Madurai

Last week Vera and I went on a 2-day trip down to Madurai, a city with a population of approximately 2.5 million. Madurai is known as the "Temple City" due to the majestic and breathtaking  Meenakshi Temple that is centrally located in the city. The temple is named after the Hindu Goddess Meenakshi, who is said to be an incarnation of the Goddess Parvati. The temple consists of 12 gopuras, which are tall, soaring towers covered with thousands of colourful statues of people, dieties, animals, mythical creatures and monsters. 


Although the temple was gorgeous to see, what I found most interesting was the devotion that the visiting Hindus showed at the temple. They were praying, bringing gifts of coconuts and other fruits for the gods, the men were putting white powder on their foreheads to show their devotion, and many of the women were getting their heads shaved for that same purpose. I am not a religious person myself, and so seeing these people be so enthralled to be in this spiritual place, and seeing the pure devotion on their faces as they knelt and prayed to their gods, was something quite unique and interesting for me. 


I also went inside the temple and got blessed by an elephant. You put a coin in his trunk and he taps your head as a sign of being blessed. I also got a picture with the elephant's trunk on my head. His trunk was dripping snot though, and it got in my hair and was running down my face. Ewwwww!!! 


There were also some unpleasant parts of the Madurai experience. There are tons of beggars and street vendors that hang out around the temple, hoping to get some money from the "rich foreigners". As a white young woman, I was the perfect target for these people, most of whom are selling jewelery and purses. They followed me around constantly, and no matter how many times, and in how many ways I told them to take a hike, they refused to listen and continued to follow me, begging for me to buy their stuff. At any given time, I was being followed by around 5 vendors/beggars hoping for money. There were also the Kashmiri shop owners who would come up to me, pretending to be tour guides, saying that they could show me the best view of the temple. If you followed them, they'd just take you into their cloth shops and try to sell you their stuff. I had been told about them before going to Madurai, so i didn't fall for their scams.


There was one incidence though that really pulled at my heart strings. I bought a necklace from one of the street vendors, which turned out to be a terrible idea. There must be beggars who sit there watching for people who are willing to take out their wallet. So as soon as I finished buying the necklace, a mother signaled to her 5 young children, who all stood up and began to jump around me begging for money. It was just sad that these children had to beg at such a young age. You just have to learn here that you can't give money to all of the beggars. If I have coins (1-5 rupees) I will give them to beggars, which is pretty standard. But if I started giving 10 or more rupee bills to the beggars, then I am just promoting the idea that all white people are rich and willing to give lots of money. This is a system that Vera and George taught me, and it seems sensible. 


Here are some pictures:

There were many people biking around with huge loads of products on the back of their bikes. They are bringing them through the city for deliveries. It is amazing that this is how they make a living, they must be in great shape! 

Temple statues with 8-armed people.

Called an auto-rickshaw, this is a fun way to travel around the city. Its like a mini taxi.

Getting snotted on by the elephant.

These people are making a living by getting paid by tourists who want to weigh themselves. They sit there with a scale, accepting money in exchange for the chance to weigh yourself, and probably get a picture taken with you being appalled at how much you weigh, such as what I did!

This is a particularly beautiful looking Kolam design. Each morning in Madurai, the woman of the household will go out with white and sometimes coloured rice powder and draw a Kolam design in front of their house. The designs are passed down from generation to generation, and vary in complexity from simple white swirls or stars to large, colourful, intricate designs. Originally, these rice designs were supposed to be easy food for animals such as ants, birds and other little critters, thus inviting these other beings into one's home. It is a sign of invitation to welcome all into the home, especially the Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Prosperity. I found these Kolam designs fascinating.

This little cutie is Spice, and is the adorable puppy of a stray dog that hangs out in George and Vera's orchard. The stray was abused, and so now she is very meek and terrified of humans. If they don't get her puppies used to humans early enough, they will become like their mother, and then will never be adopted. So we've been feeding and playing with Spice, trying to get her to trust humans so that we can find her a good home.

Volunteering

After settling into the Indian lifestyle for the first week or so, I have recently started my volunteer projects with the Vattakanal Conservation Trust. This organization is run by an eccentric old British couple who moved to India 2 decades ago, and since then have taken it upon themselves to try and fix the environmental problems that exist in this town. Through the establishment of a 15-person workforce, they have paid out-of-their pocket to coordinate projects that have improved the environment and enhanced the environmental awareness of the people within this town. I am currently assisting them with two of the seemingly endless number of projects that they have on the go:

1. Grassland Restoration: There is an invasive tree species here called wattle. It was initially introduced here back around the second world war in order to produce tannin and leather. After that industry died, the tree became commercially useless and instead became aggressive and invasive, taking over the grasslands, marshes and forests by pushing out the native species. So their project has been to remove the wattle in a certain area and restore it to the marshy grassland it once was. After removing the wattle trees, they then dig holes and plant plugs of grass. Also, they have a simple system in place to measure the water level. The idea is that the higher the water level is, the better the marsh restoration is going. I went out with them for a day to measure water levels, remove wattle and plant grasses.

The marsh that we are working on restoring.

Their simple method of measuring the water level. They drop the metal piece to the bottom of the tube on a string, bring it up, and then measure the wet length of the string. 

The grass clumps that I planted!

Me with my grasses.

While out for a hike, Vera and  I pulled out some wattle.

2. Litter Study: As I mentioned in my first post, I am also co-ordinating the production of a document that would include basic facts, photos, opinions, suggestions for improving and reducing the amount of litter in a certain part of Kodai. In this area, there are not enough garbage bins, and no garbage collection. Many of the houses are a half an hour walk away from the closest bin, and so their means of dumping their garbage is to throw it either into the nearby stream or forest. Where there are bins, they are overflowing because they are very rarely cleaned out, and the monkeys and dogs scavenge through and take out the garbage, spreading it everywhere. There are also many tourists that frequent the area, and the expression "take only pictures, leave only footprints" doesn't seem to apply to them. They have no qualms about buying bags of chips or cups of coffee and then throwing the wrappers/empty cups into the scenic forest they came to see. You can't really blame them though, as there are no garbage bins for miles away, and even if they put their garbage into the bus, the bus driver will sweep it out and down into the forest. 


So I have been interviewing tourists, shopkeepers, garbage collectors, and residents to get their ideas on improving the garbage situation in their township. Once the document is done, the Vattakanal Trust wants to bring it to a city council meeting. I hope that it will do some good, but right now the whole situation seems somewhat hopeless. 


Wildlife pics:

A little frog that was on the back of the toilet. You find wildlife in the weirdest of places here!

Biff the Gaur that often shows up in George and Vera's backyard. They don't need a lawnmower because he eats the grass in their yard. At one point he came close enough to the window that I could have reached out and touched him. Gaurs are huge, majestic, powerful beasts.

Senses

I have just recently realized what I love so much about India, what is exciting and different from North America: the senses are enhanced . Its brighter, smellier, louder, and tastier. Comparatively, the senses in North America are more subdued.

Taste: The food is much spicier. I have been eating traditional Indian food, such as dahl, dosa, curry, roti, mamosa. When I first got here, everything I ate made my mouth feel like it was on fire, with tears streaming down my face. I have since learned to mix yogurt with everything I eat in order to reduce the spiciness.

Smell: I am sure it comes as no surprise when I say that India is smelly. Yes, it is often garbage and uncleanliness that makes it smellier than North America, but not always. As I walk through town, I walk by tons of food stands, and the aroma of different foods that comes from these stands is mouth-watering.

Touch: Something that was new and unusual when I got to India was the fact that they eat food with their hands. Traditionally you get rice, and then a curry or sauce along with it. Then you mix the rice with the sauce, make a little ball, then pick it up and shove it into your mouth. No utensils required.
Something else that has been unusual for me has been the closeness between male friends here. It is quite common to see two straight guys walking down the street either holding hands, their arms draped over each other's shoulders, or a combination of the two. As a North American, it is almost comical to see straight men walking down the street practically embracing each other.

Sight: As you will see in my pictures, people dress very brightly in India. As you walk down the street, you will see an explosion of colour everywhere you turn. It is lovely and refreshing.

Sound: India is noisy. From the constant dog barking, to the Bollywood sounding cellphone ringtones, to the people in the market bartering prices of items, to the call to prayer, it is never quiet. Five times a day, someone comes onto the loudspeaker and sings the call to prayer, a song that carries all throughout the town. The best part though is that the dogs sing along, either by barking or by squealing in a high-pitched voice.

I just love it!

Here are some photos from the Sunday Market:

Hike through the Jungle

At a luncheon a few days ago, I met an old hippie named Mark who owns some undisturbed jungle land halfway down the mountain. So we took a road trip down the mountain to visit this land, and had an incredible time! He is very environmentally-minded and has been buying up land in order to preserve it, as much of the original forest and grassland has been taken over by coffee, banana and rice agriculture (often monoculture). The land that he owns is amazing tropical jungle, home to elephants, tigers, gaurs and many other species. Although we didn't see any elephants, we saw elephant dung and banana trees that had been trampled by elephants, as bananas are  one of their favourite foods.

A few of Mark's neighbours are growing organic shade coffee, which is environmentally sustainable. So one of his projects is to connect with North American companies who are willing to import this coffee. He wants to give a large amount of the proceeds to a struggling NGO here in Kodaikanal called Palni Hills Conservation Council (PHCC), who would like to continue their work in ecological restoration of grasslands, mangroves and sholas. A very interesting project that I am hoping to help him with, both here and in NA.

During the hike we stopped by Mark's neighbours, who are growers of organic shade coffee. They were extremely friendly and generous, giving each of us (there were 4 on the hike) a full glass of thick, creamy milk, straight from their cow. We sipped on the milk as we sat in the middle of the jungle watching the process of coffee being made, from berry to bean. It was a really cool experience.

For those who are interested, here are a list of birds I have seen so far in India:
-white-browed wagtail
-long-tailed shrike
-common myna and jungle myna
-red-whiskered bulbul
-little grebe

The view from the coffee-growers' farm

Little gecko I saw climbing up the wall of Mark's house

Dolmen structures we saw on the way back from the hike. Dolmens are burial chambers dating from the first millennium BC.  

Look-out near George and Vera's. We were above the clouds!

Lots of terracing

Hiking

So far the highlight of my trip has been the beautiful hikes through the mountainous Kodaikanal region. On our hikes, we have seen:
-gaurs (giant wild bison)
-troupes of monkeys
-terrace agriculture (a type of agriculture where they make little ledges on a slope where they grow the crops. It is used to reduce erosion.)
-women hand-washing their clothes in the stream
-women collecting firewood from the forest, which they then bundle and carry on their head. It is incredible how much firewood they can carry, they must be in fantastic shape!
-gorgeous fluorescent teal-coloured birds
-many many cows

Here are some pics:

Close-up of terracing

Little frog dessicated in a spider web

Cool looking lichen and fungi

 

Beautiful India

Yesterday, after about 35 hours of travel, I reached Trichy, India, where my aunt picked me up to take me to her house in Kodaikanal. Although it may sound unusual, my first impression of India is that it is very green! There were some towns and some slums, but the majority of the scenery along the 4 hour drive from Trichy to Kodaikanal was of agriculture, forests, and undeveloped shrublands. I am aware that not all of India is like what I've seen so far, but what I have seen is gorgeous, luscious, undeveloped terrain.

Another notable fact that I have noticed about India is the terrifying way in which they drive! There is no such thing as traffic lights or traffic lanes here. Instead, the method of driving is to scream down the middle of the road, honking your horn at the cows, chickens, dogs, cars, motorcycles, rickshaws and people to get out of the way.

Finally, I have noticed that the people here have a different way of looking at life. In North America, the general idea is to fit in by owning the brand names, labels, biggest houses, fanciest cars and newest electronic devices. So far in India, I have seen that they have a simpler, less materialistic life. I'm sure that is due to the economic differences between a developing third world country and a rich first world country. But none the less, it is relaxing to be in this environment. When it comes to clothing, anything goes, from the traditional saris to blue jeans and t-shirts. In this small town, most people don't own cars, computers, or furnaces, as wood is gathered from the nearby woodlands to feed fireplaces. People in this town seem healthy and happy, living a simple life, free from the pressure to have more and more stuff. Again I'm sure that it is not like this everywhere in India, as I'll see when I go to bigger cities, but this town is peaceful and serene.

Bonnet macaque monkey on the drive up to Kodaikanal. Although they are super cute, they are India's version of a raccoon: they are troublesome in the town as they eat the garbage, spreading it everywhere.

A restaurant we stopped at on the way to Kodai, palm trees in the background. Coconuts from the palm trees are a huge industry here, both for the food and the clean, pure water from within the coconuts.

Houses we saw on a hike we went on this morning, very colourful and quaint .

Two Days Before

So I have finally created my blogspot for India! I've never done a blog before so I'm not sure exactly what to write. First of all, for those of you who haven't heard the the whole speel about what I'll be doing in India, here it is: I will be living with my Aunt Vera and Uncle George in Kodaikanal, Southern India. I will be volunteering with the Vattakanal Conservation Trust and the Palni Hills Conservation Council.

The Vattakanal Conservation Trust has offered me a a project pursuing the cleansing and beautification of a stream and floodplain. This area has been known to accumulate a lot of garbage, and I will be co-ordinating the production of a document that would include basic facts, photos, opinions, suggestions for improving the site and reducing the amount of litter there. The Palni Hills Conservation Council focuses on grassland reforestation, so I will talk to them when I get there to figure out what they want me to do. I'm also hoping to do some traveling around India, to Madurai, and some other places.

I guess that's it for now! I'll try and post pictures blog about cool things that I see and do there. I'm sure it will be culture shock for the first little while, but I'm really excited to go...leaving on Friday!!!!!!