Nagercoil Diaries – Day 4

We were so tired with the previous day’s adventure that we had a slow start to the day. But today is an important day. Today is the wedding. As usual we had our lunch and got ready. The humid weather did not favour the costumes we were in. We were sweating terribly.

The car came at around 3:30 PM. We headed straight to church. We reached there about 4 PM. The bride and groom had not yet arrived. In church, we found a place to sit beside some of my husband’s relatives, but my stay inside was hardly 15 minutes. The heat made the kids cranky and they weren’t amused with the size of the crowd either. The AC in the car saved the day! It was a long wait in the car for the wedding service to get over. It was a Catholic wedding so I wasn’t even familiar with whatever I was able to view from the car. It was Greek and Latin to me. Once the service got over, one of my hubby’s aunts came to meet us in our car. After that we left the church. Just as we were leaving, we caught a glimpse of the new BMW car that was being gifted to the groom, drive in. Weddings in India are still what it was a decade ago, when I got married – a massive financial transaction.

On the way I got extremely hungry, so we drove past the reception hall to a shop near the outskirts of the city where they were frying fresh banana chips. I’ve never eaten them freshly friend in coconut oil before. We got some murukku as well. The chips was delicious. So we temporarily filled up our stomach with these stuff. We entered the reception hall parking area. The hall was massive. I’ve never seen a reception hall this huge and well decorated. It was superior and of a different magnitude than what I had imagined. However the weather was stuffy and didn’t really help in keeping us presentable for pictures.

Outside, to the other side of the parking lot there were loads of stalls, servings a variety of stuff including pop corn, bajji, pakoras, juice, cotton candy, tandoori chicken, shawarma, etc. There were crowds of people stuck to the stalls resembling a swarm of bees buzzing around their honeycomb. But I think that’s where this wedding lost the charm of meeting and greeting with near and dear ones. The place was so huge and many were binging at the stalls while some had even gone to the dining hall and finished dinner. We hardly met all the people my mother in law had planned to introduce me to. We even missed her sister who had come for the reception, such was the size of the place. To be honest, despite the grandiosity of the place and the variety of items one could eat there, it lacked organization and a streamlined flow of events, one thing I had seen so consistently in the many, many weddings I had attended during my younger years with my grandparents. Everyone was doing something random and no one was focused on a single event at any given point in time. Half the people had finished dinner, met the couple and left by the time we even made an entry into the reception hall. This didn’t sit well with me. Anyway, I was tired managing my kids so it didn’t really bother me too much. We had some juice at the stalls, we ate some cotton candy and also tried some chicken tandoori. We didn’t find anything to be worthy of mention. The chicken wasn’t cooked properly, but people were thronging at the stall like they hadn’t seen food in ages, so one cannot blame the chefs. We bumped into a few known people and then headed into the reception hall. Since it was so crowded at the reception hall we decided to go finish dinner before going on stage to meet the couple and present their gift.

The dining hall was massive with multiple rows of seating. The food again was very average. The raw pineapple slice is what stood out amongst all the other dishes. The most sweetest ever. The biryani was extremely spicy so me and my kids took a pass. I ate the meat pieces alone. Once we were done with dinner, we came out and crossed the ice cream counter. My husband promised to buy the kids some nice ice cream outside and asked us to skip this one, which we did. We went into the reception hall to greet the couple and give them their present. The hall was empty because most people had left but the queue to access the stage was very long, it made my head spin. No one was present to assist in getting people with small kids to access the stage sooner. All this made me feel like the event wasn’t well planned and organized. Finally we waited more than 45 minutes to reach the stage. The air-conditioning system for such a massive wedding hall was terrible to say the least. With our heavy outfits and the stuffy weather, by the time we reached the stage, we looked like we had walked across the Sahara to get on. The photographers had so many drones flying but when we finally saw our picture after 2 months, we looked crap. They had clicked exactly when my eyes had gone half shut and my mother in law had turned to look at something else. Great photography skills! We met the bride and groom, I loved her saree the most. This was when I actually got to see her properly. A lovely, unique bluish-green and peach combination. She looked all pretty decked up. We gave her her gift, congratulated and blessed the couple and got down. The wedding reception was over and it was time to head home. I was glad, because my outfit was killing me.

On the way home we got some ibaco ice cream and thoroughly enjoyed it. We then headed home. I had some snacks to eat at home because I completely skipped the biryani. Then we all retired to bed. It was a very tiring day indeed and a very strangely memorable one.

Nagercoil Diaries – Day 3

Today my mother in law decided we have to do some sightseeing, else we’d never get a chance. So we tried to get ready as quickly as we could. By midday we managed to start out to Mathoor Aqueduct. On the way, in the car, suddenly there was a loud scream from the kids in the back seat and they violently jumped in front. The car came to an abrupt halt. When we enquired what happened, the complaint was that they saw a big scary bug in the backseat. They were petrified. Finally no one would sit behind. I found it particularly humorous. Finally we were all squashed together in the middle seat and we continued our journey.

We passed by scenic places and then reached Mathoor. This area has so many pineapple plants. It was such a delight simply looking at those ripe pineapples sitting gleefully on the plants. On the side paths there were local vendors selling pineapples, jackfruit, other local food items and bubbles for kids. Finally we got tickets and started to walk over the bridge. My mother in law said that when she had visited these places last, they were free and not charged. When we looked down from the bridge the view was amazing. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Lush, thick, green cover with a water body in the middle. It was beauty galore. I fell in love with that place and I didn’t want to leave. It was also very scary to look down from the duct. I kept grasping the kids tightly and pushing them towards the centre of the bridge. My mother in law couldn’t walk the entire stretch and hence we had to cut short the walk. Crowds were continuously flowing onto the duct from behind us. But somehow we managed to click some pictures to keep as memories and headed out. We got some bubbles for the kids and some pineapples and some other edibles for us. These pineapples were the most delicious I have had in my entire lifetime. I would do anything to taste those pineapples again. I loved it!

From there, we started to Thirparappu waterfalls. We reached the area well past 2 PM. The area was jam packed!!! I am one person who hates huge crowds. It was holiday season, right before schools were about to start and therefore places were super packed. We decided not to go to the waterfalls just because of the crowds. Meanwhile we found a new restaurant right beside the waterfall entrance and decided to take a break for lunch. Me and the kids had some good fried rice and finished our lunch. The rest of the stuff my hubby and mother in law ordered were too spicy for us. All the while my second daughter kept pestering me, “Can we go to the waterfall? Can we come back another day and go to the waterfall? Why can’t we go there today? I want to go there today.” I felt sorry for her.

I then asked my mom if we could just go and have a look. She said sure. So got everything ready and started walking. The crowds at the entrance was crazy. We had to keep holding the kids cautiously as we waited in the queue to get tickets. Once we reached the ticket counter, we decided to go for the boating ride as well. After we entered the waterfall area the crowds diffused and it wasn’t so bad. There were a lot of people bathing under the waterfall and so once again I was highly hesitant. My husband asked me to take the kids for a dip. I did not plan to get wet despite coming prepared. We got under the waterfall and had the time of our lives. My kids were enjoying this new experience to the core. We were laughing and giggling and hugging each other, holding tight to the railing. I had to hold all of them close and keep checking that they were safe. We kept popping in and out of the water. It had been years since I had bathed at a waterfall. This time I was so happy to offer this experience to my kids. We must have spent a good 30 minutes bathing and finally wound up. We came back to our resting spot and got the kids dry and clean. I wanted to change but the crowds at the changing room made me feel sick. I decided to let my clothes air dry. We then started to head out since the boating area was somewhere else. It was so crowded we couldn’t even walk freely. My mom was holding my son. On the way out, one random guy tried to pull my son away from her hold. My mom saw the guy pull and screamed in fear and panic. He immediately let go and walked away. Crowds in India have always scared me. Safety is highly questionable out there. Glad nothing serious happened and we were able to keep the situation under control.

Our walk towards the boating area was the most beautiful. It was green everywhere we turned. We had to walk along a river and then climb up a bridge and walk past it. The bridge goes across the water that later flows down as the waterfall. While walking over it, we spotted two men bathing a big elephant by giving him a good scrub. We then realized that we had actually bathed in this water under the waterfall. A bit disgusting. There were loads of other people bathing on the rocks all across the water body. We slowly made it to the boating area. Now the boats were pretty old. It wasn’t a very stable kind of boat either. The guy in charge of the boat loaded us one by one onto the boat and told us exactly where each one of us had to sit to balance the boat. Every time one of us got onto the boat it would toss and turn this way and that. We felt like it would topple. We all got on and the guy hops on too. He starts rowing and in a few minutes we are in the middle of this huge water body. There are a lot of other boats going and coming. It was so scenic. The boat went quite some distance upstream. When they reached the final spot till where they’re allowed to go, the guy in charge stopped the boat under a tree for 2 minutes so that we could take a few pictures. There are no words to praise nature. Such moments are the best part of life, just being surrounded and engulfed by nature. It was a very elating experience indeed. We had gone on a boating trip once prior to this in Ooty. That was another awesomely scenic place. It was a huge water body surrounded purely by green mountains. It was beauty galore. We went there when my second child was a baby under 1 year of age. This was the next boating trip after that one. We clicked pictures and headed back. My kids were trying to touch the water. The boat had very low sides so it literally felt like we were in the water. I asked the guy incharge whether there are crocodiles in these waters. Just a random question. He said they’re there but way more upstream than we went. These waters were actually flowing in from Pechiparai reservoir, which we unfortunately didn’t have time to visit. So the more upstream we went from here the more the depth and the more the scary creatures we’d bump into. The boating ride was a thrilling and enchanting experience, one which we will never forget. Getting off the boat was very tricky as well, with the boat constantly tossing in the water. With the help of the guy incharge we all safely got off one by one.

After this we spent a couple of minutes at a small park. The kids were sliding and swinging. It was past 5 PM and we decided to leave. We still had to walk back past the bridge and along the river and so wanted to go as soon as we could. We had a program at the bride’s home which would start at 6 PM but we were already very late. Once we reached the main road from where we had to board the car we decided to have some tea at a small tea shop. The tea wasn’t that great. Then we headed home.

I volunteered to sit in the back seat in peace. It was quite a long ride back home. We reached home only around 7:15 PM. I had told my mom that I’d not be coming for the program as I was so tired. Everyone came home and instantly got ready to go. I got all the kids ready and I was in my home wear all set to relax. My mom didn’t feel happy leaving me behind. She said we’ve come all the way here, it’s better you come with us. So finally I got ready in a jiffy and we left.

We reached the bride’s home very late. We were the last ones to arrive. I wasn’t really looking my best as I had no time to get ready properly. Everyone else at the function was shimmering. We went and met the bride. This function is where I met a lot of my husband’s relatives, people whose stories me and mom have spoken of for hours together, in the past few months. We then headed out to the open area for dinner along with my husband’s cousin’s family. There were loads of stuff to eat. I stuck to aapam and a chicken gravy, which was the least spiciest. I ate tummy full and loaded myself with ice cream as well.

By the time we finished and headed home it was well over 11 PM. Back home I didn’t feel so great. I’m assuming it was the ice cream that didn’t go well with my stomach. I finally vomited everything I ate and then went to sleep peacefully. The kids were all knocked out as soon as we got home. So it was a good night’s rest for all of us.

What an eventful day! We had loads of fun. Wish these days could last forever.

Nagercoil Diaries – Day 2

Woke up very late close to afternoon. Prepared some non-spicy food for the kids. We had lunch and then headed out to visit a few relatives and do some shopping.

We visited one of my husband’s relatives. It was my father in law’s brother and his wife. Was nice to meet them. Heard so many stories of how this uncle used to help look after my hubby’s siblings when they were younger. He looked so much like my father in law. They were so happy to meet us as well. After that we headed out for shopping.

We went to Pothys and it didn’t feel any different from Chennai. The city is quite densely populated. India is definitely the best place to shop. I love shopping here. The cotton stuff is so so good. We spent a good 3 hours shopping at Pothys picking up stuff we waited 2.5 years to buy. Busy and happy day. The billing took forever that day as me and the kids waited in the car. But still worth all the effort.

We then went to another relative’s home, one of my MIL’s sister’s son’s home. This aunty was very aged. Her son, granddaughter and daughter in law lived together with her. By the time everyone reached home from work it was very late. His cousin also was out and only came back home when we called him over the phone. No one had expected us as it was a surprise visit. This cousin was the one who helped us a lot during our stay in Nagercoil. Their home had many floors and looked very different from the other homes I had visited. I was surprised to see so many CCTV cameras installed in all the homes on their street. We spent a long time there. It was almost 10:15 pm when we left from their home.

He took us out to dinner at a restaurant, Arya Bhavan. Everything was a bit too spicy for us, but we managed. By the time we started home it was 11:10 PM and we reached our place of stay by 11:30 PM. It was a bit too spooky at that time in the night. We were actually staying at another cousin’s home. Theor home was nice and had a lot of space for the kids to play. The staircase inside their home entertained my kids for hours. It was a memorable day of meeting a lot of people whose stories I’ve only heard from my mother in law. The end of another beautiful day.

Nageroil Diaries – Day 1

For the first time we landed in Trivandrum. This is also the first time I’m setting foot in Kerala. I had my apprehensions about the trip since we had small kids. But 2 days into it and I’m so thankful we decided to make this trip.

I was teary-eyed at the airport. It was the place my dad had spent 28 prime years of his life working. We flew so frequently, almost once every year. My memories of him came rushing back like a flood. This was the first time I didn’t have a home to go back to and a daddy to welcome me to his home. He always enjoyed serving us grand meals and always sat on the terrace to see the flight we were leaving on.

My husband’s native Nageroil is simply beautiful. After a long long time of living in a desert and hot places like Chennai and Tutucorin my heart finally revelled in all the natural beauty this place had. The weather was lovely, the slight drizzle, the dense green cover, the early morning 4:30 AM fresh milk tea, the tall coconut trees along the beaches are all too lovely to ever forget. I’m glad that prior to this I got to spend time with my mother in law and learn about her family and my father in law’s family. Now I’m seeing all these people and places in person.

I’m so awestruck by how lush this place is. I have to admit, I wish I could make this place my forever home.

The kids are fascinated by all the simple things that are missing in Dubai like insects, ants, plants, trees, stones, sand, etc. Their biggest time pass was the staircase. They’ve never seen a home with a staircase on the inside. While I was losing my breath and my legs ached like crazy by climbing up, that’s all my kid did the entire day.

Thankfully Nagercoil doesn’t have as many mosquitoes as Chennai does. We were lucky to have no mosquitoes for company as we slept. The nights are bit stuffy due to the rains but still a minor setback to such a beautiful place. For once I’m so happy to discover a place where we can survive without air-conditioning. I was so fed up of Dubai, of the constant usage of AC and the various ailments that came along with it for each one of us. We found immediate relief with many of the health issues my children faced due to the polluted atmosphere there. If we opened our windows there we had to deal with dust pollution and what not. We were literally confined to our apartment 24×7. For the first time my family is breathing fresh air.

We visited a relative whose daughter was getting married in 3 days. We rode to their home in an autorickshaw. That was a treat for my kids. They were fascinated. I actually got to see a river with water in it, for the first time in my life! We spent the evening in their home talking and getting to know each other. Had dinner in their home and left.

It was a bit inconvenient to live out of a suitcase but then this trip was definitely worth the hassle. Loving every aspect of this green beauty. Nagercoil, you’re so beautiful, I don’t want to leave.

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The way of an aircraft in the air is no lesser a miracle than the way of a foetus in the womb!