On 13th August morning, I took the DTPC ferry to Alleppey. I was going there to see the annual Snake boat race, Nehru Cup, held 14th August every year. Collins and Auriley were traveling to Kochi, but got hooked onto the idea and took the same ferry. It takes about 9 hours to reach Alleppey traversing through the rivers and lakes, narrow canals through the beautiful backwaters of Kerala. The route is beautiful and picturesque except for the odd huge ashram building of the hugging guru “Mata Amritanandamayi”! The ferry was over crowded with tourists, French largely. How I wished that I had brought some ear plugs! The cruise was just awesome. Will write in details later with pictures (hopefully!)
Reached Alleppey after dark and took an auto rickshaw to “Palm grove lake resort”. Well, I knew I can’t get fancy with the name. Alleppey was brimming with tourists and a place was hard to get, and although a little more costly than my budget stay, I found the lady extremely nice over phone, who promised to hold the only available bamboo cottage till 6:30 pm! Collin found out that his hotel room is already given away to someone else because of the delay. So I asked him to tag alone in case mine is still available.
The hotel was far away along the river and secluded. The place was awesome and the owners extremely friendly. Owned by a retired lawyer, the place is built over 1 hectare of land. The place is full of trees, coconut and banana groves, couple of artificial tanks to keep fishes/prawns alive, well kept gardens and in the middle a portico sort of a place, with arches and tall columns and open on all sides for guests to sit out, and which also serves as dining area. In the entire spread of land, there are only 2 cottages and 2 bamboo huts, and there is about 200 meters of river line running along! I have the knack of finding the best cheap places to stay I guess! I patted my own back!
Collin and I would share the bamboo hut, which was good for my pocket. Nice big room, with the bath outside under the open sky! There was this huge ‘ancient’ mosquito net, which both of us tried to figure out how to get it open and working!! Too complicated for the modern day wayfarers; we soon gave up and decided on mosquito repellents.
The owners were really nice. Philip Abraham and his wife Mariam run the place like their home. They have other sources of income, so this is more like a hobby for them. They were surprised to see a lone Indian traveler! And even wondered how I found the place out, because only the foreign tourists seem to know about the place! We Indians do not travel as backpackers, our traveling is always planned and thought of, and for a cause – maybe pilgrimage, or visiting relatives or to specific places of interests! Travel means usually with friends and families. Anyway, they were quite happy to see me there, and we talked about a whole lot, mostly about my different traveling experiences. I even told them how Alexander Faber stole my idea of “Chasing the monsoon” Few beers down and Collin went to bed, and I went by the water! I sat by the small jetty and looked around.
It was mesmerizing. All I could see till far off were few twinkling lights of houses by the shores. It was a clear night and plenty of moonlight just right. Absolute silence everywhere and you know what tranquility can be! All you can hear is the sound of the water, small waves breaking out against the jetty in some unexplainable rhythm. I was at peace. I do not know how long I must have lied at the jetty flow looking at the sky spreading out the beautiful sheet of stars above.
Woke up early in the morning listening to birds chirp and with crowing of rooster! How long had it been that way? Set out early morning. Although there are other boat races like Rajiv Gandhi tournament, none captures the festivity as the Nehru snake boat race. Walked up to the DTPC, where people were already lining up for tickets and bought the cheapest gallery ticket for 50 rupees. I knew I would be amongst local crowd there and would enjoy the electricity and feel the enthusiasm the most there.
Near the DTPC office, I met up with an auto rickshaw driver “Shaji”. Shaji too was in festive mood and not keen on earning the extra money on the day, and was more looking to chill! We became quick friends and Shaji took me around to show his city. He was a proud malayali and he loved to show me his city and the streets, temples, the mazes of canals around in the “Venice of the east”, the small beach, and even to a place where Kathakali dance was being performed. He did not know much of English or Hindi, and neither did I know any Malayalam, so the communication was based on keywords (like Yesudas, Mohan Lal, Boatrace, Shalini, Shakila, Todi etc) but that did not stop us from having a good chat! After a lot of loitering around, we ended up in a “Todi” shack. We ordered for couple of “koojas” of coconut Todi, which was absolutely fresh and with amazingly tasty Currymin and Seer fish to go along. I think I had the tastiest food in that shack, maybe the Todi helped! I got to meet some of the regulars there and all of them were extremely happy to see me, and some even bought a few glasses for me. Shaji and I were soon happily high. I filled my mineral water bottles with Todi for the race. Shaji dropped me to the gallery for the race and took leave to go and report to his wife for lunch, munching enough “paan masala” to hide the smell of the Todi, which I thought would be extremely difficult. He gestured with his head tilted and eyes closes and imaginary knife slashing his throat … that he was gonna have a tough time at home.
Getting onto the gallery was a tough job, the gallery although meant for about 200 people, was already filled with more than 500 and still filling up, and getting up onto it following the usual entrance was impossible; I tried climbing from the backside, and in the process lost my slipper which got stuck deep in the mud. No time to look back or hunt for it, I shook off the other slipper, and climbed up the gallery with the help of few happily high well wishers! Up and settled atop the gallery, temporarily built over muck by the banks near the finishing point of the race. The atmosphere was electrifying! Young or old, everyone was drinking, screaming, singing the traditional boat songs! Many came in colorful jerseys, cheering for their supporting teams! Rush of alcohol often flared temperatures; there were a few ‘playful’ fights, especially with the cops trying to pacify and keep the crowd disciplined. I enjoyed every moment while sipping previously bottled Todi! Many came with betting booklets! The man sitting next to me, seemed like a pro knowing all teams, all stakes, and was constantly on his cell phone placing bets, cheering and jeering, exasperating. The boats are of some sights! Imagine a narrow slicker, rowed by more than 100 men, and additional 20 to keep the tempo and the rhythms going by beating drums, holding the colorful batons, umbrellas and waving flags! The banks of the lake were filled up with entire Alleppey population, more affluent ones hiring boats, or getting one of the expensive tickets to watch the race from floating decks and huge boats. The commentary was being played out through the ancient tapered megaphones, excellent commentary presumably, which I could not understand but could feel the vibrancy when the commentator sang the boat songs and thousands others sang along. I wished I had a recorder to catch all the excitement.
Suddenly I heard huge crashing sound and saw that little distance away, one of the gallery stands had given off; It could not bear the force of 1000s jumping crazed out enthusiastic Malayalis. And no, the small accident (where 50 got injured) did not dampen the spirit, the rest of the crowd just climbed on to the nearby galleries.
Race over and I walked back to the peace of my hotel. It had been a fantastic day! All I craved a bit, later in the night was for a guitar and rain! As my luck would have it, my entire Kerala trip, I did not get to see any rain!
Next day, I set out towards south! Towards Trivandrum and further Kanyakumari!
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Malabar coast - August 2005 - Kollam
August 11th 2005 night, I set out for Kerala! I wanted to go and stay close to the water and watch the rain! I had a one way train ticket to Trivundrum! But next day morning, while I was standing at the ajar door of the train, and was looking at the rivers filled till the brim, and the green palms, I could not wait, I just had to get down! I got down at Quilon Junction.
Quilon is more a transit place for people traveling to Alleppey or a place for setting out on the backwater cruises. It is also a major trading place for cashews, and all sorts of spices. It is also one of the most beautiful places in Kerala.
Quilon is officially known as Kollam! In India, the corrective measures for improvement undertaken by the traditionalists are often reflected in renaming a place which reflects the sentiments of the local population!!! I like the name Kollam, but try pronouncing Alappuzha and you will hear the Mallu next to you convulse on the floor in laughter! Well, I can’t possibly roll my tongue inside out or pronounce from down under my guts! Alleppey is good enough for me! Maybe I can try with a “rosogolla” in my mouth!
Following my guide book, I took an “odo” (auto rickshaw) to KTDC Yatri Nivas. It was right next to the lake, about 4 km away from the city. “Ond-ly one room. You are lucky, the booking was cancelled just sometime back”, said the pretty receptionist who was dusky with beautiful dark eyes, a million watt smile and jasmine flowers tied around her hair. The room was the best room of the hotel and since I am a single Indian traveler (??), she gave it to me at 50%! Suited me perfect. The bellhop was straight out of the Malayalam movies; wearing HUGE black goggles (even at night as I found later), checkered shirt over white “mundu”, and with the smooth swagger of Mohan Lal! He showed me the room, which was in the first floor, overlooking the lake, and with a nice balcony with comfortable sofas! Perfect! What else do I need? Ah beer, and rain!
Suggestion: In Kerala, the best place to get beer at cheapest price are the government hotels like KTDC, everywhere else you are likely to shell out 100 Rupees minimum.
With the beer sorted out, all I needed was rain. Kerala is most beautiful in the rainy season. Imagine, sitting by the banks of the lake, watching the rain thundering down on the lake surface! By the way, did you know that it takes only 1.80 Rs per minute to call God from Kerala. Why? Because it’s a local call in his own Country! .. On a wall of the hotel, it was written too, “Welcome to Kerala! Gods own country!”
I went up to the waterfront; the front of the hotel was pretty, with lawns, swings, and a jetty where even paddle-boats were available for the honeymooners! The attendant at the jetty offered me a ride in the official speedboat for 200 rupees. Great!
Across the Ashtamudi Lake, we set out towards the sea. The lines of Chinese fishing nets, the ever lasting palms that are so green, and the warmth in the smile of local people paddling their small canoes – the people around must be one of the happiest in the world. We passed through the fishing boats where the fishermen were tending their nets; they would set out for deep sea in the night. The waterfowls, the kingfishers and the eagles were circling around the fishing boats and I cursed myself for forgetting my binocular. Right at the place where the river meets the sea, I requested to stop the boat to savor the moments. The current was pretty strong there, and big splashes of waves hit me on my face, my camera got soaked but I was not bothered. I just wanted to enjoy the moments. A single fisherman on a tiny canoe was throwing up his net in a bid for a last catch before he returns – straight out of Mani Ratnam movies. Close to sunset; the color of the water was ever changing with the color change of the sky– you could feel the warmth of all the colors there probably. Ah! Heaven is a place on earth!
In the evening, I walked up to the main street in the city! Ah! Just about 400 meters long I would imagine? I had to find a shop to get my camera checked up for any damages.
Back at the hotel later on, at the restaurant, I met a French girl, Auriley. She had come came to India to work with a homeless children project in Calcutta and after completion of her work, she was taking her time traveling through South to Mumbai where from she would take her flight to Paris. She had already been to quite a few places and had quite some stories to tell, especially about Madurai I was amazed to know that she learnt English while she was in Calcutta and reading the travel guides. Her English wasn’t the greatest but she is managing great. Believe me, conversing with the Malayalis is not an easy thing, and even harder is to get used to their accents, if they know English that is.
Soon we met another backpacker, Collin, from South Africa and have been traveling in India for the last 6 months. He was a towering giant yet astonishingly soft spoken, and had plenty of stories to tell. We listened eagerly his traveling stories in Myanmar.
Quilon is more a transit place for people traveling to Alleppey or a place for setting out on the backwater cruises. It is also a major trading place for cashews, and all sorts of spices. It is also one of the most beautiful places in Kerala.
Quilon is officially known as Kollam! In India, the corrective measures for improvement undertaken by the traditionalists are often reflected in renaming a place which reflects the sentiments of the local population!!! I like the name Kollam, but try pronouncing Alappuzha and you will hear the Mallu next to you convulse on the floor in laughter! Well, I can’t possibly roll my tongue inside out or pronounce from down under my guts! Alleppey is good enough for me! Maybe I can try with a “rosogolla” in my mouth!
Following my guide book, I took an “odo” (auto rickshaw) to KTDC Yatri Nivas. It was right next to the lake, about 4 km away from the city. “Ond-ly one room. You are lucky, the booking was cancelled just sometime back”, said the pretty receptionist who was dusky with beautiful dark eyes, a million watt smile and jasmine flowers tied around her hair. The room was the best room of the hotel and since I am a single Indian traveler (??), she gave it to me at 50%! Suited me perfect. The bellhop was straight out of the Malayalam movies; wearing HUGE black goggles (even at night as I found later), checkered shirt over white “mundu”, and with the smooth swagger of Mohan Lal! He showed me the room, which was in the first floor, overlooking the lake, and with a nice balcony with comfortable sofas! Perfect! What else do I need? Ah beer, and rain!
Suggestion: In Kerala, the best place to get beer at cheapest price are the government hotels like KTDC, everywhere else you are likely to shell out 100 Rupees minimum.
With the beer sorted out, all I needed was rain. Kerala is most beautiful in the rainy season. Imagine, sitting by the banks of the lake, watching the rain thundering down on the lake surface! By the way, did you know that it takes only 1.80 Rs per minute to call God from Kerala. Why? Because it’s a local call in his own Country! .. On a wall of the hotel, it was written too, “Welcome to Kerala! Gods own country!”
I went up to the waterfront; the front of the hotel was pretty, with lawns, swings, and a jetty where even paddle-boats were available for the honeymooners! The attendant at the jetty offered me a ride in the official speedboat for 200 rupees. Great!
Across the Ashtamudi Lake, we set out towards the sea. The lines of Chinese fishing nets, the ever lasting palms that are so green, and the warmth in the smile of local people paddling their small canoes – the people around must be one of the happiest in the world. We passed through the fishing boats where the fishermen were tending their nets; they would set out for deep sea in the night. The waterfowls, the kingfishers and the eagles were circling around the fishing boats and I cursed myself for forgetting my binocular. Right at the place where the river meets the sea, I requested to stop the boat to savor the moments. The current was pretty strong there, and big splashes of waves hit me on my face, my camera got soaked but I was not bothered. I just wanted to enjoy the moments. A single fisherman on a tiny canoe was throwing up his net in a bid for a last catch before he returns – straight out of Mani Ratnam movies. Close to sunset; the color of the water was ever changing with the color change of the sky– you could feel the warmth of all the colors there probably. Ah! Heaven is a place on earth!
In the evening, I walked up to the main street in the city! Ah! Just about 400 meters long I would imagine? I had to find a shop to get my camera checked up for any damages.
Back at the hotel later on, at the restaurant, I met a French girl, Auriley. She had come came to India to work with a homeless children project in Calcutta and after completion of her work, she was taking her time traveling through South to Mumbai where from she would take her flight to Paris. She had already been to quite a few places and had quite some stories to tell, especially about Madurai I was amazed to know that she learnt English while she was in Calcutta and reading the travel guides. Her English wasn’t the greatest but she is managing great. Believe me, conversing with the Malayalis is not an easy thing, and even harder is to get used to their accents, if they know English that is.
Soon we met another backpacker, Collin, from South Africa and have been traveling in India for the last 6 months. He was a towering giant yet astonishingly soft spoken, and had plenty of stories to tell. We listened eagerly his traveling stories in Myanmar.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
The Road Goes Ever On
Been thinking about creating a Travelogue! And No! I was not inspired by JRR Tolkien's famous poem while choosing the name for the blog! ..
However ..
till round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.
...
:D
btw, look up for lyrics of Nattvindens Grat's song of the title above on google.
The idea behind creating this blog was to serve this an archive for my travel scribblings. While travelling, I keep writing down, whole lotta things, in a small diary. They are often disjointed scribblings on arbitary things, descriptions, or remarks on things I have seen/heard etc. Without any real format! Sometimes absolutely illogical train of thoughts or punctuated lines or disconnected paragraphs! Sometimes I think I should give them certain shapes, do the 'fill-in-the-blanks', edit/add, keep updating onto the net, .. its just too much of work! Heres a try though!
However ..
till round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.
...
:D
btw, look up for lyrics of Nattvindens Grat's song of the title above on google.
The idea behind creating this blog was to serve this an archive for my travel scribblings. While travelling, I keep writing down, whole lotta things, in a small diary. They are often disjointed scribblings on arbitary things, descriptions, or remarks on things I have seen/heard etc. Without any real format! Sometimes absolutely illogical train of thoughts or punctuated lines or disconnected paragraphs! Sometimes I think I should give them certain shapes, do the 'fill-in-the-blanks', edit/add, keep updating onto the net, .. its just too much of work! Heres a try though!
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