Elephants! (and other stuff)

I know, elephants are exciting. And I know what you are thinking . . . "Did you take any photos?" The answer is yes I took photos, but I haven't had a chance to post any yet. I promise you will see them soon. I hope to get some up before we head to our next stop in Alleppey.

So yeah, Scott and I saw some elephants. The place we are staying at arranged a diver to to take us to a wildlife preserve. We were up early again, but were glad that we did because we ended up seeing quite a few elephants. It is interesting because us tourists are all about elephants, but here in India they are like deer (they have deer here too). People try and keep them out of their crops, there are watch for elephant crossing signs, and they live in preserves. It is kind of hard to imagine an elephant wondering across 355 on the way home from work, but that is what it is like here.I could write more about the elephants, but photos really do make it so much easier.

After our jeep ride through the preserve we went to check out Edakkal Caves (google it). We were told that it was a 1K trip up to the caves and we could either take a jeep or walk. Now, you know I've been taking on 5K's and Scott has been getting to the gym for quite sometime, so we decided to walk it. It was uphill and a bit tiring, but we saw the entrance to the caves - or so we thought. When we finished our 1K hike, we then had to climb up steep stone steps for what seemed like another kilometer. We stopped at the top to take in the view, but then realized that we weren't finished yet, there was still more climbing to be done. Everyone who was coming down, told us, "It's just a little further" or "Just a little bit more." So we keep going. I think some people thought I couldn't make it and were either concerned for me or laughing because they didn't think I could make it. That and the fact that I am sure that my face matched the red shirt that I was wearing. But I didn't let that bother me and kept on going. Kept going I did and we made it to the top. The view was one the the most memorable views I had ever seen. I thought that the Rockies were impressive, but this, was something else. Throughout this whole time I really was scared because I didn't think that I would make it. I had never attempted such a climb before. But for once I didn't let the negative thoughts get me down and I made it to the top. The cave itself wasn't anything extraordinary, but I am glad it was there as a goal to reach, otherwise I'm not sure I would have made it to the top.

Scott and I then made our way down the very steep mountain feeling pretty good about ourselves. We were energized and thought that we could continue to explore the land of the Wayanad District. We told our driver that we wanted to go to see a waterfall nearby. I think our driver thought we were insane. "High risk, very high risk!" he told us. But confident from our previous hike we decided to make this trip. Unlike the hike to the caves, this one was down before up. Now there's downhill and there there is almost vertical down hill. This was almost vertical downhill. We started off and knew that the trip back up would be difficult, but kept on trekking. There were some pretty steep moments when we had to use a rope to help us down. At one point we decided, ok, maybe this wasn't the best idea. I stayed by a rock while Scott went ahead to see if he could catch a glimpse of the waterfall. On the way he had to stop on bag of rice that was connecting two rocks. There was no way I was going to do that. He came back saying, "There's no way we are going to do that." So in agreement, we made our way back up to the entrance and made our way back to our homestay.

Today we are just hanging around the homestay. This place is actually a coffee estate so this morning we took a tour. We saw a bunch of different crops and how they are harvested. It was interesting to me to see how rubber was harvested and made into a product that we know. Along the way we stopped at a Jain temple about 800 or 900 years old. It was the first temple I've seen since being here in India. It was awesome. It reminded me of something out of Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones. Then when we came back we watched how lunch was made. Since Scott and I both like to cook, we have been trying to collect recipes wherever we can. It has been fun.  I'll see if I can make any of them when I get back.

It has been really interesting staying in this part of India. I know I am not getting the hustle and bustle experience one might get in Delhi or Mumbai, but I am see a part of India many do not see. I am astounded by the scenery every time I look at it. It is beautiful and the people are amazing. I will remember this for the rest of my life.

We have one more day here before we head off for a backwaters tour in Alleppey. We will be getting ayurvedic massages. It is a specialty of Kerala. You should google it. :)  It will be sad to leave, but I am looking forward to exploring more of Kerala.