South India Autrement trip, Nov. 2014
Home : At the airport, Vaidevi's welcome was really reassuring. Warm and professional too. We immediately felt at home in Chennai, where we got to know Philippe, the rickshaw drivers, Jay and Aquila, who were really wonderful, and all the craftspeople we met that day and later in Chennai and Pondicherry. The highlight was the dance school, which we all remember with rapt attention ....
Chauffeur and Transport I have to say that for me, it was the first time I'd travelled in such conditions, with the same driver from start to finish. It was a great luxury. Ramdass was really great: a very good driver, attentive, discreet, very efficient at booking places and finding guides, and very good at giving advice. Very interesting discussions with him about his life, ours etc... A special mention for our two rickshaw drivers whom we really liked.
Hotels I was particularly fond of the guest house in Pondicherry and the hotel in Kochin. All the others were good and varied. The two resorts were also really good. I had a hard time preparing for my trip because each time was a surprise, and I found that very pleasant. However, I had no idea that we would be staying in such comfortable hotels. I'd also recommend the family house in Allepey: we were really comfortable and the people were very friendly. In the village helped by Speed Trust we were very well received and we were in very comfortable conditions compared to the villagers. We met some very nice Australian students who were staying there for a month, I think.
Artisans The shanty town where speedtrust is located was a real eye-catcher, and the work that's been done is truly impressive! The visits were really interesting and varied. It was fascinating to see the products we sell and the people who make them. We really enjoyed the evening at the fisherman's: it was a very good dinner and we talked a lot with them. We were really impressed by the village and would like to help them more and better. We went to the school trip and the children were very nice...
Visits : Visits to temples, palaces, palace villages and very interesting and even fascinating towns....Including the temples of Tanjore and Maduraï...We were also struck by the fervour in all these temples. The different palaces too, the statuary everywhere... The mix of religions. The Ghandi museum, the Kochin palace, the synagogue etc.... all really fascinated us! A very interesting visit to the tea factory with an incredible guide. I really enjoyed the backwaters myself, but for some people a day would have been enough. The only things I didn't really enjoy were the boat trip on the lake (we were in the middle of it and didn't see anything: in the end we would have preferred to go on foot) and the jeep trip (some of our backs were put to the test). As a result, we could have enjoyed our beautiful hotel a little more. We did, however, visit a garden full of spices (green valley) on the advice of Ramdass, which would have been enough. Our strolls around the towns were also quite fruitful: flower and fish markets and interesting restaurants..... We also had an incredible experience in Pondicherry, as we attended the 11 November ceremonies.... Lots of people, schoolchildren singing the Marseillaise: very surprising and thought-provoking... The restaurants were varied and good.
Shows : We really enjoyed all the shows - dance, combat and theatre.
Our impressions: Contrast between the Hindu religious world of Tamil Nadu and the images of Jesus in Kerala. The people are beautiful and kind. Personally, I found many things in common with Laos (the physical appearance of the people and certain temples in common: perhaps the Dravidians.....). The beauty and dignity of all the women in traditional costume, but after talking to some of them, their status is still complicated! Even in the fairly poor villages, the dignity of all the workers. Nature is magnificent. We were really enthusiastic about this trip. We weren't always comfortable with what to give and what not to give, and that was the only disagreement between us: some wanted to give more and the others wanted to stick to HumanTrip's advice. Not a day goes by that we don't think about it, one way or another, and next Wednesday we're organising an evening to report on this trip to the other members of our Association. Thank you all...Nandri. Dominique.
