Day 26: Mysore

We only had the bus for half a day today because Babu is driving on to Mamallapuram with our luggage while we take the sleeper train tonight.
Morning sightseeing started with a 15 minute drive uphill to Chamundi Hills to see a big goddess temple. It was very popular with the local Indian visitors. The queue into the temple would have taken 1.5 hours so our group decided to skip going into the temple.

Statue on Chamundi Hills

Stall selling offerrings

Large, popular goddess temple on Chamundi Hills

Brahmin priest at Chamundi Hills

We did a pit stop at the post office where the stamps had to be stuck on with glue, unlike the self-adhesive ones in Shimla.

Postbox on Chamundi Hills

We went on to the 2nd largest bull temple in Asia down the road.

Bull statue at 2nd largest bull temple in Asia

Then it was on to Mysore Palace -big, busy, beautiful, interesting, good with the audio guide. I especially liked the upstairs hall with the painted ceilings and columns, appropriately described in the audio guide as being reminiscent of the 1001 Arabian Nights. We couldn't take photos inside the palace, only of the palace grounds.

Mysore Palace

Outside view of the painted ceiling of the '1001 Arabian Nights' hall

The bus had left us by now and we have checked out of the hotel this morning so we were pretty much at a loose end from lunch until the evening. I took the afternoon off sightseeing - the heat and being in a city was getting to me. I sat in the Hotel Viceroy lobby updating the blog and chatting variously to Karen, Christine and people coming back for a pit stop. I do like meeting people who like to travel.Some of our group went to the shops, then followed Ravi to the Devaraja Market - it looked nice from the photos.

Dinner was at the Viceroy and was the first sub-standard meal I've had in India. Many dishes were unavailable and what I ordered tasted like it came out of a packet.

We got auto rickshaws to the train station where we caught the 8.30pm Chennai Express to Chennai. Our train car was 3 AC, which means there were 6 bunks in a section. There were 4 of our group plus 2 Indian ladies in my section. I slept relatively well considering the narrowness of the bunk and people coming onboard middle of the night. Top sleeper train tip: eye mask and ear plugs help.

Day 25: Wild elephants & Mysore

I awoke to birdsong again this morning. This was a beautiful place and I liked spotting wildlife. We had to leave this morning for Mysore. As Babu drove us through the nature reserve and crossed the state border into Karnataka, we started to see more wildlife from the road -deers, monkeys, wild boars, langurs hanging with deers, young monkeys playfighting.

A peacock in full display

Spotted deer

Monkeys hanging out with deer

Young monkeys playfighting

Wild boars

 
And then amazingly, we spotted a herd of wild elephants eating by the roadside, adult and young ones and a tiny calf. It was my first sighting of wild Indian elephants...woo!

Wild Indian elephant with a tiny calf

Gazing at a wild Indian elephant

It was a Friday, the day when farmers go and sell their oxens. We stopped at a busy cattle market on the way. Pairs and single oxens were being sold by brokers. Apparently the young handsome ones are what to look for - the oxens, not the brokers!

Friday cattle market

We stopped at a government silk factory and arrived in Mysore in time for lunch. Veggie thali at the very popular Hotel RRR. The food seemed to taste better when eating with hand.

Stine and my room had AC and cable TV and I debated not going for the afternoon excursion. We went in the end. It was an hour's drive to Somnathpur to visit a well- preserved inactive Vishnu Hindu temple. The temple guide told us about the 3 main Hindu gods and goddesses. Maria was quite the teacher's pet as she was quite good at remembering the gods transportation :-).

Somnathpur temple

One of the temple carvings

We went for a village walk and some of the others shared a few of their previous tour's funny stories.

Village walk

Dinner was Western fare at Park Lane hotel. My veggie spaghetti was fine, it tasted of tomato sauce. The other meat dishes our group ordered also seemed to have the same tomato sauce dressing.

Day 24: Mudumalai wildlife reserve

We drove on to another state, Tamil Nadu, Ravi's home state. On the way, he told us about certain Southern Indian Hindu customs. Auspicious months for weddings are connected to the harvest cycle and weather. A not-good-enough person may not have women coming to cry at his wedding so the funeral director will hire women whose profession is to cry at weddings (seriously!) to help the deceased get onto the next life.

We drove through tea plantations and the weather was pleasant and not so hot here. We stopped for photos of the tea plantations and the colourfully garbed women tea pickers.

Tea pickers

Tea pickers delivering tea leaves at the collection point

We arrived at the Tiger Paw resort before lunch. We had a nice resort with a veranda looking onto the Nilgiri Hills, part of the larger Western Ghats mountain range. Shame we were only staying one night here. We had lunch, a girlie chat, and a swim in the small pool/oversized tub.

View of Nilgiri Hills from Tiger Paw resort

Pool at Tiger Paw

Then it was on to the Jeep Safari as we drove to the Mudumalai (old mountains) nature reserve in 2 jeeps. We spotted white-spotted deers and peacocks. We saw a peacock fly-glide across the road. It was the first time I've seen a peacock fly. We also saw a herd of bisons, big black much stronger versions of a buffalo. A pretty magnificent sight. We got quite close to a bison and could see his rippling back muscles. As we were heading back, I saw some funny looking, black-faced monkeys called langurs and their babies. All in, a good safari haul, although we didn't see any elephants or the elusive tiger. The jeep driver said he has seen a black panther before. It was beautiful landscape, probably the most beautiful (bar the mountains around Shimla) I have seen in India so far.

Rippling muscles on a bison

3 langur monkeys and their babies

Dinner was a tasty buffet. I had only a just-enough portion tonight because I had stopped eating as if I don't where my next meal is coming from. The hotel staff built us a campfire that night. We had stopped at a special liquor store that day - the store was well-secured behind metal bars. Some of the others bought beer and vodka. The stars were out but were not so bright that night. We had a lovely time chatting around the campfire.

Day 23: Wayanad

I woke up to birdsong. Our resort was set in beautiful surroundings.
First stop was the Erdakkal caves. It was a 1 km walk up a road followed by 250 clambering steps up the rocks. Stine and Lex made it all the way. Maria and I were happy to make it almost to the top and to skip the final steep stretch. Indian tourists were climbing up in sarees and sandals.

Climb up to Erdakkal Caves

We then stopped for a lunch of fruit and went on a nature walk. We saw tea, coffee, cardamom, ginger plants and visited a tribal village. We saw an old man make a musical instrument. His daughters and grandchildren were visiting.

Tribal village

Pink water lilies

In the afternoon, Stine, Holly, Lex and I went out for a walk in town and had some tea and coffee and cake. I had been missing my 4 o'clock chai and cake at Ciaran's in Goa. So I was happy. The road was not as bad as in Manado in Indonesia, but I panicked crossing the road and Stine kindly came back and saved me.

Kalpetta town

Indian kids fashion

Ravi brought us for dinner at the elegant Green Gates resort. I think he had lost patience with our resort. It was a lot better than last night's dinner. We later learnt that 2 out of our Royal Palm resort's 3 cooks had quit at short notice and they were struggling to cope.

Day 22: Travelling to Wayanad, Kalpetta

We took an extra big auto rickshaw carrying 3 comfortably to Ernakulam station from Fort Kochi. We waited for the 9.20am Sabtabdi train from Ernakulam station for Kozhikode. The train would take 3.5 hours and it arrived pretty much on time.

Train at Ernakulam station

The air con chair car compartment was dirtier than other trains I've taken in India. There was a burst of pre-monsoon rain as we rocked through the countryside.

At Kozhikode, we met our driver Mr Babu, who would be driving us for the rest of the trip in a 13-seater mini bus. The mini bus had arrived earlier with our luggage.

Lunch was at a very nice restaurant in a hotel in town, Bharat Hotel. The restaurant was modern and clean and could almost double as a cocktail bar in the evening. The vegetarian thali meal was very good, with more variety than the day before and different spices.

Bharat Hotel veg thali meal - very good dry veg

I was feeling travel sick from the train moving side to side, and took a travel sickness pill. Dan didn't feel very well either. I felt drowsy from the pill within 45 minutes and fell asleep for most of our 2 hour drive up to Kalpetta, a hill station. What I saw of the scenery was beautiful, hilly tea plantations.

View on way to Kalpetta

We stayed at the Royal Palm resort where I shared a triple with Christine and Stine. There was no AC in any rooms but the fan was ok. Dinner was a lackadaisical buffet at the resort.

Day 21: Kochi

I met the rest of the tour group at breakfast. There were 8 of us including me - Lex from Sydney, Stine from Denmark, Christine from Australia, Dan and Maria - a couple from Bournemouth, Karen and Holly - mother and daughter from Georgia, USA.

First stop was the Chinese fishing nets, massive nets controlled by a pulley system from the shore. The fishermen thus did not have to risk their lives going to sea. Each fishing net was owned by a few families. The technology was old and left by the Chinese. The catch of the day was auctioned off in a small market. Across the river was a newly built harbour for container ships.

Chinese fishing nets

We walked on to the St Francis church, an old church where Vasco Da Gama's body was once buried. The church was still in use for services every week. 27% of the population in Kerala are Christians, higher than the national average.

St Francis Church

We then took auto rickshaws to the Dutch Palace. Inside were mural paintings with scenes from the Ramayana. There was also an exhibition about the Kerala royal families and history. They practised some sort of matriarchal system and so they had some pretty well educated princesses. Many people including women were proficient in the kalarippayat martial arts and they often acted as bodyguards to the royals. The British banned it because it can be deadly. We also learned that women traditionally wore a length of material like a sarong and leave their tops uncovered. The small blouse worn nowadays with sarees was a European influence.

We walked on to visit the Jewish Synagogue. There are total of 5 Jewish families with 9 family members living in Kochi.

Jewish Synagogue

It wasn't as hot as Delhi but humidity was high and sweat kept dripping into my eyes. I bought a fan for Rs50 from a market stall near the ferry terminal. There was also a well-stocked bookshop in the market called Idiom Bookseller.

Ravi took us on the ferry to Ernakulam, the big city. We went to a hotel for a Vegetarian Thali meal and fresh lime soda. The thali meal was served on a banana leaf,was tasty and surprisingly filling.

First of my many veggie thali meals in South India. The small bananas were a highlight.

After a short rest in the hotel, 5 of us went to watch the Kathakali dance performance in the evening. The performers wore bright make up and elaborate costumes, and they conveyed their emotions through exaggerated facial expressions and ritualistic hand gestures. It was interesting for a while. Not for the first time, I managed to fall asleep in a noisy, crowded theatre and almost missed the crucial plot line of the girl actually turning out to be a monster who was then chased off by the god.

Kathakali dance performance

I quite like Fort Kochi, a slow paced little town with tourist-friendly cafes and shops.
A note about no photos in most blog posts so far. I take most of my photos with my camera, a separate device from the phone I update the blog with. Photos will be uploaded end of the trip.

Day 20: Travelling to Kochi, Kerala

I can't quite believe I am on day 20 already. The last week has just floated by in a daze of sea, sand and sunshine, apart from a slight drizzle last night. I feel more rested and good-natured than when I arrived in Goa. People are more relaxed here and I've encountered almost zero hassle, but then again I haven't done much. I don't know if I'll come back to Goa - too many other places to see, but I would definitely recommend where I stayed, Ciaran's, if you decide to visit Goa and Palolem Beach.
I flew JetKonnect, the budget airline for Jet Airways. There was no food included, unlike Kingfisher, and the veggie roll sold on board was disappointingly dry. We made a stop in Bangalore, a very nice airport from what I saw. I whizzed through the airport shop and managed to buy couple of nice tops.
At Kochi, I got a prepaid AC taxi for Rs950. The distance to my hotel is approx 45 km. It took us 1.5 hours to get there. The roads were okay but because the roads were at most 2-lane roads, traffic was bad. When we finally reached Fort Kochi, the driver could not find Casa Linda. We managed to find it in the end near the St Paul Secondary School.
I checked in, the last of our tour group to arrive, and met the tour leader, Ravi, briefly. I have a single room for the first 2 nights in Kochi.

Days 13 - 19: Goa, Palolem Beach

 My days have settled into a very agreeable pattern of breakfast, settle myself in a shady spot under the coconut trees on the beach, swim in the sea, update blog, read, walk on the beach. Most of my blog entries are written on my Samsung Mini Galaxy Android phone. Swype rocks! Thanks Ms Chia, for showing me how to swype.

Masala omelette for breakfast, delicious!

Palolem beach

Continuing on, I never miss the afternoon tea with chai and cake ;-). More lying or walking on the beach. Watch the sunset. Dinner either at Ciaran's or another restaurant along the beach. Watch a movie or drama series on cable TV before going to sleep.

A highlight was catching sight of dolphins off the beach. I could only see them slightly when they emerge briefly from the water. It was still a magical experience seeing wild dolphins for the first time. It was also better than my whale watching experience in South Africa - I wasn't sea sick and hanging on to the toilet this time :-p.

Fish tikka

I met a nice Danish girl, Lone, who had the same idea to just relax on the beach and we hung out for a few days before she left for Hampi and Bangalore. She had volunteered for a charity in Bangalore for a few weeks and been to Dharamsala, a town in the mountains further north of Shimla where the Dalai Lama is based. She really rates Dharamsala as a semi-Tibetan place to visit and stay a while. I am inspired to try and go there next time.

Lone also introduced me to cheese naan. It tastes like cheese on toast but better. There goes my natural weight loss by travelling - heat, sweat, drinking water, backpacking - plan. I'll have to learn how to make cheese naans when I get home!

There was a bit of excitement when a Keralan film crew came to film in our hotel for 3 days. It was slightly disappointing as there was no Bollywood dancing. The actors just seem to walk up and down in front of my hotel room. Apparently they were not very famous. It looked like a romantic comedy. Some tourists were asked to be extras. There was a hive of activity with the lights, cameras, guys climbing coconut trees to rig the white sheets, and a cook who prepared all meals and chai for the crew. But the actors just seem to hang out a lot and then do the same scenes repeatedly.

Keralan film crew at our hotel

We were now at the tail end of the season. Some of the huts were being dismantled and Ciaran's shuts from 15 May. Everyone will then leave around end of May and return after the monsoon in October. Many from Ciaran's are from Nepal. Many shopkeepers have also left for their home elsewhere in the country. I liked being here at this time. The beach got really busy the first weekend I was here as people came for a weekend break. But it got pretty quiet after that. Mornings are the quietest. Every evening before the sunset, a few cows would wander onto the beach and enjoy the sweet sea breeze. They seem to have the right idea, it was the coolest time of day. Some fishermen would be working in the evenings sorting out their nets. I think it must be nice coming home to this - relaxed beach, sunset, see your mates and family - at the end of a working day.

Cows visit Palolem beach before sunset every day

Quiet time at Palolem Beach

Sunset at Palolem Beach

Book review: The Gift of Rain, by Tan Twan Eng

I didn't know much about the writer having stumbled across the book via an Amazon Kindle recommendation. What is clear to me though is that this book was written by someone who knows and loves Penang. The descriptions of the sunlight in Penang and Penang's communities pre-Japanese occupation are rich, vivid, lyrical and joyful.

At the heart of the book is Philip Hutton, a young Eurasian boy, his search for a sense of belonging, his complex relationship with his Japanese sensei, Endo-san, and the impact it had on him when the Japanese occupation began. It is also a book about home and family.

The author has weaved mystical elements from Buddhism and Philip's Chinese heritage into the tale. These are familiar to me, as a Malaysian Chinese who has grown up hearing such tales. Nevertheless, they are used effectively in the story and treated in a new light here.

The teacher-student relationship, sometimes in lieu of a parent-child relationship, are highlighted here not just in Philip's relationship with his sensei, but also in 2 other main characters. Philip's best friend, Kon, also has an important relationship with his sensei, Tanaka-san. This perhaps represents the ideal sensei-student relationship as opposed to the complex one that Philip himself has. Philip's grandfather was a tutor to a forgotten emperor in China before he fled to Malaya. His grandfather's lesson to Philip via the telling of his story was that our fates are predetermined.

The tone of the book was restrained to begin with, as Philip was now an old man with a lifetime's practice of holding his secrets inside. As Philip delves into his past, the book's tone became more tender as he recollected when he first discovered love and family. In finally telling his tale, he finds a new measure of understanding and redemption of his life and the people he had loved.

The book was well-paced. I was hooked from the start reading about familiar people and places. The action during the Japanese occupation was gripping.

My only criticism is that the book seemed untidy in places especially in trying to reconcile the ideas of free will and predetermined fate.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I will perhaps also see Penang with new eyes when I visit it next.

Day 12: Travelling to Goa

Before leaving Delhi, I'd like to say the YMCA hostel staff has been outstanding. This is not a 5 star hotel but the staff do the best they can, running around fixing things -lift, computers, printers, air-con. They were invariably professional, hardworking, courteous and kind. I had to leave for the airport early and the dining staff brought a breakfast tray to my room. I was pretty touched by this small kindness.

YMCA breakfast tray

My second experience of Delhi International Airport was even better than my first. I appreciated the mod cons there more now. I walked around the airport shops twice just because I can, and bought an 8GB memory card for my camera.

Yoga's sun salutation at Delhi airport

The Kingfisher flight to Goa was uneventful. We changed planes in Mumbai and got served small meals twice. Goa's Dabolim Airport had an Airtel counter and they topped up my phone credit but had to do it twice ie Rs 444 x 2. It has something to do with my number being a Delhi number and not being able to transmit large sums at once from that distance.

I met the driver the hotel has arranged for me for the 1.5 hours drive to Ciaran's on Palolem Beach. It was Rs 1,700 for the AC taxi. It was a pleasant drive. The landscape reminds me of rural Malaysian kampungs but with more churches. We passed by a larger town which I think is Margao.

Palolem Beach is one of the quietest beaches in Goa. Ciaran's is one of the poshest beach huts there and the price reflects that. This was towards the end of the season, as they shut for the monsoon in mid-May. So I got the low season price with 10% discount for more than 7 nights stay. My double room was £30 per night, not per person. The beach huts would be £20 per night. The difference is the beach hut doesn't have AC and TV. Karin reminded me I like my AC and I reckon a TV is good for my solitary, do-nothing time. Free breakfast, wi-fi, water refill, afternoon chai and cake were included. I wanted a quiet place to relax and decided to splash out on a little affordable luxury for my week in Goa.

I knew my decision was right as soon as I saw the immaculate garden with green grass, coconut trees and hibiscus plants. The reception was right on the beach. My room was in the main building with AC, cable TV. It was lovely with a view of the garden, glimpse and sound of the sea. It was like a small and lovely version of a nice Malaysian-standard resort.
I began to relax as I realised there was absolutely nothing I need to do while I was here.

Ciaran's reception and restaurant right on the beach

Ciaran's Main House. My room was on the ground floor with a garden view and ocean  sound.

Ciaran's beach huts