India

India

Well the time has come that I fly half way across our world to the country of India. One of the biggest travel pains: how to get there...and home...but living the flight attendant life means going with the flow. I decided to fly from my base of San Francisco to Newark airport. From there I boarded a 777 to Delhi, India. With a flight time of 14 hours, this was definitely the longest flight I have ever been on. Surprisingly, it was an incredibly easy flight. I watched 1.5 movies, indulged in the inflight dinner, and then slept until about 2 hours prior to landing.

Upon arrival into Delhi International airport, I arranged for a stay at Pride Plaza Hotel in Aerocity. We arrived at 10pm and my flight to Cochin was at 3pm the following day, so I knew I would enjoy a nights stay at a hotel to acclimate. I was greeted by hotel personnel in the bustling arrivals terminal. This would be my first step on Indian soil, and it was quite overwhelming. I thought an arrival close to midnight would be a quiet time in the city, but in reality it was quite the opposite. Happy to hear my name being called, relieved my nerves and knew my planning was successful. I was assisted to a far away parking garage where a driver would take me to the hotel. Instantly, it hit me that I was halfway across the world when I noticed the driver control the car from the right side. I feel like every country I have visited this year drove on the opposite side as the USA (New Zealand, the U.K). When we pulled up to the hotel’s barrier, the driver nonchalantly popped the car’s hood and trunk for a security inspection. Following, was a procedure to x-ray my bags, and for me, a walk through a metal detector and then frisked behind a curtain specifically for women to respect our privacy. The hotel was grand and my room had all modern amenities.

The next morning I woke to indulge in breakfast at the hotel’s buffet. This was my first taste of India, and my taste buds started to feel the heat and ingredients of the country’s culinary cuisine. I would have loved to sightsee in Delhi, but considering I did not have much of a plan, and only a few hours of free time, I decided to play it safe and just prepare for my next flight. I flew Vistara Airlines from Delhi to Cochin, Kerala. I chose this airline because it resembled features of Virgin America: a new airline with a young fleet, that promoted a new way of flying. I was excited to board the plane and see the interior of an Airbus 320. The similarities were comforting and exciting. The three hour flight delivered me to a palm tree sprawling region bordering the Arabian Sea. There, I was meeting my father, who had work in the region but scheduled a long weekend of touring in India. We planned this adventure last minute, but we used the services of Kensington Tours to plan our vacation. The tour company, based in Ontario, Canada, personalized our 5 day tour featuring the history and landscape of “God’s Own Country”. On the itinerary was a guided tour of the city region, a 3 day houseboat cruise through the backwaters of Alleppey, and a final look at city treasures before departing the region. I was of course skeptical of the tour going exactly as planned, but as I departed Cochin airport I saw an official Kensington sign with my name. A local Kensington representative showed me to my driver and together we all drove to Fort Cochin for our accommodation. The hotel was very far from the airport, granted there was rush hour traffic, but still in no means in close proximity. But once we did arrive, I checked into the 17 room boutique hotel and began to soak in the South Indian environment. The hotel was called Malabar House and its accommodations included western amenities, an outdoor courtyard pool, and a fusion spin on local dishes in the courtyard restaurant. After settling into my artistic room, I had a quick stroll down the local road, but decided to eat at the hotel’s restaurant as I did not see many other options. My dad, coming from Hyderabad, would be joining me the next morning, so I had sesame crusted tuna and biryani all to myself at dinner before retiring to sleep.

Around 4:30am the next morning, I received a call from the front desk that my dad had arrived. After greeting him, we caught a few more hours of sleep until our full day guided tour of old Cochin started. We met our historical guide, Sangita, in the lobby of our hotel. Right away, I noticed her traditional attire in which she radiated in. Once paired with her, she spoke and spoke of all things Kerala. From the trees, to the history, to the unspoken tales of the region. She was an encyclopedia of knowledge and she seemed to also be well known in the community which made our touring feel very welcome. I did not realize the type of information I would learn on this trip would be so historical and fascinating. The area we were in, is considered the Jerusalem of the East, in which the first Jewish, Christian, and Islam settlements were established. We walked through the first Christian church where the apostle of Jesus Christ, St. Thomas landed bringing Christianity to the region-long before Europe. I could not believe that the region we decided to focus on had such a historical impact on developing society. The evidence of religion also supported evidence of trade, which depicted the port of Mazurus, almost 3,000 years old. We learned that the climate in this region, paired with the location, allowed for the abundance of rare spices that could be traded due to the access to small waterways and the Arabian Sea. The pepper that grew in this region was called, black gold, as it could not grow and be exported like it could in Kerala. We also visited an excavation site that recently conducted a thorough archaeological dig of the area. What they found was hard evidence of trade, but also a look into what life could have resembled. The abundance of terra cotta pots were brought in from north Asia, along with glass, and food items. We saw how the settled area re-used the terra cotta pots, for storage and even sanitation. They found perfect artifacts of giant pots, beads, coins, and other significant human goods. The one item that gives great insight of the region, was a canoe, deep underground, and perfectly preserved-which could indicate that the site of the dig was previously waterfront, unlike now. All of this history that we were shown really showed me what life was like 3,000 years ago. And the history was so natural and amazing, I really felt as though I took a walk through time and could understand how early religion and trading took place and allowed this region to thrive. This full day tour was so packed of information that I do not have the words to describe. Yes, you can probably read this in a textbook, but until you witness it first hand, it won’t have that special impact that it now has on me. This area of India is so spectacular. I am in awe of the success and uniqueness of this region.

I must move onto day two and three, otherwise this entry will turn into a 10,000 word essay. But I must once more say, that I am completely enthralled with the history of south India. Day two we were scheduled to take a 3 day voyage on the backwaters of Alleppey on our own personal houseboat. And when I say houseboat, I think of the houseboats on South Lake Union in Seattle. Houseboats in the US are usually stationary tiny homes. These houseboats however are mobile private homes that accommodate 1-20 guests. These fun looking homes are built on a barge, and can have up to two floors, with 11 bedrooms. Ours however, was more appropriate, with just a bedroom with an ensuite bath, and living area for meals and relaxation. Our boat also had a bedroom for our 3 man crew, and a spacious kitchen for culinary creations. Having recently taken a cruise to Mexico on a large cruise line, I much prefer this “private yachting”. This concept of exploring the ancient backwaters is such a relaxing break from the hustle and bustle of Cochin, or even Delhi and Hyderabad. Therefore this region attracts Indian and global tourists. I have attached photos of these unique boats and the environment they explore. Although we saw some historical villages and landmarks, these cruises are meant for relaxation. The full crew prepared breakfast, lunch, and dinner, tea-time, and navigating the backwaters. We watched different species of birds, locals tending to their duck and rice farms, and children playing and bathing in the water. It was such a lovely experience to be sailing across country side of India with my father, something I wish I could relive everyday.

When our cruise was over, we had a short tour back in Cochin. We visited a “laundromat” where the traditional way of cleaning clothes was in full effect. We did see locals cleaning clothes as such during our cruise, but this was a business setting. The traditional way of cleaning clothes is to smack the laundry against stone to knock all dirt off. We then had a traditional lunch at a local restaurant until we were picked up and told our flight to Bangalore. We rushed to the airport to catch our flight, and from there I departed India to Dulles, Virginia, all the way back to Seattle. I had always dreamt of going to India ever since I was a teenager. This experience that I had was so remarkable with my father. I never thought we would have drank coconut water from a stand on the side of a road, or walk barefoot for a day because some kids stole my shoes at a temple; but we tried and experienced so much that it is irreplaceable.