From 1663 until 1795 the Dutch ruled over Cochin. Then the British took over. The Dutch East India Company used Cochin to trade and transport spices. I stayed in a great guesthouse with a Dutch name; Adam's Old Inn, which was located in a Dutch street - the Burgher Street - with various antique Dutch houses.

At night I enjoyed walking along the beach and harbor area, watching the sun set with the famous Chinese fishing nets in the background. These fishing nets were once imported from China and are still in operation. It takes about 10 men to operate them. During one evening I went to a Kathakali performance; an interesting dance drama which origin goes back to the 15th century. Normally Kathakali dances can take more than 8 hours. I saw one of an hour, which was enough to get a feeling of it. The make-up process took about one hour and a half, which was very interesting to watch.

I also visited the 'Dutch Palace', a palace that originally was built by the Portuguese as an offer to the local Raja. However, the Dutch renovated the palace substantially after 1663. The palace contains beautiful murals; paintings on the wall showing scenes and legends connected with Siva, Vishnu, Krishna, Kumara and Durga (all are Hindu gods).

Cochin also is the home to a small Jewish community, now about 15 people. It used to be a much larger group but most left for Israel since the Indian independence. Originally, the Jewish settlers fled Palestine more than 2000 years ago. Many became involved with trade and commerce along the Malaba coast, like the Syrian Orthodox Christians. Together with an Israeli guy, an Englishman and a German, I visited the Jewish Synagogue - which origin dates back to 1568 - and stands in an area known as Jewtown. It was a nice neighborhood with many small companies that were all involved in either the spice trade or selling 'antiques'.

During one afternoon I made a boat tour through the 'Backwaters' with two French. The Backwaters are an interesting network of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals just beyond the coast line. It was interesting to watch village life cruise by. The local people live from fishing, making coir (coconut fiber), copra (dried coconut meat) and growing cashew nuts. Most houses were built on small patches of land and were sometimes completely surrounded by water. It was also the perfect area to spot beautiful birds, like the Kingfisher.

India's oldest European-built church is the St. Francis Church that also stands in the Fort Cochin. The Portuguese constructed it in 1503. The original structure was made out of wood. The church caretaker showed me a small piece of palm wood that had inscriptions dating back to the mid-16th century. It was the written permission of a Raja to rebuild the church with bricks and roof tiles, - initially only allowed to be used by the upper casts. The Dutch Protestant Church restored the church again in 1779. After the care taker discovered that I was Dutch - as I was trying to read Dutch grave stones dating back to the 17th century - I was shown the 300 year old Dutch wedding and death register book. This book, with hand written notes, was very interesting and fun to read. The church also contains the tombstone of Vasco Da Gama, the first European to reach India by sailing around Africa. He died in Cochin in 1524 and was buried there for 14 years before his remains were transported to Lisbon (Portugal).

Not to far from the church I visited the former Dutch cemetery. The site was very disappointing, as it was not maintained at all. Most graves were opened, destroyed or overgrown by grass and trees. However, it was still interesting to decipher the texts on some of the tombstones. The old Dutch language often made me smile. To give you an idea about the contents these texts - obviously for my Dutch readers - I wrote down three inscriptions:

HIER RUST TER SALIGE OPSTANDINGE

HET LYK VAN WYLENDE HEER

JOHANNES ADRIANUS DAIMICHEN

IN LEVEN ONDER KOOPMAN EN

SEKRETARIS VAN POLIETSIE

GEBOOREN TE LUBEEK DEN 1 APRIL

1728 OBIIT DEN 20 AUGUSTUS 1784

HIER RUSTEN TER ZALIGE OPSTANDINGEN

DE WAARDIGE OVERBLYFZELS VAN DEN

WELED. HEER EN MEJUFVROUW WOLFF

BEIDE DEUGDZAAM ECHTELIEDEN

DE EERST GCND. GEB. DEN 31 MAART

1748 EN OVERLED. D. 15 SEPTB. 1815

EN DE TWEEDE GCND. GEB. DEN

22 MAART 1760 EN OVERLED. D. 15 NOVB. 1820

HIER LEGT TERUSTEN MEJUF.

ALETTA AUGUSTINA THIEL

HUISVROUW VAN DE WELEDELE JAN LAMBERTUS VAN SPALL

GEBOOREN DEN 21 APRIL 1660

OBIIT DEN 20 NOVEMBER 1704

On the 14th of February, I took the overnight bus from Ernakulum to Mysore, a journey of 10 hours (to the North).

Early in the morning of the 15th I arrived in Mysore, the city famous for its silk, sandalwood and incense. Until India's independence, Mysore was the seat of the Maharajas of Mysore, a princely state covering about a third of today's Karnataka province. That day I walked through the immense garden surrounding the Mysore Palace. The palace was completed in 1912 (an earlier version burned down in 1897). Except for the many beautiful paintings I didn't like the palace at all. It didn't have any atmosphere, the colors they used were depressing as well as the enormous rooms with many huge pillars. I couldn't believe that the former maharaja still lives in this place. It took me almost two hours to walk through the palace. After a delicious lunch on a rooftop restaurant with great views, I visited the Devaraja fruit and vegetable market. I enjoy these kinds of markets. It gives you great opportunities to take beautiful pictures of the many colorful stalls and the busy people.

That night I enjoyed a shower with warm water - after a long time doing without this kind of luxury. Around 19:30 hours I was fast asleep in a comfortable bed covered by my mosquito net.

Backpackers like myself often swear by guide books like the Lonely Planet of the Rough Guide. They contain excellent background information, make suggestions for places to visit and recommend hotels and guesthouses. However, these 'bibles' most likely also ensure that the reader will not be the only tourist in the many places it recommends (besides the fact that its information is often not up-to-date). Therefore word of mouth recommendations from fellow travelers are sometimes even more valuable. Almost every foreign traveler you meet in India is - sooner or later - in search of a nice, quiet, hassle free place to settle for a few days (some stay years). A Dutch friend I met in China recommended me to visit a coffee estate - known as Palace Estate - in the Kodagu (Coorg) region in southwest Karnataka. It is a cool and green mountainous area with many palm trees, spice plantations and coffee estates. Kodagu was an independent state until 1956 and still many people thrive for an independent Kodagu homeland.

On the 16th of February I took a local state bus to Madikeri (Mercara), the capitol city of Kodagu. It was a great trip. I sat in the oldest bus I ever traveled in - but in relatively good condition. Sitting behind the driver with my backpack between my legs, I had the best seat of the bus. For less than one 1 US$ I traveled for more than three hours through a beautiful landscape, little villages and over impressive hills. One detail of this bus I will never forget; it's horn. It wasn't one of these electric and noisy horns, no it was one of these early 20th century things which were operated by hand outside the drivers window. In Madikeri I took another bus to the village of Kakkabe (40-km southeast of Madikeri). It took the bus almost two hours. The scenery however was beautiful. Green hills and coffee plantations could be seen everywhere. A local person told me to get off the bus at the Kaikamba bus stop, and so I did. And there I was, in the middle of nowhere, I enjoyed it the moment I left the bus. From here I had to walk three kilometers to reach the estate. Fortunately a jeep passed by and I was offered a ride. Just before 15:00 hours that afternoon I sat on the veranda of this beautiful old house drinking homemade lemonade. The view from the porch was incredible and hard to describe. The house, which is 130 years old, stands on a plateau and is surrounded by coffee plants, and many flowers, palm trees and spices. The sounds were these of birds, a few chickens and some children playing on the grounds of the nearby school. I couldn't believe I was here. It was so beautiful, so serene. It appeared that all other 12 'guests' visited this place based on the recommendation of other travelers. Mr. Prakash Pooyanna and his wife live in the main house, his aunt and her husband in the house adjacent. Accommodation for eight guests was constructed behind the main house. Soon after I arrived, 'auntie' took me on a tour through her spice garden and also showed me the different fruits like banana's, oranges, mango, papaya, jack fruit and lemons. Because the accommodation for the guests was full, an Australian couple (Ian and Siobhan who arrived at the same time as I) and myself slept the first night in the bedroom of Pooyana and his wife. They stayed in a tent in front of the house! A Canadian woman told me soon after I arrived that I probably would stay longer on the estate than I had planned (and in the end she was right). She also told me that the food was superb. That evening we all sat like a big family around a big wooden table. The food was fantastic, I ate three full plates. And here I was, together with four English, three Australians, two Germans, one Swiss and two other Dutch. It was a great evening. After dinner we enjoyed coffee and tea on the veranda and had great conversations. The views where stunning, the silence unbelievable; was this India?

Just before 7:00 hours many of us watched the sun rise. From the plateau one could see the hills and the valley, which were filled with fog. The sounds of birds and other animal noises from the jungle just behind the house made it the perfect start of the day. Soon after sunrise, coffee and tea were provided on the veranda. At nine breakfast was served, and also this meal was superb. Dosa's filled with a potato curry mix, coconut pancakes, spicy scrambled eggs and much more. It was difficult for everybody to not 'over-eat'. After breakfast Siobhan, Ian and myself decided to walk to Honey Valley, an estate two hours walk from the Palace Estate. It was a pleasant walk through the woods, coffee plantations and rice fields. At Honey Valley Estate we were welcomed by Suresh and his wife Susheela Chengappa, who built up the estate over the past 18 years. We were offered bananas and fresh homemade lemonade. They used to be one of the most important honey producers in India before a sickness killed most of the native bees in 1994. Now they cultivate coffee, cardamon and pepper.

One afternoon an Englishman (Fletcher) and I climbed the 1.700 meters Tadiyendamol mountain. This mountain - which is not too far from the guesthouse - is the highest in the region.

I enjoyed being among the other guests of the Palace Estate. In the meantime many left and a few new ones arrived. However, it was not that 'crowded' as in the beginning. Everybody was here for the same reason; to relax and enjoy nature. During the day we read books, made short treks in the area or just sat on the veranda overlooking the valley.

It was great to see how coffee was cultivated, harvested and dried in the sun. Pooyanna also produced silk that means he cultivated the silk cocoons. In one of the barns he had thousands of silkworms. In about six days these worms produced beautiful white cocoons. These cocoons were later sold in Madikeri. Each cocoon, according to Pooyanna, contained approximately 1 to 2 kilometers of silk thread.

It was hard to leave the peaceful coffee plantation but it was time to go. Fletcher and I took the local bus back to Madikeri and from there we continued our journey to Hasan. It didn't take too long to get used again to the noise, irritating street vendors and the uncomfortable local buses. From Hasan we took the overnight local bus to Hospet, which is 12-km from Hampi. However, getting on this bus was like taking part in a squad-team exercise. As soon as the bus arrived at the station, about 50 people tried to get on-board. Some even dropped handkerchiefs of bags via the open windows on some seats to claim them later. Other just opened the drivers' door and climbed over his seat to enter the bus. After we silently removed one of the handkerchiefs we took two seats, which of course soon was followed by some arguments with the people who claimed our seats (in situations like this I do not understand or speak English). It was a long and very uncomfortable journey. Tow days after this trip we could still feel our butts.

Hampi was phenomenal. On arrival - in the early morning of February 24th - we both didn't think much of this place. The main bazaar was just of these typical tourist hangouts; too many souvenir stalls, too many irritating vendors and too many other travelers. Later we were told by one of the restaurant owners that this soon might change. In April elections will be held and it is likely that all current (illegal) residents (who mostly own restaurants, guesthouses and souvenir stalls or are beggars) have to leave Hampi Bazaar. However, after exploring the area, a complete different world presented itself.

Hampi was once the center of one of the largest Hindu empires in Indian history. It was founded in 1336 and reached the height of its power under king Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529). The city covered an area of 33 sq. km. and had a population of about half a million. Wealth in Hampi came from the spice trade to the south and the cotton industry. The empire came to a sudden end in 1565 after a disastrous battle with Deccan sultans (Muslims). Excavation of Hampi started in 1976 and is still continuing. It took me almost three days to see all (major) sites. However, every day was different. Biking appeared to be the best way to get around. Many times I wished to be able to go back in time to see the city in its full glory. I was astonished to see how beautiful some of the temples and palaces were, unfortunately, many were in bad shape. Everywhere I could see big and small temple like buildings and behind many rocks I found many beautiful carved portraits of the different Hindu gods. The bigger sites like the Royal Enclosure, the Vittala Temple and the Elephant Stables are real tourist sites. But many other places, where hardly any other soul was going, were definitely worth a visit. Also the elaborate waterworks were amazing. The canals, some of which were below the ground and other above the ground, connected major sites and provided them with water. One of these sites was the Queens bath - a huge pool-house with beautiful decorated walls -, the Underground Temple - where we were welcomed by many bats. I also visited the Zenana Enclosure - where I visited a beautiful pavilion (Lotus Mahal) and the impressive Elephant Stables (although the geologists are still not sure if this construction really was used to house the royal elephants).

The area in which the old city of Hampi was built was very interesting. There was one major river - which you can cross by the use of little round fisher boats -, many hills (more like piles of huge boulders) and farmland. Here and there the old city wall still stands as well as some of the old entrance gates. From the roof of the Achyutaraya Temple - which stands on the high Matunge hill - I watched the sunset. From here I had a magnificent view of the surrounding area. I saw the river which slowly made its way through the landscape and the many green patches of land and banana tree plantations, surrounded by the many ruins.

We stayed at a nice guesthouse near the Bazaar (Vishnu Guesthouse) which had a nice courtyard. At lunchtime - when it was too hot to wonder around the ruins - we ate delicious Msala Dosa and drank superb chai.

On the 27th of February Fletcher and I left for Goa by sleeper bus from Hospet. The journey took about 12 hours. My berth was well positioned. Through the window I could see the beautiful stars outside while listening to some music on my portable CD player.

Goa, a former Portuguese enclave, is one of the most famous parts of India, at least among the beach and party fanatics as well as many hippies. Many say that Goa is far from being Indian and after spending a few days there I must agree. To avoid the crowds and absurd accommodation prices, we decided to head for a little place called Arambol. To get there we had to take two local buses from Mapusa (about 30 minutes north of the capitol city Panaj) and one ferry crossing. But it was worth it. Arambol is still a very relaxed place with no too many tourists. Accommodation was cheap (about 50 rupees per person per night) but very basic. We stayed at a place called Kiya Guesthouse that was about 5 minutes walk from the beach. One of the advantages of Goa is the very low tax on liquor, which meant that we could - without jeopardizing our daily budget - enjoy a cold beer in the evening.

Many people adore the beach of Goa, which to me is awkward. I certainly do not think that the beaches are that great. The sand is gray - like in Holland, the water sandy - like in Galveston and the coastline was not like shown on the postcards. However, it was nice to get a tan, swim and relax. Goa is also a unique spot to watch people, weird western people. Especially before the sun sets the beach was the ideal place to 'broaden' ones horizon. I saw hippies play the drum like worshipping the sun gods and half-naked women perform interesting dances. Others meditated silently on top of the dunes. Sometimes I felt like an alien in Goa. I was one of the very few without any tattoos, any piercing's, long hair and orange/pink clothing. Probably to your disappointment, I didn't change my appearance.

After three days of sun, sand and rest I left Arambol. Fletcher stayed behind because he had some time left before catching his flight from Mumbai to the UK.

After a relatively relaxed and comfortable journey from Panaj - which took about 14 hours by sleeper bus - I arrived in the entrepreneurial city of India; Mumbai (Bombay). Tomorrow (March 5th) I will fly to Bangkok where I will stay just long enough to prepare myself - obtain visa and air ticket - for my next destination ...... Myanmar (Burma). There I will explore Rangoon, Mandalai, Inle Lake, Pagan (Bagan) and the surrounding areas for approximately 28 days, which is the current visa limit.

During this trip I will not be able to communicate via email and post messages on this web site. The military government of Myanmar still prohibits the use of the Internet. I asked myself often if I should visit Myanmar. It is commonly known that the policies of the military government are far from democratic and it also violates human rights. But I personally do not think that the situation will change if I do not visit this country. However, I think that the people of Myanmar will suffer even more if we isolate them completely.

By the end of April I hope to be able to tell you my stories.