Fishing in Backwaters of Kerala, India

Fishing in Backwaters of Kerala, India
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

No trip to Kerala without a lazy boat tour down the river and through the waterways known as the backwaters. We stopped along the way to visit some villages, see some crafts, have a lunch thali on a banana leaf and drink fresh coconut water right from the coconut.

February announcements:

Congratulations to Mary & John in their recent pregnancy!
Happy Birthday to Kelly N, Barry A, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln! Tambien, Feliz Cumpleanos a mi querido Laura!
Happy 2-year anniversary to Don and Maureen!

Kublai Khan's fishing net, Kochi

IMG_2523
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

We took a short break from our coconut palm vacation up to Kochi. Here we found several of these contraptions still in use but left behind by the traders from the court of Kublai Khan.

While in town we saw more Kathakali and took in a demonstration of Kalarippayat, an ancient martial art. We also got the opportunity to hear Pandit Ajit Singh play his red hot sitar while accompanied by tabla. A smoking concert to be sure.

Varka-lounging

IMG_2564
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

We found the sweetest spot along the Arabian Sea. In the mornings we watch dolphins frolic in the calm surf over a pot of fresh coffee and fresh fruit muslei. The afternoons are spent hanging in a hammock reading or sunning on the beach or swimming in the clear warm water. And the days are ended with a cocktail at sunset, watching the twinkling fishing boats appear on the ocean and the fireflies flit about the coconut palms.

Its a rough life but somebody's gotta live it.

Fishermen in Varkala, India

Fishermen in Varkala, India
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

Usually the communists are completely incompetent preferring to talk, talk, talk and never accomplishing anything, but the State of Kerala is an exception to the rule. In the 1970s land reforms have paved the way for high literacy rates (higher than the USA) and less extreme poverty. "Viva la Revolucion!" as Che would say.

And Lisa's new friend Sabu is a communist fisherman.

Golden Stream . . . refreshing!

Golden Stream . . . refreshing!
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

Yes, that's right. The bottled water is named "Golden Stream" and I drink Golden stream to keep my stream golden as Lisa likes to say.

The Indian food, ooops I mean food has been hit and miss. Although often tasty it has been surprisingly hard to find the super spicey food we expected we would find here. We have been reduced to begging for hot food. To be fair, food in the tourist areas has been far milder than the food away from the tourist trail.

After three months of beef-laden Argentina, we have gone vegetarian. And its a good thing there are fans in our hotel rooms. If you know what I mean. But to dispell the myth of Deli-belly we have remained healthy and regular.

Kathakali cast party, Varkala

Kathakali cast party, Kochi
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

Kathakali is a classical Keralan dance form. All male performers act out stories from greek myths, upanishads, bible, koran, and Brothers Grimm by portraying demons, royal princes and princesses, gods and godesses. Performances feature elaborate make-up and costumes that take several hours to apply. The show includes live music and typically begins at 10 at night and last until 6 in the morning.

These guys really know how to party!

Varkala Cliffs, India

Varkala Cliffs, India
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

After the locals ran us out of Tamil Nadu we made our way to the state of Kerala and the lovely town of Varkala where we met up with our dear friend Lisa. You remember Lisa from the Portugal/Spain segment of our journeys? Don't you?

Not many sea birds here but lots of eagles and hawks. From our front yard we sip masala tea and watch the eagles swoop down and catch baracudas in their tallons. Just kidding, they're more like sardines. One very strange thing we've noticed is the thousands of crows in India. They're everywhere screaming Don's name. "Don, Don!" There are no pigeons or seagulls so we believe the crows may have eaten them all.

Happy Birthday Mau!!!

Happy Birthday Mau!!!
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

Mau's 25th birthday was a complete disaster! Shortly after we took this photo Mau got horribly drunk and fell in the swimming pool dragging the waiter in with her. But check out the birthday sari!

Crocodile Bank, Vadanemmeli

Gator Farm at Kochi, India
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

Just a rickshaw ride from Mamallapuram is the world famous crocodile bank, a sanctuary for saving endangered species of crocodiles, lizards, turtles, alligators, snakes and bunnies. Breeds include fish-eating knobbly-nosed gharial, and worlds largest species, the salt water crocodylus porosus which can grow to 8 meters in length.

The crocodile bank sits close to the shore and was flooded with salt water by the tsunami. Amazingly none of the crocks or gators escaped or were harmed but the bunnies did not fare as well. sniff sniff

Shore Temple, Mamallapuram

Shore Temple, Mamallapuram
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

As the name implies this temple sits on the shore overlooking the Bay of Bengal. It probably got a thorough washing but in the end survived the tsunami. Prior to the tsunami as the Indian ocean was receding, a ganisha temple was discovered off the shore. Presently, efforts are underway to rediscover and possibly build a Crispy Creme Donut shop inside the temple by introducing underwater tube technology connecting the two temples for the first time ever.

Mmmmooooooo . . . Mamallapuram

Mmmmooooooo . . . Mamallapuram
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

Cows, cows and more cows. Cows everywhere!

Mamallapuram has recieved a lot of aid since the tsunami, unfortunately much of it is in the form of fishing boats like the ones in this picture. Before the tsunami there were only 4 traditional fishing boats but since the tsunami there are now at least 60 new unused boats littering the beach. All the boats are decorated proudly with the names of the agencies who donated. On the other hand the orphanages are desparate for donations. Yet another situation where outsiders incorrectly determined what a community needs without consulting the community.

Lil' Donnie gives the temple huggies

Lil' Donnie Hugs the Temple
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

Ahhhhhhhh.

Family Portrait, Mallapuram

Family Portrait, Mallapuram
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

While we were touring the old light house temple a family visiting from Kolcutta approached us and asked us to take their photo but with our camera. So we did and promised to email the photo to the daughter and they could send us payment later.

There were lots of monkeys all over the place stealing tourists food and providing hours of entertainment for everyone. If you're interested, check out the maujb flickr account for the family of monkeys hugging eachother.

Krishna Mandapa, Mamallapuram

Mamallapuram
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

Mamallapuram is a village that specializes in wood and stone scupture since the 5th century. There were 18 different bas reliefs, rathas (hindu temple carved from a single rock) and full blown outdoor temples. There are several sculpture schools, shops and villages in the area with loads of shivas, ganishas, vishnus and bathtubs.

Krishna's Butter Ball

Krishna's Butter Ball
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

We met Marco, Judith, and Charlie, three retirees from Leeds and Yorkshire who were working with a local orphange that was overwhelmed after the tsunami and have no idea how to apply for relief funds. Marco is an Indian from Hyderabaad who ran a training program for the blind in south India serving 6000 clients and is himself blind. Judith and Charlie do a bit of faith-healing as well.

Kolkata Dancers, Mamallapuram

Kolkata Dancers, Mamallapuram
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

From Chennai we went to Mamallapuram, a small coastal community recovering from last year's tsunami. There was a dance festival happening in the month of January with dancers from all over India. Some of the dancers were staying in our hotel!

The stage background is a very large bas relief, Arjuna's Penance, from the Pallava dynasty (5-9th century).

Gothic Raja train station, Mumbai

Gothic Raja train station, Mumbai
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

After a loooooong flight via London, we arrived in Mumbai to a typical Indian welcome. The 2 ATMs at the airport wouldn't spit-out any cash for either of our cards and the taxis were on strike. Despite all this, we found a nice hotel without too much fuss. The pollution and noise are horrendous but the people are incredibly warm and friendly. People, ox-carts, cars, buses, moto-rickshaws and street vendors share the streets in frenetic Mumbai.

We visited the famous India Gate and the Mumbai Zoo where crocodiles and deer share the same exhibit peacefully. They are evidently vegetarians.

CST (or Victoria Terminus) is a gothic monstrosity built by the English in the time of the Raj and comes complete with gargoyles and bats. We caught a 27 hour train from CST to Chennai (Madras) and had plenty of time to watch the countryside flow past, chat with other passengers, and eat some pretty decent Indian food. Interestingly enough in India, Indian food is just called "food".

Happy New Ear!!! Lisboa

Happy New Ear!!! Lisboa
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

New Years Eve in Lisboa was fabulous! There was a big stage with local act D'Zert heating up the night, superb fireworks, and a huge turnout including lots of children but everything was very nice and mellow. Everybody popped open fine Portagee champagne at midnight and toasted heartily. Then we went to a late-night outdoor cafe for homemade cherry brandy and delicious port wine for d'zert.

Over the holidays we caught up on all the movies we had been missing. We saw King Kong, Oliver Twist, Broken Flowers, Family Stone, Proof, Shop Girl, The Constant Gardener, Revolver (oh, my god that sucked ass), Unfinished Life, and Harry Potter. But our favorite movie was the one we saw on the plane to Mumbai, The 40-Year Old Virgin (!!!). "You know how I know you're gay? You listen to Coldplay".

We also walked through the concourse of the 1997 World Expo and visited the oceanarium. We saw fishies from all four oceans of the world in this spectacular setting on par with Monterrey.

Lisboa-Dakar Deathrace 2006

Lisboa-Dakar Deathrace 2006
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

After securing our visas from the Indian embassey in Lisboa, we celebrated with Indian food! yum.

The Lisboa - Dakar rally started new years day in Lisboa and crosses spain, morocco, mauritania, mali, guinea and ends in senegal on Jan 15. There was a lot of footage on the news of farmlands getting torn-up by 4x4s and motocross bikes, and Portagees cheering them on. Points given for hitting old people and children, extra points for maiming tourists.
Good fun!

"Snowing" at Xmas, Lisbon

"Snowing" at Xmas, Lisbon
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

We left Casablanca on our 24-hour journey through Tangier, Algeciras, Sevilla and finally arrived in Lisboa.

We were very saddened in Tangier as the lovely cafe featured in the "Lovely gardens of Tangier" photo had been demolished by order of King Mohammed VI. Why, why why?!!!

Coming through Sevilla felt like coming home and we had a bit of a tapas crawl through the bus stations. Lisboa was decked out for the holidays with street lights, chestnuts roasting on every corner, holiday music in the air and soap blowers to make a "white Christmas", if a little soapy and slippery. Lisboa had the best weather in all of Europe over the holidays. Yay!!!

The Hassen II mosque is the 3rd largest mosque in the world behind Mecca and Medina. King Hassen the megalomaniac as he know to the political prisoners of Morocco, built the mosque by taxing every family in the country regardless of wealth (or lack thereof) and had the army come to collect from families who were not immediately forthcoming with the cash.
Apart from this ugliness, the mosque is incredibly beautiful and ornate, and one of the only mosques in the world that allows non-muslims to enter. It contains wonderful mosaic tile work, marble, Murano glass chandeliers, acres of carved wood, and a moveable roof that can be opened during large celebrations.
At christmas, it takes more than a thousand workers and 30 billion lights to decorate the mosque. And in the fall, the sunroof is opened and the courtyard is transformed into one the largest Octoberfest celebrations in the muslim world.

Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca
Originally uploaded by crisis-tour.

This takes our story back to mid-December '05. A "kinder, gentler time". Our last stop in Morocco was Casablanca. The city of myth and romance if we were to believe the communist Hollywood film makers. The truth is . . . don't believe the hype! Casa is a dump! Most of the city seemed abandoned, with lots of closed shops, cinderblock style architecture sprinkled with a few burned out hollowed facades leftover from the heyday of French colonialism.

We went to visit Rick's Cafe, a cafe tribute to the film "Casablanca", but even that was closed. Waaaaaaaaah! Our hotel, even at European prices doubled as a brothel at night and not in a good way and not as enjoyable as the film version would lead you to believe.

Quick update from Incredible India

We are in India, in Tamil Nadu state in a small village(Mamallapuram) specializing in stone sculpture, with loads of temples and boulders sculpted into deities. It's a nice 90 degrees here with some cooling breezes off the Indian ocean. The tsunami hit here last year at this time. You can see water damage on a lot of the buildings. Pretty eerie. But the fisherman are up and running and there are a lot of boats along the beach. It's prety far north so they didn't get slammed like the south on Tamil Nadu.

Stay tuned for photo updates and details on the holidays in Portugal, more Morocco, and lots of Incredible India.

Happy Birthday Maureen!!!

Happy birthdays to LB, Erin, and Kai!!!
Happy 1st anniversary to Barry-n-Mary!!!