Phew, I am back from India. Nothing could describe my joyous relief when I finally got back to Malaysia after a week of staggeringly exasperating adventure in India.
We spent a week in South India, exploring mainly Trivandrum and Bangalore. The experience was trying but unforgettable. We are so glad to be able to say we survived India, unscathed.
First Look of India: By the time our plane touched down in the Bangalore International Airport, it was nearing 1am. We decided to put up for a night in downtown Bangalore, Karnataka before our transit to Trivandrum, Kerala the following morning.
India is a vast continent: Air travel is the best mode of transport from a state to another. We took a comfortable 1-hour plus flight from Bangalore to Trivandrum via Jet Airways.
The MG Road: Here is the thoroughfare of Trivandrum, capital of Kerala. Kerala is also known as God’s Own Country, for reasons that still baffle me.
Best Dough in the World: This is tandoor stuffed naan, immensely delicious. We ate this on our second night in Trivandrum. It was the best naan we have ever eaten.
Tandoor chicken drumstick: The meat which is tender and flavorful, goes very well with the naan and masala. Perfect meal for a hungry traveller.
Best Restaurant in Town: If you happen to be in Trivandrum in the future, you must pay a visit to Kalavara Family Restaurant. The food there is simply out of this world. I have never thought Indian food could be this delicious until I ate at this restaurant.
Literary Country: One of many bookshops around Trivandrum in Kerala, India. Indeed, Kerala boasts the highest literacy rates amongst the states in India. By the way, our ex-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s father is a Keralite immigrant.
Banana Leaf: We had this excellent all-you-can-eat seafood lunch at New Mubarak in Trivandrum. The food is authentic, cheap and world class!
Ah… Books!!!
Any untoward GI incident?
Had to ask…because India is on my list of to-visit countries and I have a wimpy stomach (and small and large bowels for that matter)!
Our stomachs are pretty resilient. So fortunately, we were not afflicted with the infamous Delhi Belly.
But really, vigilance is the key to surviving India. We drink only bottled water from reputable brands. We ate at restaurants endorsed by Lonely Planet, avoiding seedy-looking food joints. We also stayed away from ice cubes, fruit juices and milk. And we cleaned our utensils assiduously before dining, ignoring the gaze of native Indians.
We brought along ciprofloxacin, lomotil and stuffs for fear of the ruthlessness of Murphy’s Law. In the end, everything went fine. We gobbled up more curry and masala in a week than a prison inmate will eat in a month and we totally enjoyed it.