01/07/2018 Tenth Day
The long drive to the Kottur Elephant Rehabilitation Center early in the morning paid a rewarding return of watching rescued elephants being bathed, fed, and supervised in play without much heat.
However, I felt dehydrated for whatever reason and went to purchase a bottle of water because the group left early in the morning before I could purchase one from the nearby convenience stores.
As Stephanie, one of the course supervisors, and I went to purchase a bottle of water, we saw a man pouring from a water container into a water bottle and retreating away when he saw us.
We decided not to purchase any bottled waters and I bought my first bottle of Coke in India, hoping that the quality would not be tempered with. And it follows along with the words of my grandfather that a bottle of Coke helps to combat heat stroke.
Two of the graduate students were not particularly impressed with the treatment of the elephants at the Center because of signs of potential mistreatment and so decided to wait on the bus.
Not knowing any of the signs, I continued to stay in the Center and watch the elephants.
Since the Center is a Government of Kerala enterprise, I assume that the treatment is humane.
But without more intensive knowledge and research, I am unable to speak to the quality of treatment.
From watching the baby elephants interact with the caretakers, it seems like there is much love even though the caretaker is trying to raise them to be self-sufficient.
After the excursion, the group returned to the hotel for a few hours lunch and rest for taking to the beach for the afternoon.
For my lunch break, I returned to Hotel Arul Jyothi and tried onion ___ for the first time. The taste is similar to a pancake with onions.
After lunch, I saw Stephanie and Kelly, a classmate on the trip also from Oakland, walking to Sweet Mahal, a local sweets shop.
Not having gone to the renowned shop, I decided to tag along. I was amazed at the variety they offered and quite pleased to be given so many free samples.
Tempted, I could not help but to buy a set of burfi to try with my host later in London.
After indulging on my sweet tooth, we stopped by a local market where I was again tempted to purchase more food stuffs.
This time, I was lured by packaged puttu and sambar. I had to purchase some to share the tastes of Kerala with my family, along with kanthari.
The trip to Shangumugham Beach, next to the domestic terminal of the Trivandrum airport, was better than I expected. Less crowded than the first beach we went to for the New Year celebration but more street vendors hawking their products that make the overall experience less enjoyable. As the group continued to walk around the beach, I decided to pursue explorations around the gates of a temple complex. The conch shells and idols decorating the gates called for further investigation. Indeed, Jess, a planning graduate student classmate, and I parted with the group to ascertain whether there was indeed a temple. We first went by the Matsya Kanyaka, or the female mermaid statute. Her giant head drew my attention as I walked along the beach. Jess made a video of me “checking” the top-less statue out and so we decided it was to be my girlfriend. Some photos with my girlfriend later, we walked across the street to the Shangumugam Devi Temple, or the temple to Lakshmi. We waited a few moments until a family was about to enter the complex and we asked whether it was acceptable that we enter. With their approval after we removed our footwear and my softs, we proceeded to walk from the left to the right around the inner walkway of the temple complex. A very pleasant conversation with a man inside the temple occurred. He told us about his beliefs that we are all connected and descendant from the same energy and deity. This sameness was captured by the Sanskrit phrase, Tat Tvam Asi, तत्त्वमसि,, or roughly translated as “I am you and you are I.” It was special indeed that our fates did decide to intersect at that moment and for that moment, we did come to share it together.