Kerala's - God's Own Country
I am in Cochine now. Cochine is in the state of Kerala which is well known in India for its 100% literarcy rate, low infant mortality and suberb health care system; a side to India I have only heard about.
After the long bus ride back to Cochine I am impressed I am still in one piece. Although I slept for almost all of it there was an interesting traffic jam that delayed us more than 2 hrs. It was interesting because the roads here are so bad and narrow that 2 cars going in opposite directions can pass each other. One has to stop to let the other pass....and in INdia its all about seizing the opportunity and size that the man with guts and the truck always win. Our bus driver lacked guts in my opinion, hence our delay.
Today Ramith and I did a boat tour of Cochine. This is the 1st of our 3 boats tours we expect to do over the 4 days. On the tour we met a guy Ramith called Chili Chicken. The man was from Korea and wwas doing everything a foreigner would do - walk all over the place, have no respect for people, places or things!! Ramith coined the named from an Indian movie called Munna Bhai MBBS where a Bombary loan shark fooled his dad into beleiving he was doctor. Upon his dad realizing that his son was a crook, the son decided to enter medical college to prove his worth to his father. In the movie, Sanjay Dutt (the actor) acts his henchmen to fetch him a body so he can learn to do an autopsy. The kidnapped a chinese fella and called him Chili Chicken (hence the nickname). Funny guy but try to avoid these ppl when travelling, never helps when you need the locals to help you out.
Our boat tour of Cochine started us off with a viewing of Jew Town where we saw a Dutch palace and an old synagouge. We then moved to St. Francis church and witnessed the Chinese fishing nets in action. And to top it off we went to a beautiful palace (this is where Ramith's sister was married). The highlight was the guard who was fishing while guarding the palace.....real secure palace eh!!!
At this point I want to mention 2 things. I just finished reading the Kite Runner - an excellent book and one that I would recommend. Also, an Indian movie called Dilwale Dulyane Lay Jaige (sp>) has been showwing for a record 500 weeks in India. Great movie and I have seen it 6-7 times now. I still remember being dragged to see this movie by my mac friends. how I hated them and then loved them after seeing that movie. Alright, the POA (plan of action) - this is something I have recently learned from Ramith over the next 3 days is as follows - backwater tour, followed by a 2 day trip to Thekkady (a tiger reserve) and Munnar (a hill station filled with tea plantations).
After the long bus ride back to Cochine I am impressed I am still in one piece. Although I slept for almost all of it there was an interesting traffic jam that delayed us more than 2 hrs. It was interesting because the roads here are so bad and narrow that 2 cars going in opposite directions can pass each other. One has to stop to let the other pass....and in INdia its all about seizing the opportunity and size that the man with guts and the truck always win. Our bus driver lacked guts in my opinion, hence our delay.
Today Ramith and I did a boat tour of Cochine. This is the 1st of our 3 boats tours we expect to do over the 4 days. On the tour we met a guy Ramith called Chili Chicken. The man was from Korea and wwas doing everything a foreigner would do - walk all over the place, have no respect for people, places or things!! Ramith coined the named from an Indian movie called Munna Bhai MBBS where a Bombary loan shark fooled his dad into beleiving he was doctor. Upon his dad realizing that his son was a crook, the son decided to enter medical college to prove his worth to his father. In the movie, Sanjay Dutt (the actor) acts his henchmen to fetch him a body so he can learn to do an autopsy. The kidnapped a chinese fella and called him Chili Chicken (hence the nickname). Funny guy but try to avoid these ppl when travelling, never helps when you need the locals to help you out.
Our boat tour of Cochine started us off with a viewing of Jew Town where we saw a Dutch palace and an old synagouge. We then moved to St. Francis church and witnessed the Chinese fishing nets in action. And to top it off we went to a beautiful palace (this is where Ramith's sister was married). The highlight was the guard who was fishing while guarding the palace.....real secure palace eh!!!
At this point I want to mention 2 things. I just finished reading the Kite Runner - an excellent book and one that I would recommend. Also, an Indian movie called Dilwale Dulyane Lay Jaige (sp>) has been showwing for a record 500 weeks in India. Great movie and I have seen it 6-7 times now. I still remember being dragged to see this movie by my mac friends. how I hated them and then loved them after seeing that movie. Alright, the POA (plan of action) - this is something I have recently learned from Ramith over the next 3 days is as follows - backwater tour, followed by a 2 day trip to Thekkady (a tiger reserve) and Munnar (a hill station filled with tea plantations).
posted by Tanbir Grover @ 9:42 PM
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