"Human language can repeat only an infinitesimal part of what exists."
-Mary Baker Eddy

My trip to India marked a lot of firsts for me: first time I had to get a polio shot, first time anyone called me "ma'm," first time I ate lady fingers (and a lot of other things), first time I was told that I look Chinese, first time I wrapped a saree, first glimpse of the Himalayas, first time I feared monkeys...I could go on for hours. It was also the first time I'd ever kept a blog, but while my sporadic updates let my mother know I was still alive and saved us all from mass e-mail hell, I don't know if my words did this incredibly complex, eclectic, fascinating, frustrating, wonderful, chaotic country justice.

Right now I'm sitting at my parents' house in the guest room that has been converted into the holding cell for all my worldly possessions. I'm jetlagged and going through a bit of reverse culture shock, but it's good to be home. You just know when it's time for an experience to be over, when it's time to move forward and see how that experience has changed who you are, how you see the world and, possibly, the course of your life.

Lots of people asked me "Why India?" My stock answer was usually "why not," simply because I couldn't remember what inspired me to go to India. The more I researched and read about the country, the more my fascination grew to obsession with the Subcontinent-- its culture, its history, its religions, its politics, its problems, its contradictions. With each passing day, I somehow managed to simultaneously understand more and less about the country. There is no way to "sum up" a place like India in a neat, packaged description. It can only be experienced.

Why I chose India is no longer important. I'm just glad I did.

A Home Away from Home

Homestays are the current fad in accomodation in Kerala, and because of my story assignment, I spent most of my time in the state sleeping and eating at a family home. After almost three months of waking up in uninspiring hotel rooms, it was nice to be in a home and around a family again, even if it was someone else's.

The family who owned last home I visited in Wayanad, Ente Veedu, really took me in as one of their own. Seetha, the woman of the house who manages the homestay, was really excited to dress me up in the traditional Kerala dress, which looks like a saree, but is actually two pieces of fabric instead of one. Once I put it on and accessorized with a bindi, I totally blended in with the family, as you can see in the above photo, right? Right... As a side note, in the last two weeks I've had one man tell me that I look Indian and another tell me that I look Chinese. Considering that I'm your typical American mutt (English-Irish-German), I don't know why no one in India ever thinks I'm American, and I really don't know how anybody could think that I look Asian.

Anyway, Seetha had a photographer friend who shot her daughter's wedding photos come over to take a few snaps of me in my new digs. I think this photo will replace the Diwali photo as my 2006 holiday card:

A Series of Demotions

If a travel agent in Fort Cochin tells you that you do not need to reserve a seat on the train from Kochi to Calicut, he is lying. If a ticket agent at the Ernakulum (Kochi) train station tells you that you can upgrade to the chair car for a few Rupees once you get on the train, she is also wrong. And if you listen to both of them, you will end up sitting on the floor of the second-class unreserved train car with your feet dangling out of the door as you whiz past Kerala's coastline.

The bulk of the magazine article that I'm working on is about Wayanad, a more remote region in northeastern Kerala and getting there from Kochi requires a five hour train ride to Calicut and then a two hour bus ride into the hills. Rupert, who is photographing the story, and I got steadily demoted from the AC Chair Car to the Second Class Reserved car to the Second Class Unreserved car in a matter of minutes, and while we were able to sit comfortably near the door on our packs for the first two hours, I had to stand for the third hour and then sit wedged between one man's knees and the bathroom door for the last two.

At the end of the trip, one man turned to me and asked, "Ma'm, why do you ride second-class unreserved?" I shrugged my shoulders and said, "It's all that was available." He shook his head and said, "It's so crowded," then paused to think for a moment, "but I guess it's the same everywhere in India. Just one big crowd."

If I Were an Expat...

...I'd live in Fort Cochin. One local expat said that Fort Cochin, a neighborhood on one of Kochi's peninsulas, is like an emerging SoHo. I don't know if I'd go that far, but it is a charming, peaceful and beautiful place to explore.

The area's charm comes from its eclectic mix of religious and cultural history. One local told me that there was almost a perfect balance of Hindus, Muslims and Christians in Fort Cochin. There is even a Jewish Quarter established by Dutch settlers who mingled with colonials from Portugal and England. The fragrant, sinus-clearing area around "Jew Town" is the hub of the spice market.

The Chinese fishing nets are the signature sights of Fort Cochin. At sunset, the beach behind the nets is the place to be for locals (and tourists). Families and newlyweds eat ice cream, listen to music and wade out into the algae-infested water while the sun dips into the Arabian sea.

What I found most interesting about Fort Cochin, though, was its blossoming modern arts scene, its selection of fine restaurants and the hidden flagship shops for emerging fashion designers. Kashi Art Cafe is a great place to mingle with Fort Cochin's intellectuals and a visit to its gallery down the street, Kashi Art Gallery, is a great way to see some of India's best modern artists. My friend Rupert and I splurged for dinner at the trendy Malabar House, which is considered one of India's best boutique hotels. We put on the fanciest clothes we could dig out of our backpacks (well, the least wrinkled anyway) and felt like we were splurging on the experience, although in the end we spent less than $20 on a fine three-course meal and wine. The co-owner of the Kashi Art Gallery, who is an expat from Michigan, said that the growing scene of hip, modern culture in Fort Cochin is important for visitors to see and appreciate because so many travelers come to India to see ancient history, but it's equally important to see the forward momentum of the country as well.

Backwater Cruising

Every region of India has its tourist "must do": a boatride along the ghats in Varanasi, drinking tea in Darjeeling, and the Taj Mahal in Agra (this is a universal India "must do," actually). In Kerala, it is the backwater cruise.

From the coast on inland, many of Kerala's villages and towns are linked by a large network of backwaters. You could travel from the south all the way up to Kochi by boat, a much more relaxing and enjoyable mode of travel than the bus or train. You can choose from a wide range of boats for your trip from the public ferry to a houseboat designed like a traditional Kettuvallam, a rice barge (see photo) to the "made for tourists" tour boat. If you want to coast through the water in ultimate style, you could book a three-day trip on the ultra-luxe houseboat, the Discovery, from the Malabar House for 50,000 Rs (approx. $1,100 USD), which is more than my round-trip ticket to India cost. Someday...

Being the budget backpackers that we are, my friend Rupert and I opted for the public ferry to save a few rupees and get the local experience. We joined the Keralaites riding to work, school and to see family along the backwaters. Like the Ganga, these waterways are an instrinsic part of life for the locals. It's their mode of transport, where they bathe, brush their teeth, wash their dishes and play. There are boats acting as floating shops bringing locals their supplies, and fishermen looking for the catch of the day.

After having sampled just about every mode of transport available in this country, I think the boat is the way to go.

Kathakali performer in Varkala, Kerala