Day 67 - 09/03/20
Dear Friends,
Since being in Coonoor I have hopped all over India and I am currently writing this from Inside the Jaisalmer Fort in the state of Rajisthan. Our last day in Coonoor was spent walking in the tea hills and visiting the factory to learn more about how everything is concocted. We also visited Ooty via a train through the hills, specially built for tourists. I had my most rebellious moment yet.. I walked along the train tracks as if I was a local... it was built for a tourist train so I knew exactly when it was coming and going... still counts though right?
It feels like a dream that I was ever in the south as it is an unparalleled comparison to the North. My last stop in the south, after Coonoor, was Kochi. Since it has been a port since the 14th century it has been influenced by Arab, Chinese and European merchants which is reflected in the town. In our walking tour we visited St. Francis Church, Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Matancherry Palace (the Dutch Palace) and the Chinese fishing nets down on the beach. We also visited Paradesi Synagogue, situated in Jewish town, one of my favourite areas in Kochi. Another weird and wonderful highlight was the dance show on our last evening on the tour known as Kathakali. It is an expressive art form in Kerala in which there is no speech and the story is told through facial expressions and physicality and music. There was an interesting pre-show in which you could see the actors (who apparently have to train for 7 years) putting their hugely intricate makeup on whilst sitting on the stage, no pressure at all. It was sad that the tour had ended so soon but I still had the north to look forward to and I knew from the others and my memory that it was like a whole new country altogether. I was sad to see everyone go though and I'm especially jealous of Josh and Lydia's spontaneous road trip through Australia - it sounds epic!
I flew from Kochi to Delhi, and at 6pm that day, met my group of 13, consisting of all ages. The next day we went on a walking tour of old Delhi. We visited the largest mosque in India called Jama Masjid, which had deep red walls and beautiful archways. We then travelled through the bazaar which housed lots of luxurious wedding shops, and ending up at the Sikh temple. That evening we left for Rajisthan on the 6pm train which ended up being almost 21 hours. I feel like a rapunzel impersonator when I lean out the window from our tower room and look over the beautiful city whilst being enclosed inside the walls of the Fort. There are around 2,000 living inside the fort, 65,000 in the city, it is not a large city in terms of population, despite its land mass making it the biggest state in India. We went on a walking tour of the city today, and watched as everyone is preparing for the Holi festival tomorrow. The government has actually banned all celebrations to take part in India because of the Corona virus, in an attempt to avoid the spread through large gatherings. However, it was clear today that no one is paying the least bit of interest, good on them, as paint was being sold left right and centre, I am excited to get involved in the celebrations tomorrow! This morning we came back from a camel safari in the Thar desert. Yesterday evening we rode into the dessert and camped out under the stars, we awoke to chai and breakfast at dawn, and then rode back on the camels to reality and the 45 km jeep ride back to Jaisalmer. My camel was called Mango and wherever he went his mate Tango also went, they were the sweetest little duo. We have one more day in Jaisalmer and then are travelling on to Jodhpur to continue our northern adventure.
Since being in Coonoor I have hopped all over India and I am currently writing this from Inside the Jaisalmer Fort in the state of Rajisthan. Our last day in Coonoor was spent walking in the tea hills and visiting the factory to learn more about how everything is concocted. We also visited Ooty via a train through the hills, specially built for tourists. I had my most rebellious moment yet.. I walked along the train tracks as if I was a local... it was built for a tourist train so I knew exactly when it was coming and going... still counts though right?
It feels like a dream that I was ever in the south as it is an unparalleled comparison to the North. My last stop in the south, after Coonoor, was Kochi. Since it has been a port since the 14th century it has been influenced by Arab, Chinese and European merchants which is reflected in the town. In our walking tour we visited St. Francis Church, Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Matancherry Palace (the Dutch Palace) and the Chinese fishing nets down on the beach. We also visited Paradesi Synagogue, situated in Jewish town, one of my favourite areas in Kochi. Another weird and wonderful highlight was the dance show on our last evening on the tour known as Kathakali. It is an expressive art form in Kerala in which there is no speech and the story is told through facial expressions and physicality and music. There was an interesting pre-show in which you could see the actors (who apparently have to train for 7 years) putting their hugely intricate makeup on whilst sitting on the stage, no pressure at all. It was sad that the tour had ended so soon but I still had the north to look forward to and I knew from the others and my memory that it was like a whole new country altogether. I was sad to see everyone go though and I'm especially jealous of Josh and Lydia's spontaneous road trip through Australia - it sounds epic!
I flew from Kochi to Delhi, and at 6pm that day, met my group of 13, consisting of all ages. The next day we went on a walking tour of old Delhi. We visited the largest mosque in India called Jama Masjid, which had deep red walls and beautiful archways. We then travelled through the bazaar which housed lots of luxurious wedding shops, and ending up at the Sikh temple. That evening we left for Rajisthan on the 6pm train which ended up being almost 21 hours. I feel like a rapunzel impersonator when I lean out the window from our tower room and look over the beautiful city whilst being enclosed inside the walls of the Fort. There are around 2,000 living inside the fort, 65,000 in the city, it is not a large city in terms of population, despite its land mass making it the biggest state in India. We went on a walking tour of the city today, and watched as everyone is preparing for the Holi festival tomorrow. The government has actually banned all celebrations to take part in India because of the Corona virus, in an attempt to avoid the spread through large gatherings. However, it was clear today that no one is paying the least bit of interest, good on them, as paint was being sold left right and centre, I am excited to get involved in the celebrations tomorrow! This morning we came back from a camel safari in the Thar desert. Yesterday evening we rode into the dessert and camped out under the stars, we awoke to chai and breakfast at dawn, and then rode back on the camels to reality and the 45 km jeep ride back to Jaisalmer. My camel was called Mango and wherever he went his mate Tango also went, they were the sweetest little duo. We have one more day in Jaisalmer and then are travelling on to Jodhpur to continue our northern adventure.
bye for now,
Phoebe
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