I’m not actually sure what that term means, but someone asked if I was experiencing it upon my return to the US. Well. I haven’t been gone that long. But a lot has changed in America, most notably in politics. There’s this whole lunatic fringe now, which I suppose might have existed before but has some how gained some sort of legitimacy. From outside the US, Americans looks a little crazy.
And then some things haven’t changed at all. We still eat the most disgusting foods (and too much of them), we still buy way too much stuff, we still love our professional sports players.
I did come back before tax day, so I do get to take advantage of the freebies that many places offer to “ease taxpayer woes” (because a free doughnut will go a long way for that).
Other than that, there’s really not all that different from America and the rest of the world. Today’s headlong rush into globalization is shrinking the culture gaps, especially as American culture continues its pervasive spread overseas. It’s really not that hard to come back and re-assimiliate. except of course, I will definitely not be able to go to the spa nearly as often as I used to.
Seoul is my city. I could live here. I think people do nothing but shop, eat, and hike mountains. And work, of course. Maybe a lot more than I’d like. But that’s just to earn money for the shopping and the eating, and the shopping required to go hiking.
The city is plugged in and wired up, and everything is easy and comfortable and convenient. Of everything, I think my biggest culture shock will come from trying to navigate the DC metro, after the pampering on the Seoul subway (and I was only here for 6 days!).
The food is phenomenal. Traditional Korean food is probably one of the world’s best cuisines, a culture that has poured its heart into the kitchen and produced some amazing culinary delights. But modern Korean fusion is fantastic too, and the same care and vision that goes into Korean fashion and design finds its way into food too. After a year in Mongolia, where it sometimes feels like taste is an afterthought, it’s welcoming to spend a week in a country that pampers the taste buds, along with your soul.
So of course, I ate. A lot. And I shopped. Not a lot, though enough. You could spend hours exploring the cute little neighborhoods, each with their own personality, finding little stores in hideaway alleys where handmade jewelry, tea sets, and other knickknacks made by someone’s sister abound.
I didn’t hike any mountains, though I did visit the DMZ, which deserves its own post (if only for the space required for my ramblings on foreign policy and history). I think, as I end my travels, that I’ve hit a bit of travel fatigue. I could continue traveling, of course, but probably can’t muster the energy to do more than eat and shop and maybe relax in the spa. Which, really, is the perfect type of activity for Seoul.
The more time I spend in Kerala, the more different it seems from the north of India. The people look different, the food is different, even the clothes are different. And most striking to me, is how religion in the South, particularly in Kerala, is unlike much of the rest of the India.
For starters. Kerala seems to have managed to find a way for its various religious adherents to co-exist peacefully. One of the big roundabouts in Trivandrum has a massive cathedral, impressive mosque, and humble temple all within spitting distance of each other. No one has to sneak in, no guards are visible, and traffic bustles along as if this were some every day scene.
But in India, and much of the world, this isn’t ordinary. Religious and ethnic groups the world over collect in their little groups, and tend not to mix so overtly. Not so in Kerala, where “syncretism” seems to the catchword.
The theyyam is a great example – it seems to pre-date established Hinduism, reaching back to some murky roots of animism and shamanism. But it’s managed to incorporate Hindu deities (many of whom I’ve never heard of before). Granted, Hinduism is a religion that easily lends itself to consilience – explanations of the divine tend to revolve around so-and-so being an incarnation of Shiva/Vishnu/Parvati.
More interestingly, theyyam also includes some popular Muslim figures, many of whom who have been deified themselves. Not something you see everyday. And then there are the various warriors, wronged women, ghosts, etc, incorporating an astonishing complexity of social justice as well. Af ter all, unlike the rest of Hindu rituals, the theyyam is dominated by lower-caste families, and not Brahmins.
But there is more. The Sabrimala temple plays host to a massive pilgrimmage every year to honor Ayappas, a god not mentioned in any Vedic texts, but revered by Malayali Hindus all the same (some stories of course claim him as an incarnation of Vishnu).
Kerala has its history of religious violence, but always perpetrated from the outside. The Christians trace their history back to St Thomas, who visited India after Jesus’s death (which means Christianity came to India before Europe). In the 4th Century, they aligned themselves with the Syrian church. When the Portuguese came centuries later, they brought Roman Catholicism in all its violence with them, converting by the sword, so to speak. Eventually religious fervor calmed, and today both Catholics and Syrian Christians worship peacefully.
Islam has a strong presence in Kerala as well, with strong ties to the Middle East. There are madrassas here, and also Dubai’s own religion – capitalism (which melds seamlessly with communism here). Kerala is the would-be poster child for utopia.
Kannur was an idyllic 3 days. after which I headed back down to Trivandrum. There, some family friends picked me up and brought me to their house, where I dozed a bit before hopping a bus to Kanyakumari, at the very southern tip of India. Kanyakumari is in Tamil Nadu, and it is located at the confluence of 3 seas. Inevitably, the sunset/sunrise is gorgeous, and I managed a fabulous picture of the former. Kanyakumari is the sight where Gandhi’s ashes were set adrift in the ocean, and where Swami Vivekananda meditated on the social justice aspects of Hinduism. Both events are commemorated by excellent memorials.
Then I hopped an overnight train to Rameshwaram, which I shared with about 10 other people, all elderly. It was nice to be in A/C and have the compartment to myself. At the very early hour of 5:20 am, we arrived, and I departed and wandered my way through the dark to the main temple of Ramanathaswamy.
There are 4 main temples in India that form the Char Dham, sites of pilgrimmage undertaken by all Hindus in their lifetime. Two of them I’ve seen – Dwarka in the west and Badrinath in the north. This third one is in the south, and I decided, since I was in the area, that I would go visit.
So, before sunrise I showed up, and made my way to the water to take a quick dip (or rather, dip my toes). Then I dried off to some extent, and made my way into the temple.
The temple is enormous. I walked the corridors for quite some time (coming across an elephant in a pen at one point), stopping for darshan at various points. Then I meandered my way to the center (after considerable wandering and getting a bit lost) for a brief puja, and then made my way out again. Then I hired a rickshaw driver to take me to the end of the island, where I could just barely make out Sri Lanka in the distance.
At Rameshwaram, it is said that Rama took his steps toward Lanka to free Sita from the demon Ravana. It is also said that Ravana’s brother surrendered here, and offered penance. After defeating Ravana, Rama offered penance for his sin of killing a Brahmin.
After leaving the temple, I made my way to the bus stand, to take the bus to Madurai. Just as a note, always ask about where the bus stops. in my case, it took almost 5 hours to arrive as we kept stopping everywhere..
Madurai is the home of the Sri Meenakshi Temple – a blinding display of S Indian architecture. Also huge. Tonight, I take the train back to Trivandrum, and find some way to Periyar.
I left Kochi a little sad, as my friend had departed the day before for her yoga teacher training in Goa. I was on my way to Kannur, a town in the northern part of Kerala, where tourism is growing, but hasn’t yet reached the proportions it has further south.
But Kannur definitely has its reputation, and I certainly saw tourists. But the beach was empty for the most part, and even the big draw in town was blissfully free of foreigners.
Kannur is known for its annual theyyam festival, which runs for almost half the year. Theyyam is a Malayalam word that is supposedly derived from daivam, meaning god. During theyyam, a performer, one who has trained all his life, induces a trance and takes on the persona of a deity.
Not just any deity – the theyyam ritual is specific. Only certain people within certain families can perform it, and even then, they invoke only specific gods at specific temples at specific times of the year.
The performer dances, often with props such as swords, fire, staves, etc, and in his rthymic motion, induces the trance. When he glimpses himself in the mirror, he no longer sees himself, but his god or goddess. The change is measurable – even the casual onlooker can sense the presence of a different persona.
The ritual is not unlike spiritual possession found in so many cultures, and is itself a syncretic mix of Hinduism, animism, and even some Islam. The gods are not strict to the Hindu pantheon, but can also be warriors, unfairly accused girls, and deities from other religions. But whoever the god is, he or she is an integral part of the family who performs that theyyam every year.
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.
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.
Recent Comments