Unexpected exercise (Kochin)

It became clear we needed to reach Kerala (the southernmost state in India) as quickly as possibly from Kodai Kanal, our hill station in Tamil Nada (bordering state), in order to fit in everything we want to do before that dreaded August 15th.
The four of us pored over train and bus timetables and thought about when to check out. We're trying, without much success, to do everything as cheaply as possible. Someone joking suggests, why don't we walk. And then after a practise trek of 5 hours to break in our hiking boots, we did. That first walk was wonderful, our guide told me everything I wanted to know about the flowers, helping me with a certain nerdy project going on in my journal, and the views were stunning. We took regular smoking breaks, never fear, and met the Indian version of Blazin' Squad (subsitute 'numerous-overdressed- irritating-loud-noise-making group of boys with attitudein their early twenties' if you haven't had the pleasure) on a jutting out piece of rock which would have otherwise been a tranquil meditation spot. Anyway, we realised that the guide was a very nice, funny man, and trustworthy, and that we were all physically capable - although me possibly not mentally capable as that first day I sat on a rock and whined about athsma attacks - of walking to Kerala, to Munnar in particular, over two days. So, we threw the Lonely Planet into the bottom of our lugagge and were content to follow one man along mountain tracks though misty cold 'natural' forest, skyscraper eucalyptus (artificial?) forest, across waterfalls, down sandy mountainside, up through small villages where we drank chai and played with schoolchildren with talc'ed faces, scrambling over boulders and past some of the craziest trees, and a tea plantation . Every ten minutes it seemed there was a new country surrounding us, the climate and vegetation and road surface changing.
We (myself, Georgia, our luggage carriers Shaun and Dan, Francis - a french man who joined us for kicks - and the guide Shaika) ate lunch on the ground on freshly cut banana leaf, the most appreciated food there's been lately.
Those two days I felt very at peace.
Until the leeches that we had given homes to when we swam in the waterfall started to swell to visible size and had to be pulled or salted off, which produced much blood and hysteria. Georgia and I managed to escape, in fact but at the time this worried us even more, thinking they must be in more hidden places than arms and legs.
That's enough for now, tomorrow we taxi to Aleppi to get a house boat for 48 hours, to punt through the backwaters and read the 15 books bought today - in the Jewish District of Kochin where as Shaun put it (and probably would prefer I didn't repeat) the shopkeepers have the wilyness of a Jew and the stubbornness of an Indian.

Today was a good day (Kodai Kanal)

Whilst you haven't really heard about the unexpected pain of leaving Bangalore (and Jai), nor the strange mix of comfort and excitement of finding Georgia and Dan just walking along Rue de Gouberd in Pondicherry, the wonderful if unlikely commune we visited one day, an internation commune for human unity that focuses on serving a divine entity and the funeral procession that passed us just as my moped ran out of petrol in the middle of nowhere, no, not even the government bus that took us away from Dolce & Gabanna (renamed by Shaun's memory), through a few horribly hot and tired hours in Madurai - that I couldnt enjoy because of Kodai anticipation and sleep deprivation.. I think we're here now and I ought to talk about it instead.
Wound and tottered up the mountain as fog closed around us and light home rain spattered on the window. The temperature was so natural that we wouldn't have commented on it, had the last few weeks not pulled so much hydration from our bodies that we had to walk in the shade and buy litre upon litre of water hourly.
And its beautiful and tropical and homelike all at once. Staying in a stone and cement one-floor building with darkgreen painted wooden front door, window frames and pillars, and there are white cloudlike flowers and purply red and green leaves surrounding the terrace. Woke up this morning -freezingcold- and peeked out the window by the bed to see mist hovering shadowing the mountains curves, ground falling away metres in front of me, just past Shaun writing his journal in the faint sunshine - which does incidentally make you feel a lot warmer.
Ate omelette and toast in those same weak rays and thought about what to do. I was having shoe issues.. I am not usually some one who doesn't have enough shoes, but it seems the various cute things I brought will not cut it on the hike we'd like to do. So walked along Cloaker's Walk which is paved and thought about buying patterned jumpers and shotguns that lined the left hand side, and then remembered what was on the right.. more of these stunning views, now dotted with towns and as puffs of cloud cleared, some taller peaks. Just been to buy some brilliant trekking boots, which I have justified to my sensibilities by also getting some peacock coloured earrings, for which I repierced my ears on the side of the road while a cow watched.
Using dial-up internet in the tourism office to communicate with you now. Its half twelve and hungry again so off to buy some sandwiches for a picnic by the lake with bicycles. My companion is wearing shorts and teeshirt and I don't think he will survive the trip. Nevermind.

Pottering around (Pondicherry)

Going to the beach, reading books aloud, riding mopeds along franco-indian streets, eating croissants, lying under ceiling fans in a beachhouse suite of columns, lounges and curtains, lying under ceiling fans four to a messy dark room, buying shirts and sunglasses, trying on jewelery, smoking beedies, drinking chai poured from jug to cup to jug to cup in smooth arcs to cool it down, sweating, running away from beggars, washing clothes on the bathroom floor, looking for Bastille day celebrations and finding a film set. And being photographed by locals whilst doing all the above.

Anticipation

has a habit to set you up?



As of tonight, Bangalore is no longer home. Six of us head to Pondicherry to meet darling G and her entourage. Some of my posse will go back home and back to work, but as for me - I am free! Pondi is a former French colony on the east coast and apparently looks a bit like this. Expecting to meditate at the ashram, swim in the sea and then have fresh fish and wine in a shady courtyard.






Celebrated last night here regardless of dehabilitating illness, with a rooftop party at a friend's house. Shaun and Adam - British boys volunteering with i-to-i as well, worked at a music magazine called Rave, and a lot of the staff were there, so the DJing was taken very very seriously. I brought along this unbelievable man I have met. We (myself, Adam and Nerrel) decided in the rickshaw home that he is probably married with children, because he seems far too perfect. I promise to write up the expose asap.

Infection

I have a lung infection and I'm quite sure I'm going to die any minute soon, so I wanted to at least write a blog about it.
My doctor is a bit suspicious, as she has prescribed syrup which local kids use to get high, and is full of food coloring. Slightly annoyed because I'm fevery anyway and the syrup makes me talk about rubbish and sleep all the time. Oh no, wait..

They called it escaping - and maybe they were right.

And I'm going to talk about myself but all I have thought about for the last few days is other people. I suppose that in a way, all of us who go travelling alone are looking to temporarily get out of relationships that add complications to life. No matter how similar and agreeable your friends are, you have to compromise on plans and wont get to do all you want to. There's also something very very cool about the independance you feel navigating new cities all alone. It's not all about isolation, but also having friendships that don't put many demands on you. You meet people just for a day or a week, and you each have your own reasons for being there. It's only a shared experience if you think it will enhance things. There's really no commitment to somebody that you meet in a Budapest hostel one day- unless you want to follow them up. If you decide that you'd rather not hang out with somebody, then its fine, who says that you should. Living in the Big Brother house (locally known as Katary Villa) has created intense creative and inspiring relationships very quickly, for all of us. There's a very talented bunch of people here- a lot of music, writing and relating. But I was talking to a friend of mine t'other night, who came alone for similar reasons and we realised that there's no way to escape the emotions and occasional tangly mess that come with being around people. And that we probably wouldn't want to because it makes us feel alive. I am not a sight-seeing orphan-feeding machine, I am a person. And I hope that's okay with you.