We've checked out of our hotel room and are sitting in the shady forecourt of the hotel so am sneaking a quick Blog post in before our driver arrives to take us to the train station .... going downhill will be more relaxing than coming uphill I think - and of course its a steam train so David will be in his element.
A few more photos taken during our walk in the streets around our Hotel last night. This morning we took a TukTuk ride (Auto Rickshaw) into the main town and wandered around the markets and shops.
It may seem as though I'm fixated on cows as they feature a lot in my pictures, but that's because there are lots of them roaming the streets. They are very opportunistic and are often seen raiding rubbish bins or fruit/veg stalls if the vendors don't shoo them away in time.
Also, although there are lots of 'slum' like areas, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are prosperous States with 100% literacy. There are some beautiful houses here, and some very poor ones but everybody is very keen to ensure that the current and future generations of children are well educated.
So here's a selection of photos
David admiring an Austin 7 parked on a drive near our hotel
Backside of a cow raiding a rubbish bin on the back streets
and looking a bit guilty at being caught in the act
one of the pretty houses near the hotel
chocolate is popular here, and cheap
walking home from school/work
our Tuk Tuk driver en route to town this morning
makes a change from seeing cows on the street - morning stretch exercises for this pony
TukTuks lined up waiting for business
The overhead cables look like this all around town - spaghetti junction!
What do you want to buy? replica guns, vegetables, flowers ..... its all here!
This chap posed nicely and was very keen to see the end result ... then gave me a handful of fresh peas to enjoy
David haggling for 'grade 1' peppercorns ... not sure he got a very good deal, but he had fun!
Stephen admired the Austin 7, certainly looks in amazing condition (David too). I love the vibrancy of the markets.
ReplyDeleteI love the markets too Di. The last tour we did was much more 'cultural' taking in lots of temples and churches etc., but this time we really wanted to spend more time exploring the 'real India' and we're both enjoying it very much. David has finally overcome most of his concerns about wandering around by ourselves without a 'crowd' from a coach tour. The South of India is more relaxed generally though so Mumbai will be more frantic when we spend the final few days of our trip there.
ReplyDeleteWe're overdosing on curry but not drinking as much wine as usual!