Kerala

Taking advantage of a holiday weekend Tor, Kevin and I decided to explore the highly recommended state of Kerala in the southeast part of the country. Our journey began with a short flight to Cochin where we then took a cab to Alleppey. Kerala is known for its backwaters (http://www.backwatersinkerala.com/) and the culture rooted in them. We rented a 2 bedroom private houseboat (with a cook, steward and captain) to explore the backwaters and then drop us two days later close the southern beach town of Varkala. While on the houseboat we were treated with amazing kerala cuisine (made with fresh fish and prawns which we bought from fisherman who pulled up to the boat) , a slow crawl through lush surroundings of rice paddies, palm trees, exotic birds, vivid sunsets and curious locals, a peak into a culture that lives off of and cherishes their fertile land and many more gifts that appear when you slow down. National Geographic lists renting a houseboat and touring the Kerala Backwaters in their top 50 things to do in the world, and I wholeheartedly endorse their assertion. After a relaxing couple days on the houseboat we headed to the beach town of Varkala. Varkala is a small village that is majestically positioned on a 3 mile strech of cliffs smiling down on Arabian sea. We spent our time eating fresh seafood, relaxing on a blacksand beach, and interacting with travelers and locals. Four enjoyable days flew by and then it was time to travel back to Hyderabad. Kerala deserves at least a week to really soak up all it has to offer.

Car Accident

Today on my way home I was reading the paper in the backseat of my car when all of a sudden at heard a loud BANG! I looked up and my car and a van were hugging each other. The phrase they dont make things like they used to rings true in this situation. My car is solid as a rock and comparable to the safety of a volvo. I barely felt the impact of the two cars colliding. I looked over and the van we hit and a fairly large indentation in its side door. I got out to survey the damage on my car and there was a small brushstroke of green paint on the front bumper. A crowed of people quickly gathered around and my driver steven and the driver of the van began shouting in hindi back and forth. Other's shared what I think were their eyewitness accounts of the accident. Two "policeman" showed up and tried to make some sense of the situation....yeah right...one man came up to me and was worried about me getting fried my the sun and handed me an umbrella for shade. I calmly soaked in the experience and must say found it very interesting and somewhat funny, especially when Steven came up to me and asked for 200 rupies ($4). The money was for the driver of the other car as compensation for the damage and the transaction took place right in front of the grinning police (bribes are very common here). Steven later told me the man wanted 1000 rupees for the damage and he talked him down to 200 because the man was driving to fast and the accident was his fault. From my vantage point the damage was at least $1000 dollars, but then again I am from the US and the markup on everything there is ridiculous. No paper work or information was exchanged, no one was hurt (thankfully), there was alot of verbal sparing which about 90% I could not understand, and an hour later I was home safe and sound, my wallet $4 lighter.

TRAVEL

This past weekend Kevin, Tor and I took the train to Hampi in the State on Karnatika. The two of them had never been on an Indian train and I was determined to show them a raw and wonderful way to learn about Indian culture, people and the human spirit. We departed on Thursday from Hyderadbad and after an 12 hour journey we arrived in Hospet at 5am the next morning. We then took a rickshaw 30 kilometers from Hospet to Hampi. Hampi is a small village positioned on a river that was once the second largest kingdom in India. It is a very spiritual place, sprinkled with temples, backpackers, huge boulders, monkeys, an elephant priest and ruins of the kingdom. We decided to rent mopads for two days to navigate this scenic area and enjoyed exploring via the bikes. After two days of sightseeing and relaxation we went to the train station to return to Hyderabad. We were on the waiting list for the train and were told by seasoned travelers of India that getting a seat would not be a problem and if all else fails ask for the "foreigners quota" which ALWAYS gets you a seat. Well, the train was fully booked and we were denied the foreigners quota. We boarded the train and every seat was taken, so we attempted to bribe the train employees with no luck...Frantic we continued to search for seats and stumbled upon three young indian fellas who allowed us to share their seats. Were it not for their kindness and willingness to sacrifice their comfort we would have been ousted from the train. 12 hours of sleep ridden travel later we arrived back in Hyderabad drained but thankful.

Visitors from Kolkata

This past weekend two friends came to visit from Kolkata. Stacey and Selma have been volunteering in "The City of Joy" for the past few weeks. It was humbling and refreshing to spend time with individuals decidated to making a difference in the world. Check out an article written by a local journalist covering their time in Kolkata.

http://cities.expressindia.com/archivefullstory.php?newsid=194797&creation_date=2006-07-30