...

In India, every day is a surprise… “Expect the unexpected”, I may have said this before, but it is so true. Since we are living in Trivandrum for a while now, we have the opportunity to experience some of the many festivities. Onam already seems some time ago, and last Monday we celebrated the anniversary of Gandhi. As Anneke noted, it is strange to think that we do that together with about 1/6th of the world population. In between these two festivities, there were some more processions, which we only saw by coincidence, but that were equally nice to see: with people dressed up in their best traditional Kerala clothes, procession vehicles (beautifully decorated trucks with statues, which have to drive backwards all the time) and some elephants…

But Monday was quite special. Because we had 2 days off (as Indians also work on Saturday, we usually only have Sundays off), we initially planned to go to Munnar, a hill station in Kerala. But then we were really busy with our project, so there was no time. This wasn’t too bad, because there was a four-day festival going on in Poojappura, which would end on Monday. Once a year, people bring the things they use for working (e.g. books for students, a pencil for architects, needle and tread for tailors, etc.) to the temple for a blessing. On the open square near the temple, there was a fair, with lots of shops, stalls for eating (chilly fry!), a stage for performances, stalls where you could win prizes by rolling balls or throwing rings (packages of soap laying on a table, and when you managed to throw the ring around it, without the ring touching the soap, you won it), small fairground attractions for children mostly turned around by hand, an arena where you could watch a motorbike performance, a stall with a snake woman (it looked SO real! -> see pictures), a big boat and as main attraction: a giant wheel! The latter didn’t look too safe, and it went really fast, but we were brave and got a superb view over the fair in return.

Since it was the last day of the festival, there also was a big procession. We arrived from the back, and gradually walked to the beginning, so the first thing we saw was the back of three beautifully decorated elephants. To me, that already was quite impressive, but then it was nothing compared to what we got to see next: 100s of men that had pierced their cheeks with incredibly long needles, some still so young! Most of them were in trance, some almost unconscious, being held tight by their friends, others dancing around with their eyes closed… I watched with double feelings: horror and fascination, disbelief and admiration, not knowing how to deal with it (and then it wasn’t me with a needle in my cheek =). Anyway, it is too hard to describe, maybe the pictures will give a better impression.

Not only our free time was exciting, also at work we *finally* got started! One day, we were packed and ready to leave for north Kerala, to visit our project site, when Mr. Shankar summoned us to tell that one of the responsibles of the project (someone from the government, we didn’t really figure out what his function was) was about to die, and that it wasn’t the right time to go… He was still very young, but had terminal cancer, hence a very sad story; after the burial (or rather funeral pyre probably, though there are also a lot of Christians here in Kerala) we would be able to go. *sigh* Postponed again… But then, about one week later, and although that person was still alive, we finally could pack our bags. I only believed we were REALLY going the moment we sat on the bus – very luxurious -> semi-sleeper, big seats, which can be pushed almost horizontally, with lots of leg-space and even a movable support for your legs; hence more luxury than on our European buses (to compensate for the bad condition of the roads I presume J); and then not to forget of course the typical Bollywood/Malayalam movie – starring Mahmutty (as usual), one of Kerala’s most famous actors.

We arrived in Kozhikode (= Calicut, Malayalis have a strange way of noting down their unpronounceable consonants) early morning. We, that is Anneke, Vincent and me of course, but also Arul, working as an architect for Habitat Technology Group as well and although his English was pretty bad, he speaks Malayalam and thus could talk to the people and then translate it for us. In Kozhikode, 3 local Habitat cooperants picked us up to accompany us to the hotel in Kodancherry (also VERY luxurious, good thing that Habitat was paying it all, even our meals were paid for!), where we would stay. We had two double bedrooms, but as it is not decent for men and women to sleep in the same room except when they are married, poor Vincent had to share the room with Arul, whereas Anneke and I shared the other. At least, that was how we thought it would be… That evening however, Vincent went to bed, while Fajar and Shadji (the local Habitat staff workers) were still in the room. After a while, they also laid down on the bed… Apparently, they were also going to sleep there! 4 men in one double bed, that was slightly too much for Vincent, so he fled to our room =). The next day we had to move to another hotel, as this one was *slightly* too luxurious (= too expensive). The division of the rooms however remained the same!

Our work then: our job was to investigate a large area, inhabited by tribals who mostly live under the poverty line, for its eco-tourism potential. Whereas Vincent and Arul were concentrating on the infrastructural adjustments to make the area attractive for tourists, Anneke and I were looking for ways to include the local population in the project in order to enhance their living conditions.

However, the focus was more on Arul and Vincent’s part than on ours: we visited plenty of magnificent places in the dense flora of the rain forest, with splendid waterfalls, tremendous mountains, exquisite views, raging rivers, spectacular rock formations,… The roads to get there though were not that superb: the 4x4 jeep was absolutely no unnecessary luxury, as we were driving through rivers, mud and over huge rocks. Often it would hardly be called a road, and I couldn’t believe we were actually trying to go further by jeep. Actually, one could easily walk at the same pace. Sometimes, the jeep was in trouble, so everybody had to get out. That is, MEN had to get out and ladies could stay in the car J. So there we were, Anneke and I, shaking back and forth, trying to keep a tight grip in order not to bump our head to the ceiling, while hoping we would make it... But nevertheless we had a lot of fun!

You might think: if walking were as fast as driving, why weren’t they walking? One main reason: LEECHES!!! As it was quite rainy when we were there, there were plenty of them. We were wearing long pants and sports shoes, but that was not sufficient… Every stop – at least every 20 minutes, often more frequently – we were checking, and more often than not loosening or at least removing one or more that were trying to suck all our blood. Pretty repulsive, but after a while you get used to it; and as the leeches were rather small, they weren’t that scary. In fact, the locals that were accompanying us were just wearing slippers and a mundo (typical long skirt that lots of men are wearing and that is often folded back halfway) and equipped with some salt packed in a piece of cloth. Like this, they could clearly see when there was a leech, and touching it with the salty cloth made them drop easily. The only really repulsive thing was when we came home after a long day of working and I found a leech on my upper leg, about 10 cm from my pubic area… *shiver*

The focus of our visit was clearly not on the tribal population, rather on tourist development. Whenever we did get to see the tribals, there was always little time, because we still had to visit some more waterfalls or bathing areas or… It was also hard to communicate with them, because we don’t speak Malayalam and they don’t speak English. Everything had to go by way of a translator, which in reality meant via either Arul, Fajar or someone local, who all have at least one point in common: their English is not much better than mine :s.

But then, it was very interesting to get a first impression of who these people are and how they live. Don’t expect aboriginal kind of people, walking around half-naked and performing rain dances. Rather think of people like us, but living in very remote areas and with very little access to any kind of luxury goods. And as all Indians, they too were really friendly and liked to show us around.

Our visit didn’t remain unnoticed. During our 5-day visit, we were in the newspaper 4 times, of which twice with picture. “The Toriesom Coridoor Project: Started Survay – Esterday the experts survay the Thusaragiri Toriest Centre… etc.” as Fajar was so kind to translate for us in his best English. The fact that Benito, a local journalist was frequently coming along MAY have influenced our popularity =)

Now, we are back in Trivandrum. “Holidays” – or so it sometimes appeared to us, yet the long working days (from 7:30 till 19:00 out exploring, only to start again trying to put things together after diner) contradict that – are over. We already wrote a first proposal, followed by a revision, since the way we did it was way too critical according to Mr. Shankar. He is probably right, as we will present it next week to the tourism department of India, that will then decide whether the project will proceed or not. Hence, any criticism on the government is absolutely forbidden, and to multiply the chances of approval, the emphasis is firmly on the tourist part rather than alleviating the poverty of the tribal settlements. Yet our hope remains that this will change after the consent has been given.

In the meantime, we became closer friends with Guru, Manasi and Tanu & Archana, the two girls from Mumbai. The latter two however do not feel appreciated at the office and will quit soon. They will stop working together with me; hence it would be possible to take the train to Mumbai together… Unfortunately, the train was already overbooked, and there were only 2 tourist berths left. I bought the ticket anyway, since I cannot leave any later (leaving 2nd of November in the morning, to arrive in Mumbai the 3rd in the evening, while my flight takes off that night), and now Tanu and Archana are trying to get Tatkal-tickets, some kind of emergency-tickets that might still be available and can be purchased for a higher price, but you have to be lucky to obtain them. Fingers crossed!

On September 27th, it was Anneke’s birthday. She was *so* enthousiastic about it. In the morning, we fetched the cake we ordered some time ago at Ambrosia, “the best bakery in the surroundings” – but probably also the most expensive – to give everyone at the office a piece. Mr. Shankar had told us that he would arrange something for the evening, but we were not sure what and how. In the end it turned out that he would arrange diner at our place, and we could invite everybody we wanted. Thus, the three of us, Mr. Shankar himself (though he was a little sick, so he didn’t stay for long), Guru, Manasi (but she couldn’t come) and Tanu & Archana (but they didn’t turn up, because they went to a doctor to remove the Indian tattoo that Archana had on her forehead) from the office were coming. Also Kannan and Sunil (normally the driver and the model maker, but that time serving as cooks J) were there. And then, we also invited a whole lot of fellow Europeans that we met before, namely when Anneke and I were trying to get access to the library of the CDS (Centre for Development Studies, situated in Trivandrum, we only found that out by coincidence J): Annette and Maarten from Holland, a professor from their university, Hennie, Nathalie and Nicolas from (French) Belgium, and Luca from Italy; all studying / working / doing research at the CDS. We really had a pleasant evening!

Yesterday, we got some news that quite upset us… We have to move! They finally found a place to stay for us. Just when I was thinking I could stay in our big, luxurious house until I leave, they tell us that probably within a week (!) we’ll have to move out. Reason: Mr. Shankar’s wife is coming, and she seems to be pretty meddling. Although the house we are staying at now is the property of Mr. Shankar’s sister, he seemingly didn’t dare to tell his wife that we are living here. Instead, she is thinking that the house is empty, ready for some movie or publicity shooting (that apparently happens frequently, as there is another house in the neighbourhood where they are constantly filming), but that until now, there haven’t been any offers. It remains unclear to us why Mr. Shankar would have to lie about that to his wife, but one thing we already know: she must be quite a woman! =)

We already had a look at the new apartment: only two houses further on the street, so we would remain in the vicinity of all our friends – the shopkeeper and his wife from next door, the tailor from the other side of the road, the take away nearby,… - but there is no furniture at all, not even a kitchen, we don’t know where we can put our bicycles yet, it is on the top floor, therefore rather hot inside, and it is situated on top of a welder business. However, it seemed very neat, rather spacious and as mentioned, the vicinity is nice.

But then we also have to say goodbye to ‘our’ house with terrace and garden and all the furniture that you can imagine, refrigerator, television (without cable, so of no use actually J), our own gecko (probably geckos, but anyway), the cats we were trying to get used to us, and soooo many other things… We will not even have plates or cutlery, as it was all available in the house. We already bade a little farewell yesterday, by giving the house a thorough cleaning, in order to enjoy our last days as much as possible! However, I don’t really mind moving… It might become another unforgettable experience =).

Yesterday evening in my bed, I was thinking of ways about how to stop the time now… Not that I don’t want to come home, but there is still so much to see and do here in India, so many things to experience… It’s true what they say: at the beginning, you might sometimes think of going back as soon as possible, but after a while, you just start loving it all and in the end, you don’t want to leave anymore! So anyone who’s got a clue on that stopping of the time: just let me know!!!

*** Sweet kisses ***