Cool, Calm and Keralan.

If Mumbai represents the mayhem and chaos of this country, then Kerala is India’s kindred spirit. This beautiful tropical state features everything from postcard sunsets to long stretching fresh water canals. Kerala is quite unique as it is divided between humid rice paddy fields and lagoons to the lush inland mountain ranges which are carpeted in tea and spice plantations. Kerala’s contrast to Mumbai is very apparent, through simple things like daily attire to the food that they eat. Life moves at a slower pace, snail’s pace really and it is literally a breath of fresh air after our few days in the city. 

Deep and I started our south Indian adventure in the Keralan backwaters of Alleppey by hiring a luxurious house boat equipped with air conditioned room, fully decked out lounge room as well as a chef and captain. It was quite an experience watching the lives of locals pass us by, women cleaning their clothes in the fresh waters, children catching the ferry to school, such a peaceful, simply life. After Mumbai we couldn’t have asked for a better way to unwind and see how the people of the south live. The landscape of Alleppey is quite serene with palm trees lining one side of the backwaters, while rice paddy fields appear on the other side of the banks.

After our three day, pamper session on the boat we moved onto Kumily and then Munnar, two towns situated in the peaks of the Keralan mountains. The air is crisp, the people warm and welcoming and once again the food amazing.

Deep and I have been joking that we are slowly becoming vegetarian, as Kerelan food is mainly vegetable based. To be honest we really aren’t missing any form of meat as the vegetable dishes are flavoursome enough. Walking through these two towns, the smell of fresh spices is alluring; it fills the air morning to night. As the sun sets the small towns come to life with store owners encouraging us to spend our money on local handcrafts, woven carpets and locally made chocolate.

I highly recommend these two towns as future holiday destinations, as the scenery is breathtaking. Munnar is laced with hundreds of tea plantations, they roll down steep mountain ranges and are littered with 10s of 1000s of local workers, mainly women. Tea picking is one of the main forms of income for women in Munnar and surrounding towns and villages. The plantation managers offer childcare facilities within the plantation grounds as the women spend their days in the hot sun picking the tips off the tea plants.

Munnar and Kumily are both the tidiest places we have seen so far in India. To be honest, there are many places in this country where rubbish litters the ground, sometimes hiding the beauty of the natural surroundings, though in Munnar and Kumily there are more warnings of saving the environment and maintaining the Natural Wildlife Park’s splendour. Deep and I spent a few days each in these two towns, visiting flower gardens, seeing wild elephants in their natural surroundings, as well as bathing with one in a wildlife sanctuary.

Both places were just last minute travel destinations, and we are now glad we made the four hour local bus journey in stifling heat to this slice of paradise. 

(We are now on a local express train to the beach-side town of Goa, a 12 hour journey. Will keep you updated with more of our travel stories in the next few days.)

Mumbai mayhem to Khardi kindness

Mumbai you have certainly lived up to every expectation and left very little to the imagination, allowing us to delve deep into the madness of this amazing city full of so much history and decorated in so much colour. You welcomed us with an abundance of sweet smelling spices, thick aromas of rich curries and covered every spec of our bodies in thick dust and dirt, what a way to begin this journey.

Deep and I arrived in Mumbai late on Thursday night and were greeted by hundreds of curious locals as we boarded a small, dilapidated taxi which took us only half way to our destination, as it broke down on a hectic Mumbai highway. Can I just mention that this taxi had no head lights on and was slowly rolling down this steep highway hill with Deep and I crammed in the back seat. We were very quick to exit the taxi and help the local taxi driver push it up the hill while horns honked loudly at us and trucks and cars dangerously whizzed by. We did eventually arrive at our hotel a few hours later. There was nothing more to do than just laugh at the experience, we couldn’t expect any less from this city.

Mumbai is heavily polluted and the thick cloud of dust is intoxicating to the lungs, but you do adjust very quickly. What surprised me with this crazy city was the beauty that lies hidden behind tall buildings and monuments. The lush green parks are an unexpected gem amongst the rubble and poverty. Two young school boys lay under the shade of a tree, surrounded by a carpet of sweet smelling flowers as they did some school work. A lookout from one of the parks looks over a crowed beach, the sun crystallising the water. The spiritual presence in this city is very apparent, with flower offerings given to statues of worship, and trails of incense smoke coming from each hotel, home and business place.

On our second day in Mumbai we left the hectic pace of city life by train for the peace and serenity of Deep’s mother’s family village, Khardi. As we walk through the rural village, situated in the valleys of a mountain range, we are immediately welcomed with open arms. I feel like royalty as we are greeted and followed by so many smiles, so many joyful faces. These people live so simply and yet are so content. They have everything they need and it makes me think that we westerners have it very wrong in terms of what happiness is. 

Meeting Deep’s extended family was an amazing experience, seeing where his mother grew up, where the children played after a day of schooling. These people know nothing about me and yet have welcomed me so warmly into their family. Their unconditional kindness is very moving. For a village of people who have so little in material wealth, they make up for it in their spirit for life. Their souls seems to have peace, they seem very content with what they have and appreciate the very simply things in life. As we leave Khardi the sun sets over the train lines, melting behind the hills as darkness falls over the pastures. We head back to the city on a local train squished in like sardines for a three hour train journey. It has been an eye opening experience already. Mumbai has been an ideal starting point for this travel adventure. It has offered so much, given so much and surprisingly asked for very little in return.

Her best foot forward...

Thank you to all the wonderful people at Education Queensland that contributed to my new pair of snazzy hiking boots. I'll be sure to put them to good use!

Holi Mackerel!!

The madness of Mumbai awaits with only one more day until we leave Australian shores for the frantic, hectic pace of India, one of the world's most populous country with 1.22 billion people.

According to a few taxi drivers in Brisbane who have assisted with my travel plans, the western world has no idea about colour like the Indians do, they live, breathe and inhale every single drop of colour in the food they eat to the clothes that they wear. Apparently we westerners live in a world of black, white and grey compared to how our Indian counterparts embrace colours. So simply seeing and witnessing this smorgasbord of colour isn't enough for us, so Deep and I are going to immerse ourselves in a sea of red, gold, blue and green  by being part of the Festival of Colours, more commonly referred to as Holi on March 8. Rather than rephrasing a perfectly well written piece on Holi by Wikipedia, here is what Holi is all about.

"The main day, Holi, also known as Dhuli in Sanskrit, also Dhulheti, Dhulandi or Dhulendi, is celebrated by people throwing coloured powder and coloured water at each other. Bonfires are lit on the eve of the festival, also known as Holika Dahan (burning of Holika) or Chhoti Holi (little Holi). After doing holika dalhan prayers are said and praise is offered. The bonfires are lit in memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahlad accomplished when Demoness Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, carried him into the fire. Holika was burnt but Prahlad, a staunch devotee of god Vishnu, escaped without any injuries due to his unshakable devotion. Holika Dahan is referred to as Kama Dahanam in South India."

So in a nutshell, Deep and I are India's blank canvas, ready for the locals to paint us as they please. Our next blog will be in a few short days when we visit Deep's family in Khardi (three hours south-east of Mumbai) I'm pretty sure there will be plenty to read and see in our next blog.