India: Varkala to Kanayakumari
The bands on the move again. After a few days in Varkala, we needed to press onward to get to the east coast of India. Again the trains would be our chariot and the route would mean two overnight stops. One in Kanayakumari where the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Indian ocean all meet. Its supposed to have crazy sunrises and sunsets. Then to Madura, a temple town. And then take a bus to small town India.
Last Varkala Sunset
We have been towing our suits around to every town we have been in, always saying we are going to mail them back to the states but it never happens (the suits are the brown bags below).
Our Gear
We are slowly realizing that nothing in India really happens on time and thats ok. This train was almost an hour late and on top of that the class of service we bought (3rd class AC) wasn’t even offered on the train. So we just hopped in the sleeper class. Which despite its name is one of the lower classes. And of course the train is packed and about 100 degrees and humid. Somehow we managed to miscommunicate and chuckles hikes 5 cars ahead and I stow my bags in a car. Then we had to double back with all of the gear and reconnect. Was taxing on the nerves and the sweat was positively soaking through.
The Car
Eventually the train started to empty out. And again, nothing in India is as printed. Our 2 hour trip was more like 5, but eventually we settled in. As we went deeper into the south, the lushness of the environment increased. There was water everywhere, and the sun was doing amazing things to the colors.
Lush
As the train rolled through Trivandrum, it emptied almost completely. It went from about 100+ in a car (which should have no more than 72) to about 5 of us in our car. I liked how the area looked empty.
Vacancy
We also have to introduce you to Mary. She is our empty Mirinda bottle and held our window open: we tried to be sure she had a good view of all of the action.
Mary
As the trip went on, it started to rain. I liked the way the raindrops clung to the bars.
Poppins
We rolled into Kanayakumari in darkness and with no hotel room to stay at. We did it once before, we can conquer again.
More later
India: Varkala
Varkala!! After striking out in Kochi for a cool place to stay we decided to head to Varkala, a cliffside beach town for a couple of days of R&R. As you can see from the other posts, we have been hard charging through India thus far. Spending a day at a place, seeing a ton, and then moving on. We needed to take a little time and relax. Also with the year coming to a close, we needed to find a place to celebrate!
The plan was to take a train from Kochi to Varkala. It was only 200km away on the map and there was an easy train station in Kochi. But since nothing can be super easy, we had to also anticipate a couple of hurdles. The first is that we didn’t have a place to stay in Varkala! We called all of the places and they were booked full. Not a room available. Reading the online forums and suchs it did seem like there were a lot of places that simply didn’t advertise on the net and weren’t in the lonely planet or other guide books. So we would just figure it out when we get there. The second challenge was that in the entire state of Kerala, the transportation industry (non governmental) were on strike. So that meant no taxis, rickshaws, hired cars, etc. So that meant a walk to the train station in Kochi which wasn’t so bad, just a few km. But in Varkala it was a much longer hike. We were betting that some type of black market would either spring up to help or we would just figure it out there. Chuckles was determined to get there after the seed had been planted, so off we went.
The indian train experience was shaping up to be an adventure. The trip to the station was hot and humid, and once there, it was still confusing. But the staff was helpful and we found our platform. It was packed with folks, but seemed orderly.
Waiting
As we waited for the train to come, we investigated one of the trains sitting parked on the tracks. It was a second class train, a meta, tube with just bars over the window openings to prevent decaptittion, but the loss of an arm or leg was totally game. It was dark, and the heat shimmered off the hot metal. Jeez, i am glad we sprung for the deluxe Sleeper Class. The train pulled in and ignited the mass rush to board. We had no idea where we were going. We just got on. All the cars in front of us said sleep class, but tell me why did it look just like that parked metal oven across the track. Uh oh, this was going to be a long ride. Since there were no seat assignments we could understand, we ended up just standing in the doorway, and of course the toilets were there to keep us company. Standing and braced against the wall we shoved off.
The scenery inspired the senses. The land was green and lush and the air was clear. Kerala really is beautiful. It felt much more like Thailand, cambodia, Vietnam, etc. vs. The dusty bowl of the north.
The guy below had such a strong face.
Pensive Keralan
Not to be outdone, the wafing of the train pulled Chuckles in as well, and we just enjoy a bit of rickety calm as the scenery passed by.
Pensive Chuckles
The interior of the train was basic. The metal shell, cut openings for windows, bars for anti-decapitation, and vinyl boards for chairs. In each area anywhere from 6 – 10 people could be wedged in. The official seating chart said 4.
Lounging Family
Feet & Heels
The car master Kept looking curiously at us as we stood for the ride. Eventually he came over to ask if we wanted our seats. We said we’re cool, but colloquial English expressions are often misinterpreted, so we were whisked to sit down. He cleared some women and children away and we felt awful. But he told us they were his children, and with the seat cleared we took it. That was a good idea. That train ride was not an hour and a half like we were told, but more like 4 hours. It was exhilarating to watch the trains pass. I swear they run closer than we do in the states, forcing debri from the tracks into the train.
Passing Trains
Arriving in Varkala we were stoked to be approached by a rickshaw driver! Either he didn’t get the memo on the strike, or he was willing to take the risk. We were down. It’s the first time in India that the touting was desired. As we crossed the tracks to get to his rickshaw we did pass other drivers. Looks like the strike was planned to try and have the least impact on tourism. Normally in India you do not let the rickshaw driver take you to hotels, as they get a commission and it’s rarely the places you want to stay. But remember we were all tapped on places. So we went along for the ride. The first place was nice, but it was off the beach and we really envisioned one of the magical beach bungalows we had read about. Determined to make the sale, the driver took us to another place, and it delivered! Bamboo hut, outdoor shower, 100ft from the main cliff side and beach and an awesome home base for the next couple of days. We took it, and the price ws reasonable. This is the peak of tourist season for Varkala so we were prepared to pay, but this place rocks for like $24!
We dropped our gear and went to grab some grub. Dinner was delicious. We had some fresh prawns, fried chicken, and a fish cooked in a banana leaf. On the prawn note, when the bill came we learned that the prawns here are made of unobtanium. You know the stuff from Pandora. Yup, it’s crazy expensive. The fish was like $3, the chicken $5, the beers $3 each, but the prawns. Damn, like $5 each!!! and of course we gorged on them because we didn’t know… Lesson learned. The best part of dinner though was the dance troop that came and performed some hip hop moves for us. In the middle of the restaurant, they broke out into a hip hop, so you think you can dance it, it was awesome. Led by the choreographer and obviously the best dancer, the troop weaved karalan, western, and african dance into a smooth progression of movement. While note the crispest show I have seen, it brought down the house. The fire dancer took the prize though when he appeared wielding fire and burning off ever strand of body hair. He set his turbine ablaze and the troop danced around in sync and in circle.
Fire Circle
Post dinner it was a quick nighttime beach visit and bed. The next morning it was up and time to do some laundry for Chuckles. He turned our outdoor oasis into a clothes jungle.
Clothes Jungle
Varkala during the day really is stunning. The cliff hugs the thin strand of beach, and the stairs up and down ensure you go down and spend a while.
Varkala
Down on the beach the familiar tourist hustle begins, with the office for an umbrella. With the sun really heating up and my skin starting to sizzle, it was a deal. The guide books and such make Varkala out to be a hidden gem. A little known wonder. Thats just not the case. This place was packed full of Europeans. With an umbrella and home made lounge chair, I kicked back while Chuckles went to the sea.
Beach View
Safety
We discovered that there were 2 distinct beaches in Varkala, divided by a guard and a string. One for the Indians and the other for tourists. The Indians played and frolicked on theirs like we did ours and of course Chuckles had to cross the divide and made some friends. Apparently at other beaches in India, male gawkers soil the beach scene so this seems to be a type of precaution against that. Though it did feel just weird.
Post beach it was time for beers and food, since it WAS new year’s eve. The sunset was unremarkable for Varkala, but amazing to us.
Sunset
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As the sun dipped and the food and beers flowed, I couldn’t help but have that moment of reflection on my life. Yea it’s cheesy I know. But damn, life is good.<
India: Kochi
With the North in our rear view, we headed south. Mentally we really have built up the vision for the south. We want cleaner, more green, less drama, and please maybe less aggro staring?
You can see from the other post that we flew down. We had two flights to make to get to Kochi. Delhi to Mumbai, Mumbai to Kochi. We were flying Kingfisher Airlines. The flight experience on the first leg was fine, though seatguru told us bad information about which row was the emergency exit row, so we ended up on the row right behind it 
ugh. The next flight though was rough. Small plane and scaled down to Indian sizes to get another row or two in. This crushed the knees against metal and that was no fun. But it was all worth it. Stepping off the plane into Kerala relaxed the soul. The air didn’t have very much “fog” at all. The temperature was warm and humid but not too much and there were palm trees. Yes. Tropical. I was waiting for the aggro staring to begin but it didn’t. Of course ,since I am WWF size to them, a few stares here or there but overall very nice. Chuckles was getting more attention and even then not much. Was a nice feeling. I don’t mind being on display, and as a photographer one can’t get too hypocritical about it. But it was nice to not have to deal so much with it.
We headed into Kochi to find our hotel. We were hoping to stay out in Fort Cochin, which is off the coast and a small costal town, but with the holidays everything was booked. We checked in and got settled at the hotel. We still needed to sort the next few days. With the difficulty we encountered finding a room in kochi, we decided we should probably plan for at least the next 3 days what we wanted to do. We burned a few hours calling places and reading to figure out what we wanted to do. We settled on 2 options. Visit a cliffside beach town and be bums for a couple of days or head to the backwater and be bums for a couple of days. Let’s wait for the next post to see what we chose 
but with decision made, we headed out into Kochi to just walk around.
The city is markedly cleaner, more organized, and just plain nicer than any of the ones we visited in the north. The people are friendlier and the incidence of aggro staring remains low. We headed to the train station and the scene was orderly and efficient. Unlike Mathura. The ticket agent was really helpful and patient and this was the regular indian line vs the tourist line.
Getting Tickets
From there it we strolled to find the water. Most of India during the day has great color, contrast, and texture but at night it gets even more powerful because of the lights. This was just a corner.
The Corner
The nightime stalls all light up in a fluorescent glow and does wonderful things to color.
Fruit Beacon
As as twisted through alleys and side streets heading toward the water, it finally started to hit me. I am in India! It’s amazing the things we have seen and experienced here.
Some Christmas tree lights caught our eye, and we found a bit of action.
Bubbles
It was a book fair! But that wasn’t the exciting part. The cool part is that we finally got to see some water!! The unfortunate part is that Kochi is more of a commercial port vs sandy beach but it was nice to trade the desert for the water.
We just sat by the water, had a chat, and got eaten by mosquitoes until we couldn’t take it anymore.
But the favorite shot of the night is below. Makes me love Kochi.
Boated Reflection
Post stroll, hunger and beer called…No pictures of that
India: Heading South
It’s been an eventful 72 hours sorting our Indian travel. We are now sitting on a plane heading to Kochi. Its going to be an interesting day of travel. Two flights and a taxi. Praying the nerves hold for the day.
And for those that know me, be proud, I am in coach.
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India…the efficient fun…
more posts coming as we sort the craziness that’s India! We have left pushkar gone to Agra, the train to Mumbai was running 26 hours behind, and we had a mob incident in Mathura. Now we are safe and sane in Delhi but trying to punch back and go south via air. We are in the longest queue ever to get some information on how to get our money back for this train ticket. More later.
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India: Agra, Mathura, Delhi
Leaving Pushkar to drive to Agra turned out to be quite the adventure. For this leg of the journey we were due to leave Pushkar and head to Agra for the final stint of our car and driver portion of the trip. The plan was to hit Agra and then leave from a nearby town, Mathura, via train to go to Mumbai, and then begin our journey south. But en route from Pushkar to Agra it looked like the roads were closed?? All of them in the direction of Agra? Billu was not happy and not very pleasant about it at all. We first hit a major traffic jam and that kicked off the rest of the day. The drivers have their own form of channel 9 on the highways and were quickly yelling out of windows at one another as they pulled U Turns to head in the other direction. This is where it got fun. With everyone saying the main highway to Agra was closed, it was time to find an alternate route.
This is where it got tough. The drive from Pushkar to Agra was supposed to be a long day but this turned into over 12 hours of driving. We would veer down a dirt road through a village only to find that road not functioning or not connected to the next road. Complete country villages came out to see the convoy of cars snaking through their towns. When i say dirt road. I mean more like a cattle straight or pathway. Most were barely wide enough for our tiny car, and some just weren’t. It was fascinating to take in the scenery though. Like a cliched 80′s save-the-children informercial, the kids came out en masse, waving and screaming at the cars and running along. The dust was thick and abrasive but it didn’t seem to bother them. Groups of men seemed to ponder the events; slowly gazing as we passed. And the women. Well the women just kept working. Thats the big observation we have both had here. The women of India freaking work, but every 15 feet you see a clutch of men, just hanging out. Or at least seemingly hanging out. The women were in the fields, tending animals, hauling loads of wood on their heads; but the men were just there. And that trait seems to be holding through a lot of small towns at least.
While the journey was hard, and the temp increasing with no AC, and the air too thick with sandpaper to want to inhale it; it was exciting to be on an adventure. In the beginning it was annoying, and i swear i wanted to jump into the communication chain and use my GPs to help the convoy, but after a while we just settled back to enjoy what is India.
We arrived late in the night to Agra. Billu didn’t want to drive to the old part of town by the Taj but he serendipitously offered help finding a rickshaw driver for each of us. This is where it got mildly uncomfortable for us. Each of us climbed into the PEDAL driven rickshaw to head to the hotel. And we had to have the skinniest and smallest drivers in all of Agra. We were killing these guys. Especially me. And as he heaved with each press of the pedal, I just felt bad. Must go on diet! But it was also just too much of a physical toil for him for me to feel good.
We crashed quickly at the hotel in preparation to see the Taj Mahal the next day and then head out of town to catch the train to Mumbai. We got up before dawn to go get our tickets for the Taj. Walking around this quarter of the city was spooky. The smog is so thick, that it looks like fog, and beings seem to emerge from it suddenly as you walk past. Looking ahead we saw these massive creatures that looked like something out of Cloverfield, but they turned out to be camels. But it’s scary that the smog is THAT thick.
Slinking Giants
Tickets in hand, it was time to join the queue. It was a cool assortment of people. Both westerners & Indians. It was also cool to see the long list of the restrictions for entry. They really do try to prevent anything that could be used to make a statement (flags & propaganda) and/or deface the monument (gum, candy, plastic).
So let’s get it out of the way. The Taj Mahal is beautiful. It’s just like all of the photos and it’s exactly the image you have in your head. Going before sunrise was smart because it wasn’t so hot yet and the number of tourist was still low.
When you enter, you see massive gardens and water fountains surrounding the Taj in the center. And when you get to the actual White Part of the monument you have to either take off your shoes or put on little booties to protect the marble from your feet. Nice touch. We searched for a unique place to take in the sunrise.
Photographing a crazy popular place or known monument is hard for me. I want to try and find an angle that’s unique or special but it’s almost impossible. You see clutches of tourists in the classic spots making lesser versions of the post cards you can by for $.03. Chuckles jumped up and out on a balcony and found a cool spot for some shots and we took those.
Taj Sunrise
Looking at the shot above, it’s very volumetric and “foggy” as that’s what the morning was like. But remember that haze/ fog is pure pollution that you can taste and smell.
I didn’t realize that the Taj was set along a body of water either.
River Haze
Post sunrise, we just explores the grounds and took it in. It’s quite the monument. The actual interior of the building is quite small and blocked off for tourists. So it’s a fast exploration. It’s not like Al Hambra in Spain or Angor Wat in Cambodia. And I guess that was slightly a let down. If you have seen the post cards you have seen the Taj. There aren’t a lot of nooks and crannies to explore. But it is nice to just sit on a bench and think with it as a back drop.
With the number of tourists and the temperature rising. It was time to grab a few more shots. Remember the post card shots. Ugh. I still felt compelled to get them.
Taj Pano
Mahal Reflected
The plan post Taj Mahal was to check out, rickshaw out of the old part of town, meet Billu and head to Mathura to take a night train to Mumbai.
Given our early start, we had a few hours to burn. So we went and explored Agra. We met an eager shop merchant, who wanted to help us find the ATM. For some reason we felt good with him and went on an errand adventure through the old city of Agra. It was cool as he led us through the real city. The main streets are fronted with stores selling trinkets but then there is a network of streets and alleys behind that have the real commerce. Like the Souks of Morrocco. We needed to get a SIM card, withdraw money, and food for our epic train ride.
The Real Agra
To get our cell phones activated we needed to get pictures taken and copies of passports made. Let me just say our mugshots are awesome! We look like criminals or middle school yearbook. Sorry can’t post those… Yet.
With the errands run, it was time to meet Billu and get to the train. We were early, so we dropped the bags with him and went searching for street food. We settled in on the shop below.
Samosa Hut
Doesn’t look like much but one of the shops up the street suggested it. We each got two Samosas and a Cola. Would this be the time that got us sick? We were out of hand sanitized and had been haggling through the old city. Oh well. These Samosas were delicious. Spicy, piping hot and fresh, and little dumplings of happiness. Yea, I love indian food. The best part though was the sense of pride that the shop owners son had. He was psyched we were eating there and he knew his stuff was delicious!
Proud Chef
Post Samosas and stomach feeling great, we headed back to car. We saw this pimp shoe smith offering his services. I am not sure how many of you played street fighter growing up, but this guy is a a character from that game!
Streetfighter
From here is where it all goes down hill. You can see from the other posts that the trip started to come off it’s intinerary.
There aren’t a lot of pictures at this point because it was that stressful. When we arrived at the station we checked to see what track the train was leaving from and where to wait. Just getting help was a nightmare and then when we got it the information was all over the board. One person said it was going to be 4 hours late and the other said 24+ hours late. yup the discrepancy was that broad. Meanwhile Billu is getting annoyed because he is ready to leave. This was his last point and then he could go back home and deal with his aggression solo. But we didn’t want to cut Billu Loose without having a plan because it was Mathura. This was not the Delhi train station. Mathura felt rough. The people stared more intensely than any other place and the men seemed to want to push us to fight. They formed circles, stared angrily, and started to encroach personal space. Mildly grabbing an arm to try and get your attention. Not good and not welcomed. I am used to staring, comments, jeers, yells, and even an arm grab now and then. I know the difference between cultural curiosity and just plain aggression. And these guys were just fucking with us. We finally told Billu to just leave us and we would deal with it/ figure it out. If we had to we could take like 50 of them, like Neo in the matrix. But Billu showed a rare moment of caring and said no and to call the travel office. Another few hours on the phone and it was decided we should cancel our tickets at the station and double back 5 hours to Delhi. On top of that, all of this took 5 hours to sort so it was now dark. 5 hours of Indian highway night driving. Ugh. No fun. But we made it back to Delhi, found a dirty and cold place to stay and went to bed.
Waking up, we were done with the north. With the trains not trustworthy, we turned to the planes and plotted a plan. We went to the train station first thing in the morning to try and get a refund on our tickets. While the bureaucracy was taxing, we did learn we were entitled to a full refund on the tickets! But we had to hurry and get it from the travel agency before the train departed. Doubling back to the rebel agency, the guy of course starts his hustle about cancellation fees. Nope. Not going to play that game dude, we just got back from the train station and it’s all ours. Ok ok, he goes. Ugh. Really. He still got us for a $1 but if it’s that important to him, he can have it. We booked fights and it was off to Kochi in the south.
We had high hopes for the south. India hadn’t yet caught the flame in my imagination or heart.
India: Pushkar
Pushkar. So waking up in Pushkar for a day of pure exploration and no travel was exciting. We rallied the tribe for a quick breakfast and then we were off to walk into town and explore. Pushkar is a small town known for it’s Brahma temple, one of the few existing in the world. It’s also has it’s share of Sikh temples as well.
It was nice to just stroll into town and not have to deal with Billu. We actually called him in the morning to drive us around for the day. But he just lied and said cars couldn’t go in the old city. The walk was more fun anyway.
We did see some of the traffic Billu was obviously fearing.
Traffic Jam
Pushkar sits in a desert region as thusly the camel safari or ride was always being offered. But this one family was very interesting to just talk to about their camels and their curiosity about what country I was from.
Camel Family
One of our first stops was at a Sikh temple. If you look at the traffic jam shot you will see it in the background. This was a cool experience. To enter the temple you had to cover your head and body and enter barefoot through a cleansing pool. The temple itself was made of marble and felt calmingly cool underfoot. It was a simple temple with a reading room in the center, but it did have a very cool walking labyrinth etched into the marble floor. Clearing the mind while tracing the pattern soothed the soul.
Back on the town we walked toward the market area. The goal for the day was to walk the markets, go to Brahma Temple, and see the Ghats.
Descending into the Market
The market vendors were out and active. And the locals were buying. I always wonder how far people travel to these markets because having driven through the countryside to get there I really wonder where all the green vegetables and fruits come from. This woman had a modest display for sale.
Wrinkled Onions
We also spotted this guy selling fried wonton like noodles. Looked to be a tasty snack.
Wontons
Our tribe grew thirsty and so we stopped for some sugar cane juice.
Sugar Cane
Popcorn was another staple that was everywhere and it really did look delicious. I promise that in another week we will be eating out of the hands of strangers (literally), but I am just not there yet.
Orville
While there is a lot of selling going on, there is also a lot of just living too. This family was just staring out onto the action.
Bouncy Baby
Again texture plays such a deep role in this experience as well. The layered smell of diesel, urine, cow dung, samosa, masala, dogs, and people intermix to create a olfactory ballad that’s unforgettable. It dances across the brain. Really unforgettable. But speaking of texture the shot below caught my eye.
Foil Vendor
We finally found our way to the Ghats and it was an experience. The Ghats are the stairs down to the Pushkar lake. When you approach them, the hustle begins. A holy man comes to take you down to the lake to talk to you. Of course he doesn’t want any money. So they put rose petals in your hand and down to the water you go. Once you get down there its time for a ceremony and some chatting up by the holy man. I don’t mean to sound jaded but the hustle is hard. There have been some very amazing people who have gone out of their way to guide or help us. But a lot are working it. And I can’t decide for sure which category these guys were in. I decided to let the rest of the tribe descend and I would watch shoes and just observe. The holy man did not like that. He kept pushing me that it’s ok, no money, it’s holy. No I’m good for now. One by one I watched them get separated and counseled. And one by one I watched the wallets come out for “donations”. I just didn’t like it. It was good to experience and have a quiet moment there. What’s even more fascinating is that when you have had the experience they tie a bracelet on your wrist. Like a symbol or rather signal, that you had been through it. Was it a scarlet letter or the pope’s ring? Hmm.
Post the Ghats it was back to the market and to see some of the other side of the town. The market is organized along a strip in front of the Lake, and while the lake is encircled with development, there is definitely a front a back to town.
Working our way to the back part of town we attracted a beggar. But she was different. Had a delicate but scary aura to her, and she had taken a liking to our tribe.
The Hobbit Beggar
Her face was so finally wrinkled but her demeanor was almost child like. She is still stuck in my head.
We made it to the back side of the town and were looking for a quiet place to take in Lake Pushkar and we found it and shared it with a new friend.
The Pilgrim
We spent some time just experiencing the place and lake. Seeing the settlement around this small lake as the sun began it’s arc lower was calming.
Lake Pushkar
Leaving the lake, we walked along dirt roads, away from the bustling market and vendors. Passing a small farm house, a group of kids came to take a look.
Neighborhood Watch
Yea, doesn’t get much cuter than that. Our loop took us back to the main road at the top of the city. With the sun setting and the dusk swirling in the air, Pushkar started to glow.
We were among a troop of pilgrims exiting the markets.
The Flock
And the fella below had cleared his cart and was going to get another.
Push Cart
But the shot below best captures the feeling of being there. The glow, the dust, the movement, the smell.
Pushkar
