Drive, Camp, Drive, Camp, Drive

We leave Tirupathi full of enlightenment and hope, hope that our wish comes true – nope can’t tell you otherwise it won’t come true. We also leave with additional knowledge in that after a full day & night of heavy rain the truck leaks. Argh!!! Seats, luggage, sleeping bags soaked, and to think we need to camp for the next 2 nights.

So we spend the next couple of days overlanding through Andhra Pradesh, towards Orissa State. After wild bush camping for a few nights we finally arrive into the city of Jeypore tonight we have hotel. We have the afternoon to explore the local markets and town of Jeypore. Tomorrow we will start our next adventure, exploring the tribal areas of Orissa.

Temple of Lord Venkateshwara

We awake to our first rain of the holiday, good news is that we will be driving for most of the day and should be nice and dry on the truck. We finally arrive to Tirupathi unload the truck find our rooms and head out for a quick lunch. After lunch we head up the hill to Venkateshwara Temple.


Fun Fact: Devotees flock to Tirumala to Venkateshwara, an avatar of Vishnu. Among the many powers attributed to him is the granting of any wish made before the idol at Tirumala. Many pilgrims donate their hair to the deity – in gratitude for a wish fulfilled.

Ordinary ‘darshan’ requires a wait of anywhere from 2 to 6 hours in the claustrophobic metal cages. We were lucky and purchased ‘Quick darshan’ tickets and got through a little faster. There was still the fun and excitement or should I say we had to brave the gauntlet of the cages, which of course is all part of the fun, kind of .....

Once we make it through the cages into the temple there Venkateshwara sits gloriously on his throne, inspiring bliss and love among his visitors (guess I was an exception). You only have a moment to make a wish and then you are shoved out again. We are then pushed along to collect our delicious ladoo (a sweet made of flour, sugar raisins and nuts). So I collected the sweet but did not eat it, I hope I don’t go to hell (or whatever the Hindi equivalent is), I think I counter acted this by giving my sweet to a local to eat, in doing this I made a new friend for life.

Still raining and not getting any not seeing any sign of the weather letting up, we get back in the car and make our way back to the bottom of the hill, back to the hotel have a warm shower and get dry.

Awesome Adventure #10 - Nepal & India - Part 4

As I hold back the tears and say goodbye to yet another group of people I now face the fact that there is only one month left and we will now be travelling with a small group of 7 people.

So this next leg will take me into tribal areas as well as the cold mountain areas of India. One can only hope I have packed enough warm clothing. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

Mahabalipuram

We only have one night in Mahabalipuram but lucky it is only a short drive from Pondicherry and we arrive mid morning. From the hotel we walk to the beach and the Shore Temple an interesting fact about this temple is that it is believed to be the last in a series of buildings that extended along a since submerged coastline; this theory gained belief during the 2004 tsunami, when receding waters revealed the outlines of what may have been sister temples. With the heat continuing to beat down we decided to escape into a cafe for lunch and cool down. Not quite cool enough we walk back to the hotel and jump in the pool for what might be our last opportunity to have a swim before heading back to Australia.

Group meal tonight as this is our last dinner together before we start to say our farewells to our new found friends.

Pondicherry

Arriving late morning we set out on foot to explore this French influenced town. As we consult out map we find that Pondicherry is split from east to west by a partially covered sewer... ah! I mean, canal. The more ‘French’ part of town is on the east side towards the sea side. Ar! Yes the sea side is not much to rave about in that it’s not a beach destination; there is a thin strip of sand that leads into a dirty brown blah that slurps into a seawall of jagged rocks. Not nice I know but we did not come to Pondy to swim we came to check out the boardwalk along the sea front, the colonial buildings and experience the mix of French and Indian culture that this town offers.

Unfortunately we only have one night here so it needed to be a quick trip in the morning we head for Mahabalipuram.

Kanyakumari, Madurai & Trichy

We have a long drive ahead of us today and before we arrive at Madurai we make a stop at the southernmost tip of India Kanyakkumari (Cape Comorin), walk through the local market area until we make it to view the Statue of Thiruvalluvar unfortunately we did not have enough time to catch the ferry across as we still have several hours of driving that need to done before even making it to Madurai. We arrive to our hotel in Madurai with no time but to eat dinner and sleep.
Today is going to be jam packed with temples I hope I am up for it. Shree Meenaksh Temple in Madurai is covered with profusions of multicoloured images of gods, goddesse,m animals and mythical figures. Now there is always one person that forgets to wear long trousers and this time it was Lex. So here is a photo of Lex wearing a purple skirt to ensure that his knees are covered. Lex will tell you that it’s called a Lungi Bah!!! It’s a skirt. Good Luck explaining this one to your friends. From here we make our way to Trichy.

Trichy is famous for its Rock Fort. Its name means “city of the sacred rock” so here we climb 434 steps to the temple of Ganesh at the top, here we are rewarded with magnificent views of the town and surroundings. Off to view the spectacular temple complex of Sri Ranganathaswamy, set on the island of Srivangam and covering an area of 2½ sq kms, making it the largest complex in India. It consists of 21 gopurams – huge ornately decorated and carved towers – along with a number of shrines and temples.

Officially tired from viewing temples we all get back to the hotel and start making arrangements for dinner.

Beach, Eat, Sleep!

Leaving the backwaters behind us we head for the beach resort area of Varkala. No set itinerary for the next 3 nights, so without fail first thing we do is get out rooms and change into our swimmers, Yep! You guessed it off to the beach, with strong currents in the waters I took it easy and made sure that I was safe (see mum I am looking after myself). As the sun starts to go down we check out some of the local shops and head back to get some dinner.

Over the next few days the pattern of eating breakfast, lunch and dinner along with several beach stops along the way was definitely formed. OK we did do some others things; we hired a scooter and checked out the main town stopped off at Janardhana Temple and of course went for a swim and ate more food. Argh!! Any weight that I lost I think I have put it back on while spending time here.

Unfortunately we can’t extend our stay and in the morning we make tracks towards Madurai.

Allepey - Keralan Backwaters

Yay!!! Time to get off the truck and enjoy life of living on a boat, well at least for 1 day and 1 night. For the next 24 hours at least we will be cruising the Keralan Backwaters a sprawling network of canals – we begin by floating along, gazing over rice fields and watching village life along the banks. We have the chance to stop and pick up some fresh seafood from one of the local fishing villages that live on the banks. Yum!! Fresh Tiger Prawns for lunch (Ok! So I did not have it but others did and it looked delicious). The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and taking in the scenery and enjoying doing nothing. The night gets a little noisier, as a few more beers are consumed and the music is turned on before we know it heads are hitting pillows and then the sun is coming up.

Dam!!! Our house boat experience is over and it’s time to get back on the truck. Let’s head for Varkarla.

Cochin, Kochi, Same! Same!

This morning we take a city tour by boat around the coast and islands taking in various sites including the Jewish Quarter, St Francis Church which is believed to be India’s oldest European-built church and the Chinese fishing nets, this spiderlike contraption require at least 4 people to operate their counterweights at high tide. Unfortunately, modern fishing techniques are making these labour-intensive methods less and less profitable. A few of us had enough of walking around and went in search of lunch and a beach. Umm... not the easiest beach to get to after a car-ferry, local bus and a auto-rickshaw later we find Cherai Beach on Vypeen Island. First we have a bite to each and then in the water we go. Ah!!! Water is still a little warm but nice to have a swim.

Tonight we have the chance to experience a little more of the local culture as we watch Kathakali. Kathakali performances are made for tourists, but are a good introduction to the intriguing art form. Our performance started with the intricate make-up application, followed by a demonstration and commentary on the dance and then the performance. No matter how I describe this I don’t think I will be able to paint the picture of what I saw to say this least this was a very interesting experience.

Wayanad Home Stay

Well as always our timing is perfect and we arrive at our home stay just in time for lunch. Unfortunately everyone is able to stay at the same home stay as we bid farewell to the others (well at least until dinner time), we get shown our rooms and make ourselves comfortable. Unable to stay still for long I am getting the troops together for a game of badminton, since playing at the home stay I have discovered that this is not a primary sport for me, best stick to what I know. Our hosts take us for a walk around the local tea plantations. Well before you know it the afternoon has passed and it is time to get ready for dinner to visit and meet up with the other group members.

Yesterday was a nice and relaxing day but today we have lots on our agenda. To start we are off to the Edakal Caves, several steps up the hill to the 1 yes 1 cave that has petroglyphs thought to date back over 3000 years, a added bonus to climbing up all these stairs was the jaw-dropping view of the Wayanad district. From here we take a couple of hours to drive to a local Waterfall, it’s here we walk or should I say slide down the muddy mountain side to reach the waterfall, unfortunately due to the heavy rainfall they had a week before we arrived the waterfall is flowing to hard for us to take a swim, guess I will just have to settle for a shower/spray from the waterfall, eh!!! Better than nothing right. Deep breath as I prepare myself for the climb back up. Everyone has now made their way back to the top, drank a litre of water to cool down, back in the jeeps for a drive back to the home stay short time to relax before we get ready for dinner.

Before you know it morning will be here and it’s back in that truck. Good news is that we are heading for Cochin (Kochi), signs of another beach on the horizon.

First fun then culture!

Another long driver and a wild bush camp later we finally arrive mid afternoon into Mysore. All exhausted from the last few days the last thing anyone felt like doing was looking at another temple. As good news would have it Mysore has a small amusement centre, tonight its go-karting, mini-golf and tenpin bowling. Phil (39 Seconds), Wes (42 Seconds) and Lex (44 Seconds) Congratulations on the fastest laps for the boys, girls defiantly gave them a run for their money with Jennie (41 Seconds), Sarah (42 Seconds) and me (44 Seconds). Mini Golf not nearly as close and Wes did you ever find that ball that unexplainably went into the rough umm.... Passed on tenpin bowling and went back to the hotel for a drink or 2 before going to bed.

Sleep in and then off to check out the sights of Mysore, first we are off to the Mysore (Maharaja’s) Palace, then before we duck off to the Devaraja Market we stop for a Tali lunch this afternoon we take an auto rickshaw up to the top of Chamundi Hill. It’s here we from the 1062m summit we check out the view of Mysore, we continue to check out the towering seven-storey 40m high gopuram (Sri Chamundeswari) Temple. Feeling energetic we decide to take the 45 minute decent down the hill taking in all 1000 steps. About one third of the way down is a 5 meter high statue of Nandi (Shiva’s bull), that is carved out of solid rock.

Once we reach the bottom we don’t leave much time to get back to the hotel and get ready for our group dinner.

Tomorrow is a short drive as we look to make our way towards Wayanad.

Hampi

Leaving the beaches of Goa behind us we set off on a long drive day, we cross over into the state of Karnataka to the village of Hampi, set in an extraordinary landscape of giant granite boulders, lush paddies and banana plantations.

We are staying just outside Hampi Bazzar at Virupapur Gaddi so we need to cross the river by boat to start our guided auto rickshaw tour. Before we get into the rickshaws we are greeted by Lakshmi (the temple elephant), it’s here we get a smooch (blessing) from her.

First of many stops this morning is at the Vittala Temple. The outer ‘musical’ pillars reverberate when tapped. There is also an ornate stone chariot in the temple courtyard, it’s wheels were once capable of turning. From here it’s to the Royal Centre where we visit the Queens Bath, Elephant Stables and the Lotus Mahal. Before stopping for lunch we make a last stop at Badavilinga and Lakshmi Narasimha Temples.

After lunch we slowly make our way back to the river to catch the boat back. Plans are starting to take shape as we are looking for ways to cool down in this heat. Rumour has it that if we rent a motor bike/scooter we can drive to the lake. Lex and I waste no time rent a bike and make our way to the lake, our first stop seemed nice well that was before every Indian man and his goat came out of the wood work to watch us swim needless to say it was a short swim, back on the bike to find another place to swim and relax. Excellent without having to travel far we find a great place to cool down. Time passes quickly and before you know it the sun will be going down and we want to catch sunset at the top of Monkey Temple. We set off towards the temple with a stumble or two made and a floorless recovery to follow we are back on our way to climb the 600 steps to the Monkey Temple with plenty of time to watch the sunset.

Time to return bikes and head home for a bite to eat and some shut eye.

Sun, fun and relaxation in Goa

Unfortunately there has been an itinerary change and we are no longer catching the train from Mumbai to Goa instead it will be a 1 and a half day drive, which means we bush camp along the way.

We arrive in North Goa (Baga) just in time for lunch, before we hit the water we have a bite to eat, walk around town and then we get in the water. It was a strange swim, not sure if it was the fact that I had every Indian man on the beach staring at me or maybe it was because the water was as warm as a bath. Either way it was nice to sit back, relax and go for a swim.

Decided to experience the sites before hitting the beach again for a 2nd day in a row, first thing is first we need to get a local bus to Sinquerium and then a taxi to Fort Aguada. Fort Aguada was built in 1612 by the Portuguese. After visiting the sites it was time trek to the beach (Candolim) and do some of that relaxation I have been talking about.

It’s time to say farewell to the North and start to make our way to the South but before we get settled on another beach we make a quick stop into Old Goa for lunch and to check out the sites. Quick visit into Se Cathedral, Church of St Francis and Basilica of Bom Jesus. After my toasted cheese and corn sandwich (delicious), back in the truck and off to South Goa (Agonda).

It’s here at Agonda for the next day and a half where we swim all day and party all night. On the first night a few of a make the journey to Palolem to experience our first silent disco. I know you are all wondering what a Silent Disco is, well I know I was when it was suggested to me. A silent disco is where you go to a club get a pair of head phones tune into one of 3 DJ's and dance the night away. Such a great night.

Awesome Adventure #10 - Nepal & India - Part 3

Well I have said good bye to another tour and a month has passed. It’s time to welcome the newbie’s and celebrate the fact that this section of the tour will be taking us to the beach.  Surf, Sun, Sand here I come.