Oct 19, 2004 - Out to the coast

Trivandrum is'nt exactly the most interesting spot in India to say the least, however we thought we might as well see the local sights while we were here. In addition, the bus goes to Kovalum at the end of the tour which is where we want to go in any case. We visited the Hindu temple, palace, museum's and a garden before driving to Kovalum in the afternoon. The bus was pretty full; all Indian tourists actually. Once in Kovalum we caught a tuk-tuk (three wheeler which makes a "tuk-tuk" sound as it scoots along) to our hotel; its very nice...

Oct 17, 2004 - India!... a tentative first step

We took an early flight from Colombo to Trivandrum, India; the travel went well and we arrived in a clean but basic room near the Trivandrum train station which is very convenient for all of the organizing we have to do. Didn't do too much today; basically rested in our room and then walked around town a little (everything is closed on Sundays it appears, no surprise) and had a nice vegetarian meal this evening at a local restaurant (less than $2 for both of us for great food!). We worked this evening, going through a very complex Indian...

Oct 8, 2004 - The Human Zoo

Today I decided to do the "touristing" that I have not really been doing to date. I went to the Museum Complex in Trivandrum, which houses 4 different museums and a zoo. I've realized very quickly that a "museum tour" in India often is just a place where people store various "old things" that seem interesting. The sad part is that many of these objects date from as far back as the 16th century and they are not housed in any kind of protective environment at all. They are just out being subjected to the harsh elements of heat and humidity....

Oct 5, 2004 - Trains and Sore Bums...

I took the train from Madgaon to Trivandrum...27 hours! Needless to say my bum was KILLING me when I got in to Trivandrum. Although I am travelling in the First Class train coaches so I'm quite comfortable. I had meals delivered, fresh bedding and blankets and tea and coffee comes by every 15 minutes or so. Also, the white noise of the train and the rocking really made it so that I had probably the best sleep I've had so far in India! Once I got off the train I was suffering though. I don't get motion sick on cruise ships and trains, but...

Sep 7, 2004 - Touring Kerala

2 nights in the floating room on the backwaters and it was time to head to Kovalam to relax and shake off the rocking motion we had strangely become accustomed to. The beach by Kovalam was perfect for people watching, stuffing ourselves with seafood and most of all shopping!! Neha could be found bargaining with the shopkeepers for all sorts while Kiran watched the world go by. Days could have easily become weeks here if we had not promised to return to Trivandrum for a couple of nights. We arranged a day trip to Kanyakumari, the...

Aug 31, 2004 - Over to India now

This will be a quick mail as I think a gerbil is running away in the white plastic case powering this computer - yes the computer and the connection is that fast!! We are now in India, Kerala to be more precise. Sri Lanka was a little crazy mad, with travelling from one place to another each day with little rest in between. Kiran has gone darker, in line with the natives (you have to blend in to get the lower rates don't you!) and Neha is being devoured by the mossies. Apart from that in good health. The roads in SL were interesting. Some...

Apr 12, 2004 - Mysore - Kochi

We decided to miss out Mangalore as we couldn't be bothered with another big city, with high prices and very hectic. We arrived in Kochi at 7:00, after what was meant to be a 12:00 hour bus journeys. But the driver seemed to be on a mission, as we left an hour late, and arrived 2 hours early. After this we have decided that we definitely hate bus journeys with a passion. The journey from Mysore took us through the western ghats which are a set a of coastal mountain ranges, with a lot of wiggly roads, I think all of us felt a bit sick at one...