A PAUSE IN NATURE

Saturday, December 13, 2008 11:13 AM

Idalis:

Sometimes, you just gotta slow down.

India is a country that exhausts you. In any given day, you will have the challenge of dealing with sticky heat, cacophonous streets, confusing train time tables, rusted and bumpy buses, wandering cows and flying cockroaches, frequent power outages, tainted food, bad water, perpetually loose bowels, hawkers and shop owners (“Yes madam! Come look at my shop! You look for free! Only 10 rupees! No good business today! I give you good price! First customer! You breaking my heart!”) piles of smelly cow dung, trash, trash, and more trash, insistent rickshaw drivers, and haggling over the price of a room. And that's only by noon.

That's why, sometimes, you just gotta get away. Find an escape. A (relatively) quiet, peaceful place (by Indian standards, that is). The last week has been about decompressing and doing just that (at least the best you can, given a backpacker's budget and a perplexing, disorienting country).

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary (Kumily, Kerala)






Our new travel buddies and partners in crime, Peter and Julia, suggested a couple of days in Kumily, about six hours east of Cochin, and close to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, which occupy 777 square kilometers of the Cardamom Hills region of the Western Ghats. When Kevin and I heard the word “sanctuary,” we immediately nodded our heads vigorously in agreement.

Although having to take an erroneously-named, rusty “semi-deluxe” bus to get there, the drive was quite pleasant. Open windows and cooler air as we ascended up the mountainous region were met with beautiful vistas of neatly-manicured and wonderfully-smelling tea and spice plantations. We even got to watch our first Bollywood film on the oxidized bus, a story about an outlaw who finds redemption. The thin plot unfolded with badly-acted fighting scenes, perfectly choreographed dance numbers, and a scrupulously chaste romantic subplot (kissing on screen is still a big no-no). It's proven to be our most enjoyable (and humorous) experience with public transportation yet!

We really liked Periyar Park. Local ex-poachers have been retrained and now serve as guides as part of a wider eco-tourism initiative. We splurged on a full-day “jeep tour”, which had our driver pointing out local fauna (“that is big squirrel”) from his 4X4. We hiked for three hours through the green forest (pesky, blood-thirsty leeches included) and saw plenty of monkeys and other animals, but thankfully no tigers (easy to miss, as there are only 14 left). After lunch, we went on a canoe ride around a pleasant lake, hiked to a small waterfall, and had our first glimpse of a wild elephant. It was a great day, and by the time we made our way back on the bumpy jeep, were thoroughly exhausted!

Kumily city itself was refreshingly pleasant, too. Our squeaky clean guesthouse had a balcony that overlooked a nursery, and because of the nearby park, environmental clean-up efforts have made Kumily one of the cleanest Indian cities we've seen. There was a cardamom sorting yard nearby, and we were treated to the fragrance of the green pods every time we walked by. It rained all day one day, which made all of our clothes feel damp and cold, but forced us to be lazy. We slept in, sat on the balcony and chatted, and got Ayurvedic massages that proved to be one of the weirdest experiences of my life. One night, Kevin and I even went to a kalarippayattu show to watch fighters of this traditional Keralan martial arts form wow us with their skills. All in all, a surprisingly great (albeit short) retreat.

Cruising through the backwaters (Backwaters, Kerala)






Before leaving Cochin, Julia and Peter had inquired about houseboats to explore the backwaters of Kerala, reminiscent of Florida's Everglades, and a much-touted “must-do” on anyone's list who visits southern India. We booked our punted kettu vallam houseboat (22 hours, 3 meals, two bedrooms, backwater exploring, canoe trip, two punters, cook, and large mosquitoes included) and made our way south to Allepey, where most of the houseboats leave from. A four hour bus ride, followed by a three hour (wet) local ferry finally got us there. The next morning we got picked up by a driver who would take us to a smaller coastal city, Vykim, where we were promised a less-congested route for exploring the backwaters.

We had a good time, made even better by the company of Julia and Peter. The food was excellent, the ride peaceful (no motor on the boat), and the canoe trip hilarious! Trying to get us into a less-explored spot, my Kevin led us so far back into the backwaters, that we couldn't find a way out! Four people had to hoist the two canoes out of the water, onto land, and over into a wider, more channeled route. Everyone (tourists, guides, punters, cooks) were laughing so hard, we had to take a break! Our guide even remarked, “Indians don't even do this!” It definitely made the experience more memorable. At night, the four of us sat around sipping Indian rum, listening to music and playing cards, much to the amusement of our hosts. Our only complaint would be that the actual cruising part of the backwater cruise was quite short, having been moored most of the time. It was kind of like packing for a much-anticipated road trip and getting into a Rolls-Royce, just to arrive at your neighbor's house a minute later. All in all, though, it was a very relaxing trip and our hosts were gracious and accommodating.

Varkala Beach, Kerala

Why stop now? Continuing to “gild the lily” with relaxation, our next stop was beautiful Varkala Beach, a couple of hours south of the backwaters, and where we are presently. Julia and Peter joined us for a few days, and then left to explore some areas of the south. We will reunite in a few days in Tamil Nadu to do some trekking and take a ridiculous, nail-biting train ride. For the time being, Kevin and I are are unabashedly acting as tourists, sleeping in, going to the beach, reading, doing yoga, having a drink at one of the cliff-top restaurants which overlooks the water, and taking a break from curry. We have not seen one single temple while here, and don't plan to. Last night, we had a very un-Indian meal at Cafe Italiano and had our beers served in teapots, because it's technically not legal to sell it. We enjoyed our pasta and “special tea” and admired the twinkling lights of fishing boats in the distance. Right now, Kevin is out surfing, and our biggest decision of the morning will be where to have breakfast and read the paper.

Monday, December 15, 2008 4:23 PM

P.S. Rest and relaxation is often short-lived in India. Last night, in the middle of the night, while sleeping in our comfy bed in our pleasant little bungalow, we were awoken to screams and cries from a neighboring cottage. It seems that there was some sort of domestic disturbance between family members, and any Indian citizen inhabiting the surrounding neighborhood came to watch the spectacle unfold and put their two-cents in. As we don't speak the local language (sorry, they didn't offer Malayalam in school) we're not sure what happened exactly. But we do know there was a lot of shouting, some crying, a bit of cajoling, and a crowd of onlookers who increasingly became active participants. The drama (which took place steps from our porch) did not die down until about 4am, by which time Kevin and I were tired, cranky, and completely fed up with the noise. Lesson number 486 in India: savour the peace and quiet while you can!