Famil to India Sept 2009

Hi Everyone,
Today is day 10 of our 15 day famil of South India with 6 travel agents, an Australian escort and an entertaining Indian guide. The pace of the itinerary compared to many famils has been somewhat kind although this is really the first afternoon we have had 3 hours completely free. Most have chosen to nanny –nap, watch cricket on TV or read and here I am writing to lucky you.

Bay of Bengal -Mahabalipuram just south of Chennai

I am seated under a fan, at a desk in my room in a rather palatial family home on a sprawling rubber plantation. This beautiful property is set deep in the coffee and spice plantations of Keralan midlands on the hills of the Western Ghats. Our host (Alex) and hostess (Ann) are proud Syrian Catholics.

View of plantation from my bedroom window

This morning Alex walked us through their extensive spice garden and into the rubber plantation where we saw the rubber being tapped and processed then onto the logging forest to watch an elephant at work. I felt so sorry for the poor animal lifting and dragging huge logs with his mahout on his back barking orders continually. I’m sure he would rather be a temple Ganesh.

Rubber trees

Rubber wringer

Rubber

                               Elephant at work

Ann is a fabulous cook, we are so lucky to be sampling the unique and utterly delicious home-style traditional Kerala cuisine. Actually more than ‘sampling, we are being filled to pussy’s bow and then some!! The trick in India is not to eat everything that is served to you. If you do, regardless of protest, a more than generous fresh portion of everything magically materializes on one’s plate. Very difficult when one has been brought up to leave nothing!

 

Cooking class

We have had two cooking lessons with Ann – so be warned - for our next dinner party – Fish Mola may be on the menu! The cuisine throughout our days here has been varied and so tasty. Not nearly as chilli-hot as one would perhaps expect but spicy flavours to die for…..and we may do just that if we keep eating so much! Either that or we will roll off the plane in Australia like butter-balls.

Fish Mola

Our journey began on the East Coast in a spectacular resort at Mahabalipuram just south of Chennai (Madras) overlooking the Bay of Bengal where the temperature climbed to 35 degrees once or twice. First impression was the chaotic mix of vehicles, people and animals on the roads. 

Note the sign on the truck - 'Sound Horn'

The incessant beeping of horns is disconcerting at first until one realizes they are not used with impatience or aggressiveness but merely a warning that ‘we are here and coming through’. In fact many vehicles have a ‘sound horn’ sign on the back. I am constantly amazed at how the countryside resembles Vietnam and Bali. English is spoken everywhere although the accents can be a little hard to construe sometimes. The other striking feature is colour, bright colour everywhere. Magnificent brilliant saris, buses and trucks with brightly painted decorations and many buildings and homes painted with what we would class as shocking pink, purple, orange, lime green etc.

Gorgeous ladies in colourful saris

Amazing fresh produce

Example of brightly painted house

Most trucks are decorated like this one

Although the homes and yards are kept very clean – even the dirt yards are continually swept, in the east and midlands it is common to see piles of rubbish along the roadside in villages and some cities. 
There is no odour, probably because the cows and goats eat the food scraps but the curse is surely the plastic bags and bottles. The further west we go in the popular tourist area of Kerela the less we see of this., in fact none of it.

A goat enjoys the scraps

Wahing day

Making bricks

A quarter of India’s population live in South India and I’m sure between us we have taken a photo of most of them. Everywhere we have been, the children and women especially love getting in front of the camera particularly in the villages and markets. However unless we manage a candid shot, their brilliant smiles are replaced by a serious face and they almost stand to attention for the photo. Show them the screen on the digital camera and they are absolutely rapt and occasionally disappear with the camera to show their photo around. Few tourists come to some of the areas where we have travelled so we are a bit of a novelty and now very used to being stared at. We just smiled and always got a brilliant smile in response.

Carrying salt

Indians are happy people

Four generations visit a temple

From state to state in South India there is an extraordinary variation in terms of landscape, languages, culture and also people to some extent. It’s a slow, quiet and sweet way of life within communities with strong beliefs. Once we came to cross the Ghats many things changed. The landscape of course is now lush and green with lakes forests, tea estates and rubber plantations, the people in the streets still stare at us but are not quite so quick to smile.
On the whole, the genuine hospitality and friendliness of the people is astounding
.

The children love having their photo taken

It’s impossible to convey all we have seen - just so much and so varied.

A wonderful meal on a banana leaf to eaten with the fingers

I have almost mastered the art of eating a full meal served on a banana leaf with my fingers; I am resigned to the fact that I will never learn how to pronounce the names of Indian villages, towns etc; I am totally confused by the complex caste system, mainly because along the tract we have had several different versions from local guides; I am completely enthralled by the myths, mysteries and amazing history of South India, it’s as vibrant and quaint as the travel brochures suggest. We can see that education is highly valued here, particularly in Karela and that India is an absolute food-bowl. I’m not even going to attempt to list the masses of different food and spices grown but suffice to say that on this 50 acre property alone they grow rubber trees of course, grows rice, pineapple, cocoa, coconut, coffee plus dozens of spices and maintains a fruit orchard, vegetable and dairy farm which provides the fresh fruits, vegetables and milk.

Working in the field

Our stays have been in a fantastic range of accommodation from a 5 star coastal resort to historic French boutique hotel, a heritage family mansion and a wildlife sanctuary. Another remarkable stay and earth experience was at a Spice Village complex in the Periyar wilderness on the Western Ghats where absolutely everything is natural and the above all the surroundings are protected and nurtured. The cottages are modeled on the jungle dwellings of the local tribal inhabitants but far from primitive. The philosophy being that less is more, luxury lies in simplicity, reality is more enchanting than fantasy and magic lies in what you already have. Now as I said a palatial home on a rubber plantation.

My 5 star room in Kerela

Have we have visited temples? We sure have - big temples, little temples, world heritage temples, splendid temples and simple village temples and today just to add variety we visited a prominent Roman Catholic Church. Religion continues to play an important part in the daily life here. The beliefs and rituals, the Gods and the Cosmos are confusing. My head spins trying to recognize and understand Shiva, Vishnu and Ganesha etc. Depending on whom one choses to believe, Hinduism constitutes around 70% of the population, Muslims 20% and Christians 10%. Many Christians live in Kerela.

We went to the famous Aurobindo Ashram in the former French colony of Pondicherry and have visited artist’s workshops, handmade paper & tile factories, brick works, tailors markets, farmer’s markets, banana markets, we have seen many wondrous rock carvings and visited the Ghandi museum (fascinating).

Snake charmer

Banana market

Have ridden, washed and been showered by elephants, seen crocodiles, snakes, stunning birdlife but sadly tigers are becoming extinct and rarely sighted. Our 2 ½ hr train journey from Villuparam to Trichy was another interesting experience.

 

St Francis Church Cochin - oldest European church in India

St Marks RC Church



The Indian Virgin Mary

Our 2 ½ hr train journey from Villuparam to Trichy was another interesting experience.  

Waiting for the train

On the train

Most people nap on the train

One visit worthy of note was to Auroville a town with over 1200 residents just north of Pondicherry . This town is an experiment in international living. Men, women and children live here in (supposed) perfect harmony with each other regardless of nationality, creeds and politics, symbolizing universal oneness. The residents are all involved in various specialized fields of work of their choice and are completely self- sustained. I must say we did have a delicious lunch in their restaurant.

I know I am going around in circles a little with this missive – forgive me. There is just too much to relate and I am trying to condense it whilst telling you as much as possible in a very short space.

North India offers the well-known attractions such as the Taj Mahal. The route we have followed on this trip is a perfect ‘second visit’ or supplementary itinerary to visit India. It has been a very gentle and fascinating introduction to South India and the authentic lifestyle of the communities.

A road stall making Chai

Chai - served everywhere & I loved it.

I have taken many photos, so look forward to your invitation to the slide night!!!!

One of my favourite photos. Happy people at work carrying salt

Keep safe,
Cheers, Jeanette 13.9.2009