A Day of Rest in Cochin

Saturday, Shabbat, and I need a day of rest!  I have been to Yoga class every afternoon since we got here, plus three Ayurvedic treatments, and my body is going through a definite healing process.  Today, I take the day off of Yoga and most other activity, though there are plans for this evening.

India is such a strange and wonderful place.  There are things about it that are incomprehensible, illogical, and generally weird.  Examples:

Yesterday I saw a family of five on a motorcycle, daddy driving (of course), mommy and three kids, including a babe in arms.  And – one helmet for the driver.  This is called normal here, one helmet, the others don’t need.  Why?  Don’t ask.

Every bank machine will only provide 10,000 rupees (about $185), and there is a $5 charge each withdrawal.  The sign on the ATM says “30,000 maximum withdrawal” – meaningless.  And ask the man who “guards” the ATM why, he says this is the way it is.  Then Amy goes to a machine, and she can take 20,000.  Why?  Don’t ask.

The electricity is up and down like a yo-yo in this town.  Usually there is a half hour in the morning and a half hour in the evening.  While “the current” is out, it gets really hot in the room, with no fan.  Sometimes it can go down three or four times a day for various lengths of time.  Why?  Don’t ask.

Kochin is the site of a major naval base, perhaps the largest in South India.  It boggles the mind how much land it occupies here, how many men are employed, and the billions of dollars spent on helicopters airplanes, warships and so on that are visible and active each day.  Yet, most people are very poor.  Why?  Don’t ask.

Malay English is a different language – the vocabulary, the accent, the expressions.  The street signs and store signs are ridiculous.  Flyers advertising Ayurvedic Treatment centres pay no attention to spelling, punctuation, or “proper” English.  Example:

“Ancient India had remarkable advancement in various branches of science and so-on.  Thousands of years age Ayurveda, the science of life span originated from the Divine memory of Lord Brahma in the time immemorium and practised by the Ancient ‘Rishis’ in India. It is a medical system that emphasis prevention of all ills, ailments and ethies on living to attain Physical and mental happiness and longivity.”  I kid you not – I’m going right away!

The first European church in India is here, St. Francis, founded during the time of Vasco da Gama, who lived and died here in the early 1500s.  The church was more recently renovated – in 1776!  Vasco da Gama’s tomb is in the church, but his body is not, it was removed back to Portugal.

Also the oldest “active” synagogue in India, the Paredesi Synagogue in Mattancherry, a few kilometre bike ride from us, in Jew Town (!).  There are only a handful of Jewish residents left, and they are passing on, or moving to Israel, so it’s future is in doubt.  They can’t often get a minyan, so there are no services.

My favourite thing about India and Fort Cochin is the people!  The local people are virtually all open, friendly, interested, and smiling.  They reach out to say hello, ask where you are from, and smile. And the little ones?  They melt my heart just to look at them, they are so lovely and wide-eyed.  I don’t know why, but I almost never hear a child crying here.  In spite of hardship and suffering, poverty and illness, happiness exudes from almost everyone.  They are rich, rich people, and I love being around them.  I am comfortable being here, in spite of the heat and mosquitoes, the garbage and sewage. The least friendly people are most of the western tourists, many of whom walk around with scowls on their faces.  Oh well.

Here are some photos from the last few days - shopping trip to Jewtown (!)

Look who's riding!

Ferry boat near Jewtown

Lunch at Ginger Restaurant

Part of Ginger Gallery

 

Life in Cochin

We’ve been here over a week now, and we are settling into a bit of a routine.  Our time in Cochin is really focused on healing and Yoga, and that’s working for us.  I am feeling like my body is opening up again, after a long hiatus from Yoga.  I went for a couple of Ayurvedic treatments and they were much needed as well.

It’s different for me this time around.  Three years ago we came to India for the first time, and the culture shock was remarkable.  I remember one of my first taxi rides in Goa on a Saturday night, travelling to the next town for a little fair.  I thought we were going to die a dozen times on that ride, and our friends advised me to just close my eyes.  It was so shocking to see the way cars weaved in and out and around lanes, other vehicles, cows, bicycles, honking merrily every two seconds!  My blood pressure doubled!

Now, either the driving is different (not!) or it’s just what is normal for India.  We can be headed for a head-on crash, and I just know the driver will swerve in time or the other driver will slow down if necessary.  It’s like there is a code of conduct on the road.  Always honk to let others know you are there, feel free to weave however you like, and let others in if they are two inches from your bumper.  Virtually no road rage or impatience, everyone just knows that this is how it’s done.  And I am relaxed (most of the time!).

That’s just one example, but the reality is, India is comfortable for me now.  There is no culture shock.  I love the life here - though I wouldn’t want to live here permanently -  and the locals are much more than friendly.  People often ask if they can have a photo taken with us (we’re fresh monkeys after all), they introduce us to their families, invite us for tea, whatever.  The least friendly people here are westerners, though some are open and wonderful.  It’s just strange…

The only real discomfort for me is the heat.  Averaging well over 30 degrees Celsius every day, humid, lots of mosquitoes, I have taken to waking early and heading out before it gets too hot.  The nicest time to be out is between 6 and 10 am.  I change my shirt a few times a day, a shower or two every day, lots of wiping of sweat, and of course, the fan on full in our home stay room.  Fortunately, there are good screens on the windows of our room, so the mosquitoes aren’t bad where we sleep.

Paul and Sajee
 
Sajee is my Yoga teacher, and he is fabulous, as a teacher and as a friend.  On Sunday we went for two excursions, one with him and his daughter Vinaya to visit the beginning of the backwaters about a half hour away, and another to a bird sanctuary two hours away with Sajee and Ajee (Mom and Dad) and Vinaya (daughter) and Taku (son), all stuffed into their little car.  On the first trip we met a family at their home on the water.  It sounds exclusive – waterfront home – but believe me, it’s not!  A small building, very simple, and three families living together, at least 9 people.  It’s not their property, but they’ve lived there for 25 years.  There is no documentation of ownership, so they pay no rent.  Still, they are very poor.  The father offered to take us on a boat ride, so we piled in, Amy, me, Vinaya, and three little ones.  After Sajee told us he rented the boat from a neighbour just for us, since his boat was being repaired.  They have so little, but they give without hesitation.  Beautiful simple people, suffering deprivation and poverty, but shining inside, open and warm and welcoming.  This is India.  We will return to visit them again, and we will bring food for a feast to cook and share together.
 

The family

Paul Ajee Amy Taku and Vinaya

Our boat ride approaches

Arriving in Cochin

JFK - departing for India

 Happy New Year!  Amy and I arrived in Cochin at 3:30 am (!) on Dec. 30, after 18 hours of travel.  We crossed 10 ½ time zones, slept maybe four or five hours in total, and arrived to 28 degree heat!  We waited another two hours for the bus to Cochin, avoiding the expensive taxis, and arrived at our yoga teacher’s house at around 7:45 am, greeted warmly by Sajee and his family. We stowed our suitcases and gear, and went with him to a nearby Homestay to seek accommodation for the month of January.

Waiting for the bus, Cochin, 5 am!

Costa Gama is the name of the preferred Homestay.  It is very near Sajee’s, and is a family home with three rooms for guests upstairs.  All the rooms were taken for the next three days, so we walked around looking for other places for three days.  We found another place nearby called Wills Homestay, and it was available after 3 pm. We finally settled in, and then went for our first yoga class at 4 pm.

I love my yoga teacher!  Sajee is one of the main magnets for being in Cochin.  I am starting to open up again, having mostly abandoned my regular Yoga practice over the past year.  It feels so good to stretch, breathe, and be surrounded in the cosmic energy of a truly spiritual yoga practice.  This will provide great healing and strength, and Lord knows we need it!

Cochin is incredibly hot and humid, unlike the last time I was here three years ago.  Sajee and others say it has never been so hot in December/January.  So like the rest of the world, climate is changing.  We are slowly adjusting to the heat, but it is hard on the body and mind.  We even paid extra for air conditioning for two of the three nights at Wills Homestay, which is very unusual for us.  We usually avoid A/C and opt for a good fan.  There are also lots of mosquitoes, though here at Costa Gama Homestay there are good screens so we can keep them out of our room. And this morning, I woke up and it was a little cooler, so that’s an excellent sign.

New Year's Day Carnival Float

New Year’s is a real trip in Cochin.  Most of Kerala does not make a big deal of New Year’s, but Cochin is different.  The custom here is to make hundreds of Santa Claus effigies, and to have many people dress as Santa Clauses and other characters and monsters.  At midnight, the effigies are burned (to start the New Year fresh, to burn away the past year) and there are incredible fireworks.

We celebrated with Sajee, who invited musical friends to come and play ragas.  I joined in meekly on the violin for a few tunes.  There was alcohol (which is rare) and food for the men.  The women were in a different room hanging out.  There is such a division of the genders in India.  The women are strong and beautiful, but their roles are so defined it’s like we’re in a different century.  Lots of evolvement required here, as we read of the horrendous rape that, tragic though it is, may actually finally spur a change in some attitudes, especially Indian men and government, those in positions of power. Things have to change for women in India (and everywhere!)

How I Spent March Break

Amy and I returned to Toronto from three and a half months of wonderful travel to Guatemala, Mexico and Belize on Friday night.  About a week earlier I noticed a sore on my thigh.  I get these sores sometimes, like a large pimple or boil.  By Friday, it had popped open and was draining.  By Saturday, another area of swelling had begun and I started to feel ill – chills, fever, headache, nausea and weakness.  Sunday morning I went to a walk-in clinic.  He advised me that since I was seeing my family doctor for a scheduled appointment the next day, I could either try to find an open Urgent Care clinic or wait to see my doctor.  He wrote a prescription for antibiotics as a “precaution” which I ignored.  On Monday at 12:30 I went to see my doctor for some blood tests and so on.  She looked at the infected area and told me to go straight to the hospital.

I arrived at Sunnybrook at around 2:15 to and walked into an Emergency Room that was standing room only.  At 5:15 I was brought inside to be seen by the Emerg doctor.  Amy arrived shortly after.  By 7 pm I was admitted into the hospital.  They suspected a serious infection, and by the next morning confirmed Staphylococcus Aureas.  Staph is a very common bacteria that lives on many people’s skin, and nobody really knows what triggers it becoming an active infection, but when it does, it can be very serious, even fatal if untreated.  So they weren’t kidding around.  After a battery of blood tests and visits from many doctors from many departments (Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Plastic Surgery, and Infectious Diseases), I was moved into an area called Medical Short Stay.  Medical Short Stay is like a converted Emergency Ward with about twelve patients, a few in actual small rooms with walls, but most in open areas along both walls with rolling dividers that form a kind a circle around the bed.  Amy calls it a “hospital yurt”.

By Tuesday morning, having started intravenous antibiotics, I was actually feeling pretty good, no headaches, fever or symptoms other than pain and discomfort around my thigh and groin area. So I figured things were getting under control and I would be out of there.  Then I was informed that I had tested positive for staph bacteria in my blood, which is much more serious.  Once it’s in the blood, it is devious – it can sneak into other organs and hide, creating colonies of infection there that are much more difficult to clear.  So now they felt I would be in the hospital for several more days while they ran tests on organs and so on.  Oh boy…

At this point I reflected on my situation, and here is what I thought about:

1.       Thank God we arrived in Canada before this erupted.  I can’t imagine what would have happened in Belize, Mexico, or even the U.S., even though we did carry Travel Medical Insurance.

2.       Thank God for the Canadian medical system, flawed as it is, and for Sunnybrook Hospital which has provided stellar care and attention.

3.       Thank God for Canada, period!

4.       Thank God for Amy who has been absolutely wonderful, who I had to kick out on Sunday night, since she would have slept here in a chair the night before starting an intense 3-day Training Workshop she was leading.  She is my rock!

5.       Thank God for family and friends.  I was trying not to let people know thinking that if I was out in a couple of days, there was no need.  Now the good wishes, visits and calls are part of my healing process.  Thank you!

6.       Thank God that my ailment is completely treatable and not too uncomfortable, and that it has not spread to other areas.  I look around this ward, and see people in such worse shape than me.

7.       Thank God that my “accommodations” are reasonably comfortable, that the doctors, nurses and other workers are 90% fabulous.  They even have wireless here!

Oh I could go on and on and on…  I am so thankful!

I have also been scared.  Yesterday morning I was taken for an Echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart area.  They pressed a wand against my chest and moved it around taking detailed pictures of the heart.  They were looking for signs of the infection there.  After the procedure, the doctor said she wasn’t sure, but one of the valves appeared to be a little thickened, so she would request a second test, called a Trans Esophogeal Echocardiagram, where they sedate me, freeze the back of my throat, and insert a tube with an ultrasound probe down my throat to get close to the back of the heart and get clearer images.  I was taken back to my “room”, and had a good cry, fearing that perhaps my heart was infected.  If that was the case, it would involve four to six weeks of intravenous IV, though not necessarily in the hospital, possibly at home with home care workers coming daily to administer.

Amy and I had all our plans.  We would stay in Toronto for a couple of weeks, then pack up the car and drive to B.C. where we will be living.  I guess those plans are on hold.

I cried because I was afraid.  I cried because things seemed to be getting worse.  I cried because all our plans were up in the air.  We don’t even have a home here, having rented our house for the year.  We do have so many wonderful friends who are hosting us and would gladly host us, but hosting me with these issues could be a burden.  I cried because of how my problem impacts on others, especially Amy, who is doing everything that needs to be done with hardly any help from me, as well as trying to help me.

A couple of hours later they wheeled me into the room for the second test.  Though it was certainly not pleasant, I was totally into doing it to find out for sure.  After about a half hour, it was done.  The doctor turned to me and said: “I’ll have the report generated by 4 pm today, so hopefully the doctor will speak to you either today or tomorrow.”  She must have seen the expression in my eyes, because she leaned over and quietly said: “Don’t worry, your heart looks fine, it is not infected.”  I don’t know if she was supposed to do that, but she made my day.

In the afternoon, they did some more tests, ultrasound of my abdominal area, looking at all the organs, checking thoroughly for signs of infection.  I was examined head to toe by another doctor, asked lots of questions about other symptoms, histories and so on.  The thoroughness of the investigations is absolutely amazing, and gives me great confidence.  The lead doctor put it this way: “You have a staph infection that has spread to the blood.  We know exactly which bacteria it is, and the absolutely appropriate antibiotic for it.  It is completely treatable and curable, and it is a good thing that you came when you did.  It’s just a question of time.”

You know, I hate taking antibiotics, except for now.

On Friday (day 4) I was given an evening pass for a couple of hours.  Our daughter Julia and her partner Howie were flying in from Cuba, spending a couple of hours at the airport before flying home to Montreal.  So we went to hang out with them.  We hadn’t seen them for four months, so it was a real treat! 

Saturday (day 5), I received a four hour pass and went to shul.  It was a special musical Shabbat, and I was able to participate with the fiddle, as well as reading from the Torah.  I returned to the hospital around 1:30, to finish up arrangements for home care and have a last consult with the doctors before being discharged.  At 6:15, I’m free!  The home care nurse will come this evening to set up my IV for timed release of the antibiotics, and will visit daily to reload.

It’s great to be home, even if it’s a friend’s house!  While I really appreciate the care at Sunnybrook, I am looking forward to an uninterrupted night’s sleep, and an (almost) normal daily life.  Hallelujah!

Belize

We crossed the border at Melchior, Guatemala into Belize.  Within two hours we are in a completely different culture.  First of all, it’s English (and Creole).  I’m still speaking Spanish, have to get used to English again. There is a wide mix of people, black Caribbean, sounding more Jamaican than anything, ladinos, Chinese, Mennonites and lots of other church groups.  Even though Creole is “English”, I honestly can’t understand more than a few words that sound like English.  The architecture is different too with lots of ramshackle wooden houses up on stilts, not as much of the concrete block construction common in Guatemala.  At first I think it is more developed and “together” than Guatemala, but I soon learn it is also very third world with similar problems of poverty, violence and poor education and medical services.  The countryside is beautiful, lowland jungle heading towards the Caribbean coast.

People are friendly, though kind of gruff on the outside compared to the sweet Guatemalan locals.  Voices are loud, the energy is more boisterous (Caribbean?).

We arrived in Caye Caulker on Thursday afternoon.  Two hours on a bus and another hour on a bumpy water taxi.  We walked with all our stuff and finally found a place further down the beach with very basic cabins on the beach.  It’s less expensive than most places here, and it’s okay.

The beach isn’t really a beach, but I did dive in the ocean off the rickety dock.  The water is warm and clean, lots of little fishes swimming around, can’t wait to snorkel/dive here.  This is reputed to be one of the finest diving areas in the world, so we’re looking forward to three days here on the ocean.  We rented bicycles this evening, so we are “free to explore”.

Margaritas at The Split - sundown

 After arranging bicycles, diving and snorkelling, we went to a spot called “The Split” to watch the sunset.  The Split is a place where there is a channel from one part of the island to the other.  There is a small sandy beach and lots of people hanging around and drinking.  We watched the red sun set over the ocean – another spectacular sunset, had margaritas, and hung out with some of the folks there.  Then we went up some back streets to a local restaurant, had conch fingers, salad and fried chicken.  I also had a rum drink with coconut and pineapple, which I later found out is called a Pantyripper (!).

We had a less than peaceful night in the cabin.  The wind is really strong right now, and we are out on the beach so it whistled through the walls and windows, and the big gusts would wake us up.  We may move after tonight to a more quiet spot off the beach.  We woke up this morning, Friday, and had breakfast then rode over to Frenchy’s dive shop.  Unfortunately, because of the heavy winds, diving is cancelled for the day.  We had planned to do a two-tank dive today, just chill tomorrow, then take a sailboat snorkelling tour on Sunday.  Now today is our chill day, and we are hoping the wind dies down for tomorrow.

A friend we met on our bicycle tour

Impressions of Caye Caulker, Belize.  Amy, we aren’t in Guatemala any more!  Such a different vibe, we have to adjust to the gruff style of the locals.  Service is not always with a smile, but once you talk to people, they brighten up and are fine.  Things are also more expensive here than in Guate, especially on the tourist strip.  We don’t see avocados here, where Guate was avocado heaven, but there are lots of nice tropical fruits, good vegetables, lots of fish and conch (no lobster right now), as well as meat, chicken, mutton and pork.

Amy and I on bikes - Caye Caulker

So we are praying for the wind to die down so we can dive tomorrow – this is why we came, after all.  Let’s hope.

Leaving Guatemala

Our window at Pasaj-Cap

Music at Del Lago

Fire Ceremony Pasaj-Cap

We spent our last few days in Guatemala in El Remate.  It is a beautiful village on the edge of Lake Peten Itza, halfway between Flores and Tikal.  Our hotel, Casa Ernesto, is nestled in the jungle, and the lake is across the road.  We watched an incredible sunset and dipped our feet in the cool lake, as the symphony of voices rose as the sun went down.  Frogs, crickets, birds, even some howler monkeys created a swelling chorus.  Above, the almost half moon lined up with Jupiter and Venus.  Did you see that where you are?  Take a look in the western sky after sunset.

Lake Peten Itza, El Remate

El Remate is in the jungle lowlands in the northeast part of Guatemala.  When the sun sets, the banks of clouds look like mountains of white, blue, pink, orange and purple.  The lake is calm, ducks swimming nearby.  Our host Ernesto is out fishing for the Pescado Blanco found only here in Peten and parts of Mexico.  We ate his fish twice while we were here, absolutely delicious, fried with garlic!

Last night we celebrated the end of our time in Guatemala with a special dinner at a restaurant just down the road, called Las Orquideas.  An Italian menu, we had really good pizza (unusual in Guatemala, most of the pizza and cheese is boring), a big salad, wine, dessert (gelato with chocolate y crema) and good coffee.  Probably our most expensive meal in Guatemala, it was under $40.

Tikal Temple at sunrise

I have loved our time in Peten.  We visited the Mayan ruins in Tikal, a national park in the jungle.  The Tikal site itself is huge, you could walk more than 10 km to cover it, and we spent close to seven hours there, from 6:30 am to 2 pm.  At the site of the Seven Temples, both Amy and I lay back on the steps of one of the temples, and fell asleep for a half hour.  Imagine – sleeping with the Mayan kings!  The ruins are hundreds of feet tall and awesome, and the jungle life is teeming with bird sounds and sights, pizotes (like small raccoons), ocelated turkeys (they look like a mix of turkey and peacock, absolutely beautiful), monkeys (I heard them but didn’t see any), and other life forms.  The trees are remarkable too, and when we climbed above them at Templo IV, we could see over the whole site, with ruins popping through the trees in many directions.  Amazing!

On top of Templo IV, Tikal

I swam in the lake twice, warmer than Atitlan (probably cleaner too!).  Our cabin in the woods was private, in a beautiful spot with hammocks on the porch.  Despite what I have heard, there were few mosquitos, no problem this time of year.  We did see a big scorpion crawling on the porch under my hammock, and of course lots of spiders and such.  The weather was fine, very quickly changing, from sunny to suddenly cloudy and windy to rain to mist in the morning.  When the sun is out it gets quite hot, and I can only imagine the temperatures and humidity during the hot rainy season around May – June.

So now we’ve taken the bus into Belize, saying goodbye (for now) to the wonderful Guatemala.  We arrived in San Ignacio, just a few minutes over the border, and booked a room for the night.  We spent the afternoon with Sarah, the sister of our Phil’s partner Karen, and we had a wonderful lunch together, and then went on a tour of the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, where Sarah lives.  The countryside is beautiful, with two rivers snaking through the region.  There is a big river canoe race happening in a week or so, where more than a hundred canoes paddle for four days down the river from here to Belize City.  We will spend the evening with Sarah as well, have dinner, and get ready for our trip to the ocean and diving tomorrow.