Kerala Pt. 4 – Fort Kochin

We missed the first bus leaving Vagamon while eating parota’s for breakfast, but luckily enough it departed every half hour (the South Indian bus system is extremely good!). It turned out to be a little more complicated to go to Kochi than we had expected – at Erattupetta, we had to take a bus to Kottayam (which I almost missed). From there we had to take a third bus to Kochi, so we didn’t arrive until around 2:30pm. This unfortunately left us with very little time to explore the historic section of the city, called Fort Kochin. 

Chinese Fishing Nets

 

Vasco Da Gama Square 

 Fort Kochin is the area that was first settled by Portuguese explorers around the turn of the 16^th century – Vasco Da Gama had first arrived at Kochi in 1497, and was originally buried at the church of St. Thomas (oldest church in India) until his family had his remains moved to Portugal. On top of that, the Dutch arrived around a century later to be followed by the British, and the mixture of these early colonial settlements is clearly visible in the old town’s unique architecture. Even though we ate lunch in a restaurant balcony with a view over the harbor, it was still relatively cheap (at least in comparison to Bangalore).

Walking around Fort Kochin (especially in the off-season) makes one feel like you’ve been transported back in time. The streets are narrow and windy, and most of the old buildings have been preserved.  By the quay, modern boats are moored next to Chinese fishing nets that hang over the water. Snaking back and forth through the alleys, we saw the church of St. Francis (oldest in the country), Vasco Da Gama square (not really a square), and Jew Town street. This was the tiniest blind street imaginable (which makes historic sense, since Jews in the medieval ages were squeezed into tiny confined neighborhoods/streets), and had the Paradesi Synagogue at the end of it which was unfortunately closed by the time we got there. A Jewish community had lived in Jew Town for several centuries, until shortly after the formation of Israel. We saw an old woman sitting behind the window of a building that Parisa said was probably a retirement home for the last remaining Jewish people. While walking both down the street (which ends by the synagogue) and back again, a dozen middle-eastern shop owners tried to make us go into their antique stores to look at their wares. This is definitely a tourist hot-spot. 

 St. Francis Church

Jew Town

One of the shopkeepers asked me if I was from Denmark and showed me this Danish souvenir a visitor had gifted him.

We tried going to a different part of town to watch a Kathakali performance (traditional folk theatre with elaborate make-up and masks), but the theater was under renovation that week. We walked over to a restaurant and sat down for coffee and lassi, just as the rain started (again). Across the street there was a DvD store that Phu and Parisa shopped in, while I bought halwa in the next-door sweet store. Halwa is a thick gel made from fruits and coconut oil, and often has nuts in it. I have tried it once before, perhaps in Rwanda, and bought two thick slices to bring back to Wooster with me. Each color has a different flavor, and I ended up with a red strawberry kind and a brown mixed fruit flavor. 

With the rain still drizzling down to always-varying degrees, we made our way back to the bus station nearby. The bus trip back was a little better than previous, because I sat near the middle of the back isle and had more leg room.We arrived back in Bangalore around 7am the next day, and took a half hour power nap on Phu's couch before returning to work.

A Trip To Mysore: Ranghanthittu Bird Sanctuary

On Sunday July 1^st I went on a 1-day trip to Mysore with Karen and Abbie, the two American volunteers at VTCL. The icky part was getting up at 5:30am to catch the first morning bus, but I had been looking forward to going to Mysore for several days. I’d have a chance to go online, shop for snacks, and I was very excited to visit Ranganthittu Bird sanctuary. Probably for the sake of taking pictures of them at least as much as seeing them for myself (I’ve seen bird colonies before in Rwanda with similar species). 

We arrived in Mysore around 9am, and had breakfast in a restaurant near the bus stop. Afterwards the girls went off to meet with friends from Cornell, while I made my own way to Ranganthittu. It’s only 14km outside of town, and naught but a simple bus ride - plus a 3km walk from the main road. Short, except my stomach was still hurting so it took a good deal longer than expected. The arch that welcome you to the sanctuary is quite beautiful, with painted ornaments of birds all around it that bid visitors welcome. Excited, I probably quickened my pace...

 

 I have to admit that the price for foreigners was a bit of a rip-off: 300 rupees to get in, and another 300 for the boat ride around the lake to see the birds close up. Ah well, I was determined to do this and get my lens to work. The only thing that pissed me off in fact was that the college student discount didn’t apply to foreigners.

The lake does not appear very large, but it’s quite charming. Alongside its banks and on little islands there are large colonies of exotic birds, big and small. My favorite is the black-headed white Ibis (Ibis birds in kinyarwanda are called Inyange, a name as graceful as the birds themselves). I even spotted a group of half-sleeping bats on the bank opposite the boat stand. The little rowing boat was packed to capacity with about 15 people besides the guide, who also took care of the manual labor. The Indian families sitting in the boat with me seemed more interested in taking pictures than listening to what the man had to say, but I was quite appreciative of his occasional comments. He pointed out several bird species by name, and was really good at spotting crocodiles dozing on little rocks in the lake. It was the first time I had had a chance to see a live crocodile, and some were really close-up. In spite of reading about how their size will dwarf an adult human, I was still surprised – these creatures are enormous! It makes their reptilian ruggedness look quite majestic. 

Experiencing all these large birds close-up was a great joy, I’ve missed getting out into nature (in spite of how artificial a tourist site has the potential of). There’s something quite majestic from seeing animals in their own natural element rather than through pictures or behind bars – yet another reason why I do not wish to visit Mysore zoo. I had a great time even though I was on my own. I think I had a great time because I was on my own; just me and my camera. Like I’ve said before, there’s something different about seeing the world through a lens. The world becomes a little more idyllic and serene to look at. 

Kerala Pt. 3 – The Bus Ride of a Lifetime

Saturday morning, we had breakfast on the houseboat and docked around 9am back where we had started. We immediately took an auto-rickshaw to Alleppey’s main bus station so we could go to Vagamon hill station as fast as possible – it was a location the houseboat owner had suggested to us as an alternative to Munnar, which would be too far from Kochi. At the bus station, a handicapped guy who spoke really good English wanted to help us find our way, and even walked me over to a station manager to find out where we had to connect buses. The guy needed a crutch for one of his legs, and made a meager living from selling lottery tickets to people. My past experiences made me vary of seeking help from him at first, but after we had figured out our destination, he just… said a friendly goodbye and walked away. 

 We took a bus to Erattupetta, which took about 2.5 hours. Erattupetta is just outside the ghats mountain range, so in the near distance you could make out a single peak above the trees. Barely 10 minutes out of town however, the road soon started twisting and turning between mountains that rose ever higher and higher. Spectral beauty, deep nature, and the feeling of home – it was the most amazing bus ride of my life! Even though Vagamon is only about 30 Kilometers away, the trip took one-and-a-quarter hour; time that flew by as if they were mere minutes – Tall and beautiful mountains, with views that got better and more spectacular at every turn of the road (once the cloud cover had lifted that is). It was the most spectacular road trip imaginable, comparable to driving through the Nyungwe Mountain Rainforest in Rwanda. The mountains reminded me strongly of Western Rwanda, perhaps Gisenyi province, and I realized that my 7 years spent there have given me a deep-seeded feeling of attachment to mountains. Now more than ever do I know that one day, when I grow old, I want to retire somewhere in the middle of nowhere surrounded by steep mountains.

From the time we arrived in Vagamon till we left it seemed to never stop raining. It’d either be downpouring, drizzling, or at the very least really misty and foggy. After finding a cheap hotel room (Rs. 600), we started walking towards something called the Vagamon Meadows. I have to admit that I had no idea what it was at the time but I figured we should just go to the nearest attraction – still gonna be mountains, right?! It was farther away than we expected, and it rained on and off the entire time. Every once in a while, a carpet of misty clouds would cover the road or an enclave by the side of it. Every once in a while, the occupants of a car or motorbike would wave and cheer at us as they drove by. 

The view from our hotel room in Vagamon

The Meadows are, officially, an area with gently rolling hills that are all bright green from grass and almost completely bare of trees. We paid something like 5 Rupees each to enter, and walked around for about an hour. Several Indian families came while we were there. At first it was impossible to see anything beyond the hill we were standing on because of the thick layer of clouds that covered everything. After they mists dissolved, we could see all of the half-a-dozen or so hills that made up the meadows. It was quite idyllic to just walk around, up and down the hills and back again. 

 

When we walked back out the gate I pointed to the tallest mountain in the vicinity, and said “we should totally climb up there, it’s not that high up”. There was quite a lot of objection from Phu, who I think was tired from walking around so much. But I guess I just slowly nudged us all in the direction of the mountain with my argumentation. It barely took ten minutes to get there anyway. There was a car parked near the top, and we politely said hello to the group of people standing around it (and chilling). It was one of them that later told me that everything surrounding us was called Vagamon Meadows. Up at the top, we saw boulders strewn at random that gave it a harsh and barren look in a beautiful sort of way. The view was amazing! We could see several kilometers in all direction, and each and every line of sight presented a unique mountainous view to gaze upon. This was one of the occasions when I just went absolutely nuts taking photographs instead of drinking in the beautiful sights with my own eyes. I always say that one sees the world differently through a camera lens, somehow more clearly; but I wish I had taken some more meditative time up there. 

Parisa Ahmadi

 Yours truly

On the way down, we talked to the group of men by the car. Several of them were involved with a travel & tours agency, which is what I think was their main motivation to talk to us. They were kind enough to offer us a drink though, so I tried some Indian-produced agave tequila for the first time. We walked all the way back to Vagamon (about 5km), had a mediocre chicken biryani for dinner, and went to bed after watching another episode of Game of Thrones. We had to get up early the next day.

Going Cold Turkey on Internet

Welllll.... there's only internet at Hosahalli on their single-connected computer about once in a blue moon, hence why this is the first time I'm online in a week (went to Mysore for a day trip). It's quite maddening, but going cold turkey off the internet is probably healthy for me. And at least I can retain my sanity now that I can email all my reports and update my blog a bit.

I live in a room in a small house on the edge of campus. Its quite pretty out there, but for some reason the generator isn't connected to my building so I only have power about half the time. I get plenty of company from mosquitoes, since I can't close the windows properly (plus it keeps my cold going). I often chill in Karen or Abbie's room (two girls from Cornell Uni) - they recently discovered, to their great delight, that I have a movie library of over 200 films on my external HDD.

I hope to have a lota blog posts written for next time I get online!

June 26th - A Trip To The Beyond

I asked one of the station attendants which bus went to HD Kote.

“Both” he replied.

Well, which one is better?

“As you chose, whichever you prefer”

Uhm, ok but what’ the difference?

“One is 3 rupees change”

I felt I was beginning to get somewhere with this…

“So, which one leaves first?”

“That one”

Guess which one I took…

I’m in the VTCL (Viveka Tribal Center for Learning) school right now, having just been introduced to exactly how rural I’ve gotten. In fact, this place is so far rural it’s about a kilometer from the end of the bus line, where there is one or two kiosks and pretty much nothing else. I really wish I had brought some more water and snacks with me from Mysore (I cut my chips stock in half by eating a bag of them for lunch), but I’ll probably work something out – the bus driver gave me his number and said he could help me out with bus routes, or anything else for that matter.

The rest of the bus ride, which started with the interaction above, had gone really smooth. The only tricky part was finding the right bus stop in Kote where I could get a bus to Hosahalli village, because not very many people have heard of it, but I just had to ask about half a million people (and wave off an extremely persistent taxi driver – he didn’t get it until the 6^th time I said no). I had arrived about an hour early for the 2pm bus, so I chilled around for a bit, had a cup of chai, and noticed that people this far from Bangalore actually stare at white people (echoes from the past?!). I didn’t want to move around with my huge suitcase, so I didn’t go looking for lunch which I would later come to regret. The next bus ride was also around 1.5 hours long, and it finally began to dawn on me that I was going deep into the countryside. I started grinning from ear to ear, for no apparent reason. Except perhaps surprise at my own lack of realization until now. I have mixed feelings about traveling to such a far-away place – it’s difficult leaving friends and familiar places behind in Bangalore, it’s scary yet exciting to start new work, and it’s really scary to be so far away from cities and shops except it’s also kinda cool. I had an amazing 1-2 weeks at a village school in Rwanda back in 2005; most of all I loved the beautiful hills, fresh air and serene lifestyle. So my mood switched a little back and forth between anxiousness and excitement. At some point my euphoric mind went kinda like this:

(Looks to the right) uhhhhh, cows!

(Looks to the left) uhhhh, goats!

(Looks to the right again) OH, cows AND goats!

… not to mention the slowly undulating hills and occasional lake that I saw on the way.

I immediately got shown to my room. It’s a small building on the edge of the old campus grounds, quite near the boys dorms and the main dining hall. I have two rooms full of bunked beds, all to myself. I haven’t quite figured out which one I’m gonna pick yet. I could see already then that there was gonna be a lot of mosquitoes – yet another thing that reminds me strongly of Rwanda.

Up by the main campus, I met two students from Cornell called Karen and Abbie who are also staying here for another three weeks. Yay, friends!! English is definitely not people’s forte out here, so I am really glad to have them plus a young Indian intern called Abhushek that I can speak with at ease. I was shown around campus for a bit, met with the headmaster for a few minutes and then sat down to watch the girls try and connect to the internet with the office’s sole online PC. Yup, one connected computer for the entire campus – and it runs on dial up. Guess who won’t be online much for the next month?!

Besides teaching English and helping out with office work, a new research project has emerged in my mind. When I met with Dr. Balu this morning just before leaving for Hosahalli, he explained that it could be very useful if I talk to as many current & former students to learn lessons about their experiences, and infer whether SVYM is meeting their goals of being culturally sensitive to these tribal kids or not. He said it’s very difficult for an insider to take a step back and look at evaluating such things, so he would very much like it if I could write something about it. Moreover, this fits quite closely with issues that Vishal from Dream A Dream had raised about how these kids fare after their 10^th grade and attempt to pursue further education in modern places like Mysore – apparently the school has an extremely high drop-out rate (slash return rate) because students are unable to fit into “normal” society. This could furthermore be an awesome new focus of my Lilly work, seeing as I haven’t gotten very far with my original plans so far (not to mention that my original issue to look into in Hosahalli isn’t even an issue anymore). I need to start planning interviews already so I don’t end up wasting away my month here.

I’m excited for my time here, and if I make the most of it I will also be able to have an actual impact which will be felt in the long-term. If I find a pattern behind the rumored drop-out rates, then I should be able to push for Dream A Dream getting involved with teaching appropriate life skills for the tribal students which will help them assimilate into urban settings without forgetting their cultural heritage. I just need to plan my work properly around my teaching schedule (which should be determined by tomorrow). Big potential indeed!

I’m starving. Can’t wait for dinner at 8:30pm.

PS: The first bus conductor tried forgetting about my 15 rupees change on a 35 rupee ticket. Sorry pal, but it doesn’t look natural starring at the traffic for that long so I know it was deliberate.