Southern Hospitality

I’ll be honest—when I left northern India, I was wondering if I had made a mistake booking a full month in India.  Could I handle another month of honking horns, touts following me around with postcard books, and questionably safe food?  Luckily, southern India proved delightful, the Florida to the north’s New York.  In the south, people were more relaxed and in turn, I was more relaxed.  The air was fresher and we spent a lot of time outdoors, from the beaches to the hilltops.  Many dishes used fresh ingredients like coconut, sometimes instead of a plate we had a banana leaf, and I didn’t get sick at all (other than a head cold).  Now, I was still seeing a gazillion temples (all of which require shoe removal—I’ve never gone barefoot so much in my life) and if I never see another grain of rice it will be too soon, but I’m certainly glad that  southern India proved to be a whole other creature from the north.

Veg Thali served on a banana leaf, including a big heaping pile of rice

The southern tour began in Kochi, a city where the fishermen still use enormous fishing nets attached to an elaborate lever, introduced by the Chinese hundreds of years ago.  In this region, gestures are important and one we had to learn quickly was the head bobble (picture a bobble-head doll) that is the equivalent of nodding “yes.”  Moving south meant hotter temperatures, so it was a relief when we moved on to the Hill country.  As an avid tea drinker, I was fascinated to see start-to-finish how tea is grown and processed.  Then we visited Mudumalai Nature Reserve, where we watched elephants being bathed and fed by their handlers.  Most of the trained elephants end up at temples—I got blessed by one in Pondicherry.  Each person holds out money, the elephant grabs it with her trunk, and then she bonks you on the head—err, blesses you—and this blessing is supposed to bring me prosperity.  A good job offer soon perhaps? 

Chinese fishing nets in Kochi at sunset

Me as a tea plantation worker

Always wash behind your ears

Getting "blessed"

One of my favorite southern stops was Mamallapuram, a small town on the Bay of Bengal (east coast) where we rode bicycles between the sights which included a Shore Temple, Five Rathas, Krishna’s Butterball, and a huge bas relief called Arjuna’s Penance.  Unexpectedly I also got a chance to swim in the Indian Ocean at a place called Varkala.  This wasn’t on my original itinerary but rather was added due to our need to avoid protests about proposed dam reconstruction at our previously planned destination, Periyar.  Unfortunately the protests also caused road closures between 6 AM and 6 PM, so to reach Varkala we actually had to drive all night in our tiny van.  Varkala is one of the nicer beaches I’ve been to though, good sand and right below a cliff that keeps all the shops and restaurants at a respectable distance.  Without going into all the details, the itinerary changes led to some struggle with the tour company to get substitute activities but in the end we had a nice long boat ride added through a beautiful region called the Kerala backwaters.  There we stayed 2 nights in guesthouses on an island within the backwaters, a restful way to de-stress and end my stay in India.

5 Rathas (Carriages) in Mamallapuram

Me in front of Arjuna's Penance

Krishna's butter ball

Laundry in the Kerala Backwaters

Getting around the Kerala Backwaters

Once again it was sad to say goodbye to the friends I made on the tour, particularly Wendy and Dennis who did the whole month with me.  Spending so much time together and in such a chaotic environment has a way of bringing people together quickly—and you can’t get much closer than trying to shove numerous Westerners into rickshaws built for tiny Indian behinds.  Now that I am in Laos and have some distance from India, I can better appreciate that the intensity of India is part of its magic.  In the end, I am very glad that I devoted a month to exploring India and I’m missing the smiles and hellos of the Indian people already.  I’m in Laos for a few more days, then one week in Thailand, and then, unbelievably, home!  More on southeast Asia in a future installment, of course.