Dayna:
By Monday afternoon we were on our way from Alleppey to Kumily, which is a small town outside a nature reserve. On Tuesday we decided to rent a vespa for convenience sake, but more so for the novelty of driving in the orderless streets of India. The bad news is that I forgot my driver's licence at home; the good news is that they didn't ask if I have one. Adrienne did all the driving because I was too scared, and after a 30 second training session we set out to contribute our share to the orderless roads where the drivers follow the patterns of headless chickens running around. It took awhile to get used to driving on the left side of the road and stopping for cows, goats and chicken crossing (still don't know why, though) but we survived! Cudos to Adrienne for the defensive driving- Young Drivers taught you well. Once out of the city we enjoyed getting lost in the countryside, distracted by the mountainous scenery painted green with trees. One of the greatest experiences that we had so far was our visit to a tea plantation. The place was ginormous, filled with tons of greenery and a narrow winding road that led us to the top of the rolling hills. Driving along the narrow, steep path was pretty scary (especially as a backseat driver), but the gorgeous view of the plantation was unbelievable. While we were near the top, it started raining, which was actually really refreshing and made the view even more special.
The main reason why we came toKumily was to go to Periyar to see elephants, tigers and leopards in the wild so I was really excited for our jeep safari yesterday- although I wouldn't call it a safari as much as a follow-the-trail-of-elephant-poop hike in the Periyar rain forest. We gave up on spotting any exotic wildlife after our 3 our hike which consisted mainly of getting attacked by various blood-sucking creatures (mosquitoes and leeches- gross!). The only elephants that we saw were at an elephant park, were we rode and bathed an elephant, and of course received several drenching shpritzes in return. But even though we didnt see much wildlife, it was a fun experience and we met some nice people.
To take a break from our outdoor adventures, we went to a Kathakali performance the other night. This traditional Hindu dance depicts the myths of the gods (katha=story, kali=play). What an interesting dance! Performers dance to the musical chanting which narrates the story (unfortunately, I don't speak Maliyalum so I had to rely on my imagination to follow the story line). The main attractions are the animated facial expressions and alarmingly lively makeup art.
Last night we caught a flight from Cochin to New Delhi and prepared to embark on a new chunk of our journey. In the South, we jumped into Maliyali culture and the surrounding nature, and the next week of our trip will introduce us to Hindu religion and the different culture in Delhi and its environs. Southern India, you were great, but some things I wont miss! The overwhelming heat, unbearably spicy food and questionable sanitary standards are three key ingredients for shvitzy, hungry, and ever-shmultzy travelers! (for translation, see your local Bubby)
By Monday afternoon we were on our way from Alleppey to Kumily, which is a small town outside a nature reserve. On Tuesday we decided to rent a vespa for convenience sake, but more so for the novelty of driving in the orderless streets of India. The bad news is that I forgot my driver's licence at home; the good news is that they didn't ask if I have one. Adrienne did all the driving because I was too scared, and after a 30 second training session we set out to contribute our share to the orderless roads where the drivers follow the patterns of headless chickens running around. It took awhile to get used to driving on the left side of the road and stopping for cows, goats and chicken crossing (still don't know why, though) but we survived! Cudos to Adrienne for the defensive driving- Young Drivers taught you well. Once out of the city we enjoyed getting lost in the countryside, distracted by the mountainous scenery painted green with trees. One of the greatest experiences that we had so far was our visit to a tea plantation. The place was ginormous, filled with tons of greenery and a narrow winding road that led us to the top of the rolling hills. Driving along the narrow, steep path was pretty scary (especially as a backseat driver), but the gorgeous view of the plantation was unbelievable. While we were near the top, it started raining, which was actually really refreshing and made the view even more special.
The main reason why we came toKumily was to go to Periyar to see elephants, tigers and leopards in the wild so I was really excited for our jeep safari yesterday- although I wouldn't call it a safari as much as a follow-the-trail-of-elephant-poop hike in the Periyar rain forest. We gave up on spotting any exotic wildlife after our 3 our hike which consisted mainly of getting attacked by various blood-sucking creatures (mosquitoes and leeches- gross!). The only elephants that we saw were at an elephant park, were we rode and bathed an elephant, and of course received several drenching shpritzes in return. But even though we didnt see much wildlife, it was a fun experience and we met some nice people.
To take a break from our outdoor adventures, we went to a Kathakali performance the other night. This traditional Hindu dance depicts the myths of the gods (katha=story, kali=play). What an interesting dance! Performers dance to the musical chanting which narrates the story (unfortunately, I don't speak Maliyalum so I had to rely on my imagination to follow the story line). The main attractions are the animated facial expressions and alarmingly lively makeup art.
Last night we caught a flight from Cochin to New Delhi and prepared to embark on a new chunk of our journey. In the South, we jumped into Maliyali culture and the surrounding nature, and the next week of our trip will introduce us to Hindu religion and the different culture in Delhi and its environs. Southern India, you were great, but some things I wont miss! The overwhelming heat, unbearably spicy food and questionable sanitary standards are three key ingredients for shvitzy, hungry, and ever-shmultzy travelers! (for translation, see your local Bubby)
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