India Ends & Questions

In north india, I traveled more than 1800 miles with my driver Balkar. In south India, I have traveled more than. 1,650 miles with Mohan my terrific driver for the past 2 weeks - the pic is of us having our last masala chai together - the Cochi airport is in background.

Since arriving in India, I have traveled a total of 3,450 miles. I have seen one of the 7 world wonders & many other amazing things! These combined with experiencing a very ancient/historical/mixed culture, incredible wildlife, & amazingly friendly people has made this month-long trip memorable!

Many of you have asked many questions about India. Because tomorrow I depart for an all-day journey to Sri Lanka, I thought now would be a good time to answer some of the most asked questions;

Weather? Now is the monsoon, "off season" for both north and south India. However, I encountered no rain in north India & very little in south India. North India was very hot - south India's temperature has been very mild - even cool! Many Indians travel during this time of year because all costs are lower.

Food? Indians are primarily Hindu & they are vegetarians. Yes - curries are prominent. I am NOT a vegetarian & really didn't & still don't like Indian foods. But - I've survived.

Smoking? Non-smokers would/do love India. Smoking is forbidden in ALL public places (including on many public streets - especially in Kerala) & this law is enforced by police, rangers & soldiers! I've been told that < 15% of the Indian population smokes. Btw - all animal sanctuaries/national forests are considered "public areas" & smoking is prohibited! Cigs are expensive @ $2/pack. But packaged, hand-rolled cigs called Beedi (poor man's cigs) are only about 1 cent each - very strong & disgusting taste!

Poverty? The doctors that invited to join them in discussions/debates explained to me that 30% of the Indian population is "well off", 30% are middle class & the remaining 40% are poor - very poor. They further explained that the primary economic problem in India is that the percentage of these very poor Indians remains constant. & is unlikely to change for decades if not centuries. I have seen many of these poor Indians. Fortunately they are not starving but they are prone to many medical problems. At the same time they have a high birth rate <- a Hindu custom.

Guruvayur - Punathoor Elephant Fort 1

I arrived in Guruvayur late yesterday afternoon.
This city is located in Kerala State which is renowned for its elephants. For centuries, all Kerala residents had at least 1 & often more elephants which they revere for their "work ethic", ability to bring good luck/fortune to their owners & their integral symbolism in the Hindu religion. Because of costs & "mechanization" (aka tractors), few families now own elephants.. But there are still 100+ elephants here (most owned/cared for by individual Hindu temples) & the city is still famous for its annual "Elephant Festival" - attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world.
One of this city's famous sights is the Punathoor Elephant Fort - built over 500 years ago to feed & provide herbal medical treatments to Kerala Hindu Temple elephants. The "fort" is huge & on any given day there are 60+ elephants here for feeding, bathing & medical diagnoses/treatments. They are scattered (to avoid "male-to-male conflicts") over a 25+ acre area. Above are pics of various areas of the park.

Guruvayur - Punathoor Elephant Fort 2 & Communism

Top pic is of the largest tusker I saw at the "fort". He was isolated from all other elephants because he was in "musk". Yes - that is a pile of 4-5 days worth of feces in background.
Center pic is of a mahout giving his elephant a "palm thrashing (whipping)massage". She really appeared to enjoy it!
Btw - Kerala is 1 of only 2 communist states in India - bottom pic was a reminder of this <-- I thought that I had left the hammer/sickle in Vietnam!? This state is also known for the active, well-armed "Maoist guerrillas" who operate & are located primarily in the rural jungle areas. My driver, Mohan, has assured me that we have avoided & will continue to avoid these areas.