Clare man Ciaran O’Connell has left Ireland behind to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime trip backpacking around the world. Internet access permitting, Ciaran will be corresponding with us as he enjoys his travels. This week, he says goodbye to India via Kerala and flying through Sri Lanka.
Dear Joe,
After a crazy few days, I can finally fill you in on week five of my trip which ended with a highlight so far – an organised trip to an Irish-funded and built orphanage in the middle of Sri Lanka. But first I had to say goodbye to India and plan a tour around the sights of Sri Lanka before I got on my flight to Bangkok from Colombo.
Still with my new friends Magnus and his girlfriend, ‘fast fists’ Nicki we set out on a beautiful but death-defying journey on the Blue Mountain train. A cross between the West Clare railway and something from Disneyland, we progressed overnight further south to Kochi (the tourist capital of Kerala).
Due to my limited time in town, I decided to head straight out and join a tour of the city. I was the only westerner in the group of 20. We started off with a riverboat tour of the surrounding back waters before having lunch and finished in the evening with a guided tour around the harbour and surrounding islands.
Now God only knows what they were thinking of me, as over the last few weeks I’ve picked up the traditional method of eating in the south of India. It involves using three fingers of your right hand to cup the mix of rice and sauce before pushing it into your mouth with your thumb (while trying not to drop any). It takes a while to get the hang of it, I got right in to it.
The laughs and stares as I, the only white guy, sat down with this group in a full local restaurant and proceeded to eat by hand. But they weren’t as bad as the stares I got when, after lunch when I was feeling the effects of lack asleep and my full belly, I slept through the majority of the tour of the harbour. What can you do… but if looks could kill.
The next day, along with Nicki and Magnusion, we toured around the Fort Kochi part of the city. This is where local men use Chinese fishing nets, which are a massive medieval system. Ropes and pullies weighted by stones trigger nets that are lowered every evening and raised every morning in a bid to catch the shoals swimming out to sea.
Kalarippay in action
Later, after tasting the local coconut drinking water, we went on to watch two local traditional Kerelan performances. First up was the Kalarippayattu – a local extreme martial arts/defensive technique which including the use of swords, sticks, knifes and steel whips.
It was mental – I had never seen anything like it before. It was like a cross between the Ninja Turtles and Jackie Chan – but all in real life. This was then followed up by Kathakli. This was a local, men-only theatre in which guys dressed up in extremely colourful, bright, strange make-up and performed by miming different emotions without saying a word. It was, erm, different.
So saying goodbye to Kerrala and in turn saying goodbye to India a different man, I made my way on to Sri Lanka via a delayed plane after a crazed taxi driver broke all laws. Not that there were many on the Indian roads anyway , but for 50 extra Rupees he cut all extra corners and left his hand on the horn for the entire journey in order to get me there on time.
He managed it anyway and I finally made the plane and jetted towards Sri Lanka.
With time running dry, I ended up with only four days to visit the major parts of this island on the Southern tip of India. On arrival I chose what turned out to be very popular means of seeing the island – I chose a local guide to drive me where I wanted to go for a cheap, agreed price.
So with a broad plan of seeing Kandy, the tea factories, a bit on a beach somewhere in the south and end in my trip in the orphanage, we headed off – but we ended up having a slightly wilder time than we both first thought.
Firstly, on our way to Kandy, Â Khamal (my new friend and driver) asked if I would be interested in elephants. So, keeping my mind open and my wallet closed (as the stories of the guides bringing you places to get commission were still fresh in my head from India), we called into the elephant sanctuary for rescued elephants.
The JOE.ie elephant
We saw them been cared for, trained and recuperated, so flashing back to Jonny and his painted elephant in week two and with the possibility and the choice, I decided to give the elephant riding a go. What a beast they are. It got even more interesting when mine let a massive roar and almost went astray when he saw his female mate bathing in the river. Happily, he was kept under control by the mahout.  Sure we’re all the same really – women over work any day.
Anyhow, we continued on up to Kandy – the second biggest city in Sri Lanka and the biggest tourist spot in the country. Khamal started telling me about the Tamil Tiger rebel group who had for years ruled a portion of the north of the island and fought the government for the rest of it.
He filled me in on how the new president had got rid of all the leaders and opened up the whole country within six months of taking the presidency – a feat no other persistent had ever come near. This, along with the other work in rebuilding and developing the island after the Tsunami, means the president is held in high esteem in many parts of the county.
On landing in Kandy, Khamal brought me to the tooth temple and on to a local traditional show. It was a little less professional that the Kerelain one but a lot more lively, and also included a fire walking show. This particular aspect resonated with me as I completed one in Dublin a few years back.
But the night got even more interesting when after sorting a hostel, food and catching up on some Facebook, I met three lovely, slightly tipsy (and a little mad but in a good way) English ladies – Jodie, Lisa, Carmen (two of whom are pictured right). Two were nurses and the other a horse-riding instructor. They were travelling with their friend Bob and all of them worked together in Saudi Arabia.
They were in town on a week’s holiday. They had a guide similar to mine, but theirs had a more planned-out route which included a trip further south and a white water rafting tour.  With little persuasion, they convinced me to tag along. It was something I had never done, but had always wanted to do. I thought it was only really possible in Oz or New Zealand.
Thanks to Khamal’s bargaining skills, he also managed to somehow get on the girl’s boat tour.
The next day was spent touring around, picking some tea while visiting the tea plantations and a factory in the beautiful, tiered Sri Lankan hills. Khamal helped me to perfect my eating-by-hand skills and I gave him the evening off as we were only 30 minutes from his new wife’s home who he hadn’t seen in a month.
I got and early night in preparation of meeting the girls high in the mountains early the next morning. So, at 4.30am and with Khamal returning with a beaming smile (I wonder why) we headed through the hills and valleys of a early rising Sri Lankan countyside to our rendezvous point. Following a short safety briefing, we all jumped into our shorts and safety gear and headed down to the boat.
The river was a grade three which wasn’t that bad until we got to our last rapid. It was a little rough but extremely fun. It involved a lot of hard paddling and once finished, the leader asked if we would like to go through again. With everyone in agreement, we all got out, lifted the boat back up river and went through the rapid again.
Second time round was way more fun. Through their screams, the girls managed to declare it a “near death experience†as the boat, as it does sometimes in white water, went sideways and we all ended up in the liquid.
We bobbed down the rapid in our life jackets until we all reached the quiet water and swam to the now up-right boat, with the leader laughing at the girls’ screams. All very entertaining and exciting for 8am. Well worth it though.
For the rest of day, coming down the hills, we drove through the flooded rice fields in the countryside.
Two nights before, Sri Lanka had experienced its worst rain in 18 years when 47cm fell over a six-hour spell. Colombo, the capital, was totally flooded so I was glad to be in the hills with my local guide.
We made our way south along the coast from Kalutara, which was one of the worst areas hit by the 2004 tsunami that killed 40,000 people and displaced nearly half a million in Sri Lanka alone.
The signs of the disaster – half of concrete houses and foundations along with countless head stones are still dotted one after the other all along the coast between us on the road and the sea 50 metres away. Scary to imagine, and worse to hear some of the stories from that day. But it was good to see the local people returning and rebuilding the towns and villages together.
I continued down to the beaches of Matera, where I was extremely lucky to witness and meet some stilt fishermen who were 10 metres off the beach on stilts they have permanently set up. They climb up every day and hover two feet over the water with a hook and a silver lure, fishing amongst the corral in the rough seas as the sun sets behind them. I ended a crazy day with a few small bevies in a local hot-spot.
The next day, khamal made the manic drive all the way back up the coast, showing me many sites along the way until we got to Colombo. We toured quickly around before he got me out to Halpe Katana, Negambo, which was just north of the city. It was a good hour out of his way (and his boss wasn’t happy) but it meant I was able to visit my very good friends Mr Anto Byrne and Brian Brennan in the Arklow Boys Orphanage.
This building, along with more along the island, were the brain child of Brian who set up and helped build the establishment with the aid of the people of Arklow, Co. Wicklow after he visited the island after the Tsunami in 2004. Building commenced in November 2005 and opened in November 2006. It features an adjoining farm which helps to both teach the boys to farm and to provide grain, milk and eggs for the day-to-day running of the home.
On arrival, all the 34 boys where playing in the yard and all came rushing to great me. They wanted to chat, say hello and to touch my spiked hair (which they proceeded to copy over my time there). There was such energy and excitement, I couldn’t get over it.
Words can’t describe how well behaved, nice and polite all the boys were. The smiles on their faces were heart-warming and when I opened the bag of soccer balls and tennis balls for cricket I had brought them, I was obliged to try to play to keep them all happy. After four hours of playing, teaching tricks, drawing and praying with the group, I had to leave with a sad heart to catch my plane to Bangkok.
Well, I think that’s about all for this time but in my next letter I will fill you all in on the goings on as I land in Bangkok and make my way slowly south via Ko Phi Phi to Koh Phang Nang to prepare for the November Full Moon Party.
If you are interested in the Arklow Boys Orphanage or want to donate, click here for more information.
See you after kid,
Ciaran O’Connell.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
