More adventures

Before we met with the other class we had been scheduled to visit a women's work organization. One of the leaders of this organization had his tongue removed and was difficult to understand but I found that his willingness to speak with to us and involvement in this organization were all very thoughtful. He turned out to be a really nice man.

The women's organization hired housewives who had some time during the day in between their household duties to make money. They offered free training during time that best accommodated the women as well as reasonable wages. We visited one the work places and found it to be very good and well managed, the workers all seemed to be happy as well.

The first surprise of the day was visiting a school where the children flocked in large numbers to shake our hands and ask us our names. It was really fun seeing all these kids go nuts over seeing us and being able to make them smile just by being there. They even though Jules was Obama!

The rest of the day would be rather boring as we went on to random sites such as backyard farms and fire ant infested lands.

The second surprise of the day was getting to see the beach again. When we went out for lunch we all made our way over there to get our feet wet. This 30 minute lunch break turned into an hour and a half beach photo shoot and was very fun.

Sanctuary

Adventures and stuff

After we checked out of the Westwood we drove to a botanical garden where we paid for a tour. During the tour I could only think of my parents and how much they would enjoy seeing all the plant species and learning about how they are used. I made sure to take a lot of photos for them to see when I get back. Once the tour was finished we were routed to a gift shop to buy spices and things, I felt that most of it was a scam so I opted not to get anything. While waiting for the others Lizzy, Logan and I were forced into a random photo shoot with the locals.

We quickly loaded onto the bus for our next destination. The place we stayed was magnificent and had possibly the best food I’ve tasted while here. I chose to spoil myself for dinner and get a steak and chicken. While there I also decided to go off and explore the town on my own, I got lost and had to rickshaw back but I was really pleased with the experience.

The next day we were off early to a tourist hotspot, Cochen. After 8 hours on the bus we were given the rest of the evening off and we all decided to go explore and enjoy being tourists. The rest of our time spent there we visited temples, palaces and shopped. It seemed like the entire town was centered around meeting the needs and wants of tourists and the presence of Indian culture seemed almost faked.

On our way back to Trivandrum we met with another Iowa class and got to share stories and experiences. They showed us the whereabouts of a KFC. It was probably the happiest I have ever been to see a fast food place in ages. The drive back was full of political arguments and stress. I was really happy once we finally got back to the hotel.

Elephants and martial arts

After getting some long needed sleep we all woke up to get our complimentary breakfast. It was very similar to the one we had grown so accustomed to with toast, omelets and curry of some sort. The only thing that differed was the man who seemed to in charge of the toaster. He wouldn’t let anyone make their own toast or even take bread for themselves, he strongly insisted that we sit down and he would bring what we wanted to us. This is something that I definitely can’t see myself getting used to. Our day started with a bus ride through the mountains which was beautiful and made me want to be in Puerto Rico. When we arrived at our destination there were elephants everywhere. FINALLY, my chance to ride one. The rides themselves were rather expensive as far as rupees go and they were extremely short. Lizzy also ruined any chance she had of joining PETA and had to go against her own morals for the tourist/culturally unique experience.

The rest of the day would be spent driving around and visiting shops, watching our driver bribe cops and looking at tea crops. The mountains were amazing and random stops for photo ops were a regular occurrence. We even visited a hydroelectric where we snapped some more photos and Lizzy bought nonalcoholic wine. By the end were all dead tired and brave enough to try the ice cream and mac n cheese offered through room service. But it wasn’t over yet!

We were scheduled to view another (supposedly better) version of the play we viewed at the New Year’s celebration and an Indian martial arts display. The play was only more boring the second time, although I feel like I have a firmer grasp on the storyline. The martial arts portion was the best part and I took a lot of pictures of the moves and styles they displayed with the various weapons. By the end of it professor Jerry got swindled out of 200 rupees and was very upset.

I'm on a boat!

Today we got to go on a boat ride! We drove for about 3 hours to get to this thing and at first I was a little skeptical. Once there, I understood why Jerry would go so out of his way to get us on this boat. It was a two story luxury boat made of wood. It had two bedrooms, a kitchen, deck, and dining room. We were served lunch and tea during the ride and the whole thing was quite possibly the highlight of my entire trip.

The next step in our day would be focused on getting to another hotel. Unfortunately we would be going in the wrong direction for 45 minutes before we realized our mistake. For the next 7 hours we would be stuck on a bus as the driver’s ability to stay awake became an issue and as the bus swerved around the snake trails in the mountains. If it weren’t for Lizzy sitting next to me with her optimism I might have gone insane because I absolutely can’t stand driving for that long while tired and irritated. Once we arrived at the hotel I crashed, it was nice being in a big bed though, despite having to share it.

Day 9

Today we finally got to pay a visit to the COSTFORD slum reconstruction. The structures themselves were extremely well built considering what they were replacing and where they were located. The area surrounding the new buildings was covered in trash, sewage, and flooded areas. We also got coconut water and Lizzy’s was cut with a dirty machete so she got really paranoid about being sick.

After the visit to the slums we went to a small house that COSTFORD build on a really tiny land plot. It was three stories of architectural genius and full of every amenity that you could imagine. The house held four couples and one child. The most amazing part of this tour was leaving the house knowing how big it is on the inside and still wondering how all of that could possibly fit in from the outside.

Once that was over Lizzy saved the day and my appetite (which was ruined by the sewage) by ordering Domino’s Pizza! It was wonderful tasting something familiar and not full of spices. We also watched Charilie’s Angels which was full of complaint warnings because of the social taboo that comes from women beating up men in a movie. The night finally ended with Steven, Logan and I giving up on trying to get Wi-Fi and watching Firefly. 

Like father like son

After a 4 hour seminar at the Institute for Management of Government we found ourselves being driven to the home of this Laurie Baker guy that we’ve been learning so much about through COSTFORD. His home has been turned into one of the main offices for COSTFORD and is undergoing renovations. The house itself is huge! The design is very similar to that of the General’s mother’s and each room serves its own purpose. Ironically, I noticed an awful lot of cement and steel in the structure of his home which goes against the eco-friendly ideals he and COSTFORD believe in. We enjoyed the view from the newly opened up roof. From there we could see the surrounding area and the renovations being made on the house. Once we had afternoon tea we were off for Sajan’s house.

It was still under construction and utilizing all the eco-friendly materials it could. Bamboo foundation, lime-mud cement, mud and brick walls and even an eco-friendly septic tank that would store methane gas for cooking! Both he and his wife are involved in urban development so they gave a brief presentation before we toured the house. Quite possibly the most exciting part of the new home was the tower that Sajan and his wife would be using as their main bedroom. The view of the sunset from there was fantastic.