“God’s Own Country”

Apart from class, field visits and case studies, I've gotten some time on weekends to explore India a bit more freely. I traveled first to Mysore for a tropical one-day getaway to see some beautiful, aged temples and palaces, a local bird sanctuary (which made for a great boat ride and photo opp) and botanical gardens in the evening for an unexpectedly impressive and colorful "dancing water" show (picture a real life version of the windows media player and there you have it). After case studies I took a trip to Pondicherry, a quaint, beach-y French colony on the East coast with great food and accommodations, wonderful gardens, and a particularly spectacular sunrise over the Bay of Bengal.

So I've gotten sneak-peaks of some of Southern India's hot-spots, but none compare to this past week's time spent in the state of Kerala, whose motto serves as the title of this blog. The primary purpose of this trip was academic; in fact the first thing we all learned on our way to our destination of Wyanad was how to run away from a wild, long-tusked, charging male elephant whose pissed-off at you for trying to take his picture. On a more scholarly, civilized level, we finished off our India curriculum by exploring Ayurveda (India's system of traditional medicine whose roots are located here) at a local hospital. We also visited a botanical sanctuary where we learned about restorative efforts at biodiversity in India's rain forest (even the most developed of imaginations cannot picture the number and kinds of different plants there).

Finally, we went to a place called "Kanavu" which translates to "dream". It is an amazing educational facility made for and now run by tribal peoples which combines conventional learning curriculum with practical and cultural knowledge and training for children. After a tour of the land (which, at its start, required the semi-treacherous task of sliding/falling down and climbing out of an elephant trench) we were privileged enough to see one of the by-products of their learning- their amazing dances. Even at a very young age the children are taught certain steps that I would have to practice for some weeks to really get right. And those our age could do incredibly awe-inspiring moves which can best be described as something like aggressive, powerful yoga with intense acrobatics. One of the highlights of the entire trip so far was having the opportunity to dance with them all--entirely exhilarating and so much fun!

Now I’m on my spring break, and have been traveling down the west coast of Southern India with a group of friends!  Our ventures began as we took a bus ride from Wyanad to Calicut with breath-taking green mountainside views down thousands and thousands of feet of banana and palm trees.  For the few hours we were in Calicut we caught a gorgeous beach-side sunset whilst receiving curious and over-friendly attention for 1. being American, 2. not wearing sari’s on the beach, and 3. sitting with all of our luggage in the sand for a couple of hours.  From Calicut to Cochin we took a rather interesting and eventful “sleeper class” overnight train ride which necessitated hugging our bags as we slept. (Don’t worry mom and dad, next one is a 2nd-tier AC class!)

We were picked up in Cochin by our fun driver, Suni, who took us to our hotel in a town called Kumarakom.  It was a beautiful stay in a sweet little area facing Kerala’s lush backwaters. Aside from wonderful weather, delicious food, and comfortable rooms, we more or less became the personal guests of the hotel manager, Jose (pronounced Johs).  He showed us around the village where we were greeted with cows, goats and chickens, welcoming parents and their bashful, bright-eyed children.  We were shown the machinery they constructed, and which they now use for making house mats and cords out of coconut leaves.

It was hard to go, especially since we had to leave behind the much enjoyed naps on hammocks (tied between palm trees of course).  But our journey to come was well worth the sad departure!  Our gargantuan coconut-leaf-roofed house boat arrived and greeted us with fresh tender coconuts to drink and sweet smelling lays to wear.  We spent the day cruising the backwaters and docked at night for a  peaceful sleep.  The next morning, Suni picked us up and drove us to the beautiful beach of Kovalam where I am staying now.  The sand is so fine that it feels like I’m walking on pillows, the strip of shops end in jutting rocks and a lighthouse, and most importantly- they have mangoes out of season!! Though touristy, it is absolutely beautiful.  The spectacularly blue breaking waves look like clear, rolling, perfectly-cylindrical glass bottles, and the waters become a dark silvery mirror when the sun sets each day. (Don’t worry, Grandma, I’m taking pictures!)

Tomorrow morning we leave for Trivanderum (where I hope to hop on a bus to quickly check out the southern-most tip of India) and then we catch train back to Bangalore.  All in all this vacation has been quite heavenly, having the opportunity to witness beautiful scenery and strike meaningful conversations with the genuine people I’ve met.  Saying goodbye to Kerala will certainly be heart-breaking.

I have no doubts as to why they call this place “God’s Own Country.”