So, we’ve been hoping all around Kerela and having a really great time, and far more has happened than I’ll manage to put down here. But here’s a shot.
We spent a couple of days in Kollam, which was a nice town, not that much going on, but good atmosphere and friendly people, very traditional, very few tourists. Sanya got some new eyeglasses with a new prescription and I got a couple lungis, the man-sarong that has been sweeping south-indian fashion for the past five thousand years. after that we went to alleppey where we did the “backwater boat ride”, the most typical touristy thing to do in Kerela, but absolutely unmissable. It was 24 hours on our own private houseboat, with an on board chef and two guys to punt it along Venetian gondola style but with 30ft bamboo poles. It was great to see the village life up close, but at the same time was a little uncomfortable, i felt like a colonial having these guys pushing us along in the heat while we reclined with a cup of tea on a cultural safari. but I guess thats been a semi-theme of the trip, coming to terms with being wealthy relative to such a poor country. today I bought a suit for my friend’s wedding, I walked into a really nice store on the nice-store-street and there was nothing i couldnt afford. very strange feeling.
but catching back up. after alleppey we spent four nights, i think, in Fort Cochin, a very nice, though quite touristy town. It was so calm and clean, nice seafood, and great walking around. there was one really nice show in a gallery there, Wasiwo X Wasiwo I believe was the artists name, an expat living in india for the past 8 years. Half the show was photography, really nicely done, blending this kind of hand tinted colonial style portraiture with modern indian professions, which have really changed very little since colonial times, so the interest was in the details, the hello kitty on the knife sharpener’s bag and such. the other half of the show was miniature paintings in the traditional indian style, self portraits as the white tourist, bound to his lonely planet guide, and a group dealing specifically with his life in India, overcoming cultural differences, and dealing with issues like his homosexuality.
after Cochin we were planning to go to wayanad wildlife sanctuary for a few days, but we got there and just had such a hassle getting information about the park. we went on a jeep safari, which totally is not how we had envisioned seeing the wildlife, but which is the only method allowed by the government it seems. so we left prematurely and headed up to mysore on a whim. Mysore is wonderful, the city is just charismatic. I’ll tell you all about it when I’m gone!
namaste