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Published: March 5th 2008
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We met a lovely man named Joy Francis on our way out of Kumily. He actually became our driver and tour guide. An ex-tea factory worker, he was full of stories and insights into the tea business in India. He really took to us and started referring to us as his son and daughter. 😉
Instead of catching a bus all the way to Coimbatore, we decided to break up the journey a bit and stop in Munnar (a town recommended by Deepak) for a night. The drive up was gorgeous and Joy Francis kept us entertained and fed - we made a brief stop and he bought us some tea and banana bhaji (fritters).
Munnar is a very popular tourist destination for Indians. We unfortunately arrived on a Friday so accommodation was limited, but Joy Francis helped us get a nice room at a discounted price. He also offered to show us around the area the following day, but we decided we had done enough touristy stuff in Kumily and thought it better to arrive in Coimbatote a little earlier.
Being the sweetheart he is, Joy Francis waited with us at the bus stop, bought us more
tea, and even helped us get seats on the bus. If anyone would like a tour guide of the area, I have both his home and mobile number and will happily give them to you!
Apparently careening down a narrow mountain road in a whale of a bus, with a sheer drop-off on one side and a Bollywood movie blaring in the background is the only way to travel in India. Our “party bus” came equipped with TV, DVD player, and a sound system that could make your ears bleed. I think the DVD player had better shocks than the bus though! We saw two wrecks on the way (one of them was a delivery truck that had gone over the edge), but our driver seemed unaffected by them and continued to fly all the way to Udumalpet, where we had to change buses.
On a grumpier note, I was harassed more in that one day than I have been on the entire trip. A man behind me on the bus reached around and grabbed my side, I got catcalled all the way to the bus station toilet (I had gone without Burt), and another guy reached
around his friend and grabbed me as we were walking in Coimbatore. Needless to say, I was very happy to leave the city.
A friend of a friend of Burt’s (named Claire) is currently volunteering at the Isha Yoga Center just outside Coimbatore. We got in touch with her and she told us about a 3-day rejuvenation program the center was offering. It fit in with our travel schedule and looked interesting, so we decided to give it a go.
It would take me too long to explain the center, so I’ll just give some links if you feel like checking it out:
http://www.dhyanalinga.org/
http://www.ishafoundation.org/
We spent three enjoyable days there being pampered, meeting new people, and reflecting on some of the bigger questions in life. No answers yet, but it got the ball rolling. 😉 The organization is doing some incredible work though, so if you feel like donating to a worthy cause, I would highly recommend them. Currently they are providing education to rural children, mobile health clinics for the surrounding villages, and craftwork training (they sell the goods at the center). They are also trying to prevent the state of Tamil Nadu
from turning into a desert and are planting thousands of trees. Claire said that they set a world record in the Guiness Book of World Records for the most number of trees planted in one day.
There is a scenic train ride that we wanted to take from Coimbatore, but the seats were booked for weeks so we changed plans again and made for Kochi. A four-hour train ride later and we were walking around a very peaceful seaside town. Kochi was colonized by the Portuguese and then taken over by the Dutch. Vasco da Gamma was actually buried there originally, but his remains were later relocated.
We arrived around dinnertime so we quickly dropped our bags and then headed out for some grub. Dinner was at a rooftop restaurant called Sayaana. I had a really nice coconut fish curry, called meene molee and Burt had sort of an Italian seafood platter.
Well, I’m not sure what brought it on, but late that night I woke up feeling a bit off. It wasn’t the “Wrath of Naan” though… it was a migraine. Those of you who know me well, know that I get severe migraines every
Our Indian dad
(I cut myself some bangs..) once in a while - my old routine was a trip to the ER and two shots of Demerol. I was given some trial medicine, called Axert, which works but I don’t have any left. I know that’s dumb, and I’m really lucky that this migraine was only a little one. It certainly took me out of commission for the day though.
The following day I was better, so we took the ferry over to Fort Cochin. We mostly just walked around and shopped a little.
We made dinner reservations at a really neat looking place called Malabar House because they advertised live music. The music was nice, but the food and the price tag that accompanied it were not. I wouldn’t recommend the place!
The next day we went back out to Fort Cochin to take a Keralan cooking class. It’s run out of a house that’s been converted into a homestay. Leelu doesn’t normally take people on Sundays, so we lucked out. She taught us how to make four different dishes and chapatti. We both can’t wait to try to make them at home!
On Monday we took a late train north to
Goa. We’re currently in the town of Anjuna.
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brenna
non-member comment
aw
You guys are too cute. Why wouldn't anyone want to adopt you?