Short and sweet :)

The net connection is PANTS!!!! Sorry, we have photos, but we can't upload them yet.

We are in Hampi - nothing less than fantastic!!!!! - but we have had a bit of tummy trouble, so what was to be 2 days is now 6 as we have had no energy to get around and see everything in the heat (it's about 30 sq kms of really good ruins and it's about 35C here!!!!) We were both feeling MUCH better today and tomorrow we will chase the last temple and give you another update (from another iCafe :)

We never made it to Madras, we left Mamallapuram in a cloud of dust and headed for Bangalore. We stopped in the silk capital for breakfast at a posh hotel and had the best coffee of the trip :) Then we hit the road and picked up an escort at the toll booth outside of town - a HIGHLY energetic 19 year old guy that had just done his own trip around India (9000kms in a month) and he was on his last leg home. He led the way on his new Enfield Thunderbird and we did our best to keep up (he waited when we got delayed behind traffic). The Pulsars don't have the high speed touring capability of an Enfield, but we don't need to go that far between where we want to stop so the Pulsars are great.

We don't recommend Bangalore...we think it's what made us ill :( It was great to see A's friend Adrian though and that was the reason we went :) Photo of their smiling faces is on the way! Bangalore is a very modern and expensive city...and very polluted. I did get my hair cut...but it cost me nearly the same as what I pay in London (well, I do go to Mr Toppers for 6 quid :). I am no longer shaggy and that makes me happy :) On the ride out of town we had the worst traffic yet and our respiratory systems suffered massively (which probably also contributed to our unwellness). The ride to Hampi from Bangalore was a joy (once we got away from Bangalore), it was hot, but the maniacal drivers were driving on other roads that day (woohoo!!!!) though we did see a lot of carnage - dead snake, smashed truck, smashed bus and a truck that had gone off the road and into a ditch).

Hampi is the old capital of the Vijaynagar - 12th-16th century.

Catch you all later!!!!

Sunday morning ride :)

Well, another delay (it always happens when we really want to get moving!), A is still in recovery and was not up to 350km ride to Bangalore this morning - definitely tomorrow! So instead I decided to meet our escort out of Mamallapuram - a keen motorcyclist we met the evening before who was up for riding with us for a few miles - at our arranged time of 7am to see if he wanted to just go for a ride instead (I said he was a keen motorcyclist...he wasn't going to say no :)

I came down at 7 and got the bike started and Koshy appeared right on time - yes, he was up for a ride! We loaded up and headed south for an early Sunday morning blast to Pondicherry - better to ride before everyone wakes up! It was a beautiful morning, the sun was just up and there was a nice mist softening everything.

I have to say that Koshy was extremely well turned out for your average Indian motorcyclist - he has the best protective kit available, an eye-catching and powerful (for the Indian market) bike and two wheel fever on his brain :) Check this guy out:



The speedo hung just under the ton, the curves were plentiful and the maniacal buses were few and far between - ah, what more can you ask for??? :) We had a great ride down before turning around and heading to a cafe for coffee and a chat. At the cafe was another motorcyclist - a lawyer from Chennai and his Hayabusa (you don't see those everyday over here!!!!! that is a 200mph, 1300cc missle bike built by Suzuki :) Then it was a rip back to Mamallapurma to let A know I was in one piece :) A was up and about so we all headed out for a bit of brunch and a long chat - Koshy is a great guy and a font of information - he answered all our questions and we allowed him a few minutes to eat in between :)

Hey Koshy: Thanks for a great day!!!

Can you believe it?

I totally spaced telling you about a couple of items that we eat regularly - stuffed parathas and uttapams. A likes the mixed veg stuffed paratha - a paratha with a thin layer of veg in the middle - I like the gobi ones best and I had an amazing muli one (or three :) in Kodai. Muli looks like a parsnip and tastes like a radish. Uttapams are rice flour pancakes, usually with stuff mixed in, like tomatoes or onions. Both of these are very filling.

We never made it to Madras today, we had a very relaxing day (A was not 100% so we thought it wise), napped, did some laundry, sat on our favorite rock at the beach and watched the sunset light up the water and the temple....lovely :) We are out of here early tomorrow and it looks like we might have a local motorcyclist as escort - we met an enthusiast this afternoon and he wants to ride with us :)

They have lovely little mini ice cream sandwiches here...made by Qwality Walls (yup, that is not a typo :) did I mention that it was hot and sunny here??? I am reading in the papers that you all are freezing your butts off - wind, rain, snow, storms. Take care!!!!

Hope you like the photos...more news in a few days!

More general info :)

Bike decoration...one thing I have noticed here is that everything is decorated differently! The bikes, the trucks, the women... :) The trucks are especially decorated with all sorts of colors and swirlying paint designs, murals and always a name or some words on the front. The women wear the most colorful saris and lots of gold jewelry and the men are decked out in plaids. Even motorbikes are individualized - as that's what I think it is - with some many people around and so much similarity in desigh (the Pulsars are everywhere, the trucks are only 3 makes, a sari is a sari, maybe they wear a salwar kameez, the guys wear lungis and western shirts...somehow you have to be different :). We have some individuality on our bikes, too - A's bike came with some Sikh stickers and I ride with Tibetan prayer flags on the front of mine - when the flags blow in the wind it carries the prayers :)

Food selection :)

We have had lots of different kinds of food! Recently we had croissants :) There is quite a lot of western food available (by name, some of it doesn't resemble the stuff one is used to :). Most menus, in your typical restaurant, have a good selection of Indian dishes - both local and regional - and Chinese dishes. In north India you get a selection of south Indian dishes and in south India you get a selection of north Indian dishes - we try to eat the local food :) Some places have a tandoor and others don't. It is usually an evening thing and it very much affects the availability of bread and the dish selection. If the tandoor is not available you get paratas and chipatis (and puris for breakfast) and lots of curries. If the tandoor is on you can also get roti, naan and kulcha plus anything they choose to cook in the tandoor (veg, paneer, fish, etc.)

For breakfast there is always a dosa, it's south Indian, but we got had them in Delhi. A dosa is like a crepe but made with fermented lentil and rice flour. It's rolled or folded on a plate (or a banana leaf :) and you get some small dishes of sauce to go with it - typically sambar (a lentil veg soup) and some chutney (coconut and sometimes a veg one, it's green - both are spicy). The dosa can have stuff in it, too - a masala dosa has spicy potato in it (yum, my fave :). You are expected to tear hunks off and dip in the sauce. You can also have puri (puffed bread) and sambar, idlys (steamed ground rice patties, really nice, too) with sambar or vada (savory donut) and sambar.

We maybe have a small snack for lunch (we are saving ourselves for dinner :). When it comes to dinner we like to try all sorts of different things - a protien curry and a veg curry, or one of those in the tandoor :) For the protien curries we have a dal (and tehre are lots of dals :) or a paneer. For the veg we have lots of choice!!!! Mixed veg, spinach, mushrooms, green peas (which I love!!!), bindi (okra), eggplant/aubergine, gobi (cauliflower)...it's wonderful. We like spice, so we don't go for kormas. Our current favorite is makanwalla, and the one we had the other night had lots of clove and cinnamon. We also usually have rice (A is a rice-fiend!) and I usually make the bread choices :) There is a lot of rice selection - jeera rice is just with cumin seeds, or plain rice or veg rice, the other night we tried curd rice - rice and yogurt mixed.

For the king of condiments (you know who you are :) there is also a lot of pickle around. In Belguam we stumbled on a pickle shop - they only sold pickle and they had about 15 jars in front (all homemade) and shelves of the packaged stuff behind! For awhile we had a lot of mango pickle, then we had some FAB lime pickle in Kodai - it's all homemade and it's easy to make (so they tell us :). First soak whatever it is you want to pickle in salt water for 15 days and then pull it out and mix with chili - viola! pickle fit for a king :)

Later!!!!

Namaste!

As promised here are some more photos from the exciting portfolio from Two Wheels Whirled....

The following photos are from our visit to the creche for Dalit children in Kodai:

The small building which housed creche number 2.




As part of their daily routine, the children brush their teeth with much enthusiasm and concentration.






We played Duck Duck Goose, I entertained everybody with my great rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star along with accompanying hand movements.




The children played games and sang songs, where they pretended to be wild animals.








Soon it was time to eat. Some children were given the responsibility of waiting on other children and delivering the food.






After finishing their main meal of the day the little darlings have a nap for three hours. It is probably warmer and quieter here than they are at home, thus they get the best quality sleep in the creche.




There is a chart of stats on the wall recording the children's growth showing measurements for the children's weight, height and arm length.




The star of the show. This is Hilda, she is invaluable to all of the creches. She not only teaches but she manages, surveys Dalit villages for children who may need to come to the creche, recruits teachers, keeps the accounts in check besides many other roles. Everybody is proud of her and her hard work.






A Dalit village.

The street with the house that we visited.






The life saving smokeless stove inside the house.




The kitchen.




The only other room in the house where all the family sleeps.




Another street.




A single roomed hut, it looked like the cooking was done out the back of the house.




A standpipe. Normally it is the job of the woman to get the water and carry the heavy urns back home, although I have seen children carrying water too.




There is laundry to be done everyday.




In the Dalit villages as well as everywhere else in India, politics plays an important role. On many walls you can see painted the signs for various political parties. This one is for a Tamil party.




Next images from the BIG TEMPLE in Tanjore (that is the official name). The temple is from the period of the Chola empire. Much of the sculpture is less elaborate than the intricate Vijaynagar styling that we saw in Madurai.




The Brahman stood in front of the six metre long Nandi at the temple, he gave blessings to worshippers.



We were lucky to go inside the inner sanctum at this temple although I could not take any photos.



There were many lingas at this temple, well over one hundred in number, normally you would see just one or two. This Nandi faces a row of them, in the back ground are some detailed paintings depicting events from the Ramayana and other great stories.



There was also a lot of script carved into the walls.



Finally we sat and soaked up the atmosphere as the sun went down. We could hear chanting and bells as well as smell incense burning. It was incredibly beautiful.



This brings our photo selection up to date. I hope that you have enjoyed them.

Until next time.......

What Christina has been waiting for...

and I hope she won't be disappointed :) THE CROCS!!!!

Remember, crocs are to be ENJOYED :)


Over 500 in there!!!!


Crocs are everywhere!!!!


Loads of crocs!


I am sure that Christina would be the first to agree...crocs are cuddly beasts!



No time like the present for a nap in the sun :)



Or awake, if you prefer :)




My, what big teeth you have!!!!!



Someone has just had a snack....


We saw this bad boy in the tank - from the side and then head on! Check out that lump on the end of his nose!

Mamallapuram Photos....

The sunrise from our favorite beach rock :)



A and the beach from our favorite beach rock :)


just a comment...it's interesting what people wear to go in the water...women wear their saris and the guys are either fully clothed or they are stripped down to their underpants (no modesty here :)

A trip to the Tiger Cave....

The "cave" and I climbed it :)



There was also a Shiva temple in the same area...



There were a few other interesting things to see as well :)



Back to town....

The rock carvings near town:




The lighthouse on the rock with the beach beyond...


and the view off the back side.


Some of the donated boats...


Lots of rock carving still going on...

Pondicherry Photos...

I told you we felt right at home :)


Street scenes (notice the string of communist flags in the second photo)



Traditional Tamil decoration outside the front door. It's made of rice flour and is an offering to the ants and other "friends" so that they will eat outside your house and not in your house :) They can also be very colorful, filled in with all sorts of colored powders.



The Waterfront....




This is a Ferriswheel from near the waterfront.


and this is what makes it go - there is a big belt that the guy engages and disengages....the black smoke is when he engages it and it loads the engine to get the big wheel turning!

Madurai Photos....

This will explain more about why we think Madurai was so cool :)

This is the view from our hotel - and it's not even the temple we came to see!


The streets were insane to navigate through but it is scenes like this that show how bustling life is here.




One of the unfortuante scenes that are all to often common place - A woman sifts through the rubbish pile left in the street alongside a cow.


You can have your knives sharpened on the street too. N.B. old bicycle wheels have many uses..


This is a market in an old temple (just as old as the main temple) just across the street from the big temple. Check out the rafters!


There were also many tailors where you can have anything that you want copied within a few hours.


The temple is know for it's big towers - one each at the points of the compass and one in the middle (see the Lotus Tank photo for the range)






Lotus Tank - most of the temple area (inside the high walls) was covered. The tank was not. The towers are 45+ meters tall and have over 1000 sculptures on each tower (one has 1500!)!


Here are some shots from within various parts of the temple including people performing puja or having come out from inner sanctum (we were not able to go into the inner sanctum)





We also lit some candles in the temple for the people that we love....


A holyman who is a follower of Siva (Indicated by the potash stripes on his head and limbs).


The meditation hall inside the temple complex. We sat here for a while to relax.


K was taken to perform puja and had no choice in the matter, the woman that we met was very keen :-)


Before we left Madurai we popped into the Ghandi museum - we paid for a camera but it was not very photogenic....very informative, though.

More Photos!!!!

A's new shirts - she looks great, eh? :) And it also shows I'm not the only one that can concentrate! :)




Female cops - on the street in Madurai and a whole station full :)



Some photos from the roads of Tamil Nadu....

This is brickmaking....they light the wood to dry the bricks. If the wind is right it does wonders for the traffic as well :)



A statue of Hanuman - the monkey god :)


For good luck they hang the cow placentas from the trees....we have seen a lot of this all over Tamil Nadu.


There is a lot of granite coming from this area, they just chop it up and ship it out!


The Tamil script has changed a lot over the years....

We are famous!!!! Well, in Tamil Nadu :)

Way back in Munnar (we don't remember if we told you) we were interviewed for the Malayalam Manorama newspaper. They told us it would be in the paper in a couple of days and we bought the paper for 3 days and didn't see it. However, the guy said he would post a copy home, so hopefully it will make it back to the UK. In Kodai we were also approached for an interview, this time for a Tamil paper and for the Sun News cable station (woohoo, on the telly! :). We arrived all kitted out, with bikes, at our favorite internet cafe (somehow they were the connection) and did the interviews. The owner of the internet cafe did the translation for the reporter (he only spoke Tamil) and he had some funny questions - when we left the UK did we get a big send-off? Um, no...just family. Then the guy asked "no VIPs? no ceremony?" I think he doesn't get that we are just on a big holiday :) They asked the basic info - where we are from, occupation, how long have we been travelling, where are we going, how long will we stay, etc. and thenm what were our likes and dislikes about the trip so far. We of course told them of the manical drivers :) and A mentioned that we get accosted by beggars a lot and that public urination by men anywhere and everywhere they please was a bit of a turnoff (they mentioned the former but, sadly, not the latter in the article :) It took a turn in the video part of the interview when they wanted us to say who we were, what we thought of Kodai, the purpose of the trip and, most importantly (it seemed to us anyway) please make it clear that it's not a problem for 2 women to travel like we are doing. We did all of that :) but I didn't mention that you had to be a multi-linguist and a good navigator to get around this country - if there is good signage (rare) then it's probably not in a language you can read :)

We have the Tamil paper and we spent an evening watching Sun News at the time they told us we would be on, but we weren't. Still, the iNet cafe guy said he would send the video, so we are hopeful (we will post it if we get it :).

Here are the photos from the paper and the paper itself:






Our reporter


And the translator (the iNet cafe owner)


Also...Carl and Kate's photos of their time with us can be found here (some great shots!)
http://www.carl-thomas.net/travel/india/index.htm


More photos soon! The videos are not going to make it...they take way too long to load...maybe they are too big. I will try to find a solution - the dance is amazing, as are the crocs :)

Namaste!

I have spent some time over the last week thinking about Kodai. I was happy to get away from the town, conversations that I had heard and stories that I had been told gave me a fresh perspective on the lives of people in India, particularly those lives of women. I am now going to write a little about it and I shall be frank, apologies in advance if I cause upset.....

Some women here like (women all over the world) are dealt a terrible hand.

My husband may beat me because I will not sleep with him tonight.
My husband may beat me because he has had a bad day.
My husband may beat because he is drunk.
I scream and my neighbours will hear but nobody nearby will help because they would be prying, besides I am a woman and the police will probably not care anyhow.
My marriage was arranged. When I was thirteen I was already considered to be in adulthood.
I can work as a stone cutter for 50 rupees a day. It is not so glamorous as carving elaborate designs, I simply make big rocks smaller.
I can collect firewood for 50 rupees a day, it is heavy and I have to walk far. Maybe I will have a permit to do so, if I do not then I can get around the forestry official by fulfilling his needs.
I can sell my body for 20 rupees.
I have had to sell my teenage daughter on a three year contract because I needed the money instantly. These decisions are never easy to make. Hopefully she will just clean the dishes for his catering business.
My family and I are quite often sick. I have not been taught about the importance of hygiene. I do not know to boil the water, I do not know that the water is contaminated with sewage.
I do not wash my children regularly because I am too tired, too busy, I care not. They have sores as a result but I do not know why.
I can walk to a standpipe to get water for the household. I can walk three kilometres or so to get to it and then have to carry the heavy urn back. I may have to make a number of trips in a single day.

The day after hearing these things I saw a woman sitting at the side of the road outside of the hospital accompanied by two women and a man who were trying to console her. She had a very bloody nose and was sobbing immensely, I could not help but think the worse due to what I had heard the day before. I spent a few days looking at women and wondering whether they had suffered, yes my perspective had been skewed with a harsh reality and I no longer just saw pretty coloured saris.

In many villages and towns there are no places of support for women particularly the Dalit women. It made me sad when we saw first hand the distress that is in peoples lives because they were born of the wrong gender.

However.....

There are some good people in the world that are trying to help and make things better. There are people that are trying to support these women and are also trying to create women's centres. As always there are problems with bureaucracy but people are determined to overcome such obstacles. The laws in India changed last November to help protect women. For the first time women could divorce their husbands on the grounds of abuse. Unfortunately this will take years to trickle down to a level whereby women will actually have some protection and somewhere to go. Poor women in particular cannot leave, they cannot go anywhere. If they have no income, no husband and nowhere to live then their lot in life is quite possibly worse than putting up with the beatings. They simply have nowhere to turn, they cannot leave. Things will change with time, as long as their are people with the willpower to make lives better. Education is a necessity.

I want to share every aspect of the trip on the blog. Writing this less glamorous part is as important as sharing the beautiful sights and the exciting adventures.

Thank you for reading.

We are on the beach!

Hey all, we have missed you :) We have been busy, though! We left Kodai and had a fabulous ride down the curvy mountain roads to the Tamil Nadu plains. Then we ripped it up on the flats to Madurai. We were going to do a day trip from Kodai to Madurai, if you remember, but we are glad we stayed there. We like Madurai a lot!

We arrived in the afternoon, found our hotel and ate an amazing thali (an eat all you like! :) then we set off for the temple (it doesn't open until 4pm). Wow, what a great walk, a great temple, a great experience! You have to wait for the photos. The two temples inside the temple complex were for Hindus only, but we saw plenty and we hung around until it started to get dark to see the changing light on the temple towers. The next morning we spent at the Ghandi museum in Madurai - we hopped on one bike and then came back to get the other bike and all the luggage. Again, a fantastic experience - the museum is very well done and very informative (if a bit biased against the British :). The trip to Tanjore was straightforward and we arrived in the late afternoon.

Tanjore is home of another great temple - the "Big Temple" they like to call it :) We found the hotel, dropped the bags and hopped on one bike to get to the temple in the fading light - well worth the rush! Where the Madurai temple was nearly all enclosed, the Tanjore temple was nearly all open space. And they let us in to the inner temple! We got to see the linga (it was a Shiva temple) and rush in with the hoarde for puja (giving the offering). They were into big rock carvings in Tanjore as well - the dome of the temple was a monster carved from a single block (80 tons?) and they had to build a 5km ramp to get it on top of the temple! There is also a 6m long Nandi (Nandi is the bull that Shiva uses for transport - sort of like Babe for Paul Bunyan :) carved from a single hunk of granite.

You should know that we saw (and smelled!) bats at both temples - when the sun went down, and the birds stopped flying madly about, the bats took to the skies! We saw some of the regular bats we have seen all along and at Madurai we saw one of the really tiny ones, we almost mistook it for a very fast butterfly it was that small.

From Tanjore it was an easy ride to Pondicherry. We were not thrilled as we rode in - there is a serious amount of industry just outside Pondicherry - and we just didn't like the feel, but once we were there and walking around it was great...and then we had croisannts in the French bakery the next morning? We were in heaven!!!! :) The best croisannts I have had in I can't remember how long (and no, it's not because it's been so long :). That said, we were unimpressed with the food in Pondicherry and ended up at Pizza Hut the second night - a paneer masala pan pizza :) We stayed 2 nights, did a lot of walking around and I am VERY happy to say that A bought some new shirts (woohoo!!! I was getting a bit tired of her wearing, and me washing, the same 2 shirts!!!!) She looks great!!! (photos coming :) It was an easy rip up the coast to Mamallapuram, just 100kms.

The ride to Mamallapuram was flat...very flat - we are missing the mountain roads! This is also the region that was hit by the tsunami in 2004 (below Pondicherry it was even worse). We saw lots of evidence of the destruction on the way up (and when we headed towards Madras on the day trip) and in town. This is a big fishing village - and it is a village - there is not a lot here but tourists and fisherman. All the boats are the same age (less than 2 years old) and are painted to identify the donor - Austria, Lichtenstein, Christian Relief Services, etc. We watched them bring in the catch the first morning we were here and they don't bring in much at all (compared to what we have seen them bringing in on the west coast). In the restaurants they have fresh tiger prawns (huge ones) and reguar prawns and a few fish, plus calimari. Back to the carvings :) The sculptors were very active in this whole area around 650-800 AD - any rock that was sticking it's head out of the sand (and they are huge rocks) was carved - bas-reliefs, caves, temples - and they are beautiful. It's also the center for temple statue carvings and they are for sale everywhere in town - so if you want your own Shiva, Durga, Ganesh, Hanuman or even a Buddha statue we can help you out (these guys are geared to ship all over the world, so they tell us :)

On our first morning here we took a day trip on the bike, our first stop was Tiger Cave. Not a cave like you would think, more like a combo of a bas-relief with some cells carved into it for the temple. I climbed on top of it :) Our second stop was for our good friend Christina - the Crocodile Bank - we were thinking of her the whole time we were there. Wow, what a great place!!!!! It's not a zoo - they are breeding crocs to return to the wild and to keep some of them alive on the planet (there are several endangered and highly endangered species there). We saw over 1000 crocs there!!! Many different varieties from all over the world (North, Central and South America and Asia) were represented (yes, we have tons of photos :). They even have one of those tanks so you can see them underwater :) And if that wasn't enough for one day, we went to the Dakina Chitra museum which is a cultural history museum of South India (with a lot of help from the Ford Foundation). There were homes (relocated or built in the style of) representative of different walks of life (weaver, potter, merchant, etc.) and from different regions (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh). There were also crafts and textile displays. It was very informative and it is no wonder that we got back into town, had a brief nap, went to get some food (2 fab FAB curries and the best food we have had since the boys at Rasoi in Kodai cooked for us :), had a brief walk and then collapsed in our beds :)

Today we walked all over town and looked at the carvings that take up the whole of the west side of town - it took us most of the day walking all over the rock area. Then we walked back along the beach and climbed the rocks around the shore temple and then went for a coffee :). Tomorrow we are off to Madras to see Fort St George. We had been hoping to see the Enfield factory but I can't reach them on either of the phone numbers from the guide books and the website no longer mentions that they do factory tours, they have an online tour. Oh well. We will let you know :)

Catch you all later!

P.S. the connection here is very fast, I might be able to get the video up - I have the Kathakali dancers and I have some feeding crocs :)

Hello folks :) Miss us?

You guys are spoiled! We have been in the internet cafe everyday this week, sometimes more than once! Don't get used to it, we have been here a week and we are definitely heading out on the road tomorrow! We are missing the mobile lifestyle. We even washed the bikes this afternoon so they are all shiny and ready to ride! That said, we have really enjoyed our time here, and who knows, we may come back for a longer stay.

One of the hecklers from our peanut gallery :):):) has asked us to expand on our experiences with the toilet facilities of India. Here goes....

All of our accomodation has included a western style toilet - it's not because we ask, it's just what we get. And we are staying at the kind of places that Lonely Planet/Rough Guide/Footprint class as "budget" establishments - we are not staying at the posh places! I am sure that this will not be the case by the end of our journey, but who knows. That is not to say that they flush any better than they do in the UK - I have fixed 2 or 3 toilets on our journey :) As for cleanliness, we have only had 3 bathrooms where we didn't want to spend any more time in them than the time required to use the loo. Showers have been hit and miss and we are really liking the hot bucket of water bath :) The biggest problem that we have with toilets in our accomodation has nothing to do with the facilities - the mozzies are vicious in some places and time in the bathroom often requires defending the more tender parts of your anatomy from the biting beasts.

Toilet facilities on the road have been WAY more variable!!!! We almost always encounter squat toilets in the restaurants (we stop at restaurants for loo breaks while out on the road). We have had some very decent experiences and we have had some really unpleasant ones, too (A is very delicate in this matter....it's good that we wear our Buffs while riding as they provide a handy mask when it's needed :) Don't forget to bring your own paper! Every restaurant provides handwash facilities (for the Muslim customers... and anyone else that would like to avail themselves of this feature) so keeping clean is not a problem at all. One other detail - all loos have either a hose (the nicer establishments) or a bucket of water and a cup for those that do not use paper :) The bucket/cup is also used for flushing the squat toilets when there is no automatic flush.

If anyone has any other things that you want to know...just email us. The address is right there in the sidebar :)

We have been in Kodai for over a week, we only intended to stay a couple of days! The opportunity to visit the creches and then the media attention has added to our stay. Yesterday we had an early start when we hooked up with the woman that runs the Betsy Elizabeth foundation (help-kids-india.org) for her rounds of the creches. The kids are all 2 1/2 to 5 years old - pre-school age. They come from the area surrounding the Dalit village, up to a 3 km radius. Dalits are people below the lowest Hindu caste, aka "the untouchables". Before a creche is started the local area is surveyed (door to door visit) to see where the need is. It is a place for the kids to spend their day while their mothers are off working (which is often a hand to mouth experience - if they don't work they might not eat that day). The kids are dropped off early (by the parent on their way to work) so the morning snack that the child receives at the creche is breakfast. Then there are lessons (health/hygene and educational) and playtime (some of these kids are already learning to write!) and then lunch. You should see these kids chow down - it's often the best meal of their day, if not their only meal (not including the snack when in the morning and one before they go home). After lunch is a long nap - some of the kids don't get much sleep at home. And then the kids will play more and have another snack and go home.

We headed to the first one with open eyes. Our experience in the first 2 creches was fairly similar - give me a ball and a room full of kids (30-35 kids) and we are going to have some fun! :) The kids are so adorable, and seeing their faces go from shy and reserved to a huge smile is priceless! Kids will be kids and they were well up for it :) We also looked around the facilities (which were spotlessly clean!) and the surrounding area, we were even able to see inside a local house to see a product of one of the other projects of the foundation - the smokeless stove. Most houses had a stove but there was no chimney, so the houses were very smoky and children were dying because of it. The new stoves are made by a local potter and they are installed in the houses for free (the stove and the installation is paid for by donations). You can read all about this on their website :)

We spent several hours at the third (and largest) creche. We got to play with the kids (remember Duck Duck Goose??? :) and then we had lunch with them. No, I did not have a nap, too :) Afterwards we spent quite a lot of time talking with the teachers and the 3 women from the foundation. Now is where we get into the problems that has A in an emotional knot. The situation of women at this level is dire - we were told that in this area 5 women a month commit suicide. We got a whole range of horror stories (women being lit on fire by their husbands in front of their children...yes, that level of scariness) and saw the damage inflicted on some of the teachers when they had been attacked the day before by a drunk man that came to the school. Really unpleasant stuff. In addition to that, the woman that runs the foundation spent a considerable amount of effort making people involved in the program understand how unacceptable it is to have raw sewage flowing by in the channel right in front of the school. It was a really great day, very eye opening. There are these sorts of problems all over India, but not in all walks of life. It is really wonderful to see people that are committed to helping out, and in this case they are doing it (in my opinion) the right way - by asking the people that need help what sort of help they need and not telling them what's good for them. They are also doing it without forcing religon on anyone, which would really limit things in this place of strong religious beliefs - the poster of Jesus is side by side with Ganesh :)

So, that should keep you all going for awhile, you probably need a break from us :) We are doing as I said before - Madurai, Tanjore, Pondicherrry (for croissants!), Mammallapuram, Madras (for the Enfied Factory) and then on to Bangalore and Hampi. It will be a few days until you hear from us, so don't worry. When A gets it all square in her mind she will let you know. I still owe you Munnar and the Western Ghats, you will have to be patient.

Catch you all later!!!!

Namaste!

I am still digesting our day yesterday and I am still a little too traumatised to write about it. We did have a really good day, we learned a lot about another side to Indian life away from the glamour of tourism. I am hoping to get something written once I have processed the information and I am a little less emotional. Yesterday has put me in a strange and sensitive mood today as I adapt to my new perspective on things.

After our adventure yesterday we came back to Kodai to be interviewed for a Tamil newspaper and a satellite tv station called Sun News. We have seen ourselves in the newspaper and we shall post the article - you won't be able to read it though because it is in Tamil. People here are impressed that two women are travelling around on motorbikes.

Until next time.....

Namaste!

Here are some more photos for your perusal:


An Enfield police bike




An Ambassador police car that we saw in Fort Cochin




Kate enjoying the view after a hill climb on our trek in Periyar park.




We have seen many pineapples growing, um, I have to confess that I thought that they grew on trees - just like money.... :-)




The Navigator checks the route (some things are best left to the experts).




The road leaving Munnar




Looking back to Munnar




We had tried to get from Top Station to Kodaikannal but we had to give up when the road's condition became impassable for motorbikes. This was the good stretch...




Then it gradually deteriorated. This is the village where we caused much debate amongst the inhabitants regarding whether we would be able to continue to Kodai from Top Station. The road became much steeper and it would eventually become very rocky too. We can deal with steep or rocky but not the two combined.




Beautiful tea plantations and landscapes between Munnar and Kodai






My friends Paul and Jenny in Kodai.




K and I went on a 35 km hike in Kodai, which started at a height of a little over 2000 metres above sea level. The views were amazing.

















We saw many waterfalls.




We were also lucky enough to see an example of the Kurunji flower. The flower blossoms for one month once every twelve years. We thought that we had missed it because it had flowered in November/ December.




Warming my reptilian blood in the sun.



We had a great walk through the forest in Kodai, some of the trees are natural to the area but much of them are now Eucalyptus. The Eucalyptus was introduced from Australia, it drinks up to 70 litres of water a day this puts a drain on this invaluable resource.




We walked to Pillar Rocks, this was our turning point to head back to Kodai. The rocks are an amazing 20 metres in height. There were signs everywhere to warn people to be careful when walking in the area. Lives are lost when people fall down the deep potholes surrounding the rocks.




The beautiful sunrises that we enjoy from our veranda each morning - no wonder we cannot leave Kodai, whether it is because of fate or our liking of the town.



Until next time......

We are in Kodai for another couple of days!!!

No, this is not Hotel California, we will leave eventually :) We woke up this morning and the place was totally socked in - you could not see 50 feet down the street and the roads were wet from the condensation. We thought it wise not to tackle the 40 kms of curvy roads that would drop us 2000 meters to the valley floor - you have to honk as you go into every corner as it's fairly likely there is some vehicle in the middle of the road, more than likely a bus - hey, we're no dummies!!!

As we were walking down PT Road we spotted the woman that we had met and shared a cab with on our arrival in Delhi. How cool is that? Two chance meetings in a week? There must be some sort of weird vortex on this hill :) Anyway, we knew that she was working for a charity and working in an art gallery, we just couldn't find it - our trekking guide didn't know about it when we asked him and it wasn't in either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide - and we thought we were going to miss hooking up. As it turns out, it is looking like tomorrow we will get to go on a visit to some of the creches that they have set up in some of the local villages - we worth the delay in our journey.

Here is the story on the creches. Under 5's are at the greatest risk of not surviving (all sorts of reasons, none of them nice). The mother will either take the kid to do whatever work she needs to do (farming, gathering firewood, etc.) or leave the kid at home, alone. They have set up some creches near the villages for the mothers to drop their kids at during the day - it's good for the mothers and great for the kids - a whole group of playmates and someone to watchover them and keep them out of trouble (sounds like what I need :). We are looking forward to it and we will let you know how it goes. Here is the link to their website:
http://www.help-kids-india.org

One thought and then I will take you back to Alleppey :)

One of the things that is very cool for us (or for me anyway :) is that we are also very much into our motorcycling - sometimes it's all about the ride :) The ride from Munnar to Kodai was very much like that, as was the road to Top Station above Munnar (more about these later). Fabulous curvy roads matched to beautiful scenery - it just doesn't get any better than this, really. Yes, the Pulsars are a bit gutless, but they are still WAY better, in more ways than one, than taking the bus :) And if I had a more powerful bike...the roads are just not up to the task, so it would be wasted.

OK, way back to Alleppey (this is BEFORE we met Kate and Carl, when I lost that post). Early the first morning we left the motorbikes at the guesthouse and had a day of alternate transport. We needed to be at the ferry terminal for the 7:30 ferry so we hopped a rickshaw. That was fun - we flagged down an autorickshaw, but he already had a fare...but hey, we are foreigners! so the guy pulled over and his local customer had to get out (silly, isn't it?). We told him we wanted to go to the ferry jetty and asked how much, he said 50 rupees - now that is not a huge sum anywhere except here - that is HIGHWAY ROBBERY! I said 20 rupees, which is still a lot to pay for what should have been a 10 rupee journey, but it was early, we were in a bit of a rush and I didn't see any other rickshaws. The driver laughed and said "ok". The local guy hopped into the front seat with the driver and continued his journey with is for another 500 meters or so, too :)

We made it to the jetty with a couple minutes to spare and got a premium front seat! This is definitely a local type service - we only paid 10 rupees each for a 2.5 hour journey along 30 kms of canals. Alleppey (also known as Allapuzha) is known as the Venice of India, an inland waterway system that is the center of the "Kerala Backwater Experience". What a coincidence - A and I spent last Christmas in Venice and this was very much reminding us of the ferry that we took from the airport to Venice proper almost exactly a year previous! Well...it was a lot warmer in India :)

The boat departed, quite full of local people and a few tourists. It zigzagged its way back along the channel, picking up and discharging passengers at small jettys on both sides of the canal. It was peaceful the first half of the journey - a wide canal, lots of birds, rice paddies, coconut trees and people washing themselves, their laundry and their dishes :) The canal is lined with stone walls planted with coconut trees to strengthen the walls. Behind that is narrow strips of land, some of it reclaimed, for the houses and beyond are the rice paddies.

About halfway (timewise) we entered a much narrower canal, maybe 10 meters. We started picking up school children dressed neatly in their school uniforms - the older kids were in red plaid shirts with red shorts and the little kids were in a blue variation. It started to get very loud with chatter...and the honking of the boat captain so that someone would open the drawbridge for us :) We arrived at the school and discharged the horde :)

We saw lots of bird life - cormorants, egrets, and others that I have no clue who they were :) We also saw a temple washing the dishes - they had a rack of plates that was more suited to an industrial dishwasher right on the edge of the canal, and some huge cooking pots :)

We arived in Kottayam, found some breakfast and then tried to find the bus. We asked some very nice guys and they led us to the bus station and helped us find our bus (on the way was the A's pickpocket attempt). The bus back was great - not the scary experience that we expected at all! It took 1.5 hours for the 45 km journey and it cost us 28 rupees each. It was nice to be on the bus - we are rarely able to focus on the side of the road while on the bikes and we could also talk to each other about what we were seeing. It was a great day off the bikes :)

Next time I will tell you about our adventures in the Western Ghats!

Later!!!!

Namaste!

I return again.... My last post was fairly lengthy and as a result I had not gotten around to telling you about our exciting ferry trip to Ernakulam from Fort Cochin.

After some time spent wondering, I mean wandering around the Jewish quarter in Fort Cochin, K and I decided to leave our dear friends Kate and Carl to their shopping expedition so that we could venture off for a ferry ride. Our experience of a ferry ride in Alleppey previously had been very rewarding, not only is it a very cheap method of transport you also get to have a great experience watching people go about their daily business either on or off the boat.

We got on the ferry for a total cost of 7 rupees (message to my nephews - that is not even a packet of biscuits). K and I were gratified that for once we were paying the same as the local people :-) We had a great ferry ride. We viewed huge tankers (Cochin has many oil traders and there are pipelines here and there), dockyards, stevedores, container ships and a few fishing boats. It was good fun and not particularly ridden with diesel fumes. When we arrived in Ernakulam city we were dissapointed - it was a grotty place (apologies to anyone from named place who may happen to be reading this ;-) and it was for the most part full of businesses that were closed on that day. The only thing that I have to report is that we ate a new fruit called a seedapom (the phonetic spelling) and K bought some new apparel. We then headed back to get the ferry, this time we had to pay for the tickets in advance rather than make the purchase on the ferry. K joined the queue, which was not moving, and then all the sudden bypassed it using the window for women only! We then joined the bundle for the ferry at the gates. More people gathered behind us. As the ferry arrived we were informed that the other gate would be open instead. As a result of this news, the group of people that we were amongst, who had been waiting patiently, soon turned into a highly energetic mob as everybody ran to position themselves into a new bundle only 20 metres away. Ahh the fun and games. I found K grabbing my hand and dragging me through the crowd to join the newly formed grouping. There we stood for another five minutes whilst the ferry parked up and the passengers departed. I spent this time playing "grab the stone" from a small boy. There was a wee young chap, no older than five, standing with his parents and looking particularly bored, he was shuffling a pebble around beneath his feet. Being in a similar state of mind myself i.e. short and unable to see much in the crowd thus resulting in a boredom, I decided to join him whether invited in his game or not. I proceeded to try and steal the pebble from beneath his shuffling feet. Ah, how he smiled and made me smile. We then spent the next five minutes giggling as I tried to snatch the stone from him with the shuffling of my sandals. I soon won through trickery but due to a quick tactical maneuver by him I found myself losing my valued possession :-) We had a great time playing with the stone, his parents and the people around were also amused by this impromptu contest. The time soon came to board the ferry, a small child was passed over our heads just before the crush ensued. Young men at the back were pushing forward having no regard for anybody who may be young, infirm, slight of frame or elderly. A huge momentum of energy resulted and feeling as though I was squeezed out of a tube of toothpaste I popped through the gate and a mad run to the ferry ensued. Between the ferry and the quayside there was a huge gap, this did not stop the virile young men from continuing in their mission to get on the boat sooner rather than later. They climbed onto the side of the ferry walls, hung from it's roof and swung onto the boat with complete disregard for anybody else. K and I managed to board safely but it wasn't without some nerve.

When we arrived at our destination the disembarking of the boat was even more shocking. Not only was there a huge gap to the quayside but it was also a metre higher than the side of the boat from which we were to exit. There were no stairs or even a plank to help us in this matter, just a wing and a prayer and a helping hand. It was every health and safety persons dream or nightmare as the case may be. Children were fine, they could be passed up, thankfully there were no elderly people aboard, although I have to admit that I was curious as to how they would have suceeded in the matter. K, using her well developed, fed on milk during childhood, biceps, easily pulled herself up to the platform, she then proceeded to pluck me up to land. Thus ends another exciting venture.

One last thing that I would like to share with you.....

I have found myself feeling ashamed and angry over the last few days. We have spent enough time here in Kodai for me to become familiar with the territories of the local beggars. There has been one man in particular who approached K and I the other day, stooping and repeating the words "ma ma" "ma ma". We do not give money to beggars, we had given some food previously so feeling particular sympathy for the elderly man I thought about what I had on my person to offer him. Much to K's dissapointment (she is possesive when it comes to bananas ;-) I offered him one of the bananas that we had just bought. He would not accept it (I am not sure if this offended or not) and he continued to repeat the words "ma ma" "ma ma" and putting his fingers to his mouth. We left it at that. Yesterday I walked to town alone to buy some provisions for the poor ill thing that was left in bed back at camp. I saw the same beggar again on the same stretch of road. He was walking upright but upon sighting me he stepped to the side of the road amongst some bushes then reappeared stooping and tapping on the floor. He then made a beeline in my direction saying the same words "ma ma" "ma ma". I walked by again, he followed me but after 20 metres gave up the struggle.

In town I found myself in the market. There were more beggars, there were new ones in town. One guy in particular horrified me - he was positioned on what appeared to be all fours. I caught a glimpse of him as I walked by and noticed that his left leg was not only overgrown compared to the rest of him but that the lower part was bent forward instead of back. It lay upon the ground pointing at the hand that was supporting his weight. Again I gave no money or food (the latter I was not carrying).

There are many people in India disfigured like this, either through polio or through inadequately treated injuries, some are made like this by their parents (I dread to think by which method) when they are children so that they can get more money due to their disability and sympathies from passers-by. Many of them end up begging in the streets throughout their life. Begging is a profession, people can earn a lot more money. I heard that there was a woman who gave up her cleaning job of 250 rupees a month, she went to beg in the streets where it is possible to earn 200 rupees a day. There is even a Beggars Union..... Everytime we walk we encounter this and we walk everywhere we go. Every day you are faced with the same moral dilemma as to whether you should give or not. It is recommended that we give to charities instead. Sometimes I dislike these people, I am ashamed to admit it, I dislike them because I dislike myself. My instant and shallow reaction is to dislike them because I feel terrible every time I do not give to them - I feel guilty about my health and the fact that although I am not rich I can afford to feed and house myself. In my heart I really pity them and wish that I could do more. Why is there no care for the people who end up pleading in the streets? I wonder what problems there are in a system that should lead them to such an abysmal career.....

Sorry to end on such a sad note note but for as many beautiful and amazing things we see and discover, there is also a balance to be had: the counterweights are sights such as these.

Hey all...

I am feeling better, WOOHOO!!!! :)

Our plans have changed (it's not like they are set in stone or anything :). We were going to day-trip to Madurai from Kodai and then head to Ooty to take the steam train, but it seems that Kodai is way better than Ooty as a hill station to visit and we would better spend our time seeing other things (especially as A is getting a bee in her bonnet to see Calcutta :).

Now we are just going to get off the mountain and go to Madurai (to see the amazing temple) and then to Thanjavur for another temple and then to Pondicherry and the east coast. Then we head north to Mallapuram (which I think I have spelled wrong) just south of Madras and then into Madras for the Enfield Factory tour (if we can get one :)...we have nothing solid from there, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed looking at the books this morning and matching things up with all we have heard from other travellers (and locals!)

Here we are in our PJs (as promised :)


and click here to check our a map of our route so far...for my map followers :)

For the kilometer watchers out there (I know you want to know, otherwise why would I be telling you??? :) we did 2654 kms getting from Delhi to Goa (not including the kms that we did in Delhi before we hit the road, though) and then to get to Kodaikanal we have done a further 1942 kms - and the grand total is: 4596 kms!

Later!

Namaste!

As promised I bring to you more titillating tales from Two Wheels Whirled.....

Back to Kerala, land of political extravagance's. As we drove around the state with Kate and Carl, we could see and hear jeeps, autorickshaws and occasionally the odd truck rigged up with a huge set of loud speakers. From the speakers blasted some very fast dialogue, we could not understand the words but just by the sheer tone of it there was no mistaking it's seriousness. En route from Periyer to Fort Cochin we were enjoying a beautiful scenic journey following K and C in the car - this was the day that we saw the wild elephants. We requested the driver for a pitstop so that we could powder our noses - he eventually obliged! When we returned from doing that which ladies must do, the driver broke the news to us that Saddam Hussein was to be hanged. It was not clear at the time when this was due to happen but already the Keralan political parties had responded. There was to be a hartal that afternoon at 3pm, he had been informed of this via a call on this mobile and having spoken to some young men from the village that we had stopped in. A hartal is a universal strike and means that everything would close, traffic is also normally disrupted as people take to the streets. A hartal can happen anywhere in India and it is really something that is best avoided, not just because of the inconvenience but because the situation can often lead to a hysteria as pasions rise in protest. We now had a time frame within which to reach our hotel. As we drove, we could see people already gathering in the streets, we passd convoys of cars and buses and some businesses were already closing down, you could feel a tension in the air. We arrived at the hotel in time, no problem. It only became obvious when we went out for a walk later to view the chinese cantilever fishing nets that trouble was afoot. The market was closed. We went to find out about watching some Kathkali that evening, as we approached the centre we were shouted at by a group of men to go back. As they passed us, we decided to go anyway. The doors were shut to the centre, there were a few more bewildered tourists outside and we were informed that the centre had closed because of trouble as supporters of the hartal walked through the streets. We decided to walk back towards the market where we encountered a reasonably large group of people gathered around a fire upon which were the remains of an effigy, only now it was just the legs of the figure that remained. There were police here and there, some had bamboo riot shields and they were keeping a watch on the situation lest it got out of control. As it transpired after 6pm everything returned to normal and we finished the day with a wonderful meal.

New Years eve was interesting. Saddam Hussein was to be hung that day. I read in the paper that politicians throughout India were not particularly happy (regardless of their political party) because it was deemed that there had not been a fair trial for the former dictator. I had also read that there had been the burning of effigies of Bush in Cochin and that the State Bank of India had had stones thrown at it as a crowd had become rowdy. The DYFI, the communist youth league, were particularly disatisfied and were very vocal that day. As we made our way to our new years dinner, we walked down a street on which our restaurant was to find that the glass windows of cars had been shattered and that hotel signs had been pelted with stones. We were witnessing the aftermath - there were many policemen standing around so we felt fairly safe. We had a great news years dinner. After our bellies had been filled we walked back to our hotel, on the way back I overheard some men in an alleyway tell us that we were not welcome.

Our plans had been to go to the beach at midnight to watch the burning of Santa (a local custom, I think) and to see the fireworks that were to be set off to celebrate the new year. As it transpired we had peaked to soon and by midnight we were all ready to go to bed. This was to be a blessing in disguise. The next day I read in the paper that the party at the beach had been taken over by communist party supporters and that there was a fight over the burning of Santa. Instead of him being burnt he ended up sopping wet in the sea and thereafter was more stone pelting. It was a good thing that we did not go.

The communists were using Saddam as a political icon, this was evident by the posters of him that were appearing in the streets. To them the death of Saddam represented another instance of American aggression and that the imperialists should be stopped. They were also outraged (as well as many other people in India and no doubt across the world) that the hanging should take place on the important muslim festival of Eid al Adha and that there would be further divisions as a result amongst the people of Iraq. I also read a report that suggested that the communists were using the event as a political tool to raise support for their party and that all that they had succeeded in doing was creating more divisions amongst the people of Kerala.

The experience of the two days was particularly interesting for me, it was amazing to see how quickly people could rally and to also see how active people are when it comes to politics in Kerala. I have no doubt that there were also many people that did not agree with the opinion of the people in the streets but they did not make themselves as heard. It would have been good to see a balance. The only thing that was said in contrast was when a man came up to me in the street and said "Saddam was a bad man, it is good that he is hung", he then proceeded to say: "I am a christian, are you one too? I am friend of Americans"....

Still on the mountain...

We have been here nearly a week and we have not yet been to Madurai - I came down with a wicked cold and A has been taking spectcular care of me :) She keeps me in tissue and orange juice as I battle back to good health. I am recovering quickly and we should head to Madurai the day after tomorrow. This is a great place to be though - the room is good, we have a great view, the sun is bright (during the day :) and our new pink pajamas are keeping us warm during the cold nights (picture coming soon!!!! :)

A has a lot more to say, watch for her posts...I need to get back to my warm bed after our lovely curry dinner.

Goodnight!

Namaste!

Ah, I love India, there are surpises around every corner.

A couple of days ago K and I were sitting in a Tibetan restaurant on PT road in Kodai. Facing the restaurant doorway I watched a couple walk in who are very well known to me, it was Paul and Jenny! They had also given up their life in the UK to tour around India and have adventures (I had worked with Paul at Trek), we had intended on catching up with one another but India is so big and it is often difficult to arrange. I had thought that it was best left to fate to decide a possible meeting and fate indeed dealt us a great hand. It just so happened that we decided to move on to Kodai rather than stay in Munnar another night, it just so happened that K was slightly pushy about eating in the restaurant and it just so happened that we had this chance encounter as a result. We had a great 3 hours or so sharing our tales and had very lively conversation, all having had similar experiences. P and J were leaving Kodai the next day for Cochin where we had been already, they both looked great and had been on a healthy hike down the Palani Hills that day (Not an easy task, 18 kms down and a 2000 metre 18km climb up...!). we had to say our goodbyes that same night, it would have been great to spend more time together but K and I are heading east and they were covering terrain that we had already set foot upon.

So, back to the time in Kerala (Apologies for the delay)....

We had great roads, the signs are in Malayalam and English, navigation was much easier, road quality was amazing (In the grand scheme of things here) and we had a very easy and relaxing time. K and I were a little slow in adapting to a more sedate lifestyle and the first few days relaxing at Lagoona Davina caused us to be a little antsy. It was very plesant there and was very civilised compared to the lifestyle that we had adopted the weeks previous.

We had a Yoga lesson - this was my first yoga lesson ever and I was surprised by the hard work that it involved. There was a time when I used to study Wing Chun Kung Fu, I would not think twice about putting my head to my knee such was my flexibility, my coordination was finely tuned back then and I was sharp and quick of reaction. Now in a yoga lesson I found that I had greatly lost my flexibilty (which I had once taken for granted) and that my ability to control the exact positioning of my body was more hard work than I could ever have imagined. Our teacher prayed at the start of the lesson, finishing with Om shanti, shanti, shanti. We then practised some standing exercises and moved onto the Sun Salutation. He took us through all of the movements, K was much more in control than I was, I found myself confusing my right from my left and my ups from my downs. I greatly admire yoga, I believe that it is good to discipline for the body and the mind, having spent many years committed to riding bicycles, I know that I am at my happiest and healthest when I am getting regular exercise and yoga is something that I may consider in the future. I still hear the teachers words in my head and the tune to which he sang his prayers. Two days after the lesson I was sore all over.

Ayuverdic massage - Kate and I experienced the real deal at our resort in Periyar, (Wealthier) Indians travel here to the Ayuverdic Centre to have week long treatments. I accompanied Kate in booking her appointment and found myself joining in..... The treatment rooms looked like a Victorian operating theatre and I felt far removed from the 21st century upon entering it. There was a wooden table made of a dark wood, it had a raised ridge around its edges, at the head of the table there was a circular shape carved into the surface and there were two parellel pieces of wood jutting down from the top. Upon the table lay a black rubber apron and the room (As did the rest of the centre) smelled heavily of camphor oil. In the corner sat a wooden cupboard with a hole in the top, this was in fact a steamer, not for vegetables but for the patient ;-) The next day when we returned we were asked about our ailments then made our way to individual treatment rooms. I was greeted, I removed my clothes and was then dressed in a loin cloth that was certainly not for the modest or shy. I sat down and the massuer prayed over me. She then poured a cup of warm oil over my head and I laughed to myself at the surprise in me that it had caused. I recieved a wonderful head massage. I was then asked to lie on my back upon the scary operating table. This time I had a cup of warm oil poured over my body. The massage was fairly light to start with and gradually became deeper, the movements were very fast. As the oil began to run onto the table I found myself slipping around a little. The fun came when I was asked to roll onto my front, the word of warning fromthe masseur was "Careful". I almost found myself sliding off the edge of the table out of control as I rotated my body around. Ah I am laughing to myself as I type, the experience was hilarious. Again I was covered in more oil, then the massage continued. This time, with my front still covered in oil and pressed to the surface of the table I found myself sliding around everywhere. It was very difficult for me to relax because I found the whole experience to be rather jovial as I tried to prevent myself from slipping hither and tither! I soon worked out a way to support myself by holding the wooden pieces at my head but I am not sure if this was the correct protocol. After the massage, my feet were wiped and then I was relocated to the steam cupboard. Still heavily covered in oil I sat inside on the round marble slab and poked my head out of the top as the doors were shut upon me. It got hot in there, it felt like my arse was burning on occasion! I have to say that I was still chuckling to myself because I had never been basted and then steamed before. The treatment finished with a shower and some red powder placed in the centre of the top of my head. I did feel absolutley wonderful after the episode, I could feel my improved circulation and I was certainly very relaxed. For the next 4 or so days, desptie many showers I still found myself smelling of the oil, I do not complain because it was quite pleasant.

I have much more to share but time has come to a close. Next time I shall share stories with you of stone pelting, anti american imperialist sentiment in the streets of Cochin and braving the shove to get to a ferry....

We are on a mountain - 2000 meters (6800 feet for the metrically challenged :)

We were going to post last night, but the only iCafe we found had dialup and we couldn't even get into blogger :( Tonight we found one with broadband, so we thought we would share some photos (we know you are dying to see them :)

For you map-heads...we are in Kodaikanal - we went from Cochin to Munnar and then followed some FABULOUS roads to Kodai (more on that later :). Tomorrow we daytrip to Madurai to see the coolest Hindu Temple in Tamil Nadu, and probably all of India :)

So, now the photos:


Buying spices in Alleppey




Carl and Kate came to help us celebrate Christmas and the New Year




It was a posh Christmas at Lagoona Davina :)




excellent Christmas pudding :)




K was invited to help haul in the nets




Merry Xmas Keralan Style





Views from the boat...










Duck farming :)



Enjoying the ride







They put the bikes on the boat!!!!




Some more fabulous sunsets :)







To Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary:

Walking in the woods...




You can tell how big an elephant is by measuring the circumference of it's footprint and multiplying by 2




Views from the car (Kate and Carl had a driver :)

The Rubber Tree




we saw 5 wild elephants, this one posed for me :)




In Cochin we saw:

Chinese cantilevered fishing nets




and Kathakali dancers (I also have a video to post...stay tuned :)




Kerala is very political...here is Che as a Communist youth icon




We are on the bikes again, after sending Kate and Carl on their way back to the UK




The Western Ghats are full of tea plantations and spectacular views plus the best in curvy roads :)



















and the road down from those hills (yikes, eh? it was spectacular! :)




Enjoy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Sorry we have been out of touch....we have been living large with Kate and Carl :) We sent them on their way south this morning and we headed east to the hills of the Western Ghats - we are in the tea plantation town of Munnar.

We had a FABULOUS time with Kate and Carl!!!! We are very happy that they came to see us and spend their holidays with us - it's always nice to be around your friends/families at this time of year. (It wasn't because of all the wonderful care packages that they brought us, either...honest! :)

The first few days we were totally pampered at Lagoona Davina's in Kovalam - talk about relaxing! I did manage to get a swim in the ocean and take a yoga class, though - between meals and reading 2 books :). Then we headed north to stay overnight on a Keralan backwater house boat - that was also relaxing, and a lot of fun, too (and the food was excellent!). The best thing (besides having our luggage in the car with Kate and Carl and riding the bikes unencumbered - woohoo!!!) is that when we arrived on the motos and discovered that it was a one way trip along the canals thre was no panic - the boatmen just picked the bikes up and put them on the boat with us! The bikes were safely unloaded the next morning and we were chasing the pace car :) to the Western Ghats and the Cardamom Hills to our "plantation retreat". The next day we went into Periyar Nature Reserve and did an early morning hike. We saw a ton of birds, including a rare sighting of an Indian Blue Robin, and lots of monkeys in the trees (and everyone saw this monkey on the trail :). No tigers or elephants, but the guide was really good and definitely knew the trails inside and out. We toured a tea factory (that is a ton of work for a cup of tea!) and then went to a small spice plantation that also had ayurvedic plants - the guide there was also very knowledgable and we saw both green and black cardamom and a whole lot of other interesting plants.

Next up was an amazing drive to Cochin. We took a road that wasn't even on my map, past a huge dam at Iduki and then the road that follows the Periyar river and the hydroelectric project along it's length. A gorgeous road, one that we want to ride again. On the way we spotted 5 wild elephants (pictures coming!!!!) on both sides of the road. Wow and double wow. We didn't see them in the nature reserve but we saw them on the road! We arrived in Cochin for that magic third item to fall off my bike (I have been waiting for it :) and it was a VERY necessary item - the gear shift lever! The bolt had just come loose and with all the rough roads it had shaken itself off the shaft (it's all sorted now :). Cochin reminded us of Panaji - a modern port city. We went to see the Chinese fishing nets (amazing to watch) and have a walk around and the next day we went to the Mattancherry Palace with Carl and Kate and then left them to their shopping while we hopped the ferry about the bay and did our own bit of shopping. Then it was dinner and a New Year's celebration for us :) This morning Kate and Carl piled into their car and A and I packed up the bikes and with lots of hugs and some tears we went our separate ways. :(

It was a wonderful visit...I hope that they had as much fun on their holiday as we did on ours (it's definitely back to work for us - there is a lot to see here and we are doing our best to see as much of the interesting stuff as we can :) Thanks Carl and Kate!!! For wining (well, beering :) and dining us and putting us up in a style that we are most definitely not accustomed to (my travel sheets stayed in the bag the whole time!!!! the sheets in these establishments were very clean and we had hot water!!! Bonus, eh? :) And on top of that, Kate and Carl are packing a bunch of kit home for us and we helped them out by maiking room in their luggage for all our stuff by raiding their luggage for everything from bandaids (plasters to you Brits :) to bathing suits! If anyone else wants to spend time with us on our travels, let us know.... I am sure we can make some good exchanges :):):)

Catch you all later!!!!