Kerala Backwaters & Varkala beach

I wasn't quite ready to move on from Mysore but the bro was in some desperate need of sun and Tamara saw one to many corpses so we headed down the coast to see Kerala's famed backwaters.
One of the Canals that run through Alleppy, on the coast near Kochi.
We lightened things up with a cooking class in Kochi. On the menu was Masala Dosa(wafer thin rice pancake with potato curry), Aloo Gobi(Cauliflower and potato) and Sambar(okra, some 30 spices and carrot).
New! Try Horlicks today! Who let this slide past the board meeting. Who?!
I barely got Cubase going but FL Studio runs like a dream. Not bad for a netbook.

Kerala backwaters are a must do if you find yourself in southern India. We stopped off a few times for chai, food and a nice walk around the paddy fields.
Houseboat graveyard.
Rice paddy fields about 2 months into their 4 month cycle. Didn't know this but the field eventually dries up by harvest. I was under the impression that they picked the rice by hand in the mud. Whoops.
Tamara and Mikhail enjoying the little 'cruise' so far.
Sun burnt and bearded, but havin a good time!
The trip lasted about 8 hours so bring a book!
A nice home cooked meal. I wasn't really into the canal fish though
Finally! After trekking south on the coast we get to Varkala... packaged paradise. Since its the end of the season here, those people on the beach will be headed home in a few days and we'll have the place to ourselves for a week. The cliffs also prevented tourista development from totally swallowing the place so its not so bad! Thiruvananthapuram, at the tip of the subcontinent, is close by. I might make my way down there while Mikhail enjoys some sun before getting back to the cubicle.

Ever since I got off the plane, many Indians of the Christian faith have been constantly telling/laughing/snickering at me that I remind them of somebody. Its been over a month now! I think I'm gonna take the easy way out! Where's my razor?
The beach looks great but it can get deadly down there. There's a really strong rip tide running and the waves can get a little high. I'm told that every year experienced swimmers get pulled into the sea.
That's my Robot pose. I think we found a good spot so we'll chill out for a few days.
Disco party, table 5.
Concentrations levels up 10 fold since doing his first Yoga class.

Mysore! Food, Music, Sandalwood

After spending an few uneventful days in smog infested Bangalore :) (check out Tamara's blog at tracktamstravels.blogspot.com) I picked up my brother at the airport and we headed down to Mysore.

Pistachio Barfi. Sounds good, tastes even better!

Sandlewood factory tour. A naturally scented tree. The bark is used for incense and the wood is used for oil, soaps and pastes to alleviate headaches.

Taking some tabla lessons from the local guru! Tha Tho Kiri Tha Dhi Ka Tha. Every inch of the drum skin has a different name, so you need to memorize place and name. These type of drums sound great though!

Your average silk shop.

Rolling some sandlewood incense in the Bazaar shop

Oh yeah, did I mention we bought a travel guitar in Goa and are decking it out with any cheesy sticker we find.

Love it!

Tamara making friends with the locals.

Great dyes available at the local Bazaar.

...

Choose your scent. They sell all types of oils in Mysore (Cardamom, Black Pepper, Mint etc.)

The flower offering section of the bazaar.

These Mysore incense sticks are about 3 times the regular thickness, cheap too.

Yeah colour! Such a change from Bangalore!

Beads and silk shop and the Mysore bazaar.

You cant go wrong with the local food here. The only problems you face are when trying to order North American dishes like "pizza" or "Grill cheese" you are at the mercy of the chef(I bet you he's never even seen a pizza before). Half the fun is seeing what comes out of the kitchen!

Cool type.

Most signs and license plate numbers are hand painted here..crazy!

South Indian Thali in Bangalore. 2 bucks for lunch for two!

Fresh young coconuts here will fill you up for a half day, cost 20 cents.

Cows are sacred in India as they represent fertility and and nourishment. You'll see them everywhere minding their own business. It can get quite tricky when one decides to cross the street during rush hour.

North Indian Thali. Soooo good!!

Hampi & Old Goa

Hampi, located in Karnataka province is home to the old city of Vijayanagar, one of the largest Hindu empires in Indian History. This place is huge! About 43 sq km. Most of the city was destroyed by the Deccan sultanates but a handful of spaced out ruins remain. It took us about 2h walking to see a single monument out in the northern section. This place would give Petra some competition in terms of layout. Whereas the old middle eastern city had some natural protection in the form of mountains, this city is fairly flat with 7 lines of fortification(tall stone walls).

Elephant quarters
Inner courtyard of dance hall
The Queens bath
Hard at work
I ran into Tamara at Arambol and we were headed in the same direction so well be traveling the south together!

Vitanna Its easy to veg out here for a week or two, but were goning to head out tomorrow on a sleeper train for Bangalore.

Had to get another shot of the "Immaculate" in Goa


White washed chappel on a hill overlooking Old Goa center

Reminds me of Mykonos

Ran into two pastors from Hyderabad. One runs a school in the city and invited me up there to check it out. I might take him up on the offer if I find myself in the area.

Interior (Church of St. Cajetan)
Interior (Church of St. Cajetan)
Outside
Hindi text sur slab
Everybody was too busy at Bom Jesus to notice 4 other great churches in the area. This one has two cool belfry's
St Francis Xavier initiated christian first contact with the Japanese and was known to have converted over 30,000 people. He worked in Goa and in Malaysia. When he died in a voyage off the coast of China, his body, which, miraculously stopped decomposing, was brought back to Goa.
Picture of Bom Jesus church(Good Jesus)