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Well, we've been here over a week now and we're gradually starting to get used to life in India - it has been pretty overwhelming!
After a bit of a nightmare journey due to jet airways pilots 'agitation' on the days we were travelling we finally arrived in Thiruvalla relatively unscathed. It is a mid size town a couple of hours drive from Cochin, and our accomodation is on the outskirts surrounded by lush vegatation and nice looking properties. We spent a few days with our guide Santha, who took us to visit all the different parts of the Sevika Sanghom centre. We visited the main site where there is a bakery, curry powder unit, vocational/bible school and orphanage. We also visited the local Mar Thoma Sevika Sanghom school which is also supported by Kerala Link, and caused lots of excitement amongst the children there. Santha also took us shopping for 'churidahs' which is the Keralan version of a salwar kameez. The tops are very nice, however because they are all one size the trousers on mine are enormous!
On Tuesday we visited Sneha Thorum and Balikabhavan, which are about an hour's bus ride away in Elanthoor, and are a mental health residential and girls home respectively. On Wednesday we had a first morning at the school and ended up taking four classes, who seemed to enjoy decorating the cardboard shapes we spent the previous evening cutting out. The fish and the butterflies went down the best...
On Thursday we decided, without really knowing what to expect or where we were going, to visit Nelliampathy, which is hill station in the Western ghats due north from Thiruvalla. After a 6 hour train journey and an hour bus journey, we arrived in Nemmara and hired a jeep to drive us all the way up, around the hair pin bends to the hill station set amongst tea, coffee and cardamom plantations. Half way up, the jeep broke down. At this point I was starting to panic and we resorted to manically eating chocolate eclairs in the back seat while the driver tried to arrange for some one to come and help us. Luckily we had some monkeys to keep us company. Eventually someone came to pick us up and we were back on track. By this time the temperature was dropping and mist setting in. We got to the place we were meant to be staying (not pleasant, bed soaking wet!), and spent most of the rest of the evening being thrown around in the back of a jeep until we found somewhere half decent. The long and short of it is that Nelliampathy was a bit of disappointment...amazing views of the plantations when we made our way back down the next day, but not really anything to do there (damn rough guide). We spent the next night in Pallakad in a nicer hotel and made our way back to Thiruvalla yesterday...home sweet home!
So all in all its been a busy week. We've both found it hard to adjust to being here, mainly because we are pretty much the only westerners for miles around and constantly get gawped at when we're out and about. We've also had some pretty strange conversations with people on trains/bus stops/restaurants which generally begin with 'native country' or 'coming from' as opening questions. Also the fact that this is such a male domnated society, means that we are constantly having to deal with men, and face their disbelief and amusement that we are two women travelling/staying alone in India. A guy on the train told me I had a face like a banana and that beth was old (we weren't really sure how to take these comments) , and then proceeded to take us under his wing and boss us about until he said 'i'm not going to murder you.' We made a sharp escape in a rickshaw! This incidentally is a scary experience in itself given that the drivers here are absolute maniacs, which means that closing your eyes for most of the journey is advisable...
On the upside, the food is pretty amazing and touch wood neither of us have had a bad stomach yet!
So we are starting our volunteeering stint in earnest from tomorrow, and are hoping to take a nice boat trip around the backwaters of Kollam and Alleppey with the other kerala link volunteer next weekend all being well.
We miss you all lots and lots and would love to here from you.
Lots of Love
Carly and Beth
p.s.
Mozzie bite count: Carly: 6 Beth: 8
Weird rashes: Carly 1 Beth: 0
Bruises: Carly: millions (I fell down the steps of the flat)
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