louiseinlimbo

In Sri Lanka I was joining an old Australian friend of mine who does not ‘do’ hostels, or indeed backpacking-style travel.  So I’d agreed to up my expenditure for a couple of weeks and join her on an organised tour that covered much of the island – run by an Australian company that she was comfortable with.  & we agreed to arrive at the tour hotel a little early, so that we had a day to catch up with each other before meeting the other ten people we’d be travelling with.  It was a nice hotel, with all the comforts that I usually miss in my cheap hostels (private shower with hot water, TV, buffet breakfast – and in this case a swimming pool!!), although on the flip side there is no shared kitchen so you do have to spend more money on eating out.  It was great to see Rhonda again (and to use the swimming pool and wash a few clothes in our private bathroom). But I was in for a big surprise. On the evening of the second day there, we stepped out of the room to make o...

I’d read several reports that Alleppey should be avoided as it is now so over-touristed and so no longer offers the quiet, peaceful backwater experience.  But it was rather easier to get to than the alternatives, and I’d had a hostel recommended to me, so I went anyway.  & then extended my planned five-day stay to ten, as it was such an easy, relaxing place to be! Yes, it helped that my little hostel on the beach cost me just £2 a night, that the owner was a lovely man who ran great kayaking tours through the backwaters, and that a number of nice and interesting people stayed whilst I was there – but Alleppey was a really nice place.   It has miles of beach to walk along, fishermen to watch, a good mix of local and comforting Western food, and those beautiful backwaters.   Not to mention an outdoor Olympic-sized swimming pool which I intended to utilise but somehow never found time to.   I watched birds, saw sunrises and sunsets, spent days in conversation w...

After Mysore I went back to the coast of Kerala, this time to the town of Kochi.  Well, I actually stayed in the more modern and untouristy Ernakulam, which was considerably cheaper, but from there it was a 30-minute walk and 6p ferry ride to get across to the island of Kochi.  The Portuguese navigator Vasco de Gama arrived in Kochi in 1502.  He died and was initially buried there (in 1524), but with the remains later transferred to Lisbon.  The church where he was originally buried is still there, and is one of several churches to be visited in this place. Kochi is famous for the Chinese fishing nets, which one is ‘supposed to’ photograph at sunset – see introductory picture.  The mechanism for getting the nets in and out of the water involves lots of small rocks attached to one part of the net mechanism, and it is quite a physical performance for the fishermen to raise and lower the nets, which they do on a regular basis.  The sunset picture shows the net...

My general plan was to move southwards down the west coast of India ... but Mysore beckoned.  I'd heard about the impressive palace, only built at the beginning of the last century (after an older one burnt down) and not even fully Indian as it was designed by a British architect, but very large and, as I discovered, with some spectacular rooms. This to the left is part of an area that the public would have had access to as they came for public audiences with the Maharajah,  There are a number of such corridors and spaces, all equally spectacular.  The grounds are large and impressive too, although sadly I did not find out in time that there is a free well-rated light-and-sound show on Sunday evenings ... I arrived there on a Monday.  I was also a little annoying to find that the entry fee for foreigners had, until three months ago, been the same (£1.20) as for Indians, but as with everywhere that charges for entrance, it now has a higher price for foreigners (£10)....

India is cheap, so spending some time here helps to 'balance the books', as well as giving me the opportunity to rest and build up the energy levels for the next bit of travelling.  But of course there is plenty to see in this amazing country. On my way to see the theyyam rituals, I stopped off for a day in Old Goa.  The capital of Portuguese India, it was populated by evangelising Christians, and (having been virtually abandoned when hit by epidemics of malaria and cholera in the 17th century) it now feels like some kind of museum of churches, abbeys, monasteries and convents - listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Some are in pretty good condition (like St Catherine's Cathedral, above), and are quite stunning - I particularly liked some corners of this cathedral where the walls and ceiling are elaborately decorated. However, the town was a victim of the Portuguese Inquisition, intended to enforce Catholic orthodoxy, which hunted down those accused of secretly practic...

So why couldn’t I have spent longer in Hampi, which I liked so much?  Because I had an appointment with a local guide in the Keralan city of Kannur, to start an intensive three-day trip around various local temples to watch performances of the Theyyam rituals.  The reason I had come to India … as a result of seeing photographs of these rituals posted by a friend last year.  I didn’t really know anything about Theyyam, only that the ‘costumes’ were spectacular, and that I just HAD to see these for myself. & now, after three days with very little sleep (the fire-jumping elements mainly take place during the night), I still don’t know that much about it, but am so very glad I came to see it. What I did learn is that the responsibility for carrying out the rituals is inherited – and borne by the male members of some of the lowest castes in the area, sometimes from the historically 'untouchable' castes.  The tradition dates far back in time, believed to come from the ...