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September 2001 - July 2002
India, part II
Brett Voegele2005-11-16 18:30:09
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April, after my travels in Sri Lanka - Back to India
A short 40-minute flight back to Trivandrum in India had me asking, "Where did all these people come from? Who turned up the heat? Is all this noise necessary? And why can't you understand that I don't need a rickshaw?"
Kovalam
First stop back on the sub-continent was south of Trivandrum in the beach town of Kovalam. It was the offseason, so accommodations were cheap, but there were very few people. Those of us that were there saw a beach that was now black instead of white, and thus extremely hot. Did enjoy hanging out at night in restaurants watching movies and eating fresh seafood. Took a trip further south into Tamil Nadu one day to visit the palace of Padmanabhapuram, which was good.
Kollam & Backwater Trip
Next stop, Kollam, where I scheduled a few backwater trips. The first was in a small boat punted along a canal and lake, where I witnessed coir making. They take the fibers from the coconut and weave them together to make a very strong rope. The following day I boarded a larger boat for the 8-hour trip from Kollam to Alleppey through the backwaters. A very relaxing day, as I simply sat on deck and watched the world go by. It was a more relaxing mode of transportation than the bus/train, but neither backwater trip were as good as similar trips I'd had in Honduras or Nicaragua, as these in Kerala weren't as primitive.
Fort Cochin
From Alleppey I caught a bus and ferry to Fort Cochin, which was a relaxing little place where I celebrated my third New Year - this time Hindu. As throughout the backwaters, there are many Chinese fishing nets on the coast of Fort Cochin. These are platforms in the water with a long counter-balanced arm. This arm extends out to four poles, which
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See photographs from:
India Gallery
