​Our time in Madurai seemed to be totally blessed. We inadvertently arrived over a very special feast called Pongal - the harvest festival and start of the new year for the inhabitants of Tamil Nadu. The streets were all colourfully decorated and bright chalk drawings had been sketched onto the steets, wishing everybody a happy Pongal. Everyone was in high spirits and Sophie & I literally wished everyone who passed us a happy Pongal...and were rewarded with many smiles & handshakes, that lead to some wonderful conversations. A post-Pongal handshake with a tailor in the streets saw Sophie & I lead into a shop for a birds eye view of the main Sri Meenakshi temple. After absorbing the view, we both got chatting to the lovely shop owners, who gave us a heads up on where to go for some truly local Pongal experiences. On a whim, Sophie and I asked around and eventually found the bus that (we hoped) would take us out of town to the Allagar Temple where we could join in the local celebrations.

After about an hour on the local bus, we arrived at the temple, where families and pilgrims alike were gathering. Once again, Sophie & I were the only white people there - much to the bemusement - and curiosity of the locals. One of the many friendly families around us (everyone there was absolutely wonderful) started up a conversation with us - and before we knew it, we were jumping on the 'temple bus' to take us up a mountain to the Palamuthir Solai temple - where we were dunked under holy water. It was such an exhilarating experience - to not only be a part of this local tradition, but also to be accepted as being part of it. Everyone that surrounded us was so welcoming - and happy - that 2 white people wanted to experience and explore their local traditions.


We were then lead back down the mountain, to another part of the Palamuthir Solai temple, where a group of local men were singing Bhajans (Indian devotional songs) and playing percussions. Sophie & I were mindful to respect local tradition, and we sat with the women. I had my audio recorder with me and pulled it out of my bag, smiling at the leader of the Bhajan group, and pointing to the recorder to ask if it was ok to record their singing. Not only did he allow me to record, but he also beckoned me to come over and sit amongst  the performers so I could get a better quality recording. What an honour. I was so touched by his acceptance. Next, we went to pay our respects to Karuppasamy - one of the regional male deities of the Tamil Nadu state, at what we later found out to be the most important Karuppasamy temple, where he is worshiped as Pathinettampadi Raja Karuppannaswamy (yep, remembering that name was almost impossible!) Again, the local people took great interest in us and were overjoyed at our wishes of a happy Pongal. The entire day was such a blessing - we felt so fortunate to have been able to share such a special occasion with local people.


Later in the evening, when we had returned to Madurai, we did venture into the Sri Meenakshi temple for about half an hour before it closed. Dare I say it, but the experience felt lackluster and almost fake after the intimate and truly genuine moments we had had earlier in the day. It seemed like the ceremonies that were taking place were all a show for the tourists that had gathered there in reams. The experiences and interactions we had with the locals on their pilgrimages had touched us so deeply - it just goes to show that when you dare to go off the beaten path and venture into the unknown you have far more enriching experiences than ticking off a check-box list of must-see attractions. The world isn't such a scary place after all...


After our very happy Pongal experience, we left the hussle and bustle of Madurai to head for the misty mountains of southern India. We hopped on a local bus destined for the sleepy hill station of Kodaikanal. The bus ride took us up narrow, winding mountain roads - and was accompanied by the perpetual tooting of the bus's obscenely loud horn - which Sophie and I tried to drown out by playing music on our iPods as loudly as we could handle (I swear in India the vehicle horns are a good 10 decibels louder than anywhere else in the world!) As we ascended the air cooled - and by the time we arrived in Kodaikanal, at around 8pm - you could say was actually cold! Sophie and I warmed ourselves up with a cup of hot chocolate - which literally was just that - a cup of melted, hot chocolate - which was divinely indulgent - despite it leaving you feeling slightly sick! It seemed to be a local custom to make chocolate in Kodaikanal - literally every other shop was selling home made chocolates (which of course we duly indulged in on a regular basis while we were there!)

We were 2,100 meters above sea level - and our room looked out over the clouds. It was absolutely breathtaking - the landscape changed constantly - the clouds would roll in, covering the valley below us, and then they would disappear, revealing the clusters of little villages below us. At night the stars shined brighter than ever because we were above the clouds - and we could almost see two horizons - one which was formed by the clouds below us - and the other high up above us, in the stars. It was very chilly at night - I had to wear at least 2 pairs of trousers - and about 4 tops - and Sophie and I had to cuddle up to each other in bed to keep warm...but my word - you could waste a lifetime gazing out over that view.

Being surrounded by such a beautiful landscape, we simply had to indulge in a mountain trek. A wonderful guide who goes by the name of Babu (if you ever go trekking in Kodaikanal do use him - he's utterly awesome - just ask me for his number!) approached us as we were milling around the market stalls near our guest house & I got such a good vibe from him that on a whim we decided to arrange a day's adventuring with him. I randomly bumped into a buddy of mine from London as I was sitting outside my room, admiring the view (I know, what are the chances of that happening?!) so he and a friend of his also joined Sophie & I on the most spectacular day. Babu carefully lead us off the beaten path, through dense forests, across streams, over and under rocks - always telling us "very careful, very careful" - and eventually to a waterfall...where he allowed us to use the slippery rocks as a slide to whizz down into the pool below. The water was so cold it took your breath away - it was so reviving - and so exhilarating! The scenery around us was utterly spectacular - misty mountains covered in velvety green foliage, enormous rocks and dense forests...it looked like a scene from Jurassic Park...the sights were so beautiful it almost moved me to tears on more than one occasion. We loved our day with Babu so much that we decided to do the 3 day hike from Kodaikanal to Munnar. "Trekking with Babu" became the slogan for our adventure. Over 4 days we trekked a total of 50km...by the end of it I could barely walk, but every single breath, every drop of sweat (which, at times, was literally pouring off me) was totally worth it. He took us through villages where we were served delicious coffee that was grown by the locals - and up high into the mountains where the echo was simply phenomenal (I must have spent a good half an hour yelling into the valley below, totally enraptured with the epic echo and reverb I was hearing). Our trek was concluded by a stroll through the beautiful tea mountains of Munnar and a ride on the roof of a jeep into Munar town, where we rested our weary legs - and I treated myself to a nice indulgent massage!

From Munnar we took a short (and much less horn-o-matic) bus ride to Alleppey - the watery gateway to the backwaters of Kerela. We managed to bag ourselves some wonderful accommodation - in a privately owned house - for a bargain price. It was wonderful to have a  pretty little house to come home to - and relax in. Since our time on the backwaters was a little limited, we opted to go on an arranged tour - with the most wonderful guide who lives in one of the little villages, tucked away in one of the quiet little canals. He & his wife invited us into their home and served us up a colossal traditional Kerelan breakfast that consisted of sweet coconut, encased with rice noodles - and a tonne of home grown bananas that were absolutely divine. He insisted that we call him Dad for the day, led us to his little canoe, and paddled us through the quiet little canals and villages of the backwaters, pointing out the various wildlife & trees that surrounded us. We paddled to a big lake where we were allowed to go for a swim - it was absolutely fantastic swimming around in the warm waters (in our undies as we'd forgotten our bikinis - teehee!) 'Dad' then served us up some super yummy home-made Kerelan lunch, cooked by his wife, while we floated around on his canoe. We ended the day with a cheeky little tipple of locally produced coconut beer...which tastes a little like watered down cheap white wine...not amazing, but good to try once - and took it in turns to paddle 'Dad's' canoe back to his village. It was a beautiful day - and it was obvious that 'Dad' took great pleasure in showing people his way of life. On the water ferry on the way back to our little house I was entertained by 2 gorgeous little local children, who joyously sang songs to me the whole way home. What a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Colourful chalk drawings sketched onto the streets of Madura to celebrate Pongal 

The intricate pillars of the Allagar Temple

Post-dunk in the holy waters of the Palamuthir Solai Temple

The towers of the Sri Meenakshi temple

Sad but true...littering in India is everywhere

it's not unusual to see several cows wandering the streets...often munching on trash

Waiting to enter the Karuppasamy Temple

The view from our room in Kodaikanal

Yup! It sure was nippy at night up in them there mountains!

But nothing a wee cup of hot chocolate couldn't sort out

Absorbing one of the many utterly breathtaking views on our trek

Wish I was still there!

Sliding fun at the waterfall!

You have NO idea how cold that water was!

Trekking...trekking...

Trekking with Babu...the man himself

 

The tastiest passion fruit I've EVER eaten!

Chocolate?? It comes from that orange thing hanging from the tree...

The velvety tea mountains of Munar

Our little house in Alleppey

On the Backwaters of Kerela

Yummy local produce

Working the rice paddies of the backwaters

On 'Dad's' canoe!

A lotus flower...the national flower of India

Having a swim in the backwaters!

Backwater laundry!

School's out! Local kids on their way home from school

My beautiful little song birds that entertained me on my way home