Zatie

I think one of the least talked about aspects of our internship in India is the close partnership that we commit to before understanding the intensity of the time that will be spent together. Before India, we were both keen on understanding as much about the internship and Destiny Reflection as possible. We asked our BAGS friends and co-workers countless questions about what to expect from life in India, expectations at work, of travel, food, safety…you name it – but we never stopped to consider what it would be like to work, live, eat, breathe together, and see each other every day for 4 months. It’s like being in a committed relationship. We even started joking that we’re like newlyweds. And our trip to Kerala was our honeymoon.

Funnily enough, earlier this week Facebook reminded us that it was our one-year friendaversary. This got Katie and I talking about how little we really knew each other before moving to India, but how we always suspected we might get sent together. It’s such a strange thing, to depart on an adventure with someone that you don’t know well but to put so much trust in them as a companion and as the only person around you that understands what you’ve left behind and what you often miss.

Throughout the past couple of months, we’ve gotten to know each other really well. We’ve had to rely on each other, we’ve had to help each other, we’ve needed space from each other, we’ve found our mutual likes and learned a lot from each other’s knowledge. We have certainly become a team. Working together on everything is not always easy - not only are we getting to know each other as roommates and co-workers but we’re also adjusting to a new workspace, culture, climate, and everything else that’s going on around us - all at the same time. It can be overwhelming at times but it is an incredible opportunity for growth and a great lesson in patience and understanding. Without each other it just would not be the same. Together we’re smarter, more adventurous, and more confident.

Through all of it, I think we’re forming a very unique friendship. Katie and I will always share our experiences in India. The stories, the mishaps, the embarrassments, the weirdness, and the laughter. Katie is the only one that will understand everything I’ve learned here and be able to relate in the same way. It’s something we’ll share for the rest of our lives.

Sometimes we wonder if we’ll still want to see each other back home or if we’ll be sick of each other by December. I predict that the two of us will eagerly be seeking out Indian restaurants and spice shops around Vancouver, itching to reminisce about the amazing memories that make up this experience and everything we’ll miss once we’re home. In fact, we’re already planning a road trip together next year. And nothing could have formed that bond better than being here together.

The truth about our evenings in Kolkata...

Just a couple of goofs.

Munnar Calling

After experiencing the madness of Durga Puja in Kolkata, our travels led us to the state of Kerala, South India where we got a bit of coast, a bit of mountain, and a lot of road-tripping. Out of all of the cities we hit, for me, Munnar left the most memorable impression.

Munnar is a place of endless greenery and mists that blanket the mountains in an aura of mystery. The hills are impressive with their endless tea bushes arranged ever so neatly. We could have stared off into the distance for hours just taking in the massive plantations and fathoming that they are all maintained by hand. On multiple occasions, we felt as though we were in some sort of dreamland; like we were in a Lord of the Rings movie, visiting the Shire. Tinkling cow bells, chirping birds and rushing streams could be heard from all around us. It was magical.

Surrounded by the peace and stillness of the Western Ghats, our visit was filled with adventure, quirky characters and some of the best food I’ve had in my life. Our charming little bamboo hut homestay (at Potluri's 19 Degrees) was the perfect balance between cozy and outdoorsy. We made friends with lots of small critters and had the pleasure of being hosted by a loving local family. One of my favourite parts of the stay was our view of the stars in the clearest night skies I’ve seen in a long time. I didn’t realize how much I needed a break from city lights and polluted air. It was an escape unlike any other…

…And then we literally had to escape from Munnar when we found ourselves caught in the middle of a political strike! 

From crazy jeep rides through the winding mountain roads, learning how to make homemade - Munnar style - biryani, and hiring a driver to sneak us out of town so we could keep our booking in the next city, our stay was hilariously unforgettable.

T.I.I. (This Is India): A Trip to the South

The festive season in Kolkata also meant we had a week off from work. “Wooooo! Vacation!” we thought.

We chose to take a trip to Kerala in the South of India and researched the beaches, mountains, tea plantations, and of course: where to eat. Our trip was lovely, but did not go at all as planned. It was an adventure, not a vacation.

We flew to Kochi, a cute port city in the north of Kerala. Upon arriving at our homestay, we had a very friendly, albeit slooooooooooow beginning. Every place we’ve stayed at has required us to fill out a form in a giant binder with all our details – passport, visa, address in India, address in Canada, phone number, email- you name it, it’s in that binder and it is getting written in by hand. We were also given a lecture on why weren’t staying long enough in Kochi (granted, we had only booked one night) and that we needed to adjust all of our plans. 

By the time we went out for a walk, it was dark and the sights were, well, less visible. While walking along the water, we were interrupted by a friendly-meaning man who wanted us to tell him “a beautiful English sentence” that he could memorize. After 20 minutes of proving how truly unpoetic we are, we finally escaped only to unknowingly arrive at the world’s slowest restaurant. I got to experience just how hangry Zahra can get. We got back to our room late, realized that there were no blankets on the bed and were too cranky to bother asking for some. So we slept under our towels and sweaters.

Chinese Fishing Nets in Kochi

We managed to see the sights of Kochi the next morning before whizzing off to Munnar via taxi. I had foolishly imagined long stretches of wide highways that we could drive on pretty fast. Instead, 100km took 3-4 hours along tight, windy roads. Taking into consideration that the drivers don't use lanes or traffic lights, the car just sped up whenever possible and slowed down when necessary, so you can understand why I got car sick.

In Munnar, we were warmly greeted at our new homestay, at which our room was an adorable little bamboo hut. Cute, right? It was pretty great except for the lizard living in our bathroom, a bunch of slugs that appeared one evening and then disappeared the next morning (where did they come from? where did they go?), and the cockroaches we have been dreading coming across. It’s possible that I also stabbed a spider to death in the toilet after it resisted simply being flushed away.

Our Bamboo Hut in Munnar

Our host was very kind and genuinely seemed to want to hang out with us a lot, which is nice, except that at times it felt like we were visiting family as opposed to backpacking in new a city. We had AMAZING home cooked meals, played with the cutest 7 year old girl, watched Tangled, watched Bollywood movies, and listened to music on the patio while enjoying the clear night sky.

The tea plantations in munnar 

Munnar was awesome. So much tea!!!!! It's a little hill station with four main roads that lead into/out of it. Basically, you hire a taxi to drive you around for the day and drive away from Munnar, seeing all the sights along the way: waterfalls, national parks, lakes, dams, wildlife sanctuaries, viewpoints, and just the many, many, many hills upon hills of tea. It was beautiful.

The night before we left Munnar, we learned there was a strike across all of Kerala that meant we couldn’t go anywhere. Apparently this happens from time to time… At first we had a driver who was going to pick us up at 5 in the morning and drive us to Alleppey before the strike started. Then the driver decided it was too dangerous and we would have to wait and see. So we were trapped not only in Munnar, but in our bamboo hut for an extra day. The good news is that we made these awesome chalk drawings:

Chalk People! At our Munnar Homestay

Mid-afternoon the driver came to get us and we put a giant sign in the front window of the car that said AIRPORT. On the way out of Munnar we got stopped 4 or 5 times by strikers, however our driver told them we had a 7pm flight to catch out of Kochi (lies!) and after a couple minutes they all let us go without a hassle. It felt very dramatic.

We reached Alleppey late at night and celebrated our simple but clean, bug free (temporarily - we chased cockroaches out of the room the next morning) room. Bloated from all the rich food we'd eaten in Munnar, we opted for fruit and tea for dinner. The guy at the hostel pretty much told us what we should do with ourselves the following day and we were so exhausted, we didn’t mind him telling us how to live our lives.

So we went on a day tour of the Alleppey’s backwaters in a little canoe seen in the photos below. Alleppey has been called the “Venice of the East” and it lives up to its name. Importantly, we finally met some other foreigners. Usually, when travelling it’s a challenge to get away from foreigners and meet locals but we were actually craving some fellow tourists. We shared a canoe with a lovely couple from Israel who had packed chocolate chip cookies for the canoe trip. We were happy.

Canoe Tour through the Alleppey backwaters 

Thanks Benni!

Besides the backwaters, the other “big thing” to do in Alleppey is to get an ayurvedic massage. We were blindly led to a massage place by our hostel and it was…. interesting. I’m not going to elaborate, but in summary it was very…. revealing and not an experience I would like to repeat. We splurged on dinner and wine to forget what a scary experience we had just had at the "spa".

On the last day, we took another taxi across the state to a beach town called Kovalam. (Fun fact: this is the closest to the equator I’ve ever been which I thought was cool. Zahra slightly ruined the coolness factor by having been to the equator, not just near it.) Our 3 hour drive took 5 hours, but who's counting? Our taxi driver had also been our tuk tuk driver in Alleppey and he was hilarious. He had his music all prepped and ready to DJ for us at 8 in the morning; everything from Indian music to English songs such as “Barbie Girl” by Aqua and “Lollipop” by Little Wayne.

Morning walks by the Arabian sea

Admittedly, we had had so many mishaps earlier in the week, our expectations for Kovalam were lowered quite a bit. This vacation-turned-adventure has a very happy ending though, with us first discovering that we had booked a nice hotel and that on top of that our room had been upgraded to a swanky room with a balcony overlooking the beach. Score. So we spent our last day swimming in the Arabian sea, shopping at the beachside markets, eating more delicious food, and enjoying the first hot showers we’ve had since leaving Canada. Amazing.

View from our hotel in Kovalam

All in all, a great trip. Not at all what we expected, but if India has taught me anything so far it is to let go of expectations. Whenever something went differently than expected or we were confused about what was happening (pretty much 100% of the time) we would just tell each other "T.I.I. This is India."