Thinking & Feeling

“The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.” Horace Walpole

Monday 29 April 2013

Incredible India - Day 2 - To Munnar and beyond

After a good and much needed night of sleep in Fort Cochin we woke up late and much refreshed. we went down for breakfast and opted for the 'English' egg breakfast rather than Indian curry breakfast for our first morning. It was pretty tasty. While we were having breakfast our transport arrived. We had hired a car & driver for the week. Salim was to be our travel companion and guide for the week. Once we ere acquainted and packed up we hit the road after a stop at a local shopping mall where we stocked up on snacks and provisions, and did some window shopping. I must say I love checking out the grocery stores in different lands and seeing the ranges of products, exotic fruits and veggies and the prices. It's so interesting!
Salim and his car
Ahhh Gems!
Eventually we hit the road an headed in-land in the direction of Munnar. We enjoyed the view and scenery en-route, although the roads were quite windy and nauseating in places and we had to stop a few times to let the boys breathe and walk around as they felt quite ill in the back. The stops turned out to be interesting and we investigated road-side stalls and fruits trees and what not which is all part of the adventure! It is HOT in India though so it was always a welcome reprieve to get back in the car and the relief of the cool air-con again. Salim was always very good about ensuring that the car stayed nice and cool for us. He also pointed out attractions along the way and gave us insight to local life, culture, customs and living in India.
The road from Kochi to Munnar
Road travel in India is not fast. the roads are narrow, and winding and pretty busy (in Kerala anyway) and so there is constant passing and hooting and winding in and out of traffic. The Indians hoot pretty incessantly as they drive. It's just how it is done there. It means I am here, I want to pass, I am passing, get out the way, please pass me, hey you, hello, sod off, don't hit me, I'm bored... pretty much anything from what i can tell. People are not offended by the hooting at all and it is generally not at all aggressive or antagonistic. in fact a lot of vehicles have stickers on the back saying 'please use horn'. It really is how they communicate their presence to each other. It can be very handy when rounding bends on narrow winding roads and at least you know in advance that someone is approaching from the other direction. So driving is not a quiet affair there because the hooting is constant.
On the way to Munnar
By late afternoon we got to Munnar and the  hills covered with beautiful tea plantations. They are really gorgeous. We still had a ways to go though so didn't actually stop in Munnar, although the town itself didn't look all the interesting really. We carried on beyond Munnar to Camp Anaerangal - further up in the mountains. It took a while to get there and the road was quite steep and none of us really knew where we were going, but eventually we got there at dusk.
Fruit in a market in Kochi
Camp Anaerangal is a camp site with 'luxury' permanent tents (with electricity, beds  and en-suite bathrooms). There are only 6 tents. There were 2 other Indian guys staying there but otherwise it was just us. We were served a cool refreshing sweet drink when we arrived.

After being stuck in the car all day, A and I decided to go for a walk before dark to stretch our legs and see the landscape. The boys opted to stay in camp (and make an arsenal of weapons - spears, swords etc out of sticks and stones). We walked down the hill and past some rural village folk, who were all very friendly waving and smiling. Until we found the strangest thing. We found an artificial cave which on closer inspection contained Jesus - on the cross. It was actually good Friday. But it just seemed so strange to be out literally in the sticks in the middle of no-where in India and to find Jesus! 
We headed back up the hill as night fell to enjoy a delicious Indian buffet dinner in the lapa. Chapattis, Dal, and several different vegetarian curries. It was delicious! After dinner we played Uno - until we discovered A is a complete cheat. So we played Bullshit instead - since that seems better suited to his cheating ways. Then we moved on to Poker! Eventually succumbing to tiredness and the lure of bed.
Camp Anaerangal

Next up DAY 3...

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Table Mountain Conquered and another on the horizon!


I don't really know why, but I have always had this 'fear' of Table Mountain and climbing it. It looked and seemed really hard and quite a monumental challenge. I felt like I couldn't actually do it. And although it's always been on my bucket list, I have never found the right time to commit to actually doing it. Something in my brain told me it was not something 'little old me' could do.

I mean I run, a lot, and reasonably well. I climb Lion's Head with no trouble pretty often. I have even been up to the dams on Table Mountain from the Constantia Nek side (the back) several times and have been down both Nursery Ravine and Skeleton Gorge. I also run around Newlands forest and the contour paths quite often...


Still the front of the mountain seemed so high and scary and well insurmountable (excuse the pun). 
But then A convinced me to do something mad - so I have signed up to join him on a climb of Mt Kinabalu next month in Borneo!! On what will be a whistle-stop trip after a conference we are going to in Singapore. Eeeeeeek!! I am beyond excited, but also rather scared and daunted because well, Table Mountain is just over 1000m (if you climb it is it about 700m as you start at an elevation of around 300 meters) and Mt Kinabalu is (4100m with the climb starting at 1800m) so more than 3 times the ascent of table mountain.


So suddenly Table Mountain did not seem quite so scary. In fact it suddenly seemed like something I really needed to do and fast. As luck would have it a colleague of mine is the New Balance Multi-Sport club Trail Running Captain and he arranged a run/hike up Table Mountain on Saturday morning. He is very experienced and knows the mountain well. Also the weather forecast was good. So I really had no excuses! 
So off I went bright and early. They were going to break into 3 groups. Fast, Medium and Slow. To do various distances and speeds. I said I'd join the middle group and would drop back to the slow(hiking) group if I couldn't keep up. A and my friend Tim came along too. 


It was the most spectacularly beautiful and perfect day in Cape Town. We set off along the Pipe Track at 7am and then climbed up Kasteelpoort (basically rock steps all the way up). At the top we ran along the trails and over the Woodhead Dam wall. I suddenly realised we were in the FAST group and I was at the front nogal!? And I was loving it. In the end we stayed with the fast group and did a full 18km - going around Victoria, De Villiers and Healy Hutchinson Dams through Echo Valley and then up to Maclears before heading to the Cable Station and restaurant for a well deserved breakfast. Afterwards the rest of the group caught the cable car down, but A, Tim and I decided we were not done and might as well make it a full-n training session and so we climbed down Platteklip Gorge and ended up doing about 25km.


It was flippen AWESOME! I will admit we had to have a nap later in the afternoon and were a bit stiff afterwards. But I have FINALLY conquered Table Mountain and LOVED it. I will be back. And seriously guys Cape Town has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is spectacular and RIGHT here to enjoy!


I am DEFINITELY doing that again. What an experience!! :)


If anyone is keen on a hike up in the next 2 weeks let me know, because I need to get some climbing time in my legs and also need to get used to slower climbing and carrying a back-pack. :)


This is what it looks like up Table Mountain ...
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Friday 19 April 2013

Incredible India - Day 1 - Fort Cochin

So on Wed 27 March, the boys, A and I set off  from Cape Town. We flew with Emirates. Who are the cheapest by far (we get a 35% discount thanks to being on Discovery Vitality DIAMOND status :) ). It's an awesome airline and I love flying with them. They are amazing with kids too giving them awesome special meals, toys, gifts and all sorts of fun things to keep them well happy and occupied.
The trip to India

We flew via Dubai and then on to Mumbai and then straight on to Kochi (down in the Southern Part of India, South of Goa, in Kerala State, where we spent most of our holiday).

Map of India - we went to Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Mumbai
We'd been warned that the 3 hours we had between flights in Mumbai was NOT ENOUGH and we'd struggle to make our connecting flight. We were lucky that we did, with ease, but I researched it extensively and made sure we knew exactly what to do. As it turns out the domestic terminal is really another airport about 5km away, so it's not actually close or easy to get between the 2. Anyway we got there and after about 26 hours of travelling we arrived in Fort Cochin after 3 flights, 2 taxi rides and a bus journey a bit sweaty and tired but otherwise unscathed.
Map of Kerala
 Fort Cochin is the old part of Kochi and is characterful and cute and interesting. We caught a taxi from the airport and due to traffic our driver took us a longer but faster way via a ferry. 
Us arriving in Fort Cochin
 We stayed in the Rossitta Wood Castle hotel for the night.It was very odd and quirky, but had some sort of charm! I guess it was comfortable enough - although we were tired enough that anything would have been I think! Still it was reasonably priced, friendly and the food was tasty and it was very well located.
After checking in and getting settled and cleaned up we had a quick snack, regrouped and then went for a stroll to check out the beach front area and markets and see what was to be found. We found and explored the beautiful Chinese Fishing Nets...
  I just love this photo...
Some gorgeous rock art.
 Spices, churches, paintings etc.
  Is this not the most fantastic tree you have ever seen!? I adored it! Simply magical!
The boys and I in Fort Cochin
We also interacted with the locals and found the children in particular to be really friendly and engaging. They all smiled and wanted to greet us. They were beautiful too. There was not much or a market, and no real shopping opportunities, but enough to make for an interesting and enjoyable sunset stroll. By the time the sun set the boys were totally tired of travelling and exploring and decided that they just wanted to plant their bums in bed watching TV, which they wisely did.

A and I were not giving up that easily though and soldiered on determined to go see the traditional Keralan Kathakali Dancing at the Kathakali Centre just a short walk away. So off we went to witness this amazing weird and wonderful spectacle.

For the first hour you can watch the Kathakali artists painstakingly and meticulously applying their make-up and getting into character. They then explain and demonstrate the various aspects of Kathakali, which takes about 6 years to learn apparently. It is a musical, interpretive, expressionistic dance story-telling of sorts told with chanting, drumming, gestures and many specific expressions facial. It was fascinating but rather loud and then a bit long, because much as I found it interesting I was actually struggling to stay awake... despite being seated front and center! Oops. It retrospect it was probably not the best way/time to experience Kathakali but I am very glad I got to see it it was quite an experience and unlike anything I have seen before!
After the Kathakali we were beyond exhausted and just wanted to sleep. We were not even interested in dinner. So we walked back to our hotel, donned ear plugs and eye shades and slept solidly for about 10 hours!

Incredible India


So we were thrilled and privileged to be able to jet off to INCREDIBLE INDIA for our Easter Holidays.

I'll do a sequential post of the actual things we saw and did next, but the synopsis is that it was an awesome holiday and somehow the longer I am back from it, the more I loved it. Which is odd, but I think India takes a while to seep it. It is a little overwhelming and frustrating and confounding while you are there. Also our trip was very short and pretty action packed so I think we needed a while to assimilate and process it all....

This pretty neatly sums Indai up:

A Rough Guide to India: "It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Enriched by successive waves of migration and marauders from distant lands, every one of them left an indelible imprint which was absorbed into the Indian way of life. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. It is this variety which provides a breathtaking ensemble for experiences that is uniquely Indian. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely..."

In a nutshell it was amazing. (Even though I must be honest a lot of the time I was thinking 'but not quite as nice as Thailand' - as that is still my first love and everything there is just better and more).

India's charm  though  is the chaos and madness and vagaries.  You never know quite what is going on, or what you are going to get, or where you are going. There is never a direct yes or no answer either. That head bobble means anything from, yes, no, maybe, later, not on your life, I have no idea what you want, I am going to do what I want anyway, yeah right, huh ?, lol, whatever! etc.

It's funny when it's not frustrating. In fact most things are amusing if you manage to keep your wits and sense of humour.

Basically it is a land of extremes and contrasts: Crazy, humid, dirty, loud, tasty, confusing, entertaining, spicy, poor, dusty, beautiful, fun, colourful, exhausting, opulent, magical, bustling, HOT. incredible!

We did all sorts of things and everything from super cheap, cheerful and dirty  (even a slum tour ) and cockroach ridden places to high-end luxury and even got bumped up to a 5-star suite luxury hotel with butler (I kid you not!) in Mumbai, when our booked hotel was full because the Mumbai Indians were staying there for the IPL. So we really had a vast spectrum of experiences.

The boys loved it. I am always impressed with how open they are to new experiences and how they roll with stuff and lap it all up - as do I. So it is really fun travelling with them.

As I said it's not as pretty, friendly, organised, spiritual , cheap (in fact India is surprisingly NOT cheap a lot of the time in terms of shopping and accommodation & transport esp) or accessible as Thailand is, and it was really hard not to compare the 2 constantly, but it definitely was quite an amazing experience and I am very glad we went.

More to follow...

March Catch-Up

I have been very bad at keeping up to date on my blog, and I like to because it really is a diary of sorts for me and I like to use it as a way to journal my experiences  achievements and thoughts and to be able to remember them and to go back and relive them when I want to! I also refer people to them sometimes if they ask questions about stuff I have done or places I have been. So it's time to catch-up on the past month or so.

The past month has been so busy in fact that for the first time ever I did not specifically commemorate/ celebrate Angelique's birthday. It passed in a blur on Sat 23 March. It was her 15th birthday though. Can you believe it? So Happy Birthday darling blessed baby girl. I still think of her a lot and she is still (obviously) hugely meaningful to me. But there is no sorrow there. Just peace, acceptance and love. We did visit her mountain (Lion's Head - where I have a memorial tree planted for her) the week-end before, when I lead a small group from work on a hike up and down and got this gorgeous sunset shot on the way down right near her tree.
Just after that my parents arrived to spend a week with us. We hadn't seen them for about 18 months and have really missed them, so we were thrilled to have Granny & Grandpa Fraser here. My father is a wonderful father and fabulous Grandpa (although he has decided he is now officially 'grampa' now) and Granny Rose is awesome too. Although we had to carry on with work and school we got to chat, laugh, cook and eat and also went out a fair amount.Including a wonderful day out to Franschoek for wine & chocolate tasting at La Couronne followed by lunch in the main street.
 We then drove back through to Cape Town for a stunning sun-set stroll in Sea Point - the weather was simply perfect that day!
After that we went on to the Fugard Theatre to see 'Master Harold and the Boys'
Master Harold ... and the Boys


Set in the St. George’s Park tea room in Port Elizabeth on a dreary, wet afternoon in 1950, Master Harold ... and the Boys tells the story of three friends, one a 17 year old white boy and the other two the black servants he has grown up around, whose relationship is put to the test by societal and personal forces. The play devastatingly reveals how racial prejudice, especially legislated racial prejudice, insinuates itself into every social sphere of existence, until the very language of ordinary human discourse begins to reflect the policy that makes black men subservient to the power exercised by white men. As with all of Athol Fugard’s work, the brilliance of Master Harold ... and the Boys lies in that it deals not with political issues, but with individuals, and their struggles for life and happiness in a world that is set up to deny them these basic human rights.

Directed by Kim Kerfoot (you is in my yoga class)
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It was very good, although being a Fugard play was pretty heavy and emotionally draining.

We also got to have a big dinner at my house with Granny, Grampa, my sister Belinda and her 2 munchkins Alastair & Juliette. It was actually really nice to have a full bustling busy happy house.

All to soon we had to bid everyone goodbye and I went straight to an empty nest with everyone gone. Grandparents left to continue their holiday up the garden route and my sister went back to her home and then both boys went off on camp and it was just ME at home. I had plenty to keep my busy though as I was scrambling around finishing off work and making last minute plans for OUR holiday.... 

The plans and co-ordination was rather hectic the visas took ages and were ready only the week we left and both boys came back from their respective school camps on the day we left. Quinn was (alone) on an earlier bus back from his Knysna camp over night and Griffin was being brought back a few hours early from his camp in Stellenbosch by a kind and helpful teacher. I had to be up at 05:30 on the morning to get us all packed, and make sure to get both back and cleaned up and ready to go by about 10am.

But thankfully everything came together just right and just in time for us to head off to...INDIA!

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Spar Women's Challenge 2013 - Best Yet

The boys and I took part in the Spar Women's Challenge again this year. I have done this race many times now.  Last year was the first year that it moved to Greenpoint and I hated it (bad weather, badly organised and and and) this year they improved dramatically and despite a field of 20 000+ between the 5 and 10km events it was very well organised and run (excuse the pun).

Quinn decided to try the 10km event this year. His very first time trying this distance, as he has only done 5km events up to now. Griffin did his usual 5km. 

Now that I am a bone fida member of a club and run in club kit (including my Red Socks this time). I can now officially seed myself and don't have to sneak in near the front, which was good as the front pen was well 'policed' and I was offiically let in. I managed to start about 100m from the front which was as good as I could hope for in that crowd.

The race went well and I actually enjoyed it. The weather was perfect.  I didn't feel all that fast but I did get off to a good start and felt strong and comfortable. I ran as fast as I could manage and just kept going. A passed a good few people and after the half way mark I started realising I was pretty much on my own. The elite athletes had left me in their dust and I had passed everyone near to my level and I was out 'front' alone! It was pretty weird and kinda cool to be in a field of 20 000 runners but all on my own!! I finished with no one anywhere near me and managed to come 70th! With a new personal best of 47:45! I was thrilled with that!

Quinn ran/walked his race. Once I'd caught my breath I jogged back along the route and found him at about the 6km point and finished his race with him. He was tired and walking by then, but in the last km he got a second wind and finished quite strong and fast. I was very proud of him.

Griff did his 5km all alone and got his best time yet at just on 50 mins.

We had a lovely time and really enjoyed the morning. I ended up doing 21 km in the end between all the extra run/walking up and down with the boys after my 10km.







Our results:

http://www.racetecresults.com/Results.aspx?CId=35&RId=84

Jane FRASER

Race No :
 
1187
Gender :
 
Female
Category :
 
35-39
Status :
 
Finished
Club :
 
Atlantic
RESULTS

10km - 
00:47:46
<-Personal Best!

Overall :
 
70
Gender :
 
66
Categ :
 
6

 Total

Me

Out of Total

%ile Top

Placing Overall

70th

11867

0.6%

Placing in Females

66th

10759

0.6%

Placing in Age Cat

6th

1347

0.4%

 

Split Name

Race Time

Leg Time

Time of Day

Pos

Cat Pos

Gen Pos

Dist Done

Pace

HalfWay

00:26:12

00:26:12

08:09:04

65

6

63

5

11.4

Finish

00:47:46

00:21:34

08:30:38

71

6

67

10

13.9

   

Quinn FRASER

Race No :
 
1188
Gender :
 
Male
Category :
 
Male
Status :
 
Finished
Club :
T
EMP
RESULTS
 
10km - 
01:44:28
<- First 10km = Personal Best
Overall :
 
4966
Gender :
 
519
Categ :
 
519
 
 

Split Name

Race Time

Leg Time

Time of Day

Pos

Cat Pos

Gen Pos

Dist Done

Pace

HalfWay

01:00:20

01:00:20

08:43:12

5012

490

490

5

5.0

Finish

01:44:28

00:44:08

09:27:20

4966

519

519

10

6.8


Griffin FRASER
Race No :20053
Gender :Male
Category :Male
Status :Finished
Club :TEMP
RESULTS

5km -
00:50:19
<- Personal Best
Overall :1969
Gender :210
Categ :210