Final Installment

Heading home in 5 more big sleeps. although we are pretty excited about returning, South India continues to enchant us.
Presently in Mysore, just returned from a hard day of visiting a Palace of the last Maharaja to govern in Karnataka. The palace is truly a masterpiece designed by Henry Irving of Scotland and consequently all the fittings are from Scottish manufacturers. It is one of the most impressive building we have seen.
Our travels this last week have taken us to rubber plantations to an overnight houseboat stay on the back waters of Kerela with a captain, engineer, and chef for the 2 of us. It will be hard to adjust when we get back home, where the captain will be golfing and the chef will be cooking, cleaning, sewing and otherwise serving the maharaja (who cuts the grass).
Stayed in Fort Cochin on the Arabian Sea. Lots of seafood, yum yum. We were treated to a sumptuous seafood dinner at the Malabar, a very classy restaurant in Fort Cochin. Enjoyed the local ferries across the bay for 2 INR which is 5 cents where we shopped the night bazaars.
The travels through the countryside to Ooty a hill station in the Nilgri Mtn was highlighted by return trip on the Blue Mountain Railroad, a UNESCO Heritage Railway between Ooty and Coonoor. Just visualize lush green tea plantations terraced on the hillsides with quaint villages nestled in palm groves.
We travelled through 36 switch backs as we descended to our next destintation, a jungle safairi camp, Bandipur National Park. Here we relentlesly hunted the evasive tiger and leopard with our camera. Our treat was several herds of wild elephants. Very impressive in the wild. They were dusting themselves after having their daily bath.
Hassan, Bangalore, then homeward bound out of Mumbai.

Merry Christmas,
Alan and Susan

Relaxing and winding down

The driving in the countryside in Kerela is green, lush and truly magnificent. Around every corner there is a new species of vegetation. Tea, coffee, rubber trees, 80 varities of bananas, pineapple, grapes, spices and herbs of all sorts and more and more.

We enjoyed a relaxing stay at a rubber plantation. 104 acres, 60% is rubber trees where we were taught how to tap and process rubber for selling to the wholesaler. The other 40% was exotic spices and fruits such as passionfruit, which we could not get enough of. They made us fresh juice when ever we asked. Also the food was outstanding.

Just returned this morning from interesting and relaxing cruise of the Kerela backwaters. We saw the lifestyle of the people that live there. We had our own staff of 3, captain, engineer, and chef. The food was again outstanding. Fresh fish bought from the local fishermen, which go from boat to boat selling their catch of the day in their dugouts.

Presently at Cochin (Kochi), our driver has had to leave us as his wife is having their first baby and has gone to hospital. He was enjoying our singing of christmas carols.
Bye for now .

Local Bollywood Talent

Please await the release of a Bollywood documentary on December 22, 2007 staring none other than film celebrity from Canada ( Campbell River in fact)..
Alan was interviewed during a visit to the home of the famous South Indian mathematical genius, Ramanujan. His work in the early 1900's on prime numbers laid the basis for many algorithms that are used in computer software today.
The film crew was delighted to have our impromtu visit. They saw a likeness of Harrison Ford in Alan and thought he would be a great contribution to their documentary. So Alan went bla bla bla.......and it is all on film. So perhaps we could have it in the CR Film Festival. We could set up a table for autographs.........or egg throwing???

So our trip takes many interesting turns from the temples, forts and castles to Bollywood Productions.

Got to go and see what is around the next corner.......

Pondicherry

Well we had our first rain in almost 2 months.Early morning but cleared by noon. The south of India is very different. Instead of taking pictures of ancient forts and palaces we are recording new construction and existing buildings of high tech IT and manufacturing plants.
Our voyage appears to be more relaxing and less photo intensive. We are beginning to sing Christmas carols in the car. Our driver, Pankaj really enjoys our Christmas spirit and our voices. In fact at his home in Kerala they erect a decorated tree due largely to the influence of many of his previous clients.

Had a relaxing 2 days on the Bay of Bengal at Mahabalipuram. We feasted on fish and seafood buffet and whiled away the day at the swimming pool.ing and strolling along the massive sand beaches.

Of course the south has outstanding ancient temples 200bc that are immense and represent unbelievable amounts of labour (hammer and chisel) forging monolithic temples out of solid granite hills.

Aurangabad

Had a wonderful tour of Delhi. Left being quite impressed with the green space and the modern metro. They are preparing for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The new airport will be one of the world's most modern. An aside we were thoroughly astounded at the new Hindu temple complex completed in the last five years. Immense and very artistic.

We flew yesterday afternoon from Delhi to Aurangabad. Enjoyed a swim and steam bath in our hotel's sports facility. If we had more time here we would have been able to partake in badminton, squash, yoga, tennis but no golf. A beautiful and comfortable hotel stay.

Today we visited the Ellora and Ajanta Caves. Spectacular comes to mind. The caves date back to 200 BC. They have carved massive monolithic temples and monasteries out of volcanic rock. One is so large it is twice the size of the Parthenon in Athens. Quite a feat considering the work was accomplished with hammers and chisels. India never fails to amaze us.

We travelled through cotton fields visiting a cotton ginny with mountains of raw cotton. The road was littered with white fluffy balls of cotton. Very different for us.

Heading to Mumbai tomorrow afternoon on the express train to begin the last leg of our travels covering South India.

Bye for now.

In the Heart

In the heart of the remote and enchanting valleys of India, skirting many rivulets and enveloped in the solitude of the surrounding forests, many villages and towns open their treasure chests of exotic sights and scenes to us.

The below photos have been taken in the last few days. so see if you can correlate the photos to our itinerary.
Bye for now.

Monkey Business

Permutations

November 7

The permutations of variables (availability, speed, inspiration) make additions to our blog site very difficult.
Since the Taj Mahal we have been treated to some of the most spectacular forts, castles and palaces in our travels. They defy description. Many of them were our accomodation. In Bundi we stayed at a heritage resort that was where Lord Mountbatten stayed with his friend and owner Maharaj Balbhadra Singh.
We are beginning to feel like Maharina and Maharaj Todd. Now we want marble floors and statues at our home. More reno's for Alan, but will probably settle for a persian rug....

It is the harvest season in Rajasthan and the roads are crowded with loaded camels carrying straw, oxen pulling carts laden with sugar cane, and beautifully clothed women balancing incredible loads on their heads. We women have it easy in Canada, I will never again complain about doing laundry. (at least for a week)

At our heritage hotels we have been treated to ethnic Raj music and dance. Swords in their mouths and firepots on their heads as they twirl and ring bells attached to their clothing. The colours of their dresses and jewels are a feast for the eyes, not to mention the beauty of the women themselves.

Hard to believe it is into November as the temperature is @ 30'C during the day but cool in the evening. We have been fortunate not to have too many mosquitoes. Have no concerns for malaria.

The last 2 weeks have been festival times here and there is always fireworks at night. BANG BANG, FLASH.

We enjoy your comments on our blog and email keep them coming.

We are presently in Jodhpur, arrriving here this afternoon for 2 nights. Looking forward to a buffet dinner specially prepared for this evening. As we are blogging there are fireworks bursting overhead.

Bye for now.

more Raj

Continued

A day on the road in Rajasthan

Scenes from Rajasthan