Ahhh, Kerala, Kerala, the paradise of India, now in Chennai, im missing it already.






So for some reminisces of that coastal state-






The roads were wonderful (public transport- buses, trains, ferries- worked a treat), the environment so green and welcoming, water, water everywhere, yummy seafood and spicy dosas for food. The combo of commie government and many churches often reminded me of the strongly defensible catchphrase 'jesus was a socialist'





From Kollam i decdied to change plans and take a detour south to the Southern tip of India- Kanyakumari- in Tamil Nadu state. Time was limited so one night and a half day visit there followed by a flying visit to the ancient Padmanabhapuram palace of Travancore (Keralas old name) en route to a beach resort town i wanted to see- Varkala.





In Kanyakumari, now a thriving tourist hub- mostly for locals- In this town, apart from the auspicious location where Bay of bengal, Arabian sea and Indian ocean meet, there is a sacred temple (shirts must be off in the shady interior of this black rock edifice- i joined the sweaty queues feeling many stares making me strangely self concious of my bare white chest after so long dressing conservatively in India) to shiva, two small offshore islands with large monuments upon them which the tourists pack into small ferries to visit- one monument is a newish temple to honour the famous Swami Vivekanda- brilliant holy man who also promoted communal peace and Indian nationalism at end of 19th century, another is for the Tamil poet of the anceint age saint Tiruvallur who apparently preached a message of wisdom, peace and prosperity in his writings with much relevance for the modern age. Other attractions in Kayakumari are a Gandhi memorial building and an exhibition hall detailing the extensive travels and discoveries of Swami Vivekanda, not to mention smaller shrines, bathing ghats and a prominent church of two. So it was a hurries half day or so- but well worth the trip down to see a side of Indian history and culture (Vivekanda, Gandhi) that had shaped my perceptions of the place (tolerance, diversity, wisdom, insight, peace), being honoured as i thought it should be- just enough time for a few minutes meditation in the room dedicated to this purpose at the Swamis offshore temple- hardly easy though with the crowds of local tourists milling in the meditation hall and chattering noisily (perhaps they should start teaching meditation in the schools here- i got it in mine in Lismore NSW!) - Swami Vivekanda was a native Indian Sannayasin (dedicated to holy life) who toured the country searching for enlightenment and preaching inter-communal peace. Also famous for being Hinduisms eloquent representative at the world parliament of the religions in Chicago at the end of the 19th century, he is a popular nationalist figure now due to his early prominence in calling for Indian self-respect and unity against the british colonisers.




In the afternoon i caught the bus to a town near the Tamil Nadu - Kerala border where i wanted to see the padmanabhapuram palace. This large palace- fully occupying 6 acres (an island of Kerala inm Tamil Nadu) with its many varied buildings, was all of wood except for a stone temple inside its walls, made of of long vaulted corridors, a four story tower, elegant bedrooms, entertaining areas dining and meeting rooms- it was full of equsite wood carving & sculpture- on ceilings, pillars and cornices, over doorways and like the other palace i had visited was cleverly designed to stay cool- keep out the sun while carrying the breeze through its interior. Tiled roofs and manicured gardens, ponds, ponds added to its attraxctive features. from the palace i plodded on for 2 more public bus journeys and 4 hours later to Varkala beach via thiruvanthapuram and i was looking forward to chilling out- but only for a day! Varkala has a nice golden sandy beach backed by cliffs lined with tourist facilities. It hasn't been overdeveloped with large hotels like some other places in Kerala (Kovalam) and still the quiet and peaceful, rustic atmosphere of a popular backpacker retreat- i liked it. Took time to wander the length of the beach and waterfront shops, restaurants, go for several swims in the refreshing surf and also to vist the local temple which is a popular pilgrimage spot. The next morning though i had a train to catch early to reach Kollam for the morning ferry to Allephi- joined other tourists- mostly middle-aged Europeans for this very popular 90kms cruise through the alluring backwaters that wind their way up through Kerala paralell to the coast, often separated from the sea by only a few dunes, other times 100km distant. Through a series of large canals and lakes, lined with green & golden leaved palms, the placid waters hold many fish, attested to by the huge nets that often lined the waters, later we reached a narrower canal and got a closer look at the lifestyles of the people by the waters edge. Stopped briefly at the famous 'hugging mother' asharam of amarathadevi- a group of huge towering residential blocks coloured in bright pink- this is a popular stop-off and staying point for many foreign tourists who line up for long hours to be issued tickets to be hugged by this very energetic woman, who preaches love for god and love/compassion in life. Maybe next time ill stop by- though i chatted to 3 Russian fellow travellers who boarded the boat after staying there overnight who felt it was all a bit too much and a little cheesy. They were also loyal to the buddhist faith which they had learnt and adopted on previous trips to India- which maybe made them a bit cynical of claims of and all the fuss around this womans 'healing hugs' (everyone wants a quick fix!). It was great talking to them about Buddhism and they inspired me with the disciplined dedication- one lady from Moscow had completed 90,000 ritual prostrations (100 per day)- a practice which is said (So thats what those westerners lying flat and circling the main shrine at sarnath were all about!) to purify the mind, destroy pride and bad habit. From the clear spark in their eyes, their healthy, bright appearance and positive expressiveness- it seemed the practice was working. Late in the day we appropriately passed an historic buddha image discovered in this area- a rare find- housed in a small stupa roof by the canalbank. After a long and enjoyable day soaking in the attractive greenery and waterside life of the backwaters- stayed onight in Allephi (met a rare Chinese traveller there to practice my chinese with) before the next day taking an early morning public ferry (30c ozzie for a 2.5 hr ride!) to Kottyam. I found this trip to be even more enjoyable than the previous day- it felt more local and genuine- being a transport vessel for locals going about their activities. People lived on narrow srips of land surrounded by water on both sides- fishing growing rice, fruit and vegetables in small plots. It was nice to share the fascination at the mesmirising surroundings- swerving fish schools, bright pink lotus flower bunches emerging from the depths, massive water hyancinth crops, wetlands all-coloured white by thousands of fishing herons as well as the insight into the lifestyles, environment, housing of the local people- with a fellow traveller from China- Zhou Jiang- who also enjoyed it. It appeared the locals wandering the banks and going about their faily activities had a certain calm and dignity about them- that in my mind i connected with the effect of watery surroundings- as well as the Kottayam's region reputation for mental achievement- being the 1st district of India to officially achieve 100% literacy.



Reluctantly reached the conclusions of my backwater explorations in Kottayam and transferred for a bus up into the mountains to Kumily- beisde periyar national park. 4+ hours a 110km later- reached this mountain retreat- passing tea & spice plantations, forest and great viewpoints en route. Headed out for a bicycle ride to have a look around the area. Followed my nose aropund the edge of the park to visit some 'tribal villages on the hillside were the locals greeted me warmly and we shared a laugh over our communication difficulties, kept riding around to an area of Spice plantations- a variety of crops such as spices growing on palm species made the spice farms blend right into the forest surroundings as if they were a natural jungle. After i started up a dirt track in one particularly attractive area, a small girl mentioned -this way goes to mountain- so i carried on a bit further- about to turn around- i met a strange looking character- a European looking man-with full beard, dressed in traditional south indian male skirt, caryying a pile of sticks and small cutter beside a house. Turned out he was a French farmer who had lived there for 16 years and he appeared very much at home, quite content in his envoirnment- and i didnt blame him in such a nautrally beautiful place hillside- quiet, green and lush spice forests. He told me the way to the mountaintop so i figured i would continue- and was very glad afterwards that i did. Up along a very narrow path, stepping up stone terraces in the jungle like spice plantations, under palm leaves along a creek bed, eventually coming to some rudimentary huts near the top of the hill- very friendly family there- lady deftly carrying a large bucket balanced on here head- we shared a few smiles and a photo before i contnued up - to be stunned by the paradisical panorama that presented itself to me- mountains and hills rolling into the distance- covered in forst- houses and villagers, towns nestled among the greend hills, the periyar lake snaking its way around in between the hills to the south, larger mountains to the east in Tamil Nadu, a 360 degree view at sunset, the highest peak around, it turned out randomly that this was the best place i could possibly have gotten to for 50kms, i was the only person at the top - a viewing tower to myself-i felt very lucky and meditated in peace and solitude for a few moments as the sun retreat below the distant horizon.



The national park though- gladly having developed along the path of eco-tourism - the authorities had neglected to provide any kind of activities for a budget indpenedant traveller like me- all activities inside the park had to be guided- including walks- and the entry price for foreigners was more and 1000% of the indian price- i felt like id be getting a sterile jungle experience- plus it was a weekend aand full of local tourists so wouldnt be much chgance of quiet 'communion with nature' so i decided to pass on the park itself and di some more exploring around by bicycle instead. Found a forested area and trkked on into the bush after i spotted a group of black langurs (i had first seen these creatures on a cycle to the tribal museum in ooty- that was 1st wild sighting). Folowed the monkeys up a hill through thick forest, saw some other small mammals, birds and got amongst the plants, earth and trees in the diverse and colourful forest- this was a good enough experience of the park for me! Rode on through some more tradtional villagers just ouside the park- seeing the tradtional huts, bamboo set up of homes and got into an argument with an arrogant park warden who was on thin ground when he feigned at threatening me with his rifle. Apparently i was in a restricted area but the gate was wide open - signs in Tamil- when i tried to discuss things with him he acted like he didnt need a reason. I guess this small guy wanted to feel superior (a common disease). Anyway, It was a pleasant afternoon exploring.

The next day i got the bus (2 buses) back to Kochi for my train the next day. Caught up on a couple of sights seeing the inside of the synagoue and admiring the wonderful painted fresoces inside the dutch palace in Matancheerry- including a very suggestive painting of Krishna with 6 arms put to full use with 6 loving gopis. Othwerwise equal emphasis on Siva and Vishnu at this palace. The night i arrived in Kochi i also caught up with a travelling friend- Mukti from Mandu. Meeting up with him at a local temple, there was an unexpected surprise when i wandered for a casual look into the temple grounds after 11pm, when to my amazement an elaborate, colorful and noisy temple ceremony- (more like a festival!) was going on. 7 huge male tusked elephants, colorfully painted with flowers and with gold plated headeress flowng down their trunks, on each sat 3 solemn looking men dressed in white robes and carrying large white tassles of hair and wheel shaped symbols. Ahead of them was an orchestra of painted men in only trousers with drums, flutes, symbols, and long curved trumpets- playing a in a deep, thumping and hynoptic rythm that gradually gained in intensity, with the attendants on elephant back performing standing and circular waving motions with tassles and circular symbols in time to the music beat. There was a pattern to the ceremonies as we circled around the temple and repeated the dose- An annual festival, this had been going on for hours, and continued the following day (i visited again)- with different numbers of elephants according to the stage of the ceremony, and joined by a choir of small children. The music was earthy and mesmirisingly powerful, it seemed to reach in to the insides and shake them into action. This is a way of cleansing the temple each year and scaring away evil spirits. Little notice was taken of the few foreign visitors as we stared on in wonder- ahhh, this is the India that fascinates me!
It was a fun and smooth overnight train to Chennai (though departing 1 hr late). had some interesting chats the following morning with 2 girls moving to Chennai to work for an IT company, and a couple of gents who were returning from the huge pilgramiage to Sabriamala temple. This pilgrimage has massive attendances- 30 million people travelled there over 2 days this year (no kidding!). They go to view a sacred jyorthilingam - a flickering flame that magically appears in a forest clearing every year on a certain day and time- these 2 chaps swore they had seen it every time on their numerous trips to this festival. The legend behind this sacred place surrounds a child born of two male parents (co-incidentally these two men on the train kept talking about both of 'their' son, and women are not allowed on this pilgrimage- geez, what goes on there?) shiva and vishnu- who took a female form in order to give birth to ayappa. There is also a female goddess worshipped at the site who is said to have gained moksha- and risen to the abode of gods- through her penance, dedication to god and chatisty. Are they trying to say that 2 men make good parents? Can't answer this one.
Think this post is long enough already! Could go on with more topics and discussions of travelling in India, the country's imperial legacy & stories of folks ive met, bit ill have to leave it their for now.
Next post i will give the the stories from Mamallapuram and Chennai- though im already passed them and on to Kolkata now! tomorrow off to good old Bangkok- soon will be meeting 2 Melbourne mates and heading to beaches, jungles, so more stories to come there.
Take care and peace be with us friends!