last days in kerala, india

originally i began writing this post a few days ago back when i was still in kerala but ive been in bangalore for three days now and alot has happened since.

but back in kerela, before hopping on our houseboat in kochi, our days began with 4-hour road trips across southern kerala. we drove from munnar to thekkady in the morning and if it weren't enough, munnar sent us off with even more breathtaking views of its tea covered hills and countryside. the fluffy clouds hovering right above munnar's peaks placed a huge accent everything. it was sad to leave

but off we were and finally arrived in thekkady. we stayed at the spice grove hotel where the lobby staff greeted us with some fresh lemonade and then proceeded to place something like clay on our foreheads. the hotel staff upgraded us to a family room, which we didnt need but didnt mind at all. an hour later and we were on the road again headed to the thekaddy tiger reserve where hopped on a river boat hoping to spot a tiger, preferably chowing down on some nice tender deer or monkey or human, or whatever; the entrance to the park was riddled with monkeys so yeah, why not monkeys. 

after some drama trying to get our tickets, we finally got on the boat and went around the refuge. a little under 2 hours later and my report includes a flock of weird looking deer, a pair of horny miniature komodo dragon looking lizards, some colorful birds but sadly no tigers. 

we grabbed early dinner then walked around the uneven streets of thekkady. it was a busy night, the shops were mostly full of locals going about their normal business. we walked for about an hour, got lectured on the difference between pashmina and cashmere and then we heard thunder; the rain began shortly after. luckily we were close to our our next stop, the rangerwood hotel where we had scheduled massages earlier in the day. 

the experience? memorable

i began to write the experience on this entry but it got a bit long so i made it into its own. 

the next day we drove to kochi and caught an overnight houseboat that i still cant believe was just for us. we spent the night cruising down the narrow alappuzha straits and backwaters of southern kochi. we saw young children diving into the murky waters, ladies washing and beating their clothes on the stone walls and the countless other houseboats that trailed behind. we passed the time lounging and re-telling stories of earlier travels. the experience was heightened by the sheer beauty of the landscape around us; it was simply surreal. the morning after we took to the sights and explored fort kochi and saw the medieval looking chinese nets that hung next to the river, the jewish quarter and synagogue, walked around hill palace, got close to deer and a huge t-rex, then headed back to the hotel.

we said our goodbyes to our cab driver, sumesh, who had been with us for the past 5 days. we flew the next morning to the big city of bangalore and just like that kerala slowly became just another beautiful memory.  

morning: munnar, india

im still trying to process this morning's view
it was unlike any ive ever seen. 

the misty clouds didnt seem to move much, they stayed put like a well trained mascot. down below they were all nestled together in the deepest part of the valley while pockets of them hid below the forrest right above the surrounding tree lines. 

sunrise was at 06:16 and with coffee in hand i had a cool 3 minutes to savor the moment. the birds kept arguing down below our balcony, they were at it for the past few hours but i didnt mind it much. some of the neighbors began chanting and singing something traditional that i can only assume is local munnar tunes. 

the sun finally rose but it wasnt strong enough to pierce through the clouds. nevertheless, the sun's rays did something to the forrest. the clouds that were motionless a few minutes ago began to sprawl up the valley like a giant octopus. something unseen was set into motion: the clouds knew it, the birds knew it and now i knew it. 

i still cant believe im in india. i remember the look my mother gave me when i told her that i was coming here and to a certain degree, rightfully so. ive seen alot of faces on my travels and now that theyve brought me here, i can see why alot of people have a certain impression of india. 

from how they approach customs & immigration or their driving with seemingly no rules of the road but a simple set of car honks. add the long and lingering looks of strangers and india to the western newcomer might seem like a frightening place. 

but if you wait a question through the long gazes might emerge with a "hi, where you from?" or "can i take picture with you?"
out of those loud and annoying honks a pattern will begin to emerge and will quickly realize that all those cars are communicating. 

and, if you wait just a bit longer, out of those long and unwavering stares a smile will peak through. 

this will be day 2 in munnar, india and i feel like ive seen and experienced alot already. ill end with some wise and uplifting words i read this morning from c.s. lewis' mere christianity.

"when a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. when a man is getting worse he understands his own badness less and less. a moderately bad man knows he is not a very good; a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. this is common sense, really. you understand sleep when you are awake, not while you are sleeping. you can see mistakes in arithmetic when your mind is working properly: while you are making them you cannot see them. you can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk. good people know about both good and evil, bad people do not know about either."

God bless