Adrienne:
Today marks the 1 week anniversary of our arrival in India. We are commemorating this momentous occasion with a celebratory sweaty 5 hour bus ride. We have come to love the local bus experience, not only because it is cheap (okay mainly because it's cheap), but because we always end up having funny interactions with people who are amused to see 2 white girls on the local bus. Our first bus experience was on Sunday, when we woke up early to take a 1.5 hour ride from Cochin to Alleppey. We quickly realized that mastering the local bus system meant following its unwritten rules and conventions.One rule we recently discovered was that the "Super Fast Express Bus" is not super fast because the driver makes less stops along the way. It is super fast because he drives like Keanu Reeves in "Speed". Instead of "Super Fast Express Bus", the sign should read "Crazy Maniac Express Bus: now with 50% more chance of stomach ulcer, death and public urination". Another particularly important rule is that a bus seat must be earned. However, it is not simply earned through etiquette and good manners, but by clawing, pushing and body checking your way to a free seat. You really don't have the right to feel a sense of entitlement to a seat unless you, or the people in your way, are covered in scratches, bruises or teeth marks. When it comes to the bus, social grace is not only a foreign concept, but a debilitating disability, one that Dayna and I were inflicted with at the beginning. But don't you worry loyal followers! That initial bus experience has cured us of this infliction, we are now an unstoppable force, combining our 2 deadliest weapons, Dayna's punctuality and my elbows. Nevertheless, at the time, when the bus doors opened we found ourselves at the back of the vicious stampede. We managed to cram ourselves into the bus, but getting on was only half the battle. Holding 2 heavy knapsacks each while trying to balance ourselves in a crowded swerving bus was no picnic.
Alright, I think I forced you to listen to enough bus stories for today. I'll fill you in on a little of our stay in Alleppey. After only 30 minutes in the city, we had already come to 2 conclusions. The first was that Alleppey was the hottest place we had ever encountered in our lives and the second was that we loved the city much more than Cochin. The beauty of the city alone made it much more compelling. Alleppey is primarily known for its beautiful backwaters, which intermingle with the city streets (Apparently it's described as the Venice of Kerala). As we walked up the main streets we could simply look beside us to watch the magnificent houseboats drive by. We also noticed that the people in Alleppey were not the same as those in Cochin. The Cochin locals that we encountered were noticeably poorer than those in Alleppey, which made our interactions with them completely different. While the people of Cochin mainly saw us as dollar signs, the people of Alleppey were much friendlier and eager to talk to us. Of course we got stared at wherever we went for being white and not wearing the traditional Indian garb, but in Alleppey, a white tourist was a novelty, while in Cochin it was an selling opportunity. It definitely took us a while to adjust to the ubiquitous stares. At first I was paranoid that they were directed at us because we were doing something wrong, but I eventually realized that its just the reality of being a visible minority in India. You'd think that being a visible minority would steer us away from prejudice and bigotry, but I have to admit that Dayna and I are still as bigoted as ever. Yes, I am sorry to admit that we still hold negative feelings towards people with mustaches. And this prejudice is particularly unfortunate in India where everyday is Tom Selleck day. Why would they continue the trend in such a ridiculously hot climate? What are they hiding underneath them? Is this a mass conspiracy?
Anyways, I'm getting off topic here. Yikes, I'm a bit strapped for time so I'll sum up Alleppey in one sentence: it was nice.
Today marks the 1 week anniversary of our arrival in India. We are commemorating this momentous occasion with a celebratory sweaty 5 hour bus ride. We have come to love the local bus experience, not only because it is cheap (okay mainly because it's cheap), but because we always end up having funny interactions with people who are amused to see 2 white girls on the local bus. Our first bus experience was on Sunday, when we woke up early to take a 1.5 hour ride from Cochin to Alleppey. We quickly realized that mastering the local bus system meant following its unwritten rules and conventions.One rule we recently discovered was that the "Super Fast Express Bus" is not super fast because the driver makes less stops along the way. It is super fast because he drives like Keanu Reeves in "Speed". Instead of "Super Fast Express Bus", the sign should read "Crazy Maniac Express Bus: now with 50% more chance of stomach ulcer, death and public urination". Another particularly important rule is that a bus seat must be earned. However, it is not simply earned through etiquette and good manners, but by clawing, pushing and body checking your way to a free seat. You really don't have the right to feel a sense of entitlement to a seat unless you, or the people in your way, are covered in scratches, bruises or teeth marks. When it comes to the bus, social grace is not only a foreign concept, but a debilitating disability, one that Dayna and I were inflicted with at the beginning. But don't you worry loyal followers! That initial bus experience has cured us of this infliction, we are now an unstoppable force, combining our 2 deadliest weapons, Dayna's punctuality and my elbows. Nevertheless, at the time, when the bus doors opened we found ourselves at the back of the vicious stampede. We managed to cram ourselves into the bus, but getting on was only half the battle. Holding 2 heavy knapsacks each while trying to balance ourselves in a crowded swerving bus was no picnic.
Alright, I think I forced you to listen to enough bus stories for today. I'll fill you in on a little of our stay in Alleppey. After only 30 minutes in the city, we had already come to 2 conclusions. The first was that Alleppey was the hottest place we had ever encountered in our lives and the second was that we loved the city much more than Cochin. The beauty of the city alone made it much more compelling. Alleppey is primarily known for its beautiful backwaters, which intermingle with the city streets (Apparently it's described as the Venice of Kerala). As we walked up the main streets we could simply look beside us to watch the magnificent houseboats drive by. We also noticed that the people in Alleppey were not the same as those in Cochin. The Cochin locals that we encountered were noticeably poorer than those in Alleppey, which made our interactions with them completely different. While the people of Cochin mainly saw us as dollar signs, the people of Alleppey were much friendlier and eager to talk to us. Of course we got stared at wherever we went for being white and not wearing the traditional Indian garb, but in Alleppey, a white tourist was a novelty, while in Cochin it was an selling opportunity. It definitely took us a while to adjust to the ubiquitous stares. At first I was paranoid that they were directed at us because we were doing something wrong, but I eventually realized that its just the reality of being a visible minority in India. You'd think that being a visible minority would steer us away from prejudice and bigotry, but I have to admit that Dayna and I are still as bigoted as ever. Yes, I am sorry to admit that we still hold negative feelings towards people with mustaches. And this prejudice is particularly unfortunate in India where everyday is Tom Selleck day. Why would they continue the trend in such a ridiculously hot climate? What are they hiding underneath them? Is this a mass conspiracy?
Anyways, I'm getting off topic here. Yikes, I'm a bit strapped for time so I'll sum up Alleppey in one sentence: it was nice.
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