Kathleen a eu une belle parade

Ce matin en marchant à la plage, nous avons rencontrées une nouvelle famille Écossaise qui s’appelle Kelly, avec six enfants. Ils sont à Varkala depuis six mois. Demain nous allons faire ensemble avec d’autres enfants un parade à la falaise de Varkala.

J ‘ai hâte à demain:

Aujourd’hui nous sommes allées vers les Kellys à 2hrs pour peinturer nos faces, essayer des robes et des costumes pour les enfants en préparation pour la parade. À 4 hrs, une groupe de 20 enfants et une dizaine d’adultes sont allés au helipad pour attendre le commencement de la parade. Quand la parade a commencé, toute ensemble, nous avons marché le long du sentier de la falaise. Mais soudain, il a commencé à pleuvoir,d’abord nous sommes allés un peu plus vite à Coconut Grove, ou la parade a terminé.

J’ai bien aimé mon costume!

The parade by Robert

Sunday at 2:00pm we went to the Skylark Art Garden to get dressed up and to have our faces painted for the parade. About 20 kids put on bright costumes with pants and shirts in matching colours of blue, yellow and purple. Artists actually painted the kids faces –and one lady’s shoulders- into amazing designs. With our costumes on, we walked to a large open area at the beginning of the cliff path where we met an elephant and some drummers, who were going to be in the parade with us. We paraded along the cliff top and everybody in the restaurants stood up took pictures of us. We got to the end of the cliff top and the parade ended at the Coconut Grove.

Here are some of the things I really liked about the day. I met a new friend named Madov who wanted to show me the neighbourhood as we walked to the cliff path. The elephant led the parade. Half way along the elephant peed all over the path. It was funny to watch all the marchers trying to step over the huge puddle! At Coconut Grove, Madov and I played the African drums.

It was a great day!

Le Puja

Papa, ma soeur et moi sont allés a la plage de la falaise pour attendre ma mère. Quand elle est arrivée nous sommes allés se baigner. Après, j’ai demandé à papa : est ce qu’on peut aller faire un puja, avec le prête hindou? Papa a dit oui. On a trouvé le même prête qu’on a rencontré hier et puis il nous a fait un cérémonie de prière. Nous nous sommes assis sur le sable et il nous a présenté chaqu’un une feuille de banane. Le prête nous â donné des fleurs et il a expliqué de faire un tour de notre tête avec les fleurs dans nos mains et les déposer sur nos feuille de banane. Par la suite nous avons répété les mêmes actions avec des bâtons, des petites graines, de l’eau, du riz et d’autre fleurs.
Ensuite, les feuilles de banane remplis de choses sacrés, il a demandé à papa de donner une de ses feuilles aux oiseaux. Par après, il nous a demandé d’aller au bord de l’eau et nous avons lancé nos feuilles par dessus nos têtes pour les donner aux vagues. Pendent tout ce temps le prête disait des prières. Pour terminer le puja, le prête a mis de la poudre sacré sur nos fronts.
Est ce que to sais où vont les prières? Ils vont à mes ancêtres qui sont morts.

Robert

More Photos

To see more and better quality photos,check out our flickr site
by clicking on the link at the right.

Geography of Varkala

I have been writing about Varkala as if it were one entity, however some precision will be needed as I try to describe the areas we are exploring. So far I can distinguish three districts, each with its own distinct features and population.

Varkala Town is a typical small market town in South India. With a population that I estimate to be around 10 000, it has a train station, a bus terminal and a constant buzz of traffic along its tangle of streets. The town centre covers a few blocks with stalls selling the usual assortment of vegetables, pots and dishes, plastic buckets, shoes, and clothes. Away from the centre radiate three main roads (one leads to the beach) along which are schools, a hospital, a multitude of shops, offices and eventually houses. We have to go to town for anything more than the milk, eggs, oranges and biscuits that our corner shop sells and for specialized services such as enquiring about an Internet connection or to use a bank machine. Town seems to be reasonably prosperous (so far I have encountered only two beggars) and most of the locals appear to be working and middle class Keralans. On a typical visit to town we might see a few other westerners.



Varkala Cliff is about 2 km from town. The cliff district is a series of restaurants, guesthouses and shops that have sprung up in the past few years to cater to western travellers. As the name implies it is a strip that winds about half a kilometre along the top of a cliff overlooking a picturesque swimming beach, aptly named Cliff Beach. The Cliff district is quite charming and calm, especially the portion that is inaccessible by car. Many of the buildings are still made of palm fronds, but these are being replaced by newer brick and concrete structures. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the Thamel area in Kathmandu from the 1980s, even down to the touts encouraging passers to go into the Kashmiri and Tibetan shops. Now that we have been here for more than a week, many of the shopkeepers recognize us so a stroll down the cliff is a constant interaction: “Hello, nice family” and of course “Hello Madame, come look my shop”, “You want dinner? Very fresh fish”, “Elephant ride” and so on. The western population can be sorted into two main groups: At the Sun Set Restaurant, listening to reggae, smoking and drinking coffees, the patrons seem unchanged from the people I met on the beaches of India 20 years ago: tanned and sparsely dressed in locally made clothing, they have been in Asia for months and Varkala is just one stop. The tourists staying at the Green Resort appear to be the product of the now easier travel to India and their fresh sunburns and western clothes indicate they have just arrived or have come for a two week vacation in the sun, like the woman from Manchester we spoke to last night. The cliff beach is where the westerners swim. It has great waves for body-surfing, medium fine sand, lifeguards and umbrellas for rent. Our house is a five-minute walk to the cliff and we most often swim at the cliff beach, so we are there at least once a day.

The true Varkala Beach is about a half a kilometre along the coast from the cliff and it has been a resort attraction for Indians long before it was “discovered” by the Lonely Planet Guidebook and western travellers. An important Hindu temple that is said to be more than one thousand years old attracts pilgrims from far away and the healing waters and Aryuvedic treatment centres have spawned numerous “resort hotels” ranging from the very simple to the opulent Taj Garden, which at over CDN $100 per night, caters to the wealthy from all over India. The people at Varkala Beach are completely different from the bikini wearing sunbathers at the cliff. Last Sunday morning we went to Varkala Beach in time for puja. Sitting in the shade of makeshift palm frond walls, a row of Brahmin priests were selling flowers on a banana leaf to be used as offerings, or puja. Indian families dressed in their Sunday best lined up to buy a puja and have it blessed, and then proceed with the little pile to the waters edge, toss it into the waves and say or chant some prayers. No-one was getting wet. Even at non-puja times, most Indians go to the beach only to walk on the sand. The more adventurous will wade up to their knees in the surf, the women fully clothed in saris and the prosperous men in shirts and trousers, only a few athletic men will actually swim. A woman I spoke to said that most Indians do not know how to swim, but that is changing as now all children in Kerala schools are given instruction in swimming.

Our House in Varkala

The house we liked the best and which we moved on to was the one I had seen first: We wanted to be away from the honking horns and loud busses on the main road and this place is in a very rural (but not always quiet) location down an almost impassable track, but still is less than a 10 min walk to the beach.

The house was purpose-built to be rented to foreigners so it has the amenities we want, and some surprising features. The building has 3 main rooms, plus a kitchen and a little porch. It was billed as a 3 bedroom, and there are three beds, but one is in the dining/living room, so we use it as a sofa, and it makes a good guest bed. (Everyone who has said they plan to come and visit, you are welcome to the couch for one week!) Each room has a bathroom with a shower and a sit down toilet, but no toilet paper holders! The kitchen is very clean with marble floors and granite counters, but otherwise was completely empty: a sink with a cold water tap and nothing else! No appliances, no cupboards, nothing. After some negotiation the owners supplied a two-burner cooker and a fridge, and Santosh (Aunt Jane’s friend) lent us some dishes, so we can prepare cereal, omelettes, sandwiches and tea.

The house is designed to stay reasonably cool. High ceilings with fans and large open windows on two sides of every room let the air circulate. As well, the windows are protected from the sun and rain by a large concrete overhang and each room has a 2 inch slit at the very top to let the hottest air escape. The windows have ornate iron grilles, but no screens so when the glass and curtains are open, they are truly open and any bugs or noises come right in (thank you Dan and Johanne for the mosquito nets).

A well in the side yard provides water, which we have been told is better than bottled water (we still boil just in case) bur we have to remember to switch on a pump every couple of days to fill the roof top tank. There is just one tap at each sink/shower that issues gravity-pressure, luke-warm water, which is really all we need and far more than I had expected for living in rural India.

The electricity is a bit temperamental. We lose power at least once a day for an hour or so, and the plug in the kitchen stopped working after a couple of days. The landlord implied that a good solution was to move the fridge into the living room where there was a working plug, and many Indian families do keep their fridge in the living room, presumably to better show off this sign of prosperity. After some discussion he finally came and fixed the plug. The lighting is harsh: a bare bulb in each room with no obvious way to rig any sort of lamp-shade. Ann has put a reading lamp on our list of things to buy, but there is really nowhere convenient to plug in a lamp.

In many ways we are living in traditional, rural India. We are surrounded by trees, particularly coconut palms, and have an open field on one side. Our neighbours keep cows and their chickens roam into our yard foraging for scraps. We can hear the bleating of sheep or goats nearby and there are crows in the morning and crickets at night so it is never quiet. The smell of wood smoke is always in the air as the neighbourhood women do some of their cooking over wood fires. This is a fairly prosperous neighbourhood so the more modern sounds of recorded music, television and phones ringing also waft through our open windows. Already we have got to know a few of the neighbours and Rob and Kathleen are over playing with new friends as I write.

An interesting cultural difference is that it seems perfectly acceptable to ask how much one paid for something. Whenever I say I am living in a house, people (this includes our neighbours, rickshaw drivers, waiters in restaurants, the lifeguard at the beach etc) immediately ask how much rent I am pay. So in this spirit of Keralan openness, we pay about CDN$ 265 per month, plus electricity. I think this is about double what an Indian family would pay, but it still seemed reasonable to us.

Again I think of how I worried about finding a suitable place for the family to live, and I am so pleased that we seem to have found the perfect mix of Indian culture and western comforts that will make this a memorable home for the next three months.

Le Surf de Corps

Le Surf de Corps


Une de mes activités préférées à Varkala est le surf de corps. Pour faire le surf de corps il faut que tu sautes dans une grande vague,mais si tu sautes n’importe quand, tu tombes en bas de l’océan.

Il faut sauter quand la vague est son hauteur maximum, et tenir ton corps rigide comme une planche. Pour un surfer chanceux, la vague l’emporte jusqu'à la plage. Les vagues sont très puissantes et parfois te renverse et bouscule en dessus de l’eau. C’est important de rester proche de tes parents parce que les courants d’eau sont dangereux.

J’ai hâte d’y retourner demain.

Robert

House hunting in Varkala

The grand plan always included renting a house in one of the beach towns of South India, but we were never very sure what we might find available. House hunting, whether in Lennoxville, Toronto or Calgary, has always produced anxiety that I might not be able to find anything suitable mixed with excitement that I might be offered the most amazing place to live at a price I can afford. The same sensations were there when we began our search in Varkala.

My usual ways to find out what was available do not exist in small town India; there is no English newspaper with classified ads, and we had not seen a notice board anywhere, so we had to somehow let the owners know we were looking. First, I asked the manager at our guesthouse, then I stopped in at most of the many tiny kiosks offering travel services. Everyone seemed most eager to help in our quest but needed some time to make enquiries, so I set up a series of appointment for later that day. At the last place, the woman at the counter did not understand my request, but an American at the adjoining Internet café suggested I ask at a nearby restaurant where the owner had spoken of a house to rent.

While people in the tourism industry generally speak some English, most have only a rudimentary vocabulary, which, combined with a very strong accent makes communication difficult. I was never completely sure that my “agents” knew what I wanted, and often I was unsure of some important details like what is included in the rent, when we could move in etc. Over the next day an a half I had many re-scheduled appointments but got to see five different houses, ranging from a very elegant and large house that was still so new the electric fixtures were not installed, to a very simple and extremely dirty house with no evident bathroom. Interestingly, all were asking the same rent, (which was 2,000 rupees more that I said was our maximum) or at least I think that’s what I was told. These excursions almost always included a few hangers-on whose role was never made clear, but they engaged in animated discussions and someone’s cell phone was always ringing.

Before we left Canada I had said that my greatest worry was not being able to find a decent house here in India. My fear was completely unfounded and this house hunting experience was probably more pleasant than any other I have known. After only 3 days we had found a house we really liked, at a rent we could afford and knowing the hassles of moving to a new town, we decided that we would stay in Varkala for the next three months.

Details of the house to be posted soon!

Steve

First Morning in Varkala

Our first morning in Varkala, with our bodies not quite adjusted to the time change we woke to the morning cries of the Mullah at 5 am. By 7 am the sun was up and we were on the three-minute walk to the beach for the first swim of the day. Bright warm sunshine, a spectacular view and warm, warm water to wake us up from our slumber. So warm that at 7 am it is easy to surf the waves for an hour without getting cold. What a way to start the day! The breakers hitting the beach are awesome. They will be providing our entertainment in the water for the next couple of months. The kids are bodysurfing on them, diving under them, jumping over them and basically getting turned upside down in them. Some of us are more agile in them than others. Steve has got quite the set of scratches on his nose for hitting the sandy bottom with his smeller instead of his feet!

Due to the early hour we were treated to the scene of the fishermen bringing in their catch. Their boats sort of look like huge canoes but are crescent shaped so that the men at the front and end of the boats are almost riding completely out of the water. There are about ten fishermen in the boat and they all have oars so it looks a bit like a Viking ship with so many oars going in unison. Meanwhile on the beach, there is a second group of fishermen who swim out to meet the boat with a very long rope. Once the lead swimmer meets the boat, they tie his rope onto the huge net that the boat is dragging in. Then the really hard work begins. It looks a bit like a tug of war with about 15 men on shore hauling in the huge net. They are all calling something that keeps them pulling the rope together. After half an hour the net begins to surface and the fish are pulled onto shore. As we watched, there were four boats landing their catch at the same time. One can imagine that this way of fishing has been going on exactly like this for hundreds of years.

As it is still the shoulder season, Varkala is quiet, so there are not many people on the beach. Last night, on our first supper in one of the restaurants, high up on the cliffs overlooking the Arabian Sea we could see many lights twinkling about a half a mile off shore. The fishermen were out in their boats catching tomorrow night’s supper. Perhaps the same boats that we saw coming into shore this morning. (If that were the case, it would make for a long night!) As we are so close to the equator it gets dark very early, so the burning sun just drops into the water in front of your eyes at 6 pm.

We can’t believe we have landed here in this beautiful spot in the world.
That’s all for now folks!!
Ann

Kathleen's first post

November 8.
We have been in Kochi for several days. Sadly, Mommy is not feeling well, so we stayed another day. But the rest of us are fine and full of beans. We have been for rides in about ten rickshaws. All the drivers ask for more money! At our hotel, the Renaissance, there is a pool where we have gone swimming every morning and every night. It is the hottest pool I have ever been in.

We have been to a few shops and taken two ferries. Today, the 8th of November, Mommy is feeling better so we are going to take the train down to Varkala where there is a nice beach and we will try to find a house.

WE ARE HAVING FUN!

Rob's first day in India

Rob’s First days in India

The City of Kochi
The city is very busy with lots of cars, busses, auto-rickshaws, motorbikes and bicycles. There are lots of shops, people, both poor and rich, and tailors encouraging you to buy their stuff. There are interesting juices, like pineapple, cucumber, watermelon, orange, lemon and lime soda. There is lots of garbage, the sidewalks are crooked in spots and there are lots of palm trees.

Next Day Nov 6
We took an auto-rickshaw to Fort Kochi where we saw all sorts of things, such as a spice market, palaces. Fort Kochi is the old part of Kochi which is on an island. To get there you have to take a boat. Old Kochi is full of markets and alleyways. We went into a palace, which now is a museum, where we saw paladins (things for strong men to carry the king), spears, a swing and murals. Later that day we went to the clothing bazaar in Ernakulum (new Kochi) where the boys bought shirts and mom bought an Indian outfit. Lots of people asked us where we come from and what are our names. They were very nice and polite.

Written by Rob, Nov 7th

We've arrived. November 5th

November 5th

We arrived early this morning, safe and sound after a long, but never very boring, series of flights.

After 28 hours of travel with only sketchy naps, we were revitalized by the view of the approach into Kochi. Quite quickly we went from dark to light and then we could make out the western ghat mountain range rising out of the clouds on the horizon. Suddenly the mist was gone and we could see the brilliant green landscape of Kerala, divided into sections of palm and banana forests and intricate patterns of agricultural lands, all intersected by meandering rivers.

The new terminal at Kochi airport is beautifully appointed with marble floors and huge glass walls. At 7am on a Sunday it is very serene place. We breezed through customs and immigration, changed in to short sleeve shirts, ordered a prepaid taxi and headed out into India. The intensity hit us immediately as we walked by a throng of people crowded against the railing in the 30C heat, presumably waiting for arriving relatives, and on towards the confusion of vehicles jockeying for possible customers. On the 40 min drive to our hotel, Kathleeen marvelled at the liberty of no seatbelts, Rob asked why drivers honk the horns all the time, and Ann tried to let the driver know we were not in a rush as he weaved through busses, trucks, rickshaws and countless motorbikes. With all the windows open we could feel the heat, humidity and all the smells of the tropics.

Everyone we have encountered in India has been so friendly and helpful, even if we are not quite sure what they are saying. The Renaissance is a middle level business hotel, sort of an Indian Ramada, with a delightful pool and garden, which we headed for as soon as we could unpack our bathing suits. After a refreshing swim and a huge brunch of scrambled eggs, sausages, idlies with two very spicy curry sauces and masses of fresh pineapple, the jet lag hit hard and we crawled into our A/C rooms at noon for a short nap.

The flight Over

The Trip Over

Nov 3rd, 7:40 pm depart from Trudeau airport. The flight is 100% full, the kids and I have seats in the middle section and Ann is 4 rows away. I thought we would all fall asleep quickly as the past week has been so busy, but this was the first flight ever for Rob and Kathleen, so the excitement of the dinner, mini TV with games and movies, writing in their journals, going to the bathroom, and getting up to say hello to Mom, kept us all awake until breakfast time. The flying time is under 6 hrs and the British Airways service is excellent, considering how many people are crammed into the aircraft.

Nov 4th. 6:45 arrive in London. We have a four hour stopover at Heathrow, most of which is spent getting from Terminal 4 to Terminal 3 and then waiting in a “beastly” queue for security.

I am a bit surprised that the crowd waiting for the 11am Gulf Air flight to Muscat is almost entirely made up of budget travellers and Indian families connecting on to India, Thailand and Nepal. In fact I did not see anyone in Gulf Arab dress. After boarding we sit on the tarmac for an hour and the captain tells us that a container has become jammed in the hold. Already the Asian acceptance prevails and no one seems too upset, but then most of us have long waits in the Muscat transit lounge, so what’s the hurry. Seven hours flying to Muscat, with mediocre food and pleasantly disorganised cabin service. The plane is completely full, but this time we sleep for a few hours.

Arrive Muscat at 10pm local time where there is no walkway so we step outside into the desert heat and walk down stairs and across the tarmac to the terminal. We are the last people to get off the airplane and go through the security check but still the Omani security guards are so friendly they almost seem glad to see us. Upstairs at the Muscat airport is very western with a Duty free boasting hundreds of scotches and a faux Starbucks Coffee Shop. Our flight is due to depart at 1:15 am but at 12:30 it’s still not showing on the screen. The agent assures us it is on time. The departure area is downstairs; it seems less air-conditioned and is crowded with traditionally dressed Afgani and Pakistani guest workers asleep on the floors and benches,

Nov 5th. We are the only westerners on the flight to Kochi. There are a few empty seats and so Ann and I take turns stretching out for a snooze. The meal, curry and rice, smells and tastes fantastic. Once again the kids are wide awake and stay up for the four hour flight. Rob wakes me as soon as it is light to show me the rising sun out the window. After 17 hours of flying, many hours of waiting and 11.5 hours of time changes, we arrive in Kochi at 7am local time.