Lesson 21 from India: Things are not always as they appear.

Our last night in Fort Cochin they treated us to dinner and authentic toddy (fermented coconut) YUM. Over dinner they shared the real story about Pinky, the 13 year old cousin that works for them and sleeps in the kitchen. Contextually the rest of the family sleeps in the living room. This was a little less of a Cinderella story than we had thought. She is from a very poor family in the North. Her last job was working in a hotel from 6am-12am, in the middle of the day she went to school. With no care from her parents or brothers she lived in rags and her destiny was ultimately to be sold off into marriage at a very early age. Working with the homestay family she’s far better off. She is paid well, has nice clothes, some freedom and can save for her dowry. In this progressive province she won’t marry until after the age of 21. Her boss cares for her but is strict to keep her from taking advantage which, apparently she has done before. Such a shy smile. She won’t even accept a chocolate bar unless you put it in her hand. Her sister will be joining her soon to work at the homestay. This family has rescued her. Still she will never be their equals, have the same love, privileges, or the freedom to just be a child. At 13 she must care for the 6 and 9 year old.

Cheesy angst poem:

Pinky Pinky makes excellent chapathy.
She washes my clothes,
but drinks no toddy.

Thirteen, thirteen, do you get a hug,
In between dishes and cleaning the rug?

I want to walk and tell you its fine
And give you the freedoms of my women-kind.

Would you believe me if I said I am not better than you?

I’m glad your sister is coming.

We left for the road at 6am, the kids and Lisa cried as we said goodbye. As always she has made an impression with her genuine love and affection for children. We will keep in touch with them.

We made it to Cherai Beach but Lisa was taken down with another heinous cold. After a restless night sleeping with little biting red ants we ditched that town and enjoyed a hair raising ride to Guruvayur. This is a hopping temple town with few foreign tourists so we stayed at a very swanky hotel for $16 until she got better. The staff were so amused by their foreign guests that we received phone calls starting at 8am to see if we needed anything. Lisa had tickled the fancy of the hotel receptionist so much that she came up to the room to take a picture of Lisa and touch her face. Then there were the two yes, two curious bell boys who came to the room to deliver, what must have been a very heavy roll of toilet paper. hahaha

This was an amazing place. We enjoyed authentic South India Thalis (traditional lunch) all served on a banana leaf, and eaten by hand. Yum!



There is a huge Hindu temple where they keep elephants for grand religious celebrations. If you want that your son gets a very good job you are welcome to donate large sums of gold so your prayers may be heard. Or, you may also wish to donate an elephant. They are sadly taken from the wild from their mothers and trained from a young age. Wild adults would not tolerate chains. Occasionally an elephant will lose its wits and go nuts. For such intelligent, social and magnificent beasts, their true home is in the wild. I know, I know, the context of millennia of tradition is not lost on me but still, too much context can cloud and issue like a thick smog clouds the lungs.

Lesson 22: Sometimes things are exactly as they appear.










On Sunday the town exploded with weddings. There was so many beautiful people and things to see here. Music around the temple at night, dancing, groups of pilgrams. We said wow a hundred times a day.






Now for the most endearing things in India:

Endless, endless, endless, endless, amounts of character.
Amazing birds with elaborate calls.
The food.
Street stalls.
Cool insects.
A city of lights on the ocean from small fishing boats, all night long.
Shiny sweets, shiny women, shiny shrines.
Chai chai and more chai.
The morning chorus breaking through the ubiquitous crows.
Magnum PI moustaches.
Night-time bat watching. Small bats…HUGE bats.
Men holding hands in friendship.
Turquoise ocean.
Big huge smiles
Being giggled at.
Unabashed starring.
The kindness of the people.
Their easy going attitude, nothing is a problem, even the traffic doesn’t stress them out!
Learning to eat with our hands.
Learning to use water instead of TP.
Longis (south indian clothing worn by men)






























Moments we could have done without:

Fresh dead dogs on the road in the morning.
Rotting dead dogs on the road in the afternoon.
The morning chorus of horking.
Being laughed at.
A huge dead bat electrocuted on the wires.
People who take a dump directly into the ocean.
People who litter directly into the ocean.
Explaining why Lisa’s hair is short, and yes, she is female.
Not holding hands in public.
Sharks being served at tourist restaurants. (endangered)

Most gagable moment:
Going to the post office, the man behind the counter does a farmers nose blow on the floor of the office, turns back to serve the gagging Lisa who swifty leaves the office asking Michelle to complete the transaction.

As soon as Lisa was well enough we moved on from Guruvayur. From there we’ve cycled over 100kms on a mostly rural ride, hitting the town of Thirur for one stinky night, then on to Calicut, a busy, relentlessly honking, smoggy city. The vibe has changed somewhat from the chill religious tones of Guruvayur and further south. Our presence through this stretch has been met with more flabbergasted jaw-dropping intrusive stares rather then the mostly kindly curious looks we’ve been used to so far. There are still very few foreigners here. Lisa did have to give one man a loud talk down and a hard whack on the shoulder for being inappropriate towards her. No, not all western women are like that.

And finally it was my turn to get sick. Giving into the temptation of butter chicken, I’ve learned my lesson too stay away from meat in India. After 4 days of sickness, we were happy for the satellite TV in the room, and we’ll be happy to get out of here.

Tomorrow we leave by car for Wayanard Wildlife Sanctuary (too far to cycle with no stops) in search of breathable air and wild elephants, the only kind we’ll give money to see.

If you've liked the photos so far, most of them are Lisa's doing!

Thanks for writing everyone!

Hi-tailing it,
Michelle and Lisa

(P.S. Tracy, yes we should have brought that extra tool, I broke a spoke on my back wheel! ha ha...we'll find someone to fix it, do you fancy flying out?)

We stayed 5 days in Kovalam, a beach town fabled once as a pristine destination for hippies in the 70’s. Now more developed and touristy, the relentless sellors really do ruin the atmosphere when your chillin’ at the beach. The beauty of this place lives in contrast, past and present meet and cultures shake hands.











Two days of riding brought us to next beach, Varkala, where we stayed a week. It has such a beautiful beach which the police keep most annoying beach vendors away, and we were able to find our peace. We slooowwwweeedddd dooowwwnnn considerably and sunk into the beeacchhhh life, dude. The heat of the sand in the afternoon made us stupid and sunburnt; so we took to siestas and early morning swims. Covering up in the sun is a necessity, now I know why the head dress started.

You know your relaxed when you have the time to separate the colours of the sand grains.


We met some really nice travellers from Switzerland with whom we shared a few meals. Its nice to meet people on a similar cultural level and not have to pretend we have husbands or that we are Buddhists! Not just that, they were a refreshing couple who see more to life than work.

These beaches are a gentle mix of all. The early mornings have yoga practitioners greeting the day, traditional fishermen returning from their all-night vigil and groups of Indians starting the day off right with religious rituals and prayer. The afternoon sees relatively naked tourists baking in the sun, there lounge chairs and umbrellas are slowly surrounded by fishing nets laid out to dry. The evening bring Indian families for an evening stroll or swim. The boys play in jovial groups and the women wade in fully clothed. We were sad to leave.



Lisa got knocked off her bike on a very small road in the beach town of Varkala…some &#*$ing people! Arg. She was fine, but after a very frustrating day it was the icing on the camels back.

Since Varkala the craziness of the roads have somewhat calmed. We are finding that the 4-lane highway is our best bet as it has at least a 2-foot shoulder. The passing lanes are a very very good thing for bus drivers with something to prove! We’ve learned how to ride here and how to cope. This involves and ear plug in my traffic-side ear, a loud bell and an air filter. Happily we plug along, now very much enjoying our rides. Honk if your Indian!










We hopped a 8 hour ferry up the back water canals of Kerala to bring us to Alleppey.









It was a gorgeous ride, not without its usual realities. The canals are both the sewer system and the swimming pool. The many jellyfish spoke of polluted waters and any far off view is hazy. We were transported to a time were modernity hadn’t made its ugly footprints.




With some of the most biodiversity in the world India has a lot to loose and a lot to save. Cool encounters so far: Kingfisher, big jellyfish, garden spider.




















Another 60kms brings us to Fort Cochin. We found a homestay in a gorgeous house that is spotless and friendly. It even has children to amuse Lisa! Lisa worked on the parents so we could take them swimming for the first time ever! They were ecstatic and so were we.






One day, playing together in the rickety park Lisa noticed a boy around two, playing alone. We brought the police who laughed and explained he was a gypsy street child and not from this province, so there was nothing to do. Eventually a girl came claiming to me his sister though not knowing his name. The child ran off…across the road. It always feels better at least to try. Humph.
The family is lovely, besides the cousin who is 13, works all day and sleeps under the kitchen counter and certain belief-systems we just can’t jive with…we’ve had an amazing time with them so far. We feel at home, have many conversations, share stories and play with the kids. Last night they treated us to authentic toddy (fermented coconut) and a delicious meal.

We took in a show of Kathikali dance, the traditional dance of this province Kerala.


Through all our amazing experiences so far, we now feel adjusted and comfortable in India. It’s a spiritual place, and that’s adsorbing into us. It’s a strong calm in a place that only appears chaotic a first.

Much to the children’s delight we’ll go swimming again today for the second time. Dad has promised to take them once a week now and try to leave the fear of his drowned brother behind.

Tomorrow we head off for an 80km ride up the coast.

We hope that you are all keeping well...

Making waves in India,
Michelle and Lisa

Trains, bikes and toilets.

The train ride to Kanyakumari can be described in extremes. It was both a testing experience and a enlightening one. It tested our tolerance levels for the lack of basic hygiene, all the while gifting us with the most open and generous company. We stayed for two nights in a sleeper class train car which would have been perfectly fine for a shorter journey. Each car is divided in to sections of seats which are folded down into 8 vinyl covered beds in the evening. There, as most places we’ve been so far, was no place for garbage which as we found out was to be either chucked out the window or put down the hole between the cars. The environmentalist in both of us screamed a strong catholic-like guilt as we were left with little choice but the best option: to put it down the hole, at a station where it might get cleaned up. As you can imagine the country side is riddled in garbage piles, some of which are burned which add a lovely toxic smell to the afternoon breeze.

There was an relentless number of passengers coming on and off throughout our trip. One family of 10 that stayed with us for our first night were a lovely matriarchy, with grandma at the lead. The women felt our skin, smiled, giggled and we knew they spoke about us often. Lisa made fast friends with the 4 kids. She has an amazing ability to find joy in children and adults alike, using an honest and genuine smile and greeting. Lisa taught the kids tic-tac-toe, thumb war and others. The only common language was Fun.

Steetal a twenty year-old shared her blanket in the cold night and due to an over crowded train, ended up sharing my bed as well. They offered us food, enormous smiles and we communicated with each other with more than actions, drawings and no more than 7 English words.

Turns out they were only to able to pay part of their fare and nearly got kicked off the next day before making their pilgrimage to their temple of choice. A long incomprehensible argument ensued and we eventually offered to pay some of their fair. The ticket man gave them (and us) a good deal and they remained on the train. They relentlessly offered to pay us back, but we would not except explaining to grandma that it was pay back for kicking a man off the edge of Lisa’s bed during the night (probably harmlessly so since there was no where else to sit). We enjoyed/endured their presence for most of the next day. Having 14 people who never stopped talking (loudly) crammed in a space for 8 was a wee bit taxing!

Glad to see the back of them, some quieter Krishna pilgrims took their place. So very pleased with us for being generous to that family. Every snack, meal was shared. Every smile immeasurably kind. We were blown away by their kindness, and they were just happy to know they were spreading more good karma. Here's a picture of one the Krishna pilgrams in a spiritual position.

Lesson from India no. 2= The people who have the least are the most generous.

Lesson no. 3= Big smiles and a ‘hello’ will reveal almost any rude-looking stare to be what it really is; harmless curiosity.

After two nights in the train:

-we both stopped visiting the hole-in-the-floor-toilet unless in was absolutely necessary. It was becoming beyond unbearable.

-we both stopped eating due to the overwhelming dirt, mess, and crowdedness, it just became too unappetizing.

-we were completely sick of the relentless precession of food sellers chanting their wears up and down the aisles starting at 530am-even though much of it was delicious and very cheap.

-Lisa got a cold from a ‘docter’ who coughed in her direction for an entire night.

-we swore we’d never do it again

-we swore it was one the best experiences we could have had.

We spent a few nights in Kanyakumari so Lisa could get over her cold. The place was far too religious for us, the Christians starting prayer over a loud speaker at 530am, then the Muslims at 6am and the Krishnas at 630am. We left amongst many stares on our first leg of cycling. A 90km ride became 120km as we weaved in and out of towns because of vague directions towards Kovalum, which every one said, ’yes yes 20kms away‘, for the entire journey. We learned to ask the rickshaw driver’s for accurate mileage.

The ride here was a bit stressful, everything people say about Indian traffic is true. Just when we thought we’d have to change the plan we met 3 cyclists from South Africa who had cycled all the way!!!!! (it took 21 months). They said there are small coastal roads that are not on the map, you just have to ask the village people along the way and keep the ocean on your left. Sounds good to us! There’s even a little ferry we’ll take, to avoid the big roads. Don’t worry we are being safe!

We’ll spend 4 days here, recovering from the ride and our sick stomachs. We will enjoy this touristy place, its many palm trees and exotic birds, get a massage and swim in the ocean, seeking out the least inflated priced places to eat and sleep.

We met a friendly English bloke whose been to India for the past 11 years who helped us plan the next leg of cycling. We’ll head up to Varkala next around 50-60kms away on Jan. 13^th.

Happily our second hotel here seems giant-cockroach free! And we JUST experienced our first black out, which we came prepared for with headlamps. Ha ha ha.

Mumbai-from slums to cell phones

Where do I start? How about at the beginning. Our first experience was leaving the airport in the cab. We stopped and a crippled man was asking for change, from the slum adjacent the airport (surrounded by a wall of garbage). The police came over and started to whip him with their thin sticks. I asked them to stop, please, this was all I could do, until the man got to his feet and continued to argue with the cops. This picture was taken just before.

We've been in Mumbai, India for five days and its feels like forever. It is a world away. With all of its endless differences, one can still see we are all the same, just in different places, living along-side different cultures-that are slowly converging.

There are 16 million people in this city (half the population of Canada). There are 29,000 people living per square km. 55% of them live in shanty towns or slums. At first it seems insane, by the second day it is something one must except to be reality.

This being said there are many good things happening here, mostly for the middle class-festivals, music, life, fun, family time, environmental action, social action. There are education initiatives for slum children and so on. There are snacks to enjoy on the way home from work at a million different food stalls, there is fresh cane juice, colourful sites, many friends to be had. Even the low class work and go about life finding some happiness its seems. Compared to the very very very poor, they're doing OK. Its all relative.

Its amazing to me how some have claimed a square of pavement as their home, for them, and perhaps 2-3 tiny children. One most lasting vision was the wee baby sleeping in a sheer shall tied between two fence posts. There it will live, or die, amist the stench of the train station and piles of rubbish. This is perhaps the worst off one may be, others have the broader community of the slum and a tin roof and walls.

There is a huge, and I mean HUGE gap between rich and poor, however the overall standard is quite low, and most buildings are crumbling, most streets are dirty and all of the air is polluted. There are so many people, garbage is burned in heeps or left to decay in this city's many crevasses.

Our position in society here is sickening, we are beyond privledged and could probably eat in any hotel were India's most famous bollywood stars might eat.

We visited the Taj Hotel, down the road, to see the tribute the those who passed in the Mumbai bombings or "26/11" as the papers call it.

Our first hotel, huge cockroaches and all, was snuggled-in beside Leopold's (another site of recent attacks). There we discovered the picture hanging which covered quite a large bullet-hole, the pillar beside Lisa which had and entry and exit wound, and a few others.

Have I freaked you out yet? The thing is, Mumbai is in mourning, but there is something else this place has shown me. Dispite all the thick smog that hides the oceans beauty, dispute the layer of dirt on the face of the poor and the leaves of the trees, dispite the rats and roaches of the night, dispite murderous extremists...there are 16 million heart beats here, the women still dress up, the smiles are twice as bright, crows still gowk and socialize. Life is in full swing, the fervor and push of life, undenyable. It is hopeful. The pulse is so incredably loud I am awed by the beauty and ugliness of humanity.
- - -

• There are a million amazing things to look at every second.
• South Indian food is pleasurable and cheap! Lisa is doing very well with the spice! Its mostly vegetarian AND gluten free!!!!
  
• We are fat compared to everyone.
• 25 degrees to an Indian is cooooooooool weather.
• We've spent 2 days sucking in fumes and meeting very interesting cabies to obtain our vietnamese visas-which we'll have to pick up when we get back to mumbai, in 7 weeks anyway! ahhhhhhhhhhh!
• We are getting better at haggeling, but we still suck.
• We are definelty getting better at crossing the road. ahhhhh!
  
• You don't know traffic.
  
• We don't like closing the curtains before snugging.
• We do like noticing there other gay people here who can't hide it very well either.
• It must be true, Southern India is more laid back. So far, the level of hassle we get on the street is nothing we can't handle. Cuba was WAY more annoying. Still- apparently -we are drop-dead gourgeous.
• Indian clothes are beautiful and comfortable.
• sikhs, muslums, hindus and christians all live in this city.
• Someone wabbling their head at you is a very good thing. :)

- - -
Tomorrow we take the train to the most southern tip of India. It will take 2 nights to arrive there. After waiting in the hilarious 'foreigners' line up (a.k.a. the people who stick out like a soar thumb stand here line up), for such a long journey we hoped for our own lockable train car, they were sold out due to the holiday season. So we are happily forced to do what we should have in the first place-experience the real India and enjoy the company of such nice people.

From there we will put our bikes back together and get ready to ride baby ride, up the west coast and see how far we can get, physically, mentally and spiritually.

We're loving it.