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"WHEREVER YOU GO, GO WITH ALL YOUR HEART!"
The South of India has been considerably less stressful than Northern India - it's hard to be stressed when you're surrounded by sand, sunshine and coconut palms! Varkala was possibly one of the most beautiful spots we've seen in India, a charming little village perched prettily on a cliff-top with golden sands and beautiful blue water waiting below. We had three days to enjoy the surroundings and while Joel zipped around the area on a motorbike I stayed by the poolside and got cracking with job-applications (scary to have to think about re-joining the real world later this year).
After noticing a number of flyers for an 'Elephant Festival' involving "52 elephant swimming across a lake" our curiosity got the better of us and we decided to go and check it out. Little did we know this would involve 6 hours on a heaving bus in 35˚ degree heat, thousands of locals cramming the streets, nowhere to pee and a parade of perhaps 20 chained elephants wading across a small river! Not a particularly enjoyable "Elephant Festival" for us or the elephants!
On our last night in Varkala we were treated to a traditional Kathakali show, India's most spectacular dance drama. We watched the actors carry out the complicated process of dressing using hundreds of empty rice sacks and applying magnificent costume-makeup. We were then were given a brief demonstration of Kathakali movements and meanings and then the show began. I absolutely adored every minute of it - the stylized gestures, the embellished facial expressions and the passion they put into their performance. It really is a very unique form of theatre and a must-see if you ever find yourself in Kerala.
The following morning we literally reached the turning point of our trip as we drove to the most southern tip of India, Kanyakumari, After noting the numerous and somewhat tacky shrines and monuments and dipping our feet in three bodies of water (the convergence of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean) we U-turned and began heading up the East Coast towards our final destination, Chennai. We stayed overnight in Madurai, home to the Shree Meenaksh Temple, an enormous complex cloaked with multi-coloured models of gods, goddesses, animals and mythical figures.
From Madurai we continued north to Tiruchirappalli, more commonly known as Trichy, where we explored yet another temple complex, Ranganathaswamy, covering 2½ square kilometres, making it the largest temple complex in India. We then headed to the Rock Fort high on a hilltop above the city and climbed the 434 steps to get to the temple of Ganesh inside. Later that evening, we wandered around the town and I bought myself a sari - I am determined to learn to tie the thing properly before we leave India.
The following morning we got back on 'Josh' and headed to the French-influenced seaside town of Pondicherry. This stop was more to please our bellies than our eyes; we did stroll around and peek into the pretty churches of Pondicherry but ultimately, we spent the majority of our time in a delicious French bakery indulging in croissants, donuts and other non-Indian treats!
The last stop before Chennai was Mahabalipuram. This is the one place we can truly tell you nothing about as we had lots of bits and pieces that we needed to do and we hardly left the hotel! Apparently there are some neat rock carvings that we missed out on but I guess we'll have to save that for next time.
Our final drive day was a short one with a brief stop at an enormous crocodile farm just south of Chennai. About 13kms before arriving at our hotel we heard a clunk and a hiss from beneath the truck and our driver proceeded to tell us that we'd lost our gears! Feeling a sense of déjà-vu (we had to abandon our last overland truck on the side of the road in Namibia) we unloaded all our gear onto the curb and hailed tuk-tuks to get us to our finishing point. We spent the afternoon wandering around a large (and very non-Indian mall) and then had our last (very non-Indian) meal with the group at a tasty Mexican restaurant.
This morning we were up at stupid-o-clock to say goodbye to the others continuing further North and wave the (repaired) truck off! I shed a few tears but in all honesty I think we're both ready to say farewell to India and begin our next adventure.
WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT YOU, INDIA!
- Some of the most incredible temples, palaces, monasteries, architecture and history on offer!
- Mouth-watering curries, buttery breads, tasty street-dishes and coastal cuisine; it's hard to be skinny in India!
- Ever-changing scenery; farms, villages, beaches, cities, mountains, forests, lakes - you name it, India has it!
- The people - they're quirky, curious and devoted!
- Kerala, our favourite State - clean(ish), green and beautiful, God's Own Country!
- The beach towns of Goa and Varkala - laid-back and carefree!
- Goats!
WHAT WE ABSOLUTELY DO NOT LOVE!
- The rubbish - the country may be beautiful but it is covered in layer upon layer of garbage!
- The service - nothing is easy; do not expect to get what you want, when you want it!
- The driving - taking your life into your hands on a daily basis; better to just close your eyes and hope for the best!
- The spitting - never before have so many globules of phlegm flown so close to my feet!
- The horns - deafeningly loud, utterly obnoxious and outright unnecessary!
- The men - there is only so much ogling and pelvic thrusting one can tolerate!
- The caste system - the most disgraceful thing about this country. Religion being used as an excuse to abuse basic human rights!
- The poo - it is NOT okay to poo in the middle of the footpath in full view of people. It will never be okay!
It has been a little stressful at times but on the whole travelling through India was not as difficult as we'd imagined it would be (obviously travelling by giant, orange, organised truck helped a great deal)! Like most people say, it has been a love/hate experience best summed up by the author of 'Holy Cow' when she says: "India is beyond statement for anything you say, the opposite is also true. It's rich and poor, spiritual and material, cruel and kind, angry but peaceful, ugly and beautiful, and smart but stupid. It's all the extremes. India defies understanding, and for once, for me, that's okay"!
Next Stop: Sri Lanka
- comments
Mum You have summed up the Indian experience so well!!!
Ernie Great writing, Timbit...sounds like India is a true oxymoron!!!!