(no subject)
We went on a seven-hour boat cruise through the Keralan backwaters. Ate lunch off coconut palms. Watched the toddy tappers at work. Drank coconuts through straws, then chopped them apart and ate the rest. Lay back and took it all in. Met a fascinating guy who'd lectured in linguistics, and did his PhD on bilingualism in children in Borneo, and researched how the fact that a certain cortex in their brains hardened at a later age than other children's affected this. That sentence was terribly structured, but fuck it.
We then went into Ernakulam to see an annual parade at the Durbar Hall: eleven bejewelled elephants, Kathikali dancers, musicians and huge crowds of locals. Later on, we met a couple of Indian guys, John and Zia, who proceeded to show us the sights of Ernakulam. Cruised around listening to a curious mix of Neil Young, Aerosmith and Robbie Williams. John supplies 90% of the rosewood Fender uses for its fretboards in the US, and showed us an apartment he designed, which makes use of all the excess wood he purchases. Urgh, money can't buy taste, but of course I didn't tell him that when he asked what we thought. At 3am we drove back to the festival grounds, to see men packing explosives for another round of fireworks. One old guy was napping, firework cannisters surrounding his body. Only in India.
It's too nice here to leave, but on Friday we will catch a train to Bangalore. There's not long left before I return, and still so much I want to do and see. Raph is staying in Mumbai a few days after I return to Melbourne, and then flying to Paris to meet up with his girlfriend Laura. So, compared to him, I really don't have long to go. Two months pass so quickly over here.
We then went into Ernakulam to see an annual parade at the Durbar Hall: eleven bejewelled elephants, Kathikali dancers, musicians and huge crowds of locals. Later on, we met a couple of Indian guys, John and Zia, who proceeded to show us the sights of Ernakulam. Cruised around listening to a curious mix of Neil Young, Aerosmith and Robbie Williams. John supplies 90% of the rosewood Fender uses for its fretboards in the US, and showed us an apartment he designed, which makes use of all the excess wood he purchases. Urgh, money can't buy taste, but of course I didn't tell him that when he asked what we thought. At 3am we drove back to the festival grounds, to see men packing explosives for another round of fireworks. One old guy was napping, firework cannisters surrounding his body. Only in India.
It's too nice here to leave, but on Friday we will catch a train to Bangalore. There's not long left before I return, and still so much I want to do and see. Raph is staying in Mumbai a few days after I return to Melbourne, and then flying to Paris to meet up with his girlfriend Laura. So, compared to him, I really don't have long to go. Two months pass so quickly over here.