Chai, Chai:Travels In Places Where You Stop But Never Get Off by Bishwanath Ghosh

Anyone who loves traveling by train will be lying if they say they haven't looked forward to the sometimes watery, sometimes milky, but always addictive chai! I have tasted some of the worst chai in trains or at stations, but that doesnt stop me from eagerly looking forward to the call of the chai-wallahs. And this insane, inexplicable love is what made me pick this book up in the first place.

Now over to the book:Have you heard of Itarsi or Guntakal? Most likely you would have, whether you are a train junkie or not.
What is the first word that comes to your mind when someone mentions these places? 9 out of 10 would say "Railway station" and atleast 5 out of 10 would have passed through these junctions (or other such junctions) at one time or the other.
These, and many other such junctions are embedded into our minds since this is where you would have filled water, had oily snacks, stepped out onto the platform to stretch your legs or changed trains, but almost never to get off and go into the town beyond the station. But have you ever wondered what sort of a town/city lay outside the railway stations of these rather famous junctions? If you have a 5 hour wait at Mumbai Central, you would have walked out and "explored" the city, but would you do the same at Itarsi or Guntakal (where you are more likely to spend 5 hours waiting for the next train)? I am sure it did not even cross your mind!

And that exactly is what Bishwanath is out to figure. The book is free flowing and takes you along, as he explores what lies outside these sacred railway station precincts and finds, more often than not, a small town that is quite different from the hustle bustle of its railway station, with little other than the railway station to claim fame. From shady hotels to dinghy bars, from helpful auto-wallahs to suspicious locals, the towns are as similar as they are different.
While Biswanaths writing makes for an easy read, it is not a conventional travel tale. He does try to make it one, adding well researched tid-bits and often looking for the uncoventional (in true traveller style), but the subject lacks the scope to make it compelling enough for the reader.
A good attempt, but the book ends up falling short of making it to your reading list!

Welcome 2016!

While half the world is busy desperately clinging onto their NYR’s and the other half is busy removing every evidence of having commited to them, I ambusy creating my own with desperate optimism.  I call that the late mover advantage!

Here are what I will work towards this year.

1. Declutter:
At any point of time, I am busy juggling the many things that I love to do. Read, write, travel, sleep, work off those extra calories, etc. Throw in social engagements (obligations?) and a 9-6 job and you have an explosive mix :)
One of my focus this year will be on what I call "declutter", essentially, try to limit multi-tasking and focus only on a couple of things at a time. Pick out 1-2 things that I want to do for a short period of time (1-2 months) and focus energies and enjoy doing them.
I did try it a couple of times last year when I felt I was doing things mechanically, rather than enjoying them. After a month long break from yoga, I went back rejuvenated and with a lot more enthusiasm than before the break.
The break from reading came as a surprise, but was a quick one when i realised I was just picking up random books (because I did not give a book enough thought before picking it up) and leaving them unfinished! And now, a month later, I am craving for books, waiting for my "subscription holiday" to end.

2. Health:
Maintaining a routine has been always a challenge, because I am innately lazy! I have been practicing yoga for the last year or more, but have never been able to stick to a routine. While I committed to 5 days a week, I am more than happy (not to mention proud) to make it 3-4 times a week! I did buy a cycle last year, with a commitment (that I made to myself) that the cycle would be used atleast twice a week. I fell short on that by 1. And I never stopped feeling guilty about it either.
But this year, I plan to reach a balance and add variety (walking, running, playing a sport regularly) and commit, rather than overcommit. I am rather proud that I haven't used the lift at office for a long long time :)

3. Be environmentally responsible: 

I started thinking about this seriously a couple of years back and started with saying no to bottled water. I started carrying a water bottle that I would fill with potable water wherever I could. Last year, I started avoiding bottled water at social engagements and reusing the same plate everytime I went for a refill at  buffets. Started using local transport, even on short family vacations. Started carrying back trash and giving a conscious thought on how we dispose of it. Must say, my family has never once complained of the water or transport and we are rather proud of it :)  

While this does sound like a lot of good things, I am sure there are many more ways in which we can reduce burdening the environment, which I plan to find out and incorporate in our daily life. 

4. Take more pics:
Being an introvert, it has never been easy for me to just take out my mobile or camera and click photographs of ordinary things that I found interesting (read: the helpful coconut vendor, a very inviting tea stall on a cold winter morning, etc). As a consequence, I usually don't take the pic and regret it later. Doing away with that and taking pics has to happen! I was rather proud of myself, when recently on a trip to Rajasthan, I took pictures of all that I ate :)

These, for once, seem more reasonable and are about things that really matter to me. Guess age has really made me wiser ;)

These are mine, what are yours?

Early morning flight woes!

When the pretty lady asked me if I had a preference for seats, I immediately mentioned 'emergency exit seats, please' , but hastily added, 'only if it doesn't cost extra money'. The joke was lost on her and she told me that while those would, in fact cost extra, she did not have any other non-premium window seats available. I told her I was ok with an aisle seat. She seemed to take it in her stride, smiled sweetly and handed me the boarding pass. The seat was a 31C, which I figured din't sound too bad. 

It was only when I boarded, did I realise that 31C was the last possible row, with only the lavatory and pantry behind me and the whole world (the passengers were my whole world for the next 2.5 hours) ahead of me. An aisle seat just before the lavatory also came with "perks" - I had a ring side view of the myriad emotions that only people waiting in a lavatory queue can emote. Taking an early morning (7:15 AM) flight also meant that I could witness this upto 185 times (for the uninitiated, it was 186 passengers - 1 (thats me, of course)). And as luck would have it, I think I did it about 10 times, even trying to offer adequately sympathetic (I kept the empathy out) expressions to those who were obviously squirming waiting in the queue, before I grossed myself out and decided to focus my attention on the rather thought provoking and infinitely more pleasant in-flight magazine :)

I was now getting used to the rhytmic opening and shutting of the 2 doors (they seemed to be perfectly synced, 1 door every minute or two). While I was thinking there could hardly be anyone in a more precariously pathetic position than I was, I was woken from my reverie (and self-sympathy mode) by the firm tone of the air-hostess (as the female members of the cabin crew were previously called), calling out, "Sir, sir...please press the flush!". The man, who had been caught offguard, sheepishly came back and did as instructed. Off I went, to my reverie, assuming it was a one-off occurence.
I was once again jolted back to reality, and I think I had subconsciously even registered that the door opened without the perfunctory flush noise. The air-hostess was quite business-like in her tone. The friendliness usually associated with her ilk was quite not there. She was calling out after another retreating behind, "Sir, please flush!". It was sharp, precise and clinical, like the needle that draws blood!

By now, every single word in the glossy in-flight magazine had been duly read and stored away in some remote corner of the subconscious, to be drawn upon under life-or-death situations. It was now replaced by an insanely priced menu, which did not fail to emphasize (with 2 prices for every single item on the meager menu) that if you were stupid enough not to realise that you will feel hungry on the flight before the flight took off (in decent terms called "pre-booking you meal"), then your inability to accurately predict your metabolism should be fined Rs 50
.
However, coming back to the point, the cabin crews regular "Sir/Ma'm, blah blah blah...FLUSH!" added a rather quirky entertainment to my otherwise dull 2.5 hour existence onboard flight "XX-1234 from Bengaluru to Jaipur". While about 5 in 10 would come back and do the deed, there would still be a good 5 out of 10 who would just ignore (I dont buy that they could be hard of hearing, people atleast 20 rows ahead would turn back) and walk on, like they had nothing to do with the sh**.
I counted 15 of these "FLUSH" shouts before zoning out and losing count!
A few occurrences later, the niceties were slowly, but surely wearing off. The tone was bordering on impatience, quite like a mother admonishing a difficult child at the mall, barely concealing her impatience behind a thin veil of forced civility. The assertive was now bordering on aggressive.

And when the plane had landed and was taxiing towards the gate, a few passengers, showing ultimate disregard for the pilots/cabin crews instructions on remaining seated, got up and even started readying for the race to the doors, the dam finally burst! A sharp "SIT DOWN. DO NOT GET UP FROM YOUR SEATS TILL INSTRUCTED TO!!!", stripped of all civility, echoed through the 31 rows. The force threw all the offenders back to their seats as yours truly secretly smirked! The aftermath? The crowd put on their best behaviour as they got off the plane, refusing to look the cabin crew in the eye, even as the cabin crew wished us "Thank you (for helping us vent out???)"


The part about "Look forward to serve you again" was conspicuously missing from their farewell.

On a more serious note: 
I was disappointed (rather than appalled) at the whole incident. Would we leave the toilet unflushed/soiled at home? If not, then what prompts us to forget to do the same when we are outside the house? Shouldn't we be doubly cautious?
And do I find fault with the cabin crew running out of patience? Absolutely not. In fact, I think they did a good job of keeping their temperament in check through most of the flight despite the obvious apathy. I am sure reminding people to "flush" was not on their FAQ's. 

Half of a yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Set in the 1960s Nigeria, rife with communal discord, Half of a yellow sun traces the lives of 5 people intricately intertwined through love, hate and indifference . Lives that were distanced through prosperity and brought together by the war.
Olanna, the beautiful daughter of a highly influential army contractor, who leaves behind a life of privilege for the man she loves, Odenigbo, a revolutionary professor at the Nsukka University. Kainene, Olanna's twin sister, who is as indifferent as bitter. Richard, A shy Englishman in love with Igbo-ukwu art and Kainene. Ugwu, Odenigbo's uneducated houseboy, for whom the war is a coming-of-age experience.
From the high society of Lagos to the quiet intellect of Nsukka, from the ghettos of Ummunachi to the refugee camps of Orlu, Half of a yellow sun takes you on a shocking journey through the birth of a nation, its fall into a civil war and ultimately peace, which comes at a price. The book explores the myriad human emotions, from love to loss, delight to denial and disbelief to detachment. It takes you through the streets of a war-torn country and its civilians, as they cast aside their personal dignity and belief in a struggle for the survival of their loved ones. It talks about how we draw upon our inner strengths when the eye fails to see what the mind does not fail to register.

The story has a couple of remarkably strong scenes, like the one where the sisters meet during the war and each marvels at how the other has grown, which speak volumes about Chimamanda's ability to take the reader on a journey, just like the rest of the characters.  

With a remarkable blend of strong metaphors, vividly expressive adjectives and Igbo influenced english that contributes to the rich narrative, Chimamanda weaves a stunning tale of love, life and war.

A must read! 

What is your "favouritest" childhood memory?

Childhood is that lovely time when everything is new and magical. Traditions are not boring and happiness lies in the simplest of things. It was on one such nostalgia-hit evening that I started reminiscing my "favouritest" childhood memories. So here goes...

1. Playing "Business" (a variant of the board game 'Monopoly') with cousins. We bent the rules (even then!) and played for hours. We even had an audience. And it always ended with the bank going bankrupt and we being insanely rich (we framed the rule ourselves, remember?)

2. Spending summer vacations at grandparents place. It was huge house in a sleepy little village. The yummy jamoons that grandma would invariably make! Eating mangoes in the evening, slinking away unobserved to the village pond! Bliss!!!

3. Summer evenings spent watering the terrace (Yes, watering the terrace!), so that it is to cool when we sleep under the open sky at night!

4. Watching movies in the 'tent' (a makeshift cinema hall) at our grandparents village. Sometimes even sleeping through it.

5. The last day of the exams! The tradition of watching a movie (in the cinema hall) after the last exam. I dont remember the movie, but I remember the joy of eating popcorn at the movies and an ice-cream after it!

6. The extra allowance of 2 rupees a day that was given on exam days. Spending it on a small packet of "Yummies", even while a holier-than-thou classmate ranted about the ill-effects of eating packed/processed chips daily!

7. Looking forward to Chitrahaar at 8PM in Wednesdays and Rangoli at 7AM on Sundays. They were truly our only window to bollywood music.

8. Rasna heralded the summer holidays by launching new flavours (cola and nimbu pani). It was a rage and making the concentrate was a tradition. It involved dissolving some 300grams of sugar in 750 ml water, before adding the powder and concentrate! The sugar was added to the water early in the morning left on the dining table. We all took turns stirring it and it was only by noon that the sugar had dissolved and Rasna was finally ready :)
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and so many more... :)

What is your "favouritest" childhood memory?

Resonance - by Ajay!

Over the last few years, I have come to read and admire Indian writers like Ravi Subramanian and Krishan Pratap Singh, who have ventured into the genre of new-age thrillers (tackling new age themes like cyber-crime, banking scams and even Indian politics) set against the backdrop of contemporary India. 

With this in mind, I picked up 'Resonance', a thriller by debut novelist Ajay. It was a deliberate pick! It has been on my list for a while, but has never come by. This time however, I picked up Resonance with the dual intention of reading a new author and trimming my ever growing reading list.

And I must say I was hooked from page one. Indo-pak terrorism and terrorism originating on Pakistani soil is nothing new, almost as stereotypical as it can get. However, what stands out is the rich plot, replete with twists and counter twists and an entirely new conspiracy theory. 

My observations about the book:

1. For a first-timer, his novel is bold. It attacks the theme with elan, never shying away from weaving twists and turns into the narrative. He even gets away with it.

2. The transition from one scene to another, from one place to another is smooth and seamless. The chapters maintain a flow which is one of the biggest challenges a debut novelist faces and one of the biggest frustrations the reader faces with a debut novel.

3. The research is thorough and manages to hold your attention. Recent historical events, like the assasination of Zia-ul-haq and the Mumbai terror attacks are stitched seamlessly in the narrative, often forming the focal point of the plot. 

5. In some places, the description is long-winded and even repeated (like the mode of destruction being explained to different people at different times). Even the trail of destruction is difficult to follow if you are not familiar with the terrain (anything more I say will be a spoiler). One of the things that I felt would have helped, specially with the elaborate description of the destruction that would be caused would have been an illustration in the form of a map, much like the one that highlights the journey of Heinrich Harrer in "Seven years in Tibet". It would have made it easier to understand. 

4. The climax (predictable as it is) is a nail-biting finish. Ajay gives us another lesson in Physics with a well researched anti-dote. 

Ajay has definitely done his research and what comes out is a well-baked thriller, that keeps you turning pages right up to the end.

Do read, if you love thrillers with an Indian twist!

Fond memories from Kasaragod!

Kasaragod has nothing to offer the regular tourist.

It offers clean beaches by quaint fishing villages but without the crowds and commercialization. 

It offers a fort that affords stunning views of the Arabian Sea, but lacks a commercial guide who will tell you the stories.
It has people who will speak to you in Kannada and Hindi just as fluently as they converse with their neighbours in Malayalam. 

It is a distant cousin to the nearest backwaters, Nileshwar and Valiyamparaba 30 kms away.
You will most likely end up exploring it on foot or being driven around by friendly auto-drivers or those local buses that embrace you with their warmth (not literally though)  

It presents you with locals who are not too tourist-smart. They are not forever trying to sell you tacky souvenirs or make that extra buck.
The locals will often subject you to random acts of kindness. They will accompany you (by foot) if you are unsure of the route. They will help you buy tickets from the conductor who does not understand you. They will help you catch a seat if the bus is crowded. They will consult friends to let you know where you need to get down to go to some place that you have only heard of from Google. If they are getting down before you from the bus, they will hand you over to someone else to ensure you don't miss your stop.
And most of all, they will not only remember you but give you a friendly smile too, when they see you the next day :)
There is the waiter at the non-touristy restaurant who will ensure you understand what is red boiled rice before you order for it.
And then there is the curious bus conductor, who wants to know where you are from, how you are going back and why you are not taking the cheaper option of taking a train back home. He will also check on you every few minutes during your 40 minute ride to the town. 

They are simple and loving people who will not look at you with those wary and suspicious eyes. 

And to reiterate, Kasaragod has nothing to offer the regular tourist, but everything for the discerning wanderer! 

Skywatch Friday - Flagstaff

This one was taken at Flagstaff, AZ. One of the first times I had seen so much snow at one place :) The bright sun had moved up overhead, replacing the morning chill with a pleasant warmth. Lying down on the snow, looking at the seemingly endless white carpet and a clear blue sky with the sun shining down is what heaven must feel like!

This one for Skywatch Friday this week. Have a great weekend! 

Getting featured on Be On The Road!

Sankara Subramanian, self proclaimed travel nut and travel evangelist is one of the top professional travel bloggers in India and his Be on the Road is arguably one of the best travel blogs. Widely respected and followed, Be on the Road is a treasure trove of his travel experiences, photography and tips and tricks.

When a chance invitation to write for his blog came my way, I decided to write about a topic that had been running in my mind for quite some time. And the outcome was this article:

 Life lessons that travel taught me.

I definitely hope this motivates me to update my blog more often!

A perfect getaway - BB Estate Homestay, Coorg

We had heard about the BB estate homestay from a friend who had stayed there a couple of years back.
Having never stayed at a homestay, we were both excited and hesitant. Excited about staying in a homestay on a 100 acre coffee estate and hesitant on what awaited us. After all, we valued our privacy just as much.
As we looked over the reviews on tripadvisor, we found it impressive and decided to take the plunge.

The place:
Set amidst a 120 acre coffee estate, this homestay is pure delight. We stayed at the Main Bungalow, which houses the hosts, the kitchen and 2 suites. We were pleasantly surprised when we entered the room. It was impeccable. Not a speck of dust or a stray insect that we usually find in places with incessant rains or dense vegetation. The suite has a dining area, room and ensuite bathroom. There is also a portico/sit out just outside the door where you can curl up with a book and watch the incessant rain. The room (and the bathroom) is done up tastefully in bright colours (yellow/green), with wooden furniture that gave the suite a cheerful and welcome warmth.
The bungalow is set amidst a large garden that gives ample space for kids to do their own thing. The coffee estate that surrounds the bungalow allows for ample nature walks.
(There is also the Ancestral house a little down the road, which is a 100 year old traditional bungalow renovated with the original structure intact. It has 3 rooms that can easily accommodate 10-12 people and is perfect for families of 10-12 people).

The hosts:
The hosts - Madan and Anita. They are the perfect hosts, making you feel warm and welcome into their house. They add a touch of familiarity to the place and go all out to make you feel comfortable. They give you your space, all the time ensuring that you are comfortable and well provided for.
Even though we reached at 9 PM and had dinner along the way, Mr Madan ensured that there piping hot rasam for us, since it was raining outside. :)
They can arrange for pick-ups, drops and taxis at an additional cost.

Food:
We only had the breakfast here. It was a traditional fare (dosa on day 1 and akki rotti on day 2, with accompaniments) with bread/butter/jam and tea and coffee.
Going by the breakfast, we are sure the lunch and dinner would be mouth-watering too.
The unlimited tea/coffee, specially when it is raining is totally worth it.

We would recommend the BB Estate Homestay to anyone who is looking for the perfect homestay experience.
Important note: The pics on their website do not do any justice to the place. The place is far more beautiful :)

Losing my religion - Vishwas Mudagal

It was one more of those impulsive picks, about the time when I was tired with intense accounts of Tibet, its trials and tribulations and a David Baldacci book that let me down.

The book traces the adventures of Rishi Rai, a dot com whiz kid, once celebrated but who also quickly fell out of favour when the computer games that he created failed to take off. We are introduced to Rishi at a time when he is at his lowest, his company is winding up, he is coming to terms with a failed relationship and all-in-all he is burnt-out. And then he meets Alex, a hippy, with a devil-may-care attitude, who believes in living for the moment. And what follows is a roller-coaster ride.

Alex and Rishi trek to the Himalayas in search of the Malana cream, the finest hashish, almost get killed, but live to tell the story. Following their impulses, they then set up base in a little beach town on the coast of Karnataka. As Rishi's business takes off, he falls head-over-heels in love with a mysterious gamer, loses her, visits the Kumbh Mela where he starts a million dollar business, finds love again and realizes that it comes at a price. 

The climax, on the sets of a reality show, through predictable, provides some nail biting moments. And of course, all's well that ends well :)

The book is fast-paced maintaining a smooth continuity, of thought as well narration. It keeps you hooked till the last page. There is a good mix of breadth and depth, keeping you interested right through the 200+ pages.
A must read if you enjoy fiction for what it is, and not for what it is not!

Tales of taxi drivers!

On most of our vacations, we use a mix of public transport and hired taxis. While the public transport is largely predictable, the taxis, and more importantly their drivers, with peculiar habits are an important part of the whole holiday experience. There are many types that we have run into, from the i-know-it-all to the you-know-it-all types and the lazy ones to the over-eager ones.

Here is a collection of some of the most memorable drivers we have come across over the years:
1. The warden (Apr-2008) - It was a vacation in Uttarakhand. We planned to cover Corbett, Nainital and Binsar in 6 days flat. And who better to ensure that we covered it all than Mr LDP. Mr LDP would probably find it easy to land a job as a hostel warden or a jailor.
Weirdness quotient: He kept a close tab on the time we spent at each place. Take this: He took us to the golf course in Ranikhet, gave us 30 minutes to enjoy the unending lawn and did not mince words when we turned up all of 5 mins late. And the reason we took 5 extra minutes? Because we had to walk the 500 metres from where he was supposed to wait for us to the place he was actually parked.

2. The highly mobile (Feb-2012) - On a vacation in Shimla, Kullu and Manali, we had the pleasure of his company. A small guy with a big car, that's the best way to describe him. He was on the phone most of the time that he was not driving and sometimes even while he was driving. He must have recharged currency on his phone atleast 10 times during the 7 day sojourn.
Weirdness quotient: Whenever he had to stop, instead of looking for a space of the left side of the road (the side on which he was driving), he would cut right across, head on into the oncoming traffic and park on the right side. While we did find it scary the first couple of times, we gave in, assuming that this was the way of the hills. It was on the way back from Manali to Chandigarh, just before Mandi, while we were counting the miles before we had to part ways with the beautiful Beas and get back to concrete jungle. On our request to stop at an available shoulder to tend to the little one, he swerved right at a sharp left turn and managed to crash into a car that was overtaking us from the right (highly illegal, but hey! they were locals and we were tourists!).
His diminutive outlook belied a steely resolve. He held off 7 hardened locals, negotiating for 3 hours and finally drawing an out-of-court settlement, which he valiantly brought down from 25K to 7K!

3. Rajasthan Royals (Oct-2012): If you want to be treated like Rajasthani royalty, Mr MD has to be your driver! A strapping 6+ foot, 60+ year old, Mr MD was from the camel herders community. Immaculately draped in a pachrangi (five coloured) turban, with a clean white dhoti and kurta, he was straight out of the 1900's.
Weirdness quotient: He refused to drink tea/coffee, replacing it with extreme quantities of chaanch (butter milk). While it definitely helps keep the body cool in the desert heat, it also induces drowsiness. The road from Jodhpur to Osiyan (65 kms) is a single road, passing through typical desert wilderness, pitch dark at 8:30 PM with hardly any traffic and numerous detours owing to road constructions. If this does not get you worried enough, imagine the two glasses of chaanch consumed with dinner an hour before slowly working its effect on the driver, who is your only hope of deliverance. There is nothing scarier than watching your driver driving with eyes half closed, nodding off every now and then, refusing your offerings of the last drops of precious water to wash his face and his only attempt at keeping himself awake was to open the window and thrust his head outside into the cold desert breeze!

4. The one who did not know about Kachori's (Oct-2013): Then there was the driver in Kerala, who did not know what a Kachori is!!! Do you believe it???
Weirdness quotient: He did not know what Kachori was. Do you need more???

Sunset at Binsar, Uttarakhand

This one from one of our earliest vacations in the Kumaon region. It was a cold summer (yes, cold summer) evening in Binsar. We walked about 2 km's from the KMVN guest house where we were staying, lost our way a couple of times and still made it in time to watch the sun playing pee-ka-boo with the clouds before calling it a day.
The haze formed a thin veil over the sun, smoothening out the rays of the setting sun and covering the sky in concentric circles, each a different shade of orange.

Binsar is a forest area about 25 km from Almora town in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.

This one for Skywatch Friday this week! Have a good weekend :)

Backwater cruise in the Vembanad lake!

Go to Kerala and not do a backwater cruise? Well, thats exactly what we planned to for 2 reasons: Firstly, the backwater cruise is what everyone who goes to Kerala does. Secondly, being imprisoned with a hyperactive 5 year old on a narrow country boat for 8 hours was not our idea of an ideal vacation.

Having covered most of what Fort Kochi had to offer on day one, we were at a loss of what to do on day two. After a lot of deliberation, we booked ourselves on a 6 hour backwater cruise with Destination Holidays. The itinerary was simple: pickup from the hotel at 8, cruise till 4 and then a drop back to the hotel. 

We were picked up in a 13 seater TT and off we went, weaving our way through the crazy morning traffic. We were soon dropped off at a small village (whose name I missed) at the border of the Ernakulam and Kottayam districts. Here we were handed over to our guide aka Captain, who took us to the shore where our country boat patiently waited on the shores of the Vembanad lake. The Vembanad lake, one of the largest backwater systems in the country is the hub of tourism in Kerala.

The boat, made of wood, cane and jute appeared exactly like the souvenirs that we had picked up in front of the Dutch Palace the day before. 

The crude but neat exterior belied the comfortable interiors. 

The boat was spic and span, with a coir carpet in case you decided to sit on the floor. 14 cane chairs were lined up in 2 rows, facing the front. There was enough room to move around, store your bags and even sit on the floor! There was even a toilet at the rear (what a relief!). The central area was cleared and used as a general social area, with our patron (our captain) holding a durbar, patiently answering our questions and entertaining us with amusing anecdotes, mastered over his 25 years as a guide.

After an extremely eloquent and animated introduction to where we were and what we were to expect for the rest of the day our guide helped us board the narrow boat. 

And off we went, our two oarsmen, maneuvering the boat through narrow alleys. As you move away from the shore, the breath-taking beauty of the famed Kerala backwaters unfolds. We had a first hand experience of why the Kerala backwaters are so highly rated. The lush greenery, swaying coconut trees and marshy reeds are interspersed with little villages and sometimes island houses (houses that are surrounded by the backwaters on all sides), lending it all an almost postcard-like appearance. A water snake, more often than not, swam through the water right in front of the boat, disappearing into a coconut grove. 

While the lake itself did not look too wide, it was the myriad little waterways that make you take your breath away. With most of canals and waterways barely 20 feet wide, the boat is a snug fit, the shores just a jump away. The maneuvers are a true test of the mettle of our oarsmen. 

The way the oarsmen steered the boats was in itself unique. They used long bamboo sticks to cut through the water. The motion was mechanical: stand on the bow, push the bamboo stick into water, and then walk towards the main sitting area of the boat, all in a single fluid motion. And there were 2 of them, one at the front and one at the rear, matching each others movements with perfect synchronization. Their stamina is tremendous, doing this for atleast 5 out of the 6 hours that we were on the boat. 

As we cruised through the accessible-by-canal-only interiors, we almost felt like intruders, watching from the sidelines as the localites went through their daily life, oblivious to our prying eyes. 

Localites, busy tending to their little farms/gardens, making ropes, drying fish, dredging shells, washing clothes and buffaloes or just steering their little boats to the neighbourhood markets gave the place a busy feel. Not once did we run into an idler, no children were waving to us, all looking busy and industrious alike, on a mission. 

While we, seated in the relative luxury of our country boat, saw the life of the localites as that of peace and calm, we were reminded by our captain that it all came with a price. The nearest medical assistance was often miles away and the only way to get there was a boat ride. The children traveled by boat to school and daily essentials, unless bought during those occasional outings to the town, were sold at inflated prices. Makes you think, doesn't it?

The day included a visit to an island factory that made calcium powder out of the river/sea shells dredged out of the backwaters, a visit to an island where families specialized in making ropes out of coconut husk and lastly, a simple vegetarian lunch on an island. More on this later.

At last, when after 6 hours in nature's lap, through some of the most beautiful of waterways, reasserting our faith that nature shall still find her way, despite man's growing greed, we were back to the world we know best: that of motorized transports, drab grey concrete buildings and incredible laziness!

Skywatch Friday - Cherai beach, Kerala

This picture was taken on the penultimate day of our vacation in Kerala. The sun had almost set and the last of his rays had painted the sky with various shades of red and orange, making it almost picture-perfect. Being a Friday, the beach was not very crowded, with only a couple of tourists enjoying the last rays of the sun, trying to squeeze in that last bit of memory or pick up one last sea shell to take back home, before heading back to their resorts or even home.

Cherai is a beautiful beach located on the Vypin Island in Cochin. It is about 25 kms from the Ernakulam town.

This is my first one for Skywatch Friday, a sign of bigger things to come?

The Penguin book of Indian journeys, edited by Dom Moraes

The Penguin book of Indian journeys, edited by Dom Moraes is a collection of travel essays. It includes essays by some of the best known travelers, writers and journalists like Paul Theroux, Ruskin Bond, Mark Tully, Anita Nair and Bruce Chatwin.
As the name suggests, it is a book of journeys and not just travel. Every story is a unique experience that deals with a different emotion. It is only once you start reading that you realize it is a kaleidoscope, of the colors and contradictions that make India what she is, uneven, unequal and mystic.
The stories emphasize the diversity of India, from the hills of Darjeeling to the beaches of Pondicherry and from the urban noveau riche to the bare existence of indigenous tribes.
Some of those will leave an impression:

• "Death lives in Varanasi" talks about the many people whose search for strength to cope with personal losses and a quest for inner peace brings them to the Ganga.  
• "City of Widows" delves deep into the dark, desolate and hopeless lives of the widows in Vrindavan. 
• "Bandit king and the Movie star", covers the events around the kidnapping of Rajkumar, leaving you feeling a sense of deja-vu. 
• "Mela madness" captures the the sheer variety, madness and accompanying flavours of a village mela. 
• "Reports from Orissa" speaks out the grim present and depressing future faced by the cut-off area, a victim of ambitious electric plants and one of the most backward districts in India.    

Overall, the tone is always a little glum, which I have come to believe is typical of most stories and travel essays about India, shooting off dark humour, painting a picture of despair and making India appear a nation of people who are hoping against hope for a better tomorrow.

Did I enjoy this book? - Yes, for the style of writing, the insights, the perspectives and the variety.
Would I recommend this book? - Recommended if you genuinely love India for the way she is: uneven, unequal and mystic and can take all the consequences and contradictions of all this with a pinch of salt.

Most of these essays were written between 1970 and 2001. Are they still relevant in modern India? That is for you to find out :)

Cherai!

As we arrived at Cherai, after a back-breaking 6 hour journey from Munnar (all thanks to the traffic), and I negotiated the stay, this is what Sheetal and Aadi were busy taking photographs of:

Come morning and it gets even better. 

When your backyard looks like this... 

\

 And a 20 feet road is all that separates you from this...

You know that its going to be a special holiday. And that is exactly what Cherai turned out to be. Cherai, on the Vypin island in Kochi boasts not only of a clean and pristine beach almost 10 km long, but also of close proximity to the backwaters (and if you stay where we did, at the Renai Blue Waters, it is right behind you). 

The 1.5 days we spent here were the laziest and best we have spent in a long time. The beach, the lawn at the rear overlooking the backwaters and the swimming pool kept not only us, but the little one busy as well, right through the day, giving us time for little else to write about!

Happy new year!

Yet another year has gone by. While it was not uneventful by any measures, it definitely left us a lot of warm and special memories. Our first trip to Kerala was definitely one of our best ones till date, read a huge number of books of various genres and authors, followed more blogs that humanly possible, day-dreamed more than night-dreamed, became aware of the carbon footprint I was creating and the weight that I was gaining. :D  
But I will not use this space to recap the year that went by (I am a very private person when it comes to personal memories :)). I thought I would revive my blog with the rather serious (and amusing) resolutions that I have been considering over the last 3 days. Here I go:
1. For every time that I use the lift, I will use the stairs twice.
2. I will travel wisely/prudently.
3. I will take shorter coffee breaks and longer post lunch walks at office. One will ensure I am being more productive, while the other will ensure that I get plenty of sunshine.
4. I will read the hindi newspaper at home, improving my reading speed (carry over from last year, or was it the year before that? Never mind!)
5. I will visit atleast 1 new/novel place within Bangalore every month. Before December, I did not even know there was a Tipu's palace in Bangalore :(
6. I will buy a cycle (Wishlist!!!)

Is the the complete list? Of course not!!!

Fort Kochi

This is about the maximum traffic we saw around in the inner bylanes of Fort Kochi during our two day stay!

Fort Kochi, the tourist hotspot of Cochin is full of old English and Portugese bungalows, most of them now
converted to Homestays or Inns. The quaint streets, void of any of the hustle-bustle that accompany touristy places are a pleasure to walk on and hide an assortment of boutique hotels, pubs and exotic stores selling everything from spices to antique jewellery and handicrafts to designer clothes.  
Fort Kochi is also the hub of the tourist circuit, boasting of most of the tourist attractions including Chinese Fishing nets, the Dutch Palace (in neighbouring Mattancherry), the Jewish synagogue, the St Francis Church and the Dutch Cemetry.

About 100 metres from our hotel, was the Fort Kochi beach. The beach is not as clean as some of the other beaches around Cochin, with long strings of weeds washed onto the shore by the currents and rowdy crows (which seemed to be a common feature across Kerala).
However, it is one of the social hotspots of Fort Kochi. On the Sunday morning that we first visited it, there were numerous teams of young people playing football on the beach, oblivious to the slush and weeds and visibly enjoying the animated looks of tourists like us.
One of the discerning features of this beach (and again, probably other beaches around Cochin) is the insane quantities of shells that are washed onto the shores by the water.  You would think that the beach is made up of equal quantities of sand and shells :). And this spawns a huge number of shell-collectors. The shell collectors, work meticulously and with intense concentration picking out shells that are either intact (the possibility of finding an edible mollusc inside are higher) or are the kind that can be used in making souvenirs or accessories.

A quiet evening at the Fort Kochi beach

And for us, the Fort Kochi beach offered a beach that was wide enough for Aadi to play with his "Park and Beach set" without getting hit by a stray football, long enough to walk without tiring and close enough to treat like our backyard!

Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer

A well-known Austrian Olympian is on an expedition to conquer Nanga Parbat when World War II breaks out. Immediately interned by the British at one of the war camps. An unconquerable urge to break out. A 6000 km hike through some of the harshest terrain on earth to arrive at the holiest city of Tibet. Unexpected hospitality, unwelcome challenges and the enviable position of rising to be one of the closest confidantes of the Living God, the Dalai Lama. This is the stuff legends are made of.

All this and more is what makes Heinrich Harrer and his 'seven years in Tibet' a masterpiece!

Part 1 (this is what I like to call it) traces his journey from the camp at Dehra-dun through the harsh and inhospitable terrain, often underplaying the challenges, helplessness and loneliness with stunning details on the majestic mountains and quaint life of rural Tibet.
Part 2 (as I like to call it) is the journey from being a pauper living on the goodwill and hospitality of the warm Tibetan people to a confidant of the Living God.
Heinrich uses his skills and resourcefulness to find acceptance in a society that has been largely unaffected by the rest of the world. In the process of finding acceptance and living in a society whose rich past and cultural heritage was largely unknown to the rest of the world, he gains amazing insights into the Tibetan culture and narrates a first-hand experience of the ways of the Tibetan society. He explores in depth, the pivotal role that religion plays in all aspects of Tibetan life, be it society or government. From being a gardener to building a cinema hall for the Dalai Lama, he quickly becomes Dalai Lama's trusted confidante, a position which gives him (and us) a ring-side view of the life of Tibet and its people.
A must read!