Elephant Ride on Arabian Sea Beach

I've been lounging at swimming pool, treking beach, & enjoying the company of folks I've met here - including several 8-ball pool game "tournaments" with some other ladies I met from Dubai!
I have ridden horses on many beaches in US, Caribbean, south America, even Morocco! But today was a FIRST - riding an elephant on an Arabian Sea beach! Her name is Cheetah & she just celebrated her 35th birthday. We even went into the surf (water) which she seemed to enjoy & I got soaked! Because her skin is sensitive to salt water - she had to be completely hosed down after being in the salt water. It was an amazing experience!

Cochin -> Chennai (aka Madras) -> Colombo, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

Yesterday was a long, 12+-hour travel day! I was surprised to find out that I can now say I was in Madras! After arriving at Colombo airport, I was met by my driver (Bernard - very heavy & eloquent English accent) & it was a 3+ hours drive to my hotel the Taj Exotica on the southwest coast - see HERE. Sri Lanka literally means "resplendid island" - prior to 1972 it was known as Ceylon which still appears on many signs that I've seen since arriving here!
Top pic is view of Bentota Beach from "near" my room. That's the Indian Ocean - very warm water temp, great surfing waves, & a brown sand beach like those on DE/NJ beaches.
Bottom pic is of the property's large infinity pool with Indian Ocean in background. This area was hit hard by the tsunami - bust this hotel survived because it is situated on a high bluff. But everything here at sea level was destroyed during the tsunami.
Above pics were taken this AM. I just finished breakfast & am going to hit the beach now!

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.

Munnar Hill Station Teas 1

Munnar is a hill station famous for 2 things; 1) many terminally-ill cancer & HIV patients come here as a last hope for herbal & mercury/gold medical treatments, and: 2) tea plantations.
Tea grows best at altitudes above 2000 meters (6600 feet). Top pic is of tea. plantation bisected by a beautiful waterfall - of which there are many in the area. Those are tea trees (bushes) in foreground.
Bottom pic is of part of the hotel where I am staying. The "green" in foreground are tea trees. Note rock formation in rear - it is the same rock formation in the top center of the top pic!

Munnar Hill Station Teas 2

Top pic is of another waterfall & tea plantation.
Center pic is of tea being harvested. Slopes are very steep & "roads" to get to them are few & far between!
Bottom pic is of another tea plantation.
I've included many more "tea pics" than I intended - but the vivid green colors of the tea plants blanketing the mountains in the morning sun are/were just awesome.
Btw - these plantations aren't far from the equator but the high temperature today was just 60F!

Kerala Kathakali (story, play)

For 600+ years Kerala state has a unique (to this state) heritage of staging Hindu Kathakali <- which literally means a story or play. All actors are male because they stage Hindu stories in temples on a continuous basis throughout the year & women are not allowed in temples during their menstrual periods. Male actors portray both male and female Hindu gods/characters spending long periods of time applying their make-up - top pic.
Kathakali performers dedicate a minimum of 20 years to studying at the Kathakali academy near Cochin. During this time they never marry.
Kathakali performers never speak while performing. Instead they use a unique sign/body language, gestures & facial expressions, which most temple audiences can understand because they have seen the temple performances for many years,
Center pic is of performer acting as a Hindu god - their elaborate costumes can weigh up to 40 pounds. Bottom pic is of god being seduced by a demon maiden.

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.

Ooty Dubai Friends

At the Taj Savoy hotel in Ooty, I met 2 attractive, intelligent, articulate ladies from Dubai traveling together throughout India. Together we shared meals, an Ooty to Coonoor small-gauge railroad journey, & great conversations/debates such as SCUBA diving (like me they are both certifide), women's rights, & Islamic fundamentalism.
Top pic is me with Angela - with whom I became totally enthralled. Bottom pic is me with her girlfriend (forgot name!!) Who is a lieutenant in the Dubai police. Albeit a short/brief relationship with them, the brief hours we spent together will always be remembered!

Ooty & Indian Horses

Arrived in Ooty, what the Brits call a "Hill Station", early this afternoon. This 250+ year old city was established by the British in the mid-1700's because of it's great climate & suitability for growing tea. It is basically located on top of the mountain in top pic - elevation = 7700 feet & very chilly.
I am staying at what is said to be the best hotel in Ooty - the Savoy. It has been in continuous use as a hotel since it was built by Brit in 1841, it is spread over a large area with several 1-story buildings. The best pic I could get was the center pic - grounds are beautifully landscaped. All rooms have fireplaces - I have a fire going now - in July & in south India!!
Unexpectedly - a horseback riding opportunity surfaced (with my preferred English tack!) & I couldn't resist! It took some time to convince the horse owner that I could ride but he finally allowed me to "handle" my own horse - bottom pic. India is known for this breed of horse distinguished by their sharp pointed ears that curl inward at the tip. Even though it rained & was cold during the 1+ hour ride - I thoroughly enjoyed it. Note that I even bought a hooded sweat shirt!