First stop: the Nilgiri Hills. Six hours of driving from Banaglore, and V., my driver, and I arrived at the Mudumulai Nature Reserve in Tamil Nadu state. Just for one night, but it felt like a whole new world after the congestion of Bangalore. The landscape was fantastic, and you could really feel that we were in the mountains; I required a sweater in the morning and evening hours.
Elephant camp.
Each elephant has a set diet. So cute.
The next morning, we went out to look for some elephants in the wild. I never realized how easy and yet how difficult that would be. How many elephants can there be just lumbering freely around a country of over 1 billion people? Well, I guess over a thousand in this particular reserve. At the same time, it was miraculous how something so big could slip away into the forest so quietly. All in all, I probably saw about 25 elephants, some bison, monkeys, and parakeets.
We had a local, helping us track. I never expected to see stocking caps in southern India, but here you have it. They were all over the place in this part of the country. You can’t tell from this photo, but this dude’s cap is pink, his shirt yellow, and his skirt turquoise. They really aren’t afraid of color here! Jungle fashion week?
The evidence. It was so interesting, the coolie would slide his flip-flop off to determine the warmth and thereby age of the dung. These guys really did know how to find them.
I set out tomorrow for the next part of my Indian odyssey with my driver, V. I met him last week, and think he is going to be great. He always addresses me very formally as “Sir”, although he could almost be my father. But it’s nice. Very professional. I stopped by the Apple Center (thank merciful Jesus!) and bought a device whereby we can listen to my ipod in the SUV. Gonna be fun.
Below, you can see an overview of where i’ll be stopping (you can click on the maps to enlarge them):
The itinerary, piece by piece:
State of Tamil Nadu
Mudulai National Park (jungle retreat)
Ooty Hill Station (in the Nilgiri Hills)
State of Kerala
Cochin (V. will drop me there and then head home)
Backwaters (overnight boat trip? tbd)
Periyar Nature Reserve (maybe I’ll be lucky enough to catch a tiger by the tail?)
Verkala (chillout beach time)
Then a flight on up to Mumbai (Bombay) for 4 nights. Bright lights, Big Bollywood city.
And on to meet R. in Delhi (and boy, will I be happy to see him!) for the “Golden Triangle” of Delhi –> Agra (Taj Mahal) –> Jaipur (to celebrate the Hindu holiday of Diwali).
Then back to NYC the last week of October.
Time to move on. I’ve been here nearly a month, and it has been an interesting, maddening, tedious, fun, experience. A city focused on the future that just isn’t sure how and when it is going to get there.
The Hindu newspaper published an editorial this week about the closing of a number of schools because they were ditching the local languages in favor of English instruction. I think this is a specific example of the greater paradox that is modernising India:
It’s a paradox, but the most regressive policies are pushed through in precisely those places that are supposed to be the hot spots of India’s emergent economy. In Delhi, schools may be selaed as they represent a commercial activity. In Mumbai, bar girls are prevented from practising their profession, presenting them with a stark choice: prostitution or destitution. And in Karnataka, the state that embodies India’s IT hopes, the government has banned 2,100 educational institutions because they use English as a medium of teaching. In each of these cases, the empire is striking back…Karnataka seems determined to revisit the old parable about climbing a tree and sawing off the branch one is sitting on.
Indian democracy in action. I hope to write a little blurb about my impressions of India vs. China, the two countries everyone is watching and expecting to chart the course of this century. The differences are stark.
I’m ready to go. So farewell, you aspiring, frustrating, exhilirating and exasperating city. Some parting shots:
The state capital of Karnatka, where Bangalore is based. Here, the craziness of the byzantine Indian political system in action.
My favorite coffee shop. Run by the Indian Coffee Cooperative. Now that is what you call “old school”.
And speaking of old school. This is still fairly common in the streets of a city that claims/aims to be the center of technology of the 21st century? Which century is this again? Walking around here, you are never quite sure.
Religion is intricately woven into daily life. Every kind of religion and worship in a great big jumble that is India.
And lots of small scale enterprise. Is this the Indian Starbucks? Precious, but I’m avoiding the food and drink at these places like Typhoid. Unfortunately, ’cause I love dumps like this!
The child laborers are cute too. But shouldn’t he be in a Nike or Katie Lee factory somewhere? He could be doing more of his part in the global economy.
Men are very affectionate with one another here. Holding hands, walking arm and arm. It’s very common in this whole part of the world. But the interactions between men and women seem to be very regulated. A lot of separation between men and women in the public sphere.
Infrastructure, anyone? This is very common. Walking on the makeshift sidewalks, a.k.a. obstacle courses. Definitely not for multi-taskers; got to watch every step. And leave the Manolos at home.
Crowds. Sometimes I feel that the Indian population is actually under-counted. A scene of thousands at the train station.
Trying to get a glimpse of a national Cricket match. I’ve never been surrounded by such a love of Cricket. I tried to watch some, but have no damn idea what it is about. I do like the outfits and the setting, though. Very colonial.
Bangalore is referred to as “The Garden City”, but there are only few examples why. Most of the parks are very scruffy and a little sad. But an escape from the traffic, nonetheless.
So long, Bangalore!
