It's nice to be back!

Helloooooo! I was away for about two weeks because my dad was unwell. But now he is fine and here I am. And I am really glad that a few people did ask me about my blog not being updated - can’t tell you how nice it feels to know that people actually read my blog – whoa! ;)

I went to Thiruvananthapuram (the good old Trivandrum) first and now I am in Kochi. I used to hate Trivandrum as much as I used to love Kochi, but now I guess age and time have mellowed me down and I think Trivandrum is not that bad after all.

And with times, I noticed new aspects of these cities, or rather, old but previously ignored “facts” came to fore. Facts like:

1. It is not easy to be beautiful or glamorous in Kerala; especially during the summer months. You sweat and sweat so much that anything closely related to make-up looks unbearable. You cannot let your hair loose 'coz one minute in the sun and all of it sticks to the nape of your neck (ewwwwww). You can wear nothing but cotton if you want to be comfortable, and denim on your skin is torture. You have to leave your face clean and plain because whatever moisturizer, sunscreen (or one of those thousand and one things) you apply on your face, it slides down your temples in a minute as you perspire. You could use waterproof make up – but then again I am sure even that could be very irritating. So as you can guess, only the naturally beautiful ones get credit here, and must say, they deserve it.

2. Every third person in Trivandrum is called Biju. My husband was the one who made this observation, but I think I agree with him. Biju is perhaps the most common name in the southern parts of Kerala. I wonder why the name is so very common. The name is not very popular towards the north though. Again, what does that name mean? Keralites are infamous for meaningless names, especially of two syllables. I could dedicate an entire post to that! But Biju is also the name of one of my closest friends, and so I will for now not make too many comments. He might as well reply with a list of infamous Reshmas!

But hey – people from other parts of India usually give their kids sensible names – so maybe I should find out how Biju Patnaik got his name to address my curiosity – what say?
Added after Googling: Biju in his name is the short form of Bijayananda – which I guess is the equivalent of Vijayanand – which has a meaning! Sigh!

3. Where do you find the nastiest people? On buses in Kerala. I am not kidding – anyone who has traveled by State/privately owned buses in Kerala (the intercity ones, not long distance) would nod their head in agreement. Your perfectly polite bus-stop companion would give Cruella a run for her money once she enters the bus. Ones who are standing curse the ones who are seated but still refuse to hold your parcel/bag (yes, they are very capable of being downright rude and refusing to help you out) only to turn into the same once they find a seat. If you lose your balance and trip or stamp on someone’s foot – may God save you!

I still have 3 days to go before I leave for Bangalore. I hope I will be able to (re)discover many more interesting facets of the place before I do. Because despite everything, I really do love my Kochi (and well, I am ok with Trivandrum too)!

It's rocking!

This weekend, we set out on a trip to Mekedatu. This is about 100 km from Bangalore, and is a rocky place with a deep narrow ravine through which river Kaveri runs. It is about 4 km from Sangam, where rivers Kaveri and Arkavathi merge. It is perfect for a one day trip for adventurous people – which means not so much for people like me (read chicken).

Things to look out for (or watch out for, depending on which side you are on):

1. Sericulture in Ramanagara: It’s not for nothing that Ramanagara is called the silk town. People there are very friendly, and will explain to you all about silk worms and cocoons. But unless you know Kannada, chances of you getting enlightened are close to nil.

2. Sangam: This is where your drive ends. Here the waters are shallow and you can have a splash :) Carry a set of clothes, there is a restaurant nearby which has rest rooms and you can change there. Don't let the warning signs on the way to Sangam (see pic) worry you - they are for the hair-pin bends and rash drivers!

3. Bus ride to Mekedatu: Across the Sangam, there are buses which will take you to and fro Mekedatu at Rs. 40 per head. The drive lasts 10 minutes, is very bumpy but enjoyable. :)

4. The Mekedatu ravine: The word Mekedatu means “goat’s leap”. Read the legend here. The rocks there are smooth and slippery (or so they seemed to me), with river Kaveri gushing through the deep gorge below. I feared for my life after a point and refused to accompany my husband further ahead (I told you I was chicken!). And all around I could see guys sitting on the edge and looking down at the water – aaaaaaaaaah! I almost had a heart attack!

5. Chunchi waterfall: You might also want to check out this waterfall which is on the way to Sangam, about 6 km off the main road. We drove down to that place, but realized we had to walk down further and were too tired to trek, so gave it a miss. But the journey to Chunchi was nice- through an idyllic village so typical, it was like from movies! And please drive extremely slowly here, because people, cattle, goat, dogs – none is tuned to vehicles and are forever darting on to the road.

I would like to leave you with a video from Sangam. This aunty was trying to dehusk a coconut. What an idea madam jee! I feel so sorry for that coconut!