Free Essay On Gwri 10112a-Holiday Memories.

Through this paper, I have decided to share my Holiday Memories. Last Christmas, I had a 2 weeks’ holiday in India, with my family. There are many reasons why we choose to holiday in India. My dad’s close friend Sivakumar has been inviting since long, and we were more than happy to accept the invitation. I like Bollywood songs and I have some close friends who are from India. Though my dad is used to traveling abroad, for the rest of the family, it is the first time outside North America. I had prior ideas and perspective about India, which I have learned from friends and media. Further, I am also a fan of Bollywood movies. I was excited, but, did not know what to expect. We arrived at Kochi airport in the early hours of dawn. Siva Kumar and his wife Padma were already waiting at the airport to receive us. Our host had two lovely daughters, but I could not meet them on the first day as we were busy with settling down. By the time we got to Kumar’s house in Cheyaram, Thrissur, the weather had become warmer and I had begun to realize that I am in a tropical land. Within two days, I got acclimatized to the place and its weather. We stayed at Kumar’s ancestral house. I felt as if this place was on a different planet. People, their habits, dressing style, language, color, climate, space, and everything was different. For some reason, it was not the way I have predicted or expected. It was different, more beautiful and more lovely. Something about Kerala, made me feel at home and I felt that people were lucky to be in a place like this. By noon, the sun was at its best. But according to the Kumar’s, it is winter in Kerala, and the real summer heat started in March. In December, the average daily temperature ranged somewhere between 27-310C. Though I had tried Indian cuisine earlier in the U.S, I found it different in Kerala. Most of the cuisine were vegan, was tasty and not spicy as I have expected. My best holiday memories are yet to begin.
Kerala is a mesmerizing tropical delight. Being motivated by Siva Kumar, I decided to explore the town by myself on a bicycle. The next day; I got up early; packed my backpack with some snack, water, took my phone, currencies and some contacts details, just in case I run into a problem. With all set, I left the ancestral house at 6.00am, promising Kumar that I will return by the dusk. In the early hours of dawn, the streets were less crowded and pious the believers were on their way to the Holy Mass. I saw a church on my way, it was 3-4 yards from Siva Kumar’s house. There are quite a lot of Christian believers in this part of the town. On a side street corner, I saw a dark skinned elderly gentleman selling tea. I quickly parked my bike and approached him. The vendor was more than happy to see a foreigner visit his tea stall. People of Kerala speak Malayalam and they understand English. I was able to communicate through words and gestures that I wanted a tea and something to eat. He gave me hot steaming tea and in a plate something that looked like a fried hot dog. But it was not a hot dog! It was “Pazampouri”, banana dipped in a batter and fried in coconut oil. The tea tasted different and I burnt my mouth while drinking it. For some reason that could not comprehend, the tea stall gentlemen will not accept money from me and this was confusing. People and their culture towards foreigners were warm and welcoming.
After riding the bike for about 30 minutes, I entered the main road and the traffic was beginning to get intense. People were staring at me, gleaming and showing gestures at me. I could not comprehend what they were trying to tell. Not very soon, I was stopped by a car that barged directly towards me. Only then did it strike me that I was riding on the wrong side of the road. In India, we have to “Keep Left”, unlike in the U.S, where we “Keep Right”. There was one single road for all road users and it did not give the luxury of a separate path for the bike riders. Riding on Indian roads is an adventure in itself. Once I got into the rhythm of the road, I steered past ahead the vehicles, not quite sure where I was heading. I went with the flow. From my navigator, I could learn that I am at the Palace Road, Thrissur. This place is about 7 kilometers from Siva Kumar’s house. I decided to park my bike in the side street and explore the town on foot. Bus services were so rampant in the town. India is a land of colors and diversity. People, the houses, the surroundings and everything about the place was bright and colorful. It is very difficult to describe in words what I was seeing. Something about the place would lift up your spirit, with you not having to do particularly anything about it. There were people everywhere. Though this was intimidating for me first, I was beginning to enjoy this subsequently.
The town has small and big business centers. I saw Palace road was a commercial center. I did not find any palace on the road. So I decided to travel a little further ahead on my bicycle and I reached the busiest part of the town. This place is called the Thrissur Town and it has everything you want. I was puzzled why India was called a poor country. People of Kerala are particularly crazy about gold and this is the area of the town you would want to visit if you are interested in gold purchasing. There were shady trees along the way. I decided to park my bicycle behind a tree and take a rest. Just then I saw two big elephants walking towards me. In utter shock and panic, I dropped my bicycle and ran behind the tree. I noticed people laughing at my gesture. The elephants calmly walked past the crowd on its way to a nearby temple. People in this town are used to seeing elephants on the road. These elephants are tamed and do not harm people. In fact, people of Kerala worship elephants and share a close bond with the animal. This is just a glimpse of the many varied experiences I had during my 2 weeks’ holiday in Kerala. Each time I think about my bicycle adventure, it brings a huge smile on my face. Recalling these vivid memories and expressing it on the paper, was a pleasure in itself.