allepey
The Backwater trip. The Seven hour car ride from Ooty to Kochi was painful, but later found that it was worth the trouble. Car travel from Coimbatore to Kochi must be avoided because the roads are in a shamble simply they can not bear the burden of traffic. Take the train.
Koci is one of those few very unusual cities in India, where the influences of multiple cultures and religions are deeply felt. There are Dutch, English, and French Jewish influences easily noted in both food and architecture. Again an amazing mixture of religions coexist peacefully, a reality of which they are verbally proud. These include Hindu, Jaine, Islamic and of course Christian which is one of the dominant religions here. But most tourists are drawn here to experience the backwater boat tours.
Koci in general is a large city and includes many parts, Fort Koci being one of them, located on a small Island, connected to the mainland by multiple bridges. The area is very lush and fertile and is home to a variety of crops and plants, coconuts being a dominant one.
A bus ride takes us to 20 km south of the city in the area of N.
N. Allepey
The backwaters. Allepey. Seated next to me is a friendly traveler with a reddish brown leather hat, tanned skin and a partial beard. M--- is an Israeli Citizen of Moroccan descent who has been traveling in India for the past month. I share with him some of the pictures I took in Ooty. He takes the camera and goes through all the pictures I have taken so far in this trip. He reaches a picture of a musician playing the Santour; picture was taken in a Darband (N. Tehran) music shop. Being a musician himself he asks me where the picture was taken; I reply Iran. He gives me a quick glance and then smiles.
By this time we reach an area near North Allepey where the 7 hour backwater tour starts. The backwaters are the natural fresh water canals connecting multiple villages to one another. Birds like kingfishers are easily spotted here and there. You can think of these waterways as a number of crisscrossing water avenues which are filled with floating plants, water lilies, and surrounded by wild flowers and by a sea of coconut trees.
M-- on hearing that I play the santour gets really exited. He
listens to Persian classical music in Israel, there being a large and culturally active Iranian Jewish community there in Telaviv. I am also surprised to find that there are multiple popular restaurants serving Persian food, and the they also operate radio and TV stations broadcasting in Persian. He reminds me that the Jewish Persian ties goes a long time back, when the Persian king Cyrus, alos praised in the Torah, restores the Jewish temple and frees them from Babylonian captivity.
We get on a large canoe which takes us thought the waterways. The ride is noise free and very serene. We stop by a coconut farm. One the canoe operators climb a tree and throws down a coconut for each passengers. The juice is very delicious when it is fresh. We then transfer to the main boat which takes us through the larger canals. A delicious array of vegetarian Karajan food awaits us on the board.
The boat cruies throught large water ways in which numerous tiny islands are located. Discussion continues. M--- goes on to say that he is also aware that the Iranian Jews, 30,000 of them live freely in Iran, and who have publicly prided
themselves of their Iranian heritage. I tell him based on my impressions from the recent travels; Iranian citizens in general are much more moderate than what is portrayed by the nation state that represents them.
He asks of the general opinion of the Iranians visa-vi Israel. I tell him that like in most countries in there is generally sympathy towards ordinary Palestinians, the same is true in Iran; this is the case simply because they are in a real bad situation. But, most Iranians I talked to seem resentful of the fact that resources are being funneled outside for various causes, while their lives get progressively more difficult, and economic disparities continue to widen.
As we ride back to town we continue our discussion. We both agree that there are growing numbers of educated young people in both countries that see beyond the stories and ethnic and religious drama prompted by both nation states. Perhaps they can come up with an alternate approach way when their time comes.
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