Bus to Munnar

Checked out of Brunton Boatyard Hotel and left Kochi in heavy rain and heavier but still orderly traffic. We can't avoid comparison all the time with the country's north, namely Rajasthan. Apart from the obvious difference in the climatic types, Kerala seems not as poor. We were told the human development index is higher, with better education and health. Whether that was credit to the social support from the significant church presence or the lengthy Marxist regime, we still don't know.

The winding road through dense tropical jungle to Munnar reminded us of Malaya, especially the Cameron Highlands. The rain eased as we climbed higher and went on by jeeps to the Windermere Estate, a cardamon and coffee farm among tea plantations which also serves as a tourist resort. At 1600 metres it is a cool respite  from the humid heat of Kochi.   Did we learn that the temperature drops l deg F every 800 feet? I have forgotten.  KM

Dinner was Anglo-Indian food - green pea soup, curries, and bread & butter pudding.  But not the bred and butter pudding of boarding school - this had a variety of fruit and cardamom.
Piccies below.

Not my best photo - but this is one of the jeeps that took us to Windermere Estate.

 Tea explanation and tasting.

 And also needs a spittoon - just like wine.

 Landscape around our hotel complex.  Damp, but cooler than Kochi.

KM ventured to the lookout.  We were literally in the clouds.

More food - and spices, synagogue and dancers - by KM and K

Last night we had Portuguese style Fernandez pork. After the heavy lunch on Biriyani we were spared the gluttony of yet heavy meal when the organiser mercifully cancelled a dish. We burnt off some of the stored energy through a vigorous discussion of range of issues with WA and QLD participants traveling in the group.

Today went off with the roar of six "rickshaws", the tuk-tuk style efficient transport for short distances everywhere in India. We visited a ginger drying warehouse in the Spice Market locality.

Then we called at the local synagogue. Religious tolerance had attracted Jews from western Europe, adding to the long term residents said to date back to the time of Christ. Their population growing to as much as 70,000 but today only five Jewish families remain and they keep the practices going even without a rabbi. Pictures not permitted inside.

Lunch was another cooking demo

covering a range of dishes including fish molee (means it has coconut in it) and a rice pancake,

prawns,

and a chicken and  a beef curry and a delicious vegetable dish with it.

We had trouble keeping awake, and even through the loud drums and cymbals of a classical India theatre not unlike what we saw decades ago in Bali.  This is preparation for the performance

and these are the dancers. (not Kay with them).

With all the food we had consumed over the past few days, we are so pleased that tonight's dinner is "independent", meaning we will have little more than a lettuce leaf.

I (Kay) couldn't resist posting these pictures of our breakfast - dosai - an Indian pancake.  Coffee, juice and toast are still there!

Sweating out on food

We had a walking tour in humid conditions, looking at historical sites including the Chinese Fishing Nets (yes, they were here before Vasco Da Gama), a method of fishing that the Chinese left behind involving massive timber frames to bring nets into and out of the water. Observing this morning that only a few tiny fish were caught, it was not surprising that the Chinese gave up the copyright and left the method behind.

 

We walked on to visit old colonial relics including the Dutch cemetery and St Francis Cathedral the latter where VDG was buried for a while (until his wife took his remains back to Portugal).

Food is the theme of this tour and we have not been disappointed. Last night's highlight for me (KMK) was the prawns dusted with tea leaves.

 and today the fish biriyani was exquisite. First the demonstration

 

 and then the eating.

Dessert was egg strings cooked in syrup with scrambled bananas and nuts.

 More to come!

Day 1 - Bits and pieces

We are still recovering from the fact that Kerala is so different to Rajasthan.  Beef is widely eaten (so we were told), and 35% of the population is christian, mainly Roman Catholic.  We saw so many churches and statues that we could have been in Rome.  There was no on-coming traffic on the roads last night, but we will see what today brings.

Our hotel is lovely and spacious.  Breakfast was a dilemma between western breakfasts (vegetarian) and dosa and idli.  We had both.  The tour begins in earnest this afternoon. 

Some piccies from our walk this morning.

Hotel menu - we found out tonight that it is a Keralan favourite.  Anything can get stuffed.  Not just the racing industry.

Even with all those colonial connotations, KM had a go at the "punka". (Cloth fans moved by hand)  It reminded him of bell-ringing!  I had read about them but never actually seen them before. Mechanical fans had been installed.

And saw this.  I assume chat (or chaat) is street food.

And for those of us old enough to remember Longreach many years ago.  This is where the goats went.

Kochi here we come

Arrived finally after a long drive from Kochi Airport through dark unlit roads of questionable quality, at a very comfortable hotel at Fort Kochi.

Even more interesting was the chat along the way with the guide Sindhi who seemed very happy with the Communist victory at local elections yesterday. He was certainly not a supporter of "that Right wing" BJP central government under Modi and claimed to have organised a "beef eating" party in protest against the northern "obsession" with avoidance of beef in the diet, a party that was attended by Hindus as well! The north-south divide is certainly more deadly than the State of Origin game back home.

Weeks earlier I had congratulated myself for getting a visa in a few hours online when Kay had to make 2 treks into the city, only to find at the airport that I had to spend 20 minutes being finger printed and image scanned. IT may takeoff, but humans can still drag it back to earth.

And our tour of Kerala hasn't even started yet!
Kin Mun

Singapore

I arrived here on 6th November, Kin Mun earlier on Wednesday.  Ah Pa (KM's father) is still in Rehab and doing well.  He  is not keen on standing just yet, but cheerfully does all the exercises prescribed for him and is regaining his appetite.  He is due home in a week and the OT has been to the house to advise.

Below are Wai Zin, Chin Siong and Kin Mun with Ah Pa.  Together with BL, they have a regular schedule of visiting and WZ has taken a keen interest in Ah Pa's rehabilitation.  She is a gem.

 
Then BL took us to the airport.  Our trip is finally beginning.  This is the first time we have had this tag on our luggage.  And we are leaving from SIN.

Kerala. Our nerdy tour - spices, food & history.

Before 7 November
Depart Sydney for Singapore

7 November
MI 468 Depart Singapore 19:55 Arrive Kochi (Cochin - Airport Code COK)  21:55

Time Zones:

Sydney        AEDT  UTC +11 hours

Queensland AEST  UTC +10 hours
Singapore    SGT    UTC + 8 hours

Kerala          IST      UTC + 5:30 hours

8 November
15:30 Coach to Mattancherry Palace. First built by the Portugese in 1557, it was rebuilt by the Dutch in 1663. The murals in the king’s bedroom which depict mythical scenes from the Raas Leela and the Ramayana are a masterpiece of Keralan paintings.  Coach back to hotel.  
18:30 Lecture: Cochin & the Spice Trade followed by dinner in the hotel restaurant which explores the rich culinary heritage of this trading centre. Overnight Cochin.   
Brunton Boatyard Hotel, Near Aspin Wall, 1/498, Calvetty Road, Fort  

Cochin, 682001. Telephone: 484 221 5461.  www.cghearth.com

9 November
Cochin. A morning walk around Fort Cochin includes the Chinese fishing nets, which have been in use since the 14th century and St Francis Church (c.1510), one of the earliest Catholic churches in India and the temporary resting place of Vasco da Gama. A cooking demonstration focusing on the Mopilah (Muslim) culinary tradition of northern Kerala precedes a private lunch. Muslim traders may have settled on the Malabar Coast as early as in the 7th century and have since developed a cuisine with distinctive flavours. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight Cochin.

 

10 November
Fort Cochin. Jewish merchants and Christian settlers arrived in Kerala with St Thomas the Apostle in 52 ad. The Paradesi Synagogue, built in 1568 by European Jews, is tucked away in the heart of the Jewish Quarter. Its airy interior is enhanced by hand painted Chinese floor tiles and European glass chandeliers. A cooking demonstration is followed by a Christian lunch in a private home. Opened in 2009, the Folklore Museum houses a private collection of Keralan artefacts. Overnight Cochin.

11 November

Cochin, Munnar. In the morning, drive through the coconut palms and spice plantations of the low- and midlands to Munnar, the centre of Kerala’s tea industry. Located at an altitude of 1,600 metres, this hill station was discovered by Scottish planters in the 19th century and was once the British Summer capital of south India. Tea tasting session in the afternoon. First of two nights in Munnar. 

Windermere Estate, Munnar-Bison Valley Road, Pothamedu, Munnar 685612
T:+914865230512 / 693 / 978

12 November

Munnar. Drive around the rolling hills to one of the 30 tea estates in the area. After a walk around the plantation witnessing pickers at work, visit the processing factory. The Tamil lunch in the estate’s bungalow reflects the tea workers’ origin from the neighbouring state. Overnight Munnar.

13 November

Munnar to Thekkady. Leaving the tea growing region of the high altitudes, drive through thick forests of teak and rosewood to reach Thekkady. Afternoon walk around a spice plantation to explore the growing process and the complex network of correlations between species. In the evening, dinner focuses on locally farmed produce. Overnight Thekkady.

Spice Village Hotel, Kumily.

14 November

Thekkady to Kumarakom. Ayurveda, the Hindu system of natural medicine originates from Kerala and uses numerous plants and spices also found in the local cuisine. The Sahyadri Ayurveda centre–the largest N.G.O. in South India– grows its own plants and produces its own brand of medication. Privately hosted British-influenced  lunch in a planter’s home. Afternoon drive to the backwaters, a network of lakes, lagoons and canals with its unique ecosystem. First of three nights in Kumarakom.\

Hotel Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom.

15 November

Kumarakom. Morning walk around Alappuzha (Allepey), the first planned city in Kerala, dating from 1776. The dilapidated mansions of the Gujarati spice merchants are easily recognisable with their intricately carved wooden gates. After the final cooking demonstration, lunch is sadhya, the Keralan banquet consisting of a variety of vegetarian dishes and traditionally served on a banana leaf. Return to the hotel by boat. Overnight Kumarakom.

16 November

Kumarakom. In Kottayam, the 450-year old Cheria Palli – ‘Small’ St Mary’s Church – displays unusual symbols on its façade. The original murals inside were painted using natural pigments. Nearby, the Valia Palli – ‘Big’ St Mary’s Church – houses 2 Nestorian crosses, one of which may be the oldest Christian artefact in India. The hosted lunch highlights the distinctive culture of the region and is followed by a walk around the farm. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure. Overnight Kumarakom.

17 November

Kumarakom, Cochin, Singapore. Leave early to drive to the international airport (c.2 hours).

MI 467  Depart Kochi 22:55pm  

18 November

Arrive Singapore 06:00

19/20 November Singapore

21 November

SQ 211 Depart Singapore 09:40 Arrive Sydney 20:30

Burke & Wills

We are in Melbourne.  But there are reminders of our trip to Birdsville in 2013.  It was where Burke & Wills began - and ended.  This is the memorial in the centre of Melbourne, with pictures of a couple of the panels.

The panel showing the DIG tree.

This is their memorial in the Melbourne General Cemetery.

And the blurb:

The grave of the remaining survivor - John King.

And a cairn (and the blurb) to mark where it all began in August 1860.  Their point of departure from Royal Park.  They ended up quite close to where they began.

Melbourne is indeed Burke & Wills Town.

Back home

Both of us now safely home.  No diversions, no dramas, just jetlag, unpacking and washing.


Leaving LHR Wednesday evening.

Same view the next morning.

I still marvel that they stay up in the air for as long as they do.

Last day in London

Today (Wednesday) is my last day in London.  Mercifully it was cloudy so didn't seem so hot.  But the taxi on the way to Heathrow showed 37 degrees.  Fortunately it isn't particularly humid.  One lady at breakfast told me that her (long distance) train had gone slower than usual yesterday because of concerns about buckling rails.

Anyhow, got to the British Library - absolutely no queue.  Obviously not in the league of the British Museum.  Saw yet another exhibition on the Magna Carta and saw a second one.  Not in as good condition as the one at Salisbury.  I believe Br Library have two, and Lincoln Cathedral has a fourth.  Two Magna Cartas is plenty - no need to go looking at more.

Then saw the permanent display.  Original scores of music ,jottings from the Beatles,  letter from Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to the pope (no prizes for guessing the subject matter), lots of Bibles, other sacred texts, including some in Chinese.  The old books are beautifully illustrated.  Also a Guthenburg Bible.  They were comparing how many scribes would be needed to publish what the press could churn out.  But even the ones off the press needed hand decoration.

And one item was given to the British Library in lieu of an unpaid tax bill.  Wonder what we have that would satisfy the ATO?

Pictures not allowed inside, so here is one outside:.

And this is the view of the walkway between Kings Cross and St Pancras Stations. Like a scifi set.  

Now at Heathrow waiting for flight to Singapore and home to Sydney on 3 July.  So the next post will be from Sydney.  Unless we have some other excitement on the way home!