Tamil Nadu

Many travelers that I've met along the way didn't have much to say about Chennai. Even lonely planet advises travelers to use it as a transit point, nothing more. They should have seen Chennai as I've seen it. Arriving early in the morning, I met up with a upperclassman from School, Harini, who was kind enough to spend part of her precious weekend showing me around Chennai. We first went to see Marina Beach and the Bay of Bengal - a casualty site of the 2004 Tsunami. Expecting a tranquil refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city, I was surprised by how strong and how dangerous the waves are. A few bodies of drunk college students were found just a few days ago near the the beach. There might as well be crocodiles. I kept my distance from the water. After seeing a few more sights, Harini being the thoughtful person that she is, sent me off to Mahabalipuram with a huge tub of cookies and chocolates which took on the role of breakfast for the next few days.

Mahabalipuram was another tourist enclave, famous for its 7th century temples and rock carvings. I had a great time walking between sights, climbing boulders, and taking cheeky pictures with this huge round rock called the Butter Ball. That was pretty much the highlight of my visit to M'puram. Dinner was again with more cool people I met along the way and by morning, I was on the bus back to Chennai. That was when I met Gwi Deuk. A petite Korean girl, you would not have guessed that Gwi Deuk has just completed a 6 month long journey which took her from Vladivostok, Russia to Chennai India, traveling through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Western China, Pakistan, Kashmir, and the Western Coast of India... on bike. Equipped with vodka and gasoline, she braved the Russian cold, the likes of Borat, and possible capture by militants to make this epic journey. My hat's off to her.

Arriving at Chennai, I have once again become the undeserving recipient of Indian hospitality. Chennai would have just become another city if Ramkumar haven't put me in touch with his family there, gave me a place to crash for the night, and treated me to some delicious home cooked food. Ramkumar Balaji, Ram's twin (you guys look so much alike it can get confusing) introduced me to the local silk industry, theater scene and Kollywood (the Tamil film industry, as opposed to Bollywood which is in Hindi) . As you might suspect, I don't speak Tamil, but these productions are pretty easy to follow if you have someone painstakingly translate it real time, while explaining references to politics and pop culture. Sorry Balaji! Sampada also put us in touch with Ajit for lunch, and we had a jolly good time. 

After 4 weeks of traveling India, I saw the first traffic police. They really do exist. Here's a picture.

1 month in India does not feel enough. I have yet to explore the North and North Eastern states. Moving fast between cities, I have only scraped the tip of the ice berg, getting a cursory feel of each place, and leaving just as I began appreciating the place. Just looking at sights got boring after a while, and I wouldn't have been able to sustain it without the company of friends and the prospect of meeting awesome people along the way. It will take a little getting used to, but once you acclimatize to the less-than-ideal conditions in some parts of the country, you will simultaneously marvel at its innate beauty, grimace at the squalor, and come out of it a slightly different person.

Kerala

After Bangalore, the excitement of my journey seemed to have passed an apex. What's left was more independent traveling and touristy sightseeing. Kerala turned that into a good thing.

I arrived in Ernakulam late morning after a restful overnight train ride from Bangalore. I came to Kerala to see one thing, the beautiful backwaters, so I went straight to the tour office as suggested by lonely planet to book the excursion. The day long group tour included lunch and a ride on a houseboat and canoe. Right after booking, I had some of the best parathas and coffees in India at the Indian Coffee House. Really cheap too. On the ferry ride to Fort Cochin, as I witnessed a tornado form near the opposite bank, I was overwhelmed by a whirlwind of questions of where I'm from and how I like India by local adolescents. These sudden bursts of attention usually culminate with my photo being taken with their cellphones and my camera.

Landing in Fort Cochin, a tuk tuk driver offered to take me around the different places of interest in town in exchange for taking me to gift shops where they can earn commission. I agreed as it would be a quick way to cover ground cheaply. One famous place, one "famous" shop. Cochin used to be a Dutch, Portuguese and Jewish settlement, and it was interesting seeing how the local culture is still influenced by them. That night, I went to see a Kathakali and kalarippayat performance. Kathakali takes facial expression exaggeration to the next level, where artistes tell epic stories using just their face and hands, no voice. Kalarippayat, however claims to be the predecessor of Shaolin Kung Fu having similar flowery yet lethal fighting moves.

The next morning, I joined the company of a jolly bunch from all over the world, lured to these parts by attractive photographs and the powerful word of mouth. Cruising the backwaters was a serene experience. The balmy weather, coconut tree, and laid back way of life is very alluring. Again, i'll let my pictures do the talking. Along the way, we were treated to a delicious serving of mussels cooked traditionally using spices wrapped in a banana leaf. The shells are then used to produce osteoporosis pills among other things by firing them into powder in a furnace. Because fishing is more lucrative, it is currently inactive. Production can be switched on rather easily, making it a great alternate source of income for the villagers.

The next morning, I decided that I had enough of Fort Cochin, so I hopped on a southbound "superfast" train to Varkala, only after another pit stop at Indian Coffee House. The train was so fast, it didn't bother to stop at Varkala and just flew on by. I had to backtrack a little, getting to the beach after sunset. Starving, I surveyed the cliffside restaurants. Most of them have a fresh marlin displayed like a trophy together with other lesser fishes such as kingfish, butterfish, barracuda, red and white snapper, Garupa, and tuna. I went with the restaurant with the freshest looking Tuna, which was when I met Kiran, Raj, and Hillary. If I hadn't turned around to ask if Hillary was from America, we wouldn't have become instant friends, and over cooked tuna wouldn't have been as bearable. Meeting awesome people was well worth the risk of embarrassment, and besides, there's always something to talk about with fellow travelers.

The nice thing about arriving at night is that waking up in the morning, you'll be presented with everything that place has to offer. Varkala beach sits at the bottom of a beautiful cliff, accessible by a few flights of stairs. Perched on top of the cliffs are all the familiar eating and sleeping establishments. In the morning, you can see dolphin pods surfacing for air from the cliffs, a sight to behold. The fine sands and powerful waves turned me into a beach bum for the next two days, boogie boarding and getting sunburnt. While waiting for the next big wave, I turned around and asked Patton if he was from Japan. Another instant friend, although I guessed wrong and made a fool out of myself. With these folks, I ushered in the year of the rabbit.

As much as I would live to follow them back to the backwaters and eventually Goa, I had to head to Tamil Nadu, the last item of my visit.

Next stop: Mahabalipuram and Chennai

Bangalore

What was originally a screwup by the travel desk turned out to be quite a pleasant experience on the sleeper class train from Goa to Bangalore. It took us over the scenic hills of the western ghats, past waterfalls, and through tunnels where the more primal of the passengers will start howling out the window. Tempted as I was to follow suit, I turned my attention back into the cabin where I shared my berth with a Harrier maintenance officer, navy seaman, and IT professionals of Bangalore's flagship industry. Apparently, no matter what discipline of engineering you've slogged through in college, you will most probably find yourself in IT sooner or later in India. We hung out and played this card game called "challenge", or as Americans would prefer to call it, "bullshit".

Having no hotel reserved, we headed to the center of the city and started looking for one. Within minutes, we were chased down by an employee of a hotel and was presented with a few rooms for a very good price, wifi included. The main drawback was that it was just above a noisy lounge. However, the city of Bangalore mandates that nightlife establishments close by 11:30 pm, something most local residents hate with a burning passion, If its left unchecked, it may also incite a now trendy, popular revolution. After a free flow thali lunch at the glitzy UB City, Dan has come full circle back to where he started his trip. I had to bid goodbye to my partner in mischief as he headed back to NY where his career will start and his fun, unfortunately, end :) Later in the evening, I met up with Sachin, a James Bond of sorts whom Dan met earlier in his trip and confirmed that he is indeed an uncommonly interesting person.

Meeting up with Sid's band of brothers: Shishir, Suraj, Ankush, Som, Bob Marley and George the next day has overtaken Goa and Udaipur on the awesome list. They say to judge a man by the company he keeps, the inverse is true as well. To receive so much hospitality across 2 degrees of separation is just undeserving. They showed me the Bangalore I wouldn't see as a tourist, like the Bangalore club, with a supposed membership wait time of 10 years, and where Winston Churchill still has an open tab. I even got to play basketball and get schooled by kids from the neighborhood, enjoying every bit of it. Thanks a bunch guys, you have made it very easy getting to the train station but very difficult leaving Bangalore!

Next up, Kerala! God's own country.