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Published: March 1st 2009
(CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES!!) Leaving the quietness of Pondicherry we jumped on a bus to Trichy where we had read it was quite nice and had quite a bit of old heritage there. So a nice easy 6 hour bus ride through the plains of South India we went.
On the trip through we even managed to get a taste of the Indian highway (Motorway)… what a joke! In most normal places in the world people use one side of the carriageway for one direction and use the other for the opposite direction.. Nope, not here in India. They seem to use each side as two different roads both with their own left and right lane and then where there is a break in the central reservation the traffic swops over depending on which side is busier. Unbelievable!
TRICHY Anyway arriving in Trichy we headed of in search of a hotel but in true form there happened to be a festival on which was the annual 3 day wedding festival, so finding a hotel was a nightmare. 15 attempts and finally we found the worst room in India, in a ‘local hostel’ (for locals, so really, really
bad standard). Single bed and a size that a small child would struggle to fit in (that we both had to squash in top to tail!) and dirtier than a landfill site but with no other options we dumped our stuff on off we went to explore the town.
Nice little place with loads of back allies and little shops selling all sorts. Loads of stalls and food places too, which was a nice change. Couldn’t see much of the overall town as it was far to dark so after and hour or so and using the local internet café we headed back to our luxury penthouse room to try and get some kip in our king size bed!!!! Lets all laugh out loud!!!
Following morning we headed off early to see the Rock Fort which could be seen from our penthouse. Really impressive place which stood central to the whole town up on top of a huge out crop of granite stone. Bit of a trek around the base and then we went on up to the top. Had a little problem getting in at first but this was not unusual as we were tourists! We took
loads of pictures up at the top as the views were very impressive. At the very top the there was a Hindu temple but like most Hindu temples across the region and probably in India they are closed to tourists (non- Hindus). So after 5 min or so and a little encounter with a family of monkeys we headed back down to grab some more pictures of the town and to catch a bus to Tanjore East of the city.
TANJORE Arriving in Tanjore hour a half later we quickly decided not to even bother with the place as it looked completely backwards and one of those outpost type of towns. We did check a few hotels but all was full and in doing so this confirmed what we already were thinking… Leave and head towards Madurai way down south. So back on a bus to the local train station to get to Madurai.
About 5 hours later we had arrived. Quite late now and both very tired we headed off to fine a hotel with help from a local. Great little man, he just grabbed us and showed us the way to a cheap place
and even carried one of the rucksacks with out being asked. Definitely earned his tip!
MADURAI Yet again the hotel was a dump but being this tired we were in no state to care, and at least it had 2 single beds this time! So dumped our stuff and headed out to see a little bit of Madurai nightlife. The biggest change was the amount of food being sold here, and not just that but the amount of chicken! Most of the places we had been too so far just sold veg items but here it was all chicken this and chicken that. So we headed in to this little café next to us. Now this place looked like something out of the 60s that had burnt down and had loads of old patio set chairs and tables that they found slung in, yet the food was awesome. Loads of meat curries, rice and breads. So we went to work on a few of the dishes. VERY NICE INDEED!!!
We were even given our own private room too. Not that it was any nicer than the rest of the place! So had the grub and then settled in
for the night.
Following morning we headed back out to see the rest of the town. Now this place was big. Loads of hustle and bustle but in a way that was quite nice. Most of the people here seemed ok apart from the odd weirdo. We didn’t do much the first day, we had to go on a bag hunt as Liane’s bag was dying, so had to sadly be replaced.
So the next day we had a bit of walk around before jumping on a bus to the Mariamman Teppakkulam tank, which was a few miles out of the city, and that we had seen a picture of in a tourist office and looked really nice, but when we got there it obviously was not the same place we had been told! Of course! The tank itself wasn’t all that impressive, shame to say so, we took a pic or two and then back on the bus to where we had just come from to see the main temple. Approaching the temple we noticed that most, if not all, of it was covered up with palm but later found out this was due to maintenance and
painting. Not so good for picture taking but as we were here we thought why not go and see. Now this place was big, loads of temples in one ground which was also walled off and by what we seen of the pictures at the tourist office looked very impressive too. So we checked our shoes in (this is done at all temples) and headed in. We went passed 3 security officers and 2 searchers until they eventually told us we were not allowed in because Liane was not wearing a top that covered her shoulders even though they had all said it was ok. So enough with that and off we went back to the hotel ready to pack and move on.
Now at this point we were coming to the end of our tether so we had to decide whether to move on to a different destination in India or bring the holiday that we had won in Goa forward, or possibly even jump on the next flight out. Now you may think what’s the big problem??? It’s India generally. The people are so difficult to deal with. Not that they are nasty or anything like that
just simply not that bright. So every thing is mega hard work and we must admit it gets to you.
A LOT!. So we are at this point now in the hotel trying to keep each other going (Liane doing a better job that Gareth, who was having a nervous breakdown!!) and to decide what to do next. So on reading the Indian Bible (Lonely Planet) we read about a nice little place on the West Coast 8 hours or so away on the train. Sounded a little like Mamallapuram which so far was the nicest place we had been to. So that was it. Booked the train tickets and set off early next morning.
The Night Train Not really sleeping we set off at 2am for the train. Now this turned out to be 5am by the time it turned up (typically India!). Lovely wait on the smelly platform with all the wondering weirdo’s!! Jumped on the correct train eventually with a little help from one of the station guards and off we went. Now this was a sleeper train but this is a bit of a joke as sleeping doesn’t really take place. If you do
manage to get any type of sleep its usually only until you hit the next station as this is when loads of tea, coffee and food sellers walk up and down the carriage shouting and repeating at the top of their voices TEA, COFFEEEE BLAH BLAH BLAH! Very enjoyable!
Towards the end of the train trip (half hour before we get off) we were approached by the ticket masters. Showed ticket thinking all would be fine. Like hell. We were asked to pay an additional 200Ruppees each. Apparently we were in the wrong cabin even though we had showed our tickets to the station guard before which had told us to get on this cart. This is just another example of the how things do not work here. So being tired and fed up Gareth simply told them to stick it. The ticket master and his side kick went nuts at this point. They usually command respect from passengers but he had attitude, so attitude is what we gave back. If he had asked nicely or just simply explained it in a way rather than demanding it then maybe we would of paid or moved but no, that would
be too easy. Luckily for us (and for him!!!!) an off-duty station master was sitting just a few rows back and came to help. Now this is where India shocks. Some of it people are so nice and are really quite intelligent, and even have lots of common sense. This was one of those people. He understood that we didn’t know how the train system worked and explained to the ticket masters. They didn’t like it but with us not budging there was not a lot they could do. Very much doubt they would assault a tourist even though we had been told that ticket masters often get into actual fights with Indian passengers everyday over this exact type of incident!
So after this little scuffle the off duty station master sat with us for the rest of the journey. Really nice guy who was interested in us, where we were from, what were our travel plans etc… he told us a lot about India, and the average wages, and we questioned him about the ridiculous rail systems with booking and the frantic races to get a place on the train. He even told us that 1 to 2
people die every week at his tiny station just trying to get on or off the train! Can you imagine! Multiply that by the amount of stations there are in India and it must be hundreds of people a day… dying and getting injured just to board a train. It’s a very sorry state of affairs, and truly sad.
Anyhow… we arrived in the state of Kerala, in the town Trivandrum, and had to get a bus to Varkala, nice easy for once as the bus station was actually opposite the train station (a first!) So it was a short, hour long journey to a town near(ish) Varkala, then we got a tuk-tuk the rest of the way. Along the way we noticed just how different this state was compared to where we had been. There were beautiful huge houses that would look fitting on Cyn-Coed road! It wasn’t half as filthy as the other towns, people took a bit more pride in themselves, and we could sense this was the right move, and instantly felt more relaxed and happier.
VARKALA Varkala is a one street (if you can call it that, more like a cobblestone path)
town, right on the edge of a cliff, with the beach below. It is a real tourist spot, with people coming here on package holidays. Millions of hippy shops and great restaurants. Nothing was really in the price range we had been paying (i.e. 20 rupees a meal!) but we were so riled that we decided to splurge and treat ourselves for a bit, and the bit lasted the entire week we were there, hopeless! But yummy! We treated ourselves to some much needed normal portioned western food, like steak, pasta, fresh fish and pizza. In the famous words of Homer Simpson ‘aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllhh’
We didn’t do very much there apart from sun bathed and eat a lot so there isn’t much to say, but it did the job, chilled us out and put our faith back in this country. Our daily schedule was as follows: sleeping, tanning, eating, tanning, eating, and sleeping! Great week which was much needed. (PS. Thank you mum and dad!!!!!!!)
BACKWATERS From Varkala we planned to rent a houseboat. So instead of going to the much busier town of Allepey we went to Kollam, hoping that it would be cheaper, and not as much
waterway traffic! Well we were right about the traffic, but not the prices… it was 5000 rupees (£70) for 1 night on a ‘luxury’ houseboat. Gareth went to check out the boat, and it was fine enough, the real deal clincher was that Sir Richard Branson had used the very same boat for a family holiday a year or so before, so if its good enough for Branson, its good enough for us! And yes we did see photos and video to prove it!
After waiting for them to clean the boat and get the food sorted we went out to grab a case of beer before we shipped off with our crew, the captain, the chef and another man (who didn’t seem to do much but take over when the captain had to eat! )
The boat was beautiful, in typical Keralan style and even had a top deck, and out of all the other boats we saw along the water ours was definitely the nicest! It was so relaxing to float along slowly, watching eagles flying over head and flying fish skipping along the water, a beer in hand, other hand waving to the people as we
go by - just heaven!
After a night on the water the tour also included a canoe tour of the small backwater ways through all the villages the next day. This was a great way to get up close and see the village life go by as it has done for hundreds of years. We stopped off and had a look at some ladies doing some coir weaving (coconut fibre which is used to make welcome mats) we went through prawn farms and just punted along the narrow tranquil waters.
Unfortunately that was pretty much the last of our experience so we got taken back to the houseboat and headed back to Kollam.
We had been told by the chap that we booked our boat that there was a huge festival (again!) with a procession of elephants that day so we checked into their hotel and got some rest to ready ourselves for the festivities later that afternoon.
We got the ashram just in time to see the first load of elephants come out on show. They were adorned with trunk ornaments and umbrellas; they looked beautiful, apart from the chains around their ankles. Nothing much happened for
about 45mins apart from some drumming and the odd firecracker that sounded like a gun firing, how the elephants stayed calm we don’t know, because Liane jumped out of her skin every time they went off! We were just thinking of leaving when down the street came a carnival, of sorts, many more elephants and floats with mechanical Hindu gods and cows etc, more elephants, drumming bands, and yet more elephants! A little bit different to say the least! A real sight seeing this event but at the same time you couldn’t help but feel sorry for the elephants who are forced to do these festivals, sometimes doing several in one week. There was also a baby elephant near by who was dressed up but kept away but unfortunately he was not having such a stress free time. It’s very sad to see such a great creature under so much stress (kicking back and forth none stop) for the sake of some silly religious festival. A lot of the older elephants had wounds on their bodies, and even on their faces, from where the mahouts had been beating them.
We had seen in the newspapers recently that a lot of
working elephants had been killed lately due to abuse, and they had also killed people due to their own stresses, and so the elephants were killed as a result. Even though it is due to their treatment that they got enraged and lashed out at the people hurting them. Very, very sad that animals that are revered and supposedly sacred are treated so badly.
After about 3 hours we got a bit bored, even though it was entertaining but it was the same thing over and over again, and we were starting to feel very sorry for all the ellies! So back to the hotel to sleep before heading off to the Periyar wildlife sanctuary to go animal spotting the following day.
PERIYAR / KUMILY Well we arrived in Kumily around 4ish and were approached by a chap, called Ajumal, as soon as we descended off the bus, he told us that the place we had wanted to stay in was full (which after calling to confirm) we gave in to him, and he lead us to his own guest house at the reasonable price of 300 rupees per night, and about 1km from the main town.
He worked in an eco-tour office and we booked a Jungle Jeep tour for the Monday (giving us 2 nights to chill) and then a spice plantation tour for the Wednesday.
Due to unforeseen circumstances we had to leave his place (no TV and a lot of bugs) and went to his brother’s house for and extra 100 rupees we got cable TV, and 24hr hot water!!!!! (We noticed rapidly how different the quality of accommodation was in Kerala, and were only to happy with the outcome!)
We spent a few days chilling and getting excited to spot some wildlife, and when the early morning (4.30am) finally came to go to the park, no one turned up! Typical! We called Ajumal and text etc and he had thought that we didn’t want to go as Gareth had told him that Liane was feeling a bit ill (just a little cold), but Gareth had also expressly said that we would definitely do the tour, if Liane was still not better he would personally tell Ajumal the evening before the tour. Obviously this meant nothing to him and he cancelled it anyway.
We were very unhappy with waking up at
4am, only to be disappointed, we cancelled the spice tour with him and decided to just do an elephant tour, which involved walking around a spice farm and then washing the elephants etc.
Yet again we were disappointed as when we got to the farm the price he had told us was not what they charged and as we were paying £10 each we thought we’d at least get an elephant each if not to ourselves, and they wanted us to share with another couple, sounds petty we know but you pay a lot for nothing it seems, so we got our money back and booked a simple spice farm tour with the recommended government tour operator which also included other things that Ajumal’s tour did not…
The spice tour was actually quite interesting, we spent half the day wandering around a tea farm and also a tea factory, looking at all the processes our tea needs to go through before being bagged and shipped. We never knew there was so much to it, we thought that it was just picking the tea leaves, chopping them up, put it in a bag and done! But there was a
lot more involved.
The tour then went onto some view points, and then to a garden centre and then to the spice farm, where we saw all the spices in their natural form, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, pepper, turmeric, all spice (which is actually one plant, not a mixture of all the spices, like we thought!) The guide explained how all the spices were processed. It is funny to think of the work that goes into things before we get them in our little convenient jars from Asda, you just don’t think about it at all. It was quite an eye opener in a way.
COCHIN From Kumily we took the very bumpy, hilly, and half finished road to Cochin. We knew we weren’t going to stay long in this town so we looked for somewhere close to the stations (and ended up being next to the wrong station out of the two in the town, again TYPICAL!!!) we arrived at night fall so it was already dark in the town by the time we had organised a rickshaw to help us find a hotel, and for once no rickshaws wanted to take us! Don’t think they
could understand what we wanted at all, even though they spoke not bad English.
So the next day we had a quick look around Fort Cochin, at the old Portuguese houses and churches and the old Chinese cantilever fishing nets, which are still used today. We watched as the fishermen lowered and raised the nets on the old wooden poles as they have done for hundreds of years. It was great viewing, but after watching and snapping away the camera we noticed that after every trawl there were only a handful (if that) of fish per catch, and 5 or so men doing the lowering and rising. A lot of effort for not enough return if you ask us… at least it made for good pics!
We needed to make up some distance, especially with the news that Liane’s mum and cousin may be coming for a holiday in a few weeks at the end of March and meeting us in Mumbai, so we headed straight up to Goa to settle in a bit and check the state out before our ‘luxury holiday’ in the south of Goa.
So stay tuned for the next edition of Li and
G’s travels!!!!
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