I have traveled to Kerala on two previous occasions and I have to say it is my favorite region in India. Previous visits have seen me travel to the touristy places such as Varkala, Cochin and of course the famous Backwaters. This trip was to be entirely different, I was to stay in a small village on the outskirts of a fairly small town called Payyanur, which until planning this trip was somewhere I'd never heard of.
Payyanur is the family home of an ex-colleague of mine Sreejith and he kindly offered to take me and his brother Sujith on the 9 hour drive (each way) from Bangalore to show me around. Been an independent traveler this is not something I would normally do, but I know Sreejith well and was sure I was going to have a great time.
 |
| Iconic Kerala |
To avoid the crazy Bangalore traffic we got an early start and stopped off for breakfast where the guys encouraged me to try out local dishes. I had Idly which came wrapped in a banana leaf and chutney which was decent, perhaps not my favorite. I also had dosa and some deep fried doughnut type things, all washed down with a couple of glasses of masala tea.
 |
| Idly for breakfast |
The journey was pleasant passing through a dense rain-forest we managed to get a glimpse of elephants and a few monkeys. Stopping for lunch we ordered biryani and fish curries in quite a smart place, total cost just 310 rupees (£3.25) for all of us to have a good feed.
I stayed over in Sreejith's parents house which was a traditional Kerala style property, it was great and it made the most of any breeze to cool the house in the tropical heat. I was warmly welcomed into the home by the family and was cooked a lovely breakfast each morning. After a quick shower we all went out to meet up with Sreejith's old friends and family first by the river and then in a bar over dinner. Later that evening we attended a Theyyum at a family members home.
 |
| Theyyum and drummers |
A Theyyum is a local ritual practiced in this area for about 6 months of the year involving one or more guys dressing up in costumes, faces painted, dancing and wielding weapons whilst getting into a trance like state to the sound of drummers. It ended with the Theyyum giving blessing to its followers including myself in exchange for a small amount of money. This went on well into the night. The guys suggested going to another bigger Theyyum which would feature fireworks and elephants due to start at around 04:30 but I was very tired after a long day.
The next morning we went to another Theyyum, this one was much bigger and had several Theyyums performing at the same time. One of which took a liking to siting on a fire with only a coconut leaf dress for protection. Another one wore an elaborate headpiece that must have stretched some 3m above his head. Those guys must have been so hot in that heat.
 |
| Theyyum in full costume
 |
| This Theyyum had a thing for sitting on the fire |
|
 |
| Theyyum with headpiece |
Following the mornings entertainment we went to a coconut farm where I got to see many guys shimmy up trees at great pace and tap the sap from the trees to make toddy. Toddy is an alcoholic drink which is fermented within 12 hours of harvesting. We went to a toddy bar, but were told that water had been added to the toddy for some reason or another. I wasn't sure about the purity of this water so just had a small taste for fear of been ill. I've been ill in India before and it isn't a pleasant experience.
 |
| Coconut trees used for making Toddy |
On the evening after dark we went on an alternative backwater adventure. About 8 of us met by the river with a bottle of whiskey and a couple of bottles of water. One guy popped up a coconut tree and collected some fresh coconuts, a couple of strikes later with a blade and I was drinking fresh coconut water some 30 seconds from it been plucked from the tree.
The coconut water was used as a mixer for the whiskey, made for quite a nice drink. Then we got into a small boat with a pole which was used to propel us. Some of the guys got in the water to do some fishing. It was pitch black and they had a torch which they used to search fish and catch in a small net. One guy was particularly adept at this act and caught fish and a crab with his hands. Back on dry land the guys cooked the catch and it was quite humbling that they insisted I had the best bits of the catch. Those guys could start an alternative backwater tour for tourists and make money from this but perhaps that would take away their enjoyment.
The last day I visited the local temple and bought a small leaving present for the family before heading off to another Theyyum. This one had accompanying fireworks which were louder than anything I'd ever heard. Watching a guy make these 'fireworks' was like watching someone make a bomb and when they went off they did so with incredible force.
 |
| Theyyum's draw quite a crowd |
 |
| Me receiving a blessing from the Theyyum |
 |
| And another |
The evening I spent at a more touristy place of Bekal Fort, which was 5 rupees entry for the Indian guys and 100 for me. It had nicely kept gardens and had a path that lead down to the beach where we watched the sunset.
 |
Bekal Fort
 |
Sunset at Bekal beach
|
|
One last meal and a kingfisher was followed by a local festival at the temple. It was various singer and performers doing routines with mixed ability. One guy who had 'had a few' went back stage and demanded an English song for me, the only one he knew was the theme to Titanic, thankfully they didn't know the song but it caused much entertainment.
No comments:
Post a Comment