We've just arrived today into Kochi, Kerala in nearly the very south of India. I think that the southernmost point of India is in this state, so we're pretty far down there. I haven't written about it much, but we were last in Varanasi in pretty much the very north east of the country. So... Long story short, we just rode a train for 54 hours to get here! We slept 3 nights on the train, leaving Varanasi around 1 AM on the 21st and arrived this morning at about 7 AM (7 and a half hours late). Luckily our compartment had AC and we opted for the nicer 2-bunk seating instead of 3 which can be a little more crowded, or at least it was when we rode non-AC sleeper. The people were much friendlier too. I'll just say that it was an experience, and I'm a bit tired of the curry and chapati that I ate lunch and dinner for the past 2 days. Also... It wasn't smart to walk around Varanasi all day in 110 degree heat and then not have the option to shower before boarding. Oh well!
Kochi here really is a contrast from what I've seen in the rest of India. The streets are relatively clean, nearly every one can read, a lot of people are Christians (not that that is better), the health care is miles ahead of the rest of the country and overall wealth of the population is comparable to the US (in India terms, not real $ comparison) according to some things I've read. And, well, the government is an elected communist government. Our hotelier claims that you still must contribute to the party's programs if you want to get anything done but that seems to be much preferable to the outright bribes you have to give in the rest of India (which go straight to the officials' pockets). I'm really surprised at the corruption in the country... Anyways, Kerala is a fine place, really beautiful, doing relatively well, and it's all really interesting conversation with the locals. There's even an economic model (Kerala model) named after the advancement/development here which has happened really without industrialization.
We've explored the city here a bit today, and we're planning a backwater boat ride tomorrow and then perhaps a motorcycle trip up the coast a bit to a beach (if I can find a reasonable bike to ride). Who knows what after that... We'd like to head to Munnar in a few days and after to Varkala, both in Kerala. I'd like to see Mysore as well, but we also want to spend a couple days in Mumbai before our flight on the 8th to South Africa.
Varanasi was really an interesting, hot, and sometimes frustrating place. It is the low season around most of the country now, and Varanasi has a reputation for really giving travelers a tough time with touts, begging, and all other kinds of annoyances. It really did not disappoint. The burning ghats were really astounding though only if you could manage more than 3 minutes of quiet to soak in the scene. Many, many people come to the city for the cremation which is supposed to release the souls body straight to Nirvana rather than risking another rebirth. There are constantly burnings happening, throughout the day and night, so it is impossible to miss them. Women are not allowed to attend because they believe crying (which is attributed only to women) will trap the bodies soul in this world rather than releasing it. Emilie noticed a man break down crying and his friends rushed him away as quickly as possible...
Unfortunately, there are "guides" that want to tell you all about it all (and are amazingly persistent) and end up either asking for money on false pretenses (like it will go to buy wood for poor families) or really trying hard to get you into their shop. Furthermore there are boat men that want to take you out on the river... Masseuses that act like they just want to shake your hand and talk but then won't let go... And a host of other annoyances that make the city very tough to deal with and truly appreciate. Very sad, it's an amazing place and some of those things I would definitely do were it not for the desire to discourage the touts. Yet you have to feel guilty as well because you can afford to spare the rupees and their situation can be desparate. The people don't hesistate to exploit that feeling either; it can get really disheartening at times. We're planning to look into NGOs or charities rather than giving out on the street. Hopefully a larger donation to a good organization will go further and help more people, especially some of the really sweet children that we met.
Overall, it's relieving to be here in Kerala though I wish I could have had more appreciation of the beauty of Varanasi without the distractions. I haven't posted pictures at all recently as the internet is pretty slow. I'll get around to it soon, promise.
15 May 2008
Coffee, Chai, and Chillin' in Kolkata
We've been in Kolkata, India (Calcutta, old spelling) for a few days. It's a little like New York, crowded, exciting, and with yellow taxis everywhere. Enjoying the city despite the fact that we're not doing much sightseeing, more shopping and AC hunting. You can pick up a cup of Chai tea here from a street vendor for 2 or 3 rupees which is about 5 cents. Today we tried juice that I swear is made from bamboo; really good in the heat. And a koti roll which is like roti French toast with veggies and paneer inside... Overall, the food has been quite tasty though pricier, 4 bucks for dinner instead of 2. The weather is really hot... Today it was about 40 degrees Celcius, or a bit over 100 Fahrenheit. Our hotel does not have AC so sleeping is a little bit of a challenge.
The big news is that Emilie finally uttered the words I've been waiting to hear for nearly 6 years: "Yeah, I could go for Dominos Pizza in Kolkata." Great! Perhaps tonight is the night, or maybe tomorrow... Believe it or not, the Dominos Pizza here is on Russell St. We're taking the overnight train to Varanasi tomorrow night, so there's not much time left!
I had my first auto-rickshaw (surprisingly detailed Wikipedia article) ride on the way to the airport in Bagdogra, near Darjeeling. Basically, an auto-rickshaw is a mash-up of a motorcycle, golf cart, lawn mower, taxi, and tin can. The steering wheel is really a handle bar and there is only one front wheel. Behind the driver seat up front there is a bench which the passengers ride. The advantage of a rickshaw versus a taxi is that you can weave through pretty much all oncoming traffic or just drive on the sidewalk and they are cheaper. The disadvantage is that should you run into said traffic... Unfortunately, the auto-rickshaws in Kolkata can only go around in small neighborhood areas. Since the city is pretty big (over 14 million here), we have to take a taxi pretty much everywhere. Too bad!
I left my camera battery charger and an extra battery in Darjeeling... There don't seem to be any chargers available here for my model, and I'm doubting they'll have them in Varanasi either. Perhaps when we get to Mumbai...
The big news is that Emilie finally uttered the words I've been waiting to hear for nearly 6 years: "Yeah, I could go for Dominos Pizza in Kolkata." Great! Perhaps tonight is the night, or maybe tomorrow... Believe it or not, the Dominos Pizza here is on Russell St. We're taking the overnight train to Varanasi tomorrow night, so there's not much time left!
I had my first auto-rickshaw (surprisingly detailed Wikipedia article) ride on the way to the airport in Bagdogra, near Darjeeling. Basically, an auto-rickshaw is a mash-up of a motorcycle, golf cart, lawn mower, taxi, and tin can. The steering wheel is really a handle bar and there is only one front wheel. Behind the driver seat up front there is a bench which the passengers ride. The advantage of a rickshaw versus a taxi is that you can weave through pretty much all oncoming traffic or just drive on the sidewalk and they are cheaper. The disadvantage is that should you run into said traffic... Unfortunately, the auto-rickshaws in Kolkata can only go around in small neighborhood areas. Since the city is pretty big (over 14 million here), we have to take a taxi pretty much everywhere. Too bad!
I left my camera battery charger and an extra battery in Darjeeling... There don't seem to be any chargers available here for my model, and I'm doubting they'll have them in Varanasi either. Perhaps when we get to Mumbai...
09 May 2008
Queen of the Hills, Darjeeling, India
We made it into Darjeeling, India last night after a turboprop flight across Nepal, nearly 2 hours at the border crossing, and a 4 hour jeep ride up the magnificent hills here. The flight, the first I've ever taken that actually departed early, was fine until we coasted into the coming monsoon-esque thunderstorm about 15 minutes before landing. Needless to say, it was a bumpy ride on the way down... After the airport, it was about an hour ride in a minivan to the border crossing. From there, we took a jeep straight to Darjeeling, with necessary stops for snacks and momos.
It's been raining quite a bit around here in the afternoon, but the mornings have been nice. Today we visited the Darjeeling zoo and the Himilayan Mountaineering Institute which houses the Everest Museum. The museum is a cool though small place containing some gear and pictures from some of the first attempts to reach the summit. You may think it's a strange place for the museum as I did, but Tenzig Norgay, who was first to reach the top with Sir Edmund Hillary spent much of his life in Darjeeling. The main road here is even named after him.
We also toured a tea plantation which was quick, interesting, and very pleasant smelling. I caved at the end and had to purchase the rather expensive tourist tea. Supposedly it's the best in the world, really! On the way back from the tea stop and the zoo, we happened upon a view point for Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world. On a clear day you can see it easily and today we could just make out the peak through the clouds. Sunrise views from Tiger Hill are supposed to be especially inspiring.
I'm slowing uploading pictures from Nepal as well, but I have to abort again since it's shower time and the hot water only works for 90 minutes per day and the power is finally back on. Perhaps I'll finish tonight.
It's been raining quite a bit around here in the afternoon, but the mornings have been nice. Today we visited the Darjeeling zoo and the Himilayan Mountaineering Institute which houses the Everest Museum. The museum is a cool though small place containing some gear and pictures from some of the first attempts to reach the summit. You may think it's a strange place for the museum as I did, but Tenzig Norgay, who was first to reach the top with Sir Edmund Hillary spent much of his life in Darjeeling. The main road here is even named after him.
We also toured a tea plantation which was quick, interesting, and very pleasant smelling. I caved at the end and had to purchase the rather expensive tourist tea. Supposedly it's the best in the world, really! On the way back from the tea stop and the zoo, we happened upon a view point for Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world. On a clear day you can see it easily and today we could just make out the peak through the clouds. Sunrise views from Tiger Hill are supposed to be especially inspiring.
I'm slowing uploading pictures from Nepal as well, but I have to abort again since it's shower time and the hot water only works for 90 minutes per day and the power is finally back on. Perhaps I'll finish tonight.
04 May 2008
Back to Reality in Pokhara, Nepal
Hardly the kind of reality that we were used to in the US, but it's a nice city and very tourist oriented. The people here are not quite as pushy as those in Kathmandu, but neither is apparently close to the level to come in India (or so everyone keeps telling me).
The trek was quite amazing, everything I dreamed of really. We tend to separate it into the two sides of the pass... The first side, the good side, consisted mainly of small stone villages in precarious positions on mountains as we ascended to the top. The people were friendly and somewhat unbelievable in the things that they could carry on their backs up steep, steep hills. Once I have the pictures uploaded, you'll see exactly what I mean (example: metal telephone poles). Oh, and they do this in flip-flops... Views were quite amazing in the morning but it was a bit hazy in the afternoon and some of the most spectacular mountains were a little obscured. Every town from Chamje or so on is stunning, medieval, but with plenty of decent lodges.
The pass itself was an extremely trying day but certainly not impossible. I highly recommend the experience, though I do wish we had spent more time on the first side. For the pass... We woke around 4 AM after sleeping very, very little due to the altitude (about 4500 meters). It was probably around 20 to 30 degrees F outside at the time. Our plan was to stay even higher the next night but we decided at the last minute to do it all in one day. It ended up being a good choice as the people we met from the high camp (about 5000 meters) all got sick from the food. After about 4 or 5 hours of walking through mud and snow, we made it to the pass (5416 meters) and crossed over after a few cold cups of tea at the tiny tea house. The scenery, being eye-level with mountain peaks, along the way was amazing.
The descent is an even harder 1500 meters roughly to Muktinath. There are not really any options to stay higher, so everything must be done in a day. We arrived in the town around 3 PM if I recall correctly and stayed at the properly named Bob Marley Hotel. It was a sign of things to come on the way down as it had great food, great sleeping, and a hot shower. From there things were slightly less fun as the valley on the second side is extremely windy and the dust really kicks up this time of year obscuring the view. Furthermore, the road extends all the way to Muktinath, so you can simply take a Jeep from there (with a few changes) if you wish or fly out of Jomsom. I would definitely not say that the second side was boring, just not quite the same as staying in small villages accessible only by walking for several days! I did get to ride through the mountains on the roof of a Jeep despite Emilie's wishes. And we passed an overturned bus on the way...
We head back to Kathmandu in the morning and then on to Darjeeling, India as soon as possible!
The trek was quite amazing, everything I dreamed of really. We tend to separate it into the two sides of the pass... The first side, the good side, consisted mainly of small stone villages in precarious positions on mountains as we ascended to the top. The people were friendly and somewhat unbelievable in the things that they could carry on their backs up steep, steep hills. Once I have the pictures uploaded, you'll see exactly what I mean (example: metal telephone poles). Oh, and they do this in flip-flops... Views were quite amazing in the morning but it was a bit hazy in the afternoon and some of the most spectacular mountains were a little obscured. Every town from Chamje or so on is stunning, medieval, but with plenty of decent lodges.
The pass itself was an extremely trying day but certainly not impossible. I highly recommend the experience, though I do wish we had spent more time on the first side. For the pass... We woke around 4 AM after sleeping very, very little due to the altitude (about 4500 meters). It was probably around 20 to 30 degrees F outside at the time. Our plan was to stay even higher the next night but we decided at the last minute to do it all in one day. It ended up being a good choice as the people we met from the high camp (about 5000 meters) all got sick from the food. After about 4 or 5 hours of walking through mud and snow, we made it to the pass (5416 meters) and crossed over after a few cold cups of tea at the tiny tea house. The scenery, being eye-level with mountain peaks, along the way was amazing.
The descent is an even harder 1500 meters roughly to Muktinath. There are not really any options to stay higher, so everything must be done in a day. We arrived in the town around 3 PM if I recall correctly and stayed at the properly named Bob Marley Hotel. It was a sign of things to come on the way down as it had great food, great sleeping, and a hot shower. From there things were slightly less fun as the valley on the second side is extremely windy and the dust really kicks up this time of year obscuring the view. Furthermore, the road extends all the way to Muktinath, so you can simply take a Jeep from there (with a few changes) if you wish or fly out of Jomsom. I would definitely not say that the second side was boring, just not quite the same as staying in small villages accessible only by walking for several days! I did get to ride through the mountains on the roof of a Jeep despite Emilie's wishes. And we passed an overturned bus on the way...
We head back to Kathmandu in the morning and then on to Darjeeling, India as soon as possible!
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