Cape Comorin

It was a quick 24 hour trip we made to the Southernmost tip of India, the Cape Comorin, also known as Kanniyakumari. Pilgrims find their way here to bath in the sacred waters, to visit the temples and to admire the sunset/sunrise where the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet. 

Our experience there was rather bland, mainly because of our own efforts to explore the place. The heat dragged all energy out of us, so we only managed to visit the downtown area and the bay. In the morning when we woke up to see the sunrise, it was partly overcast and well, we never really found the charm of this place.
Having said that, we did enjoy moments like observing all the Indian tourists and pilgrims who were taking a quick dip in the sacred waters and admiring it along the beach:

Close to the coast, two smaller islands holds a memorial to the Indian philosopher Swami Vivekananda and a 40,5 meter high statue of the poet 'Thiruvalluvar':


The view from our balcony gave us a good idea of the everyday life of the city with people eating, repairing of houses, drying laundry etc.: 


We could also see the city's local gathering point near the fishing boats where kids were playing during the day and the adults were socialising during the evening. We had hoped to see the fishermen make it to sea, but it must have been their day off (or the waters might have been to rough).

Fruits, temples and views to the Arabian Sea

Waves of shining blue water hit the golden sand beach in what seemed like gentle waves but definitely wasn't. Along beach red flags are lined up as a warning about the waves of the Arabian Sea that has attracted hundreds of people who most of all resemble sea lions laying there in lazy rows along the beach. The sun is definitely worshipped here.
The beach ends at the foot of a steep cliff, protecting the ”sea lions” from any cooling wind. If you climb the hundreds of steep steps up the cliff side, you will arrive at a 1-km long small dirt path, which reveals a panoramic view of the beach. The other side of the path reveals the consequences of the many sun worshippers in the area, - shacks, shops, ayurvedic clinics, accommodation, yoga schools and outdoor restaurants lined up that make sure you have a unlimited supply of curry dishes, Tibetan prayer wheels, Rajasthani rocks, freshly caught prawns, dried spices, yoga mats, tailor-made cotton clothes, Kashmir carpets and massages to mention a few of the items on stock.
This peaceful place called Varkala with the beautiful beach and many yoga options is someone’s paradise, but did not really capture our hearts. Having said that, we have enjoyed our quiet days here for the past week, the perfect spot for us, to tie our thoughts together from the previous week which was tremendously intense. Our minds craved for this break. Days here were spent collecting our thoughts and previous experiences in blogs, once and a while casting glimpses over the beautiful Arabian Sea, chewing one bowl of fruit salad after another and once in a while allowing ourself a break from the closure of reflection and submerge to the tiny experiences that are always in reach.

We never actually made it down to lay on the beach, but one of our tiny breaks let us on a slow warm walk into the city of Varkala. Here we past the 2000 year old Hindu temple complex, where pilgrims travel from afar to pray.

Detailed colorful sculptures of the deities decorated the buildings facades. An elephant was tied in a backyard near the temple. Doesn't it get lonely we wondered, remembering elephants prefer herds to solo life.
Later we passed yet another elephant, clinging to its coconut palm leaves, while strolling on the road with its two masters amidst the traffic:

Besides tourism, fishing is a main income to the area, so we went to one of the small fishing villages, well encouraged by our rickshaw driver.

Shacks built up on the beach for accommodation, roofs of coconut leaves covered the boats. A sign of the congress party painted on one building. Hardly any people. Maybe sleeping? We have noticed the many fishing boat in the evening scattered along the coast well after dark.

We also made our way on boat to the Golden Island, a very peaceful place which centers a temple built some 200 years ago. Every morning and evening people find their way on boat to the island to pray for Shiva, Ganesha, the Snake God and friends. We were lucky to arrive in the middle of the Morning Prayer and watched quietly the priest in lungi and a golden ribbon across his bare upper body worshipping the deities with candle ceremonies and chanting.

Kerala’s most famous Sree Narayana GURU a social reformer's devotees has set up an Ashram near by, so we went there as well, a little startled when the priest poured a spoonful of sweet holy water in our hand. Hereafter a spoonful of ashes. "What to do?" our facial expression signaled. Helpful devotees showed mercy on our helplessness and mimicked to us, to drink the water and smear the ashes on our forehead. We circled the ashram with the devotees wondering why we were having ashes on our forehead. We later found out the ashes symbolized a blessing. The statue of Sree Narayana we circled around:

The day-trip on the rickshaw going from place to place, revealed bits and pieces of the life in Varkala. The roofs seen on most houses are thatched of dried coconut leaves. We passed men cutting down the dead leaves from the palm trees and others spreading them out on fields. We passed women banging piles of cloths while standing in waist deep water. "The water is good here. Falls in plentifulness!" the rickshaw driver told us, as we noticed the big laundry business taking place in his back yard. His family washed linen from nearby hotels, he explained. Near the lake, women sat in groups cleaning the coir from coconuts. Seemed like a never-ending business.

The last adventure in Varkala was a cooking class:

Coconut rice, pakora, vegetable Chapatti, and dhal masala was on the menu. End result was very tasty with main ingredients being coconut and curry leaves. The flavor of curry leaves is maybe our favorite of all spices these days (a very close nr 2 is cardamom pod).The tasty end result:

Due to the weather, some days ended early in the late afternoon, as pre-monsoon showers and thunderstorms hit the area. Mango showers are they called. ‘Pé de agua’ as they would have said in Brazil.
2-4 times a day, power breakdowns paralysed parts of (or the whole of) the area when eg. coconut trees had fallen into the cables. You get used to the lack of efficiency this lead to, but you feel sorry for the businesses that loose income daily because of the unstable power conditions, not all places can afford roof over their restaurants or generators for their shacks.

After five days here, we said our goodbyes to the inhabitants of Varkala: friendly people, giant ant-like insects, tiny lizards and cute stray dogs. Our nostrils captured the smells of the place for the last time for now, being the characteristic smell of 'sweet tobacco', the tranquillizing smell of incense and curry fumes and we said goodbye to the sounds entering through our half open window of the guest-house: The waves of the Arabian Sea and the chef battering the chapatti on the rooftop restaurant on a nearby building. Not too nostalgic though, - we are pretty sure that we will run into all of the above again in different settings later on our journey.

P.S. Umesh at the Fruit Shack served great bowls of fruit salad and mouthwatering sharjas. Going their every morning for breakfast became a dear morning ritual for us We will miss Umesh, the very friendly owner and all his great help, - and we will miss his superb soothing fresh juices Here is Umesh:



This fellow from Rajasthan was also a good encounter:

He asked us when we would leave Varkala, as we stopped at his shop in the side of the road, and then with great eagerness, he blurted out that he would leave in just 5 days. The tourist season has ended, so it was time for him to return to his family in Rajasthan,- to return to the duties of his off season job: a goat herd and that it was time for him to reunite with his wife and children again, whom he hadn't seen for months. He looked SO happy by the thought.
Whenever we met him the following days, we counted down the days with him. Just 3 more days to go home, we said. His eyes shined and his smile broadened.

Kathakali and Diabetes Talks

Kathakali

During our stay in Varkala, we got a chance to experience a Kathakali performance, which is a 500-year old Keralean temple dance-drama with the special attribute that no words are spoken during the performance.

We arrived a couple of hours before the performance took place, to watch the complicated proces of applying the make-up which can take as long as two hours, and to see how they dress in the complex and detailed costumes which included a grand supply of empty ricebags to make the skirt puff in the right way. The make-up is made of natural ingredients, including the odd white stiff beard made of ricepaste. (Click on the photo to see it more detailed): 

Depending on the colours of the make-up, the character's identity is revealed: A green make-up portrays good and noble male characters and red in a green painted face is used for anti-heroes. Predominantly red is used for evil characters such as demons whereas yellow is used for women and ascetics. It is because the performance is without the use of words, that the colours of the make-up, as well as the facial expressions and well-defined gestures and body movements are following strict rules so they together form the language revealing the story to the audience, often supplemented by only drums and a singer. 

Kathakali is usually performed with non or very few props on the stage, except for the Kalivilakku lamp fuelled on coconut oil, - the most widely used oil in Keralean cuisine.

When the play started, we were seated front row and thus were able to observe every detail of the facial expressions and every nuance of the characters hand gestures ('mudras'). It was quite impressive how much the actors could express with what appeared to be simple changes in their mimics, but which must have taken years of practice to perform in the right way. 


The performance was the typical story about a Hindu deity fighting an evil demon. It became highly dramatic when the deity started to cut of limbs of the demon because he didn't wanted to marry her.  This shows the demon whom the deity didn't want to marry.: 

Diabetes Talk

Before the play we had a long talk with the administrator of the katakhali-event who turned out to be a diabetic. The administrator explained how he tried to control his diabetes. Every morning he meets up with neighbours and friends in his village fighting health problems themselves, and together they go for an hour long walk. Since the diagnosis he had revised his diet so that it now was low in fat, rich in vegetables and with limited intake of sugar. Left for him was to reduce his intake of rice, which has shown to be one of the problems in Kerala. 

 

Later that day, we fell into conversation with the owner of a small shop in Varkala, who was truly troubled about his wife's state of health. A few days earlier, she had had yet another high blood glucose reading, which indicated that she is not able to control her diabetes and thus in great risk of developing severe complications. The last diabetologist the wife had visited had charged an outragely large amount of money for the consultation. The cost of this consultation alone, seemed to be so much that it would be impossible to continue seeing a doctor. We shared our stories about the diabetes care centre we visited in Kulanada and it inspired him to look for an alternative place where they would be able continue his wife's treatment at a lower cost.

Exploring God's own Country

“God's own Country”, - that is how Kerala brands itself. Big words to use, - but drifting slowly through the complex network of rivers, lagoons and channels forming 'the backwaters' it doesn't take much imagination to figure out what may have inspired that name.

We rented a fully equipped houseboat and found ourselves sitting quietly on the deck taking in the beauty of the place. The books brought for entertainment, were left untouched. For hours we just watched. We watched the lush vegetation and the picturesque rice paddies. We watched the reflections of the coconut palms in the still waters and the birds as they flew low crossing the waters. Sometimes we were among other houseboats in a lagoon, sometimes we were completely isolated on a small canal. Peaceful and beautiful in nature's own simple form. 

The houseboat was designed like a Kettuvallam (rice barge):

Once in a while we drifted past small enclaves of houses and had front view to the local life along the rivers; Some washed their hair other their pots but most washed clothes.

Its always a treat for the eye to watch the vivid coloured clothes dry in the landscape, whether spread out on the ground or as here, hanging between palm trees:

People brushed teeth, were catching dinner or taking a playful and cooling dip. It seemed like the locals spend more time in or using the waters than they do on land.

We felt left with the impression that the rhythm of the area had been left unchanged for decades, until we started to notice the cell phones here and there.

From 6 pm. the waters are reserved for the fishermen, so the houseboats line up and park for the night. After a delicious dinner and a perfect sunset, we found our way to the bedroom and finally found time to open our books before falling a sleep to the quiet movements of the boat.


Spending time on the backwaters was a soothing soul pleasuring activity in its highest form intensified by the contrast to the often overwhelming crowds and noises we have found in the Indian cities.

P.S.: Its always fun to see things outside their usual environment. Here is a 'road' sign...well, actually a 'water' sign.:

 

Festivities at Mahadevar Temple

Together with Leena, her sister, aunt, and a couple of the volunteers we walked the two kilometres of small dirt paths and roads eventually joining the masses heading the same way forming a snake of people crossing the temporary hanging bridge just before the festival place. 

The region is famous for the Thiruvathira Maholsavam festival that honours the vehicle of Deity Shiva. Crowds are drawn from far away. It was a coincidence we were here at this time, - a lucky coincidence.


The energy of the place was high, the crowds happy, many bearing the white/red stripe on their forehead as a respect to Lord Shiva. Basically the festival is centred around a competition. Different Shiva temples prepare an image of Lord Shiva's vehicle - the red and white twin bull. The image is decorated with gold ornaments and flower garlands, drawn by young men through the street at a fiercely high speed, back and forth, accumulating in a high energy drum finale at the temple grounds.

The drummers were very skilled, banging with an intensity and rhythm that made us all estatic.




The attention drawn to us was well... noticeably. A gauging stare from any person wouldn’t change if we smiled back. No reaction at all. But if we wagged our heads from side to side, they would return it with a big smile.

We had so much fun there absorbing it all, and afterwards we had a Sharja Shake (banana shake) in Pandalam with our new friends:


We finished our last evening in Kulanada with auntie’s amazing food. This time a delicious fish curry and chapatti. It was served with a daunting invitation: "Please come back whenever you like and stay as long as you like! You could even learn Malayam and stay here for ever..."

"Atithi Devo Bhava"; Sanskrit for "Guest is God"

Before travelling to India we contacted Dr. Vijay Kumar who runs a diabetes awareness project in Kerala. The main scope of the project is to educate children about diabetes in all schools in two districts in the centre of Kerala. By doing so, the project indirectly reach all families in the districts equalling 3.2 million people. The aim is to break the increasing trend of people getting diabetes in Kerala where as many as every 7th person is diabetic or pre-disposed, and many without knowing it. Dr. Vijay Kumar had agreed to meet us and share his knowledge about the cultural challenges with diabetes in Kerala, so it was with great expectations we arrived at the train station in Malalikara, where Dileep Kumar, project manager of the diabetes awareness project, and Dr. Vijay Kumar's daughter picked us up.

We were taken straight to Malalikara School where we after a quick introduction to one of the project's key drivers, Leena, were led to a hall with a group of about 100 very attentive students in the age of 10-12. The students were in the middle of a session on healthy lifestyle given by the project team. Diet and exercise were the key points in the presentation and afterwards Henrik joined in on the stage, which was a great thrill for the students, quizzing them on what they had just learned.

Afterwards, we observed a session on yoga, where the children were introduced to pranayamas (breathing exercises) and asanas (stretching exercises). The children started off shy, but soon absorbed themselves in the exercises.

Practising yoga is a great way to keep diabetes at a distance as it balances body and mind and encourages a healthy diet. If one follows the yoga principles for 2-3 month it has been proven to reduce the blood glucose and cholesterol levels according to a small (non-scientific) study by Dr. Vijay Kumar's team.

Lunch time arrived, so we went back to the car. The drive from the school took us through rural settlements. We turned our heads an extra time when we passed our first elephant in the roadside ridden by an old grey-haired man dressed in the colours of a Swami (orange clothes), reckoned it must have been a temple elephant and then we turned our heads once more as we passed a holy white cow standing in the side of the road with one horn painted green and another painted red. Why, is yet a mystery to us.
We were taken to a restaurant in Kulanada for a thali-resembling meal and under the watch of our four new friends, we dug into the meal using our fingers to mix the rice with the different side dishes like sambar (thin lentil curry with cubed vegetables), thoran (vegetable dish), dahi (buttermilk) and coconut chutney. (We of cause used the right hand since the left hand is reserved for 'impure' tasks). Our good intentions but somehow failing intent to get the slippery rice to the mouth using our fingers was to great amusement of our hosts and without much understanding to our struggle: "Eating with five sticks is surely easier than eating with just two sticks as you are used to in Japan!" they said laughing. 'Practise makes perfect', so we struggled on for a while until a glance at the other's empty plates told us we better start to speed up by using a spoon, thinking we have another two month to learn the skill of eating with the senses. One of the benefits of eating with your fingers is that you get to feel the delicate textures, which is healthy (?) according to the traditional Indian natural doctors – the ayuvedics.

The temperature here in Kerala calls out for siesta, so after lunch we continued to our accommodation which Dr. Kumar had insisted on taking care of.
A left turn down a dirt road led us along cocoa plants and coconut trees until we parked in front of a beautiful gate, with a sign above citing a famous poet in the Keralean language, Malayalam. This turned out to be the hospital's lifestyle reformation centre and our home for the next two nights. As the photo witnesses we were excited!


Entering the gates, a beautiful, lush garden greeted us. Red palm trees, banana trees, jack fruits and coconut palms were amongst the varied vegetation and the butterflies made the place perfect.

Besides the small pond near the entrance, the secluded paradise included a yoga/meditation hall, a conversation platform, a small cafeteria and living quarters. Every morning at 7 am there were given yoga classes for whomever (locals) who wanted to join. The yoga master only spoke a little English though, so we didn't have the chance to join, so we just watched quietly from the sideline:

Our room had a balcony facing the river floating next to the premises.

From nearby temples, calming music drifted into our room. Waking up at this place to the peaceful music (chanting) of the Hindu temples completed the feeling of having ended up at a magical place.
We would later discover that Leena's auntie would prepare all our meals during the stay, giving us an authentic experience with the South Indian kitchen. With a lavish use of curry leaves and coconut, we were practically sent to heaven.
This was breakfast one morning: Rice noodles buns with sambar and coconut chutney. Yummy!

The first night after dinner we had our first meeting with Dr. Vijay Kumar who had been busy at his hospital during the day in the yoga hall where we also watched an informative video about diabetes. 

The second day started off with a visit to the Kunalada Diabetes Care Centre founded and owned by Dr. Vijay Kumar.
Twice a week the diabetes wing of the hospital called The Kulanada Diabetes Care Centre is open for its approximately 7000 registered patients and the between 20 and 40 new patients that make their way to the clinic every week, - often patients from other hospitals that have heard about the hospital's good results and fair prices.
Fair health care prices are not something to be taken for granted in India where some clinics demand prices that makes counselling and treatment unreachable for poorer diabetics, where tax paid 'free' health care system is non-existing and where healthcare insurance is a luxury for the few.

We received a grand tour of the centre and learned much from the visit to the different areas.

It seems to be the emphasis on a holistic consultation and an individual treatment that gives the good results.
On arrival new patients go through the same thorough procedures, securing a holistic view on the patient's condition and lifestyle including:
- Tests made of blood glucose level, cholesterol level, blood pressure, liver function etc.
- Consultation with a diabetologist
- Examinations done by various specialists to determine the progress for various complications related to feet, eyes and the nerve system.
- Consultations with a dietician and a physician
The patient is also offered lectures on relevant subjects such as nutrition, physical exercise (yoga asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), insulin management, foot care, symptoms, smoke-stop etc.

There is a great emphasis on individual treatment plans designed to match not only the development of the disorder, but also by taking the patients financial means, education level and degree of 'rural' lifestyle (meaning eg. no access to refrigerator for storage of insulin) into consideration.

India is the country in the world with the highest number of people living amid poverty. The otherwise obvious insulin treatment can be unrealistic for some patients due lack of means, and as it can inflict great damage on the health to suddenly stop an insulin treatment after first begun, it is essential to make sure a prescribed insulin treatment can and will be followed properly by the patient. In some cases the solution is to postpone insulin treatment and instead regulate the disorder through diet, exercise and non-insulin medications as long as possible.

Individual advice is also given about nutrition and exercise. Nutrition and exercise are the most important means to control diabetes in the early (pre-insulin) stages. Right nutrition and proper exercise can postpone or even prevent severe complications.
The optimal diet is the same for all patients, however a sudden huge lifestyle change can be difficult for a patient to manage, why emphasis is on adjusting the patients current lifestyle with small changes step-wise until optimal lifestyle goal is reached. The centre has a long and successful experience with this approach.

The optimal diet according to the hospital's dietician for a diabetic (and the rest of the world's population) is equally parts vegetables, salad, protein source and stables (in Kerala; 1½ cup rice).
Oil intake should be kept at a minimum with no more than 2-4 teaspoons per day which is one of the greatest challenges as the Indian kitchen traditionally use a lot of oil, - even the bread is fried in oil.

Another cultural challenge is the use of (or the lack of) footwear. In some rural areas of India, there is a culture of not wearing shoes, which increases the risk of cuts on feet that can develop into infections. For many diabetics the cut or wound will not heal properly. For an undiagnosed diabetic an infection can be the first symptom of diabetes which results in the diagnosis.
If it is discovered in time, the development of an infection can be stopped, meaning the patient will avoid ulcers that can lead to amputations. Untreated or late treatment resulting in amputations often has catastrophic consequences for the poorer patients and their families because of lost income.
In one case the centre found more than 100 maggots coming out of an untreated infection in a foot of a diabetic. Fortunately, this is an extreme case.
Besides detailed instructions on good foot hygiene and daily routine check of the feet, the patient receives recommendations to wear footwear. The centre offers handmade shoes to less than half of what commercially shoes cost. The shoes are designed in such way, that blisters etc. caused by normal shoes are avoided. The centre consequently has a very low prevalence of amputations among its patients.

A Trust Fund has been established to supplement and extend the centre’s activities in order to aid the people who need it the most. This aid sometimes makes the difference between life and death. At present 8-9 children are given free insulin treatment as their families have no means to pay for the treatment. The sad story of a family where one child died of diabetes because the parents could not afford treatment and who had yet another child diagnosed with diabetes Type I has inspired Dr. Kumar to take this measure to ensure a future for those – in every sense – poor children.

Its also a heartbreaking fact that the suicide rate in India is high among type I diabetics who cannot afford the proper treatment and thus eventually are left with unbearable complications in their late teens or early twenties. The burden on their family is too great and the future perspective is simply too depressing. One of Dr. Kumar's patients came back to the centre, as late as 9 years after he was diagnosed by Dr. Kumar. He had not followed the medical advices he was given and thus developed severe (and irreversible) complications, leaving no hope for the future. He committed suicide.
Complications caused by diabetes are amongst others; amputation of feet/leg due to nerve damages, blindness, kidney failure, cardiovascular disorders.

After the visit at the centre, we continued on to St Marys Jupi School, where approximately 400 children in the age of 8 to 12 were taught about diabetes. Parents and teachers were invited too and offered a free blood glucose level test, cholesterol test and a BMI calculation. Unfortunately only few parents had shown up.


We were received kindly by the headmaster and led to the stage to hysterical amusement of the kids. After having given a short presentation about Denmark and after explaining the importance of following a healthy diet and doing regular exercise, an innocent question to the children “Any questions?” forced us into performing the Danish children's song ”Lille Peter Edderkop” for the around 400 children. H did the singing, B did the hand gestures. It was all very... well... embarrassing, but the children sure looked like they had fun as they tried to keep up with the gestures.
When they asked us to dance, we drew the line though.

The kids were too excited by our presence on stage so we went back stage, so the project team could continue their presentation about diabetes. When lunch break arrived we ended up at the headmaster's office trying to avoid causing turbulence at the school with the eager kids wanting autographs and handshakes. The kids just followed us though. Eventually we were driven back home to give the project team the possibility to do their important job.

Later, in one of the informal conversations with Dr. Vijay Kumar, Dileep Kumar and Leena, we were explained some of the reasons for the high prevalence of diabetes in Kerala. Since the mid-eighties there has been a dramatic change of lifestyle because of a high growth in the average income. The general growth in India's economy is of cause a contributor, however the biggest change in Kerala is found in the steady flow of money from the Gulf. On average, every family has at least one member working in one of the oil-rich countries in the Gulf for 4-6 years where they are able to earn much more than in India, making it possible for them to send money home to the family. The consequences are seen in the change of lifestyle towards what we see in "westernised" countries. It includes a tendency of people doing much less exercise (maybe the main contributor to the increase in lifestyle deceases such as diabetes), people eating more unhealthy food with excessive use of oil and a family structure which is becoming more nuclear, resulting in a more stressful life, since problems and issues are no longer solved with the support from other family members.

Talking with Dr. Kumar:

That evening we went to the local Festival for Nandi (the bull, Shiva's vehicle) and the next morning we were driven by Leena to Alappuzha, where Kumar had arranged for a houseboat for us (see the next couple of blogs).

It was with a sense of regret that we said our goodbyes (or rather the Malayalam “see you later”) to Dr. Kumar, Dileep Kumar, Leena and their team. Being total strangers they had received us at their place like family, devoting time to us, making sure we had a wonderful stay and an inspiring program. With the expectations to learn a lot about Diabetes in India we also learned a lot about the life and culture of India and the incredible hospitality known as "Atithi Devo Bhava".
We were very impressed with the knowledge presented to us in a fine balance of professionalism and 'big hearts'.

Thiruvanantapuram

Despite the 7 o'clock arrival at Thiruvanatapuram railway station, our clothes quickly clenched to our bodies. March is Kerala's warmest month, which says a lot since Kerala is one of India's warmest states. It is also the state where we intend to spend most of our trip.
We found our way to the capital of Kerala,- not so much for sightseeing, but to fix some practicalities such as flight tickets and the arrangements of a visit to a Diabetes care centre and diabetes awareness project.

Walking down the dusty roads, looking for an open Internet place, we passed rows of small tea shops and kiosks with one thing in common; big fat red bananas, baby size yellow bananas and not ripe green normal sized bananas hanging from their ceilings. We are definitely in Banana Heaven!
People would observe us with curiosity, but a big smile from us and a wob with the head (more about that later) always resulted in the same from them. Of cause we couldn't help looking at them either, especially the men. Imagine going to a place where men wear skirts. Most men in Kerala wear a lungi which is basically a cloth wrapped around the body like a skirt tied with a knot. With a thermometer showing +35°C and a high humidity, we couldn't help envying them when looking down at our annoying hot jeans.


Keralites are known as a friendly and very laid back people. We agree. We are constantly met with a kind and honest curiosity, and not in a intrusive way as we have experienced in other countries. We were a little surprised though of how low the level of English skills are here and wonder how much it will affect our voluntary activities.

Our two nights in Thiruvanatapuram passed quickly, but still it left many impressions. We will remember the friendly people at Connemara market who eagerly told us about their exotic vegetables and fruits,

and we will remember the first taste of the sweet typical Keralean coconut curry, the contrast between the impressive state government and legislative buildings and the poorly maintained roads and the many peaceful demonstrations, which were there maybe because of the upcoming election(?).


In Thiruvanatapuram we also had our first close encounter with a Hindu temple, the 250 year old Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
Well, not really close, as non-Hindus generally are not allowed to enter Hindu temples, but it was possible for us to grab a sense of th atmospheric place by standing outside the 30 meter tall seven-tier gopuram and watching the many Hindus on their way to pay respect to the deity Padmanabha.


It remains a mystery to us why only Hindus are allowed into their temple grounds when Hinduism per definition is the most tolerant of all the major religions? (Quote: Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr. Shashi Tharoor)


At another Hindu temple, worshippers brought coconuts that they ritually splintered by throwing them into a giant jar before starting their prayers. We are still searching for the full explanation.

When the final arrangements with Dr. Kumar in Pandalam was set up, we once again made our way to the railway station.

Trivandrum Rajdhani Express

Two hours to kill at Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin station can seem like a long time. For newbies however, there is so much to observe and slowly absorb. Details and persons that each reveal small parts of India and its many-faced culture. Being the porters in matching red shirts carrying carts filled with massive ice blocks, beggars, pilgrims, chain sellers and the many different travellers representing different social layers and religions. All kinds of people, except other western tourists.
Just watching the trains pulling in and out, many over-crowded, was worth the waiting time.
We found our names on the list hanging on the platform. We got a coupé for ourselves, with bunk beds, electricity for the travel-book and food served every second hour (it felt like that anyway).
Indian music played from a loudspeaker, a pretty carpet decorated the floor, matching the dark red curtains and bunk beds nicely (apparently important as we later had to rate the colour combination of the coupé). Besides that, the coupé is, well, a coupé.
The view from the window was limited by a sunshade commercial sticker, which was quite frustrating, - so much to look at, but such small holes to peek through.
The train set of and the adventure begun. A well dressed guy greeted us with a glass of fruit juice, another gave us a newspaper, - in Hindi!

The Trivandrum Rajdhani Express, is the longest train ride in India from Delhi in north, to Kerala in south. A 45-hours journey covering 3189 km. We had opted for the whole distance and looked forward to the ride.
Leaving Delhi we past massive slum areas followed by huge green patches of farmed land. The ride through Rajasthan and Maharashtra showed a dry flat landscape.
So, how do you spend 2 days in a train coupé? We chose to read, blog, peek out the small holes and eat too much food. The friendly staff served us three different kinds of curries for both lunch and dinner! When bedtime arrived we tried to find comfort to the sounds and rocking of the train. Tried. Early morning we passed through Mumbai and after sunset the recognizable and pretty rice fields popped up. Landscape is still very dry, but much warmer than we experienced in Delhi. The locals must be eager to greet the monsoon in few months time.
A short stop at a minor station before lunch revealed that Indians are empowered. Three of the other couples in neighbouring coupés started tearing of the sunshade/commercials. They too got tired of peeking out the small holes.
Passing Goa around lunch and the landscape was changing from being dry to be dominated by palm trees and the calm backwaters.

The plan of mingling with the passengers on the train for an informal chat about health and diabetes kind of slipped through our fingers when we found out food was served in the coupé and not in a dining cart.
Nevertheless, our coupé neighbours were all keen to talk about it. One couple going on holiday had been talking about their health lately and therefore found the dialogue as a natural extension of their own process. They wondered if they got enough exercise, their BMI and how to balance their diet better. We guided them to www.diabetesindia.com which recommends menus based on geographical region and calorie count.
A man on business trip listened carefully, but then shared eagerly with us that by doing some specific yoga asanas (postures) recommended by a Yogi TV star and eating the jammum seeds from a fruit, diabetes can be controlled. However, he had little arguments for why his aunt still suffered from the complications caused by diabetes.
It is a problem that some people believe natural medicine can replace the advice and treatment specified by diabetologists. Some even believe that these natural remedies can cure diabetes disorders.

Tomorrow morning, very early we will arrive in Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala. Much more about this place later. Good night.

Pic is showing our train at some random stop we made on the way.

Jama Masjid and the lively Old Delhi

Jama Masjid is the biggest Friday Mosque in India and it is impressive with its breathtaking architecture with its grand white cuples, delicate patterned murals and huge gates .The builder is said to be the son of the builder of Taj Mahal.

In the courtyard in front of the mosque, there is a palladium for an extra muballigh (prayer leader) so it was possible to reach all 25.000 prayers on Fridays, before the loud speakers were invented.

Another view of the Mosque:

The most enjoyable and authentic thing we have experienced so far here was the low-tech cycle-rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk bazar from the new high-tech underground metro to Jama Masjid. The ride gave us front-row view to a spectacle of people, halal butchers, card sellers, handicraft men, numerous small shops and stalls, tourists, motorcycles and of cause cycle-rickshaws, all in narrow lanes making it impossible to proceed more than a few meters in walking pace without stops.
The number of cycle-rickshaws seemed greater than the number of people in the streets, which was best illustrated in a congested crossing where everything stopped for minutes resulting in arguments between the trimmed and in our case tiny rider. No worry about diabetes for these guys!

This is our rickshaw driver in action. We wondered how he could keep smiling with the two of us to drag around. He was maybe 150 cm tall and his weight must have been less that 45 kg. Pure muscles!