12th February 2012

Today was our last day in Mumbai and it was a very busy one.  After having breakfast with Vera and Chris, we went back to our room to pack and get ready.  This being India, the plans made yesterday to have a car and driver at our disposal all day fell through. The taxi driver Willie had contacted, cancelled at the last minute and we just found out when we called Willie.  Oh well, the plans of mice and men ....

Once ready, we checked out of the YWCA and they refunded us our last night which would have been tonight.  It was not even difficult, they did not make a fuss at all.  Willie came over (just because he is such a nice guy) and helped carry our luggage to a taxi and off we went to Bandra where Maria (Willie's wife) expected us. I had written to Maria at Christmas for so many years but had never met her in person.  It is really nice to put a face to her name.  She is a very warm and friendly person and we immediately felt at ease in her presence.  We also got to meet their daughter Paloma.  What a pretty girl!  We just dropped our belongings there and went to visit some friends we had not seen in ages.  Cecil and Sheila were very happy to see us and so were we.  They are getting older now and it broke my heart when, as we were leaving, Cecil gave me a big warm hug and said "this is the last time we see each other".

I have so often said that life is hard in India.  The cities are so dirty, the traffic so terrible that no one can really walk in a relaxed fashion, the sidewalks are non-existent for the most part but, the people are so kind.  No one is rude to you when you ask for directions. Example:  we got in a rickshaw to go to Cecil and Sheila's place.  We remembered they lived on Prof. Almeida Road but, once there, could not recognize their building.  Some young men noticed us and immediately came to us and asked if they could help.  We called our friends and one of them talked to them.  They then told us where to go and even offered to walk there with us.


After our visit with Cecil and Sheila, we got into another rickshaw and met Lynnette and Benjamen who were taking us out to lunch at the Bandra Gymkahna.  We had a really lovely time with them.  We had not seen Benjamen since l989 and Lynnette, some years later when she came to Ottawa with her parents to celebrate Mum and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary.  Somehow, all these people don't seem to age.  From there, we went on to visit another cousin and her family, Leonie, Nitin, Semoline his wife and Nandita.  Again, we had not seen them since 1989 when Nandita was about 4 years old and Nitin a bit older.  By then the traffic in Bandra was so incredible, that we walked back to Willie's place to pick up our luggage and drive to the Santa Cruz Gymkahna for dinner. 

Dinner was really very nice.  We were touched to see that everyone came happily to be with us on our last evening in India.  We even got to meet Christine, Selwyn and Vera's youngest daughter, the only one still living at home, and Karl and Sean, Giles and Vida's sons.   We found it so nice of these young people to even want to come and meet some distant cousins from Canada.  The whole get together was very pleasant and it was with a sad heart that we had to get ourselves ready to leave.  I have to say that we had invited everyone to this dinner, 17 of us in all, including Chris and Vera. When it was time to pay for it, Vera and Selwyn never let us even see the bill.  Thank you so much was all that we could say.

It was now 11pm and getting a taxi was quite the job.  Willie seems to be an expert at this.  The boys never let us even pick-up our luggage.  After innumerable hugs, we had to say goodbye to everyone and be on our way.  The whole evening was the perfect finale for our Indian holiday.

Getting to the airport was terrible, Mumbai really never sleeps. The traffic was horrendous and I really though we would be late.  We made it on time and the long flight home was uneventful.  We had plenty of time to replay our day and to wish that our family was not spread out so far away.

11th February 2012

We woke up this morning in our newer room and were happy to find that there was "Annual Sports Day" at Campion School.  As I mentioned yesterday, our 4th floor balcony overlooks their sport field so we had  the best seat in the house, better than the parents view since they are sitting on chairs at ground level. The boys range from very young to teens.  They all wear different colored shorts depending on their standards (grade level).  The scene was so joyous and so colorful with white, red, yellow, green, blue shorts and white school T-Shirt.  Bernie was brought right back to his school years at Mount-Abu where they also had an Annual Sports Day.  We decided to call Chris who is also an Abu boy and he also came to take in the the happy event.

After breakfast with Vera and Chris, we went back to the Taj to see Willie while our friends went off on their own as we needed to fix our problem.  What we will do tomorrow is, with Willie's help, we will get a car and driver to pick us up in  town and take us to Bandra.  He will stay with us until we go to the airport so we will have a place for our luggage.  Hopefully, we will  be able to visit a few people during the afternoon.   We all meet at 7 PM at the Santa Cruz Gymkhana.

Ouf! what a relief, it all seems to be working out.

After all this was settled, we walked for a couple of hours, all the way to Flora Fountain and back, and then went for a bite to eat in an AC restaurant.  Chris and Vera are going out to dinner this evening with Chris' cousin and his family and we will be meeting an Abu boy, Aloysius (Datch), for dinner.

We are back and dinner was very nice.  Aloysius picked us up and took us to a place where you can have a Thali. Everything was quite tasty and, the servers  kept refilling our Thal until we said we had enough and could not eat anymore.  It was of course all vegetarian with all kinds of bean dishes, my favorite Thoran cabbage, eggplant, okra and much more.  There also served us many different kinds of breads like chapatti, paratha, puri, naan and others I cannot name.  We decided not to get Aloysius to drive us back. since we needed the walk.  It turned out to be a very short walk but had been quite a long drive in heavy traffic to get there.  We are now getting ourselves ready for our last day tomorrow which will be a long one since we will have no real sleep for probably close to 48 hours (almost 20 hours before our flight and another 20+ in transit). I really am getting too old for these grueling flights

I am sure you are all waiting for Lynanne and Lloyd's contribution describing their trip to Delhi and Agra.  I know I am.

Next entry from us, Danielle and Bernie, will be from our home in Ottawa, after having some rest.

10th February 2012

Our first night in Mumbai was uneventful.  Mumbai is a big city and big cities in India are often just too congested, too loud and too dirty.  I had really hoped for changes in the last 24 years but, from what I can see, there has not been much improvement.  Of course, there are the new roads made wider, taking over sidewalks in the process.  It leaves all pedestrians fighting for their lives every time they want to go anywhere.  No one can  ever go out with a stroller or for a pleasant walk with their children.  There is absolutely no place to walk.  Every sidewalk has been commandeered by some business or other or is in a state of disrepair.    There are dogs everywhere.  They are not aggressive at all.  They all seem so hungry and so tired and in great need of a nice flee killing shampoo and a good bath.  They sleep in the middle of the place and everyone walks around them.  I feel sorry for anyone with any physical disability.  The curbs are often a foot high so one must jump off it to get down, at least if one is as short legged as I am.  Maybe I am starting to miss my home and my loved ones which is why this city has lost it's appeal for me.

Our room at the YWCA was not what we had reserved 6 months ago so we mentioned it at the reception desk this morning and we were given a much larger one with a view of the Campion Boys School play area. Bernie insists on my describing it as the garden behind the school.  That is the shortcut they used when he was young to get from Maher Mansion to Woodhouse Church.  It has now been converted into a very large playing field made of brown earth.

There area couple of Kites (very large hawk style birds) making a nest outside our window.  They build it out of twigs and it is a very messy and ugly nest.  Since it does not rain here for months at a time, the trees are covered with a layer of brown soil dust which probably gets cleaned out during the monsoon season.

After our complimentary breakfast, we went to the Taj Hotel to meet our cousin Willie.  We had not seen him in 24 years and it was so nice to see him again. Our friends who had been to India this past year, had come to say hello to him from us and taken his picture so we recognized him immediately.  He was very helpful in providing us with every one's phone number so we could organize to meet all of them for dinner on the 12th since we are leaving on the 13th.  Talking about our departure, we decided to check our return ticket only to find out we had gotten muddled.  The dinner with our relatives is organized for the 12th evening and we have just now realized that we do leave on the 13th but at 2:30 AM which means we have booked and paid for an extra night here.  We will have to sort this out, check out on the 12th by noon and organize ourselves differently.  We will not be coming back in town after this dinner as we will already be half way to the airport.  Give you more details tomorrow when we have sorted them out.

Later on, we met with Chris and Vera and spent the evening with them. We had not seen them in a long time and it was nice to catch up with each other's lives again.   After dinner, we went to the Kala Godha Festival close by and after a nightcap at a local restaurant/bar, we said goodnight.  We will meet them at 8:30 for breakfast.  Another day has gone by getting us closer to our return home.

It will be nice to meet all our relatives Sunday evening for a drink and dinner.  We just have to iron out all the details.

9th February 2012

Today, we got ourselves organized to leave for the last leg of our trip.  We (meaning Bernie) also took more pictures of  the owls who came back to their favorite roost.  How lucky for us to be in this beautiful home, at the right time to see these two beautiful birds.
Our breakfast was quite nice and very varied.  There was the South Indian component but also some French Toasts, toasts and jam, scrambled egg and fruit. 

Kumar is also an amateur photographer so he and Bernie had a lot to chat about. 

Later on, he very kindly offered to drive us to the first stop of the coach going to the airport but before that, they shared some delicious samosas with us and a nice piece of homemade chocolate cake .  It was all delicious and an added bonus since this was suppose to be a B&B sort of arrangement.  Pauline gave me her email address when she found out I was a born baker.  I will be sending her some recipes when I get home.  They really are lovely people.

We did not realize that this bus was not an express bus to the airport but rather a milk route to the airport.  It took almost 2 hours to get there and we arrived at 3:20 for a 4 o'clock flight.  As luck would have it, our flight was delayed about 30 minutes so it all worked out for the best. 

Kumar, if you read this, thank you again for everything.

We landed in Mumbai around 6:30 but, despite an rather aggressive cab driver, we made it here by 7:30.  We came by the new Worli Sea Link Bridge.  It greatly reduced the drive time to town and we were happy to see this new engineering marvel.

We are finally catching up with this blog since the have WiFi here.

 Tomorrow, we will meet with our friends Chis and Vera who have come from Mangalore.  They will also be visiting their relatives here in Mumbai. 

8th February 2012

Today was our last day together as traveling partners.  Lloyd and Lynanne left for Delhi and we headed for Fort Kochi.  Our drive together was sort of sad.  No one wanted to say goodbye not knowing when we would have the chance to meet again.  The adventure had been so much fun, never an argument or a misunderstanding.  Our goodbyes at the airport were warm but short and sweet.  Lynanne and I knew that tears could show up at any moment.  We promised each other that we would visit and I do hope it works out.  We do live thousands of miles (kms for us) away.  There is always Skype in the meantime.

We were pleasantly surprised to see our new homestay Sui House which was a heritage building, nicely renovated and beautifully furnished with colonial furniture.  Pauline and Kumar  were really nice to us.  After showing us to our room which also comprised a nice living room, he came to chat with us.  He showed us that right outside our door lived 2 small owls.  I was so excited to finally see owls in their own habitat.  They are Pallid Scops Owls, they are about 22cm and are truly beautiful.  They stay in that tree all day until dusk and then leave for the night.  They come back in the early morning and remain there once again.  Later on we went and asked our host about restaurants and, after naming a few, they changed their minds and invited us to share their lunch.  It was delicious and very pleasant to continue chatting with them.  They told us about an Ayurvedic Center next door where one can go for a massage.  We ceased the opportunity and both went for it.  It was very relaxing.  The rest of our day was spent walking around the place, taking pictures of the owls and chatting Anna, our hosts' daughter.   We do miss Lloyd and Lynanne. They would love this place.

Tomorrow, we leave for Mumbai.

7th February 2012

Yesterday had been so great that we got up early this morning and got ready for an earlier version of yesterday.  Our captain arrived promptly at 7 a.m. and we were ready to walk with him to the boat jetty.  Bernie asked him if he would be taking us on different canals and he nodded with a smile as we pulled away from the dock.  We passed dozens of much bigger houseboats, docked and preparing the breakfast for their guests.  We even saw someone sleeping in his bed.  I guess that passenger will be late for breakfast.  Unfortunately, the canal got wider and we found ourselves on the lake.  It was quite relaxing but there was very little to see.  Let this be a lesson to all who try to relieve a great experience a second time, it usually does not work out.  After a couple of hours, we turned into a narrower canal and things got to be better but not as good as the previous day.

When we came back, we went to look for a car cell phone charger.  We stopped at this little place packed to the gunnel from floor to ceiling.  They finally found what we needed, outside in a suitcase (after searching through several). Where they to sell this suitcase, they would take all their stock out of it and find another place to store it all.   India being India, the said charger comes with so many adapters that it is capable to charge any cell phone known to man and all for about $3.00.

Today, we had both our lunch and dinner at the same place as our dinner last night.  We went somewhere else before but they did not have anything we were ordering. We decided to leave and went back to the Concordia Hotel for the evening buffet.

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

6 February 2012

WOW! It is 5 AM and the loud speakers outside, a few feet from our window have come on.  We both bolted up, heart pounding and then I burst out laughing almost as loud as the music outside.  At the same time as the Hindu music, came the Muslim call to prayer.  ONLY IN INDIA!  Needless to say, no point trying to sleep after this. We got ready for our cruise on the backwaters and went down to breakfast with Matthew and his mother Mary.  Our captain showed up precisely at 8 AM as planned and we walked to the jetty where we boarded our boat.

The boat was fairly wide, covered at the top and open all around.  It was outfitted with comfortable armchairs and loungers.  The day was cloudy and cool and promised to be a very pleasant experience.  We traveled through wide and narrow canals, passing innumerable multi-bedroom houseboats all returning from their overnight trips. Hopefully, in time, Bernie will post pictures.  The canals provided a snapshot of daily rural life in Allapuzha.  There was the usual washing of clothes and of pots and pans, the bathing of children, the cooking of meals, the children waiting for their school boat, all dressed in their different uniforms.  The whole experience was wonderful, so much so, that we are repeating it tomorrow, only earlier.  At one point, our captain stopped at a canal side restaurant where Bernie and Lloyd were brave enough to sample the local fare served on a banana leaf, probably washed in the river.  Lynanne and I abstained and had bananas.  On our way out, a friendly eagle perched on our shoulder and posed for pictures. 

On our return, we sat on the patio bombarded by the loud music.  There were several electricity interruptions (very common in India) and each  provided a brief respite from the din throughout the afternoon. It was the first time during this trip that we welcomed  these power outages

After the boys had their mandatory King Fisher beer, we all walked to the local Acadia hotel for an Indian Buffet.  On our return, this being the last evening of the festivities, our little dirt road was lined with oil lamps to welcome the procession of worshippers.  There were people of all ages, decked out in their finery and all the little girls looked really cute.  There was drumming, singing, dancing and fireworks.  We were invited to join everyone in the temple and partake in the festivities.   We had a great time  and are all happy for the experience.  It was worth the price of the noise.  Tomorrow morning at 5 AM we should only hear the Muslim call to prayer.

Meet you again on our next post..

5 February 2012

Our holiday is just flying by and we are still getting along great, this for all of you who doubted this would work.  Today, we left the Tabernacle Home Stay.  I must say, all these people who invite us into their home and their lives have left a deep impact on me, and I leave each homestay with a twinge of regret.  Our ride arrived at 9:00AM, and within the hour we were on our way to Allapuzha or Alleppey as it is known in English. Our destination is Anaya's Pampathreem Homestay in the village of Kanjippadam. We tried to contact Vinit at Anaya's several time during our trip, but were unsuccessful, while we thought it was a bit strange, we didn't think much more of it. When we finally got to Allapuzha, our driver had some difficulty finding the place, but was pointed in the direction of a very modest house where we were greeted by Vishal who gave us a little spiel on how Anaya's is actually a community of homestays, and let us to a double set of rooms furnished with a bed only. It was impossible to leave the door or window open because of the mosquitoes.   The structure was just a wooden one inside and out.  There was a bathroom with no hot water. The biggest problem with these two cabins was that they were located beside a pool of stagnant water, a short distance from another small house where we were to have our meals.   The thought of spending an evening there was rather discouraging.  We would have to retire inside very early because of the mosquitoes, knowing that there was nothing in the room but a bed and even worst, no window.

We all knew that this was not was we reserved.  We had confirmation for 2 rooms, one with AC and one without.  The pictures we had seen were totally different.  We were being duped.  Bernie called Anil from the Royal Mist in Munnar, asking him for the phone number of Venice Castle, a place Lynanne had reserved early in the planning. Recently, the owner, Matthew, had been very kind and told us that he had been informed that, at the time of our stay with him, there would be a Hindu Festival at the temple next door. The loud music would start at 5AM and end around midnight.  He told us to feel free to cancel, which we did. Well, believe it or not, after talking to Anil, Matthew contacted us and drove about 30 minutes to come and pick us up from this hell hole we found ourselves in.  We had two rescuers that day.  Thank you Anil and Matthew.

We went back to the person who had sold us the bill of goods to tell him we were leaving and he then admitted that they were overbooked and were going to give us our original rooms the next day.  True or not, we will never know.  I told him that next time he should be honest and tell the truth and explain the situation.  We might have been more inclined to rough it knowing it was only for one night.
We were so relieved to arrive here in this beautiful home and Matthew was such a nice person. We immediately felt the stress leave us and began to breath a sigh of relief.  It must be said that he was not lying about the festival,  the music is so loud you cannot hear yourself think but it is not unpleasant.  This is India  after all.  The festivities end tomorrow night.

After an ordinary dinner out, we were happy to get into bed since we had planned a boat ride for the next morning.

Good night all of you.

4 February 2001

Once again we are up at the crack of dawn with the noise of the Dobi Wallas and the temple music which seems quite lively today.  The plan today is to go for a nature walk around the dam and reservoir on the Periyar River.

We left before breakfast with our three hosts, in 2 rickshaws and our first stop was at a solid but wobbly suspension bridge which made some of us sort of uncomfortable.  Since we could see the water below through the footpath, we able to see all the ladies doing their laundry and engaging in their daily ablutions.

Our second stop was at the reservoir.  The walk there was very picturesque going through a little village complete with chicks, chickens and roosters, goats and papaya trees.  The villagers were doing their chores but happy to welcome us with warm smiles.  During the walk, we saw beautiful birds but none as beautiful as the Kingfisher.  It is absolutely magnificent with an iridescent blue back, brown plumage at the side and full white belly.  One never gets tired of watching it and taking its picture if one can.  There was also a few kinds of herons there, happy to parade for us.

Coming back, the gate at that end of the reservoir was locked so we had to go around through a field and climb over and back down a stone wall with the help of Bernie and Pastor Binou.  We all had a good laugh knowing that poor Lucy was not exactly in her element.  Don't get me wrong, with my bad knee, I needed as much help as she did.  By then, Molly who had stayed behind was waiting for us close by.  We managed to all get back to the rickshaws uninjured and come back home for a nice breakfast consisting of a sort of curried stew, idlies, toast and fruit.  After breakfast we took a few pictures as Lucy was to leave later in the morning. We had been planning to do some shopping so after Lucy left, we went into town and shopped for a couple of hours.  Surprisingly, there is a mall in this town, something I had never seen in India.  Of course, it has been 26 years since my last visit.  None of the other towns we have visited were as big as this one. Kochi might have been but we stayed in Fort Kochi and never made it to the congested downtown area.   I forgot to mention that Lucy was returning home today and she came out fully dolled up in a beautiful sari because she was going to a church service on her way home.  We all crowded up on the patio for pictures.

Upon  our return, lunch was awaiting and once again, we all sat down together to enjoy another South Indian meal.  A few hours later, Bibi, our young chef showed up with a platter of fried egg sandwiches and tea.  Lynanne and I would have no part in this snack but, needless to say, Lloyd and Bernie savoured every bite.

After an afternoon relaxing and catching up on emails and blog, we engaged in interesting conversation with Pastor Binou and Molly.  Before we knew it, dinner showed up.   We ate with less gusto and went to bed knowing that we would have to leave the next morning. 

3 February 2012

Here we are just 10 days away from our return home.  Thinking about this during the night instead of sleeping, I realized that we had not really given our readers a good taste of what India is all about on a daily basis.

India is a country of extremes that assault the senses in every possible way.  The sights are outlandish, the smells overpowering, the noise deafening and the food is a kaleidoscope of flavours. Here in Thodupuzha  sleeping in the morning is an impossible dream.  The traffic noise never really stops through the night.  Every morning, in the pitch of darkness, (sun rises between 6:45/7:00) the locals come to the river to do their washing.  They slap their clothes on some nice flat rocks after soaping them and again after rinsing them.  The noise is sort of like if someone was hammering but much more muffled. The temple music starts blaring at 5 a.m.  It is quite close by and at times a bit much for that time of day.   The people are all so friendly.  Just a smile and a good morning will plaster a warm smile on their faces.  We do not speak Malayalam which, at times, makes it difficult to communicate. Believe it or not, our hosts, all 3 of them, accompany us everywhere not matter how early we depart.  One day we got up at 4:30 and they all come with us.  They seem to be enjoying themselves.  I know we are enjoying their company.

Malabar Grey Hornbill

We were up at 4:30a.m. for a 5 o'clock departure by car to go to the Thattakad Bird Sanctuary.  After an hour, we got there but it was still dark.  Our guide Vinod showed up a bit later and off we were, binoculars and cameras at the ready complete with bird books.  The boys donned their Tilley Hats, what a sight!  Just picture this and don't laugh too much. Some of the birds we saw were the Scarlet Minivet, the Malabar Grey Hornbill, the beautiful White Throated Kingfisher, the Racket Tailed Drongo and  many others.  At one point, we stopped at a little house in the sanctuary and were offered sandwiches, hard boiled eggs with tea,prepared by our home stay.  Some of you may know coriander sandwiches, they were delicious.  We then drove to a different section of the SalimAli Bird Sanctuary. 



Tribal man and his tree-house



Evidence of  wild elephants.

There, we were introduced to a tribal elderly man living by himself in a treehouse for the last 6 years.  Apparently\ wild elephants routinely damage his house so he had lit a fire to drive them away.  Evidence of the wild elephant can be seen all over the park.  See picture. 

Just ahead of there, we were shown a Sri Lankan Frogmouth.  We would never have spotted it in a million years.  It was nestled on a stuby little branch, just large enough for it and the nest  it was sitting on.  It is a very rare bird and the fact that we were so lucky to see it, thrilled all of us.

Believe it or not, our guide stopped at his house and his wife gave him some home cooked food that we had a little bit further in a homestay in the park.  This is now our 2nd breakfast. 

Walking in the noon day sun caused us to wilt, so back in our charriot and home it was.  Lunch was awaiting us.   Amazingly, we ate it just before having afternoon tea complete with wadas and bananas.   I never in my wildest dreams thought I could be full, so often.

It's now dinner time, so we are all rolling in to the dining room.  See you tomorrow.

2 February 2012

Today is our first full day at the Tabernacle Homestay in Thodapuzha. We got up at 6:00 AM and before having breakfast, we drove about 6 km to a rubber plantation, to see how the latex is extracted from the rubber trees they score each tree trunk and the white latex drips down into a small cup, not unlike the maple sap. Each tapper taps 425 trees per day, starting sometimes in the dark with headlamps. That visit was most informative, not only for us tourists, but for our hosts who both own rubber plantations. They tell us they never saw a rubber plantation in action. You must understand they are in their late 60's. During our walk through the plantation we were greeted by many locals and workers.

After a most pleasant morning, we came back to a very full breakfast and then were asked what time we wanted lunch. When we said a light lunch, they offered a 2 o'clock sitting. It turned out to be larger than any dinner at home. We should not have eaten all this delicious food but none of us could resist so the net result was that we were all so uncomfortable, we promised not to eat a big dinner. Ha! Ha! Ha!
At 4:00 pm, we off to the rubber factory. Truly difficult to understand our guide, but the gist was that they produce top quality rubber, not what they use in Goodyear tires, per the manager. When we got back, guess what we did? They had beer, cashews, banana fritters for afternoon tea. Did we have any-of course we did. While we polishing off our snacks, we were called for dinner. Truly another extravaganza. This is really a gourmet trip at its best. We now bid you good night because we are too busy digesting our meal to think so we can only roll into bed at this point.

1 February 2012

Once again it is with a sad and heavy heart that we are getting ready, once again, to leave two people we have really enjoyed.  Bala and Vasu were incredible hosts and our evenings with them were so warm and interesting.  This staying in homestays is starting to pull on my heart strings.  We are forever saying goodbye to people we would love to have as friends.

This morning our breakfast was a totally Kodi cereal - the name escapes me now - I think it was millet.  Once cooked, it is very dark and very smooth and reminds me of cream of wheat except dark brown in color.  We all wrote something in their guest book before leaving.  From what  I read from other guests, everyone stopping at Cinnabar enjoys their stay and their hosts.

The drive to Thodapuzha was very long and uneventful except for the fact that for the last 4 hours, we asked our driver "will we be stopping for lunch?"   Every time he nodded yes but we never did.  In his defence, he had another 7 hours drive to get back home. The drive consisted of hairpin bends down from Kodiakanal and then up to Kerala from Tamil Nadu.  When we finally arrived here, everyone was expecting us anxiously and welcomed us very warmly.   We expected our host to be Ruby and Joseph but they had left for Australia and were replaced by Ruby's two sisters, Molly and Lucy and a family friend called Binou.  I can't help but think of Elise and Chloe who love a program called Toupi and Binou.  At first, we were disappointed because Bernie had always emailed Ruby and we were all anxious to meet her and her husband, an anesthesiologist.  That was short lived because we were being treated like royalty from the moment we came in.

I hate to talk about food again but the meals and snacks here are out of this world and so different from anything I cook at home such as banana raita, jack-fruit thoran, amazing okra dishes, fresh chapati, different kinds of rices and so much more succulent dishes.  We will all be so uncomfortable in our clothes by the time we get home.  The house here is really quite nice.  There are two outdoor patios, one on each floor and they both overlook the Peryar River.  There are many birds to watch and I am right in my element here.  The only negative for me is that it is very very hot.

That's it for now.  Talk to you tomorrow.

31 January 2011

First thing this morning, under bright sunshine, we all went for a nice long walk before cotming home to a delicious crepe breakfast complete with jaggery syrup, banana lemon jam and grape jam.  We will not be loosing any weight on this trip.  By the time we got ready to leave, the sun had disappeared for the first time during our holiday.  We still got in the car and were driven into town to the start of  Coaker's Walk.  It was a relatively short walk with some beautiful vistas whenever the fog lifted. The path was an interlock brick pavement lined with flowering shrubs.  There were all kinds of merchants along the way, peddling their wares.  Of course, it started to rain, much to our amazement since this is not the monsoon season.  It was really just a mist and I'm sure the garden at Vasu and Bala was very happy for the drink
. 
Our driver John, pointed out an old church and we all opted to visit it. It was called Our Lady of  LaSalettte and was built about 200 years ago.  It was one of only two churches owned by that order, the other one being in France.  After that, Bernie was brave enough to eat Bheil Puri from a road vendor, served in a newspaper cone, without the puri.  He has not been sick yet an. is still alive and kicking.  It continued raining so after doing some business in town and picking up some coriander chutney sandwiches and some muffins at the Daily Bread bakery, we headed back home where we were warmly greeted by Bala and Vasu.  They very kindly made us some masala tea.

Dinner on our gourmet trek took us firmly back to North America with a delicious salad with avocados from their own tree and a variety of home made pizza made with their home made cheese, home made sausages and fresh garden tomatoes.  The whole thing is just too much.  Dessert was a gigantic home made brownie topped with vanilla ice cream.  How dare they, the ice cream was not home made!  We were having such a good time with our hosts that we decided to end the evening with a bottle of cider ice wine we had purchased has a gift for someone else whom we did not get to meet.

On that note, we bid you all good night.

30 January 2012

We are getting used to the good life - getting up to a sunny morning, going for a nice walk and coming back to a nice breakfast without an iota of effort in preparing this good meal.  We will have to get ourselves back into the groove when we get back home.

Today, we have a car and driver coming to pick us up to take us to a few places where we will spend our morning. The first is a walk to Dolphin's Nose a rock formation some distance away from town. Lloyd will not be walking as Bala has nixed the walk for him, however he will drive to the start point with us and hang out there while the three of us do the walk. When we got to the start, one look at it caused Danielle to opt out as well. It was a scattering of large  rock quite dangerous for someone needing repairs to her knee. The path descended rapidly as we jumped from rock to rock for the first ten minutes until the rocks were replaced with a tangle of roots that snaked across the path forcing us to step carefully to avoid tripping ourselves. The path continued downward for about a half hour until we finally arrived at the rock called Dolphin's Nose. Our driver and guide John strode confidently to the tip of the nose which cantilevered over a 7000 foot drop (or so it appeared). Lynanne, holding John's hand, went almost to the end of the nose. For those of you who know her, that was quite a feat as she's quite afraid of heights. Bernie contented himself with staying behind and taking a picture of the 2 of them on the edge of oblivion. On our way up the hill, Bernie took a picture of some young folks sitting and dangling their feet on the nose. Of course, he got an email address to send to them. The way up was arduous to say the least and utterly inconsistent with the easy rating Bala had assigned this walk. Of course, we were at 7000 ft. and that probably had a bit to do with our huffing and puffing. Meanwhile, Lloyd and Danielle took a 1 hour stroll down the road where they met several young Israeli people, some of them were decompressing after their military service. We saw an Israeli/Italian/Indian cafe there, as well. The rest of the afternoon was spent doing errands in town and waiting impatiently for our British dinner on our westward gourmet trek.
Contrary to all expectations, our British dinner was spectacular, starting with pumpkin soup with an Indian flare, roast chicken in a delicious brown sauce, fresh carrots and peas from the garden, and British mashed potatoes. To top it all off we had trifle in the living room in front of the fire. Unfortunately the cheesecake from last night never reappeared. Our evening together was the perfect end to another satisfying day in Kodaikanal. See you tomorrow.

29 January 2012

We woke up in the beautiful cool of Kodaikanal and went for a long walk down the hill.  We are at an altitude of 7000 feet + which leaves us a bit breathless at times.  The walk took us to a look-out beside a Hindu temple from where we could look all the way down.  Upon our return, we all got together in the dining room and enjoyed a lovely western breakfast of granola, papaya, toast and eggs.  Our hosts suggested the Sunday market might be interesting and Vasu very nicely offered to drive us there.  We all enjoyed seeing all the fresh produce on display and Bernie was envious of the size of the kerela also know as bitter melon.

I decided we needed to go back with fruit and Bernie and I went to buy some.  When I asked the price of a pineapple and was quoted 30 rupees by the vendor, a bystander stifled a laugh so we sort of knew I was being had.  Nevertheless, I bought it.  Not to be gypped a second time, I saw a man who had already purchased bananas and I asked him how much he had paid for them.  I then proceeded to buy mine and paid even less without any bargaining at all.  The other three of our senior troupe were quite amused and approved of my purchase.

Our meal tonight was a fabulous Italian dinner because Bala and Vasu have us on a gourmet train taking us from East to West and ending in America.  The tomato sauce was so delicious, made with fresh tomatoes, garlic, fresh thyme and many more fresh ingredients from their own garden.  We are eating like Maharajahs.  Hope our clothes fit us till the end of the holiday.  You might think we were all full by now but no - a great cheese cake showed up, made from their homemade cheese, with a nice plum coulis.  It was out of this world and we are hoping to be served the left over tomorrow for dessert.

Note from Lynanne:
After dinner, Danielle regaled us all, including Vasu and Bala, with tales of her first trip to India. Her memories of that trip had us all in stitches. Anyone who wants details may contact Danielle. You just had to be there!

28 January 2012

Guess what guys.... another sunny and cool morning with birds singing and lots of people walking by on their way to their different jobs.  It is with a sad heart that we are preparing to leave for our next destination.  Anil and Jeeva have been super hosts and all of us seem to have grown very fond of them.  The Royal Mist has exceeded all of our expectations by miles.  Our breakfast was again delicious, we are packed and our driver has arrived.  It is now time for goodbyes and pictures so we can recall our wonderful stay in Munnar.

The drive was good and we made a stop at a spice garden which was most interesting.  The young woman taking us around seemed very knowledgeable about every plant and tree on the property.  She knew all about their properties and their uses in Ayurvedic medicine.  Every now and then, her little son would climb up a tree at incredible speed, with his bare feet and bring down a  sprig of leaves for us.  A monkey would not have done better.

Later in the afternoon, our driver pointed out a restaurant were we could stop and have a bite to eat.  Lloyd, Lynanne and I went to sit down but we noticed Bernie had stayed behind and was dealing with money at the cash.  We all assumed he was changing U.S. dollars to rupees.  We were all surprised when he arrived at the table and said he had had to pay for our meals before hand.  We didn't even know what there was to eat there as yet.  It turned out there was only one thing to have - a vegetarian thali.  It was good, very inexpensive and, every now and then, someone would come around and slop more food on our banana leaf.

We arrived at our new homestay in Kodaikanal mid-afternoon and were greeted by Balla and his wife Vasu.  Both are very warm and friendly and our stay should be great.  The rooms are very well appointed and the grounds are lush and green.  For those of you close to me, I must tell you they have a garden loaded with peas that I am allowed to pick and eat anytime I want.

The dinner was fabulous.  We had a Mediterranean meal complete with hummus, tabouleh, lamb shish and an absolutely delicious tomato salad - fetouch.  As if that wasn't enough, they had a lovely desert.

See you tomorrow.

27 January 2012

What can I say, it is another beautiful morning in Munnar.  We are up bright and early and will only be having tea and fruit before leaving for our hike into the valley..  Lloyd is doing much better today but will still rest his knee while being spoiled rotten by Jeeva..  Anil has offered to drive us to the beginning of the trail and Lloyd decided to come along for the ride.  The walk itself meanders through rows of tea bushes covering the hillside.  The scenery was too beautiful for words.  It zigzagged down the hillside through two villages where the local children came out to greet us and have their picture taken.    For some unknown reason, all the children we met during our trip ask for pens rarely money.  As the path was right up against the hillside, we alternated through shady and sunny sections which made it a very pleasant descent. We finally reached the waterfall where we stopped in a small green and red tea shack where we had a cup of sweet tea. The owner and her nephew were very happy to serve us, and offer us a large bag of cardomom for 200 Rupees. Danielle was happy to buy it, and I'm sure the lady was also happy. After taking their picture, we started our ascent to the road where we were to get the bus to take us back home.  Surprisingly the climb was quite easy, and it wasn't long before we were at the bus-stop.  As we got off the bus, we met Maria and Jorg with their gigantic backpacks.  Little Maria looked like a turtle carrying a much too large shell.  We were all so happy to see each other one last time. Lloyd was sitting on the porch in front of a nice food tray and warm cup of tea.  He did not seem the worst for wear.

After a nice shower and a good meal, we played Carom, a game Bernie has talked about for many years.  He grew up playing it and we all had a good time.   The fact that Bernie knew this game, did not result for a victory for his team.  I guess 40 years without practice makes one a bit rusty.

We are all so sad that this is our last night here.  None of us want to leave.  Jeeva and Anil have been incredible hosts and we know we will miss them.  But the trip must go on.  











 

26 January 2012

Today is Republic Day in India  All the kids have ceremonies held at their school for the occasion. Following yet another great breakfast we reluctantly left Lloyd behind to nurse his swollen knee while we took the bus into Munnar town. He looked quite happy with his book, iPad and newspaper as he sat on the porch, even if he was obviously in pain. The town was India at its best, with the cacophony of sounds, abundance of overpowering smells and chaotic traffic. It was very crowded, this being a holiday. The marketplace was overflowing with fresh produce, some unknown to Lynanne and Danielle, though I recognized some of them such as drumsticks and chickoos. We were on our way to the Tea Museum which was further away than we had expected. Everyone we asked along the way pointed us in the same direction. Regardless of  how long we had walked it seemed as if it was always a kilometer away. Several people along the way wanted their picture taken, with instructions as to how to send them a copy by snail mail.

 The Tea Museum was very interesting. Our visit started with a movie describing the history of the tea plantation from its inception in the 1800s.Their vision was quite progressive, with compounds for the workers complete with creches for the children since the women could work for the company, which made it possible to have two earners in the family. Schools and hospitals were also provided. Over time ownership passed to the Tata company, particularly when India achieved its independence, it was mandated by the government that at least 60% of the company had to be owned by Indian nationals.  Later on, the whole company was sold to its employees and its name changed from the Tata Tea Company to the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company Private Limited, or KDHP Company. Following the film, we wandered through the plant, learning how the leaves were processed into the tea we know and love. The whole experience was most interesting.

On our way out in the heat of the mid afternoon, we passed an elegant hotel which was a good place to stop for lunch consisting of stuffed paratha (gobi and aloo). We walked back through town with the intention of changing some USDs to Rupees, but a would-be money changer wearing a brown balaclava quickly made us change our minds and head for home.

Back at our home stay we were greeted by poor Lloyd who had rested all day and enjoyed a delightful lunch as he nursed his knee. Maria and Jork had already returned from their hike but were in their room. When they emerged for dinner, we saw that they were lobsterized by the sun into a bright red. Pictures to follow. They had been victimized by fake Indian sunscreen.

That's about it for our day.

25 January 2012

Here we are waking up to another beautiful sunny day and looking forward to our delicious South Indian breakfast.  I am always awake and reading outside by the time the sun rises.  It is enchanting to be sitting on our outdoor deck in the morning listening to all the different birds serenading me.  Every one else comes out before 8 a.m. to partake in the varied menu that is our breakfast.

Today, we have arranged to have a car and driver here to take us all the way to Top Station.  It is on the border of  Kerala and Tamil Nadu.  It is called Top Station because it is a high point from which a rope way was used to transport tea and other goods from Munnar to the valleys below in Tamil Nadu.  The drive was extremely picturesque and our driver made sure to point out the interesting sites.  Our first stop was at the Rose Garden but frankly there were many more flowers to be admired and not that many roses.  All of us recognized many of our flowers from home and agreed that our botanical gardens are much nicer.  Of course, here in India, the dust from the roads tends  to cover everything. At the garden, we had our first calamity and may it please be the last.  Lloyd twisted his knee coming down a step and can now barely walk.  We are quite the senior citizen foursome.  Lynanne started off with a cold and plugged ears (she is now better), followed by an eye infection needing antibiotic drops for Bernie and then Lloyd got hurt and of course, I have my bad knee to protect at all times.  Is there anyone reading this that would love traveling with us on our next adventure?  Should any one want to join us on our next trip, the pre-requisite is two good knees.  The evening conversation has been entitled "the organ recital".  With an injured Lloyd, we got back in the car and after a few kilometers, our driver stopped and told us to go see the honey tree.  To our absolute delight, there was this tall tree and on the branches, there were these huge hives (like large sacs) covered with, I am sure,  thousands of honey bees hovering and covering the big sac-shaped hives. It was just an incredible sight.  From there, we continued our drive passing at least 3 dams.  We also stopped at a beautiful lake and took a walk there with poor Lloyd hobbling along like a trooper.  I hope he feels better tomorrow.

That evening, we had the privilege to meet a young couple, Maria from Columbia and Jorg from Germany.   We had dinner together and spent the rest of the evening enjoying their company.  They are on a one year round the world trip.  They live in Brussels where Maria just finished her PhD in Biomedical Engineering and, after their trip, they have to decide where in the world they want to live.  Maria reminds us so much of Mireille. Her smile, her laugh, the way her mouth moves when she talks. It is uncanny.  They will probably visit Lynanne and Lloyd in Berkeley and plan to come to Ottawa next summer.

That's about it for today.  Let's see what tomorrow brings.  We definitely are enjoying ourselves so far. Come back to visit, because in time we will post some pictures.

24 January 2012

Beyond the vale, beneath the trees, our little house is there
And on the gentle slopes around, the tea grows everywhere
So I must rise at early dawn as busy as a bee
And start my daily labours and pick the leafy tea.     A poem from a box of tea.

Today we drove from Kochi to Munnar. It was a spectacular drive especially once we started climbing. The tea plantations covered all the hills in a neverending line of bushes that followed the contours of the undulating slopes as far as the eye could see. From a distance they looked like heads of broccoli arranged in neatly spaced rows from which the tea pickers reached over to pick the new growth.  Needless to say the whole scene was breathtakingly beautiful. Our day had not started that well because we had paid for a car and driver to take us and had expected the nice 7 seater car that had picked us up from the airport but got an old wreck, without workable seat belts - really not the best for Indian roads. Nevertheless, we got here safe and sound.

We reached our Munnar homestay mid-afternoon and were greeted by Jeeva and Anil, the owners of the Royal Mist.  They are the nicest couple, most welcoming and accomodating.  Our rooms are very nice with great showers which was a welcome relief from our previous homestay.  Immediately upon our arrival, a tray filled with hot tea, warm milk and cookies was brought up to our room which opens onto a nice covered veranda where all our meals are served and what meals!  South Indian food is really good.

Around 5 p.m., Anil introduced us to another couple living here, Paul and Lisa  from England.   They were delightful.  We then all left with Anil to go on a walk up the mountain .  The flanks of this mountain are covered with tea plants and, as if that was not beautiful enough, we were there for the most incredible sunset ever. On that walk, Anil pointed out wild cardamon pods, peppercorns, pomelos, told us to stay clear of wild elephants roaming the region and brought us back home to a wonderful meal of rice, chapatis, chicken curry and spinach curry.  After such a busy day, we all retired around 10 p.m.  Life is good, people  and we are all happy to be together.  See you tomorrow.

23 January 2012

We, Bernie and Danielle were up at 5 a.m. and out of the house by 6.  We walked for a couple of hours since this is the only cool time of the day.  We went to see the Chinese Fishing Nets  and we even helped pull in the catch, such as it was.  It hardly seems worth the effort to us.  They put the nets down and leave them there for aout 4 minutes.  These nets in Kochi are the only such nets outside of China and are reputed to have come here with Kublakhan, during the 12th or 13th century.

After breakfast, we all met up with yesterday's rickshaw drivers, John and Babbu.  They took us to "Jew Town", the old Jewish section of town which is suppose to date back to when the first Jewish people settled here with the Spice trade.  We then went to the Dutch palace which is really Portuguese.  They then took us to the Ginger Factory, an old Portuguese wharehouse supposedly 500 years old.  There is ginger as far as your eyes can see, drying in the sun and used for medicinal purposes.  The smell there is so potent and the lime dust that the poor workers have to breath in all day, is inhumane.  They must all suffer from lung desease.  We finished our day with them back a t the Chinese Nets since Lloyd and Lynanne had not seen that yet.  We said goodbye to our drivers and went to have lunch and here we are.  See you tomorrow from Munnar.

22 January 2012

This is Lloyd speaking this time around.

The sounds of the birds at 6:00 am are amazing, not melodious- raucous. We got up at 7:30 and had a breakfast of toast, fruit and a vegetable stew with dosas. We planned our day to start with a long walk, but within a quarter of a mile of walking, we were engaged in conversation by a rickshaw driver named John. After a spirited session of our saying, "No we want to walk,"  we were in his cab (and that of his buddy, Babbu). We set off to get some of B&D's money exchanged into rupees. Riding in a motorized rickshaw is hair raising because people are diving in and out of lanes on foot, bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, hand carts and giant busses, as well as cars.
John took us to a guy's house to exchange money, because the offices were closed on Sunday. Pleasant guy and cute kids; mission accomplished easily. We then had greater confidence in John. So we set off with him to see the Basilica, then the Church of Vasco di Gama and then a walk on the beach. There were also stops to see a large communal laundry, the Dhobis. it's run as a cooperative enterprise, and fish and meat market. We stopped at the Jain Temple (very nice peaceful place, especially after the fish and meat market). We watched a big wedding at another church and then were delivered (with our consent) to a government crafts store. Much to our surprise, we each bought a rug, which will be delivered, we hope, directly to our homes. We know the story, i.e., that John will get rewarded by the store, but it was ok. We were now hungry, so John took us to the Krishna Cafe for a late lunch of masala dosas, which were tasty and cheap. We headed back to Beena Homestay and made arrangements with John to pick us up at 9:30 the next morning. I am writing this at 4:30 as we rest up before dinner.

21 January 2012

We finally arrived in Kochi around 4 p.m.  It was a grueling trip and the thought of having to do it again to come back home is a real killer thought.  We had been traveling since the 19th with a 10 hour lay-over in London.where we checked it to a very down market dayroom where we sort of rested.  The flight to Mumbai was packed to the gunnels without a single vacant seat and many babies crying.  It was not an experience you look forward to.  The homestay people had a driver waiting for us at the Kochi Airport.  We were an hour late, beat and fed-up.  We have never had to line up so often during one trip.

The drive to our homestay was about an hour long and it brought us right back to our last trip to India, 25 years ago.  The crazy traffic, the smells,the constant noise, the dust and the crowds were still the same organized chaos.  Our friend Lynanne was overwhelmed and I could really empathize with her. She is fighting a cold and after such a tiring trip, it was the icing on the cake.  The homestay itself is adequate, sort of minimal but the owners and the guests make it a very positive experience. Upon our arrival we were greeted by Beena with a warm and friendly smile.   She and her husband Sudish are very pleasant  people. We were very exhausted so we just had a light dinner, went for a short walk and collapsed very early.  We got up refreshed and ready to call it a holiday.

We will be back tomorrow for more.

19 January 2012

Ouf! We are finally ready... I think.  It is so tiring to go on holidays, so much to see to, to organize not to mention having to scrape the driveway for hours after this mix of snow and freezing rain which we have had in the last couple of days.  India seems better by the minute.

We had a bit of a panic yesterday, when Bernie realized that he could not go with a suitcase I had bought in November.  It was just too flimsy for the rigors of such a long trip.  So at 6 o'clock in the evening, we rushed to return that one and proceeded to shop for another one.  I will have all of you know, the said suitcase was packed and ready to go at the time.   The good thing was that in January, the luggage is all on sale reduced anywhere from 55 to 70%.  It all worked out well and he is happy with his purchase.  He is packed once again and let's hope it stands up well.

I have vivid memories of the last time we went to India (1989) with a borrowed suitcase.  Here in our winter climate it was quite a good and stiff one but once we got to Goa, in the heat and humidity, that huge suitcase became like a wine sack and all its contents was spilling out as I carried it.  We had to go inside this rather posh hotel and asked for rope but of course this being India in 1989, no one had any.  We were quite the sight.

Anyhow, today is finally the 19th and we are headed to the Airport with hopefully better luggage. Next time you hear from us, we will either be in London or Kochi, India. 

Au revoir.

17 January 2012

Well, we are almost ready. Just a few small things to be done before we leave. One of them is to make arrangements to have our driveway shovelled while we are gone. And while we are on the topic of snow I should note that we are expecting 10 to 15 cms of snow and freezing rain in the next 12 hours, so we will be digging ourselves out tomorrow! We are not going to be able to get away easily.

16 January 2012

Here we are, less than a week away from our travel date. Our plans are to travel to London- Heathrow on the first leg of our trip, and after an almost 10 hour lay-over, to board our Jet Airways flight to Mumbai the business capital of India. A relatively short flight change in Mumbai, and we will be onto the starting point of our ground trip-  Kochi on the South-West coast of India.

Planning for this trip extended over the better part of a year as we whittled down the huge range of possibilities that is India to focus on a small elongated state on the west coast, Kerala. The choice we had was to expand our footprint to cover a large area, and expend a lot of time and/or energy travelling, or to focus on a small area and see it intimately and in a relaxed manner. We opted for the latter. The next set of choices had to do with where to stay. Again we were faced with an infinite range of possibilities. A choice made early in our search reduced these choices to a managable number. We agreed with our friends - who I have not mentioned yet- to live in Home-Stays, the Indian equivalent of B&Bs. The decision seemed to make a lot of sense. As strangers to South India, what better way to learn about the customs and food, than to live with the people of South India. Here let me explain.  I was born and lived in India some 50 years ago, so it is not that I am a total stranger to the customs and food, yet the South is quite different from the North, in language, customs, food and perhaps a whole lot more. Danielle is a native Canadian yet she is familar with the customs and food of India. In fact she excels in a large repertoire of Indian food, but that is North Indian or perhaps the food more typical of Mumbai.

Here she is.

Bernie has given you all a good look at what we plan to see during this trip.  What he has not mentioned is that we have been jabbed and proded for months now, having to swallow pills against Malaria, ingesting 2 doses of a vaccine to help with the infamous Delhi Belly not to mention the 3 vaccines against hepatitis..... and we have not left yet!

The friends he mentioned,  we have really know in person for only 24 hours on our last holiday visiting the many beautiful canyons in Utah, Arizona and Nevada.  We first met at breakfast at the Dream Catcher Inn at Zion National Park.  We went out to walk a many hour trail in nature and again, enjoyed their company.  That day, we all had dinner together and talked about our respective next holiday.   They were going to Italy and we to India.  We must have gotten them interested in India as they decided to join us and see Italy next year.  We have since been getting together regularly on Skype.  It will be nice to see Lloyd and Lynanne again.