The Village - Mattul

Finally made it to the village, Mattul after an hours drive. In fact there is railway station much nearer to the village, only 5 minutes away, Payangadi Station. The next time will get down at Payangadi. The picture above shows the entry post into the village area.

Went straight to our aunty's house, our place of stay during our entire visit. Our command centre!

The front view of the house and the side court yard. Most houses in the village are big bunglows. Financed by gulf money.

That same evening we had to go to the 'taravad' house ie the family house. Now occupied by the eldest aunty. The folks in Mattul follow a custom of maternal inheritence, like the Minangs. Maybe the Minangs were originally from Mattul or vice versa! Once the sons get married they move out and stay with the wife's family. There they are treated like princes. And they are forever known as 'puthu appale' (new groom), from the day of marriage till the grave.

The taravad house is close to 100 years old. Built of stone bricks, literally square stones, and wood.

The back door into the taravad house.

The front of the house.

The side view

The family well

Resting at the veranda with a cousin. The concrete slabs are cool. The veranda is the meeting place for male visitors. Its also a nice place to take a nap. Newer houses don't have these veranda anymore.

Napping on the veranda

Waiting for lunch to be served at the veranda.

What can the veranda be used for....?

Till the next time..........

Next Stop Kannur.......

Left Chennai on the night train for Kannur. A 13 hour trip across India, from the Indian Ocean to the the Arabian Sea. The train coaches were relatively clean and comfortable. Slept most of the journey.......... thank God for that. (Picture above is a banana vendor at the Chennai Railway Station)

The country side is so much like Malaysia. If we replace the Indian style houses with kampung house, it will be difficult to tell the difference. Of course minus the open air toilets!!

A village along the way, by the rail track. The coconut trees and dirt road is reminiscent of my grandmother's kampung.

This is not the bridge over Sungai Perak. It looks similar though.

Reached Kannur in the morning.

People waiting for the train at Kannur Station, on the platform and off the platform! Disregard the rubbish on the track. You haven't seen the real thing yet!!!!

A view of the tracks. Litter litter everywhere.

Kannur fort.

Overlooking the sea entry point from Kannur fort.

The well maintained gardens of the fort.

Walking the gang way, heading to...................

.................the dungeon !!!!!!!

From Kannur travelled by car to kampung, Mattul. The roads are good but a bit narrow. However the drivers are more 'daring'. Thrill seekers actually. Thank god we made it safely to the kampung!!!!

To be continued...............

Chennai India

Arrived in Chennai around midnight. Went straight to the hotel for a good nights sleep. Traffic was heavy. Everyone was honking all the time. Such a difference from back home in Malaysia. In India you are expected to honk, the other driver has no problem with that. Try that in Malaysia and more often than not the least you would get is a rude stare.

Breakfast at the hotel was good, good Indian buffet breakfast. (By the way restaurants in India are also known as hotels) So be careful what you mean when you ask for a hotel.

After breakfast, a tour of Chennai. weather was hot but bearable and windy. Cleanliness poor. Flies have a field day, they are everywhere. Never try to eat or drink out doors unless you want your food to be swarmed with flies. Air conditioned restaurants are fortunately clean, presentable and fly free.

Some photos of Chennai:

The roads of Chennai. The 3 wheeled 'auto' is very popular means of public transport. It is either 3 or 5 seated.

The famous Marina beach. You have to walk about half a km to reach the sea, or so the locals say.

A drink kiosk at the beach. Drinking bottled water is ok.

Buying sea shells and gem stones at he beach. The prices are not too bad. But you have to bargain, just like in Chow Kit or Petaling Street.

The shanty fisherman's village at Marina Beach. No electricity, water supply and sanitation. Bathe at roadside water taps.

Looks like some estates houses in Malaysia......................

Fisherwomen selling fish (what else!) by the beach. Just like the women in Kelantan. Women power or empowering women?

A mosque somewhere in Chennai. The roads are dusty and littered, littered, littered!

This is the train from Chennai to Kannur. It has about 20 coaches I think, but who really counted. It will be a 13 hour train journey from Chennai to Kannur.

Next stop Kannur.

The Plan............

We will leave Malaysia on a flight to Chennai. Arriving there at night. Our relative has already booked a room at the airport hotel for us to spend the night in Chennai.

I wonder if Chennai will look like this photo in real life...........................Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

 The next day our train trip to 'kampung' will begin.

A look at the map of Kerala to get a bearing of where were are heading... into unchartered waters. Thank god for mother in laws! How would we get along without them!? : )

Our train trip will take us from Chennai to Palakkad, my paternal grandfather's place, or so I have been told. We will then proceed to my paternal grandmother's hometown Kozhikode and end our train trip at Kannur and proceed by road to my wife's  'kampung' Mattul (Mattanur).

We will be staying at a traditional village house  in Mattul. That will be our base.

In The Beginning

                                 

               This is going to be our first trip to visit India , as a family. Our very own 'Passage to India'. This visit has been in the planning for a very long time. Slowly but surely the time is drawing near when we will finally visit 'The Jewel In the Crown'.

My paternal grandparents are from India, specifically from Kerala. They came to Malaysia many many many years ago, even before World War II.  My wives parents are from the Malabar Coast, Kerala. They have been here for many years as well.

After all these very long years, I am about to embark on visit to land of my ancestors. is no great adventure but rather more like 'balik kampung'. Hopefully all goes well.