Welcome to south India- join me for a sample of the delights of Bangalore, Mysore and Ooty in this latest blogging tirade.
So i last wrote from Bangalore, after a day of discoveries there- but neglected to put these in the last entry- So here goes!
Bangalore- capital of Karnataka state- Imagine a city of 6 million people- the 5th largest city in India, home of cutting-edge e-age industries and ground zero of the outsourcing boom- Think of those strange accented and insistent telemarketers that promote obscure merchandise and seem to call at the most awkward times- you are probably speaking to a Bangalaru (as the locals call themselves)! This business has brought alot of prosperity (relatively) to the city, and nowadays one can walk down busy streets full of fashionably dressed and acessorised young people, past lines of brightly lit big brand clothing, fashion, sports shops, fast food chains, air con shoppin malls and high rise commercial buildings. On the other hand there is still some very dingy streets and run-down areas, beggars etc.
A bit of fun was had in the morning i went out to explore some sights, planning to do some long walks in-between locations- when quite a cheap rickshaw fare offered tempted me to take the easier option in the searing heat. However we flew past the destination we agreed on - and when i protested to the driver- feigning to jump out of the rickshaw at full speed- he offered a 'free drop' if i just visited one shop for 5 minutes. I was familiar with this scam though, and upon further enquiry he addmitted to me that he gets free petrol for dropping me at a shop (though i reckon he may just get cash in this case). Anyway it seemed a harmless enough exercise and despite my protestations it looked like the only way i could get the guy to drop me where i wanted to go(!)- so i figured i would dust off my bollywood skills and pretend to be interested for a few minutes in this one shop. In the shop it turned out there was no very 'hard sell' for the overpriced goods beyond the repeated and gradually more insistent attempt at power of suggestion, but after escaping this shop unscathed (financially too!) i didnt predict that the rickshaw driver would try to pull another shifty- insisting 'only one more shop' this time offering me a free drop to anywhere in the city and cash in hand to boot! My greedy deal swinging instincts were overcome by common sense this time and i jumped out soon as we slowed in traffic ( luckily in a one-way street)- though i kinda liked the idea of swindling these exortionate false 'government shops' in tandem with this rickshaw man, i had things to do, places to see. So i found my way to MG- commercial hub amazed at the posh style shops, then went for a long 4km walk past old govts buildings, parks and new freeway overpasses to the extensive lalbagh botanic gardens in the south of the city- lakes, flower gardens, tropical plants massive old trees, couples, families and groups entertaining themselves leisurely. I met a young guy from orissa there who was doing his own sightseeing so we decided to cruise to a few places together. Cubben park, the colonial supreme court, majestic and huge dravidian style government house and the central market were on the agenda. I have to say that the reputation bangloreans have for being friendly was upheld by my experiences- a nice introduction to South India and the more relaxed inter-personal feel.
Visiting Mysore brought back many pleasing childhood memories from Jan 1994 when i visited here with family, though this time of course i couldnt afford anything like the extravagantly sized rooms we stayed in then. The city has apparently also progressed well since then, with a sense of dynamism about the place, a fleet of flash new AC public buses zipping around town, new fancy buildings, good signage, many new cars on the streets. I Returned by public bus for a visit to the massive monolithic stone bull on Chamundi hill beside mysore, also visiting the nearby sacred hilltop temple to goddess Durga, where pilgrims are processed orderly through gates. Nearby the Durga temple i discovered a 'museum of god' in a strange lookin building, my first impression were positive, with peaceful, ecumenial messages. It turned out this was a place promoting 'Rajayoga'. However i was a touch put off by the attendants proclamations of absolute truth in only one god- named shiva, he also promised the reward for practitioners of being reborn as a king- surely an selfish/elitist philiosophy!
Was also lucky to be in town on sunday for the palace viewing all lit up by 20,000 odd globes- very majestic, pleasant atmosphere amongst the crowds of locals and visitors.
people in mysore were very friendly- got a free motorcycle lift back to the city off one fitness keen chap who i met jogging down the hill- he was proud to tell me about his work for the central government customs department- don't think this nice chap asks for too many bribes! Also played cricket with some young and enthusiatic local guys, very friendly too- most of them uni graduates and studying for MBAs and such- too bad the boys cricket grounds were were squashed and displaced by the cities 'progress' as new developments sprang up!
from Mysore to Ooty- a hill station at 2240m in the north western corner of tamil Nadu state this was an altogether different destination. The climbing 5 hour journey gave some awesome views across the plains and to other distant mountain ranges, and we also passed the mudumalai national park in the corner of 3 states- thick forests, lush greenery, saw a herd of spotted deer by the roadside and momentarily regretted not staying over in this place- but on i had to go. In Ooty there were many relics of the time when this was a mountain escape for colonial blow-in's unused to the Indian heat- mansions, gardens planted with European plants, trees- oaks, flowers etc. visited a mountaintop- doodabetta- the highest mountain in southern india for a magnificent view over hills, forests, valleys and plain covering several states of India. The Botanic gardens was attractive and popular with the many local tourists on jan 1 - but the minority Toda group village was human-zoo like (complete with drunken tribal man mumbling aggressively) when compared to the fascinating tribal museum and research centre that i visited the following day- many insights into the diverse origins and unusual practices of the 8 main identified tribal minority groups of Southern India. On Jan 1 i was lucky enough to meet some lovely girls from Mizoram in NE India while in the botanic gardens, they were here for work training and i spent the next couple of evening hanging out with them. Interesting to hear about the life and situation up in the Northeast-e.g. these girls were christian looked Thai/Vietnamese/Chinese and spoke a language (the native language of Mizoram) that sounded like Canto.
the forested hills, lake and mountainsides gave Ooty a somehwat romantic quality (i was affected by it too!)- not lost on the many Indian honeymooners who could be seen there, and the place also had a very much leisure oriented vibe- many families too in fun parks riding colourful plastic cars and planes, jumping castles etc. A highlight was the slow mini-steam train journey down out of the monutains througfh other small towns and villages and with glorious views of valleys and cliffs, birds monkeys around- for 3.5 hours to travel 46km it felt like the right speed to enjoy the view (kinda like cycling). Sat beside another gorup of very friendly and charming Jain people from gujarat who endearned themselves to me with theirt conversation and manners- so many of the nicest people i have met in India have been Jain!
2 regular train rides later and i arrived in kochi- capital of kerala state- the following morning.
first place i stayed and visited was Fort Kochi for 2 nights- were the Portuguese, dutch and British had each taken their turn to rule and leave their mark on the town and its architecture. A popular tourist haunt- this place had many old churches, a dutch palace, fort ruins and uniquely had a 16th century synagogue- apparently jews had been prominent citizens of this area and given special status by the pre-colonial rulers. cycled around the main sites and also kept abreast of the test cricket results which ended up steeped in controversy........... The locals i spoke to were not at all happy about that one!
So i last wrote from Bangalore, after a day of discoveries there- but neglected to put these in the last entry- So here goes!
Bangalore- capital of Karnataka state- Imagine a city of 6 million people- the 5th largest city in India, home of cutting-edge e-age industries and ground zero of the outsourcing boom- Think of those strange accented and insistent telemarketers that promote obscure merchandise and seem to call at the most awkward times- you are probably speaking to a Bangalaru (as the locals call themselves)! This business has brought alot of prosperity (relatively) to the city, and nowadays one can walk down busy streets full of fashionably dressed and acessorised young people, past lines of brightly lit big brand clothing, fashion, sports shops, fast food chains, air con shoppin malls and high rise commercial buildings. On the other hand there is still some very dingy streets and run-down areas, beggars etc.
A bit of fun was had in the morning i went out to explore some sights, planning to do some long walks in-between locations- when quite a cheap rickshaw fare offered tempted me to take the easier option in the searing heat. However we flew past the destination we agreed on - and when i protested to the driver- feigning to jump out of the rickshaw at full speed- he offered a 'free drop' if i just visited one shop for 5 minutes. I was familiar with this scam though, and upon further enquiry he addmitted to me that he gets free petrol for dropping me at a shop (though i reckon he may just get cash in this case). Anyway it seemed a harmless enough exercise and despite my protestations it looked like the only way i could get the guy to drop me where i wanted to go(!)- so i figured i would dust off my bollywood skills and pretend to be interested for a few minutes in this one shop. In the shop it turned out there was no very 'hard sell' for the overpriced goods beyond the repeated and gradually more insistent attempt at power of suggestion, but after escaping this shop unscathed (financially too!) i didnt predict that the rickshaw driver would try to pull another shifty- insisting 'only one more shop' this time offering me a free drop to anywhere in the city and cash in hand to boot! My greedy deal swinging instincts were overcome by common sense this time and i jumped out soon as we slowed in traffic ( luckily in a one-way street)- though i kinda liked the idea of swindling these exortionate false 'government shops' in tandem with this rickshaw man, i had things to do, places to see. So i found my way to MG- commercial hub amazed at the posh style shops, then went for a long 4km walk past old govts buildings, parks and new freeway overpasses to the extensive lalbagh botanic gardens in the south of the city- lakes, flower gardens, tropical plants massive old trees, couples, families and groups entertaining themselves leisurely. I met a young guy from orissa there who was doing his own sightseeing so we decided to cruise to a few places together. Cubben park, the colonial supreme court, majestic and huge dravidian style government house and the central market were on the agenda. I have to say that the reputation bangloreans have for being friendly was upheld by my experiences- a nice introduction to South India and the more relaxed inter-personal feel.
Visiting Mysore brought back many pleasing childhood memories from Jan 1994 when i visited here with family, though this time of course i couldnt afford anything like the extravagantly sized rooms we stayed in then. The city has apparently also progressed well since then, with a sense of dynamism about the place, a fleet of flash new AC public buses zipping around town, new fancy buildings, good signage, many new cars on the streets. I Returned by public bus for a visit to the massive monolithic stone bull on Chamundi hill beside mysore, also visiting the nearby sacred hilltop temple to goddess Durga, where pilgrims are processed orderly through gates. Nearby the Durga temple i discovered a 'museum of god' in a strange lookin building, my first impression were positive, with peaceful, ecumenial messages. It turned out this was a place promoting 'Rajayoga'. However i was a touch put off by the attendants proclamations of absolute truth in only one god- named shiva, he also promised the reward for practitioners of being reborn as a king- surely an selfish/elitist philiosophy!
Was also lucky to be in town on sunday for the palace viewing all lit up by 20,000 odd globes- very majestic, pleasant atmosphere amongst the crowds of locals and visitors.
people in mysore were very friendly- got a free motorcycle lift back to the city off one fitness keen chap who i met jogging down the hill- he was proud to tell me about his work for the central government customs department- don't think this nice chap asks for too many bribes! Also played cricket with some young and enthusiatic local guys, very friendly too- most of them uni graduates and studying for MBAs and such- too bad the boys cricket grounds were were squashed and displaced by the cities 'progress' as new developments sprang up!
from Mysore to Ooty- a hill station at 2240m in the north western corner of tamil Nadu state this was an altogether different destination. The climbing 5 hour journey gave some awesome views across the plains and to other distant mountain ranges, and we also passed the mudumalai national park in the corner of 3 states- thick forests, lush greenery, saw a herd of spotted deer by the roadside and momentarily regretted not staying over in this place- but on i had to go. In Ooty there were many relics of the time when this was a mountain escape for colonial blow-in's unused to the Indian heat- mansions, gardens planted with European plants, trees- oaks, flowers etc. visited a mountaintop- doodabetta- the highest mountain in southern india for a magnificent view over hills, forests, valleys and plain covering several states of India. The Botanic gardens was attractive and popular with the many local tourists on jan 1 - but the minority Toda group village was human-zoo like (complete with drunken tribal man mumbling aggressively) when compared to the fascinating tribal museum and research centre that i visited the following day- many insights into the diverse origins and unusual practices of the 8 main identified tribal minority groups of Southern India. On Jan 1 i was lucky enough to meet some lovely girls from Mizoram in NE India while in the botanic gardens, they were here for work training and i spent the next couple of evening hanging out with them. Interesting to hear about the life and situation up in the Northeast-e.g. these girls were christian looked Thai/Vietnamese/Chinese and spoke a language (the native language of Mizoram) that sounded like Canto.
the forested hills, lake and mountainsides gave Ooty a somehwat romantic quality (i was affected by it too!)- not lost on the many Indian honeymooners who could be seen there, and the place also had a very much leisure oriented vibe- many families too in fun parks riding colourful plastic cars and planes, jumping castles etc. A highlight was the slow mini-steam train journey down out of the monutains througfh other small towns and villages and with glorious views of valleys and cliffs, birds monkeys around- for 3.5 hours to travel 46km it felt like the right speed to enjoy the view (kinda like cycling). Sat beside another gorup of very friendly and charming Jain people from gujarat who endearned themselves to me with theirt conversation and manners- so many of the nicest people i have met in India have been Jain!
2 regular train rides later and i arrived in kochi- capital of kerala state- the following morning.
first place i stayed and visited was Fort Kochi for 2 nights- were the Portuguese, dutch and British had each taken their turn to rule and leave their mark on the town and its architecture. A popular tourist haunt- this place had many old churches, a dutch palace, fort ruins and uniquely had a 16th century synagogue- apparently jews had been prominent citizens of this area and given special status by the pre-colonial rulers. cycled around the main sites and also kept abreast of the test cricket results which ended up steeped in controversy........... The locals i spoke to were not at all happy about that one!
Sooooo…
Kerala has been quite paradisical- long sandy beaches, palm fringed backwaters, lush vegetation, relaxed atmosphere, clear blue sky, bright sun, smiling locals.
There is much to be said for Kerala as a destination for visitors- it is much more hospitable than other parts of India an eclectic culture and many interesting places to visit.
My first day in Kerala I traveled the length and breadth of an offshore island (linked by modern bridges) looking for accommodation- without success- but found much more in the shape of quiet palm-fringed beaches (I couldn’t believe there was so few hotels!) serene backwaters, dolphin watching from the ferry ride across the bay, a Christian ‘Jesus wisdom’ festival that packed out the streets so the bus could hardly squeeze through the crowds (haven’t seen a Christian event attracting those kind of crowds in Oz!)- illustrating the 19% population of Kerala that is Christian. In the words of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, Kerala is also Indias most ‘socially advanced’ state- with the highest literacy (93%), education and health ratings and one of the highest average incomes in the country- and some credit must be given to the communist government that has been in charge in Kerala for years. Just traveling the streets one gets a sense that there is a certain standard maintained, a basic dignity of existence and resources afforded to all citizens. Chatting to a young and bright staff (the most knowledgable youth I had met in India) at my hotel in the capital city (it felt more like a town) Kochi, there were some complaints of opportunities like the IT boom lost due to communist dogmatic hostility to Western (e.g. US) interests and such foreign investment, others i spoke to were more happy with the governments performance. I saw democracy in action on a couple of occasions with small street protests arguing for fairer resource allocation and job opportunities- i guess this comes from the literacy that people feel confident to assert their opinions. Many people were anxious to tell me (some rather insistently) that Kerala is ‘gods own country’ as the tourism slogan goes- it seems to have caught on!
A most enjoyable day was had while cycling through coastal villages outside of Kollam, swimming in some pristine and almost deserted beaches, schools of small flashing silver fish brushing against my legs in apparent curiousity, trying the local toddy (coconut liquor) brew that is very popular with local gents, visitng a tall lighthouse, lunching on a delicious seafood feast, visiting churches, temples and mosques and getting to know a few of the locals who seem to have a different outlook on life from other Indians I had met- perhaps it’s the weather and environment that just chills them out a touch.
Today visited a old palace of the Travancore (name during British era) kings- made all of wood, attractive, large, and cleverly designed and cool inside despite the heat- it featured a prayer room, bathing place, conference hall, bedroom, with coins, weapons and beautiful paintings on display.
Kerala has been quite paradisical- long sandy beaches, palm fringed backwaters, lush vegetation, relaxed atmosphere, clear blue sky, bright sun, smiling locals.
There is much to be said for Kerala as a destination for visitors- it is much more hospitable than other parts of India an eclectic culture and many interesting places to visit.
My first day in Kerala I traveled the length and breadth of an offshore island (linked by modern bridges) looking for accommodation- without success- but found much more in the shape of quiet palm-fringed beaches (I couldn’t believe there was so few hotels!) serene backwaters, dolphin watching from the ferry ride across the bay, a Christian ‘Jesus wisdom’ festival that packed out the streets so the bus could hardly squeeze through the crowds (haven’t seen a Christian event attracting those kind of crowds in Oz!)- illustrating the 19% population of Kerala that is Christian. In the words of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, Kerala is also Indias most ‘socially advanced’ state- with the highest literacy (93%), education and health ratings and one of the highest average incomes in the country- and some credit must be given to the communist government that has been in charge in Kerala for years. Just traveling the streets one gets a sense that there is a certain standard maintained, a basic dignity of existence and resources afforded to all citizens. Chatting to a young and bright staff (the most knowledgable youth I had met in India) at my hotel in the capital city (it felt more like a town) Kochi, there were some complaints of opportunities like the IT boom lost due to communist dogmatic hostility to Western (e.g. US) interests and such foreign investment, others i spoke to were more happy with the governments performance. I saw democracy in action on a couple of occasions with small street protests arguing for fairer resource allocation and job opportunities- i guess this comes from the literacy that people feel confident to assert their opinions. Many people were anxious to tell me (some rather insistently) that Kerala is ‘gods own country’ as the tourism slogan goes- it seems to have caught on!
A most enjoyable day was had while cycling through coastal villages outside of Kollam, swimming in some pristine and almost deserted beaches, schools of small flashing silver fish brushing against my legs in apparent curiousity, trying the local toddy (coconut liquor) brew that is very popular with local gents, visitng a tall lighthouse, lunching on a delicious seafood feast, visiting churches, temples and mosques and getting to know a few of the locals who seem to have a different outlook on life from other Indians I had met- perhaps it’s the weather and environment that just chills them out a touch.
Today visited a old palace of the Travancore (name during British era) kings- made all of wood, attractive, large, and cleverly designed and cool inside despite the heat- it featured a prayer room, bathing place, conference hall, bedroom, with coins, weapons and beautiful paintings on display.
Even in Kerala though, where women are more respected and given greater role in society (they even feel free to smile, and, shock horror- giggle in public on occasion!!), i have to say that rules of interpersonal (esp. with strangers) relations seem ruled by male force as opposed to female principle. When im travelling in new countries, i like to tap in to the local customs, habits, manners, to break down the insider/outsider barriers, but this has been a challenge here- there are few patterns of politness or common niceities that i can ascertain. Itseems as close to chaos or anarachy as any human society that i have experienced. As an independent traveller, it is testing, as without these basic principles of reasonable conduct to fall back upon, i feel like i need to be 'ready for battle' at all times, and this creates some stress, combined with the communication, time and money pressures, travelling here can be unpleasant. This is no denunciation of India though- she is a vast and immeasurably diverse land, of course general criticisms hardly suffice, and time may tell if governments and society succeed in breaking down caste traditions and instilling mass literacy- these obvious barriers to human fulfillment can be removed- but with the pressures of neo-liberal globalisation (money and GDP growth ahead of social outcomes), not to mention traditionalist and communalist politics (a resurgent Hindutva movement and BJP party) this potential for progress is hardly a foregone conclusion. Let us pray for India!
next i will tell you about more about Kollam, Kanyakumari and Varkala (where i am now) and should have some stories from the deep and wild jungles of Periyar sanctuary too!
see you next time!
next i will tell you about more about Kollam, Kanyakumari and Varkala (where i am now) and should have some stories from the deep and wild jungles of Periyar sanctuary too!
see you next time!
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