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Published: September 6th 2008
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Greetings!
We are writing from the lovely Goa with its gorgeous beaches and relaxed holiday feel. We're renting an apartment and it's refreshing to have a 'home' for more than a couple of days!!
Since we last updated we have travelled around the southern tip of the country and moved inland to the mountains for respite from the baking heat! It has been a fantastic introduction to the country and we have met some interesting characters along the way! Most of these have been very helpful and self assured men who don't really know the answers to your questions but will make some up anyway! One of our favourites was a cleaning products salesman we met whilst trying to find our bus to Kodaikanal, he was quite partial to Paan (chewing tabacco, Betel nut and spices wrapped in a leaf and chewed) which is normally taken after a meal but can be addictive and does some serious damage to your teeth! He was possibly, the most helpful man in the world and had an opinion on just about everything we should do whilst visiting his country. This divulging of information lasted an hour or more and the Paan that he
was chewing made bits of his teeth fly out of his mouth as he spoke. We were tired out from dodging bits of tusk when he finally went on his way to get his bus!
We continued from Pondicherry to Trichy where the famous Rock Fort Temple makes for quite a spectacle. Perched on a rocky mount high above the town., the temple is dedicated to the Elephant God, Ganesh. After hauling ourselves up the numerous steps to the top we were rewarded with a 'Fertility' (!) blessing in front of the Brahman where we had tikka powder marked on our heads and were given flowers which a helpful lady helped put in Coll's hair. The people who congragated around the temple were so friendly and welcoming again, it really makes you wonder if they would get such a reception in our country?
From Tiruchirappalli we boarded a bus to Kodaikanal in the Western Ghats. The bus journey to the hill station was a pretty hairy rollercoaster of a ride with breathtaking views as we climbed to 2'200 ft.It was made more entertaining by our driver who sounded his horn to his Bollywood soundtrack for virtually the whole
Rock Fort
Nice and friendly man at the top 5 hours of the journey.
The place itself is surrounded by woodland, waterfalls and rocky outcrops and is stunningly beautiful. Another advantage for us was the temperature and we cooled off in the comfortable average 15 degrees. As we were looking for accomodation we met a local man who told us he had a cottage for rent at a mere fiver a night. It was just what we were looking for and the open fire of an eve reminded us of the cosy pubs back home! In fact in the 1800's american missionaries set up a school for european children so there are still many old stone cottages dotting the hill sides. It was a bit like being in the Lakes and we definitley got a bit of a home fix here! We had some great days trekking around the area and we were reluctant to leave when the time came.
Another hill station 'Ooty' was next on our list but in our opinion it was nowhere near as pretty and atmospheric as Kodai. The countryside around this area is beautiful but the town itself was a bit grimy to say the least. The highlight for us was getting
Pan Demonium
Can I get some silverware for me kitchen in 'ere? there on the steamtrain which again afforded fantastic veiws of the mountainous countryside and tea plantations. Horse riding here was pretty special and though John was an experienced horse whisperer after riding bareback around the wilds of Hatfield Woodhouse as a wee boy, Coll was pretty proud of the fact that she cantered without falling on her head.
Then it was into Karnataka to see the Maharaja's Palace at Mysore. It was extremely colourful, lots of stained glass and mosaics- very grand. There were also photographs from the time of the Raj which were interesting to look at. Even on the photographs you can see the massive divide between the rich aristocracy and the poor servants and it still exsits today. You really get the feeling that a large amount of poor people are just seen as inconsequential. Maybe it is because of the size of the population.We were riding on the bus recently when the driver knocked over a man on his bike. He didn't even stop to see if the poor fella was ok!
On one of our days here we went to Chamundi Hill which overlooks the city. To get to the temple at the top
you climb 1000 plus steps. An amazing sight was seeing some pilgrims making their way up the steps to a huge statue of Nandi (Shiva's white bull vehicle). They had bags of yellow and red tikka powder in their hands and on every single step, all the way up, they were leaving a pattern to show their devotion.
We had quick stop at Mangalore to allow us to catch the train to Goa.This was an interesting journey where we met some local Mangalore boys off to party in Goa after their Uni exams. One of them was a bit of a spice boy. He kept preening his hair and saying ''I have good hair, no?'' Then he said that when he goes out all the girls go for him because he puts coconut oil on his hair. He said to Coll ''How is my Glamour?'' then the conversation went like this:
Coll: '' Yes, you are a very handsome fellow.''
Lad: ''You is very handsome too''
Coll:'' You can't use handsome for a girl''
Lad: '' You is pretty''
John:'' What about me?''
Lad '' You is nothing''
He even went so far as to sing a love song
Trekking
In the hills around Kodai to Collette when John went to the loo. He thought he had special manly powers. It was so funny.
We talked to the boys about arranged marriages and how our relationships work. They were amazed that John does some of the housework but they thought that it was good that it was equal! We learnt a lot about the caste system too. We arrived in Goa a little more learned!
Goa is a little oasis of calm (except for on the roads which are just as crazy!) Very lush and green right now as the monsoon is ending. The beaches are long white swathes of sand and the sunsets are romantic. We'll let you know more next time!
J&C
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jono
non-member comment
INDIA!
YEAH! thats cool, I'm insanely jealous that you two are in my favourite place on earth...its hilarious isn't it? never quite know whats gonna happen from one minute to the next and the most amazing people in the world. Go to Palolem beach if you're close - it's where sara and I met. Bhakti Kutir is a group of bungalows at the end of the beach on a rocky outcrop with an all organic restaurant and owner by Sara's auntie Ute (pronounced ooter - not like an ozzie yute which is how I said it) I like the horsey picture with skimpy J bringing up the rear all casual like, thats all that donkey riding you've done Jono. In the last month I've driven with Sara from San Francisco, through California, Oregon, Washington State, Idaho, ALberta and british Columbia and am writing to you from Vancouver where it seems I can't legally get a work permit. Gonna have to be creative and find alternative employment for the next 3 months to fund the roadie to Mexico. Peace out Indianos. Namaste. jono