People say that if you want to see India, go by rail. Unfortunately, riding exclusively upper berths on night trains has limited my view. However, last weekend I discovered that buses, boats, rickshaws, and ferries offer their own unique ways to see and learn about India.
My trip began with a night train to Cochin, Kerala, where the air-conditioning was jacked up so high that for the first time in India I was actually cold. A short auto ride took me to Fort Cochin, where I saw more foreigners in five minutes than I had seen since leaving the airport in Bangalore almost two months ago.
I met up with friend and former college classmate David Bruce, who is in month seven of a year long trip around the world. David is visiting cities that will experience significant sea level rise due to climate change, studying their infrastructure, and communicating his thoughts and findings through painting. After nearly seven weeks of limited verbal communication due to my lack of Tamil, sharing my experiences with a familiar face was refreshing. David and I travelled up to Munnar in the mountains to see sprawling tea plantations, then out into the backwaters of Alleppey, where we saw very polluted water.
My trip began with a night train to Cochin, Kerala, where the air-conditioning was jacked up so high that for the first time in India I was actually cold. A short auto ride took me to Fort Cochin, where I saw more foreigners in five minutes than I had seen since leaving the airport in Bangalore almost two months ago.I met up with friend and former college classmate David Bruce, who is in month seven of a year long trip around the world. David is visiting cities that will experience significant sea level rise due to climate change, studying their infrastructure, and communicating his thoughts and findings through painting. After nearly seven weeks of limited verbal communication due to my lack of Tamil, sharing my experiences with a familiar face was refreshing. David and I travelled up to Munnar in the mountains to see sprawling tea plantations, then out into the backwaters of Alleppey, where we saw very polluted water.
The Blue Crabs for sale at Fort Cochin reminded me of home
Thank you to whoever painted this (Fort Kochin)
More public artwork (Fort Kochin)
Very old fishing nets with very large stones
Tata tea fields, color not photoshopped
David (left) and me in our new 200 Rs. sweaters
A wonderful view
This sign got my hopes up, but no elephant sightings on this trip
Green Munnar is Clean Munnar
Leaving Munnar
If you are one of them who likes travelling, why not become a fellow with us and embark on a very special journey?
