Thursday, December 24, 2009

Haathi Mera Saathi

Ernakalum, located in the state of Kerala, was overwhelming. My friend and I wanted to enjoy a quiet yet touristic experience and instead, we found ourselves smack in the middle of Kerala's commercial capital.

Although we were exhausted from our 11-hour bus ride we decided to escape by getting a ferry to Kochi/Cochin. Getting to the ferry port wasn't easy though as Kerala rikshaw-drivers were on strike in protest of a fare cut. So we drudgingly walked half-way to the port in the muggy 35C heat. On the way, a gracious rickshaw driver offered to get us to our destination for ten times the regular price, we were drenched and too desperate to argue. The ride was uncomfortable as we were asked to duck our heads whenever other rick-drivers were seen, our driver could've gotten into trouble for not abiding by the Autorickshaw Union's game plan.

Kochi was nice. It was filled with a lot of European tourists. That's all I can remember about it right now. The day after we headed off to Allepey and rented a houseboat to float over the serene backwaters. We had to bargain with the boat agents over the rent; I made it go down a few thousand dollars. I think I'm getting better at the art of negotiation! Most of the tourists whom we spoke to paid a lot more than us. Anyhow, I can't recall ever being in a more tranquil, bedazzling surrounding. I loved every bit of my Allepey day (although the night was wretchedly hot and neither my mosquito-repellant nor the provided mosquito net kept the pesky pests away.

The following day we managed to find a private driver (as the rickers were still on strike) to drop us off to the train station; we wanted to make a five-hour express ride to Calikut. A rick-ride wouldn't have cost us more than Rs 30 but this greedy driver was demanding Rs 700! I told him we wouldn't pay more than Rs 100 and he laughed in my face and wished me good luck. As we turned the corner though he soon pulled over and said he'd settle for Rs 200.

Calicut wasn't a fun experience. We waited at the main bus stand (to get to Calpetta) which was located in a conservative Muslim area and got stared down by every adult around. We were modestly dressed bit I think the fact that we didn't have our heads and necks covered bothered some people. The three-hour bus ride was extremely uncomfortable as every male glued their eyes on us either out of disgust, curiosity or perhaps both.

The drive to Calpetta was horrible. We had to drive through these steep, sharp curves into the Western Ghat mountain range. Our driver was wreckless and I kept wondering if he was drunk. There was two-way traffic on a narrow single lane throughout the range. I prayed the entire ride. I hadn't realised the drive would be so risky, if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't.

Anyhow Calpetta was gross. We stayed at a dingy hotel filled with sleazy men. The entire area reeked of rotten fish and it was normal to spot some fresh or dried up ones all along the road. Major gag-fest!

Wow! I've got so much more to right but this computer lab has got to close shop. Right now I'm in Sultanbatheri. The hotel we're staying at is so-so, we mainly chose it to use its gorgeous outdoor pool. But we were out touring all day and now that the sun's set, it's too cold to take a dip. We got to check out the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and watched a herd of elephants roam free in their natural habitat - it was amazing! Tomorrow we're heading off to Mysore.

I can't believe it's Christmas Eve. I'm missing the sound of snow crunching beneath my boots, festive carol tunes and even the over-the-top Christmas decorations. Happy Holidays everyone!

3 comments:

  1. Happy Holidays to you too! Keep on traveling and seeing as much of the country as you can!

    ReplyDelete