The Kerala Adventure - Part Two

The second installment of my journal entries during the trip to Bangalore and Kerala...

"So yesterday was the wedding and it was very nice - almost entirely in Malayalam (the local language of Kerala) - but very nice. It was completely different to our wedding and really any wedding back home. It was more a formality, but this largely because the couple do not know each other - so the western focus on celebrating the couple's love is not something that can play a major part.

There were THREE sermons (yes, THREE), two of which were in English translations, and many felicitations (their word, not mine) and considered advice shared. We had a GREAT meal afterwards and then had the two-bus journey back to Bangalore.


I enjoyed visiting rural Kerala - there is something very authentic and genuine there that is not so apparent in the metro cities. People are content with who they are and what their lives consist of, whereas in the city, people are striving for something more, and usually something more western.

Something I have never done before is pray for a car! The driver we had from Sultan Batheri to Pulpally had bought the car the day previous - so we were his maiden voyage. Because of this, Ummen asked me to pray for the driver and for a blessing on his car...which I did from the back seat - another first.

Prices were not high in this area - the Bangalore - Mysore bus (3 hours) was £2 each ($4), Mysore - Sultan Batheri (3 hours) was £0.70 each ($1.40), and breakfast for three people was £0.40 ($0.80) in total.


Other new things tried during the trip were Karangali water and Geera water (boiled water with different ayurvedic additions, including tree bark), and paththiri for breakfast which cam with a lamb dish (FOR BREAKFAST!?!?)...."