I'm embarrassed this has taken me so long to post but believe it or not I have written this post twice before and lost it thanks to blogger! But here goes....
The rest of the trip in India was filled with lots of travel from place to place, lots of obligations and little time for communication and little internet access. After leaving the "small city" of Nadiad, we were driven back to Ahmedabad where we stayed the night. Traffic is steady in the city 24hrs a day and honking went on all night long and could be heard CLEARLY from our hotel room. Here is a quick shot of what traffic in Ahmedabad looks like. "Lanes" do not exist in many places in India it's every man, woman, and child for themselves as you can see below.
After our time in Trivandrum/Kovalam we drove to Kumarakom. This trip according to our driver would take "three hours" however, due to the terrible washed out condition of what they call "roads" it was actually closer to SIX hours!
Along the drive we stopped to meet this guy. He was working hard moving giant logs.
While in Kumarakom we stayed on the famous Kerala backwaters. The Kerala backwaters are a network of interconnected canals, rivers, lakes and inlets that form more than 900 km of waterways, and is sometimes compared to the American Bayou. During our stay we had the opportunity to go on a short ride on a kettuvallam, or an Indian houseboat. The kettuvallams were traditionally used as grain barges, to transport rice which is harvested in the fields that line the backwaters but have now become a tourist attraction and people travel from all over to relax and even spend the night touring the backwaters on a houseboat.
Here are a few of my favorite pics from Kumarakom:
Here is a final shot from Kumarakom of us gathered around a traditional lantern in the lobby of our hotel. They were kind enough to light it for us and come to find out they only light this lantern for large celebrations about once or twice a year!
Our final stop before heading home was Calicut. It was a short drive and flight away from Kumarakom but this is where a good portion of our business meetings took place. Here is a picture of Anila's family who opened their home to us while we were in town.
Here are a few other shots from our time in Calicut:
Lastly I have to give a HUGE thanks to Dr. Walker & Gail for letting me experience international business up close and personal. They are a huge inspiration to me and I am so thankful for them and the whole experience!!
The rest of the trip in India was filled with lots of travel from place to place, lots of obligations and little time for communication and little internet access. After leaving the "small city" of Nadiad, we were driven back to Ahmedabad where we stayed the night. Traffic is steady in the city 24hrs a day and honking went on all night long and could be heard CLEARLY from our hotel room. Here is a quick shot of what traffic in Ahmedabad looks like. "Lanes" do not exist in many places in India it's every man, woman, and child for themselves as you can see below.
The next morning we headed to the airport and we flew to Mumbai where we caught our connecting flight to Trivandrum. Here is a quick shot of a typical flight board; you better know your flight number!
Trivandrum is in the state of Kerala on the south west side of India on the beautiful Arabian Sea.
Kerala is called "God's Own Country" and after staying there I know why. This part of India is much different from the north. The literacy rate is much higher and while poverty seems to be everywhere compared to what we are used to in the US, it appears to be less in Kerala than in northern India.
Here are a few of my favorites from our stay at a resort near Trivandrum in a small town called Kovalam:
After our time in Trivandrum/Kovalam we drove to Kumarakom. This trip according to our driver would take "three hours" however, due to the terrible washed out condition of what they call "roads" it was actually closer to SIX hours!
Along the drive we stopped to meet this guy. He was working hard moving giant logs.
While in Kumarakom we stayed on the famous Kerala backwaters. The Kerala backwaters are a network of interconnected canals, rivers, lakes and inlets that form more than 900 km of waterways, and is sometimes compared to the American Bayou. During our stay we had the opportunity to go on a short ride on a kettuvallam, or an Indian houseboat. The kettuvallams were traditionally used as grain barges, to transport rice which is harvested in the fields that line the backwaters but have now become a tourist attraction and people travel from all over to relax and even spend the night touring the backwaters on a houseboat.
Here are a few of my favorite pics from Kumarakom:
^ Our room
^ The backwaters
^ Our ride
Here is a final shot from Kumarakom of us gathered around a traditional lantern in the lobby of our hotel. They were kind enough to light it for us and come to find out they only light this lantern for large celebrations about once or twice a year!
^From left to right: My co-worker Dawn, Dr. Anila Abraham (our amazing friend who showed us around India), my boss Denise, me, Dr. Walker and his wife Gail.
Our final stop before heading home was Calicut. It was a short drive and flight away from Kumarakom but this is where a good portion of our business meetings took place. Here is a picture of Anila's family who opened their home to us while we were in town.
^ Everywhere we went we were stared at. Anila informed us few American's visit Calicut and that's why we were so interesting to the locals.
