by Judy Handley | Feb 14, 2010 | India, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 111, Year 5: Happy Valentine’s Day
Date: Sunday, February 14, 2010
Weather: Beautiful Day with Blue Skies
Location: Kumily, Idukki, India
We were half-way through our day before we remembered it is Valentine’s Day. There are no reminders of such a holiday here in India, but we decided that our jungle safari was our present to each other. Hope all of you have a good day. Our Valentine’s Day is ending, but yours is just beginning.
Today we received a photo of Ziggy wearing a “Wild Periyar” shirt. Not sure where he got that, but it was certainly a timely photo as our today was all about touring the wild Periyar jungle and then going to a performance of Kalarippayat. This is an ancient form of martial arts and many believe that all martial arts can trace their beginnings to Kalarippayat here in Kerala beginning in the 12th century. We started our day at 5:15 am with a covered jeep ride that took us some twenty to thirty kilometers from here and into the Periyar Wildlife Reserve. Erica, young woman from London, joined us in the jeep. It was still dark when we arrived, but the top was rolled back on the jeep and we started our adventure. We saw a couple of elephants and a sambar deer on a ridge far in the distance, and later we saw long-tailed monkeys locally called lion monkeys because they have a shaggy mane surrounding their faces. As the mist lifted and the sun rose, we had a beautiful ride through the park, but there were no close up encounters with elephants and not a tiger to be seen. We had a lovely breakfast in the park as part of the tour, took a three and half hour guided walk up and down the mountains. For the walk, another young woman named Deepali joined us. She is from Toledo, Ohio, and has just completed graduate work in Mongolia. We all had lunch, and then headed back to Kumily. In the evening, we attended the Kalarippayat performance. We are totally exhausted and start again at 8 am in the morning. Tomorrow’s tour will be of a spice garden and a tea plantation and factory, before getting on a bus headed back to Cochin.
by Judy Handley | Feb 13, 2010 | India, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 110, Year 5: From Sea Level to High Mountains
Date: Saturday, February 13, 2010
Weather: Back to Sunny and Warm
Location: Kumily, Idukki, India
I’m so glad we decided to go ahead with our weekend trip to Periyar Wildlife Reserve. The mountains here are so beautiful and the high tea plantations are just spectacular. But our morning started off a little shaky. Dave of Freebird took Ed and Lynne of Constance and us to shore at 7:15 am. So far so good. But our troubles began when we arrived at the bus station and everyone we talked to gave us a different location for finding the bus to Kumily. The station master’s office sent us to the side of the station. People there sent us to the front. And two different people in front gave us two entirely different locations. We went back to where we started and Mark went from bus to bus asking. Finally someone from the station master’s office came up to us and pointed to a white bus. We bolted in that direction and tried to confirm with the bus driver that he was indeed going to Kumily, but it was just not clear. Then we saw a sign on the front of the bus indicating that it was headed to Madurai in Tamil Nadu (the state to the east of Kerala) and I had read that the bus to Kumily goes on to Madurai, so we were getting closer. We finally boarded and hoped for the best. I had decided that I was going wherever that bus was headed and once we paid for our tickets, it was confirmed that we were going to Kumily. So that whole experience was a little more confusing than we had hoped for, but otherwise the bus trip went fine. It took seven hours instead of five as advertised, and we traveled 180 kilometers from Cochin through crowded towns for the first half of the ride and then climbing higher and higher on the switchback roads for the second half. We actually had to cross into the state of Tamil Nadu before getting off the bus and when we did disembark, we had a very pleasant surprise. A young man had come to meet us to take us to the Green View Homestead. I had called there last night to make a reservation, but I was told they had no rooms in the price range I had set as a limit. But the man I talked to said to come and that if he didn’t have something, he had another place where we could stay. I had no idea he would send someone to meet us. So we walked with our heavy packs from the bus station to the Green View. It is a delightful place, clean, and comes with very friendly people. The young man who had come to meet us is Ranesh and he also sat with us and went through the various options for seeing the wildlife reserve. He convinced us that our best option for seeing as much as possible in one day is to go on a jungle safari all day trip, so that is on for tomorrow. Our hope is to see some of the wildlife here, bison, sambar, wild boar, langur, elephants, and tigers. There are no promises on what will be seen, but it will be an adventure. We are considering going on a tea plantation and spice garden tour on Monday morning and then heading back to Cochin on the 2:15 pm bus. We won’t get home until about 9 pm, but if Judy and Dave of Freebird have not left for Oman, Dave will come get us and take us back out to our boats. You can’t leave your dinghy on shore while you are away touring, so you have to have transportation to and from shore. I think we will probably stay and do the Monday tour, but I’m not sure that Ed and Lynne will.
The seven hour bus trip provided a great glimpse of southern India life. India has twenty-five states with Kerala being one of them. Kerala is advertised as God’s Own Country and is divided into eighteen districts. Some of the most beautiful parts of India are in Kerala to the east of Cochin. And that is what we experienced today. We started in the district of Ernakulam, drove south through backwater country in Kottayam, and then headed east through Idukki. Most of the homes here are built of block, covered with plaster, and then painted in sherbet shades of lemon, lime, orange, raspberry, and blueberry (Is there a blueberry sherbet?). Many homes are newly painted, but just as many are way past due for a paint job. But whatever the condition, it was interesting to see how the people live. Once we entered the tea plantation area, the sherbet shades gave way to emerald green. We will see more of this tomorrow and the next day, so I will write in more detail about the plantations then.
Last night I had a wonderful conversation with my sister-in-law Conda. It helped me to know that she is okay and enjoying the time with her two sons. They are busy putting together a photo tribute to my brother Dickie. Other family members and friends will start arriving this weekend. Being in this beautiful part of India is helping to keep my mind off the fact that I can’t be there with my family right now. My body is here, but my heart is there.
by Judy Handley | Feb 12, 2010 | India, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 109, Year 5: Sadness Doeth Prevail
Date: Friday, February 12, 2010
Weather: Back to Sunny and Warm
Location: Bolgatty Hotel Anchorage, Cochin (Kochi), India
Mark’s mother always said “Sadness Doeth Prevail” when there was a very sad situation. The sad situation is that my brother passed away, but he went quickly and painlessly after the life support systems were removed. For that we are thankful. So on Thursday, February 11, 2010, Richard Lee Martin left us. And that leaving has left a big hole in my being. He was just the best big brother that any little girl could ever hope to have and I will miss him so very much. I so appreciate the messages I have already received from some of you. It is just so very hard to be here when I really need to be with family, so any messages are certainly welcomed. I talked with my sister and my children this morning (Thursday night East Coast US time) and then talked with my sister-in-law Conda this evening. She is doing as well as can be expected and has a wonderful support system of family and friends surrounding her. She understands our decision to not travel home for the funeral and is planning a celebration of my brother’s life once we get home in 2011. My brother’s funeral service will be on Tuesday afternoon, and we are hoping to be able to connect via Skype with family and friends on Monday and Tuesday evenings. In the meantime, we are going to continue life as planned, as I know that is what my brother would want me to do.
For some time now, we have been planning to leave Cochin tomorrow by bus and travel inland to the Periyar Wildlife Reserve. We put those plans on hold once we knew of my brother’s condition, but now we have decided to go. It will take us five hours by bus to reach the reserve. We are trying this trip using public transportation and Lonely Planet travel tips on where to stay and what to do. If this doesn’t work out, we hire a driver with travel experience for future trips, but we shall see. We will be back here on Monday so that I can talk with family gathered for my brother’s funeral, and then we will prepare for our next trip south of here.
It is possible that we will have no communication for the next three days. We are hoping to be able to send our logs from internet cafes, but we are told by others that cell phones and wireless internet dependent on cell communication does not exist in the hinterlands. So if you do not hear from us for three days, don’t panic. Just know that we will be out there communing with the animals in the reserve and thinking of family so far away..
by Judy Handley | Feb 11, 2010 | India, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 108, Year 5: Waiting for News from Home
Date: Thursday, February 11, 2010
Weather: Totally Overcast Day with No Wind
Location: Bolgatty Hotel Anchorage, Cochin (Kochi), India
This morning I talked with both Heather and Justin to give them the latest update on my brother Dickie’s condition. Justin was at work, so our conversation was short. But Heather was just getting ready to put Jonah down for the night, and we had a great little session watching Jonah crawl, pull up to a standing position, and then fussing and fussing until Heather finally figured out he wanted to touch the computer screen where he could see us. We remember Sam going through this stage where he would look behind the computer monitor to see if we were there, and Jonah is now at that same place. Sam was already in bed, and it was nice to have time with just Jonah. It’s going to be a long time before we see him again, so hopefully these Skype video calls will help keep him aware that we are out there somewhere-just behind the computer monitor!
We are still waiting for news of my brother’s condition, but things do not look good. No matter what happens, I do not believe that I will be able to fly home. So I am going to have to deal with this situation from afar. I know my brother would want me to keep doing what I am doing, but it is so hard for me to be so far away from the family I love so much at a time like this.
by Judy Handley | Feb 10, 2010 | India, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 107, Year 5: Walkabout and Now Thinkabout
Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Weather: Sunny and Warmer
Location: Bolgatty Hotel Anchorage, Cochin (Kochi), India
I took off early this morning by myself and did what I’ll call a reconnaissance walk about Ernakulam. I went to the Tourist Information Booth at the main ferry terminal, walked to the far end of town to the Fine Arts Center, walked to find the location of the Cochin Flower Show, and then walked to the train station to check out schedules. After two and half hours of walking, I finally took an auto rickshaw to the bus station to check out schedules there, and then took another auto back to the jetty. While I did this, Mark installed a new heating element in our oven and did a myriad of other odd jobs. And then tonight, we went to shore with Ed and Lynne of Constance, had dinner, and walked back to the Cochin Flower Show-this time to really see it. But what had been a very peaceful day changed once we got back to Windbird and I read the dreaded email. “Judy, call as soon as you get this message.”
My brother Dickie has not been well for sometime now. I talked with him on his Monday morning of this week to congratulate him on being a new grandfather. He seemed fine to me, but Mark did say his voice sounded a little gravely. Evidently he had pneumonia and didn’t know it, and is now in the hospital in critical condition. It is so hard to be so far away in a situation like this. So now all I can do is think about Dickie and wait for news. The time difference is difficult in this situation. It is now noon on the East Coast and time for me to go to bed. So I will get up early and call during the evening. Hopefully there will be good news.
by Judy Handley | Feb 9, 2010 | India, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 106, Year 5: Just A Day In The Life
Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Weather: No Change–Sunny, but Hazy; Temps in the 80’s;
Location: Bolgatty Hotel Anchorage, Cochin (Kochi), India
I think we finally had a normal day with not too many glitches. There was one, but I will talk about that at the appropriate time. We got up and Mark worked on computer issues while I did a laundry and started bread rising. Mark went with Ed to Bolgatty Island to get water while Ed inquired about the best way to get to the airport. Their auto pilot parts have arrived at the airport, but they received an email message instructing them to fill out eight different forms, go to the Port Captain to get a letter saying something was broken on the boat so that they can import the parts needed, and then bring the completed forms and letter to the airport tomorrow. While I baked bread (the one glitch of the day), Mark and Ed took the ferry to Willingdon Island to see the Port Captain. Of course, the Port Captain said no letter from him is necessary, so tomorrow Ed will go to the airport and hope to pick up his parts. While Ed and Mark were gone, I tried to light the oven to bake bread. It would not light. The pilot came on and tried for fifteen minutes to light, but nothing. So I assisted with a butane lighter for an additional ten minutes, and finally the oven burner lit. Just one more thing that needs to be fixed.
I spent my entire afternoon doing trip planning and when Mark returned home with a tourist flyer listing the dates of festivals for this month, my job became much easier. He also brought home a map of the province of Kerala and it is so much bigger and has so much more detail than my little Lonely Planet map. So he gets and A+ for getting these things for me. By the way, if you are interested in learning about God’s Own Country, the tourist slogan for Kerala, you can go to www.keralatourism.org and get loads of information.
So much has been happening that I forgot to mention that we got a new neighbor a couple of days ago. Rod Heikell on Skylax, author of the Indian Ocean Cruising Guide, is anchored just behind us. I thought of this because another UK boat came in today and anchored right in front of Skylax and right next to us-way too close. It’s not like there is a lack of space, but maybe the new boat, Astra, is just fine. We will have to check after the tide changes and see how we lie next to each other.
I think we will be leaving for our first inland travels this weekend. This will be a trip into the mountains to the tea plantations, possibly over the border into Tamil Nadu (another province) to the city of Madurai, back to Kerala to the Periyar Wildlife Reserve in Kerala, and then home. We may have to divide this into two trips so we are not away from the boat too long, but we shall see. There are also some exciting things happening here in Cochin, so beginning on Saturday, we should have some exciting adventures. It’s about time!
