where in the world: Kumily

After the houseboat we ventured via local bus to Kumily, a small town on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The area is interchangeably refered to as Thekkady or Periyar due to its proximity to national parks of those names. It was a relief to get out of the heat and into the hills again.

On our first evening we attended a Kathakali (traditional Keralan) dance. It was definitely a cultural experience, and sadly not because of the dancing. We were all horrified at the behavior of the audience, which was mainly middle-class Indians. Once I realized that the theater wasn't going to address it, I got my teacher face on and dealt with it myself - I shot death glares and shushed people left and right. I must say I did make an impact, though when a father started physically abusing his son because of my admonishments I decided to redirect and target adults only. I had to practice restraint when one obnoxious lady received a mobile call and decided to move closer to the stage, sitting directly in front of me. I was weighing the pros and cons of tipping her over in her chair when, thankfully, the show ended. Moral dilemma averted.

Kumily is known for spices and tea. We traveled by local bus out to a spice garden, where we went on a (mostly) delicious tour led by the man himself, Abraham, with a young couple from Kazaksthan. We also managed to find our way to a tea plantation, but it was closed due to a festival. We still trespassed with pride.

Elephants. We rode them and fed them. I was mildly scared of both.

The final hurrah in Kumily was a safari. India has many national parks and many options for safaris, yet I'd never been on one. It was an experience. Not sure I'd do it again. We made our own fun though, especially with our guide whose name was Prince. We had a lot in common - he's my age, plays volleyball, and we both like to sing "Koleveri Di." He invited me to stay with him and join his volleyball team (this might be due to the fact that Abe told him that I play on the Olympic team).