Cochin and the backwaters of Kerala

We spent a couple of days exploring various aspects of the famous Kerala backwaters. This brief amount of time gave us a peek in to a life that left me fascinated and hungry for more. I'm sure it's just romantic idealization, but given my love for the water, this area seemed like paradise: a spider web water system, ranging from small canals barely 6 feet wide to the Arabian sea; long handmade boats of teak, sewn together with coir rope (rope made from the coconut husk), and preserved with cashew oil; fruit, vegetables, coconuts and lots of fresh seafood; and the wonderful, friendly, welcoming people of Kerala, whose excellent English skills just make everything more fun and interesting.

Hopefully a few pictures will seal the deal and leave you want more as it did us. http://picasaweb.google.com/marksnewell/cochin#

Where the heck have we been?

Oh, my. Sorry we sort of fell of the planet this past month. After our last post we were sucked into the intensity which is India, then found ourselves in a 10 day silent meditation course, and later, deep in the remote west, where we were so foreign (alien, really) that families would mob us for our picture, and entire streets of people would stop to point and giggle at us. "Name?" and "Your country?" they would shout, those being the only bits of English they could mange. Somehow email and uploading files felt far far away.

We're thoroughly enjoying ourselves, and are becoming quite seasoned travelers here in "Incredible India" as the posters say. We can hold our own with even the most pushy rickshaw drivers – the true scoundrels of India. We can successfully navigate the public transportation systems, and I have managed to endure the public bus stand toilets without retching. We know the fair price for bananas, tiny and sweet, is 1 Rupee a piece (about 2 cents), but you have to bargain. We've learned that Anything Is Possible here in India. Some of the sights, sounds, and smells that were so shocking two months ago now seem rather normal…a large bull meandering into a beachside restaurant…a young boy sitting cross-legged on the back of his friend's bicycle as they bounce along a pot-holed road…a large, six foot deep man-eating hole on a major sidewalk in the metropolis of New Delhi…a herd of goats stopping traffic on a major highway, and the public bus driver swerving off the road and passing on the wrong side… The list goes on – we could fill pages of these crazy sights and experiences that are part of everyday life here. We love the richness and intensity of life here – the colors, the smells (wonderful and horrible), the textures, the tastes. It is easy to see now how people come here and never leave…or come back again and again.

Next on our agenda we're heading south to the state of Kerala. The landscape here in Goa is green, lush, and tropical; Kerala should be more of the same. We hope to venture into the mountains of Kerala as well, where beautiful tea plantations stretch for miles. We leave India from Kolkata (Calcutta) on December 28^th, and head towards Thailand. We're not sure what our plans are after that, we're still formulating them. We're not sure when we're coming home…but we will, we miss you all horribly.

Om Beach and Goa

Nov 26-28 and Dec 2–11
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkSNewell/HampiTheBeachesAgondaOm#
Originally we weren't planning to stop in Goa, but it was just too convenient a stop on our way to Hampi (see below) to say no to the white sand, warm water, and relaxing beach life style. We decided to steer clear of the super touristy parts of Goa, and made a bee line to the quite beaches of Agonda and Om Beach (named so because the beach line is shaped like the Om symbol). Did you know that the Goa of the late 90's – the all night techno parties under the full moon – is all but gone? Yup – the government cracked down big time, as the hippy/drug/party organizing crowd couldn't afford the steep bribes the government was asking, and in the end high-end tourism had the bigger wallet. Most of Goa is now more like Cancun than India. What a shame. Some towns even have bans on loud music after 10pm, and some clubs now offer "silent discos" where all the dancers wear wireless headsets and groove to a silent beat.

We managed to find two idyllic out-of-the-way beaches to relax, eat lots of fish, and swim for countless hours a day. We were horrified to realize that we hadn't been swimming in nature since last December when we went to Belize! (Yes, we did spend a month ON the water this August kayaking, but the water was so cold we only bathed – no swimming). I had not been feeling well since we were in Gujarat – low energy, no appetite, nauseous at times – and finally, three days ago, came down with my first real tummy bug of the trip. Om Beach was a good place to recover and eat bland tourist food for a few days.

Hampi

Nov 29 – 2

http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkSNewell/HampiTheBeachesAgondaOm#

Hampi has to be one of the most recommended destinations by fellow travelers, enough so that we added it to our plans. We were not disappointed. The site reminds me of Joshua Tree with massive rounded granite boulders strewn about, only here there are hundreds of temples, some dating back more than a thousand years, dotting the landscape. It's an epic place, and in its day is said to have rivaled any of the most magnificent European cities, including Rome. We found the 'scene' to be quite relaxed and loved the feeling at our guesthouse, the Goan Corner. Picture a slackline strung between a few palms, a view out on to rice fields in the process of being harvested and backed by a stunning ridge of orange boulders the size of houses, and the warm glow of sunset and tanned bodies. Hampi is super big with rock climbers who flock here for the phenomenal bouldering. In the evenings a family atmosphere pervades and stories are shared.

Our days in Hampi were quite warm as we ventured out to visit some of temple ruins. A river cuts through one side of Hampi and is still plied by the traditional woven round basket 'boat'. Dara and I rented a moped as a heat beating strategy and had a blast tootling around in this ancient, surreal land.

Gujarat & Bhuj

Nov 20 – 25

http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkSNewell/Kutch#
One of our most interesting days in Kutch, the western region of Gujarat state, was a full day of exploring several villages outside the city of Bhuj. We arranged a guide/rickshaw driver, Barat, who was such a sweet soul; we enjoyed our day with him immensely. We traveled along narrow bumpy single track roads through bushy, dry terrain dotted with the occasional plots of cotton and castor oil. We stopped in a large village with a huge contemporary Hindu Swaminaraya temple – so colorful and unlike other Hindu temples. Next we visited a small settlement where a tribal family (father and two sons and their wives) were weaving shawls and blankets. The colorful work was done on large looms similar in size to a grand piano. The family was in its fifth and sixth generation of weaving. Next on our tour with Barat was a visit to an extremely poor village. I find it difficult to describe my experience except that I was humbled by the welcome we received and uncomfortable in the contrast of knowing how fortunate my life is to have no want for food, access to good water and a wonderful home to go back to, not to mention the privilege of education, great jobs and unheard of recreational and leisure opportunities. Poverty can be found everywhere in India, but this was perhaps the first time we had sat in the homes or kitchens long enough for me to really take it in. These people seemed to have so little opportunity to improve their lives that it is likely that the same situation would continue for their children and grandchildren. The experience for me wasn't sad, though seeing the face of a very young girl, perhaps a year old, so covered in flies that she was clearly overwhelmed was very heart wrenching. Overall I found the visit sobering and something that will stay with me for a long time. I'm still left wondering what kind of assistance or access to resources would be helpful or appropriate and I don't think there are any easy answers. I have a new found appreciation for the challenges of community and economic development in such poor areas.

Many of the homes we visited were constructed from adobe-like earth bricks, and plastered with a sand, clay and cow dung mixture. Having studied and worked on cob buildings (cob is the English name for a building technique using clay, sand and straw, and can be found many places in Europe) it was very interesting to me to see similar technology being used in the dry regions of India. Kutch experienced a major earthquake in January 2001, when 20,000 people died and over 1.2 million homes were destroyed. The man who built these buildings said they were unmolested by the earthquake, save minor cracking, but I don't believe this to be true for all these adobe based buildings.
After lunch in the home of a friend of Barat's, we stopped at the workshop of a family of traditional bell makers. Dara and I fell in love with these melodious bells, once used for livestock, and brought some home with us. The next stop was in the home of a family of Rogan artists, an art form based on oil painting on fabric. This family of seven artisans is said to be the only remaining people who know this art form. We found it to be quite stunning. Our final stop of the day was a Rabari village that made lacquer ware. We were treated to a demonstration of wood turning using a bow to make a wooden spoon, which is then decorated with multiple layers of color.

It was a long and full day and on reflection, left me with a deep appreciation for the traditions and craftwork that have continued for generations, and grateful that in our modern world these crafts continue to be a source of livelihood and pride.

Udaipur

Nov 17 – 19

http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkSNewell/Udaipur#

Ah, the most romantic city in India and home of the famous "Lake Palace" from the James Bond film Octopussy. We decided to bypass most of the state of Rajasthan because it is so mobbed by tourists – but this gem we had to see. Udaipur is truly a charming city, and as soon as we arrived I wished we could stay longer.

Our hotel was in a beautiful old 'haveli' – a traditional home that used to house palace staff. One of the many irritations of traveling in India is that more often than not you have to fight with your rickshaw driver to arrive at the hotel you want – they try to drive you to a hotel which will pay them commission for delivering you. Even though our driver was very friendly and spoke great English – he still managed to take us to a different hotel, although we told him not to three times. In any case, we finally made it to the hotel of our choice, and loved it, thoroughly enjoying the roof-top restaurant with amazing views of the lake and surrounding hills. We spent our days here exploring old royal palaces, haggling with the merchants for the goodies we were shopping for, and taking in the beautiful surroundings. A day into our stay here I started feeling a bit ill – no serious problems, just low energy and feeling a bit nauseous (no, I am NOT pregnant!). I spent a day in bed reading, and Mark went on his own adventures – hopping on a shared auto rickshaw and heading out to see some farther out sights. He got a wee bit lost, but managed to befriend two school girls who escorted him back to where he was headed, all for the mere price of two pens (this is a common tactic of many kids in India – they try their darnedest to beg a Rupee, a chocolate, or a pen out of every tourist they come across). These two earned their pens, however – Mark was grateful for their help.

The Taj Mahal

Nov 16

We knew it was a trap, but there was no avoiding it. The Taj Mahal has to be the most enchanting structure of our time and Agra (where the Taj is located), perhaps the largest tourist trap in India. Still, the balance, simplicity, beauty and scale are just perfect. The story of its genesis doesn't hurt either, built as a symbol of the Emperor's love for his wife who died bearing their 14^th child. "Agra is the city of love" proclaimed the rickshaw driver, the chai walla, and the money changer tout.

As much as travelers complain about Agra, we found the city to be quite welcoming and charming. We spent almost five hours taking in the Taj, and enjoyed the spectacular people watching and interacting with tourist from all over India, who seemed to find us as fascinating as we found them. Hanging out on the cooler river-side of the central mausoleum we admired the colorful saris and acquiesced to picture requests.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkSNewell/DhammasotaAndAgra#

Meditation Boot- Camp: Ten Days of Vipassana Meditation

Nov 4 - 15

We were inspired first by our guru Nigel O J and then again by our travel buddies Nick and Kate (from our trek in Darjeeling) to take a 10 day Vipassana meditation course here in India. It was incredibly powerful, and possibly one of the hardest things I've done in a long time.

Vipassana meditation is meant to sharpen your mind, reduce your stress, and teaches tools to become aware of your body and your emotions, and more in control of your reactions to things in life, thereby (and this takes lots of practice) reducing the amount of pain and suffering you create for yourself by fretting when things don't go your way. This practice, while non-sectarian, has strong Buddhist principles, and centers on understanding that nothing in life is permanent – things are constantly changing.

Vipassana is a silent meditation, and male and female participants are separated, so Mark and I spent 10 days on the same campus with 90 or so other students, but didn't speak a word to one another or anyone else. This may sound difficult, but in fact the silence was the easiest part of the experience.

This all sounds nice and relaxing, right…so why was it so hard? Try sitting cross-legged for ten and a half hours a day, and tell me what you think! We would start our day at 4am, and didn't finish our "studies" until 9:30pm, and only had 3 hours of personal time crammed in there along with short times to eat our two meals a day. It felt like prison for the first three days, and at times I felt like rebelling and walking out. But then something powerful happened on the fourth day; I managed – despite the excruciating pain emanating from my hamstrings – to actually control my reactions, and not shift my posture for one full hour, even though my brain was telling me to. It is difficult to convey the power and meaning of this practice in words – I'm really not doing it justice. I will say that it was one of the most powerful experiences I've had in a long time – and the shift I feel is well worth enduring the unpleasant aspects of the course.

Varanasi

Oct 25 – Nov 3

Varanasi was a major reason I wanted to come to India. Said to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth, it exudes something magical. On our first morning in Varanasi, after the night train from Siliguri dropped us off around 5 am, we checked in, dropped our packs and headed for the river. The city from the water is mesmerizing. Floating on the Ganges and taking in the full city, it's easy to imagine what it must have looked like hundreds of years ago. The architecture is an organic mix of ancient and new, half of which seem to be strangely uninhabited. Scattered along the shore are palaces, built by kings, rajas and princes from all over India. From the river, the buildings seem stacked on each other, broken up by hundreds if not thousands of temples. Every home has its own temple, some small, some huge. And then there are, of course, the Ghats, long steps that lead to the river, covered with temples and shrines. This is the public space that prayers as old as the city take place. That morning, as the sun rose at our backs, lighting up the city, we watched activities as old as time take place – prayers and offerings to Shiva followed by holy dips (or swims) in the river, then daily bathing and clothes washing. For Dara and I, this time in Varanasi demonstrated devotion unlike anything else we had ever experienced.

We took a guest house set right on the river and spent the majority of our 8 days soaking in the experience. We flew kites, played music, watched boats being built and bodies being burned. We became experts at dickering with the touts, dodging the masseurs, and navigating the rabbit warren of alleys and streets that back up to the river. It was here that I came down with my first (and only so far) stomach bug that laid me low for a few days. Fortunately I recovered before the major Varanasi festival, Deepdawali. This festival brought pilgrims from all over India, with thousands sleeping on the Ghats in the last few days. The highlight was the lantern festival in which every square foot of the river bank/Ghats, including the vertical surfaces, were covered in small oil lamps. You can image hundreds of thousands of warm glowing candles as far as you can see up and down the river. In the week leading up to this evening, people described this festival 'as if you were in heaven'. While not exactly my picture of heaven, it was absolutely stunning. We both felt so fortunate to be here, at this time and together, to share this experience.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkSNewell/Varanasi#

Sikkim

Oct. 18 - 25

We traveled north from Darjeeling to the state of Sikkim – the mecca for high altitude hiking in the Himalayas. We were quite impressed with our trek out of Darjeeling, so we didn't feel the need to pay the high permit prices to go on another serious trek in Sikkim. We also were not geared up to trek above 12,000 feet, so we decided lower hikes would be just fine. We spent one day in Gangtok, the capitol of the state, then headed out on another long and bumpy jeep ride to soak up some of the tranquil beauty of Sikkim: small villages, Tibetan monasteries, amazingly friendly people, and a landscape that varied from dense forests to jungle bamboo groves to rice paddies to raging rivers. We befriended an enthusiastic Russian woman named Julia; the three of us went on a great three day trek. Sometimes our trail led us right through someone's chicken pen or vegetable garden. At times we were lost, but saying the name of the village we were looking for would get us pointed in the right direction.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkSNewell/SikkimAmdSiliguri#

Travel to Gangtok

Oct 18, 2009

Down down down down, smoking brakes, squealing tires. Fortunately our driver is good; he wears a t-shirt that says "I'm Professional". Dara and I sit facing each other in the back of his jeep, seats 11 and 12, with an excellent view of where we've been. We escaped the congestion of Darjeeling and the honking is a little less incessant, but just a little. Racing on the winding road reminds me of James Bond chase scenes. In this scene, we are being chased by an apparently evil mini-bus taxi. The following taxi weaves in and out of view. Slowly we pull away from the taxi, and eventually leave him in our dust and diesel exhaust. We are safe, in the hands of our professional. We overtake cars, jeeps, government trucks, as we zoom through vertical tea plantations. The road winds back on itself, at culminating in an honest-to-god corkscrew turn of over 540 degrees. At last we reach the bottom, where a huge glacial river flows by. We follow it for a while, marveling at the massive, Grand Canyon like white water.

We stop for a meal break just before sunset. Our driver disappears and we stand a little dazed in the middle of a tiny town. We eat veg momos and a noodle dish. We discover Frooti, a mango juice pack, and buy a second one because they taste so great. Our driver reappears and we load up. He honks until the last passenger hops in. We zoom off again. As we leave the town, darkness closes in. The small oil lamp lights of Diwalli are being lit and feel. Along the river, the air is heavy, damp and warm. Darkness closes in, the last light in the sky reflects on the river and I feel so fortunate to be having such an adventure with my sweetheart.