My Houseboat Experience

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View of the Kerala backwaters

View of the Kerala backwaters

A few days ago, I had the privilege of going on one of the Raxa Collective River Escapes houseboats to tour the backwaters of Kerala and although it was quite rainy, it was still very beautiful.  First off, the houseboat itself was fantastically designed for traveling the backwaters. While it contained all of the first class amenities that anybody could ask for, it did not go overboard (pun intended); instead of an abundance of glass and feeling as if you were in a bubble, other than the bedrooms the boat is open air, and as the cool breeze danced across your face, it really felt like you were out on the backwaters.

What is so astonishing about the Kerala backwaters, and consequently what I, a student from the United States, have to often remind myself of, is that these backwaters define the lifestyle of so many individuals. Continue reading →

Wildlife Conservation Society Announces Discovery Of New Bird Species

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© Ashish John/WCS. A new species of bird turns out to have been hiding in plain sight: in Cambodia’s capital city limits of Phnom Penh, home to 1.5 million people.

© Ashish John/WCS. A new species of bird turns out to have been hiding in plain sight: in Cambodia’s capital city limits of Phnom Penh, home to 1.5 million people.

One of the conservation organizations we most admire announced some unexpected news via the CS Monitor:

It can be easy to go unnoticed in a big city, and that may describe how the Cambodian tailorbird kept its low profile for so long. A team of scientists discovered the new red-headed, wren-sized bird in Cambodia’s urbanized capital Phnom Penh and several other nearby locations, including at a construction site. It is one of only two bird species found solely in Cambodia. The other, the Cambodian laughingthrush, is restricted to the remote Cardamom Mountains.  Continue reading →

Shayanapradikshanam

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Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor

Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor

The shyanapradikshanam is ritual worship by devotes (usually male) of circling the temple sanctum sanctorum by rolling on the ground. The ritual is performed as atonement, pledge fulfillment or a gesture of thanks giving. It’s a common sight in many Kerala temples. Continue reading →

Pre-Kerala’s Influence On Indian Illustration

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The Shakuntala Patralekhan artwork by Raja Ravi Varma from the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art collection.

The Shakuntala Patralekhan artwork by Raja Ravi Varma from the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art collection.

Thanks to Aayush Soni at India Ink:

NEW DELHI— In 1881, Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III, was looking for a painter to create his portrait as the newly crowned maharaja of Baroda, a princely state in Western India. As always, he sought the help of his mentor, Thanjavur Madhava Rao, the diwan, or chief minister, of his state, who had held the same position in the princely state of Travancore in southern India from 1857 to 1872. Continue reading →

Only A Few Days Left To Enter The National Geographic Photo Contest

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This and all other images copyright of the individual photographers

One of the magazines we follow and link to frequently has sponsored a contest:

The 25th annual National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest is now accepting submissions. Harness the power of photography and share your stunning travel experiences from around the globe with us. Enter today  Continue reading →

Navigating the Backwaters of Kerala

/ Allegra / 2 Comments

Have you ever felt like you were in a book ?

 Traveling on a houseboat  in the Backwaters was a desire of mine for quite a while, and I had been told the monsoon was the ideal period to take a trip on the Backwaters. The boats are fewer on the waterways, you can see locals compete in spectacular snake-boat races, the rice-paddies fill-up with rainwater, everybody gets around by canoe or ferry. It’s as different to my everyday life as can be. Continue reading →

St. Francis Church

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St. Francis Church- The original burial site of Vasco da Gama

St. Francis Church- The original burial site of Vasco da Gama

Today, for the first time in my life, I visited Fort Kochi. One of the first places I stopped at was the St. Francis Church, which is the oldest European church in India, and the original burial site of the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama.  In 1498, Vasco da Gama became the first person to sail from Europe to India. Both the Portuguese and the Spanish were in search of an ocean alternative to the Arab monopoly on the lucrative spice trade, and the Portuguese had the good fortune to sail east vs. west. He and a few other Portuguese men who followed were allowed by the Raja of Cochin to build a fort in Kochi, and subsequently, in 1506, Francisco de Almeida, the Portuguese viceroy, was allowed to build a Christian church.  Ten years later, the church was completed and was dedicated to Saint Anthony. Continue reading →

Thirunelli Mahavishnu Temple – Wayanad, Kerala

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Thirunelli Temple

Thirunelli Temple

Thirunelli Mahavishnu Temple is one of the most ancient temple in Kerala, situated at the foothills of Brahmagiri  in norh Wayanad , surrounded by mountain and beautiful forest.The temple is popularly known as ‘ Kashi of the South’. According to legend, Lord Brahma himself installed the idol of Lord Vishnu in this temple . The waters of the Papanasini River , which flows close to the temple,is said to have mystical powers.It is believed that bathing in the River will wash away one’s sins. Continue reading →

Hay Hiatus

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We ended up filling this barn up to the rafters the next day.

I took this past weekend away from Cornell to help a friend with the hay harvest at a farm in rural NY where she works. Although I had been duly forewarned that haying is pretty hard and uncomfortable work, I had expected the bales to be relatively easy to lift and move around, and was wrong for a number of reasons.

First of all, the bales were pretty tightly packed. This meant that they were heavier than your average bale, and also put more pressure on the two pieces of twine that keep the flakes (segments of hay in a bale analogous to slices of bread in a loaf) compressed together. The twine, which unless you have a prodigious wingspan is the most efficient way to grab hold of the bales for throwing or carrying quickly, pinches your fingers against the bale when it is too tight, making it painful and difficult to get your hands on and off the bale. Add to these inconvenient factors the heat at the top of the barn and the need to crouch to avoid rafters and lightbulbs while carrying or tossing the bales (or, as I did, hit your head too often), Continue reading →

Change In The Air

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U.S. President Barack Obama wipes sweat off his face as he unveils his plan on climate change June 25, 2013 at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. President Obama laid out his plan to diminish carbon pollution and prepare the country for the impacts of climate change. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Thanks to Elizabeth Kolbert for a timely, pithy explanation of yesterday’s announcement of policy action in the USA:

Better late than never. This afternoon, speaking at Georgetown University, President Obama laid out what his aides had billed as a major initiative to fight climate change. The big news—which was not really news, since it had already been widely reported—was that the Administration will impose rules limiting carbon emissions from both new and existing power plants.

“For the sake of our children and the health and safety of all Americans, I’m directing the Environmental Protection Agency to put an end to the limitless dumping of carbon pollution from our power plants,” Obama said. This is, truly, a big deal. Power plants are responsible for about forty per cent of U.S. emissions. Continue reading →

Tree-Sitting Success

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Miranda Gibson tree-sitting. Photograph: Miranda Gibson

Miranda Gibson tree-sitting. Photograph: Miranda Gibson

When we first wrote about Miranda Gibson November 2012 she’d already lived an arboreal life for 300 days. Her goal was simple: to protect Tasmania’s wild forests from logging and other man-made degredation. She’d learned early on that sometimes grandstand gestures were the only way to get her voice heard, and if living (and blogging about) 449 days in a tree without touching the ground isn’t such a gesture we don’t know what is.

We’re happy to report that yesterday the decision was official to increase the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area by 170,000 hectares to now cover over 1.4 million hectares (or about 3.46 million acres), thereby representing about 1/5 of the area of the island state of Tasmania.

Nothing can explain how I felt the moment the hammer went down to mark the decision yesterday – Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area was officially extended by 170,000 hectares. Forests that I had spent the past six years of my life fighting to defend, some of the most contentious forests that thousands of people here and around the world have fought to save for over two decades, were now officially listed.

There’s one patch of that forest that I know like the back of my hand. It’s the Tyenna Valley, surrounding a 400 year old giant Eucalypt known to me as the Observer Tree, and whose upper canopy I lived in for over 14 months without once setting my feet on the ground. Continue reading →

Annual Champakulam Moolam boat race

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On Sunday, we joined our River Escapes colleagues and went to the annual Champakulam Moolam Boat Race. Champakkulam is a serene village in the district of Alleppey and this boat race is one of the most ancient in Kerala. During our lunch on board of the Pallanayar, a River Escapes houseboat, we saw, flocking on the river Pamba, numerous vallam (boats) including the famous chundan :the snake boat. Continue reading →

Mamallapuram – Pancha Pandava Rathas (Five Rathas)

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Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor

Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor

These Rathas (chariots) are the most extraordinary of all the monuments in Mamallapuram. These monolithic shrines near the beach are carved out of granite boulders. There has been much fanciful speculation about them, mostly by people uninformed that similar such monuments exist elsewhere in India. These particular rathas are among the oldest and well-preserved vimana models in Tamil Nadu. Continue reading →

Cochin : exploring Mattancherry

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One goat looking for sweets in Mattancherry credit Ea Marzarte – Raxa Collective
Entrance to Mattancherry palace museum credit Ea Marzarte – Raxa Collective
Mattancherry wharf credit Ea Marzarte – Raxa Collective
Courtyard of a godown in Mattancherry credit Ea Marzarte – Raxa Collective

Wandering around Mattancherry  : the vibrant murals covering the walls of Mattancherry Palace as well as each and every street; Dockers carrying sacks of produce urging you to move out of the way; Those boats that look more like works of art…not to mention the art installations on the docks… The streets that surround Spice Harbour, a development Raxa Collective is currently working on, are full of colours, spices and, yes goats… Continue reading →

Wild Periyar – Dholes (Asiatic Wild Dog)

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Recently disignated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Western Ghats and Periyar Tiger Reserve are among India’s prime ecological hot spots The rich and productive banks of the Periyar reservoir attract Wild Dogs that gather near the lake looking for Sambar Deer and Wild Boar. Continue reading →