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Published: June 19th 2007
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Out here in the middle of the Indian Ocean I am looking back on the two weeks spent in India. I am actually writing this blog from Reunion Island, a tropical paradise! Strange to be in France without really being in France and to see Emmanuel's brother Renaud, our sister-in-law Barbara and the cousins!! We've been here a few days and somehow I've been distracted from catching you up on our travels. For now I will leave you wondering about Reunion and head back to India.
Bangalore was our first stop and let me tell you, after Nepal, it was a welcome sight to see Emmanuel's cousin Eric and his wife Marie who have been in Bangalore for 6 months and will be there another two and a half years! We could see right away that Bangalore was not the India that we had visited 13 years ago! Roads seemed clean, not so much chaos in the streets and most surprising of all was all of the green trees and gardens throughout the city! At an altitude of 1600 meters, Bangalore has a year round temp that is rather comfortable and allows for green areas that are well maintained. The
IT industry that has exploded here has encouraged the middle class to grow. Just an interesting fact... In India, it is estimated that there are over 1,000 languages and dialects. Most Indians in the places we visited were speaking English to each other since they don't necessarily know eachothers languages!!
Marie was kind enough to take us around the city for a few days. We visited markets and of course went to temples which compared to anywhere else we've been were very ornate. Ganesh, Vishnu, Shiva, Kali and Hanuman were all omnipresent as were the holy cows which weave in and out of rickshaws, cars, bikes and everything else.
Our stay was a bit of a down time, we needed to catch our breath and process all that we've been doing. Tatiana got a little bug so we stayed put a few days and were sucked into Bollywood!!! Yes, we all love the Indian films with the random singing and dancing that pops up when least expectd. The romance the humor, Indian films have it all! By the end of the week we were all singing the theme songs from several films.
After 5 days we said goodbye to Eric
and Marie and headed south on a night train to Kerala which is one of 28 states in India. It is communist and has the highest literacy in India. Women have important roles in this state and may not be equal to men but are respected.
To sum up our 10 day tour, we were enchanted! For those considering a trip to India we would highly recommend this little paradise where the people are so warm and the countryside diverse and breathtaking! We arrived in Cochin and were met by our driver Joseph who took us in a big circle around the state. Munnar, which is a hillstation, was our first stop and for me one of my favorite places. The temp was ideal and we were in tea and spice country! The rolling hillsides were covered with tea plantations that looked like giant puzzles laid out over all the land. Also in abundance was cardamon which grows everywhere. Throughout this trip we have really been learning a lot about where everything comes from, it's fasinating and so enriching for the kids!
Our travels also brought us to Thekkady where we rode an elephant and went on a boat safari
where we saw elephants, monkies, otters, deer and so many birds in their natural habitat. We actually came at the ideal time as the monsoon hasn't really begun and so there is less water and the animals are forced to come out to drink.
This is also the land of Auyervedic medicine so we were shown all of the different plants used and learned a bit about their healing properties. I couldn't resist and had a few massages which were wonderful!
The last 4 days we came down from the hillstations and headed back toward the Indian Ocean where we spent a night on a houseboat. This experience was unforgettable as we cruised around some of the 1,900 km of canals that make up the backwaters. This allowed us to watch the people and learn how they live. This part of India is very Christian and so instead of Ganesh everywhere we see the Virgin Mary and could hear singing from the Catholic churches. The Portuguese colonized Kerala in the 1500's which explains this Christian influence.
As the sun was setting and the green of the mangroves clashed with the dark gray clouds we watched as the people did their
dishes and bathed in the canal, we even saw people drinking the water!!! We parked the boat for the night and were treated to some of the Delicacies from this part of India. Lots of coconut milk and seafood are used so we were very satisfied!
Really a magical experience and since we escaped the monsoon and hot temperatures we couldn' t be more pleased! We had a real Indian vacation as we were the only Westerners traveling in Kerala! We met lots of families and the kids often finished the evening with a game of ping pong played with another family. Another sign that the Indian middle class is on the rise!
I could write for hours but will leave you with these thoughts. We have a full week of discovery ahead here in Reunion. This is our first time in the Southern Hemisphere so we are experiencing the harsh winters where the sun is always shining and temps are in the 80's!!!
I am sure that the end of the school year is keeping you all busy and we wish you all a happy vacation!
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Connor
non-member comment
Hello
Hi Yohan, I hope you are still having a great time! Thank you very much for the phone call. Too bad I wasn't home. My mom and dad said I could call you back, but we weren't sure how to reach you. Tomorrow is the last day of school. I hope you have a great birthday wherever you will be! My brothers say hi to you too! I miss you! I hope we will be in the same class next year! Your friend, Connor