3/15 & 16: The End of the Road!

Parts of this last post are from one I wrote shortly after Steven and I returned in mid-March from our very much shortened trip to Asia and what was also supposed to include seeing a chunk of the Middle East. 

On Friday, March 13th, Steven and I flew from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to the city of Kochi in the southern Indian state of Kerala where we'd expected to stay for about ten days in three different cities before flying up to Goa on the west coast of India until the end of this month. Perhaps we should have been a little suspicious, given the day we flew, that something might be amiss!

It was only when we checked in for our flight in Colombo that we were notified that this was one of the last flights arriving in India as the country was closing its borders that day to foreign tourists. Perhaps you're thinking we should have been alarmed knowing we were almost the last ones permitted in the country but, to the contrary, our thoughts were more of relief that we'd arrived just in the nick of time to explore far more of the country than we'd seen in 2015. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, we should have immediately looked at ways to get out of India, but our mindset was how lucky we were at being there and the opportunity to be able to continue with our plans and see the famous Kerala Backwaters, the tea plantations, etc in southern India. We knew that the two national parks and the Periyar Tiger Reserve we'd planned to see were closed because of the coronavirus but there was still so much more to see in our minds.

Later on the 13th, we spent several hours wandering around Kochi, exploring some of its famous churches, temples, a palace, and Jewtown. Most of the religious institutions were indeed closed that day to foreigners because of the virus, but even that didn't deter us from wanting to remain in Kochi and then travel through more of Kerala in the coming days. Steven just joked that my blog post from that day would be shorter than usual because I could only basically take pictures of the outside of the churches, temples, and the synagogue!

Many of you know that I have always been a news junkie and therefore was certainly keeping up with news of the virus back home. There was absolutely no sense then or the next day of the urgency from the American government or news outlets we were following that anyone traveling overseas should immediately return home. As a result, we still felt comfortable continuing with our travel plans. Our intent was to wait for several days until we heard from our tour operator in Bhutan if we could still go on the almost week-long tour.

I wrote in the previous post about the unnerving experience Steven and I had visiting a temple as the staff was clearly very apprehensive about foreigners touring their religious home because foreigners, in their minds, equated possible virus carriers. We certainly understood their mindset but wished, after waiting for a couple of hours to enter, that a sign had been put up indicating the temple was closed to foreigners as other churches and temples in Kochi had done. 

For days I had been in pretty regular contact via both email and WhatsApp with my eldest brother, Andrew, back in Canada. He'd expressed considerable alarm with what was happening around the world and began to question how much "fun" we were likely to have as more and more of the tourist sights we'd come to see would be closing down. Until that experience at the temple, I think Steven and I were both 'blind' to how foreigners were beginning to be perceived and especially how much worse it could become. My younger brother, Keith, also had his nose to the ground and sent me emails on Saturday, March 14th, from the Canadian government informing Canadians to return home immediately from anywhere in the world. That certainly caught our attention as we'd heard nothing like that from the US government. No longer could we remain oblivious of the possible dangers we were in if we decided to continue with our trip. The chances of not being able to leave if we wanted were frightening.

Perhaps the final clincher came after speaking with our second daughter, Natalie, later that night. I tried to convey to her that her father, who had severe asthma and compromised lungs, had told me that he had no death wish but would be at peace if he did contract the coronavirus in India and died from it there as he had lived a long, good life. Her response was a gut punch but what, in hindsight, we both needed to hear: essentially that we had no right continuing the trip if it meant there was any chance of Steven's getting infected and dying because he would then infect others.

On the morning of Sunday, March 15th, after having time to reflect on what Andrew, Keith, and Natalie had conveyed to us, I told Steven we needed to get home PDQ. He was initially reluctant but agreed it was likely best. In a matter of minutes, he had booked tickets for us to fly home from Kochi-Singapore-Seattle-Denver the following night at what was really a very reasonable price. The bonus was we were able to check our bags all the way through to Denver which was important.

The longer the day went on, the more at peace we both were at the decision we'd made to leave. When Steven read on the Kerala Trip Advisor forum on Sunday the 15th about foreigners forcibly quarantined in their hotels in Kochi, that was very concerning. We were so thankful we'd found the stately Indy Old Courthouse Hotel with its welcoming staff, wonderful breakfast, and great location near the sights and easy access to the ferry. We almost had the entire place to ourselves as there was only one other guest two of the three nights!

While having the entire pool and rooftop to ourselves all day Sunday the 15th, I joked I was getting ready to practice 'social distancing' once we returned home!

Sunday night the 15th we took another long Uber ride to a restaurant that looked like it had an interesting menu. The menu turned out to be far more appealing than the 'restaurant' which only comprised four small tables that backed up to the cooking and prep area. We had another discomfiting experience soon after ordering when an Indian couple came in, looked at us, and immediately turned around and left. We couldn't be sure of course but it was our strong suspicion that they didn't want to eat anywhere near foreigners who might be carrying the virus. That also helped to confirm that we'd made the best decision to leave the following day as we figured, that if we'd chosen to stay, the likelihood of being targeted would surely increase with each passing day.

On our way to the airport on March 16th, we made a point of returning via the fantastic Kerala Folklore Museum we'd visited two days before so we could buy one of the intriguing Theyyam-painted heads. We had both been drawn to the unique and colorful heads right away but had thought then we'd be continuing the rest of our 3.5-month trip and didn't want to be burdened carrying such a heavy souvenir.

But, as soon as we'd made the decision to return home, our next thought was, well, now we can go back to the museum and buy one of the heads! That was one of the pluses about having to say adios to the rest of our trip. Steven and I were happy to place it in a prominent spot in our family room when we got home. However, we noticed a day or so later that our youngest child, a grown man of 28, mind you, got a little unnerved by the expression and moved it to the living room, unbeknownst to us, as he knew that way he wouldn't have to look at the piercing eyes! It's now back in the family room and is a marvelous, daily reminder of a too-brief visit to Kochi.

We didn't know what food we might be able to get at the airport or on the long flight to Singapore so a McDonald's pit stop saved the day!

Kochi Airport on the 16th:

As you can imagine, it was an exhausting 40 plus hours traveling home, especially the 14-hour flight from Singapore to Seattle. On arrival at SeaTac on the 17th, we had the shock of our lives when not one question was asked of us about what countries we'd recently traveled to, we weren't asked to submit a detailed health questionnaire, no temperature check was taken, no instructions given about sheltering in place for any length of time, and furthermore, no handout was given listing symptoms to be on the lookout for and whom to contact in case of concerns. 

Don't forget, this happened in Washington state which was then the epicenter of the coronavirus cases in the entire country! We were appalled, disgusted, and alarmed at the extraordinarily cavalier attitude on the part of the federal government taking not one iota of care and attention at passengers arriving from Asia. How could this possibly be happening in the US, arguably the most developed nation in the world, when even Sri Lanka and India had all the protocols in place to screen incoming passengers and health questionnaires, temperature checks, and handouts were standard operating procedure?

A view of scenic Mt. Rainier from the plane as we flew back from Seattle to Denver on the 17th, which happened to be the 39th anniversary of the day we met in Zihuatenejo, Mexico:

Since our return, we've had plenty of time to reflect on how fortunate we were to have left India when we did. The credit for that decision is largely due to Andrew, Keith, and Natalie who made us really understand how potentially dire the situation could become if we'd stayed put even a few days longer. I am sure you, like us, have read stories about how Americans had been stranded in Peru and Morocco and on cruise ships with no means of getting home since so many countries had closed their borders and flights came to a standstill in many places. That so easily could have been us. We have always taken out insurance for our extended overseas trips but catastrophic events like the coronavirus pandemic weren't covered. Though we've taken a considerable hit financially, that is of minimal concern compared to being safe and sound at home. 

The thought of picking up next spring where we left off in southern India and continuing with what we were unable to see fills me with both excitement and some unease. Excitement as our return after just two weeks into our four-month-long trip didn't dampen our enthusiasm for traveling this magnificent world. But also unease - what will international travel look like again in the next six or eight months? How efficacious will a vaccine prove to be? Will we, in fact, be able to travel safely in the countries we'd planned on seeing or will some be less safe or ill-advised to go to? Would we be 'smarter' to hold off going anywhere internationally for a longer time than the next six or eight months, especially given Steven's underlying health conditions? These are all questions we have no answer to now so we've not even looked into any overseas travel. That is very unusual for us as "normally" we'd have had flights and hotels booked, and committed to an exciting itinerary. But, there is no normal now so we'll see how life unfolds and play it by ear. The nice thing is, if and when we do feel comfortable to hit the road internationally, we won't have to do much planning as long as we want to pick up where we left off!

We'd thought we'd come home from the Asia/Middle East trip in late June via San Francisco so we could meet our first grandchild who would have recently been born in the city by the bay. When we got home in mid-March, we began planning a road trip out to see our son, daughter-in-law, and their little angel, Max, in mid-June and then a very circuitous route home to Denver via the national parks in the Pacific Northwest! I'll start writing about the highlights within the week.

Now we've been home from the NW road trip for two weeks, it's almost time for us to "hit the road" again as now we have a second granddaughter, Clara, who was born within seven weeks of her cousin! So, we'll be heading, therefore, to Chicago on August 10th so we can see that happy family on our way to the Florida panhandle where we made reservations last September to rent a cabin in a state park. I can see your eyes rolling in the back of your head thinking, "Are Annie and Steven once again out of their minds even contemplating going to one of the current coronavirus hotspots like Florida? Did they learn nothing after the shortened trip to Sri Lanka and India?" We, of course, are hoping and praying that our heads aren't in the sand once again and that we will be safe in the cabin where we'll spend the majority of our time.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, we have no 'ending date in sight' for a trip. Our park reservation ends on October 10th but whether it'll be safe for us to return home via Chicago so we can again see sweet Clara again is up in the air. At this point, two and a half months out, nobody in Illinois wants to see anyone from Florida which makes perfect sense given that state's horrific numbers of cases. We'll just have to wait and see if Florida gets a handle on the virus as that determines when we can see both Clara and Max again.

While in the southeast US until mid-October, we'll be making several side trips throughout the region so stay tuned if you want to follow us to the beach and to some state capitals! Steven and I wish you good health and some of your own adventures in the next few months. Please stay safe.

3/14: Kochi's Fab Folklore Museum & Alarming Temple Visit!

Since Steven and I had gotten an ungodly early start in Sri Lanka the morning before to fly to Kochi in the southern Indian state of Kerala, we got a later than usual start for us leaving our hotel. We were based in Fort Cochin area of Kochi so the fastest and most enjoyable form of transportation over to the mainland was by ferry. The hotel was just steps away from the main ferry terminal.

We must have just missed a ferry over to Ernakulam on the mainland but watching the fishing boats was a great way to while away some time. They appeared to be large round bathtubs!

I was just waiting for this man to topple over into the water as that was what I'd likely have done but he was far more sure-footed than I!

Kochi is a major port so there was always lots of activity on the waterfront. 

The mainland was where the modern city and all the highrises were. 

As this was a predominantly Muslim area, the waiting area on the jetty was segregated by sex, something we'd not seen often.

The cost for the open-air ferry was just six rupees or 8 cents!

Views of the Fort Cochin side that was on one tip of the mainland:

Once on the boat, passengers were free to sit wherever they wanted unlike at the jetty.

The ferry stopped first at Willingdon Island where we'd thought about staying at the five-star hotel of the same name but then reconsidered since we didn't want the isolation of being on an island.

Thank God there was a breeze on the open water of Vembanad Lake as it was a very steamy 90 degrees that day and the ride took about 15 minutes.

Once in Ernakulam, we got a tuk tuk to take us to the much-praised Kerala Folk Museum. Just like a taxi anywhere in North America, the tuk tuk driver charged by the km but never before had we encountered one like that even though we'd been hiring tuk tuks for years all over Asia and also South America.

The museum was a family-run operation that held a priceless collection of over 5,000 objects that had been amassed by an antique dealer. It had been lovingly created in Kerala style from ancient temples.

The collection had been located in this building for 11 years but the dealer had begun his business 20 years earlier. For me, there seemed to be way too many things to admire in such a small space. I wondered if the owner was still collecting objects and that was why it was so crowded or whether he chose to exhibit everything in the tight space without anything in storage so items could be rotated from time to time.

What an elaborate door lock!

The museum was so jampacked we had to look up down, to the right, to the left to make sure we saw everything on display. Even so, I know we had to miss a lot. I almost missed these 15th to 19th century Christian figures as they were placed about six feet high atop a table.

These ornamental, rosewood windows from the 1850s were an Islamic architectural feature common to aristocratic and palatial homes in the state of Kerala but were still used to this day. Made primarily for women, they allowed them to see the goings-on outside on the street without strangers peering in.

Wooden Chettinadu paintings like these adorned the private marriage hall of aristocratic mansions. The early 19th century paintings, made with natural colors, were mostly connected with folk stories and narrated the everyday lives of people. The themes were religious stories and traditional beliefs.

It was hard to give justice to these paintings, let alone everything under them because they were crammed in so close to each other. 

I learned that the worship of serpent deities is present in several old cultures, particularly in religion and mythology, where snakes were seen as entities of strength and renewal. With snake worship came the principle that what is feared is respected.

Imagine as a miner coming across Buddha heads when they were 'sand mining' river beds! They were generally in excellent condition, too.

Ivory carving in India has been an extremely popular craft throughout the centuries. Vedic texts include ivory work among the noblest of crafts. India traded in ivory with Europe in ancient times. In the 10th century BC, King Solomon received Indian ivories. In the early Christian era, both African and Indian ivory was used to make statues and musical instruments in Rome. Miniature shrines with delicate pillars and intricate relief floral work, caskets depicting scenes from myths and legends, and images of gods and goddesses, and Christian icons and symbols have been a Kerala tradition.

This 16th century poison testing bowl was used by people who believed that the presence of poison could be detected by color changes of food placed in the stone bowl.

As Steven and I walked along a narrow hallway, we couldn't help but be struck by these vibrant colored heads that were all different once we looked at them carefully! I just loved them as the style was so unique compared to anything I had seen before.

Theyyam Face Writing was a 2,000-year-old ritual traditional art practiced in Kerala using natural colors. Theyyam is a popular ritual form of worship generally performed by male members of the lower caste community in front of the village shrine from November to May. It is also performed in homes as ancestor-worship with elaborate rites and rituals. 

There are about 400 types of Theyyam with performers belonging to one of the Hindu communities. Each individual caste had the right to perform certain deities but all performers must possess a wide range of skills, including knowing the ritual and character of every deity. 

These 18th-century bullheads or Nandi heads were representative of a traditional art form from the Kollam district of Kerala. The head, made of wood and stuffed with hay, was used annually for temple processions.

The 18th-century wooden figure of Christ was crafted in Kerala and used in Good Friday processions by members of the Indo-Portuguese community. 

The intricately carved ceiling had been collected elsewhere, disassembled, and then carefully placed here. Each flower was different and had been hand carved. 

I understood that sometimes performances are held in this upstairs theater space.

String puppets:

Another area of the ceiling on the upper floor was extraordinarily detailed with paintings of Hindu gods.

The items everywhere were a feast for the senses as they could be looked at plus touched, unlike at other museums. Though we easily spent a couple of hours there, the museum warranted that much again as it comprised such a vast collection of Kerala folklore. 

The museum had a stunning collection of jewels befitting a queen. Unlike virtually any museum we'd been in anywhere else in the world, many items were for sale, including these pieces that were being exhibited!

We didn't realize initially that everything in and on the mammoth display cabinets that almost took up the entire room was for sale! It was, without a doubt, the most fascinating 'gift shop' I'd ever seen. I guess staff thought it was too tacky to list prices so anything we were curious about had to be brought out and shown to us with a description of the object and then the price. Quite a laborious process as you might imagine but one of the most fun knowing we could literally buy antiques as many of the items were from the mid 19th century. 

The woman was so very kind and knowledgeable about the provenance of each item in the cases. As we were still thinking that late morning we'd be on the road for another 3.5 months, we only wanted to purchase something that was very small and lightweight. Unfortunately, the Theyyam heads we both fancied atop the cases fit neither requirement! However, a small bronze tribal king piece from the 1850s did, so we were delighted to have a wonderful memory of one of the most thrilling museums we'd ever been to.

In my opinion, the museum should become the responsibility of the Kerala government if they could then build a museum worthy of the state's culture. The current building doesn't do justice to this fabulous collection which deserves wider recognition.

We got a tuk tuk to the Chottanikkara Devi Temple which was located over an hour away. Every time the driver changed lanes, there was a loud, chirping noise, the equivalent of a turning signal!

It was a famous temple of mother goddess Bhagavati located in a southern suburb of the city that we wanted to visit because it was one of the most popular temples in the state. On arrival at 2, we learned, though, it wouldn't open for another two hours which was about the longest we've waited for any attraction anywhere! 

I probably would have bailed but Steven rightly said we might as well hang out since we'd discovered the previous day the rest of the city's attractions were closed due to the coronavirus which was just making its presence felt in Kochi. 

The area around the temple was frankly very unappealing but we found this small grocery store and plonked ourselves down and, between us, devoured a chocolate milkshake, mango popsicle, Pepsi, and a small ice cream cone trying to waste time before the temple opened. Not a bad way to go if you need to pass some time, especially since everything only amounted to 130 rupees or $1.75!

I could hardly wait to finally enter the temple as the clock struck the magic hour of 4. 

We were just about to enter but were stopped by a woman at the temple's Public Information Office who queried where we were staying, what airport we'd flown into the day before and from where, how long we'd been in Sri Lanka, where we'd been before that, etc, etc. She said we needed to text her the information pages from our passports as she was then going to forward them to someone else. Were we aware of the virus, she asked at one point?At one point in this very long process with the woman, we were also asked to supply a medical certificate she mistakenly believed we'd been given at the airport to carry around in the event of such questioning. 

Never had we been asked such invasive questions before to simply enter a place of worship. It was evident this was taking place solely because of the coronavirus which we understood. But it was clear that they wanted nothing to do with us foreigners as we were obviously suspected of carrying the virus which they felt they were at risk of catching. As you can imagine, the whole process was extremely uncomfortable and could easily have been avoided altogether if a sign had been put up saying the temple was closed to foreigners because of the virus. 

Steven and I were finally allowed to walk around the temple, one at a time wearing a mask, but were refused entry to the temple's inner sanctum. When it was my turn to walk around, a man followed me at a close distance the entire time as if I was going to damage or steal something. Never have I wanted to leave any place as quickly as I did that temple and I am sure the staff wanted to see no more of us, either. I understood their concerns, even as the virus was in its very early stage then in the public consciousness.

Steven ordered a Uber to take us back to the ferry terminal in Ernakulam but the terminal didn't come up as an option in Google maps so Steven entered the nearby General Hospital instead as our destination. Little did we know the effect that would have! When the Uber finally arrived, a temple staff member came to speak to our driver and evidently asked him where we were being taken. When the driver responded 'the hospital,' I am sure you can also sense the man's fear, wondering, since we must have been sick to need to go to the hospital, we surely had infected the few worshippers and temple staff. 

We explained quickly to the driver that no, we really didn't want to go to the hospital at all but only to the ferry terminal that was near the hospital. He relayed that to the staff member who was intent on questioning us further, asking 20 questions, beginning with where we were staying, how long we'd been in Kochi, etc, etc. It was pretty alarming to us when he began to write all our answers down as we had no idea what might be done with that information. We told the driver to leave right away as we were concerned with what might happen next. The driver, through all this and to his credit, didn't appear to be at all worried about his own welfare transporting us from the temple to the ferry terminal, for which we were very appreciative. 

Andrew: This was the first sense of retaliation we experienced that you had smartly warned me about would happen against foreigners a few days earlier when I called you from Sri Lanka. It was very upsetting, even though it only lasted a short period of time. The details are as fresh in my mind these four months later as if it happened just yesterday.

On the way back to the terminal we passed the attractive St. Jude's Catholic Church. No, we didn't stop in!

What a relief finally reaching the terminal and almost home, i.e. the refuge of our hotel on the other side of the lake. There, Steven noticed there were separate ticket lines for men and women. 

Adios Ernakulam - we were quite relieved to have it behind us in more ways than one!

From a distance, the highrise buildings stretching along the coastline looked like we might have been in Miami.

An Indian naval vessel was patrolling the lake.

From atop the hotel rooftop pool that evening, we had more great views of the lake and the importance of its fishing and trading locale.

I know in hindsight it should have been 100% obvious that the writing wasn't only on the wall but staring us in the face to get 'the hell' out of Dodge immediately. I wish we could say that was unequivocally the case, Janina, since you asked me about this. However, even after these experiences, neither of us felt the absolute urgency to leave for home. For me, that changed later that night when I talked with family in Canada and one of our daughters. Steven, though, was still pretty insistent that the trip could go on as planned.

Next and last post: What brought us to the decision to return home just a matter of hours later.

I have also been posting stories about our longer trip to Ireland and the UK last fall trying to finish that blog at long last! Here's the link to the wonderful National Gallery in London that was like a walk through the history of European art:

https://bergersadventures7.blogspot.com/2020/07/106-londons-exquisite-national-gallery.html

Posted on July 17th, 2020, from our home in Denver which never looked so good after we returned home from Kochi in mid-March! Please stay safe.