Cochin-Guruvayoor

Hindu Temple, Guruvayoor
Elephant sun shade, Guruvayoor
The beach, guess where

I had 3 days to get to Calicut, or Kozhicode as it is known now, 200 Kms north of Cochin, or Kochi.....as it is known now. Got an `express coach` driven by the usual rally driver who weaved in and out of traffic at lightning, frightning, excitning speed, often being overtaken whilst overtaking with at least 3 vehicles doing the same in the opposite direction. Luckily they all sound their their excessively loud horns so everything will work out fine. The drivers also have much insurance having a flashing shrine to Shiva, Ganesha etc, with a rosary and cross hung around it and various Muslim writings for good luck. Long live religious tolerance I say. Is there not a religious equivalent to Esparanto? (on second thoughts it is almost a religion to those who speak it.) After 3 hours of sharing personal space and sweat with a series of co-bussers, I made the mistake of taking the leg-room option of the back seat which means getting catapulted towards the roof at each pot hole, we scream into a town called Guruvayoor. My Friend Saj has bought some land there to develop as another home-stay, and highly recommended that I visit. My first impression is a party town, there is bunting everywhere and thousands, no hundreds of people dressed in off white lunghis trimmed with gold, hundreds of stalls selling ....everything, definately something going on here. Turns out this is one of the majorm pilgrimage towns with a huge temple devoted to Ganesh (I think), and not a tourist in site. Luckily I find a room and go gawking. Now I`ve been here in India a while and been to some less frequented spots but this is special, a town full of Brahmin devotees out for their annual bash, various coloured splotches on their foreheads, and I have just gate-crashed the party. Being the Brahmin cast they are preists, intelectuals, teachers etc and they had a noble aire to them, friendly but aloof. I had heard about the Elephant sanctuary from Saj so I took a tuc-tuc to have a look. They are all temple elephants and 5 of the 80 or so walk the 5Kms to town to paricipate in then daily rituals, at the end of the 10 day festival they have an elephant race, not to be underestimated, they have killed 3 trainers in the last 9 months!
We go from there to the local beach. A dozen fishing boats, fishermen`s palm shacks, and a hand ful of locals frolicking in saris, lunghis in the sea. Oh I forgot 1 vendor selling drinks. In either direction beach and palm trees to the horizon, I see what Saj sees in the place but there is NO infrastructure yet. However with tourism rising by over 20% a year, an econmy bursting at over 9% for the last 4 years, I feel it wont be long before Guruvayoor is on the map (it`s not even in the guidebooks yet!)
Back to town for a Brahmin meal at my Brahmin hotel and off to the concert area, Folk dancing
Carnatic music, Katakali dance, I am riveted to the spot till a lovely man gripped my arm like a vice and lead me to the front saying `you will see much better here` in perfect English. Wot a day.
inoubliable.