Main Menu
| Home |
| The Blog |
| Gadget articles |
| Gadget overview |
| About me |
Like this site? Click the button below and enter the URL of the article you've been reading to share it with others!
| Kodaikanal Hill Station |
 |
|
I took a short train ride yesterday and talked for a while with a police officer who sat next to me. He remembered Norway's efforts in negotiating peace in Sri Lanka, being Tamil like most people in the southwestern Indian state of Tamil Nadu (the Tamil people are being suppressed by the Singhalese majority population in Sri Lanka). He was also curious about the regular stuff, like my name, age, marital status and so on. He asked if I was going to have an arranged marriage, but presented a big smile when I told him I was having a love marriage ... his parents are to arrange his marriage in two years, and he didn't seem too keen, but, as he said, it's our culture. We talked a bit about divorce rates (1.1% in India, close to 50% in Norway, I believe) and cultural differences around this, and he was almost too shy to ask me (and extremely worried I would be offended by it) whether sex before marriage is common in Norway. I wasn't offended at all (I would have been equally curious) and told him yes. I'm moving there, he said, as this is unthinkable in India. Maybe your way is better, I said. Then maybe you should move here, he replied. I am now in Kodaikanal, a hill station established by Americans some 2100 m above sea level. It's a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of the big cities, as well as the heat - the temperature here is below 20 and it's just soooo nice and easy and quiet ... It's quite touristy, though, which means most people speak English. The way up was spectacular (3 hours, 50 kilometers), but tiring as I did not have a seat. Stunning views though, as well as monkey spotting! The many craft shops are a great temptation for shopaholics, and I made some poor young shopkeepers take a picture out of its frame for me (during which one of them cut his finger, I feel a little bad ... but I probably paid too much for it anyway ...), I've bought paper machee souvenirs and herbal stuff and listened to the rain pouring down outside. Chocolate is a popular treat here as it is possible to eat it before it melts, but although it looks very tasty, it's too grainy and tastes like artificial sweetener. I had a quick breakfast at an Indian restaurant, and as I walked in, the waiter told me they only had Indian food and suspected I didn't want that, so he was really surprised when I asked for a common Indian breakfast called idli, soft rice cakes you dip in different sauces. Tasty!! This morning (OK, it was almost 11 am) I walked around the lake (5 km) and watched the birds, beautiful flowers and trees and looking at people in rowing boats. I should have done some more sightseeing though, but I was so tired after walking those 5 km (so I had a nap) and when I woke up it was raining again. Oh well, I'm going to more hill stations and some national parks and wildlife reserves, hoping to spot some wildlife there!
 |
