Out of India

On our last day in India we were driven to the Marriott Hotel which was one kilometre from the Kochi International airport. We said somewhat sad farewell to Pradeep, invited him to look us up next time he was in New Zealand realising that although he has a fairly good job, is quite well educated and had plans for the future, it is most unlikely that he will ever travel outside of India. The Marriott Hotel was one of the best we have stayed in. Although it is in a dirty dusty climate in India it matches up well to some of the best places we have seen in Australia or South Africa. We enjoyed our last night before flying to Dubai.

 

Emirates flight into Dubai took four hours and as is expected on this airline everything went smoothly. We landed to 34 degrees but it didn't seem that hot, very dry heat probably. Dubai is quite a contrast to India where all the people are dark skinned with black hair but the country is so clean and the skyline was full of skyscrapers. Dubai boasts the tallest building in the World and one gets the feeling that if another was built somewhere else, they would build another to maintain their '....tallest building in the World'. We had a man waiting at the airport with a sign ".......Mr Rob.....", I love that! He quickly taxied us to our lodgings at a bed and breakfast accommodation. Once off the motorways we are into narrow streets with three story stone buildings on either side. Our room was through some even narrower corridors, and we instantly had a feeling of being in Arabia somewhere....I don't really know why because we haven't spent any time in theses Arabic countries before. In saying that there was once a very famous Lawrence in these parts of the World!

We only have 3 nights so had to make best use of a short time so chose to take a day excursion with a guide along the coast. The other option was to take a journey into the desert but it never greatly appealed, it never had very good reports either. So we went northeastwards up the coast driving out of Dubai and into their neighbouring United Arabic Emirate of Sharjah. For a short time we were in Oman as well but that was a back cornerstone of that Sultanate and nobody noticed our whereabouts. Many things are different in Dubai. There are 3 men to every one woman and in one small dormitory village near the main city there are 3000 men to one woman. Little wonder that they are completely covered up when in public! But the country is rich! Serious! When a "native" couple marry the government give the man and the wife $20,000 each. If they have a child then they are given more money and the child is given an allowance from birth that increases with age. This is only for the "native" population which are 1.5 million. The government will also provide a house, all education costs, hospitals and other services in every small town so that the native population can stay in their ancestral area - often in the middle of nowhere. Crime is practically non-existent and when some one is imprisoned they often choose to remain in prison rather than be released! Crazy stuff for a rich country goes on and on. Bus shelters are closed in and air conditioned! It is the 20th most expensive city in the World to live in but I must say my haircut at $4 was as good as any in NZ at $15. Petrol costs 50c a litre and most people have a fairly new car.

 

On our drive we visited a very old mosque and were allowed a quick look inside provided the female was dressed like a local, so barefoot (and almost penniless) Diana visited. Roads are spectacular between the seven emirates, often three lanes with very little hill climbs and no sharp corners.

 

We did find some mountains and spent quite a bit of time looking for forest.....we are still looking for that.

 

 

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Into Paddy Fields 11 - 14 May

We were down on a flat part of the Indian subcontinent and had quite a long day driving to our next destination. A short visit to a botanic garden near the tea garden had trees from all over the World except New Zealand. We will try and arrange for a Kauri seed to be forwarded as soon as we get home.

Back on the flat we entered Kerala, the rice bowl State of India. The roads, towns and houses take a very sudden cleaner more organised appearance. We were heading to Cochin (now called Kochi, by some) and a hotel on a large man made Island from when the British dredged the port. This hotel was pretty flash and we enjoyed the hospitality, the food was excellent and staff most helpful. Diana couldn't help but notice that the restaurant had the same 'loop' of 10 or so quite rocky songs playing at breakfast, lunch and dinner!! Of all the zillion that are available.

 

In the evening we were treated to a local dance show. This was an ancient dance form Kathakali, where there were no singing or dancing, a drum beat only and a commentary. The lone dancer first showed us his mostly facial and eye moves and then acted out a wee story....slipped over both our heads but we applauded loudly at completion....we were the entire audience!

 

We had a day tour of Cochin planned but unfortunately the town was on strike and our driver could not get over the bridge to our hotel. The protesters were exhausted by 3.00pm so Pradeep snuck in and we had an abbreviated half day tour. We got around very quickly now as the streets were pretty much deserted. The strike was Union organised (still quite strong in many parts of India) because the government were not supporting a fertiliser works that was likely to go under without financial assistance. The company has 1200 employees. Not sure if the strike had any effect on the government but it did stuff our day up somewhat. We still had time to see where Vasco de Gama was first laid to rest and also see some Chinese fishing nets and Jewtown. This part of India has had a strong early association with the Portuguese in the 16th century, the French and the English. It is a wealthy corner of the country that boasts the highest literacy rate at 96%.

Our Guide gave us some really interesting social history and explanations for the better life comparatively that people have in Kerala. There are 800 people every square km! and a town every 7 kms but they are not keen on apartment style living - they still appreciate having enough space to grow veggies.

From Cochin we went south to the rice growing area of Kerala and boarded a house boat for an overnight cruise and sleep. The area we visited is known as the Venice of the East, with a labyrinth of waterways that make up the main streets. The stay on the house boat was a highlight of the trip. (One could feel the serenity!) We had a captain, a boat boy and a chef and they were all exceptional in looking after us. There are 1000 of these houseboats on the waterway and it is rated the second most special thing to do in India after seeing the Taj Mahal (by Lonely Planet).

 

 

We have one night left on our tour of Southern India and are at present camped at Turtle Beach. From a quick look that Diana and I had at midday it should be renamed "Crab Beach". We are resting up, drinking the last of our 'Kingfisher', doing a bit of washing and writing a blog. Stay with us, in 48 hours we will be in Dubai for a bit more exploring and it looks like the geocaching will offer a few opportunities.

 

 

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Beyond Mysore 6-10 May

It was good to be leaving Mysore, a big busy city (but interesting, safe and welcoming for us) and heading to bush country and less people. We drove across India, through small villages and past numerous farm areas and into Nagarhole National Park. We were looking forward to going on safari again, it is some time since we had been in the game parks of Malaysia, Namibia, South Africa and eons since some wonderful safaris in Kenya with the McKechnies. We were accommodated in the Serai Resort and safaris left from there. The first morning we were up before the sparrows had passed wind and eagerly atop a Tada "hilux" on the lookout for one of 64 tigers or a leopard. There are over 100 leopard in the park but we were unlucky enough to not see either of these big cats. We still had a thrill in the chase though. We did see large numbers of chital deer, a few sambur deer, some huge gaur buffalo, monkeys, pigs, mongoose, and many birds. After four hours we were back at the lodge, well pleased with our mornings hunt. We quickly booked onto the afternoon "boat" safari. This took us up the Kibini River into the National Park and once again the cats kept napping and out of sight. But we did see elephant, quite large groups living totally in the wild unmolested by man. Their is no ivory trade in India and from all accounts if a local were to take an animal of any species from the NP he would be dealt to by the other villagers. "Dealt to" I think could have some serious connotations.

From the game park we headed to a resort on top of a hill with wonderful views over the surrounding jungle valleys, in a peaceful setting where rest and recreation were emphasised. NOT!!! Is all I could say to the Indian who had enough money and a minimal amount of grey matter to invent this place. It didn't help that we arrived at the same time as an out of season cyclone that removed the power supply and the hot water. There was a slug 10 cms long with a reasonable girth welcoming Diana to her first sitting....where he went when flicked into the bowl and flushed is anyone's guess.....probably just 50 metres down the hill, but I don't want to know. This whole place was founded and is run on the Basil Fawlty manual. I would not be surprised if the owner of this particular guest house did not receive straight A's in Fawlty's Academy for aspiring hoteliers! After two nights it was hard work to be forthcoming with the obligatory 'voluntary' tip! I was pleased to get away, heading for Coonoor about 4 hours drive. Our driver is doing a great job in keeping us safe and pointing out things of interest and answering all our questions. We have him schooled up on his geography, he knows where NZ is and is interested in how things are done at home. We had a bit of time to spare so did some geocaching in Ooty, we were thrilled when Pradeep found the cache....he wants more now so we may have another convert.

Our digs in Conoor were a lodge on a tea plantation and again we were miles from civilisation and had to eat their local tucker. I hate to say it but I am becoming accustomed to a little spice in the vegetables, the meat, the potatoes the bread the..the...everything. Our stomachs aren't saying "that's on its way back and don't send me any more".....we might have been here to long? We visited a tea factory and a botanical garden and tonight find ourselves at Cheruthyruthy (which Pradeep says so fast it sounds like "Cheruty") in the Riverside Lodge, booked in for a massage at 8.30am. We had a long days driving with some 'hairy' moments but we have to trust Pradeep's experience and we were told he was the company's "Best Driver"!! We travelled an alternate route as they had changed the other way down the mountains to One Way due to holiday traffic! However the way we drove was tortuous but through some fantastic tea clad hills and tiny villages that we would never have known existed is this enlightening continent.

 

 

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Misunderstandings

The experiences so far in India are many and varied and two dining ones stick in my mind. Our first night out in Bangalore we headed off out to look for something to eat. You may think that with such a population the choices would be many and varied but not so, in our part of town anyway. After circling around the back streets we opted for a 'Family Restaurant' up some stairs. There were lots of tables and a waiter came straight to us but after getting him to repeat himself 3 times I realised he was saying "No women allowed!!" We were embaressed and they tried to help by offering us a room separate off to the side and were hurriedly wiping the tables and getting us better chairs. They gave us the 'menu' but it only had drinks and we'd already had a beer at the hotel. We asked about food - they asked what we would like! No menu. Mmmm....time to extract ourselves gracefully and I think they were relieved as well. We still have no idea, nor did our driver, what sort of place we had entered but they were trying to be helpful. Not a good start.

You just never know here what to expect even if you think the smiling wobbling "yes" leads you to think you have it sorted. We had experienced the buffet type breakfasts at our last hotel. They always have noodles, soups and spicy stuff available. With our Bed and Breakfast we asked if we could please have only toast and an omelette. Shame to waste any other dishes on us. Out came the toast and omelette and you guessed it......followed by the hearty soup and rice cakes!! At lunch I had had a black tea so when we ordered coffees for breakfast he said "black Madame?" I wrongly said " White please...I only have black tea" I got black tea and Rob got white TEA!! You can only smile and carry on.

One very impressive thing that this country has revealed to us is their smoking policy. For the past five years it has been illegal in all of India to smoke in public places......that is, in all public places. Introducing this piece of legislature in NZ by 2020 seems as though it is far more realistic when a country of over a billion people can do it. There are still a few people seen in the street smoking but everyone knows they are breaking the law.

 

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Bangalore and Mysore 2-5 May

Our first day in India was set down for recovery and exploration. Recovery from flying in and out of airports was quick enough so we set off to explore some of Bangalore and familiarise ourselves with India, it was 33 years ago that we were first here. Bangalore Palace was first stop on our list. A short walk from our budget hotel, past the street vendors, open drains, cows and beggars on the footpath and filth, we were there. Not a bad hut in its day but maintenance appears to be a problem and the place is slowly deteriorating. Back on the street and we wandered past numerous magnificent buildings, mostly government offices where the officials do not shy away from opulence. It must be hellingishly confusing for some of the populace to look out from under their $10 piece of blue plastic cover from the Warehouse, to see a building so grand, running water, electricity and spare rooms. But we are in India and the gap between the have's and the have nots is a gaping crevice wider than the Grand Canyon.

 

We did enjoy some fresh food off the street stalls, especially the natural wrapped varieties like banana. Also took a short ride in an "auto-rickshaw". These are tuk tuks in every other country but India previously had the rickshaw, pulled by a skinny man and these don't seem evident in the south. There are 95,000 of the autos in Bangalore alone and at times it appeared that they were all coming down the street at once. They have meters in them so are pretty much a very small taxi which if you think of the number of people that travel alone, then are more economical than huge cars. They squeeze themselves through pretty narrow gaps at times.

 

Our Tour car driver, "Pradeep", arrived at our hotel at 8.30am as organised and once settled into the rear seat of his Toyota car we were off on our journey through Southern India. First stop was to be Mysore about 4 hours southwest. The journey was uneventful if you overlook the 3 crashes we witnessed (one of which included a fatality), the hair-raising overtaking, the detours to avoid cows on the road and the over laden trucks, tractors and tuk tuks all using the same piece of bitumen (which itself added to the hazards in front of us). Our driver is very good though, very patient and we don't feel that we have been in any danger while driving, or at all for that matter!

We had a very salubrious hotel in Mysore and had booked a day tour of the city with a guide. These city tours are good value as the guide is able to show and explain things that we would otherwise miss. The tour took us to the top of a nearby hill however the views were not that expansive due to the amount of smoke and dust in the air. We travelled on to visit the Mysore Palace.....what a monstrosity it is. About 24 Maharajahs have called it home. That recently changed with the death of the last Maharajah last December. The Palace is now in Trust and will pass to the city administrators when his wife dies. We were not allowed to photograph inside but assure you it was extremely lavish for its day. (A mixture of Middle Eastern and Victorian architecture, teak doors, some also inlaid ivory or silver, Czech crystal chandeliers, painted copper panelled ceilings, cast iron pillars made and shipped from Scotland in 1906. The Maharajah was obviously enticed to get the best the world had to offer. Fully electrified as Mysore was the first town in India to get electric light in 1904. A cost of 4.2 million rupees $80,000.) What was most amazing was visiting the Palace again in the evening as they turn the lights on every Sunday night. There must be over a million lights, the place looked like Disneyland! and again must confuse those that are still scrimping and saving for candles.

The above Palace at night

 

 

India certainly is a strange and different place. I have the privilege of having doors opened for me and chairs pulled back from tables while my dearly beloved finds her own way. Most of the hotel staff type people will talk directly toward me however after the first two words I am looking directly at Diana as I can't understand a word they are saying. They do then talk to 'Madame' but it isn't first option by a long chalk. Weather has been good, not nearly as hot as we expected and we were treated to the loudest electrical storm we have ever heard last night. Plastic bags, horse dung, fruit peelings of all types, general rubbish and men piddling into open drains in full public view will take more time for us to accept than we have.

 

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Onward to India. 1st May

Our journey from ChiangMai was to Southern India through Bangkok and Mumbai. We had allowed a couple of hours break between flights and were wondering what we might do to fill in the time. We needn't have worried. We had booked tickets right through, off the internet and intended to board planes and disembark as is the norm. But not to be.

We were not allowed to check on to the plane in Bangkok as we did not have a ticket to exit India. Somehow I think that the Indian government has an idea that everyone landing here is intending to stay! I think that more than half of the locals here are in fact trying to leave.....if there are any corner dairies left in NZ then I am sure there is a million Indians hoping to be allocated the business. It took us nye on two hours to decide and book a flight and have a credit card that would process. (What did we ever do before the internet!) We now have a flight out to Dubai with Emirates dated 25 May. JetAirways allowed us to board our flight but we were running late by take-off time and stressed a little as the plane doors closed.

4 hours later we were on the ground in Mumbai. (Maybe it was a bad start as we entered the immigration area. Usually they are quite sombre orderly affairs but for the first time we experienced a run of emotions with yelling and ranting from a passenger as he exited the area...the only English we heard was "Bangladeshi shit"!)

We thought everything would be green light again for us and it was....until we hit the immigration desk. "No Visa, no entry" said the pan faced head wobbling local. "Hang on, mate, we're friends with Ed. Hillary, you know the man, he is one of us". "No Visa, no entry"......another wobble or two. (Don't you love them?). We were under the misapprehension that as NZers we had waived Visa rights and could get a stamp at the border and in we go. Two more hours and several signatures, everything in triplicate but no one has told them about carbon paper yet.....we did meet a dot matrix printer though.

Rob was taken away to another room to pay the money. Memories came flooding back of India 33 years previous as our passports were paraded between offices and closed doors. You can do nothing but sit and wait for the process to take its' course. We were wondering if our bags would be still going around on the carousel! They were at the Jet Airways desk and we hurried to checkin for Bangaluru. We were in time but the bus had already departed for the domestic terminal. Off downstairs to patiently wait for a handwritten taxi chit...in duplicate...and into a minute taxi with our bags on the roof! Checked through the bags, through security...men one way, woman another....Rob with both boarding passes!!

We used up our two hours with nothing to spare as again we were the last ones into the plane bound for Bangalore. A bit of luck was on our side - we could hardly call it 'good management'. Our taxi pick up was perfect and drop off to our hotel at midnight ended a fairly long, frustrating, interesting day.......I think many more of them to come. Our idea of visiting Sri Lanka may now go on the back burner as we can't contemplate asking if we can re-enter India to fly out on the 25th from Mumbai.

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Chiang Mai and Sally. 27th April

 

Our flight from Luang Prabang went smoothly enough and entry back into Thailand was through the "green line" which we completed in record time. We found Sally's house and although it had been only a couple of weeks since we had been together it was nice to meet her on her home turf........well.........parched dry dusty corner of the world. Sally cooked us tea and we consumed our 2 bottles of Chilean duty free wine. (They had no NZ on entry).

 

 

 

 

We spent some time geocaching in Chiang Mai which was fun and we now have another Travel Bug to help wend it's way around the world. Sally came to meet us one afternoon and for a few minutes I thought she may have been hooked....not so, a fair bit of walking involved. She did join us for a couple on her bike though.

We took a "Red Ride" car and driver for a day trip out of Chiang Mai. Enroute we visited an elephant farm (sort of farm, training area, tourist attraction) and got quite close up and personal. We stopped off at a very large cave (including bats) and a spot where we saw a handprint of Buddha. We had seen the footprint of Buddha on the top of a hill in Luang Prabang so the big fella got around a bit. I think both were just mystical sites, akin to "Ripley's Believe It Or Not".

On our last day out we enjoyed a smorgasbord lunch. Just a few doors down was a Gallery of murals set up for photo opportunities. We felt like kids again as we tried them all out.

Our short stay in Chiang Mai was good fun, great to see Sally again and share a couple of thunderstorms, one of which produced hail!! I kid you not. Never thought there would ever be hail in the Thailand. Thank you Sally for making our stay so comfortable.

 

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