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I have a brother in law who enjoys travel as much (if not more) than we do and he has set the bar pretty high for destinations experienced.  In a conversation we had a few years ago, he proposed that one cannot truly think of themselves as a “Traveller” until they have visited India (the destination is one of only a few to elude him so perhaps the statement is as much an indication of his desire to come).  If I entertain the idea and agree to it, then I’m happy to say we are coming into our own as travellers this week.

Kerala in general, and Fort Kochi specifically is by all accounts a soft introduction to India.  The state government has set very high standards and has accomplished tremendous things that other states are now using as an example (>90% literacy for example).  The impact is felt everywhere we look such as the better than expected condition of buildings/roads and cars but more fundamentally – through the people themselves who are delightfully friendly, welcoming and working hard to improve the lives of their families.

But make no mistakes, softer as it may be, this is still very much India!  On the taxi ride from the airport to our accommodations, we could feel the slight sting of pollution in our eyes.  Flashing lights everywhere, traffic seemed to follow a pattern of organized chaos – more of a dance than a procession, and the music of horns, loud speakers, and people selling everything imaginable provide a soundtrack seemingly stuck on loop.  Yes, this is India.

Our first 48 hours has been an opportunity to let our senses be overwhelmed by these sights, sounds and smells of a land that bakes in heat (it’s 34 degrees during the day and we’re told this is the coldest time of year).  Day one we felt as though we were physically melting. Day two, we are still sweating profusely but tolerating the oven.

In total we will be here for a little over two weeks.  Tomorrow we begin a program assisting with English classes in local elementary schools where we will have an opportunity to see behind the tourist curtain (thin veil as it may be).

More updates to come…

As you may have have guessed by the title, we rode camels in the desert of UAE and we learned a thing or two about this.

Riding animals anywhere is a bit of a wildcard.  Domesticated animals are probably the best option here and while a Canadian might not think of camels as farm animals, there are no wild camels in this part of the world so take it at that.

Step one for riding a camel is to listen very carefully to all of the instructions before you even approach the camel.  Now 9 times out of 10, you’re not going to be told anything until you’re face to face with your beast of burden so this is a bit of a moot point.

Step two for riding a camel is to watch other people first.  Pay no attention to the people actually riding camels though, they are of no help.  What you actually need to know is how to get on and off of your camel – riding is like sitting on a wobbly bench, it will be easy.  On and off on the other hand – not so much.

Which brings us to step three – getting onto a camel.  Pay attention to this part. Your camel guide will inform you of what side to approach from (in our case it was the camel’s left side).  The camel should be sitting (this is not like getting on a horse). Our camels were outfitted for two riders, the person sitting in the back gets on first.  The trick here is to move like a ninja – soft but fast. You want to get right onto that thing and grab onto the saddle (or whatever you call the camel riding harness) before the camel decides to stand up, but don’t land too hard otherwise it will definitely stand too early.  Next comes the front rider (let’s say for example, Owen). This rider’s job is to stand back and watch just to be sure the camel doesn’t show signs of standing too early. When ready, make similar ninja moves, but have a back up plan. In Owen’s case, the camel stood up while one leg was on the way over.  Fortunately Owen is very much like a ninja and managed to swing his leg just in time so as to not be thrown from the ascending beast.

Getting off the camel is much the same – move quickly and hope for the best.  If you’re riding in the sandy desert, the good news is that landings are very soft if you do in fact get tossed around a bit.

Good Luck future camel riders!

Okay we’ve been busy since I last updated on our adventure.  While I’m writing this,we’re in Kochi, India – but that’s getting pretty far ahead of where we left off so a few notes about that first.

We left Budapest and headed to Dubai – city of surprises.  It has everything you’ve heard of, like the world’s tallest building and the world’s largest/tallest/biggest things you didn’t know needed to be made larger.  This is complemented by the flashiest cars/shops/people you can imagine (ever wondered what a Ferrari, Lamborghini or McLaren look – wait 5 minutes and you’ll see all three, we did!).  However, at the same time as all of this, there is another side to the city, the side that feels like every other giant city, full of hard working people just trying to get ahead.

We split our time by staying in two different parts of the city, first the Marina area, second the Bur Dubai area.  Our first 4 nights were packed with vacation-style fun as we built them around Lauren’s 10th birthday. We took in the beach, some hotel-pool time, a desert safari, a water park and the famed combination of the Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa/Dubai Fountain.  The next 4 nights we saw the older part of the city which felt like the real foundation that everything else is built upon. We toured the Dubai Museum (awesome overview of the history of the area, all for a couple dollar entry fee), the old Souks (covered markets), saw rain in the desert and met with some friends living here who gave us the rundown on what you don’t see and why.  The city is in many ways still growing up. It is recognized as a great international city (Perhaps only Toronto can compete for number of nationalities present), and the government is taking great steps to develop a culture of mutual respect and understanding among the many cultures; though it sometimes feels like a teenager still maturing into a body that grew a little too quickly.

I’ll try to add some stories about our adventures, but since we’re now in India, I have a feeling it won’t be long before this experience is eclipsed by another.