Our last post in India

Dinner on the seashore at Bay 15

We are rapidly approaching the end of our adventure and cant believe its been six weeks since we arrived in this warm and friendly place.

So what will we miss about India?

Warm comfortable weather – no arthritic knees or shoulders!

Warm friendly people, everyone wants to chat about any subject and they love a good joke.

Amazing contrasts of food.  Seafood & fish in the Andamans, Burning Dum Biryani in Bangalore, spicy, spicy food in Madras but never found a Madras curry anywhere, Portuguese food in Goa, South Indian and less spicy food in Kerela.

Wonderful South Indian Thali or 90p each with 10 dishes of the most wonderful vegetarian food, served on a banana leaf.

Gin at £1.75 a bottle and Kingfisher Lager at 45p a pint.

Cheap efficient flights and transport.

Smiling happy faces, they may not have much, but they are extremely proud people and love to share experiences and have a great sense of humour.  Himself was negotiating with a taxi driver last night as the fare changes all the time, and with a straight face said, that ok for tonight how much for Manchester tomorrow?  It took a few seconds then the typical Indian smile appeared and the driver said it would be free sir!

Now for a few bits we daren’t put in at the time-  remember himself and all the jokes about the Royal Enfield…… well here it is! Blasting round the Andamans was so much fun!

Pinky & Perky at Pig Corner

The pig that nearly bit us when we nipped over a piece of waste land when we almost ended up in a drainage ditch……

Himself sleep walking into  the mosquito net en route to the downstairs, outside loo at Emerald Gecko and nearly  going over the stairs, so much fun at 3 am in the morning!

The video clip is of the beach alive with moving shells on the eve of the full moon. We never saw them again.

Strange shuffling noises in the night at Emerald Gecko , no one brave enough to get out of the net/bed to have a look!

Near misses in autorickshaws, too numerous to mention

Mikey -
 our  vegetarian dog

Mikey the vegetarian dog who caught a whiff of a corned beef sandwich and was hooked- he loved us!

His owners are vegetarian too. whoops

Bartering over 2 rupees, then remembering its only 2p!

Catching sight of a huge black cockroach on the floor at the Driftwood Hotel.  I knew exactly what it was, it took me back to my days training at Bradford Uni for my Food Hygiene Diploma.  A fellow student let one loose in the classroom, it was called a Black Clock, and it shot across the room and under a skirting board much to the horror of the lecturer who said we had let a species lose that was never found in the UK. Poor old Bradford.  Anyway this nasty shot over to our open suitcase and I was nearly in orbit! My shrieks bought himself and the receptionist who was armed with a can of "I kill everything including you" which I insisted on keeping til the morning, in case it reappeared

The delights of the Indian WC at Chennai Museum, wot no doors!

Note to Ken, still have the snowman toilet roll, its well travelled, all around India!  And no Dehli belly - result!

People who have made our stay :-

Steve & Ann, who stay for 5 months each year in Goa.  Steve, thanks for the advice, oh  no sorry your suggestions!

Robin & Pete from Australia, you made us laugh so much!

Jean & Peter intrepid adventurers who drove to the Himalayas in a VW Camper van, thank you for your gift, I will swing in the hammock and think of you both x

John & his Dutch wife who bought up their children and lived in Anjuna for 29 years before the Indians made them get a visa! They live on a houseboat in Amsterdam and holiday every winter in Kovalum, Kerela.

Jay and the Canadian contingent, hope you are all still friends!!! Good luck with Cambodia, we look forward to recipe swaps.

To all the homestay owners, especially Colonel Roy, from the Gurkha regiment, it was our pleasure to stay,

and Lata & Raghu for the amazing cookery lessons. 

 Our love to you all, I'm sure we will be life long friends.

Accidents will happen!

Dona Paula Beach 5 minutes from our homestay

Breakfasts with the Kumars,

Our hosts Lata & Raghu have been creating Indian culinary delights for breakfast every day.  Yesterday we had a cookery lesson on Dosa & Sambal.  We stand in the kitchen and photograph what they are making.  Himself has his bulging recipe notebook at the ready.  The sambal may sound strange to have for breakfast as it is a type of curried vegetable soup which tasted fantastic and served with a dosa which is like a thin crisp pancake.  For the foodies following the blog himself has asked me to list the ingredients:  Lentils, onions, selection of rough diced veg,  radish, tamarind juice,  sambal powder, jaggery (unrefined sugar lumps) curry leaves, finished with chopped fresh coriander.

Sabji  (made with cluster beans ) & Dosa

Today we had Upma.  This is finely chopped onions sauted with grated ginger, tomatoes, mustard seeds, vegetables and mushrooms, ground lentils, all cooked then added with 2 cups of water then 2 cups of ground semolina and finished with fresh coriander.  This was really yummy. 

  I had to do three lengths of the beach to walk if off, himself was a specatator! He’s had a problem with his toes having tripped over a shell and stubbing said toes on a sunbed!

There has been trouble on the beach with coconuts, one having bounced off a Russians head- cant think of a nicer person for it to land on!  There has been feverish activity in the coconut palm department with various boys scurrying up trees with machetes at the ready!

trouble with the nuts!

STOP PRESS:- All the stuff we dared not tell you will be revealed tomorrow!

Shopping in Panjim

En route to Panjim view of the Casino boat

We awoke around 7am  this morning and commented that it was cool on opening the windows.  When I turned on my digital kitchen thermometer, yes I really do take it with me when I go away, it was 25c. 

Having chatted at length with the Kumar’s our hosts, we have picked up lots of tips.  Lata tells us that contact lenses are very cheap, so this morning we went into Panjim to find out.  I have just had an eye test, free of charge,  and bought a years supply of night & day lenses, branded and to my prescription for a quarter of the price of the ones I have back home –Specsavers, your fired! Next year when we come back I will buy new glasses.

We needed to buy more saffron and spices for himself who has a bulging book of recipes.  Another market, and another expert salesman who talked himself into a heap of spices etc to bring home.  We bought good saffron, tamarind, assorted masala for vegetables, and a special packet of masala for goat.  Himself has got a plan to get some stock from somewhere when we get home.  Look out neighbours- we used to keep goats 30 years ago! 

After passing a fruit stall I had to drag him forcibly before he bought the lot, he just cant say no.  Personally half a kilo of fresh juicy figs is too much for just four days, we’ve managed to dodge the runs for the last 5 ½ weeks, but this could be trouble!

View over the lower floor of Panjim market in Goa

 Lata gave him some more recipes this morning at breakfast when we had  another different Indian breakfast of Iddies,  Goan bread, coconut  chutney , made by Lata from her own coconuts in the garden, & cream cheese ,along with eggs, bananas & grapes, mango juice & coffee, delicious.

Its now 3pm and I’ve looked at the temperature again and its 35c, so think we might be in a bit of trouble when we get home.   It feels pretty comfortable here on the terrace, himself is having a nap, writing recipes is tiring workJ.  I wonder if I crank the central heating boiler at home up to full if it will make 30c??

Back to glorious Goa

We were only too pleased to leave Bangalore, the traffic and pollution behind.  We made our way back to the airport and after being asked our seat preferences again, extra leg room of course, we were on our way to Goa on the Air Indigo flight, on a brand new aircraft.  We took off on time and landed early, as per the Indian norm.  Our driver Albert picked us up along with a case he had been looking after for us for five weeks, with clothes we have never worn!  

Hotel Cidade de Goa where we first came 20 years ago

Our new abode in Dona Paula is with Dr Lata Kumar and her husband in a house within striking distance of a hotel we have stayed at 20 years ago.  How very strange.  The house is beautiful and we have the top floor with our own bedroom, ensuite, sitting room and shady rooftop terrace.  It is a long walk to the beach, 5 minutes and we have availed ourselves of their beach chairs and umbrellas.  Himself negotiated with the reception staff and an agreed amount of £6 a day, this would be sufficient to take the chairs home at the end of our stay!  It takes a little time for humour to get to the Indians, but this only took 30 seconds for beaming smiles and laughter from the staff, who said they would put them in the taxi for us!

The Doctors house in Dona Paula where we have the top floor and two pet dogs Mikey & Tommy

We have had a very lazy day on the beach and are out at the Cidade de Goa for  pre dinner drinks and dinner.

Mikey the dog keeping guard

Brindivan Gardens, Krishna Raja Sagara Dam, monkeys and bulls......

We stayed the night at the Jade Gardens, a lovely hotel, spotless rooms, comfy, comfy bed, piping  hot water, and splendid restaurant and bar.  We arranged with Loquish, our driver, to meet at 9.30 and there he was, fresh flowers in the car, all smiles, and with our itinerary planned

Dam & water gardens by night

We went to the Dam which is 38 metres high and three kilometres long, built 100 years ago, with no cement, using traditional Indian glues, and designed and constructed by an Indian engineer.  The Maharaja set out the magnificent gardens utilising the water for displays and fountains.  There is a great selection of birds, otters, monkeys etc., that live in and around, and sea eagles catching the fish in the reservoir, no swimming, but then the Indians don’t swim anyway. We went to another Hindu temple and on our way back came across a load of cheeky monkeys.  They sit and wait in the queue with the local Hindus for a free lunch, and they get fed, just like the dogs, birds, cows and any other animal that happens to be about at free food time.  We were asked while in Chennai if we would like a free lunch, but thought it was unfair, there are lots of people who earn little and we certainly dont qualify!

Cheeky monkeys by the temple

Afterwards we lunched at a nearby hotel, before going on to see more Hindu temples and the rather unusual Bull Elephant shrine

Carved out of one piece of stone and dyed with oils

"Aunties" with us and the kids with Sunday best hats!

As we were leaving the gardens a group of youngsters asked if we would mind having our photo taken with them.  We said yes, if we could take photos of them!  Older people are called Aunties and Uncles and I jokingly said come on Aunty and two of the senior ladies joined in as well.  New family members?

Mysore a Jewel in Southern India

The Maharaja's Palace lit by 100,00 bulbs

Having met so many people who have raved about this place we decided on the spur of the moment to go.  Its 140 kilometres from Bangalore so 3 hours by train, but couldn’t get a first class air conditioned seat, so abandoned that. Flights worked out last minute to £140, or 3 hours by air conditioned 4 x 4 for two days with guide just £77.Minds made up and with a hotel booking done, we made an early start 7am and were soon struggling through Bangalore traffic, the city must be the most polluted in the world.  The day before we had really struggled with the fumes we both felt ill. They are trying to get all the rickshaws to adapt to LPG, there fines of 500 r for causing pollution but no one enforces it.  There are a few electric cars with 300k range, and also electric scooters, so they are making headway.

We passed numerous colleges, schools, universities , they study hard and are eager to succeed and get our jobs. The call centres are vast, taking five minutes to pass in a car, all the jobs being done by graduates.

Construction is on a staggering scale, roads, railways (72 new train services this year alone and no price hikes, houses, metro in all the major cities, hospitals, colleges, everyone is busy, busy, busy! India is not a third world country.  Growth is 8%, savings rates for senior citizens (50+) is 15%!! Ordinary rates being 10% What is ours? Mmmm

roof top view

Soon we were in open countryside, paddy fields, sugar cane,  coconut palms, banana plantations, agriculture and horticulture everywhere, oxen ploughing, the old world and the new. We went through a village that specialised in selling silk cocoons, the cost just £5 a kilo, and rocking horse road with handmade childrens toys.

Inside the Palace

Mugged by "Nelly"

Mysore is calm quieter and the air much cleaner.  We arrived about 11 after a coffee stop and set off on our sight seeing tour.

While we were walking round, shoeless, for about an hour, we came across the Maharaja’s elephant, and the cheeky blighter distracted me by pulling my hair, then lifted 100 rupees from himselfs pocket.  When himself asked for some change the mahout said that the elephant cannot count sir!

The throne room

  

Bustling, business like Bangalore, and the burning Biryani

After a relaxing stay with Colonel Roy we made our way to the airport for the next leg of our adventure.  Trivandrum airport is yet another  brand new, fabulous state of the art airport.  Our Air India flight was slightly delayed , but as luck would have it we found the “beer parlour” and had two glasses of very expensive beer.  The aircraft  still managed to pick up time and arrive as per schedule.,  We landed, went through arrivals and had picked up our baggage within 15 minutes.  This is not at all unusual.  We have been gobsmacked at the slick operations and Bangalore airport was yet another amazing structure, with efficient service,  making Heathrow & Gatwick look decidedly shoddy.

Pic is of Colonel Roys fabulous ordchid collection

A driver  came to collect us and take us to our next accommodation  he was waiting for us outside arrivals and we started back towards the city, through beautifully laid out roadsides along the motorway.  The traffic built up rapidly, it was 4.15 pm so rush hour was upon us.  An auto rickshaw rammed into the side of the taxi, and of course, no bad language occurred, no one swapped insurances, and nothing was said! It took 1 ½ hours to get there, however the drive delivered us to the wrong address, but after a couple of phone calls it was all put right.

The "digs" we are top left

We are staying in a serviced apartment which is pretty good, but we are sharing it with three other

families of 18 people – just kidding.  No we have our own room and ensuite and the use of a lounge & kitchen, not that we shall use it. The manager cooks us breakfast and his wife is doing the laundry – thank heavens, the wriggling bag tried to make a bolt for it!  Unfortunately the air con was not working.  The manager said someone would come and fix it, but guess what, no one showed.   

If I move my fingers the steam comes out!

We were starving by this time so decided to go out for dinner. On the way we bought another mosquito repellent and as my torch had failed I asked the shop assistant for some new batteries.  He took my torch apart discarded the old batteries, gave the torch a quick service and charged me 30p for the lot!  We found a little family restaurant, but had serious second thoughts, so just had a beer.  We seem to be in an area well known for Biryani there were shops selling it everywhere.  We went into the best looking one of the lot and it looked quite clean.  Himself always one to try the local delicacy had a mutton biryani and I had a prawn.  Well to say it was hot was an understatement.  There was steam coming out of my ears, my eyes were steaming and we were in bits laughing.  We could only manage half each and the waiter was upset and disappointed that we hadn’t made much headway through it.  We had three large glasses of water each, but that didn’t kill the burning.  Himself ordered us some icecream and it more or less did the trick.  The waiter cleared up all our mess and we were just about to leave after paying the bill when he ran behind us with a bag full of  fiery left-overs.  Himself said he had a plan for it, he never told me what it was, needless to say it didn’t make it back to the digs.

Tuesday!

Nice sleep, good breaky and were off! Whistle stop tour of the town cente.  Picked up and auto rickshaw to the Hindu temple and Tipu Sultans summer Palace, followed by a visit to yet another market.  We employed a guide who got rid of the rickshaw driver, he parked on double yellows and promptly got fined by the traffic police!  100 rupee fine, half what we paid him for the 1 hour drive.  

Hindu temple next door to Sultans Summer Palace

This is where the Sultan & Sultana held court, there were loads of Indians taking photos.  Please excuse top, I've run out of clothes and gone local in respect of local custom!

We are going to Mysore to see the Maharajahs Palace tomorrow, it has spectacular gardens which apparently should be one of the seven wonders of the world, and also to see the palace lit up with 100,000 lights.  As it is 100 miles each way we have decided to stay overnight at the Jade Gardens, so no blog tomorrow, be back on Thursday/Friday with some belting pictures!

Fruit, lovely fruit!

Pineapple sellers

spices, chilli,turmeric etc made into conical displays

Last day at Colonel Roy's

Last night we walked out at sunset past a really big mango tree with fruits the size of  rugby balls, and to our surprise there were half a dozen fruit bats, called flying foxes around three feet wide darting between the trees.

 We called at the Opticians to order some new specs for himself, very reasonable at £29 for titanium frames and good lenses.  Himself asked how long they would take to make them up  and he was told 15 minutes !  Service or what?  

We went for dinner on the rooftop of a local hotel, and were welcomed in by a very smart concierge complete with white suit and turban.Hells bells, I've just realised you can see right through my latest purchase!

  There was a buffet of about 40 dishes, 10 starters, and far too many sweets and I think himself tried all of it!!  We left after eating far too much and spending just a tenner.

Today has been a very slutty day, we went to the Indian Coffee house for elevenses.  Its in all the guide books so we thought we had better take a look.  It’s the Indian version of the leaning tower of Pisa.  The waiters walk all the way around the central core up to the top of the slopes, the tables are set off at the side & numbered.  We sat at table 27 almost at the top.  I can just see management of an English establishment trying to get waiters to run up a gradient like that all day, health & safety would have a fit! We had a white coffee and lemon tea for just 18p and I got a rollicking from himself for not leaving a tip!  

Outside & inside the Indian Coffee Shop

Next door to the Indian Coffee house is the new bus station, talk about state of the art, it’s a stunning building,  built in next to no time, we cant even build a bridge over our river in 6 months!

Our digs are by the Home office, and the Minister of State came on a visit yesterday at break neck speed, he was wedged between three police cars and following in hot pursuit was an ambulance, all the local police saluted him.

This afternoon we went to the coast to Kovalum to get some cooler air and our driver asked if we needed the air con on at an extra  1 rupee a kilometre – we said what the hell, switch it on!  The beaches were busy, India goes to the seaside on Sundays.  There were some really big waves hitting the shore and two lifeguards were on patrol with red flags and whistles blowing frantically to warn people to keep to shallow water.   Indians don’t swim!  Most can’t, all the women go in fully dressed in their saris and the men strip down to their budgie smugglers.  Its quite a sight.  One group of rowdy youngsters were red flagged, dragged out and made to have time out sitting on the edge of the beach in disgrace for ten minutes before being allowed back in.  They  whooped for joy and somersaulted into the warm clear waters only to be whistled and flagged again!

Us and 2000 Indians shared the beach, however we started negotiations on renting two sunbeds and a brolly, and after several minutes joked we didn’t want to take the stuff home with us, the vendor laughed and said he would throw in a couple   of dogs as well.  We spent an entertaining afternoon there and had supper at sunset at a beachfront restaurant, eating a huge Red Snapper washed down with illicit beer and gin and tonics, again served in mugs and cans and bottles hidden under the table

We have been listening to some very loud noises in the night and asked Roy our host what it was.  It sounded like cannon fire, it was in fact coconuts and jackfruits dropping some 70 feet on to the roof of the house!

We move on to Bengaluru (Bangalore) tomorrow, so might not get to do the blog.  We’ll be back soon ………………

PS Happy Birthday Jack xxxxxxxxxx Hope you get the drum kit!

Embarrassment, emporiums and elephants

Kerela is a lush, tropical, fertile province, they call it the garden of India.  It’s also reasonably affluent.  You don’t see beggars, rubbish, or straying cattle and dogs.  The people are well off by Indian standards and there is almost nil unemployment.  Cars are new Tata hatchbacks and Hyundai coupes. 

Our host Roy was telling us about some Americans who arrived shortly before us.  They had bought with them a huge suitcase full of unwanted clothes because they had heard that Indian people were poor, hungry and had no clothes.  He said he was in the embarrassing situation of having to tell them that they had got it wrong.  He could not think of anyone who would ever want second hand clothes especially enormous sizes from America.  He took them to an orphanage who flatly refused  them, and he was forced to lug the big case back and burn the contents! Roy also told us a riddle last night and asked us if we could work out the answer.  It kept four of us awake all night and then we had to drag the answer out of him.  You lot are next!

 We have  met a couple of really nice Australian guys who are very well travelled.  They frequently come to India and China to buy goods for their shop and go home via  Male & Kuala Lumpur.  Roger was saying that he was about to give a beggar  sitting outside a market in one of the northern states some money, when the beggar pulled out his Samsung Galaxy he changed his mind!

We had a restless night, apart from the riddle,  and an early start, the church next door started Mass at 6am and it went on til 7.30. 

Note to self: must remember to look on Google Earth to see what's next door, the Mosque is up the top of the road too and R.C. Cathedral opposite it.   The Bells the bells!

 Around 7am the “loggers” came to cut a tree down, so the damn chainsaw started up, the dogs started and the bells were ringing again,  We decided to take it easy today with just some essential shopping, conditioner (Pantene 75p) colgate toothpast 65p, two Revlon nailpolishes £1.30 and some camera batteries we usually pay about £8 back home were 45p!!!! We have a bag full, don’t know where we are going to put it all to get it back to Goa!  We already have a third case sitting in the taxi drivers home in Goa that he is going to bring to us when we get there in about a weeks time.

I also bought 3 long floaty tunic type tops that are so cool.  I  have to keep out of the sun after major skin problems last year, so the new clothes are ideal.  The heat here has been unbearable around mid day today it was 35c in the shade, last night we commented on how cool it had gone, it was 29c!.  Whilst out shopping I inadvertently left my handbag in one of the shops.  I didn't realise I hadn't got it until about an hour later!!!! I dashed back to where I had tried on all my tunics and the boy had kept it under the counter for me.  I was so relieved, it had my purse, credit & bank cards and iphone in it. I gave him some cash as a thank you

 We popped into an emporium and bought some nice silk wall hangings for home and then lunch at the Trivandrum Hotel.

We've been to see elephants and lions and hippos 

but as they are in controlled spaces, its no better than in a safari park. The last two photos are at the Botanical gardens, but it was so hot we abandoned it for a long cool beer, served to us in coffee mugs and out of a tea pot!