A fool's journey

Mumbai Onward

No time and place yet established to meet up with Dilip and Shashi (friends of piano teacher). So I will proceed independenly on to the cave temples. 9 pm train from Mumbai Central tonight. Arriving 5 am in Jalgaon. Then to the caves in Ajanta. Then to Aurangabad. And then to the caves in Ellora. Then back to Mumbai, I expect by bus from Aurangabad. On Wednesday. For shopping (and for once buying). Then an early morning flight to Frankfurt on March 2.

Will firm up Europe plans once there. Looks like it may include a visit with Anton in Tubingen on March 11. I still don't know where the castle is - haven't heard back from Karl (who lived in India for a while) - but I know he doesn't check his e-mail often.

See you soon Friederike and Peter. I am looking forward to a pretzel and cold beer, in that order (pretzel, cold, beer).

posted by Evan @ 10:45 PM

Mumbai Saturday morning February 25

Arrived here early this morning on a sleeper bus from Hampi. Combining travel time and sleep time helps with more daylight time for seeing the sites. But is is not as restfull. So my next leg? The same. I expect to go northeast by sleeper train tonight to go to some cave temples (at Ajanta and Ellora). This is my second place to see that is in the 1000 places book. Hampi should be in the book too (maybe it is and I missed it).

Hampi was great. For a rock lover. The setting was magical. All these out of proportion boulders strewn around. Hills seemingly constructed of boulders. Looks artificial. Like something made for a movie set. But this is real. Some boulders have been moved and cut to make temples. Ruins are everywhere. I spent two days wandering around the boulders and ruins. More area of ruins here than in Rome. I think because once this place was ranscked back in 1500 or so, time has mostly passed it by. It was the major spice and cotton hub in its heyday.

Even without the ruins, it would be a nice place to visit. There was a royal area too, with great baths, a royal platform. And a bazaar area. I could picture it still active, since I have seen other bazaars here that are - small booths, just brimming with product and activity, with goods spread out and displayed up to the edges of any traffic area. Then in the evening, a cooking place, and at night, a sleeping place.

At night time, people here sleep on the road itself. Maybe for the warmth?

Have a great watermelon. On the way here, Flavia from Innsbrook, Austria joined up with me for the train trip/sleeper. Hopefully made her trip to meet up with friends in Hampi more comfortable. Now what are the odds? Since I plan to be in Innsbrook in a few weeks. She has a good approach with the autorickshaw guys. "Thank you, but no." Seems to work well. Will mix that in with my approach. I tend to loose my patience when the same guy asks for the third time.

Took a boat ride across the river. And the first friendly guy, all of 14, turns out to be dealing drugs. There must be a lot of buyers, with so many sellers around. Quite disappointing. Now I am telling every friendly guy who approaches me that I didn't go to Goa because I wanted to avoid the drug scene. They just melt away.

Speaking of odds. Craig and Erin from Austrailia recognized me as they rode by on their bicycles in Hampi as I was walking to the royal elephant stables. I met them in Kerala - on the boat trip to the island village. We swapped a few stories. And then I headed on to see the 11 elephant stalls, and made it there before closing time.

posted by Evan @ 10:30 PM

Mysore Palace Elephants

From Oooty, I get to Mysore. Back down on the bus. See the palace. In spite of the auto-rickshaw guys telling me the story that the palace was closed for lunch and instead of wasting the hour waiting, why don't I go with them on a sight see. I was just at the wrong gate. Not the ticket gate. I walked in anyway. Went to the propper gate. Got my ticket. Saw the palace.

By going in the back way, I saw a group of palace elephants. So after seeing the palace, I went back there. They were being fed. Six of them. The seventh was working - providing rides. I watched them drink too. The smart matron sucked the water into her nose directly from the spigot, instead of out of the pool. One picked the flowers off the idol in the pool - some marigold blossoms. So I fed the others some blooms too. And some grass. Then it was time for their exercise walk. So off we went. I could imagine these in battle. And the awe they would inspire in an enemy. Large, lumbering, at the command of the rider.

On the way back, the six formed a circle around me. Three of them blessed me with their trunks. One was sniffing quite a bit. A very strange sensation to be shaded on all sides - to be in the dark - on a sunny day - to be surrounded by a circle of elephants. It was a hello - acknowledgement of our mutual presence. Wow.

Then I got to Sravanabelagola. To see the 60 foot high grantite monolith of a man standing in meditation - with vines growing on him - and anthills at his feet. A jain temple site. The statue was completed in 978 or so - over 1000 years old. I enjoyed walking up the steps carved out of the rocks. Went to a cave temple too. One with foot prints carved in the stone. These are active temples. And have been so for over 1000 years.

Stayed in the pilgim camp. In a corrogated steel shed. Good thing I had a mosquito net. The next day, I find out foreigners are considered VIPs. I could have stayed in a room, instead of a tin hut. Most slept on the ground. I was special. They gave me a cot. Glad for my sleep sack. And cotton lungi (gift for Pongal) - which seves as a blanket. My second night of being cold here.

Got to Bangalore last night. Bus trip took a long time. Book said 2.5. Others said 3.5. Was more like 5. Was worried I had missed my stop. Ate oranges on the way. And tossed the peels to the goats along the road.

New taste sensation - fresh peeled cucumber. Cooling. Wet. Yum.

Murali met me this morning. He is Sridevi's brother. (Sridevi is Srihari's spouse). I met him in Portland. We saw Bangalore together. And arranged for my onward travel. I am ready for a train trip. Get a reservation. Waitlisted at number 125. The ticket person issues it and sends me to the director for Emegency Quota. I fill out a form. Drop it in a box. Then I just checked on-line. I have a berth. So will go to Hampi overnight. Arrive at 7 am in Hospet. Then Hampi is close to there. Plan to see the boulders there. Without the emergency quota I would have gone on the Hubli Passenger train - with a berth - arriving at 1:30 PM. So the EQ saves me 6.5 hours of travel time. Either way would be fine. Maybe this way I can sit with the boulders for a while.

Then on to Mumbai. I expect by train. Not going to Goa. I hear that it is a big party scene. Lots of drugs. Have had too many offers of drugs for sale as it is. What I don't like, is that these offers have made me wary of those with the make friends approach. Refining my no skills - and not interested. Keeping my intent and focus. Is a constant practice here. This is a big dimension of my spiritual journey here. Keeping my intent and purpose. In the midst of many others - many of whom are are cross purposes to me. SOme of whom prove to be angels of mine.

No luck today finding any postcards to write while on the train.

Plan to be to Mumbai on Friday. One day after my scheduled arrival there by flight from Chennai (not using).

No time/place established to meet up with friends of my piano teacher yet. Hope she got her visa in time. They too will stopover in Germany on the way home. So our travels may converge at some point. Hope so.

Off to the sleeper train for me.

(all clothes clean and dry) It is a good travel day. Made purchases at the bakery this afternoon. So I have breakfast and snacks for the trip.

Nite nite.

posted by Evan @ 6:21 AM

Elephants

Friday February 17 - Fever is completely gone in the morning. Which is a surprise. Since I felt so badly the day before. Maybe the anti-biotic helped.

I get to Kumily. And the Periyar Tiger Rreserve. Don't expect to see a tiger. There are 40 or so, in the entire park. Even the wardens rarely see them. I go on a boat trip. And we see wild elephants right away. A group of at least 8. With some smaller ones hidden among them. They are 1000 yeards away. So it counts as a sighting. But we can't really see that much. They are out in an open area, so they are just a mass of grey.

See deer (spotted), boar, buffalo, and otters. And then a small group of at least threee elephants in the forest - only 75 yards away. Broken up by the leaves and branches, they look like tree trunks at times. So that grey is a good color - along with their texture. If they weren't moving, we wouldn't have spotted them. Moving to eat. Just tearing up the grass. In trunkfulls. Large swipes. No dainty eaters out here.

So, I did see the elephants in the wild. Parts of them.

I enjoy meeting the cardamom traders in town - grading a crop. Buying and selling (done with hand signals under a newspaper - so the buyer and seller do not know what the other offered. This lot was 50 kilograms. Which is a small one. 1000 to 3000 kg crops/trades are common.

I came up to the reserve from Kerala. Now I go down on the Tamil Nadu side (east).

Head for Kodai. In the western ghats. The one hill station in India established by Americans. Higher elevation allows for escape from summer heat (winter heat for me). I like the cool. But it turns out to be too damp for me. I am actually cold at night.

Next to Ooty - a British hill station - via Taxi - 280 plus kilometers. Bus would have taken at least two connections. Taxi was dead heading back to my destination. He picked up other riders along the way. I had the front passenger seat. At times, there were 5 people in back. Usually 4.

Quite an efficient system. Busses are full - over full. A taxi heading back home will stop and offer rides to those waiting for a bus. So the seats in the taxi get used. And there is more room on the bus as a result.

I think it is unusual that I as a tourist get in on the return trip action. Seems to be the way of this trip. Almost all the time, I am the only white person - non-Indian. A few times, I do a touristy thing, and then I am with only other non-Indian tourists. Kumily was nice, becasue I was with other Indian tourists - to see the elephants.

posted by Evan @ 5:46 AM

MP

It is not a good sign when you wake up in the morning, on the day you are planning to move on to the next destination, and you have each and every symtom in the book for malaria. Including chills - if feeling prickly, damp, and having the shakes count. Fever too.

My hosts can't believe I am going to attempt to move on. My spirit says yes, onward. So I check out. And head for the nearest medicine counter in town (Kochi = Fort Cochin). Get doxycycline - anti-biotic - that is also an effective anti-malarial. No matter what, I have something. Even if it is just another virus, I feel so badly, that I will take the medicine.

I ask about how to tell if I have malaria - from symtoms etc. They say I can get tested at the local lab. I do so. Results not available until just before closing at 6 pm. I am headed for elephant country. Do not want to wait. A helpful Indian (named George) suggests calling in for results. I ask about getting a note by e-mail. Not a chance. But I can call in. So I decide to get the test, move on and call in.

Now what are my chances of malaria? Slim. Since I am taking preventative medicine. I have had more bites than I thought I would. But not a whole lot. At least 25 for the 7 weeks. At most 50. Not a lot of mosquitoes here. Just a few. Everywhere. So even when I use the net at night, when I was new at it, I would get a bite on my ankle, where I was touching the net. Have gotten better are prevention with experince. So get bit less often.

But the book says don't take chances. If suspicious, seek help. So instead of my usual wait and see it will all work out, I get the test. Which involves a blood sample.

Taking the sample turned out to be a bigger risk than the malaria parasite (MP). No blood-borne pathogen protocalls followed. No gloves. No washing. They prepared the slides right there - on used slides. With blood spatters onto the counter and paperwork. Later I realize I do not even know if they used a new needle to do the draw. No concept of sterile. Or pathogens. These are technicians. Just doing the draw.

So I bless myself for doing what I thought was for the best. And I hope it will all work out.

I am on the bus at the time I am supposed to call. So I call the next morning. No malarial parasite observed.

Whew. Meanwhile, I will complete my six day, twice a day antibiotic regimen.

Which turns out to have the stated side effect of sun sensitivity. So I end up with sunburn on nose and hands. It really does make me extra sensistive.

At least I got the enteric pills this time. So the medicine is not in my stomach. With the first round, I made the mistake of taking a pill without having a meal. And I got sick from that.

I finsihed my medicine yesterday. (Will continue with the weekly anti-malarial for four weeks after my departure). And all is well. No MP observed.

posted by Evan @ 5:18 AM

Route to Kochi

Left Kovalam paradise on the 12th. Train to Varkala. Cliff over beach. Had a great fruit lunch with curd (yogurt). No dust bin for miles. Finally found a goat. She was happy to eat peelings and rind. Quite a concept. No garbage. I could have left it anywhere. And evntually some animal would have eaten it up. On to Quilon via train.

This was home base for a canoe trip to Gregory Island in the backwaters of Kerala. Canoe was pushed along by bamboo poles. Saw cashew fruits growing, each with one nut dangling below; black pepper, boat making, rope making (from coconut fiber), sand washing - used for construction - and pays 500 rupees per day - a good income.

Then travel north by boat to Allepy. See net fishermen, clam digging (in neck deep water), sidewalks across the water at the edge of the canal; bright blue Kingfisher with red beak; coconut oil processing - 5 rupees per kilo to process - then sells for 80 rupees per liter (which is a bit more than a kilogram). Much going on. Also, many houseboats in the canals. This is a popular place. Houseboats come with crew, including cooks. Covered with woven bamboo. Cute.

Next I head inland. Hoping to spot wild elephant in the jungle. Maybe a tiger too, as long as it is not too close. I remember that feeling when the tiger behind glass locked his eyes on to me - I felt like prey. Want to avoid that.

I have a watermelon here for dinner. Had my green coconut juice for a cooler earlier. Cool bath planned for prior to bed.

posted by Evan @ 9:38 AM

Kochi Wednesday February 15, 2006

Great spice market here. And not only saw the Chinese fishing nets in use, I got to help out. After which I was requested to buy a bottle of rum to share - because the catch was so sparse. Fish auction was great: no scales - dump the catch on a burlap sack on the ground - bidding starts - winner is decided within one minute. A fish or two is set aside. I asked if that was for the cat. Yes, a big cat - a fellow who is there and is given a bit of fish by everone. Very much a community.

Fish stalls all along the sea walkway. Can bargain. Then take to any of a number of places across the sidewalk - called fast food - and they cook the fish/squid/shrimp/prawns/crab and add side dishes. Somehow, the cookers get paid by the guys selling the fish. Fresh fresh. I am veg here. Meat and fish is too much - heat producing. Am living on lots of fruit and vegetables.

posted by Evan @ 9:29 AM

Kovalum, Kearla Saturday February 11, 2006

Watched the sun set over the Indian Ocean to the west. Hoping for a green flash, but alas, humidity blocked the sun just above the sea. It was a great red ball just prior.

Clarification: no rooms or huts were available at Aspiration, Auroville. So they put me up in the communal TV/video room. So if someone wanted to see a video, they had to either get the key from me. Or else I left the key above the door - the evening I went to listen to the flute under the stars.

From Tanjore, went to Madurai. Tried jack fruit for the first time. It is a big ugly prickly thing with slimy looking yellow seed pods. A nice delicate taste. Not too sweet. It was so good, I have had it again. After a bit of a search.

Madurai, then to Rameswaram. Got very close to Sri Lanka. No ferry, too much unrest there. Only one direct flight on Wednesdays from Trichy - which is the closest airport. So no Sri Lanka this trip. The state department e-mails have contained warnings about certain areas. I am not too sure I would be able to keep away from the danger areas. So no go this time around.

Then south to the very tip of India - Cape Cormorin. Watched sun rise with 2,000 or more people. Very nice. Then on to here- which is a tropical paradise. Excellent beach. Great sea breeze. The tourist board has done well reducing the amount of litter. Quite clean here. Sleep to sound of surf. Fresh catch sea food is displayed along the beach walk in front of each restaurant.

Chemical burned lips have healed - from fresh pineapple. Papaya and bananas are excellent too.

At temple, saw a coconut crushing elephant. He stepped on it. Then picked out the meat.

My favorite is Ganesh (elephant with 4, 6, or 8 hands). At Cormorin, I found a small temple where the facing statue outside was a cute mouse. Blessings on my journey.

Headed north to backwaters next. Then Cochin. Then inland - for some forest/hill country.

posted by Evan @ 7:02 AM

Tanjore

Received in Auroville very well. A lone traveler, just showing up. A true community. I stayed in the video room. I think it was nicer than the huts. Excellent mosquito net hanging and laundry line situation.

Community meals served. So had dinner with the Aspiration Community shortly after arrival. And shared all meals while there. Thank you Kumar.

Shared meals meant many opportunities to meet people. Many not from India. Stephanie from Berlin, Boris from Siberia, a woman from Vienna, a fellow from England.

Then made it to Trichy. The Sri Jambukeswara Temple there was quite stirring. Maybe I am catching on - catching some meaning. Or mabe since this was a complete complex, I could understand better.

The approach was through multiple spaced stone gates. Appears as a long dark passageway. Deep, dark, mysterious. Intrigue, fear. Maybe an animal lurking somewhere. Yes - on the pillars - lions, tigers, elephants. And there was a temple elephant. Gives you her blessing (tapping the top of your head with her trunk) after giving her a coin. She can hold many coins and still do the tapping. Then she held the coins out for her handler.

Also climbed to the top of the Rock Fort Temple. This is a temple carved into a huge rock. Some 400 or so steps to teh top. Great view. Most is flat, so this was a rare opportunity to get up high. River is wide and slow and shallow.

Now am in Tanjore. Temple and Palace to see here. Then plan to go on to Madurai.

And maybe fly to Sri Lanka?

Some other generalizations:
1) work work work - and in little or no light. Including a tailor whose shop is a cubby hole with a bare bulb. I saw a girl doing her homework on the sidewalk at night - no light. Did I mention how people work on the sidewalk during the day, ahve meals there in the evening, and sleep there at night?

2) litter - there are no waste baskets on the buses or trains. So out the window it goes. This is normal. I feel sorry for the traveler from here going to the US, and doing so. Norms are different. Stems from living near the land. Grow sugar cane. Cut the cane. Eat the cane, and discard the waste on the ground. All one big cycle. Except that it doesn't work well with plastic. Maybe instead of having waste baskets, they might develop plastics that can be tossed.

Well time for bed here. Nite nite.

posted by Evan @ 7:55 AM