Christmas in God's Own Country

When you arrive in the state of Kerala in South India, one of the first things you notice is the pride of the region. Signs and busses everywhere exclaim "Kerala - God's Own Country," and I have to agree. Though I have only been to two towns in this southwestern coastal region so far, they have both been spectacular. And, we decided, what a perfect place to celebrate Christmas.


We began our Kerala time in Kochin, a quaint little port town that has a rich history. Marco Polo once remarked "If China is where you make your money, then Kochin is surely where you spend it." In it's heyday, it was one of the primary ports of call for traders from all over the world to access the bounty of India's teas and spices. There is a thriving fishing industry here, with beautiful Chinese fishing nets all along the waterfront. The nets are stationary above the water along the shore, and then they drop them down leave them until they see a catch, and then pull it up quickly. I've never seen these before and was really fascinated by the simplicity of the technique. This morning, I even had the opportunity to stand on the docks with them and help them pull up their nets. I was the lucky first morning tourist to get this coveted post. It was a joy!

Angie and I took a stroll through the local market near the synagogue and it was so colorful, I couldn't stop taking pictures! Every moment was a photo op, and a life moment! Every single sense was completely alive...the smells (which I wish I could relay) of the spice markets, the fish, and the sea; the colors of the women in beautiful saris and all the shop signs and the huge bins of different spices; the tastes (!) of delicious Indian cuisine; the all-too-infrequent cool breezes kissing our sun-baked skin; and the sounds of life happening all around us. It was a beautiful afternoon.
On the way back from the market, I walked alone through the streets of the "non-touristy" parts of Kochin to explore the corners of the city. Again, I was dazzled by the people, and the scenery, and could hardly set my camera down. Along the way, some children asked me to take their photos, and of course I happily obliged. During the photo shoot, the front door of the home opened, and the family all came out! Soon, they were all posing and asking me to take some family portraits! It was such a special moment... the family then invited me in for a nice chat (in their best English ("Barack Obama!") and tea. Upon leaving, I decided to go to a photo shop and print some of the photos that I had taken of their family. About an hour after I left, I showed back up at their house (it was not easy to find!) and gave them the photos. They were positively thrilled. They very well could be the only family photos that they have.


The next day Angie and I departed on a two-day excursion to the hill region of Munnar. Though it's famous for being a huge tea-growing area, what excited us MOST about the package was the opportunity to wash an elephant. (Yes, elephants need baths too!) Though it was with other tourists, it was an absolute delight. Not surprisingly, Angie was the first person to jump in the water with the trainers and the elephants to get to work!


Once in Munnar we stopped at a spice plantation and took a taste test. If you ever get the chance to eat cinnamon bark, do it! Yum...


Then we arrived at our guest house where the ambience and scenery were unmatched. It was overlooking a valley with about 1,000 acres of tea gardens with mist-shrowded mountains lurking behind. There was a Hindu festival of some kind, as well as it being Christmas Eve, and the valley was alive! All night there were drums and voices reaching their way up the hillside from the valley floor beneath. Around 9:00 pm, the fireworks began! That said, when it was bedtime, earplugs were required to get any sleep! The Hindus are full of devotion, and celebrate a new deity or ritual at every opportunity. It's fun to be an observer, though I'm longing to know more about Hinduism and what it is exactly that they worship - besides nearly 300,000 deities!. Hopefully before I leave India...


Next up: I will head south rather slowly and stay with a family on a plantation, then take a boat ride through the famed Kerala backwaters to reach Amma, the "hugging saint." Angie is going to take her last days and spend them relaxing on the Kerala beaches...a perfect end to a wonderful holiday. We'll meet back up in Bangalore to celebrate New Year's Eve, and hopefully not get any sleep before Angie's early morning flight!


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

With love,
Pam