Thursday, 31 January 2013

Fort Kochi and Cherai Beach

Chinese Fishing Nets, Fort Kochi

This morning, after another good sleep in peaceful surrounds, we rode the 50km back to the mainland then out to Fort Kochi. We took an alternative route, taking in the backwaters of Vypeen Island before hitting the heavy, erratic traffic on the National Highway.

Lauren's new home

While not actually a fort, Fort Kochi has a strong historical feel having been taken by both the Portugese and the Dutch in the past. We parked up Big Red and explored the streets in foot. We started off on the promenade which ran along the northern coast of Fort Kochi. Lonely Planet recommended we check out the Chinese Fishing nets that the area is so well known for. We arrived to find that the nets were like the many we had seen on our adventures to Cherai Beach yesterday. We have a habit of seeing things, like monkeys and fishing nets, before the Lonely Planet says we should. We then hit the backstreets. Many of the streets had a European vibe if Europe had adopted pesky and relentless salesmen and Tuk Tuk drivers. No thank you...we would not like a tour of the fort. We had intended to check out the old Dutch Cemetry and, when we arrived to find it closed, figured it would open up soon enough. Apparently not. A friendly Tuk Tuk driver informed us that the Cemetry was now closed to the public, except on special request, thanks to the alcoholics and druggies who enjoyed fulfilling their habit between the large graves. We stumbled upon Bob Marley Cafe and Lauren fit right in.

St Francis Church, Fort Kochi

Next stop was St Francis Church. We removed our shoes and entered the noisy Church. It's stained glass windows and tomb failed to save this landmark from what the noise had ruined. A church just doesn't feel like a church when there isn't a hush through the crowd.

Fort Kochi was reminding us a lot of Galle in that its Heritage Hotels, European middle-aged package tourists and overpriced cafes were in stark contrast to Kochi's mainland beeping, honking town centre.

Still without breakfast we grabbed Big Red and rode around to Jew Town. Mattancherry Palace was our first stop. After buying our 5 INR tickets we fought the crowds, both Indian and European, and checked out the murals, artefacts, portraits and info that came with them. The building itself was very cool with huge wooden doors, wooden ceilings and views of the "fish pond" outside. We searched for the image of Krishna performing foreplay on eight happy milkmaids while managing to play the flute but had no luck. By this stage we were getting awful sick of the crowds and the postcards, tiger balm, painted leaves, puppets, lanterns, clothes, sequinned blankets and everything else you will probably never need so we wandered around to The Synagogue hoping for some peace. Yeah right!

Tuk Tuk graveyard, Fort Kochi

Again we paid our 5 INR to the overworked, stressed door-lady. Thanks to a room of paintings we were given a run-down on Judaisim and the history of Jews in Kochi. Then it was shoes off again as we entered a rather unimpressive Synagogue. Despite signage requesting that people maintain silence, there was a lot of chatter as people, namely the Indian tourists, milled about inside. Again, there seems to be a general lack of consideration for others. Perhaps we shouldn't feel so bad about chatting and taking photos at their temples. We then rode the narrow Bazaar Road as people bought and sold all manner of delicious smelling spices, reversed around blind corners and loaded up trucks at the spice markets.

Take Three of the Sim Card Saga: we returned to Idea Headoffice armed with passports, passport photos (our supply is dwindling quickly), a Keralan reference, our phones and Indian mobile numbers. After just a quick bit of paperwork we were on our way to "pocket Internet" without the roaming charges that had eaten away our last bit of credit.

We battled the traffic again and rode, hot and sweaty by this stage, back to Cherai Beach. We took advantage of having wifi before taking another dip in the sea and lazing beneath a tree on the beach.

Backwaters, Cherai

On the way to try and find some dinner it was photography time. We returned to the zigzagging, narrow strips of land which divided the backwaters and Chris captured the sunset while locals watched on. Then...the hunt for food. Cherai is well set up for package tourists who don't want to leave the beach and don't want to try local food. Restaurants selling Western food abound. We drove up and down the island looking for a local restaurant to serve us up some tasty Keralan treats. No such luck. While we found one restaurant which sold only chilli meals (the fried chilli chicken he was cooking up smelt amazing) we settled on our guesthouse for dinner. We tried our first Palaou (rice dish) which was delicious, chapati and a "dulled-down for tourists" version of butter chicken masala.

Backwaters, Cherai

 

Wednesday, 30 January 2013

Alleppey to Cherai Beach, Vypeen Island

Living the boat life
Breakfast on the backwaters

After a peaceful sleep on the Keralan backwaters we watched the fishermen and their families float around checking their nets in tiny circular boats. We watched men selling fish pull up for Chai in their boats at the nearby restaurant and watched a old man taxi people back and forth across the water.

Once Captain and Cook were ready, we set sail again. While on our way we enjoyed an English style omelette and toast for breakfast before docking back where we had started yesterday. We finished packing our things, disembarked and then realised we had forgotten the one overpriced beer we hadn't consumed. Chris went back looking only to find that, within the two minutes we had been gone, the 'fridge man' had apparently come and taken the ice box. Either that or Captain and Cook are enjoying a drink on us.

We jumped on Big Red, who had enjoyed a night sleeping with the bus drivers, paid our 20 INR parking fee and set off for Kochi. It was an easy, short ride (100km-ish) to reach the outskirts of the city. We stopped to make our first attempt at getting new SIM cards after ours ceased to work once we entered Kerala. The man at the mobile shop on the corner informed us that the recharge card Captain had bought us in Alleppey was broken and sold us another. Still, our internet was not fixed. A helpful customer who spoke English then informed us that our best bet was to head into town to the Idea Showroom!

The people at the Idea Showroom told us we should go to the Idea Headquarters. We really were moving up and up. They gave us some vague directions, telling us only to go across the bridge, straight and near the shipping yard. They looked at us like we were idiots when we questioned where said shipping yard may be. Regardless, we found the shipping yard, and then the Idea Headquarters, with little problem. After a short wait we were told that the SIM cards we had would charge us roaming fees when outside Tamil Nadu where they were purchased. We needed data sims and these could only be bought if we had the details of a local Keralan person who would act as our reference. Apparently they didn't see the luggage still strapped to Big Red as they were surprised when we didn't have a local friend. Despite Chris' best efforts to get the saleswoman to allow us to grab the details of another customer, we were told to come back once we had a hotel.

Then came the ride to Vypeen Island, just off the coast of Kochi. When we set off we weren't even sure there would be a road but, Chris' reasoning that "this is India, they prefer to drive" proved true. A road took us all the way. A long way. 24km of heavy traffic, one way bridges and narrow roads made it a long way to Cherai Beach. After asking at just a couple of different guesthouses, we settled on Sea Line, a beachfront place that we bargained down from 3500 to just 2000 INR per night. With hot water, wifi and a beach out the back we were happy despite the power outage which was expected to go from 10am-5pm both today and tomorrow. Oh India.

We jumped into the Arabian Sea which was even warmer than the water we swam in in Sri Lanka. The kind of water you could stay in all day and not get cold. Deciding Big Red was making us lazy, we left him at home and walked the three kilometres into town to find some lunch. Happy with our samosas and onion bajis we sat on the footpath to eat, and down some much needed water, while locals giggled at us. We then found some much needed sunscreen that would actually keep the Indian sun's damage to a minimum. Getting a high SPF rating, over 15%, sunscreen is hard! Finally the pharmacist dusted off a small tube which was, according to the label, only to be used if prescribed by a medical practitioner. Hack duty...exactly what we needed.

Sunset from Sea Line Hotel, Cherai Beach

We watched the sunset over the sea from the hotel balcony then set off into the little town of Cherai in search of dinner. There were limited options and when we finally settled on a place we were quickly directed by a owner in to his 'AC family restaurant' so he could charge us more. We enjoyed our first parota (flakey bread that's been spiralled before cooking), steam cake (an South Indian breakfkast bread), veg biriyani and a cauliflower (gobi) dish.

We returned home and I had a rough ten minutes. First I was confused when my phone wouldn't charge but then realised I had one charger plugged into my phone and another plugged into the wall. Then I stood on Chris' tripod and cut my toe open. It was definitely time for bed.

 

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Kumily to Alleppey and The Houseboat

Our boat

Big Red started first go this morning. Then he stopped and did not want to start again. The electric start wasn't working and not even a kick start or rollstart were helping. A helpful local man thought he could help. But, after disappearing for a minute or two, came back and offered us a water bottle with a little petrol in it. We had already crossed a lack of petrol off the list so that was no good. So, our new friend called over some young guys who were walking past. Thankfully, they spoke English and offered a range of possible solutions, one of which was a push start. As I watched Chris and Big Red disappear down the hill, our new petrol-providing friend and myself exchanged amused head wobbles. I listened from up the road and finally heard Big Red kick over. Turns out he has an on/off switch and the kind young guys had simply flicked it back on and had Big Red going like a charm in no time. In exchange for their favour, all they wanted were a few pored photos on Big Red and Big Red was happy to oblige. Turns our they too were heading to Alleppey today.

Not long after leaving Kumily we entered tea county and felt as though we were back in Sri Lanka. For kilometres we wove between rolling seas of stunning green tea which clung to the hills like little pillows. We wound our way between hill stations and took in breathtaking views of the valley and surrounding hills.

It was all very serene until we came around a blind corner to find a bus overtaking a Tuk Tuk and hence speeding around the corner on our side of the road. Thanks to some ninja like reflexes on Chris' behalf, we braked in time to avoid Big Red touching noses with the big bus.

As we approached the West coast the scenery became that of the fabled Keralan backwaters. Large canals with stone walls and steps leading down to the water lined the road and woman smacked their laundry on the stones.

We rode into Alleppey expecting to be accosted by potential houseboat drivers. That was not the case. We asked at a tourist office before heading towards the boat ramp as we figured that was our best bet for booking a reasonably priced boat for the night. As we pulled up a man asked us whether we were after a boat and, as we were, we followed him on the bike on a circuit of the city before going to view his boat. We were quoted 5500 INR and decided we ought to at least look at one other before agreeing. After riding around for a while and finding there seemed to be a serious lack of boats due to our relatively late arrival time (midday), we returned, as we have a habit of doing, to the first man and his first boat. Bargaining him down to 5000 INR, for a one bedroom houseboat, 21 hours on the water, a cook and a driver, we were happy. We were also happy to pay 200 INR each for some beers. Until they arrived and we saw that their max retail price was 70 INR. Oh well...we'll know for next time.

Keralan backwaters, Alleppy

We floated through the maze of canals which, lined with coconut palms and rice paddies, were extremely picturesque. We stopped in at the local fish market and bought half a kilo of probably the biggest prawns we have ever seen. For lunch we docked and enjoyed rice, curries and papadams before our Captain took a snooze while our poor old cook did the cleaning. All of the waiting we seem to do here would be a lot more bearable if we were told how long we would be waiting and why. The next time we stopped I spotted our Captain taking a swim. Being the annoying tourist that I am, I wanted in. I donned by swimming dress (a bikini and a sarong to cover up) and Captain guided me down the slippery rocks into the green water as plants, rubbish and coconuts floated past.

Swim time

As the day closed, we watched from the upper deck as the sun scattered stars of gold along the water. We docked to the sound of hundreds of crows making a ruckus. Captain went into Alleppey to grab us some phone credit, amongst other things, and we wandered off the boat and through a village situated in the backwaters of Alleppey. Compared to elsewhere in India, it was blissfully peaceful as we strolled past canals and very friendly locals.

Local villagers

Our fresh prawns revere skewered and cooked in a tasty mix of garlic, ginger, chilli and fish masala. Perfection! Combine that with more curry, chapatti, lettuce fingers and other side dishes and we were stuffed!

We finished the evening on the upper deck of our houseboat with local Keralan beers. Ahhhhh! Until the bugs got to us. We wisely finished our beers in our room under the combination of fan and air conditioner (which we weren't sure we had paid for) before being rocked to sleep by the lapping waters.

 

Monday, 28 January 2013

Kodai to Kumily and Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

We had set our alarms for 6am intending to make an early start. When the alarm went off, it got quickly turned off. Chris dragged himself out of bed about 6:30am only to open the door to our balcony, decide it was too cold for bike riding, and leap like a gazelle back into bed.

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

We got on the road about 7:30am and it was cold! Chris' poor exposed hands copped the brunt of the chill as we rode down the mountain, watching the sun teasingly hit everywhere but the road on which were we riding. Thankfully, with the sun rising, and us swiftly decreasing in altitude, after 50km or so it was time to strip off some layers. Riding through one of the many random towns along the way Chris was zipping between two, almost stationary, buses and managed to stall the bike. Thankfully, Big Red works well under pressure and started first go, getting us out from the between the two buses before we were squished. After a pretty good run, we rode into Kumily and found a place to stay, thanks to some forward planning, with little hassle. We settled on The Cottage at Coffee Inn and with views of the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary from our room and 24 hour hot water in probably the cleanest bathroom yet, we were pretty happy. Especially when Chris bargained the price down to 1000 INR per night. We're slowly accepting that this kind of price is going to be the norm if we want some kind of semblance of clean. Oh well, luckily food costs close to nothing.

Mali, our trusty guide

After dumping our luggage we went straight to the Ecotourism Centre to organise a trek for the afternoon. We were told it simply was not possible as all places were filled and that we would have to wait until tomorrow. But, we wouldn't let a small hurdle like that stop us! We found a spice store that advertised trekking and after a few phone calls back and forth, a man arrived and informed us that he would let us tag along on somebody else's tour. Whether this was legitimate or not we have no idea. But for 1200 INR for the both of us we had spot son a three hour Cloud Walk with two Germans and a friendly guide named Mali and we didn't have to wait until tomorrow. All it took was handing over our money to a guy on a motorbike, who ensured us he would buy tickets for us, trusting him and walking to some side entrance which led to the park.

There's no escaping technology

We were wary of how good the walk would be when we set off on a sealed road. But, after some time, we entered the park through a gap in the huge concrete fence and, at a snail's pace, explored the park off the beaten track. We walked the 4km so slowly that it took almost the entire three hours. We figured that pace was good training for Nepal. We got to see deer, monkeys, giant black squirrels, woodpeckers and a bunch of other birds and learnt a bit about the spices which are so sought after in Kumily. For instance, did you know that there are guards who watch over the sandalwood trees at night because poachers try to cut them down to sell? Sandalwood...the new elephant tusk. While we didn't see any elephants or tigers and we probably see more monkeys along the road than we saw in the park, it was a quiet, relaxing three hours and Mali did seem genuinely keen on trying to spot us as much wildlife as possible. We were made to feel like real trackers as Mali picked up animal poo to show us. He picked leaves and bark and crushed them for us to smell making us feel right amongst it. Every now and then he would stop us all and listen for animals and, on two occasions, left us in the wilderness while he went 'looking.' I was grateful to have Chris and his magic GPS watch in case Mali decided not to come back.

After finishing the trek and wandering around to the main park entrance we were told it was too late to enter the park again to see the lake. And, despite only having bought our ticket at 2pm, it would not be valid for use tomorrow morning. Bummer. Sorry Pete...no lake for us. I'm not sure how kindly they'd have looked upon us taking a dip anyway. Did you even have to pay when you were here?

After showering we had a disappointingly bland dinner, the first of our trip. We tried to remedy the situation with ice cream and beers but, like most things, this was exceptionally more difficult than we imagined. The only ice cream we could find was the scoop variety, not the 'on a stick and takeaway' variety. And the beers? Well, after asking a place whether they sold Kingfisher Beer, and having them agree, we climbed a wobbly spiral staircase and sat down. When they quoted us 300 INR for the kingfisher it sounded expensive so Chris asked how big it was. When the man finally returned, looking quite pleased with himself, he set a plate of whole-fish down on the table and said 'Kingfisher!' There was absolute confusion when we tried to explain that we did not actually want any fish as they seemed to have no concept of beer.

After wandering back and forth through the streets of Kumily for a while we gave up and headed home. Just as we thought we'd had a great day and would go to bed enjoying India and have a full night sleep for once...the music started. To make matters worse, it was blaring straight out of the general vicinity of the Wildlife Sanctuary. It's almost like people just can't deal with quiet. So, just when you find a place away from the honking and yelling, they ruin it with shit music. I mean, Aqua's Barbie Girl? Seriously? Thankfully the music eased and after a while all we could hear were crickets. Unfortunately, just as Chris couldn't sleep in the peace of Kodai, I couldn't sleep here.

View from our room at sunset of Periyar Wldlife Sanctuary

 

Sunday, 27 January 2013

Pillar Rock and Paddle Boats, Kodaikanal

Warning: Sleep deprived rant ahead

Dear India, please stop polluting the air with noise. Just as you are ruining the beautiful environment with waste, the serenity of your country is being destroyed by loud noises. Perhaps if you considered others when doing things you would choose not to make a racket at 3am when checking in to a guesthouse. Perhaps you would not let your kids run screaming through the halls. You would not argue over room prices in the middle of the night. You would not blare the radio outside people's rooms. Perhaps then, foreigners, and probably more restrained locals, would be more likely to stay more than a fortnight in your country before wanting to get out. Your courtesy would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Lauren and Chris.

Also, horns that make prolonged, multiple beeps with just one push should be banned. So too should cars which, when reversing, play stupid high pitched tunes.

After cursing the entire population of India throughout the night we considered whether India could possibly be the first country we have visited where we may leave thinking less of the people than when we arrived. We hope that it is just the lack of sleep talking. In the day time, we are greeted in general by friendly helpful locals but at night, the inconsiderate nature becomes more and more apparent. The man we bought our Ali Baba pants off summed up much of the male mentality when he told us "I would like to rip you off, but my wife won't let me." There seems to be an air of self importance and arrogance that pervades many of the local men. During the day, it is bearable as the worst that you have to endure is getting ripped off. But, when they mess with our sleep...so help them. We were up three times during the night to try and shut them up to no avail.

Rant over.

We woke and resolved to try and make the most of our time in Kodai. The man at reception promised that today is the last of the public holidays surrounding Republic Day and as such it should quiet down by this afternoon. We set off, encouraged by this fact but there were sooooo many people, everywhere!

PT Street Market
Spices, PT Street Market
Grapes saleswoman, PT Street Market

We rode into town and stumbled upon a fruit and veg market so we took advantage, gathering some cheap bananas, pineapple, grapes and samosas as well as a knife (to cut our fruit along our journey to come.) There were countless foods we did not recognise which made the whole experience more fun. Piles upon piles of food, including mounds of garlic and other spices helped us understand why the food here is so amazing. Thanks to my Bob Marley shirt, and possibly my pants, we were offered both grass and mushrooms at the market. We were also offered weird bottles of what we thought at the time was the illegal alcohol that can turn people blind. Turns out it was harmless organic honey. Still, thanks but no thanks. Instead, because Kodai is big on homemade chocolates, we stocked up on some of those for only 30 INR for 100g. A much cheaper high. We had plans to hike to Pillar Rock but, upon discovering the "hike" was actually just a road, we thought better of tackling the traffic on foot and took Big Red instead. I think coming from Australia, and in particular having experienced places like The Grampians National Park, we have big expectations when it comes to enjoying natural beauty. So, after fighting buses, trucks, cars, bikes and horses along the way we were disappointed to find Pillar Rock packed with bus loads of people and stalls selling all kinds of crap. We seemed to be as much of a tourist landmark as the rock itself as we posed for photo after photo.

Kodai's newest tourist attraction: Lauren

We have noticed that most people here seem to lack any desire to walk anywhere for enjoyment. Pillar Rock therefore would have been much more enjoyable, and quieter, if the only option had been to actually hike the 14km round trip as we had intended.

Pillar Rock
Lunch and their laundry vs our laundry

Not wanting to tease the monkeys any more than we already had by eating a samosa out at the rock, we headed back to our guesthouse and enjoyed a late lunch/even later breakfast on the balcony of our while we watched people do laundry in the river.

P.S. As a general rule, please do not empty your child's dirty nappy onto a wall next to Big Red and just leave it there.

Cricket match, Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal

After relaxing in our room for a hour or so we took Big Red back into town. On our way we delved into the backstreets of Kodai in an attempt to capture views of the town which looks as thought it's melting down the side of the hill. We were stopped by a man who told us his story with tears running down his cheeks (or were his eyes perpetually watering?) before we shook his hand and moved on. The markets were still bustling and music pumped while a game of cricket went on. Next we headed down to the lake for a little paddle boat ride. The wait for a boat was frustrating thanks to the lack of any kind of queueing system. Well, I guess there was some kind of system...push in front of everyone else, regardless of how long they have been waiting. The British sure didn't leave behind their knack for queueing.

Boat rides, Kodaikanal Lake
Ginger chilli boneless chicken.

We enjoyed a romantic paddle around the lake, escaping the hustle and bustle of the city and basking in the holiday vibe that the locals were beaming with. It would have been interesting to check out Kodai on a regular day.

After only a short discussion, we decided to head back to Royal Tibet for dinner. Neither of us needed much convincing as it was ridiculously good last night. To while away time until it opened for dinner, we took a stroll towards Coakers Walk, choosing not to pay to enter as the photos we had taken earlier easily matched the views we imagined we'd see from Coakers.

After sufficient time had passed we returned to Royal Tibet. We tried to be adventurous in our food ordering but just couldn't tear ourselves away from last night's treats. Beef momos, that amazing ginger chilli chicken that has put all other food to shame and, this time, a chicken chowmein just to show how we totally live life on the edge. We soothed our sore throats with ginger, lemon and honey tea before heading home to plan our next few days.

Back at our guesthouse we were pleased to hear that most, if not all, other residents had buggered off and that we might actually get a quiet night for some serious sleeping action.

So long Kodai. Your spices, chocolate, oils and honey have proved intriguing and delicious.

 

Saturday, 26 January 2013

Trichy to Kodaikanal: Australia Day/RepublicDay

We started the day by chowing down on the provided buffet breakfast of curries, various Indian breads, chocolate flakes cereal and fruit. After deciding not to hang out at the hotel and get our 2040 rupees worth we thought we would instead give Trichy another chance to impress us.

We went down stairs to meet up with Big Red and found that unfortunately, he was still tired from yesterday and did not want to start. Eventually all three of us headed a few kilometres north to Ammamandapam a small but very busy temple and bathing ghat. Only, there was no water so the signs that warned of dangerous quick sand were probably relevant to another time of year. While there was no bathing there was still a barber giving cut throat shaves, an elephant touching people on the head, people praying, sitting and begging which all combine to create a whole lot of colourful commotion. In searching for another of Trichy's temples we stumbled upon some impressive archways under which ran a busy bazaar. By this stage we were running short of time and the sun was heating up so we bailed on the temple, went back to our hotel, packed up our things and set off for Kodaikanal.

Dirty, dusty, stinking hot Indian roads

We made good progress on the mostly smooth roads and developed a good system where I act as navigator and Chris worries about getting us safely through the traffic. After 80-100km the road became a little challenging, blasting us with red dust and making us thankful to have closed in helmets. By this stage we seriously needed to take a break, get out of the relentless sun and rest our bums. While Big Red is very comfortable, there's only so long you can sit on a motorbike. Finding shade on this road was near impossible. We rode for kilometres looking for any tiny patch of shade to give our exposed, burning arms a rest but found nothing. After 10km or more of searching for a place to stop we found shelter in the shadow of a concrete shrine.

Thankfully, the hot, shoddy road didn't last too long and we were back on the smooth tarmac before long and, more importantly, the amount of shade seemed to be on the increase. As we rode, hills began to jut out of landscape in the distance and were made more dramatic by the vast plains through which we had ridden for the past few days. Once we turned off the main road and onto the road that would take us to Kodaikanal, things really started to change.

The road to Kodaikanal

The road twisted and turned and every corner seemed to have a "dangerous curve" or "sound your horn" sign. It's amazing how many "sound horn" signs we have seen. On the back of most trucks and Tuk Tuks this advice is painted on and suddenly all the beeping makes sense. Chris now seems to have honking down to a fine art. He is effectively teaching the locals to drive, one honk at a time. For instance, don't overtake on a railway crossing. Don't overtake on a blind corner. Don't overtake a vehicle that is already overtaking another vehicle, especially on a corner. Honking is not the same as slowing down, be it for a corner, pedestrian, intersection or oncoming vehicle. Honking does not replace indicating which dirction you intend to move with your blinkers. Flashing your headlights, like honking, is not the same as slowing down.

We took the road slowly, especially after seeing a smashed up car being towed by a rope down the hill which, in itself, appeared to be another accident waiting to happen.

Not as unimpressed as she looks

We must have passed more than a hundred monkeys as they lined the road, snacking on people's leftovers. We stopped for bum breaks and took in the "free Tibet" graffiti which had popped up out of nowhere. As we increased in altitude the road quality diminished and the temperature in the shade dropped significantly. We had boarded Big Red in Trichy sweating, thinking it was possibly the hottest day yet. By the time we arrived in Kodaikanal we had reached an altitude of 2000m above sea level and it was cold! Jumpers and beanies cold!

Kodaikanal Lake

Underdressed, we found the lake and soaked up the dying sun rays as we watched couples and families paddle around on boats. It was then time to find some accommodation. Wisely, we set off back out of town to avoid some of the beeping and were happy with our choice of Ganapathy Gardens which provided the best hot water shower of the trip to date.

To celebrate Australia Day we rode into town and, after seeing an old bearded man sitting outside a Tibetan restaurant stick his thumbs up, decided on Royal Tibet for dinner. We over-ordered as per usual and got mutton chowmein (the closest thing to Aussie lamb we could get), ginger chilli boneless chicken, beef momos (fried dumpling things) and vegetarian spring rolls. Oh my goodness. It was a flavour explosion in our mouths. The spices were powerful yet perfectly balanced and the textures varied from the crispy momos to the tender chicken pieces. We rolled out of Royal Tibet relishing the fact that that meal was possibly the greatest meal of our trip, or lives, and had cost $7 AUD. Chris went as far as to say that this meal has wrecked his stomach in that no food will ever taste good in comparison.

Back home we watched some Republic Day celebratory fireworks from our room. We had overheard an Aussie girl at dinner mention how ironic it was that on the same day, Australia celebrates the coming of the Brits while India celebrates their leaving. Even more ironic is the similar fashion with which the Indians and Australians celebrate the day...people boast their national flags and play cricket.

Beef momos, Royal Tibet Restaurant

 

 

Friday, 25 January 2013

Pondicherry to Tiruchirappalli

Chris' new party/riding shirt

RM Guesthouse came through with the goods. It was relatively quiet until about 7am which suited us just fine as we needed to get an early start on our trip inland.

Thanks to Chris' phone (with pre-downloaded road maps) we had a pretty good idea where we were going. Somehow, despite consulting said maps frequently along the journey, we managed to end up on a much less-direct route than that originally planned. We weren't too worried though as our roundabout route led us through some tiny villages and displayed rural India in all its glory. We cruised along roads that were scattered with eye-catching temples, and other landmarks, that are not mentioned in the guidebook but are very grand nonetheless. We saw houses made of mud with thatched roofs juxtaposed with the satellite dish that was planted on top of them. We passed both Tuk Tuks and cars with huge megaphones tied to their roofs and towns which blared music through the streets thanks to more megaphones, this time attached to telegraph poles. Indians like it loud.

To begin with we were gettng the feeling that the rural locals weren't as friendly as those we encountered in Sri Lanka who made us feel like royalty with all the waves we gave out. A few times today I waved and instead of receiving a wave in return I was met only with a blank stare. I needed a new game plan...the head wobble. I gave it a try...wobbling my head at a passing cyclist. Success! I was granted a head wobble in return. Apparently we just needed to find common ground. As a side note, head wobbling is made more fun and is easier to do when wearing a heavy helmet.

For a while we followed a river with steps leading down to it. People did laundry, bathed, washed dishes and swam as we cruised on by. Scattering the roadside in general were goats, lots and lots of goats, women in brightly coloured saris hunched over rice paddies and, in between, vast expanses of Indian's open plains. We stopped to enjoy one of the plains, and to relieve our bladders, and felt like we could have been in the middle of any great desert. A woman walked past and off into the distance towards nothingness dressed in her sari only. We have noticed many of the older women here going without the small under-top that is the norm.

Loving the yellow today

We stopped for a pre-packed lunch in the shade of a tree when some guys pulled over for a chat. Big Red had drawn them in. They asked us a bunch of the standard questions...where are you going, where are you from...before turning around and driving back in the direction from which they had come. Had they heard we were coming and driven down to meet us? As we rode kilometre after kilometre we began to notice that most people were wearing yellow today. A river of them flowed beside us as they walked toward some location unknown to us. Truck loads of yellow clad men, women and children, moved in the same direction, waving at us as they went.

A friendly truck load of locals

After missing the turnoff to Trichy and having to backtrack we finally rode into town with an exhausted Big Red. He was so exhausted he fell asleep mid-intersection. We thought he was thirsty so we got him some petrol. Nothing seemed to help much though. Thankfully, he woke up long enough to ride us around town for a couple of hours looking for a decent place to stay. Sadly, Lonely Planet was right...most of the hotel owners look at foreigners like they've just crawled out of a swamp. Eventually we settled on paying $34 AUD for the night, deciding we'd rather splurge than stay at some of the other dingy places that were on offer. We figured we'd take full advantage of their facilities, including the 'in-room wifi' that was advertised. After paying we realised such wifi did not exist. Chris gave the manager a piece of his mind and was responded to with a frustrating "this isn't Europe." We were more annoyed about the false advertising than the lack of wifi in the room and simply took advantage of the wifi in the lobby instead.

Down th road we found an el cheapo local establishment that served us up a delicious veg meal. We then let icecream in waffle cones wash away the frustrations and stresses of the day. As we lay down in bed, exhausted after 240-ish kilometres, it was quiet for the first time in a long time. The pillows were even comfortable. Despite these luxuries, Chris barely slept.

Roadside congregation

 

Thursday, 24 January 2013

Auroville

Auroville, India
Auroville

The Indians in the room next to us like the TV loud. Stupidly loud. They also like to leave their door open, smoke in their room, come home drunk at all hours of the night and talk loudly, again with their door wide open.

While Chris asked them nicely to be quiet, the noise persisted on and off throughout the night. We had a crappy sleep and Chris woke up feeling a bit sicker than yesterday (man cold). Regardless, we were off to Auroville.

Light house Pondicherry, India
Light house Pondicherry

Auroville is an international community located about 12km from Pondicherry founded by 'The Mother' who also founded the Sri Aurobindo Ashram we visited last night. While you don't get get to see much of the community itself, there was a viewing area from which you could take in Matrimandir. Matrimandir, in a nutshell, looks like a giant gold golfball. The video we were forced to watch before checking out Matrimandir told us that its inner sanctum is made of white marble and contains a giant spherical crystal but unfortunately only the truly dedicated are allowed inside to check it out. And you're not actually allowed to go in and just 'check it out,' you are meant to go in and 'concentrate.' It all sounds very new age and we struggled to get our head around what the 2000ish residents actually do with their time, apart from concentrating and finding themselves.

On the road back from Auroville to the coast we found a guesthouse which we figured, being a bit out of Pondicherry, might be quiet (well, at least relatively to the rest of India.) I couldn't help but be pleased when the kind man walked me through the deserted corridors to show me the room and informed me that he charges white people 500 INR and charges locals 700 INR. Maybe tonight we wouldn't be kept awake by partying locals.

After having a quick look for panniers, to no avail, we went back to Le Ocean guesthouse after grabbing some super cheap samosas for lunch (2 INR each), packed our things and got the hell out of there.

Thankfully, RM Guesthouse was still as quiet as when we had checked the room out previously. We checked in then took Big Red back into Pondy for one last hoorah before we set off in the morning. We wandered through the French Quarter, revelling in the quiet streets which are arranged in an efficient grid-like pattern. It's funny how efficiency is so rare over here how much you appreciate it when you encounter it.

Boop

We enjoyed two ridiculously over priced banana lassis at a place recommended by Lonely Planet and then went shopping! I got myself some Ali Baba pants and Chris got himself a delightfully patterned party shirt which will hopefully keep his arms safe from the UV in the coming months. We took a walk and some photos along the promenade and generally just enjoyed the French side of Pondicherry. On the East side of the city's dividing canal, it really is very pleasant. We went back to Sri Aurobindo Ashram to see if it looked any different by daylight. There were still people meditating everywhere, it was still silent, everyone was still barefoot but we did get to see the the samadhi and all of the beautiful flowers that covered it. There was a constant flow of devotees circling the samadhi and praying. Quite a sight. Afterwards, we saw the same temple as we had last night only today there was an elephant out the front. I was pleased to see it wasn't chained up but rather just stood there being fed, taking money from people and passing it to his keeper, then touching people on the head with his trunk. With the drumming and chanting coming from the temple and a close-up view of this magnificent giant, I was put into almost a trance like state and some time passed before we moved on. It's hard seeing elephants over here. It's sad because they're not free but at the same time they are just so fascinating! It's in a city! And very well trained! Where does it sleep? In its temple? On a side note, unlike Sri Lanka where monkeys were absolutely everywhere, we have only seen one monkey in India so far. And unlike the wild, cheeky ones we saw on Sri Lanka, this one was on a leash.

Boat repair
Pondicherry streets by night

After checking out the dinner menus at a few places we thought we'd found a good one. We sat down and everything but decided it was just too darn hot in there to enjoy any spicy food. So, back to yesterday's trusty restaurant it was. We even felt trusting enough to order some meat...a delicious butter chicken masala. Combine that with yet another veg biriyani (we will never want regular steamed rice again), chapati, onion raita and tea and we were two very happy campers. After a stroll back to where Big Red was parked we had worked off enough food to fit in two very French petit chocolates. One white chocolate and nut cluster and one chocolate cup filled with hazelnut mousse. Yum!

We tackled the Indian night traffic head on and made it home deciding to do as little night driving in the future as possible.