#9) Immersion in India

Well, I’ve tried to be better about updating this blog but fate had something else in mind. Not only have I been incredibly busy exploring since arriving in India, but I’ve had technically difficulties that have prevented me from bringing my adventures to the people. I’ve finally resolved all my computer problems and so now you can read and see what I’ve been up to for the past month!

Even while I was having technical difficulties a technical miracle occurred whilst here in India – I discovered an SD card full of a bunch of pictures I thought I had lost forever. They are pictures from Spain in 2010 which was my first (and previously only) time outside of the US. So in honor of their rediscovery I present to you a #TBT:

18 year old Tyler on top of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona in 2010. Such a youthful little babe...

For comparison purposes - 23 year old Tyler on the beaches of Arambol, Goa on Christmas Day 2014. 

Looking back through these old travel pictures I felt two distinct emotions – nostalgia and embarrassment. Spain was an amazing, life-changing experience which forever instilled a passion for travel, but at age 18 I had some seriously questionable photography skills. Nearly half of the pictures were blurry beyond recognition and the other half left me scratching my head wondering why I took the picture in the first place. Like, did I seriously think taking a picture of a lamp post was important? Yes, yes I did. And did I really have to take a picture of every single meal that I ate? #foodporn on Instagram wasn’t even a thing yet…

But in all seriousness - going through those old pictures made me realize how much I’ve grown in the years since that first major trip. My time as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan and now the four months I’ve already spent on the road have fundamentally changed me and I can honestly say I’m a much better person for it. I won’t go into all the details now because I’m saving it for a big sappy post at the end of my travels – but suffice it to say that the road has definitely challenged me in many positive and necessary ways.

Now back to the action! I arrived in Mumbai, India just over a month ago from Cape Town and from the moment I stepped out onto the streets and began exploring I fell in love with this country. The food, the people, the culture, the sights, the smells – all of it together combines to form an immersive place unlike any I’ve ever been. Before I arrived everyone that I met on the road who had been to India before told me that I would either love it or hate it – or both simultaneously. And they were absolutely right. Even while having some of the most amazing experiences it can be a frustrating and exhausting country to travel in sometimes. But it’s all a part of the charm really.

In my first month here I’ve spent time in the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Karnataka. I have roughly another month before my visa expires and so I’m heading to some of the northern states to explore starting with Jaipur, Rajasthan. Two full months may seem like a long time to spend in one country – but India is massive and travel between cities and states takes a considerable amount of time. In reality you could spend six months or even a full year and still not see everything you want to. So far though I’ve done some pretty amazing things – I’ve cruised the backwaters of Kerala on an overnight houseboat, witnessed the nightly closing ceremony of the Meenakshi temple in Madurai, trekked through the hilly tea plantations of Munnar, danced all night on the beach to reggae music with the hippies of Goa, and explored the ancient ruins of Hampi. Oh and I enjoyed a little taste of home with a beer at the Arbor Brewing Company in Bangalore! Check out the pictures and the captions below more on my adventures in India. And don’t forget to check out my updated travel map so you can see exactly where I've been: Bonderman Travel Map

PS - I promise I'll do better about updating this in the future!

Mumbai - a city with skyscrapers AND goats! The city is massive and hectically busy - no one picture can properly encapsulate the essence of the city but I thought this picture was a good introduction to a city with such a wide range of contrasts.

The Haji Ali Mosque - it's only reachable during low tide by the narrow walkway out into the Arabian Sea. The mosque was undergoing some renovation while I was there - but then again most buildings in India look like the are in a perpetual state of renovation. The blue tarp on the left side covered a little restaurant where I had some of the best tandoori chicken of my life.

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel - the poshest hotel in Mumbai. Important politicians (Including Barack Obama and Hillary & Bill Clinton), business people and famous stars all stay here when they visit the city.

The Gateway of India - one of the most famous landmarks in all of Mumbai as you can see by the throngs of people present in the picture. It was built during the era of the British Raj to commemorate the landing of  King George V & Queen Mary near this location in 1911. 

CST Station or Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal (And yes, I had to look that up) - formerly known as Victoria Terminal (VT) and also built during the British rule of India. Gorgeous on the outside but chaotic on the inside.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum (And yes, I had to look that one up too) - formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum. I spent all day looking through the various galleries with my friend  Gaurav who I met in Mumbai.

Dhobi Ghat - said to be the largest open-air laundromat in the world. 

The workers scrubbing some clothes clean on the large concrete slabs and soaking others in the wooden barrels.

Hanging the clothes out to dry in the intense heat of Mumbai at midday.

Elephanta Island - located only a 45-60 minute boat ride from the jetty near Gateway of India but impossible to see from the mainland because of all the smog and pollution in Mumbai. The island is named after a giant stone statue of an elephant that was found by Portuguese explorers in the 16th century. Unfortunately the statue is no longer on the island because of course those same explorers just couldn't help themselves, you know?

Elephanta Island is famous for its mysterious cave temples and stone carvings which no one is sure exactly who created. This is a statue in the main cave - there wasn't good signage in the caves so it was difficult to know exactly what each statue depicted when I first visited. Since being in India awhile, however, I can recognize that this is Shiva (who normally doesn't have three heads) which is one of the main deities of Hinduism. I know this because of the crescent moon and snake present on the head.

Another statue which is a bit more frightful than the last - but I liked it. 

The Shiva Linga in the main cave - it also represents Shiva in the Hindu religion. You can see the flowers, burnt incense and the rupee notes that someone has placed in front for worship purposes,

The caves were damaged and vandalized by the Portuguese sometime after their discovery, but today the island is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight and work has been done to the caves to restore them to their original splendor. However, it doesn't mean that the work has been done well - here you can very clearly see where work as been done by the difference of coloration in the stone. Reminded me what a delicate art archaeology is and how important it is to do it right the first time.

During the British Raj the island was used for defense against potential attacks on Mumbai. This is one of two cannons which remain on the island. The bunkers below them were still open for exploration as well - but I didn't bring a flashlight unfortunately. 

Monkeys! They were all over the island - stealing food from trash cans and luring/intimidating tourists into giving them food. This is when I realized I have an obsession with photographing monkeys.

Like it's actually a problem.

I'm serious.

The view of Mumbai on the way back from the island. Even though it is difficult to see long distances because of the smog you have to admit it is a beautiful city.

If Mumbai is a city of contrasts than this is one prime example of the socio-economic divide. This is Antilia - the private home of Mukesh Ambani who is India's richest man. That's right - this 27 story skyscraper worth an estimated $1 billion USD was built for a family of five to live in.  

And this is the other side of the coin - Dharavi. It is one of the largest slums in the world with an estimated 1 million people living in inadequate and impoverished conditions. The slum was featured prominently in the film Slumdog Millionaire but most Indians that I talk to hate that movie for the way that it depicts life in India. 

Normally suspicious of such gawking-tourism, I took a tour and it was a really insightful experience. The tour took us through the various industries that operate in the slums - pottery, plastic recycling, and textiles - and also some residential areas. The tour was run completely by people who lived in the slum and the proceeds went towards sponsoring tutoring sessions for children to further their education.

We weren't allowed to take pictures on the tour out of respect of the people who live and work in Dharavi so all of the shots I got were from the outside of the slum.

The first active Hindu temple that I visited. This was a very small temple but the interesting thing about it was that it only opened once a year when the moon was in a certain cycle and I just so happened to be there on the day it opened.

A woman paying her respects at the shrine to Shiva. The inside of the house was very crowded with people all making their offerings and seeking a blessing from the god.

Sunset over Mumbai from Chowpatty Beach. Are you jealous that I get to hang out on warm beaches while you all try and survive the frigid winter?

Well don't be too jealous because this is what the beach looked like under my feet. This is a prime example of how certain pictures can be deceiving. 

The puppies of Chowpatty Beach! All the cities in India are littered with stray dogs - many of whom are malnourished and mangy. These ones were in pretty good condition (probably because they were still pretty young) so I felt okay petting them. The down-turned boat on the right-hand side is actually someone's home. There were many of these boats lined along the shore with people living in them. Real estate in Mumbai is actually outrageous. 

After Mumbai I headed south to Kerala which was the center of the European spice trade from India and the beginning of it's colonial roots - first with the Portuguese, then the Dutch, and finally the British.

The St. Francis Church in Kochi, India. It is the oldest European church in India and was built by the Portuguese in the early 16th century.

This is the original grave of the famed explorer Vasco de Gama who discovered the route to India via sea. This discovery opened up India to a new wave of European imperialism and colonization. De Gama died while in Kochi and his remains were kept here for 14 years until they were transferred back to Lisbon, Portugal.

The area of Kochi known as "Jew Town" after the Jews who settled here after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Supposedly the Jews first settled in India during the times of King Solomon but official records can't corroborate the story. After India's independence and the creation of the state of Israel most Jews emigrated from Kochi

The entrance to the Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi which was built in the mid-1500s - it is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations. Photography wasn't allowed inside (like many other places I've visited in India) so this was the best I could do.

While in Kochi I attended a Kathakali show - it is the traditional dance style of Kerala which is characterized by elaborate makeup & costumes as well as dramatic facial expressions (rasas) & hand movements (mudras) meant to convey a story without the use of words. The show I attended was an hour or so and depicted a few scenes from a story - a full Kathakali show is meant to last all night. Here an actor applies his makeup on stage prior to the beginning of the show. 

Before the start of the show we were given a demonstration and explanation of the standard elements of a Kathakali performance so that we had some backdrop to what we were witnessing. Here an actor his demonstrating a rasa (facial expression) meant to convey a particular emotion. I think this one was anger because of the intensity of his eyes.

The scenes we watched were part of a story entitled "The Killing of Baka". This is Bhima - the most powerful of the Pandava Princes according to the handout we were given before the show. He is the protagonist of the story as depicted by his Pacha-green makeup and he has been chosen to kill the demon Baka who is menacing a local village. 

The man on the left is a Brahmin of the local village - his is a supporting character as evidenced by his Minukku-yellow makeup and the picture demonstrates some of the exaggerated hand gestures used as an element of storytelling . Bhima goes to him to prepare a feast to lure the demon out of his forest lair so that he can slay him. 

This is the demon Baka - he is the antagonist of the story as demonstrated by his Kokkana tadi- red face and beard. He was the only one who made any noise during the show - mostly a serious of grunts and growls. He also kept wiggling his nose so that the whiskers of his beard would move up and down menacingly.

Kochi's most iconic imagery is its Chinese fishing nets installed all along the waterfront and various surrounding islands. It's a testament to the intersection and exchange between various cultures in a city that has been at the forefront of global trade for centuries. 

These massive fishing nets take around 8 people to function effectively. A simple system of pulleys and weights (consisting of rocks) drops the net into the water where it waits for a few minutes before drawing it back up to inspect the catch. These men are climbing the top to help the net submerge in the water faster.

The crows that live in the area are smart - when the fisherman begin to draw the net out of the water they fly in close in an attempt to scavenge for a meal from the little fish caught in the net. The fisherman didn't seem to mind - I think the fish the crows snatch are too small to go to market anyway.

A fisherman leans in to gather the catch. The net is designed in such a way that the holes between the ropes get smaller and smaller towards the bottom of the net so that smaller fish are unable to slip out through the cracks. 

The catch from one haul of the net - an eclectic variety of fish. I was told by the fisherman that the catch overall has not been good this year.

One of the most popular things to do in Kerala is to cruise through the various rivers and tributaries that make up the backwaters in an overnight house boat. Definitely one of the highlights of my trip so far - very peaceful and relaxing. This is what a standard houseboat looks like.

My crew for the backwater cruise - (From left to right) Punit, Doka and Catherine. We all met at a hostel in Kochi and decided to go in on the cruise together to make it cheaper. I ended up traveling even longer with Doka after the trip was over and we became super close. 

The beauty of the Kerala backwaters.

A rice paddy just off the shore of one of the rivers. You can see a bunch of white birds - herons? cranes? - hanging out in the field near the electrical pole.

There were houses, churches, schools, shops and many other things set up all along the shores of the waterways. Entire communities relied on the life-giving properties of the backwaters.

This is a ferry bringing children in light-blue uniforms to school. Much better than the yellow school bus, no? 

Dusk at the spot we stopped to anchor for the night.

Boats of various shapes and sizes passed through the waterways ferrying people and goods to unknown locations.

The second day we elected to do a smaller canoe ride through the rivers since the houseboats are much too large to fit through some of the smaller waterways that wind through the villages.

Some canoes in the smaller estuaries that passed through the villages. This boat was unique - the front and back of was carved and colorfully painted into the shape of a dragon.

One of the villages we cruised through on our day trip with the wash hung out to dry in the heat. All along the waterfront there were flat stones partially submerged in water that served for washing clothes - much like those in Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai. The most common sound we heard passing through the waterways was the persistent pelting of clothes against these rocks by the village women. 

After cruising the Kerala backwaters near Alleppey, Doka and I made our way to Madurai in Tamil Nadu to see the marvelous Meenakshi Amman Temple complex. This is the view of the temple complex from the roof of our hotel. The temple is dedicated to Meenakshi (also known as Parvati) one of the consorts of Shiva. 

This giant and colorful statue depicts Nandi the bull who is the mount of Shiva. He is always depicted in shines which are dedicated to the deity.

This is one of the ornately decorated "gopura" or entrance towers to the temple. The complex has 14 gopuram in total - each just as beautiful and colorful.

The top of one of the gopura towers with different deities and figures depicted.

A closeup on some of the decorations. I wish that I knew more about Hinduism so that I knew who and what is being depicted here. 

More detail of the temple. Pictures were not allowed to be taken inside of the temple so these are the only pictures that I have of my time in Madurai. Furthermore, non-Hindus weren't allowed in certain parts of the temple - particularly the shrines. We were allowed to witness the nightly closing ceremony, however, when the temple priests lead a procession with incense and drums which brings the figure of Shiva into the bedchamber of Meenakshi to symbolize the coupling of the deities. 

Doka and I decided to make our way back to Kerala to the mountainous city of Munnar to see its famous tea plantations. We caught a rickety local bus from Madurai that wound it's way up a perilous and ill-maintained road into the mountain-side.

I took this picture from the window of the bus to demonstrate just how close we were to the edge of the mountain. In many places on the road you could see evidence of rock slides that hadn't been completely cleared and places where heavy rains had washed out the roadway. Needless to say it was a nerve wracking ride.

A traffic jam on the roadway - clearly the conductor (the one with the balding head) is annoyed with the situation. In many places there was only enough space for one vehicle to pass at a time even though traffic was going both ways. There was no one posted to direct the flow of traffic so it was up to drivers to figure out an informal system. The congestion here was caused by a digging crane around the bend. 

After a hair-raising ride the road evened out and began peacefully winding through the tea plantations and tranquil hillsides of Munnar as the sun began to go down for the day. Simply stunning scenery!

The next morning I woke up before sunrise to go on a guided trek organized through the hotel since you're not allowed to venture through the tea plantations on your own. The foggy morning air was crisp and refreshing in comparison to a lot of the smog and congestion typical of major cities in India.

No comment necessary.

The rows and row of tea plants.

A closer look at the tea leaves as the sun poked up over the mountains and the morning mist began to clear.

A lone Neelakurinji flower - this species of flower only blooms once every twelve years from August to December and is particular to this region. The next major bloom is expected in 2018 - but a small group of the plants is on a different cycle and bloomed this year.

Recognize these seeds? I'll give you a hint - you probably pulled an all-nighter or two in college with the help of these. 

They're coffee beans! 

Keeping with the spice trade theme - these are cardamom seeds in the little green pods at the base of the plant which looks like a large ferns. Munnar is also surrounded by spice plantations and we walked through them on our trek as well. The spices we saw could fill an entire cabinet - ginger, turmeric, curry leaves, peppercorn, cloves, etc.

These are pepper vines growing and creeping up another tree.

Curry leaves + spider web.

Cacao fruit growing on a tree.

The inside of a cacao fruit - it was somewhat sweet and very sour. Not what I expected the inside to look like at all. The beans used to make chocolate are inside the white fruit.

The largest spider I have ever seen in my life - I almost walked into it without seeing it. I definitely let out a few expletives when I finally saw it. Apparently it's not poisonous to humans but I'm not buying it. 

After Munnar, Doka and I headed to Goa to reunite with our friend Kerry who we met in Kerala and spend Christmas and New Years on the beach with the other foreign tourists. I chilled on the beach for quite a few days and since I was just relaxing I don't have many pictures from that week and a half period. Goa isn't all beaches however - it was a Portuguese colony up until the 1960s and still retains a lot of architectural holdovers and influence from that era.

When I finished relaxing and got back into the swing of sightseeing I made my way to Old Goa - the original capital of the Portuguese colony. The city is located in a densely forested area along the riverside which gives it a really unique atmosphere to the other, touristy beach cities in Goa. The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as it was abandoned in the 18th century due to outbreaks of Malaria and Cholera.

This is the archway located just at the end of the dock which served as the first sight for visitors to the original colony. The statue at the top is of Vasco de Gama.

The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi/Se Cathedral is the largest in India. While I was there the XVII Exposition of  the Sacred Relics of Saint Francis Xavier was underway. The saint was sent by the King of Portugal in the mid-1500s to restore and revitalize Christianity among the settlers who had degenerated in their faith. He is credited with converting many to Christianity as a missionary and performing various miracles whilst in India and other Portuguese colonies. His body, although never mummified, is (*cough cough*) "miraculously well" preserved and is enshrined in a silver casket that is permanently kept on display on a high pedestal in the Basilica of Bom Jesus - another church in Old Goa. Every ten years they take the casket down and lead it on a procession through the streets to this church where they put in on display for pilgrims to pay their respects and ask for its blessing. I waited in line for 3 hours to shuffle through the interior of the church and see the rather shriveled corpse. Again no pictures allowed of the spectacle. (also side-note: I apologize for the black spots in some of the upcoming pictures. Some dust had gotten into my camera and affected the quality of the photos which I didn't notice until later)

This is the side of Basilica of Bom Jesus - where St. Francis Xavier's body is normally kept. The facade of the building was gorgeous, but tents set up for the Exposition blocked my ability to get a good picture.

The Church of St. Cajetao in Old Goa - it's modeled off the original design of St. Peter's Church in Rome. 

Another small chapel - this one was empty but for the bats hanging from the ceiling.

The crumbling remains of a St. Augustine church in Old Goa. Although the city once was home to nearly 200,000 people before it was abandoned the only major buildings that seem to survive from that era are the churches. The rest must've been reclaimed by the jungle.

When the Portuguese left Old Goa they moved their colonial capital to Panjim which is now also the present day capital of Goa. The Portuguese were big fans of their churches. This is the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church in Panjim which is decorated with the manger scene for Christmas.

I just thought this was a lovely picture.

The inside of the church. There are many Indian Christians living in Goa and Kerala as a result of the colonial influence. In my experience - Christianity in India tends to be a lot more colorful that that in the states. Colorful banners and garlands of flowers are draped around the church and over statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary - of which there also tend to me more of in Indian churches. I interpret this to be the mixing of Hindu and Christian influences.

The historic Fontainhas Quarter in Panjim where the Portuguese influence is still clear - colorful villas and narrow streets. 

A set of stairs in the Fontainhas Quarter which leads up to the Supreme Court of Goa.

The view of some of the ruins of the ancient Vijayanagara Empire in Hampi as seen from a hilltop. I headed here after I was done in Goa and I'm really glad that I did. The landscape is almost otherworldly and interesting to explore. (Again I apologize for the dust evident on lens in the picture)

Inside one of the ruined buildings of Hampi.

More ruins

A monolithic depiction of Nandi.

A stone carving of the monkey god Hanuman with evidence of recent worship - colored pigments, incense and candles. 

Another monolithic statue - but this one of Ganesha. One of the most easily recognizable Hindu deities because of his elephant head. He is very popular throughout India because he is seen as the remover of obstacles so he is worshiped often in homes and temples.

One of the most recognizable landmarks of Hampi - the stone chariot inside the Vittala Temple complex. At one point in time the wheels used to turn but they no longer do.

This is the gopura of the still active temple in town-proper of Hampi - looks very similar to the ones in Madurai except without all the bright, colorful figures.

This is the temple's elephant, Lakshmi, who will give you a blessing if you place a rupee coin in it's trunk. This is an Indian woman receiving it's blessing. Louis Mirante (another Bonderman Fellow who traveled with me to Hampi) was responsible for taking a photo while Lakshmi was giving me a blessing - but it just so happened that my camera turned off as the elephant was blessing me. So what does any sensible person do? - Give the elephant another coin to receive it's blessing and snap the perfect picture.

This is the look on my face after Lakshmi took my coin and didn't give me another blessing. Everybody gets one apparently and an elephant never forgets.

There were monkeys crawling all over the temple grounds so of course I had to take some pictures! This baby was munching on some coconut while his mother kept guard for other monkeys who wanted to snatch the food away.

This monkey is me when I go out partying and get the drunchies. I miss South U Pizza to be honest.

These two Indians wanted me to take their picture for them - which peculiar for India. A curious phenomenon about traveling around India is that Indian people often ask to take their pictures - but with me rather than just of them. But these two just wanted a picture of themselves. I'm not sure why exactly Indians do this but I'm told it is because they really like the West and they like to have pictures with white people to show to their friends and family. So anytime I go to some sort of landmark I have to expect at least a couple people to come up to me asking "One picture?".  I always oblige, but the only problem is that once everyone sees me do it with one person then they all start coming up to me and asking. I once had a whole line of people form and a family began to position their small children in front of me and start clicking photos. And another time a guy was walking behind me on the street and quickly came up beside me and shoved his phone in my face to take a picture without asking. Anything is possible in India man.

A little taste of home in Bangalore, India! This is the Raging Elephant IPA (which actually stands for India Pale Ale in case you didn't know). Now I can say that I've been to both locations Arbor Brewing Company. One thing that is rare on the road is to find is a good brew on the road and this was the perfect way to cap off the halfway point in my trip.