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Diary This is Jan's diary. If you want to receive this diary by mail, write your mail on the contact form.
‹ Previous (21/11/2008) MONTH Next (2009-01-20)› ‹ Previous (2009-08-29 - Nepal) COUNTRY Next (2009-09-19 - Pakistan)› India Kochin (see on map) 27/12/2008:
We have passed a very good week relaxing in the state of Kerala in company of David and María, José and Mariam (the fathers of David), and Ramón and Mari (the fathers of María). Besides, we have enjoyed a splendid sun that he had resisted going out to the east coast of the India, where the monsoon still had to be withdrawn. The sun has been a good signal of welcome to the cozy state of Kerala. That is so good point we enter in Kerala, after the troubled cross street through the mountains, we realised developed that we found each other in a completely different state and much more. The homes were in general big and elegant, the cities had high and modern buildings, the streets and the nature were quite clean... As I have read afterwards, the inhabitants of Kerala are the ones that have more life expectancy, have a higher educational level, suffer less corruption and enjoy more equity of gender among men and women. For example, while in the other states of India the masculine population usually surpasses in number to the feminine one (due to the abortions of girls and occasional infanticides), in Kerala the women constitute 51.42% of the population, with specific communities following a matriarchal system. On the other hand, the development of Kerala is also noticed in the roads, more asphaltic kilometres having road for inhabitant than any other state. But the development is not always positive, and as in the occidental world, Kerala has some comparative high cups of suicides, alcoholism and unemployment. On the other hand, stopping being exclusive with Kerala, the south of India is in general much calmer than the north and more relaxed of traveling: we have not detected any adhesive of the selfcaravan pulled, very few times have tried us to open the doors, the people greet us cheerful from the road... At the same time, also although it occasionally passed in the north, quite a lot of people have gotten in touch us through Internet commenting that they have seen to pass our well decorated car us and with the distinguished web page, and wanting us good journey, inviting us to its home (unfortunately when I always read the messages we have passed of long) or requesting from us to travel with us. Besides, some of them also answer the questions of the form of taking the pulse to the world, with answers always very interesting and enriquecedoras. But already centring me to relate our experience individual in Kerala, I will explain you that we refind with David, María and with its fathers in Varkala, some very touristic people full of hotels and restaurants orientated to the occidental tourists mainly. Under the people there was a pretty beach where the tourists showed its white meats, as on a European beach, while occasional atónicos Indians stayed looking at the almost bare bodies with eyes of orange. Further on, the Indians had its beach, where the women and men were coated dressed, and a lot further on there was the beaches of fishermen where I and José (the father of David) go a dawn. It was a good hike during which we observe different small boats extending nets for the ocean that afterwards they were dragged from mainland for ten men. We keep a total of three days in Varkala, relaxing, sunbathing and bathing on the beach, and also doing some good feasts making use of the great quantity of fresh fish that there was exposed in the restaurants, although the prices were a little out of our budget. Before leaving, I was about to throw the rubbish accumulated in the selfcaravan, but as they did not find any wastebasket or container, I left both plastic bags under a street lamp. But some taxi drivers who observed me told me off. I looked at them confusing and asked them where he had to leave the bags. Its answer left me frozen. They answered me that it had to demolish the precipice bags, under which there was the beach. I did not dare to pay them attention, anyway, near of the pending I found a circle carbonised where they seemed to burn rubbish and I left there my bags, without anybody else telling me off. With a little pity for leaving this paradise (which for me it did not stop being too much sterilised for the tourists that did not want to be infected of the Indian culture) we direct ourselves to the following destination, Alappuzha, some people with a completely Indian atmosphere, but point of boarding in one of the main touristic attractions of Kerala, the Backwaters (or waters of the behind), a net of channels, rivers and interconnected lakes and forming a labyrinthine system of more than 900 km. It coincided that the following day of arriving to Alappuzha, on the 24th of December, was the anniversary of Mariam (mother of David), and was one good way of celebrating it renting a small boat among the eight to slide us among the channels of Backwaters, from which we observe the calm life of its inhabitants, with its homes next to the water, where they were coated and washed clothes, and with the fields of rice behind the houses or the trees, one or two meters more down that the water level of the channel (proof that the cultivated lands before were covers of water). It was a very romantic avenue, occasionally making the way among great extensions of floating plants that obstructed the advance of the small boat, although we could not avoid observing also the dirt that there was floating (bottles of plastics, tubes of fluorescent tubes, plastic bags, a dead rat...). As it returns, we buy a cake for Mariam and after blowing the candles, did ourselves the gifts of the invisible friend, a typical tradition among some families in Catalonia for Christmas (in Varkala we had put the names of all in a bag, each extracted a name at random and it had to buy a gift for this person). Next we go out to look for a restaurant to celebrate the dinner of Christmas, but in that we were not so fortunate, for Alappuzha was completely different to Varkala. There were very few occidental tourists and the few hotels or restaurants of luxury that there was had closed and too expensive menus of Christmas. However there was a restaurant that would have been perfect, but which we do not find that despite surprising us we did not dare to prove until after dining in another Muslim restaurant, where they could not serve beer to us but that however had veal in its card. Since very old times, the cows are considered sacred animals in the India, for its capacity to produce milk and fertiliser through the fields, and for the possibility to be used as brute force in the work of the field or transport; also although there are theories according to which, the former kings imposed that they were sacred so that the subjects did not decimate these real estates. So, in India the rough handling of a cow can entail severe sentences, and in general is killing them forbidden, except in Kerala and West Bengal (two states in the south of India) where the slaughterhouses of cows are allowed. In the same way, it is the transport of cows forbidden among provinces to kill them, although, as it seems many lorries carry out routinely this transport, apart from there being very much illegal slaughterhouses in the rest of India (some of which they also kill cows clandestinely). , The permissiveness in Kerala is probably owed to the religious diversity, where 25% of its inhabitants is Muslims and 20% Christian (the rest hinduistas). And as I have described, this diversity remains reflected in the restaurants, with Hindus serving beer but not veal, the Muslims serving veal but not pork or beer, and the Christians acting as everything and, even, sometimes offering you marihuana to the ear. It is said, that the great presence of Christians in Kerala is owed to the visit of the apostle S. Thomas that it arrived and it preached the gospel through the west coast of India, although many European traders that frequently visited the west coast of India since the times of the Roman empire also helped it. Due to this contact with west there are former native churches in Kerala, although the evangelical force was increased from 1503, when the Portuguese established the first permanent colony in the India, in Kochin, where they built the first church built by Europeans (the church of san Francisco). This enclave dominated by the Portuguese, later for the Dutch and English ones and at present for the Indians, it was where we go after celebrating the Christmas in Alappuzha. Anyway, in spite of the rich history of Kochin, we do not dedicate ourselves to visiting monuments and simply relax, walking through its calm streets and through the coast, where there were some great structures the only ones holding nets of fishing traditional, of Chinese style, in functioning out of China. These big nets, of about 20 meters for 20 meters, were let fall on the water and it was waited during about 3 minutes that the fish commended to swim above, they raised afterwards with a system of ropes and counterweights, the fishing was extracted with a small net and the process was repeated again. In the face of the tens of Chinese nets in functioning, there was different stopped where they sold fresh fish and where we were negotiating the price of different kilos of prawns and squids, for afterwards to go to a restaurant where they cooked it for us. The first day we ate quite well, but the second day it was excellent, because José and Maria situated themselves behind the cooking of the restaurant and they themselves cooked four kilos of boiled prawns, four more of fried squid and a fish, that we devour with passion, while it remembered the aromas of my earth and per moments asked me whether doing this journey that was so long had been worth. Mysore (see on map) 29/12/2008:
Yesterday, after having dismissed us the previous night of our friends, we start to do path towards Mysore, where we would refind them after two or three days. Anyway, we stopped to not too many kilometres of Kochin, in Chalakudi, to find with Ignasi, a cousin of a friend of my mother that was found of volunteer in India, some chaplains helping Indian Catholics that took care of different mental handicapped persons. Ignasi went up to the car and while we directed to its job commented us that did years that was in India, lately in the area of Kerala living in the Ashram of the guru Amma, also although it needed social action to feel well spiritually. Ignasi told us that people did some weeks, when people arrived to the centre of the chaplains, the mental handicapped persons were very ill-treated, frequently beaten and closed indefinitely in its rooms; but Ignasi forbade the chaplains to continue with this behaviour, accusing one of the chaplains of not having Christian morality, who answered for he (the chaplain) not being Christian, but Hindu (I suppose that to be chaplain was a way of living of income charging permanently of Rome). When arriving to the centre, Ignasi greeted some boys who there were in the main room looking at the television, going afterwards up to the rooms to release different boys who there were closed. Afterwards, once they all brought together in the main room, Ignasi showed me different games with balloon with those that it had amusing and amused to the children, although at the same time Ignasi had to supervise continuously that an old man with alzaimer did not escape. In a given moment, a boy asked me that caught it well fort of the arm and I caught it missed, but then Ignasi appeared and commented me that if it kept catching it the arm, after little the boy would have an orgasm, and I left it immediately, reacting as if it were tightening another member for him. In another moment, another boy did me to go up to the rooms, I accompanied it intrigued up to the last room where there was a girl locked up. As it brought down again and asked Ignasi on the girl, this answered me that they had brought it during its absence, but that anyway she would open him the door. Then he started to look for the key, but this did not go out through any place. It asked to the boys if they had seen or had touched the key but none of these answered. Meanwhile, it was made late and I told Ignasi that we had to leave and I said goodbye to it while it kept looking for the key. And the surprise I have had it today, when we already found about 200 or 300 kilometres of Chalakudi. I have felt myself the pocket of the trousers and of them have takes an unknown key. To good insurance it was the key that Ignasi was looking for, but as had he ended up in my trousers? The only possible explanation was that one of the insane boys put it for me in the pocket, without realising that. Really it was a day of mad people, but the problem is that this madness was not finished yesterday afternoon, sinó followed yesterday to the night and also today. In the south of India we have parked and been slept some times next to the road, and as it did not have any problem up to the moment, to the night we also yesterday made it. But it seems that the neighbours of a next home told the police, who presented themselves about eight. The police seemed to mistrust us and once the documentation checked, they required - for our safety - to go to park some people from us. I answered them that it had right to parking where it was, that in the people the people not for of hitting the selfcaravan and that I already assumed the problems of safety. Finally they convinced themselves that I would not leave and considered themselves beaten. It was an anecdote that it would not even deserve to be written, but that added to the conflict that we have lived today, it has made the worst feelings towards the Indians for us bloom another time. We were circulating through the address road to Mysore, when we have found a toll. Before entering, we have read the price that the cars paid in a poster and paid the indicated amount. As, the conductor collectors almost always wanted for us to charge the double, for the category of small lorry and following the usual routine, we have shown the tickets of the previous tolls to show that we have always paid the category of car. But this time, they have not wanted to lower of the donkey and I, with less patience of the usual one, have pulled ahead throwing a signal of stop to the ground. But unfortunately, at three kilometres there was another toll to check the ticket and they have arrested us. Of nothing it has acted that it told the previous toll that it had already paid the amount them and of showing them the documentation of the car in which it indicated that my vehicle is a car and not a small lorry. It were wanted to avenge of jumping me the previous toll and wanted to charge more. And I, another time without too much patience, have caught the signal of stop in front of the selfcaravan and thrown myself it out of the road, at the same time as the conductor collector has gone up to the car to stop the engine while Alexandra gave him punches. Two seconds I have later managed to enter the car, while the man stole some keys of the selfcaravan from us and pulled the T-shirt for me afterwards breaking it. I managed to start, but we were caught, since the man had stolen some keys from us. I stopped a little further on, and as the man did not want for me to return the keys, I went across the car to the road so that the police arrived with more rapidity. The lorries kept circulating for the side, but after about thirty minutes, the police were there. At first, the policewoman girls were centred to threaten to Alexandra of putting it in the prison for insults and to require that did ever not touch them the uniform me, afterwards the inspector, with a version of the facts completely distorted, arrived. But when he proved that indeed we had already paid the amount of the toll according to our category and that one of the men had stolen us some keys and that it had broken me the T-shirt that he had been hanging, the inspector turned understanding and changed the expression towards the other ones. We could probably have lodged a complaint, but having the licence of the inspector to leave, we decide to try to forget the matter and follow the path. And as always, the discussion has turned about some tens of cents of euro. Probably the people that have not traveled to the India (or in similar countries) with a low budget, will not understand these dramas because of some crumbs, this constant fight not to be tangled some cents, simply for being tourists. As they explain us, David and Maria have also passed for similar situations (especially in the North), and also its fathers, that, despite having a little restricted budget, also confront similar dilemmas: not taking a rickshaw which you know is being paid to you for the triple or taking it because the price (in comparison in Europe) is asumible. Maybe because they travel with its children, but many times they have deprived themselves of catching the rickshaw and we have done however some good hikes. On the other hand, I also have to admit in the case of the tolls, that our selfcaravan is the double (or triple) of big that the Indian vans that enter in the category of car. Perhaps it should pay without protesting the category of lorry, but taking that many other times we have to agree to being tricked into account, prefer showing the documentation of the car and paying what corresponds me, as to minimum one time. 03/01/2009:
In Mysore we have left to pass the last 5 days in company of our friends, reinforcing a friendship that to good insurance will continue after the journey, so much with David and Maria, as with its fathers, to which we have committed ourselves to visiting of here a year, in the supposition of our not going to America by car (the most feasible thing at present) and that we return to Europe before the next Christmas. Tomorrow early, the six of them will take a train towards Bangalore, and, the four fathers will take the aeroplane and our friends David at night and Maria will follow its journey for other routes, without there being forecast of finding us at first again. Yesterday we celebrate the last dinner, being invited by the fathers of David and of Maria to a delicious office, where I put on the boots, going out with a good indigestion. It was not an exception, because this last month, I and Alexandra (and also David and Maria), have usually eaten up more of the account, frequenting restaurants of category much better of those that we used to choose. They have coincided these five days in order to year, which we celebrate in another hotel of luxury that they offered buffet and music. It was very well in the middle of another 150 companions of table, although we had to provide the holiday. First, some entertainers that they did not cheer up too much suggested doing a competition of dance, with prize in hotel of Goa. As Goa it was one of our following destinaciones, I and Alexandra go out to the scenario disguised with a hat and glasses of cotillón and we start to dance in the middle of other couples doing mockery and the dances exaggerating Indians seen in the telly. We did a good show, and even other tables (apart from ours) started to cheer us up, but the prize to us did not go, addressing the worst couple of the dance that afterwards we discover that people were friends of the hotel. Evidently, the prize was tampered with or maybe, not even so alone there was. Also at the time of the twelve campanadas we were the only ones to create atmosphere. Observing that we would pass the end of year without the restaurant doing any special mention (not even so alone campanadas), we put ourselves all hats, glasses and garlands of cotillón, fill the table of inflated balloons and were about to one to one, like campanadas, to break them while we ate up the grains of grape that also we had prepared (typical Spanish tradition). We advance ourselves some minutes per standard time, but being added to our holiday, those of the hotel turned off the lights and without vision, we had to break all the balloons almost at once and to eat up the grapes in the same way. Afterwards we embrace each other wishing us good year, while the rest of Indians looked at us interested and other European groups were congratulated more discretely. Definitely, the Spanish have a happy character that they have not exported to the countries of the north of Europe or of Asia yet. Mysore was also a good point, for that the family of David and of Maria they did the last purchases before the journey, to which Alexandra accompanied, while I remained me relaxed or working in the hotel or the selfcaravan. On the other hand, we also made a little cultural tourism visiting the palace of Mysore. To enter the palace it was paid, and I and Alexandra wait outside for each other, for they are already too many monuments paid in India to price of tourist. But when our friends went out after a couple of hours, they recommended us the visit a lot and I have today directed. And even if it was really in its interior making photos forbidden the visit was worth to discover the opulence with which the maharajaes, who built this palace a hundred years ago, lived that the old one had burned during the preparations of a wedding. Agonda (see on map) 09/01/2009:
On Sunday in the morning, we said goodbye with pain to our friends, even losing some tears, for we have passed a fantastic month, as if it were a parenthesis in our journey. Now we will return to our routine of journey, planning a part that slowly becomes definite. According to the received news, the journey through Burma or Myanmar is impossible, on the other hand, the budget to send the car with boat up to Southeast Asia or America is too costly, so, it only remains us the option of leaving the car in Nepal (in India the car can be imported a maximum of 6 months per year) and travelling with a backpack through Southeast Asia and China. Afterwards we will return to Nepal to take the autocaravan and will make again the road we did up to India, visiting again the good friends in Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Europe, arriving to Catalonia mid November, where we will try to sell the autocaravan to follow the journey in America after three or four months. In any case, the next two weeks we want to pass them with calmness in Goa, relaxing in the coast, before following the journey towards new adventures and knowledge. Anyway, on the way towards the beach of Gokarna, we visited two places of interest. First we visited the big statue of Sravanabelagola on a hill of stone, one of the most important and former centres of pilgrimage of Jainists. The statue is a big monolith excavated in the 3rd century before Christ, of 17 meters of height (the highest monolith of the world according to the sites) that represents a bare Jainist deity. The other point of interest was the temple of Channekeshava in Belur, where we arrived early to be able to attend a simple ritual in which they showed a statue of a Hindu God to a group of pilgrims, while music of a saxophone, accompanied by drum and a strong bell was being played. Apart from the simple ceremony, the temple and the complex was interesting for the great quantity of statues of stone decorating the walls of different small temples, many of them with sensual forms, similar to those of Kajuraho. At noon, while we took the road towards Gokarna, the light of the battery of the car went on. I went out with the tester and saw that the alternator did not work. Worried, we went to an electrical workshop in a small village and they told us that they could not fix it for us there, for lack of spare parts. Fearing that it could be a severe problem and that we could remain without battery to keep driving, we decided to drive in opposite direction, towards Bangalore, since towards the coast there was no important city. Mid-afternoon, we stopped in a city close to Bangalore, in an electrical workshop, and they told me that there that they could look for the problem if I myself took out the alternator. Having experience of Africa, I did not make more questions and I did put my hands to work. Once I delivered them the alternator they found the breakdown immediately: one of the coals that made contact was worn out. After an hour they had fixed the alternator, and I put in back in the dark. The day after we drove towards Gokarna, through a new road, first a motorway of two lanes and the following day, a small road full of lorries that took down up to the coast. At noon we reached Gokarna, a town with some very pretty beaches that receive quite a lot of tourists with backpacks (our friends David and María had been here). Anyway, it did not attract us too much, for even if it had a very pretty beach (the beach of Om), there was not a good place to park. Besides, Gokarna is a pilgrimage site, with hundreds of pilgrims dressed in black arriving every day with buses and jeeps, which prevented us from being able to relax. So, the day after, today, we have decided to go towards the closest beaches of Goa, where they had told us that there was an excellent beach to park the autocaravan. ‹ Previous (21/11/2008) MONTH Next (2009-01-20)› ‹ Previous (2009-08-29 - Nepal) COUNTRY Next (2009-09-19 - Pakistan)› |
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