The Gazette from Montreal, Quebec, Canada • 106

'fir 4.. A- 'J. -r 7 f. iv IJ ttfr- Vi i -7) iTif 1m- to)4y, -'-vv- i'--, MJ 7' -V rv Av.V 7 Vt Irr rJl.llUI (II 4 U-ll II ILL llll CV -iff v- Lrf 2T7. OLYMPIC ODYSSEY INDIA can be a major stop on a 30-day round-the-world trip structured around a 12-day visit to South Korea for the 1988 Olympics, If you've spent 2-3 days each lii Hong Kong and Singapore, you'll have at least 10 days left for India.

Canadians need a visa to visit India. Three-month tourist visas cost $7 plus postage. Application forms are available from some travel agents, Air-India and the High Commission of India in Ottawa, You'll need two passport-size photos and proof of travel arrangements. Completed applications should be sent to the high commission at 10 Springfield Ottawa, Ont, KIM 1C9. Phone: (613) 744-3751.

There are no mandatory vaccinations required unless you're entering India from a yellow fever zone. However, most doctors recommend anti-malaria pills and shots against cholera, tetanus and hepatitis. Currency and traveller's cheques can be easily exchanged at banks and hotels. Traveller's cheques get you a better rate on the Indian rupee worth about 9.95 to the Canadian dollar. All foreigners are required to pay their hotel bills in foreign exchange cash, cheques or credit cards.

Retain exchange certificates issued by the banks or hotels for reconverting Indian rupees to other currencies. Save 100 rupees for airport departure tax. Ten to 12 days are adequate only for a taste of India. We chose to devote 2-3 days each to Bombay, the southwestern exchanged foreign currency for them. You'll pay around 35 per cent less if book in India instead of in Montreal.

There are daily flights from Bombay to Trivandrum and Cochin in Kerala, to Goa and to Nagpur, the nearest airport to the Kanha Kisli National Park. This wildlife preserve, one of more than 20 all over India, is about 300 kilometres by road from Nagpur. The closer you get to the park, the more often you'll ford shallow rivers without bridges. Most of the route lies through rich farmland, giving you an intimate look at rural India. It's possible to fly to Nagpur, spend the night there, leave the next day for Kanha, spend a night there, tour the park in the morning and return to Nagpur for a return flight to Bombay.

For Kerala and Goa. you can fly from Bombay to Trivandrum first and then backtrack through Cochin and Goa. To save some money and for the experience, you can take a train from Trivandrum to Cochin t- first-class fare is $10 for the five-hour ride. For more information on hotels, restaurants and shopping on the Bombay-Nagpur-Kanha-Kcrala-Goa itinerary see Page 1-9. For brochures, maps and other tourist information on India contact the Government of India Tourist Office, 60 Bloor St.

West, Suite 1003, Toronto, M4W 3B8. Phone: (416) 962-3787 or 962-3788. Ashok Chandwani Young men practise drumming for a Hindu festival in tiny village in Kerala's backwaters. w. Fording a river near wildlife preserve A mother and her son in Kerala village.

Gazette pnotos by Asuok chandwam I province of Kerala, the beaches of Goa and Kanha Kisli National Park in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Bombay has two airports. Sahar, the newer one, is used for all international flights, Santa Crui for domestic flights. Indian Airlines (not to be confused with Air-India, the international carrier) operates all domestic services." Equipment (Boeings and Airbuses) is modern and staff professional but planes are always full and delays fre quent. Book welt in -advance and always reconfirm in advance.

Low domestic fares are even cheaper if you buy them in rupees with proof you've lates it from the rest of India. In ancient times Kerala traded with Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome and China, when Hinduism and Buddhism flourished here. It is believed that St. Thomas the Apostle founded the Syrian church and early Jewish immigrants established a colony in the first century A.D. And Arab traders introduced Islam from the 6th century on.

Later came Portuguese, Dutch and the English. Modern Kerala is India's most literate state. It also has the distinction of having elected a Communist government in 1957 in free elections in a parliamentary jurisdiction. That government lasted only two years but Communists have been active in subsequent years and again formed a government this year. Their rich history, diversity and long contact with the outside world make Kera-lites extremely friendly people.

Their guileless warmth is a marked contrast from attitudes often encountered in the ip'w-'KMty A'Mf1 mS teM7-i 4 77 J7irl -JL uM! di7 3 7" ,1 1 JV. JfA-S1 If 11 i 11 1 tt1" 'i'' a 2 buses in small town in Kerala's Tiger hunt is worth cutting into jungle of bureaucracy By ASHOK CHANDWANI Gazette Travel Editor ANHA KISLI NATIONAL PARK. India At the end of a dusty, day-long drive from the centtal Indian city of Nagpur to the Kanha Kisli National Park there is but one thought in our minds; to find a room for the night and book an elephant for a dawn safari in the jungle. That's when we run headlong into an unexpected beast: Indian bureaucracy. The problem isn't rooms.

The comfortable $12-a-night Western-style log huts are full, but basic $2-a-night Indian-style forest huts are available a few kilometres back on the jungle road that had brought us to the Kisli end of this wildlife preserve. No, the problem is the elephant. State forest department regulations stipulate that elephants can be hired only for afternoon rides. At 3 p.m. to be precise.

Our tight schedule stipulates we spend only a few morning hours in the jungle, hoping to glimpse its elusive king, the Bengal tiger, in his domain of deer, monkeys, jackals, wild pigs, blackbucks, wild dogs, bison, fox, porcupines and 200 species of birds, So, there we stand in a grassy clearing, as the setting sun gives way to twilight, cajoling and arguing and questioning the manager of the tourist complex, his boss and a forest ranger. My friend and I have travelled thousands of miles to ride an elephant in the jungle why can't we get one for the morning? Because all four, ridden by trainers, are busy tracking tigers from dawn. What happens if they find one? The elephants surround the tiger and a radio message signals park officials to open bookings for the afternoon rides. A Jeep takes you to a designated spot from where you're taken in groups of four on one of the elephants to see the tiger. What happens if they don't find a tiger? They return to base.

What time? Around 9 a.m. Aha! Why can't we rendezvous with one in the forest and ride back? Because regulations stipulate that visitors ride elephants at 3 p.m. 0 i 3i 'V' i it Ut a f. rhythmic drums began to pound behind the coconut grove. Curiosity led us to a village by a lagoon where young men in colorful, local dress were rehearsing for a Hindu festival.

A mother and baby were watching in joy, as were other village folk. Grinning, the drummers urged my friend to join their pounding and dancing. Smiling, she did. The contradictions of Bombay seemed remote in this spontaneous interaction between East and West. tantalizing boast from the Jeep driver jolts our huddled, blanket-wrapped bodies erect as we drive into the jungle at dawn.

"Ignore what my sahib said. We'll make sure you ride an elephant, even if you don't see a tiger!" We can't believe our ears. For half an hour, as the Jeep drives slowly through occasional grasslands, fording bridgeless streams meandering through wooded ravines, we have been complaining bitterly about the afternoon regulations. And here is help from an unexpected quarter. In an hour or so, we're told, we will halt at a museum at the Kanha end of the park.

This is also one of the receiving stations for radio messages from the elephant trackers. When they call in, they will be instructed to give us a ride to the Kisli side. With luck, they may even call in to say they've spotted a tiger. Our spirits soar as we continue our safari. Peacocks scatter from the trail as our Jeep approaches, some flying up to perch in tall trees.

Rounding a bend, we come upon a side-lit clearing where a herd of spotted deer are grazing in the tall grass made temporarily golden by the low sun. Frequently, the guides, whose eyes never stop scanning the surrounding terrain for signs of tiger, point out other kinds of deer. Or a jackal. Or monkeys. We meet another Jeep-load of shivering animal-watchers.

The drivers stop to swap notes. Bison, yes, but no tiger. An hour later, we pull up beside two other Jeeps at the museum. The exhibits are diverting enough, but all our nerves are taut, waiting for the magic message. It finally comes.

And it's affirmative. They have a tiger! Three Jeeps fill up in seconds and tear down the trail to the general area of the radio message. hoever gets there first and makes voice contact with one of the elephant trackers will be the first to get a ride. Our Jeep's in the middle. Around curves, over rocks and through more streams we race, each driver and pair of guides eager to be first, in anticipation of a healthy tip.

Five minutes later, the lead Jeep, a kilometre ahead, suddenly brakes. So does ours, miraculously closer to a dark hulk that has emerged from the thick trees near the trail. It's an elephant and his tracker, heading for the lead Jeep. But even as that Jeep does a frantic U-turn, we've spilled out and waved and yelled at the elephant man: This way! We'll pay you more than anyone else! It works. Within seconds we are seated on the platform on the elephant's back, almost 15 feet from the ground.

The others can merely watch as we disappear into the jungle, the branches of trees brushing our faces. I For five minutes we inch forward, the -I elephant responding intelligently and instantly to his tracker's every command. Slow, slow. Stop. One more step.

Turn. Ssstop. Look there, sahib. Sure enough, on a rocky ledge beside a cave hidden by tall grass, reclines a tiger, all yellow and black stripes, eyes closed, dozing in the sunlight. We can only gawk.

We're only 20 feet away. We want to reach out and pet that magnificent furry forehead. Then we 7 suddenly remember to take photos. The big cat's eyes open and stare at us calmly. Then, an elaborate yawn, a luxurious stretch and a slow, disdainful retreat into the cave.

No more tiger. Sign here, sahib, says the tracker, producing an enormous ledger with -f columns for name, nationality, address, elephant ride and tiger "show." Bureacracy has caught up with us again, but for once we can handle it. from hilltop Fort Aguada resort. for an uneasy, bone-chilling rest. Sleep is out of the question.

We're cold, the night is full of conflicting sounds and our minds are on the morning. We've lost our bid for an elephant ride. Will we at least be lucky enough to see a tiger, we wonder, as a tour group of excited teenagers sings campf ire songs in nearby huts, insomniac creatures of the night let out odd hisses, shrieks and barks in the jungle, and, somewhere, far away, drums beat softly, but insistently. THERE are two things you have to psych yourself for for a trip to India noise and odor. By the end of your trip, you will learn to cope (usually by tuning out) with the numbing contrasts of poverty and prosperity.

Very quickly, you will be seduced by the sweeter sounds and aromas of Indian classical music and cuisine. TP -iKI 4 j1 1 i jr.u- Billboards But you probably will never get used to the incessant cacophony of scooter, car, bus and truck horns that blares all over the country. And the odors of sewage, rotting garbage and public toilets will assault you frequently, often in unexpected places and at unexpected times. Beach and mountain resorts and some smaller cities will offer escape from the noise and smells. But there will be little, if any, relief in cities like Bombay, with its overcrowding, pollution (Bombay's smog rivals L.A.'s), sidewalk dwellers and professional beggars.

The beggars you can learn to ward off or ignore. But the homeless will haunt you from the very first time you see them. This will usually occur in the dead of night almost all international flights in Bombay arrive and depart between midnight and 4 a.m. Those bundles of rags in doorways you'll see from your taxi will 4 i 1 and View of Goa's Candolim Beach Dejected, we drive back down the trail, to our forest huts after arranging for an open Jeep for 5:45 a.m. (elephantine regulations don't affect these, easily rentable at a bargain 40 cents a kilometre for vehicle, gas, driver and two guides.) It is dark, the velvety February night lit only by the stars, which seem to dangle impossibly low in this densely forested valley in the Satpura range, slightly south of the Tropic of Cancer.

It's also getting cold. Temperatures here vary between 4 degrees on a winter night and 42 degrees on a summer day. This is a winter night. The tourist huts are scattered around a restaurant. Built of clay, straw and cow dung traditional building materials in surrounding villages they have thin, hard beds with thin mattresses, thin blankets and stained linen.

A 20-rupee tip (about $2) to an attendant produces clean sheets and extra blankets. We bunk down 4j ma i W'7t 71 "4. IS -C k'k'k4 if viri 'tti-i north. Most Western visitors are attracted to Kovalam Beach, 16 kilometres from Trivandrum. Warm, calm waters and a magnificent curve of sand notwithstanding, we found Goa's beaches more attractive.

This former Portuguese enclave, about halfway between Kerala's Cochin port and Bombay has several world-class resorts, long stretches of sandy beaches, an easygoing Latin-influenced ambience and the best seafood in India. Goa is an ideal place to wind up an Indian holiday there is nothing much to do here except swim, tan and explore the occasional market or visit old churches. No noise and odors either. But, before you go there and even if you skip Trivandrum, you have to spend at least two days in Cochin, Kerala's largest city. Islands dot the harbor and the backwaters branching off it.

Huge fishing nets, attached to a hand-powered system of levers, dominate the entrance to the harbor. There are nightly shows of Kathakali, an ancient form of dance-drama, performed by masked and costumed male dancers. By day, you can rent a cabin cruiser (about $10 an hour) for a tour of the idyllic backwaters. Children, men in fishing boats or dugouts, women walking along palm-fringed islands and embankments wave at you as you chug lazily along green-blue waters under sunny, clear skies. You see graceful churches in all sizes along the backwaters.

At village teahouses you'll be able to buy freshly squeezed pineapple juice, bananas, cookies or tea. At one such stop it cost us a mere $1.40 to buy all of the above for five people. Earlier, our boat pulled up beside someone's frontyard for a few juice coconuts. Even as the cool, fresh juice was gurgling down our thirsty throats, into jungle. It-TV it Sett.

backwaters near Cochin. pleasures of a modern city shopping, museums, art galleries, movies, theatre, dance, music, restaurants and sports. Save shopping for your last day in Bombay (and indeed India). And save some of your dining dollars for other stops on your India trip. (See Page 1-9 for more on shopping and cuisine.) During the two to three days you'll have for Bombay, the following will give you a fair sampling of its attractions: ELEPHANTA ISLAND: About an hour by boat, this tranquil island has 8th-century Hindu cave temples containing stone sculptures.

The most impressive is Trimurti, a 20-foot, three-headed bust of the god Shiva as creator, preserver and destroyer. Tourist boats depart in the morning, every 30 minutes or so, from the Gateway of India, a basalt arch commemorating the 1911 visit to India by King George V. Deluxe boats cost 30 rupees per ordinary boats 16. (Currently, one Enlarged area shows southern half feandhlnagay Bhopaf MADHYA GUJARATjE vwKisl' w-' Nagpur fMAHARASHTRAw Bombay Cu Arabian Ij Hyderabad Tandhra GOAT; PRADESH KARNATAKA fe 1 IBangalore i -Js I Lr ftladras KERALATAMIL 1 i LNADU Ernakulam 7 Indian TrivandrumV Rl Ocean Kovalam Beacri- LANKA 4 1 Communist flag Canadian dollar buys you 9.95 rupees.) PRINCE OF WALES MUSEUM: Best known for its collection of priceless miniature paintings, this museum also has interesting archeology and natural history sections. Open daily except Mondays from 10:15 a.m.

to 6 p.m. INDO-GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE: Of interest is the ornate Victoria Terminus. The entrance to this massive structure, which handles 3 million passengers and 1,000 long-distance and suburban trains daily, is guarded by massive statues of a lion and tiger and figures of rats, monkeys and peacocks mingle with the gargoyles all over the building. Other remarkable buildings from the Raj period include Bombay University with its clock tower, the Bombay High Court and the old wing of the Taj Mahal hotel. MALABAR HILL: The Hanging Gardens in this affluent neighborhood offer views of the city, Marine Drive, crowded Gazette maps of Indian subcontinent.

actually be sleeping humans. You'll see them again on other nights, near your hotel, beside Bombay's countless high-rises, beside shuttered shops and on Marine Drive, a majestic curve of an eight-lane road and promenade along the Arabian Sea. But you'll rarely see the sidewalk dwellers during the day they have to make way for the crowds that throng Bombay's sidewalks and shops. Most will be at work, for the homeless are not vagrants they are gainfully employed, their children go to school! For Bombay, with all its urban deprivation and squalor, is also India's industrial and commercial capital. Rents and real estate values here outstrip those of Manhattan and Hong Kong.

Bombay is also India's most cosmopolitan city, and if you can adjust to the contrasts (friendly, obliging Bombayites of all classes will gladly help you along) you can enjoy all the familiar THE Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangla- desh) is the home of one of the world's oldest civilizations. An urban civilization flourished here from 2300- 1750 B.C. Other cultures developed from 1500 on. Its ability to adjust to internal and external challenges has given the subcontinent a unique diversity and continuity. The earliest invad- ers were the pastoral Aryan migrants of pre-history.

Modern conquerors include Alexander in the 4th century B.C., White Huns in the 5th century A.D., Afghans from the 12th century, Moguls from the 16th and Europeans from the 18th. There are more than 700 million people in the independent Republic of India, a federation of linguistic states and territories. India is a multi-party, parliamentary democracy, a system of government inherited from the British when they left in 1947. There is a wide range of climate and terrain in India, which has the world's tallest mountains, the Himalayas, and three seas, the Arabian Sea, -Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean washing miles of beaches. in Kerala village.

Chowpatty Beach and the sunset. MARKETS: Spend half a day wandering through Crawford Market, a massive fruit and vegetable market built in the last century, and Chor Bazaar, a "thieves" market where you can buy all kinds of antiques, china and crystal. By now, Bombay will have seduced, overwhelmed, tired or even disgusted you. Possibly, a combination of all reactions. It's time to escape from Bombay for a while.

THE Arabian Sea, rivers, a linked chain of lagoons and backwaters, paddy fields, lush highlands, coconut groves and pleasant temperatures (21 to 32 degrees) are the pastoral setting for spice-rich Kerala, a long, narrow state on India's southwest coast. Kerala's history is linked with the sea, since a range of mountains practically iso Elephant takes animal-watchers -In 1 I ri 7 4 -3 r.M'-""r sfc ft PRADESH Calcutta Kanha TLV ORISSA park iBhubaneswar jst fS J' Benzal -inrt Ann 100 ZOO 300 400 500 pffs i 7 o.w-ccLP INDIA1 nL, v7 'U" Vitfraste vuIJk 77V: iV. Tv' 7 "irC Kfa hMiW4f i44ifK jy't' v-7 I I One of scores of churches on embankments along Kerala's backwaters..