Kerala Vacations

Picking up the pieces!

We are getting enquiries from clients whose tours booked with other companies are being cancelled, sometimes at short notice, with increasing frequency. In a difficult market during difficult times this is not surprising, but sometimes we find disturbing indications that some tour operators are not as experienced in arranging trips to India as we would hope.
I think it was Mark Twain who said the "a tourist is someone who sees everything and looks at nothing", and with some of the itineraries we have looked at, it would not be possible to look at anything! A recent enquiry came from a potential client whose holiday with an adventure travel company had been cancelled after the flights were booked, as they no longer offered that tour. I suspect that if they had tried it, they would not have offered it in the first place! In 17 days the poor customer covered many miles, most days involving hours of driving with brief stops at some of the most important sites across South India. The highlight was the night spent at Hampi, as after an 8 hour drive from Bangalore, the customer was whisked off the next day for another 8 hour drive to Goa. Presumably the visit to the World Heritage Site took place at night. The tour finished on the beach at Goa, where the exhausted traveller could finally get some sleep! 'Adventure' travel is a specific market, and these trips do often involve some discomfort and long journeys, but this tour was, in our opinion, not viable.
It makes us angry on behalf of the customer who books the trip in good faith and is then put at risk or has a perfectly miserable time, often unprepared for the heat and condition of the roads. We try to offer equivalent alternatives, but having been promised an itinerary customers are often reluctant to believe that it is not advisable to try it. In those cases, we lose the customer, but we would rather do that than torture them and our drivers.

Arriving in Chennai

Arriving in Chennai in the early morning is a pungent reminder of coming back to the East. The airport is concrete and smells of the less exotic aspects of a visit to India. Immigration is swift and casual, but a visit to the loos is another reminder that we have at last arrived.
The drive South to Mamallapuram takes in the long sweep of beach with its resident fishermen. This community suffered great loss in the Tsunami, and the concrete block houses built for the fishermen are still not finished.
Mamallapuran is an old port and is now a World Heritage Site on account of the temples which litter the area. Most were built between the 7th and 9th Centuries, many carved from a single block of stone. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabalipuram) The whole area has the aspect of a series of demonstration samples of the art and architecture of the time, my favourite sculpture being an unfinished panel of an elephant with a baby playing underneath its tummy.
The stones are unprotected and other visitors can make it a noisy and litter-covered experience, but a short time looking at the detail in the sculptures shuts out modern annoyances. The Shore Temple is on the beach, and a stunning place to visit at sunset or sunrise.
All around the temples are stone carvers who work the soft stone of the area. They specialise in Hindu deities, but visitors to the markets and tourist shops of South India will recognise the delicate and skilled carvings of elephants and other animals. The stonecarvers line the route out of town and display their wares outside their lean-to shacks where they both live and work, oblivious of the health hazards of the stone dust.
Back to GRT Temple Bay, the walk along the beach was beset by the usual problems where you have a fishing community, but the naturalist may have been pleased by the huge piles of dead anchovies and large puffer fish on the shoreline. There are several small guest houses and restaurants on the beach.

AN EARLY MORNING WALK IN FORT COCHIN

Recently I found myself awake early in Cochin, and decided to take a walk. It had been raining, but as is often the case, it had stopped and was quite a fine morning when I set out at 6 o'clock. I went via the old Dutch Cemetery to the walk along the front by the Chinese fishing nets. I was very pleased to find that the fishermen were auctioning off their fish catches at several markets along this seafront. Auctions are the same the whole World over, with slight nods of the head or scratching their ear being used to put in or increase a bid for the lot under the hammer.

Then I continued past the ferry terminal and Brunton Boatyard Hotel, along the road bordering the sea. This has lots of spice warehouses, with incredible gateways and entrances. I show here just a few of the pictures I took on my walk. It is about 1 km along this stretch, with warehouses and spice factories mixed in with warehouses for basic products such as rice and lentils.

                 

Eventually you pass the next ferry terminal, and it is possible to return on one of these small ferries to the centre of Fort Cochin. I carried on past several churches, to the old Synagogue. This is the centre of a very touristy area, with lots of antique shops, but at this time in the early morning there were no visitors.

             

I decided that was enough walking, and caught an autorickshaw back to the Old Harbour Hotel for an excellent breakfast.

 

                                   

Places to see in Delhi

FRIDAY MARKET

The Friday Market, or Jami Masij, is India’s largest mosque, still used particularly on Fridays.  It was my starting point for sightseeing in Delhi, and is convenient because it has a car park, from which you  can take a cycle rickshaw to nearby locations. Red sandstone walls with 4 gates surround the huge courtyard, and being set on a hill gives excellent views of the surrounding Old Delhi with its markets, and particularly towards the nearby Red Fort. I found the main prayer hall on the West side very beautiful, with its marble decoration and 3 marble domes. Inside the highly decorated hall with its high arches and pillars was pleasantly cool and just right for some quiet meditation. There is a charge to enter, and a charge of 200 Rupees for cameras, which looks like a scam, but is legitimate.

RED FORT

I hired a cycle rickshaw to go to the Red Fort, about 1 km away. There are many cycle rickshaws in central Delhi, and they are a convenient way to get around. Once in one of these it is like having an invisibility cloak, as the local people do not seem to see you anymore. I went via the narrow streets, putting up my umbrella against the sun, and can recommend this way of seeing the crowded markets.

The Red Fort is huge, with many buildings. Although a large section of it was closed, there was still enough to take several hours of sightseeing. Some of the stalls in the market just inside the entrance were surprisingly interesting considering this is such a tourist trap. There are several highly decorated buildings, such as the Khas Mahal and Rang Mahal with ceilings and marble inlaid panels just as beautiful as at the better known Taj Mahal in Agra. The picture shows a bright green parrot, which lives in ome of the decorated rooms.

RAJGHAT

This garden is the cremation site of Mahatma Ghandi. It is well worth a visit, not only to see the simple square of marble where the cremation took place, but also to escape the bustle of Delhi for a while for the quiet well kept gardens. There 2 museums nearby dedicated to Mahatma Ghandi.

HUMAYUN’S TOMB

Humayun’s Tomb is another of the remarkable buildings built by the Mughals, built in the 1560’s. It is set in grounds, which show the most complete remaining example of the type the Mughals built, with water running from one point in channels and pools to all corners of the garden. The area of the grounds is extensive with several gates and other tombs. Humayun’s tomb itself is like a mini Taj Mahal, with lots of marble decoration, inlaid floors and ceilings, and incredible one piece marble fretted screens.

QUTAB MINAR

This 73 m high tower was started in 1206, but only finished in 1368. It is also the site of the earliest mosque built in India, started in 1192. It was built on the site of previous Hindu temples, and some of these have been reconstructed and show the early architecture used.  An outstanding gateway  decorated with geometric patters and Arabic inscriptions, and an iron pillar with Gupta inscriptions from 400 AD add to the interesting sights. The pillar itself is wonderfully decorated with inscriptions and patterns.

NEW DELHI

The city laid out by the British in the early 20^th Century consists of wide avenues with views over several km, flanked by large gardens and fine buildings. The Rajpath stretches from the huge India Gate at one end to the Presidential Palace at the other end. At right angles to this the Janpath extends to the series of circular roads at Connaught Place, which is now the commercial heart of the city. 

Munnar

Munnar is the centre of the old British tea plantations in Kerala. Its colonial days are still visible in some of the remaining buildings, but today it is a busy tourist centre with an explosion of hotels and mountain resorts. The climate is attractive when the coast is hot. It can freeze in winter, and is significantly cooler during the hot season.
The surroundings are truly spectacular. Driving over the high Lockhart gap from the South and seeing all of the hills landscaped and sculptured by tea plants and teak trees is unforgettable.
The town itself is not particularly attractive and the new hotels sometimes detract from the view, but there is a bustling market where tailors can make you made-to-measure garments in a few hours and numerous small businesses thrive.
It is easy to hire an auto-rickshaw or car to take a trip out of town, to the Tata tea factory for a guided tour of the tea-making process, to the beautiful Bison Valley which is still covered in Virgin rain forest or to the church and its cemetary which is looked after by a single guardian who will show you the important graves of the English and Scottish tea planters who died here. Top Station, on the border with Tamil Nadu is a must, and the road takes you through the Indo-Swiss dairy project. There is a Swiss Chalet nestling in the hills and herds of polished and extremely stately-looking cows.
The High Ranges Club still functions as a club and although it is possible to book rooms priority is given to members of various organisations and the armed forces. If you can get in to see the clubhouse it is a reminder of times past. The bar and billilard room have polished floors and on the wall are the hats of retired planters and the heads of some formidable animals. The sports facilities include a nine-hole golf course which is immaculately tended.
In Munnar itself the Tourist Centre organise treks through the tea plantations, some of which include an overnight camp, and there are other excursions by bus.
Just walking through the tea is a wonderful way to spend a few hours in the morning or evening, and there are many paths which take you through the plantations towards the mountains.
More at our website

Fort Cochi

Fort Cochi is often the centre of a holiday in Kerala. The old port is changing rapidly as it develops as a tourist destination, with new hotels and facilities. There are most things the traveller or tourist requires, shops selling antiques, books, internet access, snacks, spices and souvenirs, and a host of things to do.
Fort Cochi is described on our web site.
The main change visitors will notice now is on the water side by the Chinese Fishing nets, where the guide books tell you you can buy fish and get it cooked at one of the stalls there. Alas, the stalls are gone; most were unlicensed. You can still buy fish from the market, and if you arrange with one of the stallholders they will get it cooked and served at one of the outdoor restaurants nearby.
The crowds gathr to walk along the water to catch the cool breeze which blows in every evening, and you can catch meetings and other gatherings in the open space.