From December 21st through January 3rd, John and I traipsed across southern India, and it was GLORIOUS. Southern India is unparalleled in beauty, and its unique and varied landscape never ceased to amaze. After much planning, we had an impeccable (almost) itinerary taking us from our starting point in Mysore down to Varkala, a beach town on the Arabian Sea, over 14 days. Needless to say, it was an amazing trip. I will apologize now for my anticipated gross overuse of the word "beautiful" and all of it's synonyms in relaying our travels...
Our trip started with a 36 hour train ride from Delhi to Mysore. It was surprisingly easy; however, thanks to John's unwillingness to leave work on time, we did have to jump on to the train with our baggage as it was pulling out of the station. Having barely made the train and found our compartment, we drank a bottle of bubbly, watched "It's a Wonderful Life", and settled in for the long road ahead. With the aid of snacks, magazines, and 2 nights of semi-sleep, we were in Mysore before we knew it.
Oh, Mysore of my dreams... Bananas abundant, marigolds galore! It's a beautiful city, though seems fairly small. The main site here, the Maharaja's Palace, is on of the most spectacular palaces I have ever seen, and the Devaraja Market is absolutely splendid- chock full of fruit, powdered dyes, sugarcane, incense, and oils. It's the market one might imagine from the magical stories of old India- the colors are so vibrant, with row upon row of fuchsia, aqua, tangerine, lemon yellow, red, brilliant greens... and somehow everything seemed a bit cleaner, more inviting. We spent the day wandering through the exquisite palace and then the market and down colorful side streets, enjoying the perfect weather and our first day of vacation on solid ground.
Next stop- Ooty, a hill station in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu. Beautiful, lush, a bit over-developed and busy these days, but charming none the less. Even better is the hotel where we stayed, Sherlock Hotel- that's right, a Sherlock Holmes-themed hotel that is perched on a hillside outside of town with grounds that overlook everything. The inn is an old British house and the lawn overlooking the valley is scattered with wrought iron tables; everything was fully decorated for Christmas, and every room had a roaring fire (Ooty, though warm during the day, gets quite cold at night). It was hard to even leave the hotel property- the views were stunning, the air clean, and it smelled good as we were surrounded by tea plantations. It couldn't have been a more lovely retreat and quite appropriately old-British reminiscent, nice given we were spending Christmas there. I will admit, Christmas proved to be a bit tougher than I had anticipated; as beautiful as everything was, I couldn't help wishing I was at home to celebrate with my family as I have done every year prior to this one. I'm so glad we were able to make it special in our own way, the good folks at Sherlock Hotel were so accommodating and made everything festive, but I don't think I'll choose to be anywhere but Louisville for future Christmases!
Our one snag in the trip- a full day and night of transportation hell. Correction- the transportation at the start of the day was quite lovely- a train here, a bus there, all through winding mountain passes, lush with tea plantations. However, as time went on it spiraled into the hell that finally spit us up onto our next destination- Kochi. Moving past this, suffice it to say we made it from Ooty of the hills to Kochi on the coast in Kerala.
Kochi- another big hit! We stayed in Fort Cochin and walked to Mattencherry, to see the Dutch Palace and the synagogue built in 1533. Within Mattencherry is a an area called Jew Town. The entire area belonged to the Portuguese, then the Dutch, before it was finally handed over to the British in the 19th century. Jew Town is an incredibly charming, historic area along the water, now full of shops, spice markets, historic homes, and old godowns. We had a perfect leisure day (much needed after arriving a bit battered at 4 am). We ate, shopped, strolled, and browsed the antiques and handicrafts. I was even dressed up in a traditional Kerala sari in a spice shop!
That evening we went to a Kathakali performance- an ancient form of dance/theatre/storytelling that involves elaborate make-up and costumes and music to tell traditional "good vs. evil" stories, usually from the Mahabharata or other classic Hindu texts. The performers study rigorously for 6 years to be a Kathakali performer, and the result is quite a spectacular sight!
From Kochi we went to Alleppey for our night on a houseboat touring the backwaters. The backwaters were, to use an inadequate and cheesy word, magical. Serene and relaxing, we ambled through the large thoroughfares and around the largest lake in Kerala, drinking semi-cold Kingfishers and lazing about. The boats are designed like traditional rice barges and include a cook to whip up simple but delicious Kerala-style meals onboard. Nothing glamorous, mind you, but perfectly quiet and beautiful.
Our next day was in Kollam and an extension of our backwater tour. We stayed at a guesthouse on a spit of land jutting out into the water and spent the afternoon on a canoe boat tour through the smaller channels of the backwaters, through the canals of Munroe Island, and visiting the village there. We stopped at a chai shack, saw how coir is made (coconut fibers spun into rope), and meandered through tiny canals in our guide's canoe while he pointed out various spice and fruit trees, birds, and backwater village farming techniques. It was an unreal place and felt so removed from, well, everything.
Finally, we moved on to our last stop where we spent 4 whole glorious days- Varkala, my little hippy-heaven! It's a fantastic little town, the tourist part of which consists of one long walkway packed with shops, restaurants, and inns perched along a cliff's edge with the beach below. It's easily a place where days could turn into weeks without a person even realizing. We had ayurvedic massages, ate freshly caught tiger prawns and mahi mahi, and we rang in 2012 drinking and dancing with a global hodgepodge of revelers. On new year's eve, we also stumbled upon the Janardhana Temple further inland- an extraordinary place that is part ancient religious awe and part Indiana Jones. In the jungle setting, the large complex is humbling to say the least.
Our trip started with a 36 hour train ride from Delhi to Mysore. It was surprisingly easy; however, thanks to John's unwillingness to leave work on time, we did have to jump on to the train with our baggage as it was pulling out of the station. Having barely made the train and found our compartment, we drank a bottle of bubbly, watched "It's a Wonderful Life", and settled in for the long road ahead. With the aid of snacks, magazines, and 2 nights of semi-sleep, we were in Mysore before we knew it.
from our train window
our little compartment!
Oh, Mysore of my dreams... Bananas abundant, marigolds galore! It's a beautiful city, though seems fairly small. The main site here, the Maharaja's Palace, is on of the most spectacular palaces I have ever seen, and the Devaraja Market is absolutely splendid- chock full of fruit, powdered dyes, sugarcane, incense, and oils. It's the market one might imagine from the magical stories of old India- the colors are so vibrant, with row upon row of fuchsia, aqua, tangerine, lemon yellow, red, brilliant greens... and somehow everything seemed a bit cleaner, more inviting. We spent the day wandering through the exquisite palace and then the market and down colorful side streets, enjoying the perfect weather and our first day of vacation on solid ground.
the Maharaja's Palace
bright and beautiful goods in the market
Next stop- Ooty, a hill station in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu. Beautiful, lush, a bit over-developed and busy these days, but charming none the less. Even better is the hotel where we stayed, Sherlock Hotel- that's right, a Sherlock Holmes-themed hotel that is perched on a hillside outside of town with grounds that overlook everything. The inn is an old British house and the lawn overlooking the valley is scattered with wrought iron tables; everything was fully decorated for Christmas, and every room had a roaring fire (Ooty, though warm during the day, gets quite cold at night). It was hard to even leave the hotel property- the views were stunning, the air clean, and it smelled good as we were surrounded by tea plantations. It couldn't have been a more lovely retreat and quite appropriately old-British reminiscent, nice given we were spending Christmas there. I will admit, Christmas proved to be a bit tougher than I had anticipated; as beautiful as everything was, I couldn't help wishing I was at home to celebrate with my family as I have done every year prior to this one. I'm so glad we were able to make it special in our own way, the good folks at Sherlock Hotel were so accommodating and made everything festive, but I don't think I'll choose to be anywhere but Louisville for future Christmases!
Our one snag in the trip- a full day and night of transportation hell. Correction- the transportation at the start of the day was quite lovely- a train here, a bus there, all through winding mountain passes, lush with tea plantations. However, as time went on it spiraled into the hell that finally spit us up onto our next destination- Kochi. Moving past this, suffice it to say we made it from Ooty of the hills to Kochi on the coast in Kerala.
Kochi- another big hit! We stayed in Fort Cochin and walked to Mattencherry, to see the Dutch Palace and the synagogue built in 1533. Within Mattencherry is a an area called Jew Town. The entire area belonged to the Portuguese, then the Dutch, before it was finally handed over to the British in the 19th century. Jew Town is an incredibly charming, historic area along the water, now full of shops, spice markets, historic homes, and old godowns. We had a perfect leisure day (much needed after arriving a bit battered at 4 am). We ate, shopped, strolled, and browsed the antiques and handicrafts. I was even dressed up in a traditional Kerala sari in a spice shop!
on the passenger train down from Ooty
feeling a bit silly in my sari
That evening we went to a Kathakali performance- an ancient form of dance/theatre/storytelling that involves elaborate make-up and costumes and music to tell traditional "good vs. evil" stories, usually from the Mahabharata or other classic Hindu texts. The performers study rigorously for 6 years to be a Kathakali performer, and the result is quite a spectacular sight!
putting on the make-up
the hero explaining that he will kill the demon terrorizing the village
our hero kills the evil demon and chops his head off!
From Kochi we went to Alleppey for our night on a houseboat touring the backwaters. The backwaters were, to use an inadequate and cheesy word, magical. Serene and relaxing, we ambled through the large thoroughfares and around the largest lake in Kerala, drinking semi-cold Kingfishers and lazing about. The boats are designed like traditional rice barges and include a cook to whip up simple but delicious Kerala-style meals onboard. Nothing glamorous, mind you, but perfectly quiet and beautiful.
Our next day was in Kollam and an extension of our backwater tour. We stayed at a guesthouse on a spit of land jutting out into the water and spent the afternoon on a canoe boat tour through the smaller channels of the backwaters, through the canals of Munroe Island, and visiting the village there. We stopped at a chai shack, saw how coir is made (coconut fibers spun into rope), and meandered through tiny canals in our guide's canoe while he pointed out various spice and fruit trees, birds, and backwater village farming techniques. It was an unreal place and felt so removed from, well, everything.
our amazing guide
making coir
tree climbing lesson!
Finally, we moved on to our last stop where we spent 4 whole glorious days- Varkala, my little hippy-heaven! It's a fantastic little town, the tourist part of which consists of one long walkway packed with shops, restaurants, and inns perched along a cliff's edge with the beach below. It's easily a place where days could turn into weeks without a person even realizing. We had ayurvedic massages, ate freshly caught tiger prawns and mahi mahi, and we rang in 2012 drinking and dancing with a global hodgepodge of revelers. On new year's eve, we also stumbled upon the Janardhana Temple further inland- an extraordinary place that is part ancient religious awe and part Indiana Jones. In the jungle setting, the large complex is humbling to say the least.
our beach!
our dinner!
Janardhana Temple grounds
last evening with the Arabian Sea
It was hard to imagine going back to Delhi when this whole other side of India just lies here, beckoning with its beautiful and varied landscapes, friendly faces, and delicious (not to mention cheap!) food. But the trip was more than I could have hoped for, and I'm eternally grateful that we were able to see this part of the country. One day I'll tackle the eastern half of the southern subcontinent!
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