The train ride from Coimbatore to Cochin was a little crazier than our other train rides so far. Up until now we have been taking night trains, however, this train was from 4:45am to 10:30am. When we arrived on our section of the train there were several men without shirts on and with paint markings on their face and body for religious purposes. They were taking turns showering and cleaning themselves in the train bathroom. Every morning at 5:00 am we are woken up by the call to prayer and I think that this is what the men were doing. They seemed to be pilgrims and were walking up and down the aisles of the train with incense and small flames of ash and were singing and chanting together. It was really cool to experience because that was not what I was expecting religious activities to be. The men seemed to be acting more like friends or team mates. After about 30 minutes they quieted down a bit. At each stop more and more people were coming onto the train and very few were getting off. At one point, my friend counted and there were 16 people in our section, which is supposed to fit only 8. Complete strangers would come onto our seats and bunks wherever they could find space. To us Canadians, this seemed rude and an invasion of our privacy but obviously this is not the same in the Indian culture. I feel as though personal space is a luxury of a first world country with a small population, such as Canada. I was on the top bunk and immediately after I stepped down from my bunk to get ready to get off at the next stop a man had sprawled out in my place. Also another girl on my trip sat up from her lying position on her bunk and people shoved bags on either side of her.
We started the first day in Cochin with a back water tour. We were seated in a large, flat boat with a roof made of coconut vines and were taken through man made canals and small rivers with small settlements on the shores. There were two men, one on either end of the boat directing the boat with long sticks that looked almost like bamboo. Instead of paddling the boat, they would push off the bottom and maneuver us through the narrow passages. Along the tour we were able to see men diving to the bottom of the river to bring up dirt from the bottom. We though that they would use this as rich soil in agriculture.
After the backwater tour we went for lunch at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the ocean. A man from the next table told us that if we looked really closely at the water that we could see dolphins and we totally could. They were diving and coming up for air- very cool. In the evening we went to a cultural dance show where they showed us different kinds of traditional dances including one where the two men were fighting with swords.
On the second day in Cochin we walked around the little streets and practised our bargaining skills at the boho, beachy stores by the beach. I have learned that in areas where there are lots of tourists, you should never take the first price that they tell you. I bought a tunic, shirt, scarf, and pair of pants. All of the clothes are a really cool fabric that will be great in the heat. I didn't realize how hot a cotton t shirt can be until I came to India. At one of the shops where we were looking, a man working there offered us tea because it was their tea time and we had some nice milky masala tea. Apparently Chai actually means tea so when we order one in Canada we are actually asking for "tea tea".
In the afternoon we went for lunch at a great place in the back courtyard of an art gallery. At one point there was a group of school children coming through the courtyard to the art gallery for a school field trip. The boys were so excited and were waving and yelling. They asked us if we liked Kerala (the province that we are in) and they cheered when we said that we did. The girls also waved at us although they seemed more shy. We walked back from lunch along the beach. Along the shore there were several groups of men fishing using Chinese fishing nets. They waved us to come aboard and we did a shift pulling up the nets (for a small fee, obviously)
We started the first day in Cochin with a back water tour. We were seated in a large, flat boat with a roof made of coconut vines and were taken through man made canals and small rivers with small settlements on the shores. There were two men, one on either end of the boat directing the boat with long sticks that looked almost like bamboo. Instead of paddling the boat, they would push off the bottom and maneuver us through the narrow passages. Along the tour we were able to see men diving to the bottom of the river to bring up dirt from the bottom. We though that they would use this as rich soil in agriculture.
After the backwater tour we went for lunch at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the ocean. A man from the next table told us that if we looked really closely at the water that we could see dolphins and we totally could. They were diving and coming up for air- very cool. In the evening we went to a cultural dance show where they showed us different kinds of traditional dances including one where the two men were fighting with swords.
On the second day in Cochin we walked around the little streets and practised our bargaining skills at the boho, beachy stores by the beach. I have learned that in areas where there are lots of tourists, you should never take the first price that they tell you. I bought a tunic, shirt, scarf, and pair of pants. All of the clothes are a really cool fabric that will be great in the heat. I didn't realize how hot a cotton t shirt can be until I came to India. At one of the shops where we were looking, a man working there offered us tea because it was their tea time and we had some nice milky masala tea. Apparently Chai actually means tea so when we order one in Canada we are actually asking for "tea tea".
In the afternoon we went for lunch at a great place in the back courtyard of an art gallery. At one point there was a group of school children coming through the courtyard to the art gallery for a school field trip. The boys were so excited and were waving and yelling. They asked us if we liked Kerala (the province that we are in) and they cheered when we said that we did. The girls also waved at us although they seemed more shy. We walked back from lunch along the beach. Along the shore there were several groups of men fishing using Chinese fishing nets. They waved us to come aboard and we did a shift pulling up the nets (for a small fee, obviously)
Hi H. I am really enjoying reading your all of your accounts of your trip. very interesting and colourful although I would prefer to be there instead of reading about it. Tell me more about the foods that you are eating in future entries. Thanks TD
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