Traveling alone in India. I didn’t think I would ever be able to muster up the courage for it. I can’t say I’m feeling completely comfortable with everything just yet, but I think I’m learning the ropes. Kerala, probably the most peaceful and respectable of states, is a good way to ease myself into the solo-India travel mode.
So Rahul and I arrived in Polachi yesterday along with the whole Param-SMILE team. Yesterday was the SMILE Pollachi chapter’s inauguration, followed by a speech by Param at a local university. It was complete family-immersion time, because all the uncles and auntys were having fun there way: singing film/religious songs, endless cups of coffee, days centered around food, drink and temples. Today, while I thought we were going sightseeing to Palani, we ‘happened’ to stop at 2 people’s homes, and 2 different temples within the space of an hour. It was actually pretty funny. After the last temple, I bid farewell to Rahul, sorry to have to leave him to his temple-doom ("why do old people in India like going to temples so much?" he pondered) , I set off.
From Pollachi, I hopped on a bus to Thrissur. It was a beautiful bus journey : endless coconut and balm groves, lush green paddy fields, picturesque thatch homes and tall palm trees juxtaposing a clear blue sky. About an hour till Thrissur, an interesting flyer that a man was reading caught my eye. The ad was to encourage people to take eco-friendly tours while in Kerala. I asked if he could borrow it, and he gave it to me along with a host of other social-change books he had on him. I couldn’t believe my eyes; here was exactly what I was searching for, without even having to make the effort of looking! We got into a conversation, he sat down next to me and started telling me about the handicrafts institute that he runs, along with his position as a Wildlife Park Crime Inspector. I was in awe of how amazing this guy seemed to be. He even had a book full of interesting eco-friendly people contacts, which seemed to prove that he was legit. But then the conversation started taking an uncomfortable turn. He asked me “who else was in my house”. Then, when I started interspersing ‘meetings with friends in Kerala’ to make it seem as though I wasn’t actually traveling alone, he asked if the friend was a boyfriend or girlfriend. Then I told him I was married, and had one child. My replies kept getting curt by the moment, and fewer and farther in between. After saying that he would provide me with a comprehensive list of Kerala tourism info, he looked at me and said, “I will give you so much, what will you give me?” That’s when the red-technicolor light started beeping wildly in my head. I realized that I really had been too friendly to him, I had forgotten that Indian guys aren’t used to unreserved girls at all, so I realized I have to start being as cautious as possible with people, no matter who they are. (The receptionist actually asked me -- and this would happen over and over during my trip -- “why are you traveling alone?” I was tempted to answer rheotorically by saying “aren’t we all?” or, more thoureau-like "do we ask the bumblebee if it is lonely?" but thought better of it ;))
So Rahul and I arrived in Polachi yesterday along with the whole Param-SMILE team. Yesterday was the SMILE Pollachi chapter’s inauguration, followed by a speech by Param at a local university. It was complete family-immersion time, because all the uncles and auntys were having fun there way: singing film/religious songs, endless cups of coffee, days centered around food, drink and temples. Today, while I thought we were going sightseeing to Palani, we ‘happened’ to stop at 2 people’s homes, and 2 different temples within the space of an hour. It was actually pretty funny. After the last temple, I bid farewell to Rahul, sorry to have to leave him to his temple-doom ("why do old people in India like going to temples so much?" he pondered) , I set off.
From Pollachi, I hopped on a bus to Thrissur. It was a beautiful bus journey : endless coconut and balm groves, lush green paddy fields, picturesque thatch homes and tall palm trees juxtaposing a clear blue sky. About an hour till Thrissur, an interesting flyer that a man was reading caught my eye. The ad was to encourage people to take eco-friendly tours while in Kerala. I asked if he could borrow it, and he gave it to me along with a host of other social-change books he had on him. I couldn’t believe my eyes; here was exactly what I was searching for, without even having to make the effort of looking! We got into a conversation, he sat down next to me and started telling me about the handicrafts institute that he runs, along with his position as a Wildlife Park Crime Inspector. I was in awe of how amazing this guy seemed to be. He even had a book full of interesting eco-friendly people contacts, which seemed to prove that he was legit. But then the conversation started taking an uncomfortable turn. He asked me “who else was in my house”. Then, when I started interspersing ‘meetings with friends in Kerala’ to make it seem as though I wasn’t actually traveling alone, he asked if the friend was a boyfriend or girlfriend. Then I told him I was married, and had one child. My replies kept getting curt by the moment, and fewer and farther in between. After saying that he would provide me with a comprehensive list of Kerala tourism info, he looked at me and said, “I will give you so much, what will you give me?” That’s when the red-technicolor light started beeping wildly in my head. I realized that I really had been too friendly to him, I had forgotten that Indian guys aren’t used to unreserved girls at all, so I realized I have to start being as cautious as possible with people, no matter who they are. (The receptionist actually asked me -- and this would happen over and over during my trip -- “why are you traveling alone?” I was tempted to answer rheotorically by saying “aren’t we all?” or, more thoureau-like "do we ask the bumblebee if it is lonely?" but thought better of it ;))
