Another day goes by and i still cldnt get up early enuff for the sunrise .... but as soon as i woke up i grabbed my camera and headed out of the hotel for a walk around Palakkad... mostly everything was closed not because it was early in the morning but because it was Onum Holidays.... there was still some activity around...
Walked around and got a few stares from people but also a lot of smiles... but there was no mention of the word, PRESS!!! maybe becos its Kerala and me having Tamil looks... ... they knew i was a tourist...
I walked through a few rows of shops which were all closed ... then suddenly through one of the narrow pathways i heard a crowd... and stumbled upon the market.... buzzing with activity... The centre of the market's courtyard a number of different types of bananas were spread out......
I realized that the locals did not try and talk to me in Malayalam nor Tamil ...but straight away tried speaking to me in English.... well... i still didnt understand them... but they were a friendly bunch and were not camera shy...
It was too bad that i could not stay longer and explore the market some more... we were leaving Pallakad soon so i had to made my way back to the hotel.... got ready and as usual had some delicious idli for breakfast.......
We stopped a few places on the way back to Coimbatore..... .... Mother-in-law wanted to visit Potta Retreat Centre... one of the biggest Catholic retreat centre in Asia... we managed to find it but then were told that the one we were at was the smaller one... The bigger, newer one was at a different location close by.... but from the directions given ...it didnt sound close by.... so we walked around for a bit and then got back on the road...
Kumar took us on a diversion to visit Peechi Dam.... it was so last minute we actually decided to go there at right at the junction of the turn off.... ... It mainly serves as a water catchment area and a wildlife sanctuary but during the monsoon season the dam gates are fully opened... .... Talking about monsoon... just as we walked into the entrance... it started raining so heavily... well it did rain on and off from Palakkad all the way to Peechi but this time the skies opened up and it poured like nobodies business ..... We waited about 20 minutes for the rain to die down before we made our way across the dam.... it was very nice lah... but were running out of time.... Would have been nice to go down to the garden area below and also take a few shots of the dam from down there....
The other thing about Peechi Dam is that photography is TOTALLY prohibited.... .......
When we made our way back to the parking lot Kumar asked me if i wanted to drive... at first i was a little hesitant but then i said... what the heck.... So i drove out to the main road and continued our journey ..... Man i tell you although i was averaging about 100km and going up to speeds of about 130km .... it was the overtaking which really got to me lah... scary... it was clear that i was going to make our journey even more longer ... so i handed the keys back to Kumar when we stopped for a drink....
We also stopped at a handcraft and traditional furniture shop.... besides getting asked not to take potografs... i didnt do anything else.... beautiful but i think i was just too tired to be interested....
We were really hungry when we reached Coimbatore.... so the first thing we did was eat.... We went to Sree Annapurna Sree Gowrishanker Restaurant at the People's Park Building for a late lunch.... the place was packed when we got there .... and when we ate the food we knew why........
I crashed when we got reached the house.... but Kumar and the ladies headed out for more saree shopping.... Me... I just lazed around and watched tv that night...... i did go out and stand in the wind for awhile...... it was sooooo windy.... and really chilly.......brrrrrrrrr............ the clouds looked fierce and true enough it rained... and as daft as this may sound.... it felt so 'peechi'...... ....
To Be Continued
(for more photos please visit my picasa page)
I think it drizzled the whole nite... I really didnt think i would be shivering in India... At first we thought of going up to Ootty which is very close to Coimbatore... but decided not to since we just came back from Cameron Highlands and we didn't really bring any warm clothing with us either.... maybe another time :)
Jeyanthy's husband suggested Athirapally Waterfalls. It is located in the Thrissur disrict in the state of Kerala. It would take about 4 hours to get to the there. So the plan was to drive to Palakkad, book ourselves into a hotel and then drive to Athirapally after lunch.
So it was set... after a nice hearty breakfast of tosai and chunney... we packed and im mean packed ourselves into the Captiva... There was 7 of us plus luggage... a long and claustrophobic journey... which took us through Kerala's wet and green landscape... i tell you it rained and drizzled on and off.... we did stop to rest and have something to drink.. i filled up on a strong hot cup of black coffee...
Remember i told you about those captions you will see behind commercial vehicles ... well as we continued our journey I noticed a caption behind a lorry that read 'We Two, Our One' ... im like what???.... what did it mean???... i wished i could asked the lorry driver what it meant.... I just did a google search and it asked 'Did i mean: We Two Are One'.... nope thats not what i was looking for.... so readers ..please... if you know what it means ...leave a comment will yer'....
(Theres suppose to be a train in the shot but i clicked to fast and there was nothing but trees in the next few shots)
(I stopped counting how many churches and shrines we passed along the way)
I was glad to reach Kallely's Park Inn... in Palakkad .... i was actually more glad to be out of the car... its no fun seeing so many interesting things pass you by in the car and not be able to take a closer look... ... well we didnt really have that much time to rest either... We checked-in and decided to eat at the hotel... Thats when we find out that the hotel is understaffed because of it being Onam.
Onam is the biggest festival in the state of Kerala, South India. It falls during the Malayalee month of Chingam (August-September) and marks the homecoming of the legendary King, Mahabali. Onam is celebrated for ten days and is linked to many elements of Kerala's culture and tradition..... (thank you wikipedia)... i guess we picked a bad time to come to Kerala...
The drive to the waterfalls reminded me so much of Malaysia... the lush jungle and landscape was just like a drive through a malay kampung (village) .....heck even the rain fooled me......... the roads were good.... .... We were home!!!.... then an 'Auto Rickshaw' passes us by.... honking away like life depended on it... and then we wizzed by a giant sized sculpture of the 'Pieta' ...... nope.. defirnately not Malaysia...
(everything but the kitchen sink)
Anyway the drive there was pleasant .... right until we reached Athirapally... it was total pandemonium .....first we were greeted by ... hundreds maybe thousands of cars..... then ...... good god!!!!....the people.... hundreds of thousands of Keralites enjoying the Onum Holidays....... and maybe a few thousand other tourist...
The rain made it even worst... Rose and I went ahead with an umbrella as Kumar went to park the car.... I had to pay 10 rupees at the gate to take my camera in.... and we walked up a rocky path and then as the path led down ... it got really muddy.... with hundreds making their way to and fro... .... some trying to shelter from the rain with umbrellas and also funny plastic hats they bought from the string of stalls outside the entrance...
Decided to walk down a path that lead to the base of the falls.... i really wondered why we did that... The force of the falls was so strong that all we could see was mist of water spray ... then the rain got heavier so we went back up to the top.... where we met up with the others .... got closer to the edge of the falls. Athirapally was truly a powerful and magnificently beautiful waterfall... it was too bad that it was just too crowded and the weather just didnt let up....
We made our way back to the entrance and as we waited for Kumar to get the car, we had a look around at the stalls... and then took refuge under the coconut drink seller's shed ...because ... yup you guessed it.... It started raining heavily again...
(the fresh coconut drink stall we took shelter in)
Kumar took some time to get back with the car.... im sure he had to park really far away... well once we eventually got going... they all actually stopped further down the road to let me take a few shots of the falls .... it was really magnificent lah... wow ....just wow...
(can you see the people on the left side of the falls?)
Ofcos we also stopped at the giant sculpture of 'Pieta'... Mary Mother of Sorrow...watch over us...
actually its amazing lah... we passed so many holy shrines, churches and places of worship .... every few hundred meter or so you will see one of the other...
(yet another church ..... check out the roof design...cool)
The other thing i noticed was the unique roof structure of a number of buildings... i wonder if it was unique to this part of Kerala...
We were absolutely tired when we got back to the hotel.... a few winks of sleep and a hot shower later... we went out for dinner... Took a walk from the hotel to find a place to eat but it was long before the women were in saree and jewelry shops .... kekekeke Anyway... it looked like mostly all shops were closed ... so we decided to go back to the hotel for dinner...
On the way back father-in-law and i got a little curious with a long line of men at the side of one shop... the front looked closed... but the side of the shop had a rows of men lining... It was a 'wine shop'.... liquor shops in india where called wine shop... but they didnt have a single bottle of wine... they had everthing else though... You know what... As chaotic as India seems ... It was strange seeing these men line up so patiently .... ... We Malaysians cant even line to get into the bus properly also...
Although I was too tired to wake up for the sunrise... i did however manage to wake up early enough to take a short walk with my camera... Women took turns at the public taps and wells to collect water for the day.. Men getting their dose of original 'Teh Tarik'(Tea)before they head of to work... children playing in the streets but most were headed to school... People purchasing provisions from small provision shops... Most homes had kollums drawn outside... these are usually drawn by the women at dawn... didnt wake up early enough to see them draw it....
(this is a HDR composite of two photos)
Keelaputur was a mixture of middle class, below middle class, the poor, the really poor and the really really poor... You can see huts or shacks right next to three story houses... most houses where small...and the space was tight so most people built taller instead of bigger... and all houses had open roof tops... this is very common in India... many people sleep outside because of the heat... and the roof is perfect for that purpose... ofcos its an extra living space used for all kinds of other purposes.. I actually love the open roof top concept.... Oh and i noticed how windy Trichi was... it was really warm and the wind helped with the heat.......
While we were up on the roof father-in-law explained to us how it was and used to be... a lot has changed but a lot has not changed either... He vividly told us about his childhood... the hardships... the pains...the hopes and the joys... it was a real eye opener... looking around from the roof ..you do see the hardship... the poor... but you also see happiness and also content... hmmm i just dont know how to put it in words.. lah
(Cool dude and his 'cooling' glasses...)
Anyway... Day two's plan was to go to Coimbatore... which is to the west...almost to the border of Kerala and it is near Ooty.. Father-in-law's cousin sister lives there with her family... Their driver and her young son were suppose to pick us up at around 9.30am... but at 10am they were not there yet... this would be a taste of Indian timing... In Malaysia we always joked about it... but unfortunately it was true.. When somebody says "wer arre verry nearr verry nearr" "wOne hourr wonley"... that means two hours...
Although Coimbatore was about 300km from Trichi... it is about a good 5 to 6 hours away by road... like i said... the roads are bad... Here in Malaysia it would only take about 3 to 4 hours including a reststop for the same distances... But Father-in-law explained that it used to take longer... and that the roads have improved... So i guess it wasnt about Indian Timing but more about Time Estimation... So everyone knows it will take 5 hours but they seem to remain hopeful that they can make it in two hours.... kekekeke... im kidding im kidding...So anyway...the big hand on the clock swings two more times before they reach Keelaputur....
ooo i forgot to tell you that the Idle and Sambhar breakfast with two types of chutney was superb.... yum yum yummmmm... :P got to talk to Cooking Parti a bit more... yes yes.. we managed to have a conversation... in tamil... kekekeke
(Cooking Parti is the one on the left)
So ok ... back to our journey to Coimbatore.... which will take us towards the west, through the district of Karur and Erode...
From Trichi we drove along side the Cavary River (kaveri) and passed many villages fueled by the river...its alot greener than Trichi and there where many farmlands but after passing Karur Town i noticed that the land became more barren and more dusty... but it got a little green again near Palladam... and i was so surprised to find Wind Farms in India... im telling you... im convince theres nothing you can not find in Yindia!!!
As mentioned the roads were better for most parts... there were even segments of what looks like dual carriage highways but are still underconstruction... but the over taking ,... my god!!!.. There are cars and lorries overtaking cars and lorries which are over taking other cars and lorries...!!!! incredible...
Most commercial vehicles and a few cars have signs at the back which read "SOund Horn Please!" or "Horn OK"... i will find that i will get used to the sounds of all kinds of horns in India...
We all so exhausted by the time we reached Jeyanthi's house in Coimbatore... It was even more windy here... and when we got into the house i felt so cold... i looked around but didnt find an aircon...The weather in Coimbatore is really nice... i find out later in the car that it was around 24 degree's Celsius and about 21 to 22 at night... just nice...
After resting for a bit we went out to go shopping... for sarees of cos... :D
Walked around town to different shops... looked at different things and found that normal clothing and shoes are cheap .... sarees no need to say lah... damn cheap and so much of variety.... electronic goods are about the same price... pots and pans, stainless steel product all so cheap...really interesting lah...
Although the roads where a little better... the traffic was just as bad as Trichi... im not even talking about jams... im talking about the caos... arrrghhh...
One thing was really funny... where ever i went i always hear people saying Press!! Potograperr!! Press!!.. wooo Potograper!!!.. kekekekeke.... maybe i should have taken off the flash gun from my camera...
After we finished our shopping, Jeyanthi wanted take us for chinese food... I was like woah cool... chinese food in Yindia!!!... We went to a place called Shanghai... It was all decked in oriental deco and stuff but the staff were all Indian... Well in Malaysia nowadays Chinese restaurants all have workers from Myanmar or Bangladesh... so its ok... well i dont know what we ate but it sure wasnt chinese food... it was a good try i guess... Well i havent been to China so i cant really complain right.... cos all im comparing it too is Malaysian Chinese food...
But when in Yindia!!! just stick to wonderful Rawa Tosai with all the chunney and sambhar to match ...wokay!!!!
