Mysore Palace

I heard a subtle sound of crunching metal and I got up from my seat at the internet cafe. Peering outside, I saw a man who just had a small accident in his motorbike (he seems to be okay), but already within 1 minute, a crowd of 100 people had circled the site: a demonstration of the care, curiosity, and density of people in this country.

I've been in Mysore for a few weeks now. The classes I'm enrolled in are really interesting: Hindi, culture and civilization of India, science technology and development, Indian Economy, and Natural Chemicals of the Environment. I share a room with my friend Tom in a hostel down the street from the school. It's called VILD (vivekananda institute for leadership development), but our specific sector is SVIIS (swami vivekananda institute for Indian studies). The profs are mostly retired professionals, so they provide good insights into their respective fields.

Last weekend, we visited Mysore Palace, which was built in 1912. It's designs amalgamate hindu, muslim, gothic, and rajput styles of architecture, which was recognizable inside. Some rooms were so different from the next that I was surprised it was all the same place. The money and intricacy that was put into this place was incredible. Unfortunately, taking photos is strictly prohibited so i didn't get any of the interior.

We also visited a huge dam built near the city (the 2nd in the world after Niagara falls to harness hydroelectric power), where after dark, there was a light show over large gardens that grow there. We stopped later at a Muslim Palace that was a grave (same idea as the Taj Mahal), and a Hindu temple on the top of the highest hill in Mysore. There were lots of monkeys there, along with a street full of vendors of the most brightly colored spices and grains.

You have perhaps heard that cows are holy here. They are treated as such, and when I asked why, the answer I got was that they only give. They give work to farmers (pulling tools), milk for drinking and butter (later turned to ghee), and manure for fertilization. Why would we kill something that only gives? A novel idea to be sure. I obviously don't think they are holy, but it's neat to see not only the care for them by people, and their reaction to this treatment. They own the road, along with wherever they choose to roam. I have been in countless traffic back-ups due to a cow slowly mozying along the road. They do react to car horns, but its as if they reserve the right to be on the road, like they know they're invincible!

jared

elephants and temples

To sum up the last few weeks, I love India!While we were still in Kochi, we took a boat tour through the 'backwaters', which is basically a channel that fills with seawater during high tide, but reverses direction and fills with mountain freshwater during low tide. I bought fish from vendors near the Arabian Sea one evening, and brought them to a restaurant to fry them up with masala (spice). I also saw two concerts at a little pavilion. One was a three-piece band with veeda (like a Sitar), tablas, and another drum instrument. The next was a Katakali dance: a traditional enactment of a story in one of the Vedas (the Hindu traditional literature/scriptures). We also took lots of rickshaws and ferries around Fort Kochi, the tourist area, to Ernakulum, the main city, to shop and visit a pharmacy. I got over-the-counter malaria medicine for 20 days for 13 rupees (about 25 cents!). (And don't worry mom, I asked a doctor if it was legit before I took them!)

Then we took an 11 hour night train from Kerala state to Karnataka state. I stayed awake all night for safety because I hear theft is an issue on trains. I played cards and bought little 5 rupee coffee shots from vendors who would walk by periodically. When we got there, we took a bus to Turtle bay, which is a beach resort! While we were there, we played soccer and volleyball with locals, snorkeled, and visited a fishing village. While I was at the village, I made a friend who spoke English, and I went fishing with him and his father at 5:15am (still dark!) in a little canoe. He dropped a net made of fishing line about 1/2 kilometre long, and caught about 200 fish within 2 hours! It was unbelievable to see all the twinkling lights of both the incredulous stars (due to a total lack of air pollution there) and the other fishing boats kilometres away.

We bussed it to an organic farm, but we stopped at a Hindu temple during a festival. It was crammed with people, and there was incense and loud gongs sounding often. I gave a rupee to an elephant who ‘blessed’ me by catching the coin in his trunk, gently tapping my head with his trunk, and then giving his master the coin! There were hundreds of people in a pool within the temple grounds, and I believe it symbolized spiritual purification. I didn’t take a picture then because there was an armed man on the top of a roof keeping a close eye on us (they don’t take to tourist photography too well). At the organic farm, we learned lots of ways to farm without pesticides and instead using natural chemicals and methods. I picked coffee beans, tea leaves, spices (like cardamom, black pepper) and learned how to process them. We took bucket showers because our cabin lacked running water.

Everyone eats with his or her hands here. It is actually quite clean to eat with my hands when I use bite-sized pieces of naan or chapatti bread to scoop up the rice and curry. There is so much variety to the curry here, and I have never been more satisfied with purely vegetarian meals! The spice is beginning not to bother me, though I had a 10 minute bought a few days ago after eating a chili pepper whole (one reason to lessen the presence of my male ego). Speaking of which, I have a story here, but if you love rodents, DON’T read this next part please.

Us guys were having some rat problems in our room, as they were chewing on the wires and keeping us up. So before we knew it, my friend Tom fashioned a spear, but when the rat showed up again, he just couldn’t follow through. So I grabbed the spear, and without really thinking, thrust it at the rat in a fit of adrenaline! We were all shocked and silent for a few seconds until we realized he was dead, and we roared with a cheer! Turns out I got him right in the neck, and they didn’t bother us anymore. We joked about it for the next few days in inside comments, but the girls eventually found out what we did. We also had a massive (7-8 feet) rat snake up in our rafters, and a local coerced it with a stick to leave.

On the way from the organic farm to Mysore, we stopped at an elephant farm and we rode elephants! They are so big and beautiful, and the one I rode was 51 years old. We also visited a Tibetan refugee settlement and their Buddhist temple. Man, they have beautiful architecture and paintings; both colorful and glamorous. The police captured our bus while we were in the temple because they didn’t like foreigners coming there, but our leader bribed them to leave us alone.

I’ll write about Mysore in a bit, gotta go to class.

Kochi via 3 flights and a bus

The smell getting off the plane was sweltering hotness mixed with curry and fresh palm trees (altogether quite inviting). We have arrived in Kochi via 3 flights and a bus in which we were each honored with a lei presented by the drivers of the bus. I felt like I was in Hawaii (though I have never been). Nevertheless, the smell of fresh jasmine flowers around my neck was unbelievale.
I love it here: it's hot, the people are really nice to talk to if they aren't selling anything, and the food (though spicy!) is very tasty. The touristy area of Kochi consists of a fishing port packed with little outdoor shops and an old fort near the Arabian Sea. We helped a crew hoist up a huge chinese fishing net just off the beach. Yes, we definitely dipped our feet in the Arabian Sea, but swimming is sketch due to the polluted Kerala water- Kerala being the state.
In the Brussels airport, I indulged in a Belgian waffle (a small, dry thing that comes without sauce or a fork but is surprisingly delicious) and some Belgian chocolates (both pricey and worth it). I think we are now 10 1/2 hours ahead of Torontonians.
Now for a long awaited nap.

To Begin,

We all know India has a massive population and embodies a plethora of cultures within its borders. What, however, can be learned by experiencing Mother India that pictures and videos do not teach? I haven't the slightest. But perhaps this page will fill with a few strokes and colors of that portrait as this trip unwinds.

I'm Jared Wohlgemut, a 3rd year Biomed student at University of Guelph. I'm about to embark on a semester abroad trip to India, and these will be my stories. Hope you enjoy them as much as I will enjoy living and writing them.