I spent this Christmas holiday in India with my dear friend, Megan, and her parents, Beth and Kevin. We had a delightful time in Kerala, one of the southern states of India, where we saw breathe-taking sights, ate wonderful food, met very, nice people, and even rode an elephant.
On our first day in Kerala, we flew into Cochin. It was nice to arrive in a warm, quiet town to start the holiday. In Chocin we visited St Francis Church, the oldest Church in India, a 16th century Synagogue in Jew Town and Mattancherry Palace, built by Portuguese, this Palace contains some of India’s most beautiful murals. After the Portuguese, this area was controlled by the Dutch. You can see in the architecture of some of the old houses and churches. We walked around the bay where we watch fishermen bring in the day's catch, cows, water buffalo, and goats wander around the city streets, and men rigging up the old, Chinese fishing nets. We stayed at a lovely hotel called Hotel Fort House which sits right on the water.
From Cochin, we made the long drive to Munnar which is located in the heart of Tea County. The rugged hills of this area are covered with tea plants as well as lush, green vegetation and trees. The views in these carpeted hills are colorful and awesome. Our "hotel" in Munnar was called Camp Noel, and while it got high ratings on Trip Advisor, nobody mentioned its remote location! By the time we got done with our daily sight seeing, the fog was rolling in. Our driver, Joy, dropped us off at the top of a misty mountain because our car couldn't make the rest of the journey. We should have had a clue at this point. We got into a camp jeep and became our 45 minute expedition to the camp, through mud, fog, road wash-out, and potholes big enough to bathe a small water buffalo, and one door that flew open every time we hit a bump (which was often!) The trip was worth it, though, because the camp was wonderful. We had our own, private bungalow with solar-heated water and a fireplace. After a delicious Christmas Even dinner, we decided to turn in, but the staff had other ideas! They hit "repeat" on the stereo and blared the famous, Indian tune, "Happy, Happy, Happy Christmas" as the danced and cheered their way around to each house, leaving a cheery Christmas cake for all their guest. After way too many rounds of the song, the finally turned in to give us all some peace on our Christmas Eve!
We visited an organic spice plantation Thekkady where we got to ride and feed an elephant. It was fun, but a little scary. It's a long fall from the back of an elephant. We saw a tradition India play-I can't remember what it's called-with heavily costumed characters, drummers, and a singer. Although the drums and singer were very loud, we all enjoyed it. I dropped a good share of cash into the economy of Thekkady, buying rugs, throws, pillow cases, and wall hangings.
After Thekkday, we took an overnight houseboat ride down the backwaters of Kerala. I spent the first few hours passed out in bed trying to get over some severe motion sickness (those roads are windy), but still had plenty of time to sit on the deck and watch life on the backwaters pass me by.
Our last few days were spent at a resort in Trivandrum, one of the southern-most cities in Kerala. It was a great way to end the holiday. We did a lot of reading, swimming, sitting on the beach, lathering sunscreen, still getting burned, and eating. We hated to leave this paradise location, but gave in and headed back to Chennai.
I spent my last few days with Megan and her folks in Chennai. We rang in the New Year at Meg's house, sitting on the roof at midnight to watch the fireworks that were being set off around the city. We went to the temple and sights at Mamalapuram on New Year's Day. The ancient carvings were amazing, but we were a little overwhelmed by all the people, motorcycles, and vendors in the city itself. We got back to Chennai and enjoyed a late lunch at a crowded and popular restaurant that served its food on banana leaves. Megan and I ate Indian-style (with our hands) but Kevin and Beth opted for spoons!
It was a delightful holiday filled with funny stories, great photos, and adventurous eating. It was hard to say goodbye to my friend. It's back to my routine, but I am already planning our trip to Jordan in April!!
