Alapaloozah

Greetings from Alleppey, also known as Alappuzha, which to me just looks like it should rhyme with Lallapalooza. It doesn't, though- in Malyalam, the mother tongue here, the z actually sounds like r. Right, of course, why would you think I wouldn't know that? Of course I know that.

So I left Munnar this morning after a disappointing visit to the tea factory museum. There's all sorts of historical stuff from the white dudes who set up the plantations- like the wall mounted heads of the game they killed, and their parlor furniture. After that section is the mini-factory where they show you how the tea goes from picking to drying to rolling bla bla bla and at the end, there's no sample. This was the single biggest disappointment. I was looking forward to a tea taste test, like at a winery or brewery. Alas, no luck.

The ride back down the mountains onto the coast was beautiful- this time I was on the side of the bus to see down the road into the valleys, not up onto higher cliffs. So much lushness! And then adorable school kids in matching immaculate uniforms, from the white ribbons on the braids to the knee socks. It's evident which kind of school the kids attend based on their attire- girls with head coverings and/or salwar kameez outfits go to Muslim schools, and girls in pleated skirts with pigtails go to Christian schools.

These Keralans sure take Christiandom seriously. All over the place there are shrines and monuments for saints, especially Joseph and George. Even in Rome I didn't see shrines like this- must be a reaction to prevalance of Hindu shrines. Also great big churches, much bigger and more frequent than the ones in Mumbai, and even in Goa. And there's also a Christian tv channel which broadcasts evangelist preachers saving hundreds of Chinese people, Christian rock music videos, black and white movies with some Christian theme, and also a strange Israeli news show with American anchors.

Anyhoo, tomorrow I'm doing the famous backwaters tour, through canals and lakes that apparently gave this city the label "the Venice of the east." Then onto Cochin.

One humble request before signing off, dear readers- please let me know that you're reading! Leave a comment identifying yourself or drop me an email. I can tell that people are reading frmo that handy counter down there in the corner, but I can't tell who- other than the regulars who have let me know (that means you, Skarpy and Elana). Much thanks.