In the Land of the Coconut

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appy New Year!  I’ve been delinquent in entering any blogs for a couple of weeks now; the absent time corresponds directly with the visit of our 2 offspring and the subsequent happy chaos.  The good news is that we were on the go most of the time, so I have lots of pictures to share.  http://flic.kr/s/aHsjDujW7V

Let me give you one of those Glee “Here’s what you missed” updates….

After both daughters arrived in country, we took off for the bird sanctuary, then to Fatephur Sikri, and the Taj Mahal [earlier blog].  We celebrated Christmas in Jaipur and enjoyed a festive party given by our landlady’s family where one of us was sporting their first sari, and loving it.  After Christmas we visited the annual Jaipur Jewelry Show, Jaipur City Palace, and Albert Hall, where gawked at the jewels and finery.  Next day we went to a nearby town, Sanganer, which we visited for the famous block prints produced there. http://flic.kr/s/aHsjDrjGPf

 Our ever-resourceful driver hooked us up with a great place to see the entire process, and we received a step-by-step process tour. During the tour he mentioned he could arrange classes for the very interested, and daughter #2 is scheduled to begin her one-week tutelage on Monday next.  

Then we flew to balmy, peaceful Cochin, which means “The Land of the Coconuts” in the local language, Malayalam.  Our family searched for food which incorporated coconut in all its forms, and we hit our zenith at the Vivanta Malibar Taj with a lunch of 4 divine fish curries and triple coconut desserts that can only accurately be described as other-worldly.  Of course I took pictures between bites.  We visited and purchased goods from a 4-floor silk sari shop that illustrated why the south is so famous for its gorgeous silks, hoisted the weights on the famous Chinese fishing nets, and took a day trip on a houseboat in the back waters of Kerala. We had a personal tour at a jewel of a museum, the Kerala Folklore Theatre & Museum, where the heritage and history of Kerala is on view from its gorgeous structure made entirely of wood, stone, and clay tiles, to its masks, manuscripts, puppets, sculptures, and performing costumes. We ended our stay with a performance of the famous Kathakali dancers, and enjoyed watching them apply their make-up before the performance.  We flew back to Jaipur, spent another fun day together, and daughter #1 left yesterday evening. And that’s what you missed!

As far as the year ahead, I’m hoping the protests and outcries from New Delhi surrounding the death of a young woman by a heinous crime, and those of U.S. citizens fed up with our country’s gunophilic ways will result in significant positive change. On a personal front, Honey Badger and I are looking forward to figuring out what comes next for us, as the new year brings the task of starting the search for our next job, and next home.  We’re fairly certain we’ll only stay in India one year, although both of our jobs are rewarding and satisfying.  We started this adventure with the idea of going as many different places as possible, so even though it’s possible for me to renew my fellowship here, we’ll probably be leaving for sites unknown on July 13.  So far we’ve only ruled out most of the countries that end in STAN, so stay tuned!   Here’s hoping for the best of all possible worlds in 2013, to quote Voltaire.