Never mind the bullocks, heres the Wolfgang!

Kumily/Periyar, 6^th January 2011

Wolfmum: We are eating breakfast at Chrissie’s (nice English expat with a cat) Café in Kumily.  We are doing maintenance tasks rather than go looking for non-existent tigers in the Nature Reserve: internet cafes as our wireless gadget seems very reluctant to work here in the South; washing the sand out of our clothes; writing thank-yous; the plan is to leave tomorrow to do some crazy travelling over the next few weeks.  The children have voted to travel with WolfDad for the next bit (living by the meerkat maxim still) rather than staying in Madurai whilst he went off temple visiting in the far south of Tamil Nadu.  It’ll mean more squabbling in the back of a squashed car (Ambassadors have the merit of a broader back seat but poorer suspension) and zero eating and sleeping concessions.

We crossed over the border briefly yesterday afternoon to go on an organised bullock cart ride (!) – see W’s description of the very naughty bullocks, Raman and Rajan, below. WolfDad caused a rumpus through the district by greeting villagers and pilgrims in Tamil.  What we want to know is: who devised the concept of getting tourists into bullock carts for fun and education? They’re onto a winner. We signed a disclaimer before going out, accepting full responsibility for the risks and ‘tedious nature’ of the expedition.  WD wants me to quote from the tourist blurb on the ticket:

 “Bullock Cart Discoveries – glimpses of a village.  The pace of a bullock cart has a rhythm of its own.  Memories from a forgotten past slowly turn you on.  The soft bells…the noise of a wooden cart…you are likely to be swept away by waves of nostalgia….”

The bullock cart experience at least had the advantage that we didn’t have to walk in the total silence required for the 3 hour ‘nature walks’ around Periyar Reserve itself….something beyond our and the wolflings’ capabilities?

 W: I had banana porridge and L had scrambled egg with toast and butter and Dad had fruit muesli.  Mummy had muesli too. L wants more scrambled egg. 

We went on a bullet (=bullock) cart yesterday.  It was very bumpy and the cows were very naughty.  When we were going back, the cows didn’t have the rope and they were cross and tried to run away. 

(L wants to know whether the middle-aged German bloke at the next table is wearing a wig! I think not, but his dreads are quite matted and dead-looking.)

Wolfmum:  Swamiye saranam ayappaaa!

I love the pilgrims.  They are flocking in their thousands through the area - barefoot, hairy chinned, wearing black or blue lunghi, walking or driving round in jeeps or buses, adorned with garlands or mini temples erected on their roofs.  It’s a boys-own adventure – no women of child-bearing age (although a few little girls or old ladies go along too) and it looks very jolly.  No alcohol, meat, shaving or sex for the duration though.

Wolfdad, what’s it all about?

WD: They are all on their way or returning from Sabarimalai, a remote hill temple on the border between Tamilnadu and Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Ayappa, a son from the union of Shiva and Vishnu, a child-god who rides on one of the tigers (what tigers?) that live in these hills. Ayappa has become very popular in the last fifty years, and now every December-January huge numbers of men are to be seen across southern India on pilgrimage.

L: We are sitting in a café eating toast, next we will be eating dosa and idilis. Today we are going  on a bus to a spice gardon. We are up in the hills very high up near the border of tamil nardoo. In case you are interested, on the Café’s List of specials there is green tea, ginger tea, garlic bread, veg noodles, veg mango soup, pumpkin ravioli. [L is currently fascinated by lists.]

The next question up for debate is do we leave here on local bus (packed tight with pilgrims) for 5 hours down to Madurai, go by bullock cart or pay for a taxi?