I’ve been in Kerala over a week and I kind of don’t want to leave. It’s not only beautiful here, but the people are friendly and welcoming. Plus the food is good.
We’ve seen and done a lot here, and I’m hard-pressed to name my favorite part. But one thing in particular stands out – life moves at a hectic pace here, but still slower than our usual day-to-day. Here, I feel like I can slow down a bit and enjoy what I’ve seeing and doing. True, we are going quickly, a day here, a night there, but at the same time, I feel like we are taking the time to really appreciate our experience. There has been more than one day of just wandering around, sitting reading a book, and obviously, checking internet.
Tonight for example, I’m sitting in my hotel room watching star movies and eating tapioca chips. Tomorrow morning I take an early train to the northern part of Kerala, less visited and maybe more pristine. There, I will sit on the beach and relax, but also try to see a theyyam ceremony and maybe another backwaters tour.
Regardless, I’m planning on only relaxing and doing nothing, and the small backwater villages are the place to do it.
But even the bigger cities in Kerala afford an opportunity to slow down in a way not really seen in the rest of India. Here in Kochi, I can just wander around, popping into shops, watching the fishermen on the beach, and sipping coconut water, while the city bustles around me.
It’s really not surprising that this is always a top destination choice when people come to India.
Yesterday, on our random wanderings, we came across a women-run cooperative selling spices. Seven women, tired of being shafted working for the man, and watching shoppers get fleeced on prices, decided to open their own store. The owner we met was a wonderful woman, and very helpful. For less than $10, I picked up some delicious vanilla pods, something I’d estimate would cost over $40 back in the US (and something close at the more touristy shops here). Plus, I got to support a local women’s initative. Not a bad time indeed.
For anyone who has read the LP guide to India, the Kerala section mentions that the state government has been off-and-on Communist. Apparently, the relatively high rates of literacy and other social indicators can be attributed to this phenomenon. But so, apparently, can the high rate of alcoholism and suicide, because communism stifles ingenuity and people turn to substances and death out of despair.
The solution, it seems, is to build up Kerala’s tourism sector, and because they are all communists, everyone gets a piece of the pie. Seems so easy..
And as always, the unintended consequences raise their ugly heads.
The push for tourism has been quite successful – it is high season now and we see a lot of tourists here. The tourism board has created a great system, and are very helpful. Kerala is a wonderful place to travel.
Too wonderful, maybe. Because Kerala’s highlight is the backwaters, miles of rivers and lakes that stretch parallel to the ocean, and lend themselves to lazy canoe rides and houseboats. The houseboats are simply bigger canoes with coverings, but at some point, some enterprising soul discovered he could put an outboard motor on one, and run trips overnight. And of course, putting the motor on the boat meant they could get larger now.
So, for about 100 bucks, you and your sweetie can lounge on the deck of a boat while a chef cooks you meals and you motor down the river for a day or so. You, your sweetie, and about 1000 other people, that is. Because the houseboats all leave from Alleppey, and the channel is only so big, and at any given moment, you can stand on a jetty and watch about 10 massive boats pass you by, their motors churning the waters and leaving chaos in their wake.
And diesel residue. So the channels are polluted now, and the government in their infinite wisdom has walled the channel to prevent flooding, thereby killing the last of the mangroves. And so, while tourism provides jobs and livelihoods, tourists kill the ecosystem.
There are a lot of gurus in India. Some of them are probably charletans, out to get your money and good intentions. Some of them are genuine, but maybe mediocre. And some of them attract such an immense following that the sheer energy of the group is overwhelming and maybe something exceptional.
Amma, Mata Amritanandamayi, is one of those. At face value, there’s not really anything extraordinary here. Maybe she’s performed a miracle (who hasn’t?). Maybe her story bears a remarkable similarity to Krishna’s and St Theresa’s (not surprising given Kerala’s religious makeup). Maybe she’s a genuinely nice and compassionate person.
But she displays no amazing phenomena. Really, she’s just really touchy-feely. Her gig is hugging, and hugging she does – hours and hours and hours on end. Once, for 27 straight hours.
But in this seemingly mundane, ordinary act, maybe there is a glimpse of the Divine Presence. Maybe the universe, in its infinite grace, pauses a moment in this human body to convey compassion to its multitudes of lost souls. Maybe so much Love can build up in one person that the only way to release this energy is in the simple joy of touching another human being and acknowledging, “we are in this together, you and I.”
I am not a mystic. But Amma’s ashram in Amritapuri holds a kind of magic, where a Benetton ad in white sits in lawn chairs and watches her hug person after person for hours and hours. Amma’s darshan is this touch, and watching it is like receiving a blessing.
Of course, receiving a hug itself is a special kind of blessing. I can’t say my life was changed in any way, but I was not annoyed at waiting nearly 10 hours for a few seconds in Amma’s embrace. Whether or not she can really cure your ills, or offer you peace, or heal the world is probably forever up for debate. But that one person exists who devotes her life selflessly for others is enough evidence of divinity for me
Kerala is everything the guidebooks say, and more. My 40 hour non-A/C ride was far more bearable than I thought it would be, due to the welcoming presence of several Marathis and Malayalis. I brought my own food, which proved only partly necessary, as food was abundant. It got quite warm the second day, but manageable, and never too crowded.
3 am arrival to Trivandrum, and straight to the lodge, which was conveniently next to the train station. Then we woke up early-ish, got ready and headed to the bus (also next door) for the bus to Kollam (A/C).
There, we met our host, who runs a small guesthouse right on the beach. We dropped off our bags, and headed back to town, to catch a ride to Ashtamudi Lake, and a lake islands tour. Not sure what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised to see a long canoe/longboat, and a few other foreigners. We delicately boarded, and then our guide and canoe driver pushed off the banks with his pole and we proceeded on a lazy 3-hour trip through the backwaters, stopping for tea, fresh coconut water, and several inquisitive young children.
Tonight, on the beach. Tomorrow, we board a ferry for Amrithapuri, for some full body contact with Amma, then on to Alleppey.
So my week-long do-nothing vacation is about to end, as tomorrow I depart for Kerala, in the south of India. I’m taking the train, and will have 40 hours to kill in a non-A/C car. Here’s hoping Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a highly fascinating book.
I’ve spent the past week in Ahmedabad, the biggest city in Gujarat. It’s where my mom grew up (for the most part) and where my closest relatives on her side live. The house used to be a small village outside of town, but “town” has quickly grown to encompass the villages as suburbs. When you look at a map of Ahmedabad, Ranip is now on it as part of the city.
Gujarat has gone hard-core commercial. Shopping complexes, cinemas (71 at last count), and all the various accoutrements are easy to find, at least in Ahmedabad. It’s always been a big bustling area, but now even more so.
I have 6 days left in Mongolia, before I depart for a few months of travel and then head back to the US. Time flies! All travel posts will be here.
After an insane amount of travel, I made it to Ahmedadabad. It is warm here, and the mosquitos are biting in full force. It’s also crowded and loud here – a big difference from UB. We are shopping and visiting family, and I am trying to arrange teh rest of my time on vacation. So far, so good.
I realized recently that I forgot my USB cord, so it will be a while before I can get pictures. My camera is also in the camera shop so it is out of commission for a bit.
So the next few days I will lay low and relax. Be back in a bit!
It has come to my attention that I adapt to change too easily. This isn’t to say there is some amount of adjustment period required, but rather that I shift into a new lifestyle far more readily than one would expect. And far more quickly, hence, my slight amount of shock upon landing in Incheon. With a permanent look of startlement on my face, I made my way to the Korean Air counter and picked up my hotel voucher.
It turns out, Korean Air doesn’t leave you hanging. I did have to leave the airport (therefore getting another stamp in my passport), but only went about a 10 minutes drive to the Hyatt Regency. It was, as all American chains are abroad, fancy and swanky, and my room was almost the size of my apartment. And to top it off, they gave me food vouchers – breakfast (which I slept through), lunch, and then dinner at the airport. Not bad at all.
Of course, leaving UB was a production – the temperatures dropped drastically, heading into the deepest of winter. I got out in time, it seems, but was hardly dressed for running around at the airport trying to find an open door. They say it will be a dzud this year. Don’t doubt it.
So, 4 hours after my ticketed departure, we were in the air, fighting strong tail winds to arrive at Incheon at 1 am. Today, there is massive amounts of fog, so I expect tonight’s flight to be delayed somewhat too. But I have a 6 hour layover in Mumbai, so I’m not too concerned.
Korea is warm and humid and populated. It feels bizarre. I had a delicious tofu miso kimchi soup with grilled fish, all of which tasted fresh and flavorful. Then I slept in a large warm comfortable bed and stole hotel toiletries on my way back to the airport.
Tomorrow, I arrive in Ahmedabad to meet my brother and sister-in-law, then off to stay with family for a week. And maybe even see Avatar again.
My departure from Mongolia is imminent and my travel adventure is about to begin. I’m looking forward to seeing some old friends again, and spend time in warm weather. I’m also excited about my “yoga holiday” – 2 weeks at a small yoga facility on the beach of Kovalam.
Definitely sad to leave here, but so grateful for a phenomenal experience and some amazing new friends.
So now that I’m unable to obtain a Russian visa in time, I’ve decided on a new travel itinerary. Instead of Russia, I’ll spend a few days in S Korea instead. Now the plan is:
Still somewhat ambitious, but should be fun, hopefully!
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