I guess i haven't really conveyed how much my trip to India had given me an appreciation for how good we have it here. We have access to clean water, to food, to health care, jobs, clothing. No, not everyone has these things, and we are still a work in progress here, but India is something else entirely. And yet people carry on, with quiet resolve, despite all the obstacles that may be in their path. India produces great minds and achievers consistently, and when I think of my journey to this point in my life, it looks so easy compared with one coming from such an environment. The people of India impressed me with their patience and way of always getting done whatever needed to be done, regardless of all the absurd bureaucracy, power failures, and overall counter-productive nature of things. I have a deeper respect for people, and a much greater appreciation of the gifts that I have been given, as well as a more profound sense of responsibility to use them to their utmost.
Pretty heavy, huh?
I am very very glad that I had the wonderful opportunity to take this trip. It was all I'd hoped it would be and more, so I would like to express my gratitude to the Paul Brand Scholarship foundation and UTHSCSA for making it all possible. I strongly encourage any students considering this experience to go for it.
But bring plenty of TP and gatorade powder in case you have to rehydrate!
Bye!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mumbai - the last day
Hello everyone,
As mentioned before, we spent our last day in Mumbai. Actually this was my birthday too, and I had kind of an ambitious itinerary for it, but Felicia was game, so off we went. First, we walked about 15minutes north of our hotel to the famous Victoria Terminus, the Grand Central Station of India.
As you can see, there's old Victorian architecture aplenty. Its kind of crazy to look at.
Then we went inside to see the ridiculous masses of people. I think we were a little late for the stereotypical images of people riding on the roofs of the trains, but I've heard it does happen all the time. We got there far enough after rush hour that everyone was crammed inside the trains, at least. They say that when it gets really busy, the rail authority refers to it as "Super Dense Crush Load", meaning there are 16 people for every square meter of floor space per train. How do you breathe? Personal space is not expected in India. Everyone pushes all the time, there is no concept of a line, people cut in front all the time, and push, shove, and push again for the slightest little thing. Its very annoying.
After VT (as it is known) we kept walking "uptown", passing more interesting architecture. I have no idea what this is, but it sure looks cool.
As you walk along, this is a common sight, in Mumbai, Delhi, even Vellore. At almost every corner there is a guy with a pile of sugar cane stalks and a stand. They put the cane through a press and collect the juice, mix it with flavors, and serve. There are almost always lines for these stands, even though they are everywhere. They all use real glassware, and I did not see any hot water anywhere, so I shudder to think of what you can pick up from those glasses, much less what is in the special cane-juice additive.
Felicia and I kept walking north, past a busy fruit/veg/livestock/spice market. We thought about it for a minute, saw they wanted to charge us to go in, and decided we'd seen enough similar markets at this point, so we pushed on. We entered another "market" district of town, with some streets all jewelry, some all silk, etc etc. Along the way we ran into a temple, surrounded by flower vendors. Here's the top of it.
We kept walking, and then decided to push farther north into what is know as the "thieves bazaar" to find some old movie posters to fill a request from a friend. We asked two different shopkeepers, and while they could not identify the address we were looking for, they both said it was dangerous to go there, even in the daytime, and that we would likely be robbed. We then asked a policeman, who said the same thing. This was kind of strange, because all the guidebooks we have speak extensively about this place, but are quick to point out that the name is a misnomer, and recommend it for shopping. Well, we decided to take a cab, figuring we could always tell the guy to keep driving if we didn't like it. Our cab driver, of course, had no idea where we were going, and could only get us within 2 blocks of the place. we grabbed our stuff and hustled it down 2 alleys and there it was! The people at the shop were very nice, gave us cold Cokes, and helped get us a cab and give the driver directions when we left. A success!
So, our next stop after that was the Mahatma Gandhi museum. This is free! Based in the house he stayed at in Mumbai over 20yrs, it is small but nice.
Upstairs, there is an awesome room dedicated to telling Gandhi's life story through about 40 highly detailed dioramas! somebody put a lot of time into these things. They make the shoe boxes I used to take to school look pathetic. Here is one of the rows of dioramas.
This is an example of one of the dioramas. All the little people are very detailed dolls, with hair and detailed clothing and all kinds of cool stuff.
This one depicts his assassination. I guess you can tell I thought these were pretty cool.
This is Gandhi's bedroom. They tried to keep it the way it was when he lived here, except, i think they added a couple of portraits of him. Either that, or the guy was very narcissistic.
For lunch we went to a place that was kind of like Denny's for Indians. They even had a large Mexican food section (I passed on that). Felicia got a poori, which is like a giant balloon bread. Fun stuff!
After lunch we headed over to the side of Malabar Hill, where a very popular Hindu temple is located. Unlike many previous temples, they actually let us inside this one, we were just prohibited from taking any pictures inside. It was up a really long flight of steps, and was topped with beautiful white marble. We were amazed at how clean they have managed to keep the thing, considering how dirty many things, especially the air, in India can be.
Here is a view of part of the bottom half of the temple. Lots of people came and went to prayer as we were there.
We climbed up some steps behind the temple and wound up on the top of Malabar Hill. From a park up there you can see the bay and downtown, with Chowpatty Beach in the near distance.
Here is Felicia, enjoying a break from the heat and all the walking.
The park at the top of the hill also had a giant Old Mother Hubbard shoe, so I fought many children (seriously, this was actually quite an undertaking; nothing in India is simple) and made it to the top for this pic.
After the park, we headed down the hill to a Jain temple. I need to read some more about Jains. They seem like Hindus, but a lot more laid back and friendly.
Here is the outside of the temple.
Inside, they were fine with me taking photos, and didn't even try to charge me anything (hear that, Hindus?). There were many small sparkly shrines set into the walls, with images of various gods, or incarnations of gods.
After that, we headed over to Chowpatty Beach. This is famous as the place that real Mumbaikers head to on evenings or weekends. The water is apparently disgusting, and we saw sewer pipes draining right on the beach where people were swimming, so out feet stayed dry. It was pretty amusing, though. As the sun set, lots of people were out, and lots of vendors roaming around selling peanuts, roast corn, etc, etc. Some guy walked up to me and offered me a massage. No, thank you.
Here are some of the people gathering on the beach.
Chowpatty Beach is famous for one of its foods sold at all of the stalls, called bhel puri. Well, we were getting on a plane in less than 12 hours, so I told Felicia to put me on the plane home no matter what was happening to me. Then I went to the most famous place, Gupta's, and got some. Bad idea. It hit me on the plane. That was a long, uncomfortable flight, during which I enjoyed none of the 5-star cuisine I had been looking forward to. This one was my fault. Do not eat street food in India. Seems like a no-brainer, huh?
As we sat there on the beach, eating my poison snack, there were some carnival rides next to us. We realized that there was no power out there, and these were all being run by human power. The Ferris wheel was powered by the guys standing on the structure and pushing it with their feet, faster and faster. Occasionally, one guy would grab onto a passing car and jump off, using gravity to pull the car down even faster. This was nuts.
Here is a shot of a guy hanging onto a car. The guy on the side there pushes the wheel round with his feet. I was sure I was about to witness and amputation or something. I have attached a great video of this at the end, so please check it out, its worth a look.
Well, after all this we headed back to the hotel.
Felicia had gotten a sari made, so the tailor had delivered that. Then she took me out to eat at what is probably the nicest restaurant in Mumbai, for my birthday. It was really, and the wine list was ridiculous, and it was a very sweet birthday present for which I am extremely grateful. We had a wonderful evening on the top deck of the restaurant, and weren't attacked by monkeys or anything. Then we went home, packed up, and headed for the airport at 2:30AM. You already know what happened on the flight home.
So,
five weeks in India, 3 bouts of GI distress (the last totally my fault), about 15 pounds of weight loss, 1 car wreck including a concussion with stiches on my face and likely broken ribs (they still hurt pretty bad 3 weeks out, I'm seeing someone here in the next day or two). My rotation at the CMC in Vellore was great. I saw a lot of the country, and I have decided that Vellore is without a doubt the dirtiest place in that entire country (only slightly edging out Agra, which is a hole and exists solely for its architectural points). I made new friends, saw and did new things. I survived, had a lot of fun, but man am I glad to be home. I can drink the water! No more Indian food 3 times a day! I have about 6-7 gigs of pictures that I'll be posting online, so let me know if you want a link to my gallery once it is up. I may post one or two more times, but this is the meat of it here.
Felicia and I appreciate you reading along with our adventures, and hope you have been entertained. Now all I have to do is graduate in less than a week and move! Good times.
Don't forget to check out the goofy Chowpatty beach video. If y'all want to see anything else, let me know and I'll post it! Thanks for reading!
As mentioned before, we spent our last day in Mumbai. Actually this was my birthday too, and I had kind of an ambitious itinerary for it, but Felicia was game, so off we went. First, we walked about 15minutes north of our hotel to the famous Victoria Terminus, the Grand Central Station of India.
As you can see, there's old Victorian architecture aplenty. Its kind of crazy to look at.
Then we went inside to see the ridiculous masses of people. I think we were a little late for the stereotypical images of people riding on the roofs of the trains, but I've heard it does happen all the time. We got there far enough after rush hour that everyone was crammed inside the trains, at least. They say that when it gets really busy, the rail authority refers to it as "Super Dense Crush Load", meaning there are 16 people for every square meter of floor space per train. How do you breathe? Personal space is not expected in India. Everyone pushes all the time, there is no concept of a line, people cut in front all the time, and push, shove, and push again for the slightest little thing. Its very annoying.
After VT (as it is known) we kept walking "uptown", passing more interesting architecture. I have no idea what this is, but it sure looks cool.
As you walk along, this is a common sight, in Mumbai, Delhi, even Vellore. At almost every corner there is a guy with a pile of sugar cane stalks and a stand. They put the cane through a press and collect the juice, mix it with flavors, and serve. There are almost always lines for these stands, even though they are everywhere. They all use real glassware, and I did not see any hot water anywhere, so I shudder to think of what you can pick up from those glasses, much less what is in the special cane-juice additive.
Felicia and I kept walking north, past a busy fruit/veg/livestock/spice market. We thought about it for a minute, saw they wanted to charge us to go in, and decided we'd seen enough similar markets at this point, so we pushed on. We entered another "market" district of town, with some streets all jewelry, some all silk, etc etc. Along the way we ran into a temple, surrounded by flower vendors. Here's the top of it.
We kept walking, and then decided to push farther north into what is know as the "thieves bazaar" to find some old movie posters to fill a request from a friend. We asked two different shopkeepers, and while they could not identify the address we were looking for, they both said it was dangerous to go there, even in the daytime, and that we would likely be robbed. We then asked a policeman, who said the same thing. This was kind of strange, because all the guidebooks we have speak extensively about this place, but are quick to point out that the name is a misnomer, and recommend it for shopping. Well, we decided to take a cab, figuring we could always tell the guy to keep driving if we didn't like it. Our cab driver, of course, had no idea where we were going, and could only get us within 2 blocks of the place. we grabbed our stuff and hustled it down 2 alleys and there it was! The people at the shop were very nice, gave us cold Cokes, and helped get us a cab and give the driver directions when we left. A success!
So, our next stop after that was the Mahatma Gandhi museum. This is free! Based in the house he stayed at in Mumbai over 20yrs, it is small but nice.
Upstairs, there is an awesome room dedicated to telling Gandhi's life story through about 40 highly detailed dioramas! somebody put a lot of time into these things. They make the shoe boxes I used to take to school look pathetic. Here is one of the rows of dioramas.
This is an example of one of the dioramas. All the little people are very detailed dolls, with hair and detailed clothing and all kinds of cool stuff.
This one depicts his assassination. I guess you can tell I thought these were pretty cool.
This is Gandhi's bedroom. They tried to keep it the way it was when he lived here, except, i think they added a couple of portraits of him. Either that, or the guy was very narcissistic.
For lunch we went to a place that was kind of like Denny's for Indians. They even had a large Mexican food section (I passed on that). Felicia got a poori, which is like a giant balloon bread. Fun stuff!
After lunch we headed over to the side of Malabar Hill, where a very popular Hindu temple is located. Unlike many previous temples, they actually let us inside this one, we were just prohibited from taking any pictures inside. It was up a really long flight of steps, and was topped with beautiful white marble. We were amazed at how clean they have managed to keep the thing, considering how dirty many things, especially the air, in India can be.
Here is a view of part of the bottom half of the temple. Lots of people came and went to prayer as we were there.
We climbed up some steps behind the temple and wound up on the top of Malabar Hill. From a park up there you can see the bay and downtown, with Chowpatty Beach in the near distance.
Here is Felicia, enjoying a break from the heat and all the walking.
The park at the top of the hill also had a giant Old Mother Hubbard shoe, so I fought many children (seriously, this was actually quite an undertaking; nothing in India is simple) and made it to the top for this pic.
After the park, we headed down the hill to a Jain temple. I need to read some more about Jains. They seem like Hindus, but a lot more laid back and friendly.
Here is the outside of the temple.Inside, they were fine with me taking photos, and didn't even try to charge me anything (hear that, Hindus?). There were many small sparkly shrines set into the walls, with images of various gods, or incarnations of gods.
After that, we headed over to Chowpatty Beach. This is famous as the place that real Mumbaikers head to on evenings or weekends. The water is apparently disgusting, and we saw sewer pipes draining right on the beach where people were swimming, so out feet stayed dry. It was pretty amusing, though. As the sun set, lots of people were out, and lots of vendors roaming around selling peanuts, roast corn, etc, etc. Some guy walked up to me and offered me a massage. No, thank you.
Here are some of the people gathering on the beach.
Chowpatty Beach is famous for one of its foods sold at all of the stalls, called bhel puri. Well, we were getting on a plane in less than 12 hours, so I told Felicia to put me on the plane home no matter what was happening to me. Then I went to the most famous place, Gupta's, and got some. Bad idea. It hit me on the plane. That was a long, uncomfortable flight, during which I enjoyed none of the 5-star cuisine I had been looking forward to. This one was my fault. Do not eat street food in India. Seems like a no-brainer, huh?
As we sat there on the beach, eating my poison snack, there were some carnival rides next to us. We realized that there was no power out there, and these were all being run by human power. The Ferris wheel was powered by the guys standing on the structure and pushing it with their feet, faster and faster. Occasionally, one guy would grab onto a passing car and jump off, using gravity to pull the car down even faster. This was nuts.
Here is a shot of a guy hanging onto a car. The guy on the side there pushes the wheel round with his feet. I was sure I was about to witness and amputation or something. I have attached a great video of this at the end, so please check it out, its worth a look.
Well, after all this we headed back to the hotel.
Felicia had gotten a sari made, so the tailor had delivered that. Then she took me out to eat at what is probably the nicest restaurant in Mumbai, for my birthday. It was really, and the wine list was ridiculous, and it was a very sweet birthday present for which I am extremely grateful. We had a wonderful evening on the top deck of the restaurant, and weren't attacked by monkeys or anything. Then we went home, packed up, and headed for the airport at 2:30AM. You already know what happened on the flight home.
So,
five weeks in India, 3 bouts of GI distress (the last totally my fault), about 15 pounds of weight loss, 1 car wreck including a concussion with stiches on my face and likely broken ribs (they still hurt pretty bad 3 weeks out, I'm seeing someone here in the next day or two). My rotation at the CMC in Vellore was great. I saw a lot of the country, and I have decided that Vellore is without a doubt the dirtiest place in that entire country (only slightly edging out Agra, which is a hole and exists solely for its architectural points). I made new friends, saw and did new things. I survived, had a lot of fun, but man am I glad to be home. I can drink the water! No more Indian food 3 times a day! I have about 6-7 gigs of pictures that I'll be posting online, so let me know if you want a link to my gallery once it is up. I may post one or two more times, but this is the meat of it here.
Felicia and I appreciate you reading along with our adventures, and hope you have been entertained. Now all I have to do is graduate in less than a week and move! Good times.
Don't forget to check out the goofy Chowpatty beach video. If y'all want to see anything else, let me know and I'll post it! Thanks for reading!
Friday, May 9, 2008
mumbai wrap-up pending
hello,
Felicia and I are back in the US. I just wanted to let you know that a lot more Mumbai stuff will be posted in the next day or so, along with some of my final impressions. We had an absolutely awesome time there, and I'll have some fun video too!
A quick note though: do not eat street food in Bombay. It will make the flight home very very long.
See you soon. It'll be fun!
-chris
Felicia and I are back in the US. I just wanted to let you know that a lot more Mumbai stuff will be posted in the next day or so, along with some of my final impressions. We had an absolutely awesome time there, and I'll have some fun video too!
A quick note though: do not eat street food in Bombay. It will make the flight home very very long.
See you soon. It'll be fun!
-chris
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Mumbai so far
Hello,
We're in Mumbai/Bombay, obviously. I, at least, had heard a lot of sketchy things about this place, and also heard that overall its just too crowded, noisy, etc etc.....so far we like it a lot. I know there is definitely a bad part here, but perhaps we just have not seen it yet. Crowds? i haven;t seen anything worse than NY. Dirt? I've seen worse in Vellore. Shady characters....see DC, New York, etc etc. So far, its been a pretty good time. Admittedly, we've been doing touristy things and pretty much frequented the tourist-heavy areas, but we'll be venturing out a little more tomorrow, so we'll see....
Here's a pic from Trivandrum of the local Hindu temple. Felicia hadn't seen one of these yet, so she thought it was pretty neat. Lots of religious trinkets and stuff for sale around it. And a big "pond" for sacred washing. Lots of people showed up for evening prayer when we were there.
Closeup of the intricate details on this temple. Every inch is some sort of figure doing something.
In Mumbai, there are areas like the Mall in DC, or big parks, called "Maidens". The Oval Maiden is the most famous, especially for the constant games of cricket going on. Here is one of them.
A view of the Queens Necklace at dusk, wrapping around the back bay of Mumbai. Felicia and I sat here for a while. Lots of people strolling and just sitting happily.
The Gateway of India. Iconic, on the waters edge near the Fort and Colaba. We departed from the steps here on our boat to Elephanta Island today.
View of the Gate as we pulled away on the boat.
Neato Victorian architecture abounds, amidst heat, humidity, palms, etc.
One of the many very large figures in Elephanta Caves. It is a world heritage site 1-hour by boat from Mumbai. These are giant caves carved from solid rock around 6th century AD, with many columns, and large figures of the gods doing all kind of stuff. A lot were damaged by the Portuguese and others over the years. Here is Felicia for scale.
There is a giant 3-faced Shiva in the center of cave 1. Actually, the whole site is all about Shiva. This depicts 3 different faces, a fourth implied facing backwards. He is destroyer, kind, wise, all kinds of stuff in these. Amazing stonework deep in a cave temple (about 50 yards), all done by hand.
Another view of 3-faced Shiva, flanked by attendants.
Shiva again. Felicia is normally about 6 feet tall, so look how big this is in comparison!
Here's one of the cave temple entrances for example. They go real deep, with the large figures of Shiva and others all over. Too many awesome pics to post.
Churchgate train station at night. Lots of double-decker buses running around here. Pretty fun to see.
More cricketers at the Oval Maiden, with the High Court behind.
OK, that all from me. See you later. 1 more day, then home! I'll post a follow-up w/ more pics once I get home! -chris
Words from Felicia:
Hey all,
We have had a couple of really long days, so I'm being really lazy and I am not going to post any pictures this evening. I just want to say a few things. I think Mumbai may be moving to the top of my list as my favorite city we have been to in the past two weeks. The old European buildings with modern Indian people and lifestyle is very interesting and unlike anything we have seen thus far. Today we committed one of the seven deadly travelers sins. We ate at McDonalds. But I have to admit after weeks of eating Indian food something familiar we GREAT. Maybe there will be time to post tomorrow before our flight home, but in case there isn't time this has been a great trip and it has been fun sharing it with all you loyal readers out there.
Felicia
We're in Mumbai/Bombay, obviously. I, at least, had heard a lot of sketchy things about this place, and also heard that overall its just too crowded, noisy, etc etc.....so far we like it a lot. I know there is definitely a bad part here, but perhaps we just have not seen it yet. Crowds? i haven;t seen anything worse than NY. Dirt? I've seen worse in Vellore. Shady characters....see DC, New York, etc etc. So far, its been a pretty good time. Admittedly, we've been doing touristy things and pretty much frequented the tourist-heavy areas, but we'll be venturing out a little more tomorrow, so we'll see....
Here's a pic from Trivandrum of the local Hindu temple. Felicia hadn't seen one of these yet, so she thought it was pretty neat. Lots of religious trinkets and stuff for sale around it. And a big "pond" for sacred washing. Lots of people showed up for evening prayer when we were there.
Closeup of the intricate details on this temple. Every inch is some sort of figure doing something.
In Mumbai, there are areas like the Mall in DC, or big parks, called "Maidens". The Oval Maiden is the most famous, especially for the constant games of cricket going on. Here is one of them.
A view of the Queens Necklace at dusk, wrapping around the back bay of Mumbai. Felicia and I sat here for a while. Lots of people strolling and just sitting happily.
The Gateway of India. Iconic, on the waters edge near the Fort and Colaba. We departed from the steps here on our boat to Elephanta Island today.
View of the Gate as we pulled away on the boat.
Neato Victorian architecture abounds, amidst heat, humidity, palms, etc.
One of the many very large figures in Elephanta Caves. It is a world heritage site 1-hour by boat from Mumbai. These are giant caves carved from solid rock around 6th century AD, with many columns, and large figures of the gods doing all kind of stuff. A lot were damaged by the Portuguese and others over the years. Here is Felicia for scale.
There is a giant 3-faced Shiva in the center of cave 1. Actually, the whole site is all about Shiva. This depicts 3 different faces, a fourth implied facing backwards. He is destroyer, kind, wise, all kinds of stuff in these. Amazing stonework deep in a cave temple (about 50 yards), all done by hand.
Another view of 3-faced Shiva, flanked by attendants.
Shiva again. Felicia is normally about 6 feet tall, so look how big this is in comparison!
Here's one of the cave temple entrances for example. They go real deep, with the large figures of Shiva and others all over. Too many awesome pics to post.
Churchgate train station at night. Lots of double-decker buses running around here. Pretty fun to see.
More cricketers at the Oval Maiden, with the High Court behind.
OK, that all from me. See you later. 1 more day, then home! I'll post a follow-up w/ more pics once I get home! -chris
Words from Felicia:
Hey all,
We have had a couple of really long days, so I'm being really lazy and I am not going to post any pictures this evening. I just want to say a few things. I think Mumbai may be moving to the top of my list as my favorite city we have been to in the past two weeks. The old European buildings with modern Indian people and lifestyle is very interesting and unlike anything we have seen thus far. Today we committed one of the seven deadly travelers sins. We ate at McDonalds. But I have to admit after weeks of eating Indian food something familiar we GREAT. Maybe there will be time to post tomorrow before our flight home, but in case there isn't time this has been a great trip and it has been fun sharing it with all you loyal readers out there.
Felicia
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Mumbai / Bombay
Hello all,
We have made it successfully to our last stop on our trip. Trivandrum was sleepy and great. We had a layover in Banglaore, and while we were only there for about an hour, the weather was awesome. Nice and cool(ish) and dry.
Mumbai is a big big city. Like New York on steroids. I've heard some pretty dodgy things about this place, but so far its bee nice, probably because he haven't moved around too much. There was definitely some shady business at the airport with our cab ride into town, but if anything I overpayed about $7, so whatever. We are staying in an are called the Fort, apparently where the Brits originally had theirs, although nothing remains today. We went past eh Oval Maiden yesterday, a big lawn where all the locals were playing cricket. And then headed on over to the Back Bay area, where we sat on the sea wall overlooking the Arabian Sea. The streetlights there ring the bay, and are called the Queen's Necklace, as the resemble a string of pearls. We watched the lights come on, and then headed across the street to get pizza and beer! Almost perfect, although the sauce still tastes funny. They always add "something" to make it taste Indian.
Today we are going to catch a boat to Elephanta Island, a big island in the bay renowned for its hand-cut temple caves. Felicia is very excited about this. Then for some general wanderings...
I'll try to post some more pics later.
We have made it successfully to our last stop on our trip. Trivandrum was sleepy and great. We had a layover in Banglaore, and while we were only there for about an hour, the weather was awesome. Nice and cool(ish) and dry.
Mumbai is a big big city. Like New York on steroids. I've heard some pretty dodgy things about this place, but so far its bee nice, probably because he haven't moved around too much. There was definitely some shady business at the airport with our cab ride into town, but if anything I overpayed about $7, so whatever. We are staying in an are called the Fort, apparently where the Brits originally had theirs, although nothing remains today. We went past eh Oval Maiden yesterday, a big lawn where all the locals were playing cricket. And then headed on over to the Back Bay area, where we sat on the sea wall overlooking the Arabian Sea. The streetlights there ring the bay, and are called the Queen's Necklace, as the resemble a string of pearls. We watched the lights come on, and then headed across the street to get pizza and beer! Almost perfect, although the sauce still tastes funny. They always add "something" to make it taste Indian.
Today we are going to catch a boat to Elephanta Island, a big island in the bay renowned for its hand-cut temple caves. Felicia is very excited about this. Then for some general wanderings...
I'll try to post some more pics later.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Trivandrum (or, as close to the bottom of the subcontinent as we can get)
Hello,
We are now in Trivandrum (aka Thiruvanathampuram...say that 5 times fast). Its the captial city of the state of Kerala, and almost at the very bottom of India. For a good sized city, it's really nice and laid back. Vellore was ten times more crowded and dirty, and it was just a little town with no real claim to fame other than a hospital.
To get here we took the train, one of my goals for the time in India. We got unreserved sleeper car tickets, and I was initially worried that we wouldn't be able to get on the train. You know...unreserved, only a couple of spots per car since they are sleepers....wrong. "Sleeper" means that there are bunks and stuff, but the closest I can come to describing this car was the pics I have seen of troop carriers ferrying US soldiers over to Europe in WW II. People all over the place, on bunks, in the aisle, hanging out the doors. Felicia and I get on with our backpacks and go "Whoah". We crush past people through 3 cars, finding nowhere to even stand, get off the train, go back up 4 cars, and then wind up I think back on the very 1st car we had gotten on. We found that if We took off our packs, slung our smaller bags up onto a bunk with other baggage, we could lean against the wall in the back of the car, between the doors and the bathrooms, with about 8 other people. Luckily, nobody closes the main doors on the cars, so there was a breeze to take away the revolting stench from the bathrooms once we got moving. It was soooo hot and humid too, sweat was pouring off of us. And these guys kept pushing through the cars selling hot coffee and tea the whole time. Nuts. Well, after about 1/2 hour some people got off, and then about another 1/2 hour later we managed to snag a bunk/seat next to window. The trip was much more enjoyable after that. Watching Kerala go by, with the breeze and traveling like the locals do, it was pretty neat. The whole thing took about 3 1/2 hours, pretty reasonable. Our tickets were Rs 84 each ( a little over $2, so what do you want), nobody even came by to check them. We decided that Kerala is officially beautiful. Sorry I have no pictures of the train trip, but there were so many people that were all crushed in there, and trains are so notorious for theft here, that I locked our bags and chained them to the seat. Just take my word for it, it was an initially unpleasant experience that improved significantly. And cheap too.
We got in, got to our hotel, with a/c and hot water (yes!) and feel a little like real people again. Unfortunately, it looks like most stuff is closed here on Mondays (?) so we will do a little sight seeing, a little shopping, and finish recharging ourselves before heading into the proverbial lions den that I hear Mumbai can be. We leave tomorrow AM, get into Mumbai around noon, will probably get to our hotel by 2PM (if lucky). We are there for 2 1/2 days, and hear it is the craziest place of all in India. Wish us luck.
Here are a few last pics from Kerala. I'll stop now, I promise.
These are people waiting at a "bus stop", since all transport on the backwaters is via boat.
If you don't take the bus, you take the family car. This is the only way to get out of the house.
Kerala was the first place to ever have a freely elected communist government, back in the 50's or 60's. The party is still popular, and you see stuff like this all over. Commies in paradise. Hey, if it were this vs siberia, I'd take this.
Our little friend who lived under the sink in our outdoor bathroom in Alleppey. Sometimes would serenade me at night, thanking me for splashing so much water all over the place.
Typical first thing I would see in the morning at the rustic Malayalam Lake Resort. Hot water? - no. A/C? - no. Mosquito net or screens? - no. Electricity? - usually. View and atmosphere - oh yeah.
We are now in Trivandrum (aka Thiruvanathampuram...say that 5 times fast). Its the captial city of the state of Kerala, and almost at the very bottom of India. For a good sized city, it's really nice and laid back. Vellore was ten times more crowded and dirty, and it was just a little town with no real claim to fame other than a hospital.
To get here we took the train, one of my goals for the time in India. We got unreserved sleeper car tickets, and I was initially worried that we wouldn't be able to get on the train. You know...unreserved, only a couple of spots per car since they are sleepers....wrong. "Sleeper" means that there are bunks and stuff, but the closest I can come to describing this car was the pics I have seen of troop carriers ferrying US soldiers over to Europe in WW II. People all over the place, on bunks, in the aisle, hanging out the doors. Felicia and I get on with our backpacks and go "Whoah". We crush past people through 3 cars, finding nowhere to even stand, get off the train, go back up 4 cars, and then wind up I think back on the very 1st car we had gotten on. We found that if We took off our packs, slung our smaller bags up onto a bunk with other baggage, we could lean against the wall in the back of the car, between the doors and the bathrooms, with about 8 other people. Luckily, nobody closes the main doors on the cars, so there was a breeze to take away the revolting stench from the bathrooms once we got moving. It was soooo hot and humid too, sweat was pouring off of us. And these guys kept pushing through the cars selling hot coffee and tea the whole time. Nuts. Well, after about 1/2 hour some people got off, and then about another 1/2 hour later we managed to snag a bunk/seat next to window. The trip was much more enjoyable after that. Watching Kerala go by, with the breeze and traveling like the locals do, it was pretty neat. The whole thing took about 3 1/2 hours, pretty reasonable. Our tickets were Rs 84 each ( a little over $2, so what do you want), nobody even came by to check them. We decided that Kerala is officially beautiful. Sorry I have no pictures of the train trip, but there were so many people that were all crushed in there, and trains are so notorious for theft here, that I locked our bags and chained them to the seat. Just take my word for it, it was an initially unpleasant experience that improved significantly. And cheap too.
We got in, got to our hotel, with a/c and hot water (yes!) and feel a little like real people again. Unfortunately, it looks like most stuff is closed here on Mondays (?) so we will do a little sight seeing, a little shopping, and finish recharging ourselves before heading into the proverbial lions den that I hear Mumbai can be. We leave tomorrow AM, get into Mumbai around noon, will probably get to our hotel by 2PM (if lucky). We are there for 2 1/2 days, and hear it is the craziest place of all in India. Wish us luck.
Here are a few last pics from Kerala. I'll stop now, I promise.
These are people waiting at a "bus stop", since all transport on the backwaters is via boat.
If you don't take the bus, you take the family car. This is the only way to get out of the house.
Kerala was the first place to ever have a freely elected communist government, back in the 50's or 60's. The party is still popular, and you see stuff like this all over. Commies in paradise. Hey, if it were this vs siberia, I'd take this.
Our little friend who lived under the sink in our outdoor bathroom in Alleppey. Sometimes would serenade me at night, thanking me for splashing so much water all over the place.
Typical first thing I would see in the morning at the rustic Malayalam Lake Resort. Hot water? - no. A/C? - no. Mosquito net or screens? - no. Electricity? - usually. View and atmosphere - oh yeah.
Twilight on the backwaters. Man, this was nice.
We're off to shop and take pictures of temples and stuff. Mumbai will be nutty, but I'll try to get a post or two in from there. Thanks for reading!
- Chris and Felicia
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Alleppey and the Backwaters of Kerala
Hello,
This is Felicia! Vacations are awesome. We just spent a relaxing 3 days amongst palm trees on the relaxing backwaters of Kerala. I have become very good at doing a whole lot of nothing. Getting back to work in the lab is going to be tough. We stayed in a cute little cottage, ate some good home-cooked meals, and then spent a day on a houseboat that took us though the backwaters of Kerala. That trip was fun because we got a small window into what it is like to live back there and see their fields and stuff. I was quite and experience. We had the best south Indian meals so far on the trip. No we are on to Trivandrum for a little less relaxation and hopefully some cool sights, before we eventually head for home. When we get home, I'll show everyone some great pictures of Chris in his Indian garb. Bye!
Hi there, this is Chris. I second what Felicia said. Kerala is just an green, calm, beautiful place to kick back. The little mom-n-pop place we stayed at on the water was great and cheap. Thatched hut, outdoor bathroom & shower, candlelight home-cooking by the water's edge at night. Kind of like roughing it a bit, but fun and nice. We went out on a boat set up by Manish (of my prior Kerala trip). It was great, and we had a wonderful time together. I got to drive it for a while! When tied up in a canal for the night, we discovered our boat was next to that of two Swedish students that had been my hostel-mates back at the CMC in Vellore! They are taking a long weekend. Small world, huh? Anyways, Felicia and I got even more lazy, and floated around, drank some beer, read some books, played some cards, and ate really great food. Today we hop a train to Trivanrum for a few days, then fly up to Mumbai, and from there eventually head for home in less than one week. This has been a long trip for me so far, but it is far from over......
Here are some recent pics of us:
This was our little piece of heaven. Our hut is tough to see, over on the right side.
Yes, Chris has a sickness. He had to fish in India. Not quite enough for dinner, but at least its something!
Our front porch, where Chris kicked my butt at blackjack.
Felica ponders gene mapping and haplotypes.....or snoozes as we cruise along. The beer in the foreground might be involved.
Felicia and a tree. Oh yeah, also really pretty canal and lots of green nature stuff.
Chris on the houseboat. In a dress (no, that's a dhoti, thank you very much!)
Our view from the boat. Begin jealousy now.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading! We'll see you soon from somewhere else.
-Chris and Felicia
This is Felicia! Vacations are awesome. We just spent a relaxing 3 days amongst palm trees on the relaxing backwaters of Kerala. I have become very good at doing a whole lot of nothing. Getting back to work in the lab is going to be tough. We stayed in a cute little cottage, ate some good home-cooked meals, and then spent a day on a houseboat that took us though the backwaters of Kerala. That trip was fun because we got a small window into what it is like to live back there and see their fields and stuff. I was quite and experience. We had the best south Indian meals so far on the trip. No we are on to Trivandrum for a little less relaxation and hopefully some cool sights, before we eventually head for home. When we get home, I'll show everyone some great pictures of Chris in his Indian garb. Bye!
Hi there, this is Chris. I second what Felicia said. Kerala is just an green, calm, beautiful place to kick back. The little mom-n-pop place we stayed at on the water was great and cheap. Thatched hut, outdoor bathroom & shower, candlelight home-cooking by the water's edge at night. Kind of like roughing it a bit, but fun and nice. We went out on a boat set up by Manish (of my prior Kerala trip). It was great, and we had a wonderful time together. I got to drive it for a while! When tied up in a canal for the night, we discovered our boat was next to that of two Swedish students that had been my hostel-mates back at the CMC in Vellore! They are taking a long weekend. Small world, huh? Anyways, Felicia and I got even more lazy, and floated around, drank some beer, read some books, played some cards, and ate really great food. Today we hop a train to Trivanrum for a few days, then fly up to Mumbai, and from there eventually head for home in less than one week. This has been a long trip for me so far, but it is far from over......
Here are some recent pics of us:
This was our little piece of heaven. Our hut is tough to see, over on the right side.
Yes, Chris has a sickness. He had to fish in India. Not quite enough for dinner, but at least its something!
Our front porch, where Chris kicked my butt at blackjack.
Felica ponders gene mapping and haplotypes.....or snoozes as we cruise along. The beer in the foreground might be involved.
Felicia and a tree. Oh yeah, also really pretty canal and lots of green nature stuff.
Chris on the houseboat. In a dress (no, that's a dhoti, thank you very much!)
Our view from the boat. Begin jealousy now.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading! We'll see you soon from somewhere else.
-Chris and Felicia
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