Wow!! I thought that our previous lodgings were a
change of pace. In Calicut we were in a
home-stay in a Kerala style home that was an ayurvedic, strictly vegetarian center. The owners are husband and wife that are both
doctors and have created this center for ayurvedic treatment. Although we were not there for the
treatments, we were subjected to the dietary offerings. The experience confirmed our omnivorous life
style. The beds were also
interesting. I’ve slept on concrete that
felt softer.
Beyond
the housing, Calicut was an interesting place.
We visited a beach named Kapped beach where Vasco de Gama first landed
in India in 1498. He died in India
during a subsequent trip while serving as the Dutch envoy to India, and was
entombed in Kochi (our pervious stop).
India
also has gypsies. They set up camp along
a road and then manufacture metal implements.
They were not too appreciative of our taking their pictures, but it was
too interesting to pass-up.
We went to another Kathakali dance performance, but this one was not tourist oriented. It was for locals. In fact, there were only two other non-Indians in the audience besides Sue and I. Inadvertently, I became a participant in the dance. There is a part of the story where the “hero” is chased around the auditorium by a demon. The “hero” grabbed me and stood me up and hid behind me while the demon (with two burning torches) tried to get at him. All the Indian audience thought watching the American be sucked into the action was great fun.
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