Pictures!!!

This is why the streets are so loud

Market at Pondicherry

The Golden Dome at Auroville

Backwater boat tour in Kerala

The big trees at Fort Cochin

Kanyakumari (the southern tip of India)

Sunset at Turtle Bay

Kids from the fishing village holding a crab for us at Turtle Bay

My tent at the Rainforest Retreat

Coffee beans (with ants!)

Crazy looking spider in the rainforest

Last couple weeks of vacation

I have just arrived in Mysore and today was my second day of classes. I will tell you more about what classes and living in Mysore are like once I am a bit more settled in. FIRST I have a lot of catching up to do! The last couple of weeks have been fantastic. We were able to stay longer at each place we visited and it was nice to have some more time to relax and really get a feel for each amazing location. Let me tell you about them.

Sorry, there are still no pictures. I tried to upload some (I even got the perfect ones all picked out) but it didn't end up working :( I will try again soon. For now, try to use your imagination.

Fort Cochin:

Cochin is a beautiful city and the area we stayed in (called Fort Cochin) was especially nice. We were right near the harbour and this was one of the first places that I saw lots of other white tourists walking around. My personal favourite thing about this city was the large amount of green space (parks and open space are rare in other Indian cities) and the giant trees covered in moss that were all over the place.

New experiences/ things that I learned:

-          I learned what black pepper looks like when it grows on a vine

-          I saw how to make rope out of coconut fibber

-          I took a ride on a boat pushed by poles

-          I learned that if your food has not shown up 3 hours after you ordered it you should just leave the restaurant and find somewhere else to eat

-          I saw how ginger is dried in big piles in the ginger warehouse

-          We got to see a performance of local traditional dance and theater where the use of creepy-looking eye movements are a central part of expressing emotion

-          I visited my very first Jain temple and saw the little brooms that are used to brush away insects so that no violence is caused when Jain monks sit down

-          I saw laundry being done by hand in a commercial sized laundry operation where they beat the clothes against a large rock slab as part of the cleaning process

-          I tasted freshly cooked fish  from the Arabian Sea

-          I ate a deep fried banana that I bought from a street vendor

Turtle Bay:

Here we stayed at a beach resort and enjoyed a section of beach pretty much to ourselves (apart from the occasional Indian tourists and locals who would also come by and hang out in the water or take pictures or videos of us tanning on the sand). To the left of our swimming spot there were a bunch of fishing boats pulled up on the sand and a short walk down the beach there were kids from the fishing villages that were more than happy to show us how good they were at catching the little crabs that were constantly running over the sand. One day we visited the packing plant where fish from a dock further down the coast were being processed and also learned about the work a local NGO was doing to provide toilets for the families who lived in the area.

But, most of our time here was spent relaxing in the sun, waiting for good waves to body surf (there were not many of them but the waiting was still fun), watching the sun set over the ocean and hanging out drinking beer and chatting in the evenings.

New experiences/ things that I learned:

-          I learned about Ayurvedic medicine. This is an alternative Indian medicine that is based on the ancient texts and involves encouraging healthy living through balancing the different elements present in every human being. Some of the treatments include massage while others involve cleansing practices like vomiting.

-          I went snorkelling and saw lots of amazing wildlife including jumping fish, white breasted sea eagles, leopard eels (they stick their heads out from rocks with their mouths wide open and wait for fish to swim), and bright blue parrot fish as big as my torso.

-          I visited a village temple and learned you should always walk clockwise

Rainforest Retreat:

This is an organic plantation and guest house that is in the rainforest in the Western Ghats (a mountain range in the South of India).

This was my favourite place of the trip so far. Let me tell you what it was like to wake up in a rainforest. Every morning I would wake up under heavy blankets with my nose freezing cold. I would lay in my tent and listen to the birds singing their little lungs out in the valley outside. Then I would drag myself down the path to the bathroom where there would be a fire already to heat a huge pot of water. The whole room smelt like wood smoke and I used a bucket and pail to poor the lovely warm water over my head (bucket shower style because there was no showerhead). Then I would walk about 5 minutes through the rainforest to the communal eating area where there was hot tea, coffee, milk and lots of sugar waiting for us along with a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, fresh bread, eggs, and of course the traditional south Indian breakfast dish of idly (rich patties) and sandbar (a savoury soupy dish that sometimes has beans or peas in it). Now that is the way to start a day off right!

We spent our days here learning about the rainforest ecosystem and helping out on the plantation. We also went for some treks through the mountains, saw some spectacular views, went swimming in some rapids and visited the children at the local school. Everything about the buildings (eco-friendly and beautifully designed) and the people here were wonderful and made us all feel instantly at home. The plantation is run by two former biology researchers who left Dehli many years ago to drive south and learn about what was going on in agriculture across the country. Now they have set up this little oasis to investigate and educate people about organic farming methods.

New experiences/ things that I learned:

-          I tried my hand at picking vanilla beans, tea leaves and coffee (less glamorous than it sounds because the coffee berries are often covered in biting ants).

-          I learned how biogass is made out of cow poo using an underground digestion chamber and a valve that brings the gas to the kitchen to be used in the stove

-          I learned about the natural immune system of plants and how biodiversity and predator populations can be used to control pests.

-          I saw elephant dung on an island in the middle of a river

-          I learned that this rainforest habitat is home to over 100 reptile species and over 100 amphibian species. Crazy! I saw some of these species including a turtle in the goose pond, a frog on the bamboo bridge, mini toads on the stone path and a lizard missing 1/4 of its tail outside my tent. The coolest thing I got to see was two huge male rat snakes (probably longer than I am tall) that were dancing and twisting together in the middle of our path home from a walk.

-          I was some weird bugs. The ants would stand up on their back legs and flail at me whenever I tried to take their picture. There were giant spiders that were as big as the palm of my hand that liked to hang out in and around the sinks in the washroom. I saw a spider that was yellow with spots on its pack and spikes on it that made it look like an alien space ship. The woods were full of cone spider webs that looked like little ghostly tornados.

-          I learned that fruit from one of the common trees in the area is harvested by the local people and used to make a strong bear. The potency of the alcohol content varies depending on what time of day the fruit is harvested. It is said to be a healthy baby medicine in the morning, a good beer at lunch and something that will give you a kick you won’t forget at night time.

-          I visited a sacred grove and a temple in the middle of the jungle that is still repainted every year and used in local festivals

-          There is just too much for me to share everything I learned about biology, organic farming, coffee processing, local uses for different plants,  ancient stories, religious festivals, etc. it was an amazing place and all of the hosts (from the intelligent 13year old daughter Mia to the soft spoken caretaker Ravi) had an amazing wealth of knowledge to share. 

Side note: The whole time I was here I kept thinking that if I were studying BIOLOGY and ANTHROPOLOGY and I was especially interested in ECOLOGY and COFFEE this would be the perfect place for me. Funny… I think I know a couple people like that :P. The Rainforest retreat even takes interns, so if you so happen to be interested in these things then ask me about it next time we talk because I would love to tell you even more about it :D :D :D!

Week 1

I can’t believe that it has only been one week since I left Canada, it feels like I have been in India for much longer than that. After only the first day here I felt like I had seen and experienced what I would normally see in 3 weeks!

The things about India that have surprised me or stood out most to me so far

The smells: As soon as I stepped out of the airport I was overwhelmed by the smells. Every couple of steps the smells changed, and although they were not all bad they were overwhelming because of how humid the air was. Thankfully I quickly got used to this and now I barely ever notice the smells, let alone am bothered by them.

The rules of the road: People in India drive so crazy! I have not been able to figure out how the rules of the road are set up, but there does seem to be some sort of unspoken system that keeps everyone safe as they weave in and out of each other and cross into oncoming traffic at what always seems like the worst possible moments. Driving in a rickshaw around the cities is so much fun! So is driving in the countryside. Yesterday we took a bumpy busride up a bunch of tight switch backs to the hilltown of Ooty. I am still surprised that we didn’t fall off the mountainside or run into a bus coming the otherway around one of the tight corners. Even driving in El Salvador didn’t seem this chaotic.

The head wobble: people do it all the time! (If you have never seen an Indian head wobble before I don’t know if I can describe it to you, you’ll have to try youtubing it or something). When I wave hello, they head wobble back. When I ask a question, they head wobble back. When I say thankyou, they head wobble back. When I make eye contact….etc

How safe I feel: For some reason I was a little bit afraid that I would feel like I was continually being cat called, grabbed at, or pick pocketed while I was here. It hasn’t been at all like that. All the Indian people are very polite and I can’t think of a single time that I have been catcalled since I arrived. Sometimes people will stare at us or ask us if they can have a picture taken with us, but this is just as likely to be a family as a group of men (and tends to happen only in touristy areas where there are groups of camera happy Indian tourists).

The continual noise and honking: In the city it is always loud. The honking never stops except for a brief period in the very middle of the night (we woke up around 4am this morning and the city was almost peaceful –almost). After only one or two days in the city it was a relief for me to get out into the countryside for some quiet, fresh air and free space. Thankfully the noise is something I am getting used to as well (although not as quickly as I got used to the smells).  

Some highlights of the trip so far

Auroville: This was just a short rickshaw ride into the countryside from our second hotel in Pondicherry. It is a kind of spiritual commune that was started in the 60’s and continues to attract residents and tourists to this day from all over the world. The coolest part about it was a giant (and I mean giant) gold plated dome that looked like a huge golf ball from outerspace. Although we were not allowed to go inside the dome to see the world’s largest crystal (that captures the sun in a way that helps concentration) because we were just visitors, we did get to see the dome from a distance. There was something very otherworldly about the structure and the manicured lawns around it, especially in contrast to the chaos and dirtiness of the rest of India I had seen so far. My favourite part about visiting Auroville was getting out into the countryside and renting some bicycles to explore the paths and roads around the commune. We had to dodge branches and fallen wires on our way because of the cyclone that passed through the area just a few days before we arrived in India.

Market in Pondicherry:  We have done a lot of exploring cities and wandering around bustling streets since we arrived. My favourite place to do this so far was the marketplace in Pondicherry. The streets were narrow and walking room only with vendors selling spices, fruit, clothing and other food and nicknacks crowded beside each other. It was fun to try some of the different fruit and buy some new clothing (I love Indian clothing, it is so much more colourful and comfortable than anything I would wear back home), but what I really liked the most was all the colours and all the beautiful old ladies sitting on the ground surrounded by the fruit they were selling.

Meeting my first elephant:  I got to see a temple elephant! It stands outside a temple in the middle of Ponticherry most of the day and blesses people by tapping them on the head with its trunk. I wish I could say that I got blessed by the elephant. I did try to get blessed by feeding him some grass but I guess that the man whose job it was to prod the elephant to do this didn’t see because he was talking on his cell phone at the time.

Beaches and the ocean: almost every place we have visited so far has been on the coast. On my very first day I got to walk across the huge sand beach in Chennai and put my feet in the Bay of Bengal. In Pondicherry I felt like a movie star strolling along the seaside in the classy French Quarter and sipping Chai at a seaside café.  But the best place to see the ocean was in Kanyakumari, at the verymost southern tip of India. There was a point within walking distance of our hotel where 3 seas meet (The bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea). I watched the sun set over one sea at night (from the rocks on the otherside of town) and rise over another in the morning( from my hotel window which had a beautiful view of the bay of Bengal). I’ll be honest, it was pretty cloudy for the sunrise and I didn’t actually see the sun until after breakfast but it was pretty spectacular to watch the crowds of people that had gathered by the coast to watch the sunrise and to listen to the singing and chanting from the dawn service at the church bellow my window.

Lowlight of the trip so far

Being sick on the train: Everyone told me I would be get some kind of travellers diarrhoea or food poisoning - I was just hoping that I would stay healthy for a little longer than a week! All in all, it wasn’t so bad (haha I can say that now that I am feeling better).  I was unlucky enough to get sick right as we were setting out on an overnight train ride. This was the second train ride that we had taken so at least I knew what to expect. The bunks are set up three on top of each other with members of our class often mixed in with Indian travellers in each compartment. The toilets are at the end of each car and although there is one western style toilet on each car the other three are squat toilets that empty right onto the tracks bellow.  Let me put it this way – I fought that nasty bacteria out of my body and into white paper bags that are now all along the train tracks from Kanyakumari to Coimbatore. I think it will be at least a day or so until I am up for eating another spicy curry.

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the snow back home!

A bientot,

Abby

Ps. Pictures coming soon when I get a better internet connection