God's Own Country

Where was I ??

That's right.... it was the week before last as I was watching monkeys and peacocks by the river in Mudumalai National Park.

On Monday it was already time to move on. I woke up early and boarded the 6AM local bus to Ooty.

The bus went upupup into the Nilgiri Hills going through 36 hairpin bends. It was dark and quite chilly.

As the sun was coming out we arrived at Ooty, one of South India's most famous hill stations. Many travelers stop here for a few days to enjoy the trekking and tea plantations; I, however, just needed to use the toilet and change buses. It was fine.

My next bus took me downdowndown along a steep canyon and through beautiful tea plantations set precariously on the cliffs.

The bumpy bus made photography difficult but here is the fog lifting from the hills...

Tea plants...

Four buses, one ferry boat, and one rickshaw later I was in the state of Kerala on the western shores and pulling into the sleepy town of Ft. Cochi. The tagline for Kerala is "God's Own Country" and I would find out over the next few days the accuracy of that assertion.

My breakfasts are normally a few cashew biscuits, maybe a banana and a mango drink. But on Tuesday morning I was hankering for something a bit more and that's exactly what I got...

Along the Ft. Cochi waterfront are old-fashioned Chinese fishing nets, such as have been used for over 400 years...

They simply dip the nets in the water, let it sit, and then pull it back out...

Of course, the larger seafood items come from fishing boats a bit further out. All of it is for sale there along the waterfront and many restaurants advertise, "you choose your fish, we'll cook it!"

The ubiquitous crows are always on the lookout for a scrap or two...

The shores of Kerala are where Columbus was trying to get to (unsuccessfully), and where Vasco da Gama was headed as he rounded the continent of Africa. So why did these old European explorers risk so much to come to here? ...Wealth is the correct answer, of course, but the source of that wealth was right here...

Yes... pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, mace, ginger, cashews, the spices and fruits of exotic India. Kerala is the spice capital of India and thus there is a heavy colonial influence from the Portuguese, Dutch, English, and others.

Here is one of the oldest Christian churches in India. Built by the Portuguese, it was the burial place of Vasco da Gama until his remains were brought back to Portugal....

Ginger drying in the sun getting ready for export...

Here is the old Jewtown of Ft. Cochin with the synagogue at the end....

In the afternoon I went to have a look at the old Dutch Cemetery. The gates were locked but there was a pair of American tourists also having a look. After only a few seconds of conversation I found out that they are also LDS.

Jim and Lisa, from Michigan, even invited me for lunch! We ate at a fairly posh hotel, but the prices for the seafood weren't even all that much. I enjoyed a marvelous seafood masala dish and we had a nice chat.

Here I am with them on the balcony where ate lunch...

So you remember Adam, the Irish traveler from Cork? Remember, the one from Cork who wanted to go to the "bear" in Mysore?

Yeah, so I first met him at a train station in Hospet after leaving Hampi, then I ran into him in Mysore and we went to the "bear."

Well, I was visiting one of the old churches in Cochin and who should walk around the corner, but Irish Adam!

So we hung out for a while and got a bite to eat and chatted about what's next on our itineraries.

On Wednesday I took a bus south to the town of Alleppey, the gateway to the famed Keralan backwaters. The town itself wasn't much to shout about, though I thought this store was cool (other than spelling my name wrong)...

I also had cable in my room (and bed bugs!) and so I got to hear all about Egypt and make new insect friends.

On Thursday I booked a Backwaters canoe tour. I sat on cushioned and covered seat while the rower quietly rowed me through the canals and watery thoroughfares...

Our boat in the lower right, and one of the rice-barges-turned-fancy-schmancy-houseboat on left...

It was nice...

We saw a lot of those houseboat barges...

I also saw a lot of wildlife...

And a couple of times, the boatman stopped and let me walk around the villages a bit and into the rice fields...

It was very peaceful, relaxing, and also fascinating to watch life on the water...

At the end of the tour, as sort of a grand finale, we came to a canal that was filled.... FILLED.... with hundreds of baby (baby!) ducks!

I had never seen so many ducks and heard so much quacking in all my life....

It was no plush houseboat, but my four-hour canoe ride was a delight.

On the street in Alleppey...

On Friday I walked to the bus station, and who should I run into, just arriving? Yeah, it was Irish Adam! I gave him a few recommendations of where to eat in town and then I took a bus southsouthsouth to the beach town of Varkala. The beach is set dramatically against a series of cliffs with narrow stairways leading to the sand...

It was touristy, but not overrun, and it was the perfect way to top off the week. I had a scrumptious lunch with a great view...

And then I swam in and enjoyed the sun and the warm Arabian Sea...

Sunset was nice...

All along the top of the cliff, overlooking the ocean, are dozens of seafood restaurants all displaying the day's catch for passer-bys to oggle at. I was stopped at almost the first restaurant I came to and was persuaded to try the fresh grouper, steamed with traditional Keralan spices and wrapped in a banana leaf with coconut rice on the side. Oh man. It was tender and the spices were incredible. Probably the best fish

On Friday morning I had to check out, but I enjoyed a fine breakfast of bananas wrapped in a thin pancake covered with honey and a mango shake, all while enjoying a fabulous ocean view and chatting with a couple and their two-year-old daughter from London.

I was bit sad to leave Varkala. I walked the cliff-side promenade one more time and who should I run into but Irish Adam again! He was sitting down to lunch, so I joined him and then it was time to leave. I was also excited to go on to my next destination. I had been in south-western India, more or less, since my arrival. Now it's time to go east and then north!

The journey so far, with blue markers showing places featured in today's blog...

View India Kerala in a larger map

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