The Final Adventure - 8th Stop: Bangalore

As we left the sleepy state of Kerala behind, it was time for our first (but by no means last) taste of India's bustling urban life, as we pulled into the country's technological hub and third largest city - Bangalore. Being honest, it wasn't a place that we expected an awful lot from, and we saw it more as a gateway, as opposed to a much anticipated destination in itself. But I'm glad to say that we were pleasantly surprised, and although we only had a couple of days in town, we left Bangalore with nothing but fond memories.

And a huge chunk of that is down to our accommodation, Mass Residency, and more specifically, the owners; brothers Shakir and Sid who couldn't have done more for us during our stay. Right from the moment we arrived, it was just a whirlwind of hospitality, and it felt more like we were staying with old friends rather than being customers in a guesthouse. 

It was the perfect welcome following a night of travelling, and after a lovely breakfast, and taking some time to relax, Sid even escorted us (and a French couple) on a three hour walking tour of the neighbourhood (free of charge of course!). We strolled through various streets and markets, tried some new fruits, chatted with Sid and learned a lot, not just about Bangalore but Indian culture as a whole - a great way to be introduced to a new city, and in many ways, we felt like we were being introduced to India for the first time.

It was especially interesting to learn more about Bollywood and Indian film in general, particularly when we found out that there was a Bollywood movie (a pretty high profile one too) shot in Dublin! Who knew?! We even got to watch a bit of it back at the guesthouse and, production-wise at least, it's probably the best thing ever filmed on Irish soil! Brawling in Templebar, a chase scene on the Luas; my words will never be enough to paint the picture. You'll just have to watch it yourself to appreciate the brilliance! Here's a short clip for you. Enjoy!

And of course, no Bollywood movie would be complete without a song/dance sequence, especially one in Trinity College!

I still can’t get it out of my head. It's so catchy!

When visiting Bangkok at the start of our trip, we branched out and searched for something a bit different to do while in town, which led us to the Escape Hunt - probably one of our favourite things from the trip so far. And in Bangalore, we similarly looked beyond the regular tourist haunts; your temples, your parks, your usual sights. We wanted something new, something we had never seen before, something on another plane entirely...

And indeed another plane we found! Or at least a simulation of one.

The Flight 4 Fantasy experience was just great! It was like being on the Krypton Factor! I was seated behind the controls of a Boeing 737 with a real life pilot beside me, telling me what to do, as I gracefully took off from the old Hong Kong airport, and successfully landed, without a scratch at... the new Hong Kong airport. (Well, they didn't have Cork in the system so my choices were pretty limited). I even got a little certificate (and a keyring!) at the end of the flight, so there's one for my CV!

The next day, we had a bit more of a traditional touristy day, visiting the Vidhana Soudha (the state government building), walking around Cubbon Park and into the main district surrounding Mahatma Gandhi Road, and it was all rounded off with a sunset dinner overlooking the city from 13 storeys up in the aptly named, 13^th Floor.

The following afternoon, we finished up in Bangalore, but didn’t have far to travel (by Indian standards at least), taking a three hour long bus ride to the city of Mysore. We only had 24 hours in town, but that was more than enough as there was really only one thing to see – the hugely impressive Mysore Palace. We even went to see it twice! First by night, the evening we arrived, then again the next afternoon, when we got the grand tour.

Unfortunately, I was carrying a bit of a cold during our stay, which was a pain, so while I was trying to concentrate fully on Mysore Palace, I was pretty distracted by my sore head, my sore throat, my sore everything! (You'd think that I made up that situation just for the word play, but I actually was quite sick! I guess on reflection it was the best kind of illness though, one that fits in perfectly with the narrative!)

On our first visit, there was a 45 minute light show which told a story through light, sound, music and spoken word, although it was all in Hindi, so we kinda had to piece it together through the other mediums… Needless to say, we were completely lost. Still, it was nice to see the flashing lights and at the very end, the palace became completely illuminated, so it was certainly worth the 50c admission.

We went again the following afternoon, when the palace itself was open to explore, although you weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, which really was a shame as it was very nice (Mysore - certainly no eyesore!). We were still able to walk around the grounds and take some snaps there, so we certainly got our fair share of pics while in town.

And we made a video diary too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZpBJCpC4GM

Apart from that, there was very little to do in town. Our train wasn’t until 18:15, so we were just winding down the hours til then. We found a mall which had a little arcade so we spent a bit of time there on the machines, one in particular -  air hockey. It has become a bit of a rivalry now between myself and Aisling, and the competition is really starting to heat up! We played in Bangalore a few days prior, where I was beaten 3-2 on aggregate (she’s got mad air hockey skillz), but in Mysore I levelled the series with a romping 4-1 victory.

Who knows when we should happen across our next air hockey table to settle this for good…?

We also won a few tickets on some of the other machines which resulted in this grand haul.

Mysore was practically stripped bare!

The time for our train finally came around and we climbed aboard for another whopper of a journey, 14 hours this time, but again, really enjoyable, really quiet and comfortable. And the next morning we were in Hospet, our base of operations for our longest stay anywhere in India; 4 days exploring the old city of Hampi. Stay tuned for that!

The Final Adventure - 7th Stop: Alleppey

As we continued on into the heart of southern India, we came to the town of Alleppey - our stopping point for the famous Kerala backwaters. Many people decide to stay on a houseboat and live on the water while here, but we opted for just a day tour on a small canoe. We had done something similar around the floating villages of Inle Lake in Myanmar, and it was one of our favourite memories from the country; weaving in and out of small communities and seeing the daily routine before our eyes. And I think we made the right decision in choosing the same here. Each to their own of course, and there are always pros and cons, but I just think you see a lot more down those small hidden streams.

As a town, Alleppey is nothing special and there's probably no reason to visit apart from the backwaters, but that's certainly reason enough. We just organised our day drip through our guesthouse but I'm sure there are a hundred different companies who offer the same thing. We had a lovely time though, and certainly got our money's worth; spending the whole day meandering through the villages with nothing more than the sound of oars drifting through the water. We were also served up a teeny tiny cup of tea and stopped off for breakfast and lunch at two family homes (both were quite hit and miss, but it was all part of the experience).

In Kochi, not only did we spend a full day at a water park, but we also ate at an Italian restaurant every night (their bruschetta was incredible though!), so in Alleppey, we knew we had to start getting into the Indian way of life. I know I make it sound like a chore, which is funny because we actually love Indian food! We feared however that our idea of Indian food could be quite different from the real thing (like the way chicken curry and chips surprisingly wasn't a staple meal in China!).

For our first proper Indian feast, we played it fairly safe as we were worried about the spice levels (i.e. what was mild for them could be through the roof for us), and also we had been warned about the meat giving you stomach trouble, so we went with a very mild vegetable curry. The result was the blandest meal I've ever tasted. Needless to say, that was the end of our 'safety first' approach to food here. We’ll just have to go balls-to-the-wall and take the punishment if and when it comes.

Eating out has been ridiculously cheap so far too, even in fancy places you wouldn't be paying more than a couple of quid for food and drinks. Even for snacks, here's what a euro will get you:

On our second, and final, day in town, we left town(!) and jumped on a bus to Merari Beach. Now you don't really expect India (or at least I didn't) to have quiet, white sandy beaches, but I was happily surprised and we had a lovely few hours here before we had to return to Alleppey to catch our train out of town. 

And, here's a beach video diary for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTXSL6xAn2E

It was to be our first experience of a night train in India, and we weren't quite sure what to expect for the upcoming, 13 hour journey to Bangalore. We, of course, had visions of a packed, sweaty carriage and sharing a bed with a family of twelve, but no, it was great! We had booked all of our train tickets online two months in advance, so we had everything organised, and the trains themselves were actually very nice. They were open carriages, but we had our own little bunks and a curtain to separate us from the outside world, fitted with sheets, blankets and pillows, so we were happy out!

I always prefer night trains that are around 13 or 14 hours long, as opposed to half that length. It may seem like a long time to be on board, but the journey is usually over before you even know it. You have a few hours to get settled; watch the views, read a book etc. then it’s bed time, you get a good night’s sleep, and when you wake up you’re in a new city! And at a respectable time too! If the trip was any shorter, you’d either be waiting around, just killing time until 10 or 11pm, or else arriving in a new city before the sun is even up!

So, long journeys like this are just fine by us, and this one helped settle any worries we may have had as it was as smooth as can be. We woke up the next morning, fresh and rested, and ready to take on Bangalore!

The Final Adventure - 6th Stop: Kochi

New country, and it's a big one! After planning to visit India many times in the past, we're finally here and trying our best to do it justice. We've got almost six weeks in total, but the place is like a continent in itself, so we could easily spend triple that amount and still not see half of it! Even in the planning phase, we had to be quite ruthless and cut some places that we both would have loved to visit (RIP Darjeeling), but that's a good thing! It just means that our time here will be full to the brim with Indian delights. And first on the list was Kochi, in the (relatively) peaceful and laid back southern state of Kerala.

I did say relatively, this is India after all!

Sri Lanka was our introduction to this unique corner of Asia, and southern India is the next rung on the ladder, before we finally build up the madness of places like Mumbai and Delhi. But one step at a time. First it's Kochi and in particular, the area of Fort Kochi - a quiet fishing town on the coast. It was our first day in the country so we were eager to immerse ourselves as much as possible in the local culture, and immerse ourselves we did...

...in South India's number one water park!

I know it doesn't say much for our adventurous spirit by going to a water park on our first day, but that's just how the schedule went! Don't blame us!

It's not just a water park either, with a full-blown amusement park also on the grounds. It's a good bit outside the city (especially with Indian traffic) and we had to ride two buses to get here (that's how much we love water parks). But it was worth the effort! We bought a couple of fast track passes in anticipation of big crowds, but it was actually pretty quiet considering. With these bad boys we were able to skip right to the front of any queue, but being honest, we felt terrible every time we did, even though we had paid extra! We just couldn't handle the guilt!

The awkwardness didn't end there either. We knew India would be different in it's cultures and values, so Aisling brought a t-shirt and shorts to wear while swimming. But as I was going into the dressing rooms, I noticed that all of the men (young and old) were all covered up too! Not one person topless. We were getting enough attention for being the only whiteys around, so I felt like I had to keep myself covered as well, even though I didn't bring a change of clothes. So, I had to go swimming in my long-sleeved cotton top, then wring it out and wear it around for the rest of the day! Thankfully it soon dried under the hot Indian sun.

There were a few other strange customs too we experienced in the park, segregated bumper cars probably being the worst...

One area for women and kids, another for men. Are Indian men really that bad that they can't even be trusted to knock bumpers with an unsuspecting lady? (euphemism partially intended)

We had a great day though, and there were lots of things to enjoy in the park, with the various slides and rides, interactive shows and even a local who looked like Tyrion Lannister (I really wish I got a picture of him…)

Just imagine more Indian, dressed in a funny costume and working in a water park.

We also made a video diary, but I guess that fails in comparison to your current mental images of an Indian Peter Dinklage...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-6BCFJIQDo

The next day was a bit more authentic, as we had a walk around the sights of Kochi, including the old Chinese fishing nets along the waterfront, which are still in use today, and the old Jewish quarter. So generally, a lot of 'old' stuff.

That afternoon, we had to say goodbye to Kochi after a very brief stay, but we didn't have too far to travel, as we delved further into the state of Kerala, to the backwaters of Alleppey. We also had our first experience of riding the rails here in India, which will be like our second home in the coming weeks (actually, more like our first home seeing as we'll be spending more nights on a train than in any particular city!). And the initial signs are good! It was only an hour long journey, but we were chatting to a lovely lad from Mumbai and other locals in the carriage were all interested in talking to us and asking where we were from. So, even though there's not much to report from India thus far, the early signs are good. I'll pick things up again shortly!

The Final Adventure - 5th Stop: Galle

From being a thousand meters up in the mountains of Ella, to standing at the sea front in Galle in the space of a few hours - two different experiences, but equally great. We loved our time in Ella, we loved our time in Galle, but the worst moments of our holiday so far came in the journey in between, so before we start, let's just rewind a little...

(Apologies in advance for the wall of text - it wasn't a very photogenic moment)

Problem number 1 - We had booked two seats on a private bus through our hostel; it was a 5 hour journey, so best to do it in style. But when the morning of departure came around, the “private bus”, that we (and two other couples) were shown to, was just your run of the mill local bus, already full to the brim. And those seats, which had apparently been reserved for us, clearly didn’t exist, as we (and the other four) had to squeeze on and find a place to stand. We eventually managed to wangle a place to sit down when some locals hopped off, but there was a lot worse still to come...

Problem number 2 (and I do mean number 2) - Before we had left Ella that morning, my stomach wasn’t quite right from whatever we had eaten the night before – a case of, what has now been dubbed, ‘diarr-ella’. And about two hours into the journey, I was seriously struggling. Thankfully, a rest stop came just in time and I was able to shed a few liquid pounds before it was time to get going again. But as the second leg of the journey began, Aisling started to double over with the same troubles. Over two hours from the safety of the next bathroom, and we were both in a bad way.

Toilet troubles aren’t much fun at the best of times, never mind when you’re hurtling along bumpy Sri Lankan roads, packed into a hot, crowded bus. We held on as best we could, both in agony and fit to burst at any moment in the most ungraceful manner possible, until it got to the point where we had to throw in the towel. Don’t worry, we didn’t shit ourselves, we just had to get the driver to pull over asap, and find somewhere, anywhere to let loose. We grabbed all of our things and told the bus to go on without us, not knowing where in the world we were, or where we were going (in every sense of the word!). We would’ve gladly settled for a secluded bush or behind a fence, when there it was, in the distance, like the gates of heaven themselves, the delightfully named Dickwella Spa and Resort.

We hurried in, sweaty, dishevelled and ready to explode, and made it just in time! Relief! We couldn’t have wished for a better place to poop! As the bus was long gone, we decided to stay for a drink in the resort, let ourselves recover and then just get a tuk-tuk the rest of the way to Galle. Not the most graceful start to our newest destination, but our spirits were high as we knew things could've ended a lot worse...

As for Galle itself, we love the place! We were staying in the area of Galle Fort - a former Portuguese, then Dutch, then British fortification built right on the seafront, that is now a UNESCO heritage site. As you can imagine, inside the fort itself is very European in style with its quiet cobbled streets and quaint little buildings, and because it's a UNESCO site, it's very clean and well maintained. Just the kind of town we needed to unwind in after a stressful day. 

Even the café we visited upon arrival was playing traditional Irish music!

As it was new year’s eve, there was a small carnival in town to enjoy. They’re obviously not used to things like this though, as when the carnival started, with its bright lights and fairground rides, the electricity in the rest of the fort went out! But it all added to the experience, power-outs are always kinda exciting! And a hell of a lot more exciting than the turn of the year, which was simply marked with a pretty lame fireworks show and nothing more. There wasn't even a countdown! I feel like I don't have proper closure on 2013 without one!

We didn't do a whole lot while in town, as we were both recovering from illness, and Galle just wasn't the type of place to exert yourself too much. There was a lovely relaxing atmosphere in the fort, and a great place just to walk the streets, and take everything in. We also walked along the fort walls, which provided nice, scenic views of the coast and of the rest of the city.

Our journey out of Galle the next morning was certainly smoother than our entry, as we got an early train up to Colombo, and then immediately found our bus to the airport; no delays, no problems, no confusion - a nice way to leave Sri Lanka. We were about three hours early for our flight too so we had time to watch some shows on Aisling's laptop and enough Rupees left to split a sandwich and chips. And make a video diary!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygi-lBFlDvs

So, that's Sri Lanka done and dusted; a nice country, very friendly people and we've definitely got a few memories to treasure from our time here.

We never expected it to steal the show during these three months, but it served as a nice little two week appetiser for the big guns of India and Nepal. It was relatively touristy but not the same crowd of backpackers you'd usually get; it was mostly middle-aged travellers, about 90% of whom were either French or Russian. So, we're not exactly leaving the country with any blossoming new friendships!

The next time I'll pick up the blog will be inside the walls of another fort, Fort Kochi in southern India. So see you all then!

The Final Adventure - 4th Stop: Ella

And now it’s time for Ella (ella ella, ay ay ay!), a little gem of a town, tucked away high in the mountains. In similar fashion to the other places we’ve visited so far, we only had a couple of days here, but once again it proved to be enough, as we had time to get settled, get fed, get rested and see what the place had to offer.

But before all that, we had a 7 hour, third class train journey to get through, which sounded quite daunting from the outset, but turned out to be hugely enjoyable, and all for little over a Euro! (Bus journeys here were the same, cheap cheap cheap!). We were seated opposite a Sri Lankan couple with their young child, who were really lovely, although the breast feeding was quite awkward… (I keep telling Aisling not to do it in public but she never listens - joke!) Still, it made sure we were looking out the window to take in the amazing views!

The journey just flew by and we arrived in plenty of time to see the town and plan the following day before it got dark. And that plan started with getting up early again the next morning for another big climb, this time to the summit of Ella Rock. We had researched directions online how to make your way up, as the path winds and twists through the trees, and splits in countless different directions. But before reaching that point, we had to ‘walk the line’ as it were, and follow the train tracks out of town, even having to hop off at one point for an oncoming train!

It was one of my favourite parts of the holiday so far though. I don’t know why, there just seems to be something very wholesome about walking along a train line through the countryside, especially when passing locals doing the same as part of their daily routine.

We eventually came to the point when we had to go off the rails, and start our uphill climb. We had our printed directions, and between them, some local advice and a bit of guesswork, we eventually made it up about 2 hours later. It was an enjoyable hike and we were lucky to have such a clear day to fully appreciate the views.

We were also fortunate enough to have the place to ourselves, so have a look at our extra scenic video diary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLmBWc1IaRc

The way down should in theory have been easier, but it took us a while, including a few dead-ends, and narrowly escaping a snake attack (well, we saw a snake…). We got ourselves quite a bit lost, but eventually stumbled back onto the train lines, so we couldn’t go wrong from there. Back on track!

Later that day, we went on another, much shorter hike up to Little Adam’s Peak, which was nice as we got to walk through some tea plantations along the way, which is what I always picture when I think of Sri Lanka.

Doesn’t she look tea-rific!

There were even some women in the traditional garb, picking away, to complete the stereotypical image. There were also a few chancers dressed up, pretending to work the fields, and asking the passing tourists for money to take their photos!

The sun was on its way down at that stage but we still managed to get a few pics of the women (the real ones) doing their thing.

And that was Ella! As I said, another brief stay, but it was all we needed, and greatly enjoyed. The next day we would be hopping on a bus to Galle for our final stop in Sri Lanka and the final day of 2013! See you then!