February 12, 2006 - Kerala
Typical auto rickshaw in India
Today we left Cochin to go to Alleppey in the backwaters of Kerala. We caught auto rickshaws, commonly called tuk-tuks, to the bus station, where we were going to catch a bus to our next destination.
At this time, I thought it would be fun to explain how one rides an auto rickshaw.
Step 1
Flag down an empty rickshaw by simply standing by the side of the road. In most cases, a driver will pull over within a second or two. Even if you are not looking for a ride, some rickshaw drivers will pull over and try to convince you otherwise.
Step 2
Before getting into the back of the rickshaw, establish a price for the ride by either telling the driver where you want to go or by pointing on a map. Despite what travel books may tell you, most rickshaws are not metered and require negotiation with the driver. Don't be afraid to decline the ride if you think the driver is overcharging you. This is fairly common, making it essential to be both willing and able to negotiate. Once you have established the fare, get into the rickshaw.
Step 3
Pay very close attention to where you are going. Try to follow along using a good map. Once you get to your destination, thank the driver and pay him. Be on your way. Sometimes a driver will dispute the amount, claiming that the ride took longer than expected or that you had agreed upon a different price. Pay no attention to him.
The bus station wasn’t too bad; not as seedy as what I imagine a bus station in the U.S. would be like. (I have never traveled by bus in the U.S.) I guess the difference is that most Indians travel by bus, not just poor people like in the U.S. However, when I boarded the bus, the smell of urine was overpowering! The stench, however, wasn't originating from the bus; it must have been coming from the area behind the bus.
Which leads me to Indian toilet facilities! Well, first of all, public toilets are almost non-existent in India. And, even if you do happen to find one, don’t expect anything like what you’re used to in America. Here is the drill: Feet flat on the floor. Hold all of your clothing above the level of your butt. Undies to the knees; skirt wrapped around waist; if wearing slacks, pull waist down to the knees and legs up to the knees, so all fabric is above your business-end. Squat all the way down over the hole. No dangling with butt sticking out. Down! All the way down. In some places you're going to wish you had four arms: two to hitch up your clothes, one to balance yourself and the fourth to pinch your nose. If you forgot your toilet paper, you can wipe yourself with your fingers – left ones, of course – and then rinse your hand off with the bucket of stagnant water that is provided. Or, if you don’t want to dirty your hands, you can just use the water in the bucket to splash your business-end clean. And sometimes, joy of all joys, you can actually flush. But if there is no flusher, use the water in the bucket to wash it all down. And, when you’re done, don’t forget to pay the “attendant” for the honor.
Give me a bush anytime!
(Click on the images below to view.)
At this time, I thought it would be fun to explain how one rides an auto rickshaw.
Step 1
Flag down an empty rickshaw by simply standing by the side of the road. In most cases, a driver will pull over within a second or two. Even if you are not looking for a ride, some rickshaw drivers will pull over and try to convince you otherwise.
Step 2
Before getting into the back of the rickshaw, establish a price for the ride by either telling the driver where you want to go or by pointing on a map. Despite what travel books may tell you, most rickshaws are not metered and require negotiation with the driver. Don't be afraid to decline the ride if you think the driver is overcharging you. This is fairly common, making it essential to be both willing and able to negotiate. Once you have established the fare, get into the rickshaw.
Step 3
Pay very close attention to where you are going. Try to follow along using a good map. Once you get to your destination, thank the driver and pay him. Be on your way. Sometimes a driver will dispute the amount, claiming that the ride took longer than expected or that you had agreed upon a different price. Pay no attention to him.
The bus station wasn’t too bad; not as seedy as what I imagine a bus station in the U.S. would be like. (I have never traveled by bus in the U.S.) I guess the difference is that most Indians travel by bus, not just poor people like in the U.S. However, when I boarded the bus, the smell of urine was overpowering! The stench, however, wasn't originating from the bus; it must have been coming from the area behind the bus.
Which leads me to Indian toilet facilities! Well, first of all, public toilets are almost non-existent in India. And, even if you do happen to find one, don’t expect anything like what you’re used to in America. Here is the drill: Feet flat on the floor. Hold all of your clothing above the level of your butt. Undies to the knees; skirt wrapped around waist; if wearing slacks, pull waist down to the knees and legs up to the knees, so all fabric is above your business-end. Squat all the way down over the hole. No dangling with butt sticking out. Down! All the way down. In some places you're going to wish you had four arms: two to hitch up your clothes, one to balance yourself and the fourth to pinch your nose. If you forgot your toilet paper, you can wipe yourself with your fingers – left ones, of course – and then rinse your hand off with the bucket of stagnant water that is provided. Or, if you don’t want to dirty your hands, you can just use the water in the bucket to splash your business-end clean. And sometimes, joy of all joys, you can actually flush. But if there is no flusher, use the water in the bucket to wash it all down. And, when you’re done, don’t forget to pay the “attendant” for the honor.
Give me a bush anytime!
(Click on the images below to view.)
And what about those Indians who don’t have a squat or any other kind of toilet? Apparently, they just go wherever they can. I can give testimony to that. When riding the train, all I had to do was look out the grimy window, and I would see men and children – sometimes dozens of them – squatting by the tracks doing their business. Instead of a bucket of water, they all carried their own personal plastic bottle of dirty water. Thank goodness I never saw a woman doing this; modesty dictates that they take care of their business in private.
India rightfully sees the lack of toilet facilities as a problem. How are they addressing it? Read on…
India Sets Target of 28 Toilets a Minute
India has to do a big job. More than half a billion citizens don't have a toilet and the country needs to build 28 new loos every minute over the next four years to meet the Indian Government's ambitious sanitation target.
One in two Indians, or about 650 million people, now defecate in the open and the untreated waste poses a serious health risk.
Last year India added about 11 million new toilets but the government wants the rate of construction to increase.
The national coordinator of the aid agency WaterAid India, Richard Mahapatra, used official data to estimate 40,000 new toilets are needed each day to reach the government's goal of making a lavatory available to every citizen by 2012.
"This shows the enormity of the problem and the challenge," he said.
Despite the huge numbers, Bill Fellows, UNICEF's regional advisor on water and sanitation in South Asia, thinks it's possible.
"There has been an exponential increase [in the number of toilets built] in the past few years and if that rate of increase continues we'll meet the target," he said.
UNICEF, the UN Children's Emergency Fund, says about 1600 children die every day in India from diarrhea. Poor sanitation is one of the leading causes of child death and illness in India.
Mr. Fellows said the adoption of the UN's Millennium Development Goals had contributed to the rapid improvement in toilet construction in India and neighboring countries. These goals established specific development targets to be achieved by 2015. However, the Indian Government says it wants an "open-defecation free" nation by 2012.
An "element of competition" between countries in South Asia is also adding to the frenzy of toilet construction, Mr. Fellows said.
However, Mr. Mahapatra says the Government must also pay attention to the maintenance of India's rapidly expanding number of toilets.
Education is important, too - people who have never had access to a toilet have to be taught the importance of sanitation.
The Indian cricket star, Sachin Tendulkar, has been enlisted to help promote hand washing with soap, which can reduce diarrheal cases by almost half and acute respiratory illnesses by 30 per cent.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, November 22, 2008, by Matt Wade in New Delhi
India rightfully sees the lack of toilet facilities as a problem. How are they addressing it? Read on…
India Sets Target of 28 Toilets a Minute
India has to do a big job. More than half a billion citizens don't have a toilet and the country needs to build 28 new loos every minute over the next four years to meet the Indian Government's ambitious sanitation target.
One in two Indians, or about 650 million people, now defecate in the open and the untreated waste poses a serious health risk.
Last year India added about 11 million new toilets but the government wants the rate of construction to increase.
The national coordinator of the aid agency WaterAid India, Richard Mahapatra, used official data to estimate 40,000 new toilets are needed each day to reach the government's goal of making a lavatory available to every citizen by 2012.
"This shows the enormity of the problem and the challenge," he said.
Despite the huge numbers, Bill Fellows, UNICEF's regional advisor on water and sanitation in South Asia, thinks it's possible.
"There has been an exponential increase [in the number of toilets built] in the past few years and if that rate of increase continues we'll meet the target," he said.
UNICEF, the UN Children's Emergency Fund, says about 1600 children die every day in India from diarrhea. Poor sanitation is one of the leading causes of child death and illness in India.
Mr. Fellows said the adoption of the UN's Millennium Development Goals had contributed to the rapid improvement in toilet construction in India and neighboring countries. These goals established specific development targets to be achieved by 2015. However, the Indian Government says it wants an "open-defecation free" nation by 2012.
An "element of competition" between countries in South Asia is also adding to the frenzy of toilet construction, Mr. Fellows said.
However, Mr. Mahapatra says the Government must also pay attention to the maintenance of India's rapidly expanding number of toilets.
Education is important, too - people who have never had access to a toilet have to be taught the importance of sanitation.
The Indian cricket star, Sachin Tendulkar, has been enlisted to help promote hand washing with soap, which can reduce diarrheal cases by almost half and acute respiratory illnesses by 30 per cent.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, November 22, 2008, by Matt Wade in New Delhi
Back to the bus … I settled into my seat for the 3-hour journey to Allepy. The bus stopped constantly along the way to let off and take on passengers. At one point, it came to a complete stop on a long, flat bridge. Traffic in India is one huge traffic jam, but at least it always seems to be moving, so this was something new. As we crept along for the next 15 minutes, we finally saw what the holdup was: the LARGEST elephant I have ever seen was being ridden down the road. It must have crossed the bridge, too.
During the bus ride, an Indian man sat next to Betty in her seat. Against what we had been told, Betty struck up a conversation with him. She was being very friendly, which is a Western thing, but I guess the guy took it to mean she was “loose.” Next thing you know, he was rubbing her breast with his hand. She yelled at him so loud that the whole bus could hear, and he then jumped out of the seat really quickly. He next tried to sit with me, but I told him, “No way, buster.” I guess we embarrassed him because he got off the bus at the next stop. I know this wasn’t his stop because we watched him board the bus directly behind us. What a jerk!
During the bus ride, an Indian man sat next to Betty in her seat. Against what we had been told, Betty struck up a conversation with him. She was being very friendly, which is a Western thing, but I guess the guy took it to mean she was “loose.” Next thing you know, he was rubbing her breast with his hand. She yelled at him so loud that the whole bus could hear, and he then jumped out of the seat really quickly. He next tried to sit with me, but I told him, “No way, buster.” I guess we embarrassed him because he got off the bus at the next stop. I know this wasn’t his stop because we watched him board the bus directly behind us. What a jerk!
The Keralan Backwaters
The bus ride ended in Alleppey, the town from which we were to begin our backwater trip. Alleppey is located in the State of Kerala, which is run by the Communist party. This was quite evident as the bus pulled into town because some kind of talking was being blared into the air by a loudspeaker. It was very strange and slightly disconcerting.
Interestingly, Kerala has a very large Christian population, the highest in India. For a history of Christianity in Kerala, click here.
After we disembarked the bus, we gathered our backpacks and walked a short distance and boarded our own private boat, which was to take us on a tour through the backwaters. We spent the next 6 hours or so exploring the labyrinthine system of lakes, canals and inlets that make up the Keralan backwaters. Consisting of 1,500 kilometers of waterways, the backwaters is sometimes compared to the American Bayou; however, I found it to be much more lush and tropical than the Bayou. Since there are virtually no roads in the backwaters, the main modes of transportation for the locals are walking or boat, mostly canoe. Many of the canals we plied were choked with water hyacinth, and our boat’s propellers seized up several times from getting tangled up with the thick green carpet.
(Click on the images below to view.)
Interestingly, Kerala has a very large Christian population, the highest in India. For a history of Christianity in Kerala, click here.
After we disembarked the bus, we gathered our backpacks and walked a short distance and boarded our own private boat, which was to take us on a tour through the backwaters. We spent the next 6 hours or so exploring the labyrinthine system of lakes, canals and inlets that make up the Keralan backwaters. Consisting of 1,500 kilometers of waterways, the backwaters is sometimes compared to the American Bayou; however, I found it to be much more lush and tropical than the Bayou. Since there are virtually no roads in the backwaters, the main modes of transportation for the locals are walking or boat, mostly canoe. Many of the canals we plied were choked with water hyacinth, and our boat’s propellers seized up several times from getting tangled up with the thick green carpet.
(Click on the images below to view.)
IMAGES OF THE KERALA BACKWATERS
VILLAGE LIFE IN THE BACKWATERS
After our breathtaking tour of the backwaters, we all transferred from our large boat into a very long, narrow canoe to make our way to our sleeping accommodations. We were being split into several groups, each group going to a different home for an overnight homestay. As we slowly plied through the calm waters of a wide canal, the sun started setting, the sky turned a deep orange and reflected off the water, and our oarsman sang songs for us. In the distance, his songs were answered by others singing, most likely some locals who had imbibed a little too much that evening.
The boat pulled up to a stone wall on the shore, and Susan, Debbie and I climbed out to meet the family with whom we would be staying the night. First, though, the three of us watched the rest of our group cross the canal and disembark on the other side for their respective homestays.
Our homestay family was made up of Mary, a pretty girl of about 15 who spoke very good English; Mary’s mother, who spoke virtually no English; Mary’s father, whom we saw very little of; and a brother, of whom we saw even less. The family’s home was right next to the water, separated only by a narrow walking path along the canal. The house was surrounded by a low stone and brick wall, and one entered the property through a wrought iron gate. The house itself was stucco painted cream with red trim, and the entrance porch was painted pink. The red tiled roof was covered with black mildew, I’m sure from the heat and humidity of the tropical backwaters. The front yard was covered with pea gravel from which palms and other plants grew. The home itself was quite large, with a couple “reception” rooms, a dining room, and numerous bedrooms. From what I glimpsed of the kitchen, it looked like a big, dark room with cement walls and floor, a large cement counter for food prep, and shelves underneath the counter for storage. The house contained a huge, square bathroom with a Western toilet, sink and shower (no stall or bathtub) consisting of just a shower head sticking out of the wall, from which a trickle of cold water flowed, which was perfectly fine since it was hot as hades in the backwaters.
We spent the majority of our time with Mary and her mother, who were both extraordinarily wonderful to us. Right after we arrived and introductions had been made, we were served dinner. The family had already eaten, so it was just Susan, Debbie and I who were being fed. Mary’s mom had prepared about 8 different dishes. The food was excellent, but there was too much of it. Not wanting to appear rude, we sat at that table for hours slowly stuffing ourselves while Mary and her mom kept refilling our plates. Mary and her mom sat with us the entire time we were eating, and it was a delightful evening.
After dinner, Susan and I went to the bedroom we were sharing, and Debbie, who had her own room, went to hers. Mary’s family is Catholic, so the room – in fact, the entire house – was filled with religious objects. Before Susan and I each climbed into our hard (as usual) beds, we turned on the overhead fan to move some of the hot air around.
(Click on the images below to view.)
The boat pulled up to a stone wall on the shore, and Susan, Debbie and I climbed out to meet the family with whom we would be staying the night. First, though, the three of us watched the rest of our group cross the canal and disembark on the other side for their respective homestays.
Our homestay family was made up of Mary, a pretty girl of about 15 who spoke very good English; Mary’s mother, who spoke virtually no English; Mary’s father, whom we saw very little of; and a brother, of whom we saw even less. The family’s home was right next to the water, separated only by a narrow walking path along the canal. The house was surrounded by a low stone and brick wall, and one entered the property through a wrought iron gate. The house itself was stucco painted cream with red trim, and the entrance porch was painted pink. The red tiled roof was covered with black mildew, I’m sure from the heat and humidity of the tropical backwaters. The front yard was covered with pea gravel from which palms and other plants grew. The home itself was quite large, with a couple “reception” rooms, a dining room, and numerous bedrooms. From what I glimpsed of the kitchen, it looked like a big, dark room with cement walls and floor, a large cement counter for food prep, and shelves underneath the counter for storage. The house contained a huge, square bathroom with a Western toilet, sink and shower (no stall or bathtub) consisting of just a shower head sticking out of the wall, from which a trickle of cold water flowed, which was perfectly fine since it was hot as hades in the backwaters.
We spent the majority of our time with Mary and her mother, who were both extraordinarily wonderful to us. Right after we arrived and introductions had been made, we were served dinner. The family had already eaten, so it was just Susan, Debbie and I who were being fed. Mary’s mom had prepared about 8 different dishes. The food was excellent, but there was too much of it. Not wanting to appear rude, we sat at that table for hours slowly stuffing ourselves while Mary and her mom kept refilling our plates. Mary and her mom sat with us the entire time we were eating, and it was a delightful evening.
After dinner, Susan and I went to the bedroom we were sharing, and Debbie, who had her own room, went to hers. Mary’s family is Catholic, so the room – in fact, the entire house – was filled with religious objects. Before Susan and I each climbed into our hard (as usual) beds, we turned on the overhead fan to move some of the hot air around.
(Click on the images below to view.)
The next morning we got up, had breakfast, met up with the rest of our group, and went on a walking tour of the backwaters. We walked for several miles along the paths lining the canals and over foot bridges crossing the canal. Since walking is how most people get around in the backwaters, we shared the paths with locals on their way to school, shop, work or perhaps just strolling in the early morning. Along the way, we stopped at a small, open air eatery located right next to the canal, and we each bought a cup of delicious chai.
(Click on the images below to view.)
(Click on the images below to view.)
After our walk, we returned to our respective homestay families to say good-bye. It was sad to leave them, as well as the beautiful backwaters. Soon a pole boat arrived to pick-up me, Debbie and Susan, and we then met up with the rest of our group.
NEXT: THEKKADY/PERIYAR, INDIA