February 5 , 2014 Varkala, India

This morning Francis picked us up in Kollum and took us to his home.

We met his daughter Olive and his wife Jacquilin.

It was wonderful to see a real home and to have breakfast. This was definitely a highlight of my trip so far.

The we were off with Francis to see where he grew up.  Lots of boats and fishermen.

The boats here are sewn together with coconut rope, no nails.

I walked up to the top of a lighthouse.

And then we drove to Varkala and eventually we found the spot that Jim had booked on line. Unfortunately we first found a fantastic coconut village that I could imagind spending the rest of my trip at. Imagine when I found out that it wasn't our  coconut village but a cheap one! Of course our coconut village is not nearly the place that the other one was BUT it does have wifi and I can look and see the ocean, so all is good.

Francis took us to see the beach and to get beer before he left us. Suddenly we came across a snake charmer. I had grown up with a photo my Dad had taken in India during WWTwo of a snake charmer. This photo has now disappeared but now I have seen the real thing.

I have been admiring all the men in loungis. They continually seem to flip their skirts! One minute long, the next showing knees. Jim has joined the fraternity thanks to Francis.

February 4, 2014, Kollum, India

Yesterday, Jim and I took a five hour ferry from Alleppy down the inland waterway. It was a lovely trip.

More of the Chinese fishing nets: this time not on the shore but right in the channel.

Lots of fishing boats

and again, my favourite, the people.

I was quite excited to be going to stay at the Amrithanandamayi mission, Jim was skeptical. The ashram is enormous, more than two thousand people live there plus all the visitors. It's a huge pink edifice wedged between the inland water way and the Indian Ocean. The  site is spectacular. After checking in and getting our sheets, we made our way down to the ocean. Ama was leading some meditation. For the next hour, many people in plastic lawn chairs sat and breathed. 

Unfortunately, both Jim and I were appalled with the entire cult mentality. After the meditation, there was another service for two hours in a huge hall.  This was all songs in Hindi praising "AMA" the mother god. Ama was at this service too. By the time it ended, we were too disgruntled, and tired to eat so we were back to our bare room and drank rum and coke.  Absolutely against the rules, as is 

handholding, fratranizing with the villagers, taking photos and on and on and on.

Anyways, this morning before breakfast, we went and sat on the beach. I did two sketches and wrote this:

A flat cerulean sky

Meets the Indian Ocean

Far on the horizon.

The water is pale and calm

Until it reaches the rolling 

Beige and mauve sand.

Then the wave deepens 

To a dark blue green

And swells until it 

Can rise no more.

It collapses with

A booming, thunderous spray.

The white froth spills up the beech

And then recedes

Just before the next wave crests.

After a plate of rice, I returned to the beach where I sat and painted for four hours. it was glorious!

Then we checked out of the cult- freedom felt wonderful and we caught a tuk tuk to Kollan.

By the time we arrived, I was starving, no lunch or supper yesterday and some rice this morning and no lunch.  I was also totally scared to death because of the many near misses in the tuk tuk.  

As soon as we found a place to stay ( too expensive, but we were desperate) we got another tuk tuk to go to a hotel where they served beer and food. Jim and I ended up in the lounge called the glazier-- everything was stark white, walls, tables, chairs everything and of course the entire place was empty! It certainly seemed surreal.  Until this spot, I thought that vegetarian food was easy to get in India. Not at the glazier, Jim enjoyed spicey beef and beer and I settled for french fries! And so ends another day in India.

February 2, 2014 Alleppy, India

The men here in Kerala mostly wear skirts, they look like bed sheets. They spend a lot of time flipping them up and down. Maybe it is cooling.

It's Sunday morning and after walking in the heat and dodging traffic, Jim suggested we go get a cold drink. We went into a hotel, skipping the crowded bar and down a dark hallway to an insence filled dark restaurant. We both ordered a cold beer and we remembered a time in Siuth America where we had beer on a Sunday morning! Yesterday no beer could be sold in Alleppy, for which there seems to be no reason.

The street food is delicious. We tried some fresh donut like things this morning!

I am always interested to see Che Guevara as a symbol of freedom around the world

February 1, 2014, Allepie India

We arrived by train yesterday and last night took a tuk tuk to a restaurant on a beach recommended in Loney Planet. Lots of foreigners.they only sold beer until 6:30 so we sat and had some Kingfisher beer and eventually had a great supper

The camels were on the beach

Today we took a five hour boat trip through the canals of Allepie. This is the Venice of India but it didn't look a bit like Venice.  A lot if the canals were narrow and the land between them was narrow. In behind some were enormous rive paddies. We even saw some men throwing rice for seeding.

The entire feeling was very rural and tropical.

You can see that it is the people that captivate me.

Also the birds

We had a traditional Kerela lunch by the shore; four types of curry, fried fish, boiled rice, served on a banana leaf and all eaten with fingers. It was delicious. 

January 0, 2014, Kochi Fort, India

F

Tiny, bony, birdlike women 

Peddling jewelry,

Beads, bobbles glittering gold.

Trinkets to embellish and beautify.

Eating, smoking, sorting, cajoling.

Fushia, saffron, peacock blue,

Flowing fabric,

Draped,  wrapped, tucked and gathered.

Their children: tiny babies laying along side necklaces,,

Small boys racing,  pushing, shouting,

And little girlsh sitting quietly,

Waiting to be mothers.

January 29, 2014, Fort Kochi India

Had a relaxed day today sketching and painting.

The Chinese fishing nets

A little quarter sheet watercolour

I also bought a cane so hopefully it'll help my walking.

I decided to try Indian food again tonight. I hate to miss any good experiences but I also hate feeling sick.  A conundrum.

I liked this photo of three nuns with motorcycle.

Coconuts

And of course the beautiful colourful women always cath my eye.

January 27, 2014. Fort Kochi, India

 Arrived this morning by over night train. Unfortunately, I had stomach problems and so it was a horrible trip. Fort Kochi was supposed to be a nice back water but it is so touisty that after a little walk about town, Jim and I were fed up with trying to dodge all the hawkers. One chap invited us out on a wharf and then wanted a $1000 rupees for the honour.

The entire beach was lined with these traps and men peddling fish.

This is a Chinese fishing trap. It's lowered by a counter balance of enormous rocks and then. Then raised by a bunch of men on ropes. The catch was all small,

Then the fellows had to climb out the poles to get enough weight to put the net back underwater

Loved the baskets of spices and the fabrics leave me drooling.  Unfortunately, I don't want to buy anything. My load is way too heavy as it is.