Indian Stories - Part 8 - the End - Goa, Karnataka, Kerala

The remaining month of India I spent in a more relaxing pace. A few days in a very touristy but pretty Goa.



Then I spent two days wandering around magnificent Hampi in Karnataka state and back to the coast of Karnataka - Gokarna.







I spent one week in Gokarna area (Kudli beach, Om beach, Paradise beach) doing absolutely nothing besides hiking almost daily to Gokarna town itself. I cannot say enough good words about that small place. I think we shopped in every small local shop for Himalaya products, cotton sarong, bangels or homemade ice-cream. We also witnessed tradition ceremonial Yakshagana dance that lasted till the sunrise. I took pictures of male actors that were putting up pigmented make up on their face before the long show.








After Karnataka I head down to Kerala to meet up with my friend from London who did not yet know what I had prepared for her in my last two weeks in India. The plan was to travel back north from Cochin towards Mangalore escaping the touristy crowds of Varkala and Kovalam beaches and backwaters of Alappuzha (Alleppey).

I enjoyed Cochin and the Chinese Nets:



Then we went to Munnar, the tea plantation country, so far the most amazing scenery I have seen in the south of India.











After that we spent time in Kannur, the up and coming beach destination according to the Tourist office of Kerala. In reality Kannur is a small town with no facilities for tourists. No umbrellas on the beach, no hostels, no restaurants, no backpackers, a complete nightmare for some, a complete paradise for me. Even auto rickshaws did not speak English.

The romantic mist of Kannur:



Green scenery is passing by the window of general class train we took further north:




We managed to book a houseboat for 2 nights/3days in the backwaters of the north Kerala. This boat was all to ourselves with our own guide, chef, driver and electrician (for something like $300). The backwaters phenomena of Kerala was enchanting – swimming in the salty ocean water that looks like a river.



our houseboat (kettuvallam):


We felt special in non-touristy part of India, especially during the backwaters trip. All the kids would run out of the houses to wave at us and to take pictures of white foreigners. I have never felt more welcomed as a backpacker. It was absolutely adorable. I have at least 300 pictures of school kids, teenagers, moms and dads, elders who were greeting us with a sincere smile on the banks of those water channels.

Here is the whole class that came out to look at us: girls part


Backwaters of Valiyaparamba:








This post is the last about India. Thanks to everyone who managed to follow my long stream of photographs.

Full sets are on flickr - Goa, Karnataka, Kerala.

Let me know what you think.

DASH at INSEAD

So today we are running DASH at INSEAD, one of the funniest events so far. Last December intake made a great video, watch it on youtube here.

In costumes we run from Heritage Apartments to INSEAD campus (10 min walking). I was The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland with Alice and The Queen of Hearts running after me in the race.

My fellow Inseaders don't stop to amaze me in their creativity. My favorites are Flinstones who created their car from scratch, The Incredibles and The Fruit Salad with the chef, and many many more.

Just now I walked alone to the nearby mall in my bunny constume, with ears, paws, clock, and a pink jacket - the whole deal. I never had so much fun before. People were laughing at me. The kid screamed "Rabbit" in the supermarket, and people asked me if it were my job. So I decided to continue with my role today and bought two packs of large carrots to chew in class.

Indian Stories - part 7 - Mumbai

I was suffocating in Mumbai for 3 days. I do not remember a city more humid than Mumbai. I guess what was pissing me off the most was a complete lack of budget accommodation. The cheapest room was 10 times my usual expense per night, but in much worse condition. They say that the real estate in South Mumbai is more expensive than in Manhattan. To live far away from the centre is not only not much cheaper, but also very cuborsome given the size and layout of the city. Mumbai is the 4th largest city in the world with the population of 17 million people. The Mumbai's Suburban Rail Network transports about 7.2 million [source] commuters A DAY. See the post about the dangers (10-15 people die daily on tracks). To compare - 700,000 people pass daily Grand Central in New York and 3.7 million people pass through CST Station in Mumbai (former Victoria Terminus). So you get an idea.

The Victorian architecture and completely crazy Thief Market were the highlights of the stay before I was heading south.

Indian stories - part 6 - Udaipur

Udaipur was a lot of fun. I got stuck there for 5 days because of Diwali or rather because of overbooked trains and buses in the whole country.

Finally I could relax and enjoy the view from the guest house's roof top.

My personal top in Udaipur:

- walking away from the touristy area one day before Diwali and during Diwali festival, experiencing the "shopping" fever in the local markets, eating Diwali sweets, seeing celebrations, festive dresses, games, fireworks and other traditions





Somebody even noticed my reflection in the black eyes of this cute girl:




- taking a car with a driver and going into Indian countryside - It can be quite in India. I tasted custard apples for the first time. Married women in the part of Rajasthan wear large nose rings. I managed to get one decent picture. I have hard times taking pictures of people, or rather asking for permission




- Udaipur town itself with its nice









Set of my best pictures from Udaipur

Indian stories - part 5 - Jodhpur in less than 24 hours

I was passing by Jodhpur, the blue city of Rajasthan. I visited the Mehrangarh Fort, my fifth fort in 10 days. Haven eaten practically only in the guest houses (locals in Rajasthan do not really eat out), that night I was looking for McDonalds! Big mistake. Two days before a big holiday of Diwali (“Festival of Lights”), the city was going crazy. New beginning means new clothes, new everything, the whole country goes shopping.

The very next morning I fled to a smaller Udaipur.







A few other photos on flickr

Indian stories - part 4 - Jaisalmer

If in Bikaner I felt "I finally found it" ["it" being that adventure, that discovery feeling about a place, hospitality and curiosity of the locals], then in Jaisalmer I lost it again. Jaisalmer Fort with its narrow streets inside, Jain temples and millions of souvenir shops is gorgeous. I look at every picture in my album and I love it - the colors, the shapes, the texture... but it was difficult. 10 days in India and I was still untrained in dealings with local annoyances. I had to escape the constant haggling in the privacy of four walls of my guest house.

Better late than never (only 5 months later) I will show the beauty of Jaisalmer:






I visited all three mysterious and beautiful Jain temples and I love my "alive" goddess. I admired the great detail in decoration, but I would not say I understood and remembered much about the ancient religion of Jainism. It is too complex to understand with my random visit to a temple or two.





The fylfot (swastika) is among the holiest of Jain symbols and as Jaisalmer has a significant Jain presence, swastikas (along with Ganesh) are seen everywhere, more than anywhere in Rajasthan. I even stayed in a guest house called Swastika [as an eco-conscious tourist I stayed outside the Jaisalmer Fort :)]





Lastly, no visit to Jaisalmer is complete without watching sunrise (or sunset) over the Sam Dunes in Thar Desert.



More pictures on flickr set. Please tell it is quite pretty, no?

Indian Stories - Part 3 - Bikaner and Thar Desert

From touristy Jaipur I escaped to a small town of Bikaner (Rajasthan). The differences were striking. I was left alone to wonder around town, everybody would stare, but nobody would dare to speak. In the quest for old havelis (merchants' mansions of Northern India) I got lost only to be found by a gang of kids. In Hindi they would demand to be photographed, fighting for the spotlight, and later rushing to see themselves on the screen. Lots of fun.








Then I was saved by an English speaking teenager and my journey around Bikaner began. I saw havelis, I took more pictures of kids, I visited a Hindu temple, the bazaar, witnessed a wedding procession, talked to some curious tailors on the street (now with the help of my guide). Finally I ended up in his cousin's house where the girls were painting my feet with henna. My "go with the flow" theory has worked flawlessly. I could not have asked for a better day, but I got it - in the afternoon I visited the magnificent Junagarh Fort built by Raja Rai Singh.

It must have been not only its beauty, but also quietness of the fort that made such a strong impression on me. I spent at least 3 hours wandering around and still did not manage to see all the room and listen to the full audio guide. Each room had a story and its own design.



My next two days I spend flowing through the Thar desert on a camel's back. The camel safari around the area is known to be less crowded and more "authentic" than in Jaisalmer. The experience is a bit too slow as the landscape is not changing, but I appreciated a lot to experience the simple food cooked for us, the desert village life and sincere curiosity and smiles of kids on the way.







Also discussing the cast system in India with our guide was quite a revolution for me.

More pictures from Bikaner are on flickr set.