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| Beach at Fort Cochin |
Traveling to and staying at Fort Cochin (called Kochi on the
map) was an effortless transition after our three weeks in the ashram. Since it
was a Tuesday, there were no yoga classes, so instead, before breakfast we made
the trek via local bus back to Dolphin Beach. We were in luck- dolphins were
playing off the point this time. After a last communal curry breakfast we shouldered
our bags, walked over the backwaters via the Setu Bridge, jumped in a taxi and
made the train we wanted. (It helped that the train was late)To our delight, it
was an express train, so the transit took one hour instead of the anticipated
three.
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| Waiting for the train |
When we got off the train in Eranakulam Jnc, we stepped
outside to find a tut tut to take us across two peninsulas or islands to the
older and more picturesque Fort Cochin. This is usually the time for the ‘race
to the tourist to get commission on a hotel’ game with the drivers. I couldn’t
have been more surprised to see a quiet line up of taxis next to a queue of
people waiting to get a ticket from a booth. You tell the booth person where
you want to go, he prints you out a receipt with price on it, you load into the
taxi that is first in line, and pay him the price on the ticket. No haggling,
no games. Relief!
We weren’t sure where we wanted to stay, so when we got to
the tourist area of the Fort Cochin, our driver pulled over so I could check
out one place, but it was closed. An older gentleman ushered the taxi driver
and myself down a small lane to look at his place, but it seemed quite far as the
man hustled way ahead, so we stopped following him and got back into the taxi.
Another gentleman showed up and said his hotel was just around the corner. The
driver took us there, then waited while Heath and Raven took a look at the
place. The price was right and the hotel was impeccably clean. Room rentals in this area are called Home
Stays. This place was called Christ Ville, reflecting the large amount of
Christians in the area. The rooms were above the family’s main floor, with
outside access steps and a roof top patio. Home Stays are much like B &
B’s, but the delicious breakfast wasn’t included.
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| Dutch Graveyard in Fort Cochin. Can see the European Influance |
Reflecting on our travel day, l wonder how much of our
painless travel and accommodations-securing was due to our tolerance and
spiritual growth gained from the ashram experience. You receive what you ‘put
out’ type karma. Or, was it easy because people are just so laid back in
Kerala? Whatever it is- I appreciate it. Sometimes realizations occur slowly.
Where was it exactly when the touts, tut tut drivers and shopkeepers started to
give us so little attention? Tamil Nadu? Kerala? Are people just too hot and
laid back to doggedly chase the tourist rupee here? Is it us? Has our outlook
on life shifted that much?
After a two nights in Kochi/Cochin, sightseeing, readjusting
to non-ashram life, catching up with family over skype and finalizing travel
plans, we went back to the station to board an overnight sleeper train to our
next beach destination, the state of Goa, specifically a quiet beach called
Paladin, on the south west coast.
With the abundant amount of train travel we have done in
India, and with three more overnight sleepers booked to see us through to our
fly-out destination of Mumbai , I wanted to share more details about our train experiences.
This is what
the Indian Railway (IRTC) has to say about itself:
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“The Indian Railways are the
principle mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India, while
playing an important role in the development of industries and agriculture.
Indian
Railways has had the distinction of being one of the biggest and busiest rail
networks in the world. It operates 9,000 passenger trains and transports 18
million passengers every day. The Indian Railway employs approximately 1.4
million people.
The Indian Railways has been serving the people of India with utmost pride for more than two centuries. It was in 1851 the first train journey was made in India, for transferring construction material to Rorkee. The first passenger train journey became operational between Bori Bunder, Bombay and Thane, covering a distance of 21 miles, thus marking the formal birth of the rail network in India. |
The
Indian Railways network binds the social, cultural and economical fabric of the
country and covers the whole country ranging from north to south and east to
west removing the distance barrier for its people. The railway network of India
has brought together the whole of country hence creating a feeling of unity
among Indians.”
As you can imagine, this is a huge system to navigate. We
have been purchasing tickets on line through an associated ticket site and
sometimes from travel agents. Everyone takes a small commission. Tickets can be
bought in a station, but you have to know where you want to go ahead of time as
most of the smaller stations don’t have specific tourist travel planning
agents.
We have always tried to cover our distances with the basic
but comfortable second class sleeper trains. In the daytime, the top of the
three tiered bunks is permanent, while the lower acts as a day seat and the
middle one as backrest. The backrest flips up and is secured by hanging chains
when it is decided to be turned into sleeping bunks. During the day, three
people can sit along each seat, although four could fit comfortably. On the
other side of the isle are two more seats. They are facing seats in the
daytime, with a permanent upper bunk and a convertible lower one. Ample baggage
space is located under all the seats. You bring your own bedding and there are
no separation curtains in this class. Fans and lights are accessible by switch.
There are no garbage cans, people throw their trash out the window, or
sometimes leave it on the floor. I have found the trains to be cleaner the more
south we go. There are a few creepy crawlies. It is not unusual to see a small
cockroach or mouse scuttle by.
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| Sleeping Princess |
Toilets (Western and Indian) with sinks are found at either
end of the train car. These also have been much cleaner the further south we
travel. A third wash basin is located in the entrance way. Raven and I much
prefer taking the train over a bus, specifically for these features! The train
is also cooler, having no glass windows to heat up, and we can move around if
we get too fidgety. Heath has to sleep
on the uppermost bunk, as he is too long for the berths. If he is in a middle
or bottom bunk, his feet that hang over the edge will invariably get knocked
when someone walks by.
My favourite train amenity is the chai guys that walk up and
down the aisles calling, “Chai”,”Coffee”, “Chai”. A small cup of hot chai costs 7 Rs s. The
masala chai isn’t offered much in this part of India, so I purchased some
finely ground masala spice at the eco shop in the ashram. You stir the premixed
spices into tea, so now we can have a masala chai whenever it isn’t offered!
(Or, save a whole 10 cents every time we order milk tea instead of masala chai
in a restaurant! Think of the savings!) Dinner and meals are also served on the
train, as well as snacks. There is generally a pantry car where I think things
are cooked up fresh. This trip the dinner guy came around and we ordered 2 vegi
meals, not knowing what they would be, or how much they cost. We were served
really hot and tasty rice with vegies for 50 Rs each.
Raven has been doing
really well traveling. She enjoys the food and deals with the heat better than
I do, proud of the fact that she has acclimatized. She has settled into the
inevitable: we are traveling for 9 months. Her previous anger of being taken away
from her friends has tempered. This must also be due to knowing she is on the
‘home stretch’. By the time I post this, we will have just under 2 months left.
She maintains as much communication as possible with home by chatting with
friends over the internet. One of our greatest fears before we left was
worrying about her security. We joked about having her on a leash at all times
in India. Those worries have been unfounded. We feel so safe here. Africa and
Egypt will keep us on our toes again!
Raven enjoyed the time at the Amritapuri Ashram. It was
quiet, hence no kids, but she enjoyed swimming daily and learnt a new skill of
book binding and covering. Our SEVA was art based- covering prayer books with
sari material, photos of Amma and ribbon, after we had made the covers and
inside covers. These beautiful prayer books are available for sale in many
languages. Each batch will be sent overseas to a different country and meet up
with Amma’s North American or European tour.
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| One of the covered Prayer Books |
I wonder what it must be like for Raven to have parents that
are actively trying to change their lives for the better. Her rebellion so far has looked like: "I'm an Athiest." Seriously, how can a kid rebel against her parents when she can see them trying so had to be better people? Stupid question. She'll find a way! This trip has shifted
into (or maybe always was) a spiritual journey. Heath and I have been continuing our yoga and
meditation practice since leaving Amma’s. We want to give more space for
gratitude, reflection and loving in our lives.
Namaste
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