Fun with Friends

Fun lunch with Gill, Wolfgang, Dau and Noi
Bob brought us up to 4 Seasons for nice drive
Always eating and drinking
Gill and Wolfgang arrived today
Spoiling myself with a manicure
Some daily flower arrangements


Instructions on boiling your eggs at Hot Springs
Siri Panna buffet
Tong having massage

More pictures of city life fair

A dance performed by the young people to express sympathy with those who lost their homes and jobs in the floods and who have to wade through water to obtain the smallest necessities.

Honouring the King of Thailand Dec.'11

The King reached his 84th birthday this year and it was a long weekend of great festivities. He is so beloved by his people.

Thanksgiving in Chiang Mai '11

Our merry crowd gathering on a lovely Thursday to have a Thanksgiving dinner even though none of us are American but it's a great excuse for a Turkey Dinner and we followed it with a game of crocquet in a lovely resort out among the hills near Chiang Mai.

Charity Fair, City Life, Chiang Mai

With friend Pauline and her lovely daughter Madelaine who flew to Thailand to arrange her wedding here that will take place in Feb next. We're all looking forward to a wonderful occasion.


The annual, fun fair held this year for the victims of flooding here in Thailand. There were more than 80 booths set up, lots of food and drink, dances by young people, great bargains and lots of money donated.

Varkala

Pouring the beer in to mugs just in case someone would think there was drink served. The bottle is wrapped in newspaper. It is strange as many places have placards outside announcing Happy Hour and list a variety of cocktails.






Met two nice women at Cafe del Mar here in Varkala. One of them, Barbara, lives here full time, the other is traveling around southern India for a month. We had good chats and meals together roamed over to the temple at the top of the beach where the Hindu gather each Sunday to honour their dead and scatter the ashes of those newly died. We had Indian breakfast of Dosas there in a restaurant overlooking the temple holy pool. The non tourist restaurants are really very basic and quite dirty but the food is very good.



The peaceful get together at the Rock and Roll cafe celebrating the 11 Nov was interrupted shortly after I left by the police who came in and started beating all around them with hockey sticks. They are clearly not in to people enjoying themselves especially if there is any booze around. The smiling lads that were serving had to run for it and several were put in gaol for the night and charged the next morning. Many of the tourists were appalled and signed a petition to say so - not a great image for attracting visitors.

11 Nov ’11.

Today is the start of Fasching and Carnival in those countries that celebrate it. Good memories of fun days in Germany. I booked out of the hotel and off again to the guest house I was shown yesterday named Taj Mahal. It’s a nice room with a cool breeze and a large balcony from which I can see the ocean. the owner is Shah, seems very nice. Had breakfast in his restaurant and it is run by 11 Nepali men. He is quite an entrepreneur and will soon open a little shop selling only precious stones, it will be hard here being in competition with all the inexpensive shops and potential customers would need a lot of knowledge or trust to buy sapphires, emeralds and rubies in an Indian tourist resort

The beach is lovely except the weather is really too hot. Did take the steps down a few times and enjoyed the luke warm water.

Still have no appetite or desire for a drink and keep falling asleep. Never felt like this in my life. Went to the Rock and Roll Café where they are having a special evening for 11/11/11 with traditional musicians including a fiddler. Planned to see in my birthday at midnight but became just too sleepy so left early. Later awakened by the great firework display from the café which was visible from my terrace.

FROM ALLEPPY TO VARKALA

10 Nov. ‘11

Off to catch the 8 hour boat from Alleppy to Kollam. My stuff was loaded on to the little canoe to cross to the waiting rickshaw as there were no roads on “our” little island. Ana, Thomas and Matthew saw me off, see them in photo above.

No problem reaching the ferry port and the 2 decker boat was not full at all. Watched all the life along the rivers as people washed their dishes, themselves and their clothes. The boat halted for lunch and later for tea but the stop at AMMA’S was only to allow people to disembark. If I had known that I would have arranged to spend a night there even though she is not in residence. She goes to Europe each year at this time. I couldn’t stay as the first night in Varkala is booked. Arriving in Kollam I made a rush for the train via a rickshaw. What a crowded experience, most of the compartments have only sleepers and one cannot sit there with a regular ticket. Since it was just half an hour ride I was told to just walk ahead of the Inspectors so they didn’t catch up with me before Varkala. Now to another rickshaw and finally arrived at the beach.

I was booked in to Club 40, a quite expensive place, on north cliff. It didn’t have the expected sea view although not far from the water and the strip with many restaurants, shops of all kinds, internet places and travel agents. Touristy but not as bad as Kovalam where all the French people on the boat were going. The nice rickshaw driver introduced me to a guesthouse with a sea view that cost 500 rupees a night as opposed to 1400 where I’m staying. I felt so unusually tired probably because of having had a sore throat and cold since I left Ireland plus the heat here. Ate some Mumus at a Tibetan restaurant and had my first beer in a week. Here there’s all the usual encouragement to look and buy everything from Bongos to the usual Indian bright jewelry and clothes.

A FEW DAYS STAY ON THE BACKWATERS

GREEN PALMS HOMESTAY
This excellent homestay is on a little island and is almost self sufficient. They grow their own rice, vegetables, have coconut trees etc. They were the ones who first started this idea in the region years ago and now the whole family is involved. Mother Ana still cooks the meals and gives cookery classes. Brothers Thomas and Matthew do walking tours, agriculture, greet guests, bring them out in canoes etc. Sister Maria and husband Philip have several rooms for guests in their lovely house in the compound and all their children play happily around the garden right beside the river where they catch their fish. Chickens and hens wander around the gardens and a fish man calls twice a day.

A stroll around the island resulted in chats with almost every child I passed as they asked questions and tried to imagine where Ireland is. Since they don’t know where Europe or England is I don’t think they understood the explanation but several did know the names of the Irish cricket players which is more than I do. Men and women were washing themselves and their clothes in the river as I passed while most had a fishing rod nearby. Shops are tiny kiosks selling essentials. I was sad to see the burning going on near the rice fields and a woman told me it is good for the soil.

Days are spent strolling, taking a canoe ride, biking, reading and eating. The other guests are most congenial. A young English honeymoon couple and a teacher couple from Austria. We took the cooking class together and the evening walk returning via a large canoe along with a group from GAP adventures who spent one night there. Matthew and the canoe rowers sang some local songs in harmony as we moved placidly along and it was lovely to hear them under a moon that was almost full.

It would be an ideal place for a sundowner while looking at the water lapping the pathway right outside but the general rule is bed after dinner. So far I haven’t heard any music being played except in the theatre. I miss that. On my last evening I hired a small boat to take me around the tiny canals for an hour and watch the sunset. It was fun ducking for all the low lying palms and seeing the eagles and many crane perched on rocks in the rivers. I even caught a glimpse of a Kingfisher.

FORT COCHIN TO ALLEPPY

FERRY TO ALLEPPY

7 Nov. ‘11
Today I moved from Fort Cochin to Alleppy the centre of the backwaters and house boat region. It involved two rickshaws, a short ferry, a few hour bus ride and later a longer ferry to an island. It was fun although the buses honk almost without pause and when there’s no reason. The traffic is a bit chaotic with the driver passing without the least idea of what type of traffic is approaching around the corner. The short ferry cost 2 1/2 rupees and the long one 41 (there’s 70 in a euro)

It’s funny to look at the signs along the streets, a large hospital is named after it’s specialty – “Piles Hospital” there must be many troubled in that direction here as one sees special services for them offered frequently. Many many places are named after saints and there are bright, freshly painted statues at many corners and grottos. All the religions apparently live in harmony with the majority being Hindu and the rest Muslim, Catholic, Jain and Buddhist. This is one of the hundreds of Houseboats that ply all the large rivers around Alleppy. They are beautiful, expensive floating homes that have proliferated along with the tourist trade so that now there are over 1,500 causing pollution of the lovely backwaters. An overstay night or two on them with all meals served is one of the "musts" of a visit to this area. I didn't go so can't give any account of them but I stayed on the backwaters and took canoes and local ferries all through the small canals where these larger vessels cannot go.

kERALAN LAUNDROMAT

According to the Rickshaw driver this is a communal laundry, not to do one's own washing but all the dirty clothes, bedding etc from the guesthouses and hotels are brought here to be washed and ironed.

This iron seems very heavy and certainly isn't electric.

KERALAN ENGAGEMENT

I happened to go in to Santa Cruz Basilica just when there appeared to be a big wedding ceremony complete with crowds of guests, five photographers and lots of lights centered on the couple.

It became apparent that the catholics here celebrate an engagement in a big way.

The weddings must be very grand indeed

A relaxing cafe by the ocean, a nice place to have a coffee or lassi in Fort Cochin

A JEWISH community was set up here 2000 years ago and the Synagogue dates back to 1568. It is in the centre of the Spice Trade area known as Jewtown and the narrow streets are fun and picturesque.

Women stroll around wearing beautiful saris and scarves floating behind them or they sit sideways, demurely on a bike or motorbike while their man drives with the children in front of him. The women’s lustrous black hair is worn long often below the waist .The men here dress differently. They wear a long skirt like lunghi often in white but they fiddle with it constantly and most usually hitch it up half way and tie it loosely in front which looks a bit like a bulky nappie. It looks especially strange when they are cycling. They seem to have to arrange it again every few minutes and often there’s a big expanse of leg showing as they do so – same legs are frequently matchstick thin especially in old gentlemen. Spreading it out wide looks as if they are about to flash. The shortness probably suits the humid climate and many of them do not wear anything on top around work or the house.