Happy Holidays!!

We arrived in Cochin (the main city in the sw state of kerala). we spent a majority of the time catching up on things we had been needing to do, and taking in the more european/christian-influenced state. and because of this influence along with being coastal, the cuisine is slightly different and delicious, incorporating meat and fish. so we thought it would be fun to take a cooking class here. it turned out to be more of a demonstration, but still was fun to see an experienced cook prepare local fish curry and veggie dishes with coconut, and chapati (flat-bread), and to take home some ideas. the best part was indulging at the end. we headed a bit south for the holidays.

i guess i should be getting used to creating new holiday traditions in the nontraditional sense as i am not often home for the holidays working as a nurse. but that does not mean i do not miss them. a good chunk of our celebration was spent discussing how we would be celebrating the holidays at home. "okay, so what would you be doing right now?" is a question that has come up quite frequently the past few days. and while christmas has lost its religious value for me and gift giving has vastly downsized, the spirit of being surrounded by family and friends, kicking back watching christmas vacation and the christmas story, listening to cheesy christmas music, taking on my dad in our biannual ping pong match (and often losing), listening to the off-key "i said the donkey" at midnight mass on christmas eve trying to hold in my laughter so that i do not draw too much attention to the scent of alcohol on my breath, and eating until i cannot eat anymore makes me a bit homesick.

but the holidays have treated us quite well. with the christian influence here in kerala, christmas is present more than most areas of india. we "splurged" and stayed at a guesthouse ($10/night) along the backwaters adn spent christmas eve and christmas in the sunny, humid heat to spend two lazy days lounging, reading, strolling, canoing, and feasting on traditional indian fare in a small village. the family is fantastic, and so were the other travelers. we got a big kick out of the fireworks the family set off and evern moreso, the christmas carolers complete with drums, trumpets, and a wildly dancing santa with a red-face/white beard mask. it's a hoot!

the backwaters is a beautiful place, but environmentally speaking is a bit sad to experience. it is easy to imagine serene waters in the not-so-distant past with sporatic hand-made wooden canoes powered by good old fashioned manual paddles transporting locals from place to place, and healthy birds feeding on healthy fish, and the waters providing a source for food, bathing, laundering, and perhaps even drinking. while most of these traditions and aspects are still fulfilled, the "health aspect" has been corrupted by increasingly polluted waters encouraged by travelers like us who increase the demand for large houseboats, thus filling the waters with the sounds and waste of motors. and despite the pollution, the waters are still used for such practical purposes of food, bathing and rice paddy farms. our host family, for instance, informed us that they farm "organically", the way their ancestors did without chemicals. but the pollution in the waters that they flood their paddys with counteracts their efforts.

in any case, the backwaters remains a beautiful and mostly tranquil space with a tight and open community of villagers who have remained for generations. i also found it interesting that this remote area, being quite well-educated and using traditional techniques, is self-sustaining, growing its own food, fishing, and exporting rice, (and now tourism) as its main source of income. they are quite aware of the increasing pollution of the houseboats, and are able to flush the backwaters with sea water periodically, but it still cannot keep up with the quantities infusing into it daily. and that which is flushed out goes somewhere, and that somewhere is the ocean. they are doing their best, and the tourism supports their income. so what is the answer? who knows? tangeant done.

and so today we are heading to our first farm a bit inland near a tiger reserve. it is on a coffee and spice plantation. easing our way into the farming scene, we will probably be harvesting coffee. it will be a nice change of pace to be in one place for a couple of weeks...working on an organic farm.