INDIA: A 26 day odyssey.

Still listening happily here...

Okay I saw Clary off on the boat this morning. The guard on the jetty would not let me go right up close to take pictures of the boat & herself waving over the rail...and he had a rifle! So I didn't argue.

A bit much, I thought...I know it's a restricted territory, but to ban taking photos of the boat, 250 miles away....

So anyway, I got the ferry back to Fort Kochi at 10.15- the other boat was supposed to sail 10.30, and it would come right past our hotel jetty- so I waited to take a photo as it sailed past; 10:30 came and went, then 11:30 and then 11:40 (it was a very pleasant day to sit and survey the nautical scene), but then I gave up and came for a stroll down here, the 3-computer, open-fronted cybercaff with the ceiling fan.

So I cannot absolutely guarantee she has sailed, but she's on the boat at least. And I have no commemorative photograph of that particular auspicious event, shame. But I did get one of the boat, still tied to the quay, as my little ferryboat went past and where the guard with the rifle could not shoot me.

Now, how about a masala dosa for lunch? Could be.

Hope I am correctly guessing who's your leopard....

every man is a Lion (of the cat family) when he's bachelor... after marriage he is merely a cat.

Me still Lion.... Steve should meow.

Wow! 270-odd posts (well, not ALL of them were odd!) before I get here

Late as ever!

I see we're all having a good time in the rain and heat! And Superr G is arriving....now where is that mobile number! 14th - at night - now what time is that in AEST?

Cheers from 'ere - where it's also hot and storming right now!

Sounds a bit sinister. The boat was probably doing little jobs for the Indian military...

Went to the classical dance this evening, the Kathakali. (traditional art form of Kerala)
I even attended the 90-minute makeup session prior to the gig!
I was the only one in at first, then I was joined by five other people, and a lot more came in for the performance proper.
Stunning.

Photos to follow, sometime.

Wow, it took 90 minutes to put your make up on!! It doesn't usually take you that long at home. :wink:

Make sure you don't wash if off so that I get to see the finished product or get some one to take a piccy.

Fiona

ah well thats nice mct

dont wash for a month or so

Clary should be getting back on-shore any time now, and I'm sure if there's a possibility of a cyber-link where she goes, you'll hear from her.
I will not see her again probably until 14th December, just before the flight back. But, will phone Vinny before then.

Tomorrow I'm off to the south cape, to a place called Kanniyakumari.

Later

McT

Thanks for the infos, McTag. Have a nice time at the that place!

Kanyakumari is the southern most tip of mainland India. You can actually see three distinct colors of water on the horizon where the Bay of bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean meet each other. Do not forget to take a trip the Vivekanand Memorial, a short boat ride away from Kanyakumari, it is a sight which has no parallel. If possible - stay for the sunset or if you have not had much to drink the previous evening, the sunrise....

Cheers the prince, I'll certainly try to do that.

Had prawns cooked with ginger for lunch, very nice too, and now it's time for my nap....

Mc, please take good pics of the place esp of the meeting point of the 3 oceans (Indian Ocean, Bay Of Bengal and Arabic Ocean). Neither actually saw that in any picture nor on TV. Just heard abt it.

Hell and Heaven in one day...


anyone here been seasick for 15 hours straight?



anyone here been only person on long white coral beach as sun comes up and palms rustle and you know there are NO tourists on the island at all?


more later... Good on McT legging it to the Cape. I'm back in Calicut treating myself to a hotel with BEER (verboten on the islands) and TV (unobtainable on the islands). I was on local news lurking behind a huge group of Muslims on their way to Mecca, all of whom were on my boat. (the return trip was calm but Arabic devotional songs grate slightly if played at such a high volume)

I will flesh this out more, but have to go and get train tickets now for tomorrow's journey to Chengannur (don't bother getting out the maps, it won't be there!)

I believe you can get a multi disc cd of those incantations Clary. I'll get you a copy for your return.

Glad to hear you got on ok, please tell more later.

Well done McT, whats for supper?

Supper is oranges and banana, I'm eating only one meal a day at the mo....don't need more in this heat.

Sorry to hear about the seasickness, Clary, how wretched...thinking about Nelson and England doesn't help, does it?
They say the only cure for seasickness is to lie down under a tree.

Er..some details I can't quite understand...you were the only tourist in the beach, but were somehow joined, on the way back, on a guarded supply boat from a restricted territory, by a large and noisy group of Mecca-bound pilgrims? Some steps missing for me. (I've just been reading a Martin Cruz Smith, I like these mysteries)

I read his Gorky Park in college. Liked that book.

holy cannoli! seasick for 15 hours! you take good care of yourself there, clary! can't wait to see all the pics when you guys return back to motherland, safe and sound. clary, been to any of those ayurvedic centers yet?

Sorted! And feeling smug, and lucky.

After a pretty dire 8-hour train journey (in the heat) down here, which I felt was never going to end, everything worked like clockwork!
Ricksaw sir, select tourist home from book, 20 rupees short trip, straight in, showed me three rooms, the cheapest was fine, great location with a small but perfectly formed balcony overlooking the harbour, the lighthouse and the island with the temple. Perfect location, perfect view, and all for four quid a night! Jammy, or what?
Quite small-scale, surprisingly, the general layout here- in contrast with the vastness of the ocean beyond. Think Findochty or Portessie. The rock with the temple is quite close inshore, and quite close to the lighthouse, for example. It was getting dark when I arrived, so I'll take photos tomorrow.
The place has the feel of a frontier town, at the moment- and each door on my room has three bolts and a big padlock! Whatever can that be for? Anyway, the lady in this little cyber-booth has just brought me a glass of fresh pineapple juice! Unbidden. Wasn't that nice of her? So, everything hunky-dory. Another state (Tamil Nadu), another language, and a different script on the signs.
Still, I didn't understand the last lot, either.

Sorry for garbled message, a bit rushed, I'll give you my collected thoughts later.

Mc, Tamil is the most ancient language in India and probably one of the first 5 ancient langauges in the world.

Documents found in Tamil are even older than that found in Sanskrit.