Barney Rubble loses his chapels in Machelipatnam.

steven_ber

I don't do a blog, but just had to write about the day I had yesterday, Indian members, please don't be insulted by what I write, it's just my humorous take on things and no insult is meant.

I arrived in Machelipatnam (port town near the Krishna delta in Andhra Pradesh) at about 08:00 and was surprised that there wasn't a hotel in sight, and the only road going away from the train station was flooded, so asked a cycle rickshaw guy to take me to 'lodgings' (he didn't understand hotel), the place he took me to is amazing, a single bed in a double room, a couple of working sockets, 2 working lights, a tv with 50 or so channels, an attached toilet/bathroom with sink and bucket shower, no hot water, but there's also no such thing as cold water here, so that's OK, and all this for Rs125 a day.

Machelipatnam hasn't a lot to attract tourists, and I was beginning to think I'd made a mistake, so headed for the bus stand to see what time buses go to Chirala, I got a lot of smiles and confused looks at the bus stand, but no info, though I did find an English language newspaper.

I decided to give Masala Dosa another try, I'd gone off them a few years ago when they all tasted the same, but this one was amazing, kind of sweet and very spicy, along with a chai, this great breakfast cost Rs18.

Walking past the bus stand I found a big cathedral and a wonderful 4-storey high statue of Sai Baba, he had 5 snakes above his head and 2 tigers by his side, great to look at.

By lunchtime the heat is becoming too much, so I have a quick look at indiamike, check my emails and go to sleep for a couple of hours.

Wake up, quick shower, then off to Manginapudi Beach (11 km from Machelipatnam), the beach has been well and truly destroyed by the locals with litter everywhere and cars and autos driving down to the shoreline, 30 minutes later I was heading back to the main road to get a bus, saw an interesting Shiva temple on the way and a weird set of steps that led to Jesus on a crucifix, paid Rs5 for the bus back to Machelipatnam.

Found a bar, had a beer and a great chicken biryani (there always great in Andhra), then headed back to my hotel, but something was happening along the main road.

A load of locals were walking down the road with some kind of fire, at that point I didn't know if it was a wedding, a funeral, a festival or if they were looking for some Christians to lynch, but I decided to take the chance and found a good place to sit.

Some weird idol was being carried through the streets followed by loads of women and children carrying candles, there were hundreds of them, along the side of the road were loads of women carrying long light bulbs all connected by wired with one poor sod at further back pushing a loud generator, the funny thing was, the women were falling back to chat with each other and the lights were becoming grouped, then the women were trying to line up again, but in the wrong order, so all the wires were becoming tangled, it was funny to watch.

Then came a group of men, they were all naked from the waist up and if there clothes had been black I would have thought they were off to Shabrimalai (southern Kerala), a local man tried to explain what was going on, but the drums were getting louder and I could hardly hear him, I'm sure he said that everyone had to give up their chapals (sandals) as an offering to the gods.

Throughout the first 2 groups there were people with balloons on their heads, small balloons that were shaped like a one of those blow up rings that we use to teach out children to swim, but each of these balloons seemed to have a duck shaped thing on the front.

Amongst the men were a couple of men who were chanting "Barney Rubble" then everyone was copying them, it was weird and in the distance I could see a load of lights and another god, I got to wondering if this god was called Bamm-Bamm.

Motorbikes and cycles were trying to get through the crowds, only in India, there was another god coming down the road on a tractor, and if the crowd wouldn't let that through, what chance for the two wheelers?

The "Barney Rubble" chanting men were dancing wildly, those chappels must have been really uncomfortable, they all seem really happy to finally get rid of them.

Following these men were a load of drummers, they were brilliant, this poor man at the back had a broken drum, but many others seemed to sympathise and were trying hard to break their own drums.

Then followed a couple of those wedding bands badly playing an assortment of instruments, then more groups and a female god (only 2 legs and 2 arms), another local explains that this is one of the final things people have to do before they go to Shabrimalai.

I try to go around the back of the group to get to my hotel, not realizing there was a big part I had somehow missed.

A group of boys starting asking all the usual questions (what country), then they showed me a part of the festivities that I hadn't noticed, there was a group of Hijras (ladyboys) all fantastically dressed up as Indian gods, I hope I'm not wrong, I was about 90% sure they were Hijras, but they looked absolutely amazing, they seemed to be acting out scenes from history where one god was fighting another, and so on, it was amazing to watch, by now I'd been pushed to the front of the crowd for a better view and the Hirjas were staring at me and pulling faces.

It had to happen.....the boys put one of those funny balloons on my head and dragged me into the group of dancing men, so now they're all dancing wildly and pulling me in every direction, all weird and wonderful.

I finally pulled out of the crowd and tried to find my hotel, one of the boys followed me to make sure I found my hotel, good job really, with all the excitement I had moved maybe a km down the road without realizing it, I eventually found my hotel, said goodbye to the boy, got my key from reception, then went to my room.

Those who know me know that I've got a wonderful habit of finding problems wherever I go in India, mostly down to my own misadventure and often down to my own stupidity, but I can handle all those times I find myself in a tricky situation, but what happened next really freaked me out.

The hotel staff had been all over me from the moment I checked in, making my bed, cleaning my room (twice), bringing me water, anything for a tip, but I didn't mind, I'd given maybe 6 people a Rs5 tip, and all seemed happy with it.

So when I entered my room and one of the hotel boys walked in I wasn't initially worried, then I realized it wasn't a hotel boy, but was the boy who had followed me as I looked for my hotel.

By now, it's past 11pm, and I've got a boy of about 11 years old sitting on my bed, I can be slow sometimes, but it takes only a fraction of a second to realize this is a very bad situation to be in, and the boy looks confused and lost, I immediately took him outside my room and shut my door, there was going to be no confusion here, so I sat down and tried talking to the lad, his English wasn't great and I was still feeling uncomfortable, so I told him I wanted to go buy some cigarettes, this got us outside the hotel, he looked to be from a well off family, so I asked him where he was staying in Machelipatnam, he said about 10kms from Machelipatnam, so I offered to pay for an auto to take him home, he said no, he had a cycle and would cycle home, but could he come to visit me in the morning, I said yes, at about 10, a mistake, but I felt I had to get him to go home.

So, a longish story about a day in Machelipatnam, to the 2 people who've read this far, you can all stop yawning now.

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sannna

So, did he come? And what did you do?

steven_ber

Yes, he did.

I'd already decided to go out at 09:15, but he arrived at 09:00, I was in the shower so I told him to wait outside, I then took him for breakfast and tried talking to him to see why he's come today.

He says he's 16, but I doubt it very much, he also says his mother works in England at Lords (as a software developer), I don’t know why, but I don't believe him, nobody says they work at Lords, they say London, but as most Indians are nuts about cricket, Lords is a name they'd be familiar with.

He says his father works in the USA, he also says he's from Hyderabad (actually a place on the outskirts of Hyderabad), but that he lives with relatives 10kms outside Machelipatnam, he's a well dressed boy, good hair, he's obviously staying with a well off family, but there's something sad about him, he really seems lost, maybe he is staying with relatives.

He had no signs of physical abuse, and the fact that he can just walk into a strangers 'bedroom' suggests there's no sexual abuse, but maybe there's some mental abuse going on somewhere, but any conversation was difficult, and I eventually said that I had to work on the internet today.

I went back to my hotel for a sleep at about 13:00 and 10 minutes after that, he was there again, so I walked outside with him and suggested he take me to his home, but he wouldn't, I said I'd be working all day, and that he shouldn't come to see me again, he said he'd be back at about 18:00.

So I've been out for the rest of the day, and spent a lot of it on the Internet just to avoid going back to the hotel.

I quite like Machelipatnam and would be happy to spend a few more days here to save money, but I think I'll be getting an early morning train out of here just to avoid this lad.

Sad really, very sad, but I don't know what else to do.

capt_mahajan

Interesting tale, as usual.

I wouldn't believe he is what he says he is.

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Outside the machine

sannna

Very interesting tale indeed. However - one more question. What makes you want to avoid him, what makes that he gives you the creeps? Just his neglect of your non-verbal non-enthousiasm at seeing him? His continued showing up? Something else?

It seems like you are gonna "run" from this nice village to avoid seeing him again - and going by what you have written so far, I can't quite grasp why.

Brisso

Seems perhaps no ill-meaning or cause for alarm here - the boy seems to be lost and hanging around the novelty foreigner. Perhaps he has no family as such. I have encountered similar, lost and unemployed lads hanging around in the hope of a handout.

But yes, often folks will wander into your room and sit around - to them it does not seem to have the creepy connotations we may attach to such a situation. I too have invented activities to extricate myself.

Cardamom

Interesting story, Steven! Thanks for sharing. I think you're right to go with your gut feeling. He could just be a curious kid, but it's good to go with your intuitions.

happy travels

-C

Haylo

What a fantastic writeup! There are so many festivals celebrated in so many ways that it seems it would take a lifetime to learn about them all, coming across something like that would be so exciting.

Seems a shame to let him drive you away. I'd thank him nicely for his help, and tell him that you have to be alone for the rest of your visit. Tell him you need to meditate a lot or something, it's got to be worth a try.

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70s-80s overlander

Steven -- Give us a clue. What attracted you to Machelipatnam in the first place? The nearby beach? There must be a story here somewhere. Definitely, thanks for writing up your adventure.

That's why we always read your posts!

steven_ber

Sorry for the delay in replying.

He didn't give me the creeps as such, but to see a young boy sitting on your hotel bed at gone 11 at night was real scary, and after that I just couldn't work out what he was after, he asked if he could take a photo of me, then when I looked at the photo, he said "beautiful", and he just kept turning up, even when I specifically asked him not to.

On my last day I stayed away from my hotel for the whole afternoon, and avoided the main road, then at about 8:30pm, he walked up to me and said hello, so I said that I was really tired and needed to sleep, he kept saying it was too early, but I insisted, I said goodbye to him and entered my hotel, there was a bit of confusion about the key and the staff seemed to be saying the key was in the door, so I went upstairs to check, no key, as I turned around to go back downstairs, there he was again, right behind me.

Why do the staff let him come into the hotel?

I got my key, and said goodbye to the boy again, I was in my room for 30 seconds and there was a knock on the door, it was him, can he have a drink of water, so I give him some water, then he asked if he could come into the room and sit down for 5 minutes, I politely locked my door (this shocked him) and sat outside with him.

This time I was a lot more blunt with the questions, have you got a problem at home? why do you keep coming to see me? what do you want me to do? what do you think you'll get from coming to see me?

But as usual, hardly any answers.

I asked him if he wanted some food and suggested we go to a restaurant, he didn't want food, he asked me for Rs20 and I give him Rs20, he kept asking what time he should come the next day, I told him 9 or 10, I can't remember what time, but I knew I was getting a train at about 7.

I feel for him, but he wouldn't talk, and to be honest, there's millions of kids in India with worse problems, he was well fed, well clothed, and was obviously being looked after by wealthy people.

A little sign on a map, it said 'magnificent gorge', the sign was about 50kms north west of Rajahmundry.

So I started researching the area and found there were tourist boats that cruised the river Godavari between the temple town of Bhadrachalam and Rajahmundry, and that the route was scenic (it was wonderful).

Bhadrachalam to Rajahmundry by River Steamer

Whilst I was researching that, I noticed that there were also houseboats that done (Kerala style) backwater cruises in the Godavari Delta, so I had to find a beach.

I got a list of beaches from an Andhra Pradesh tourist brochure, and in 2007 went to a beach close to Narsapur (close to where the houseboats start from), but there was nothing on the beach, no accommodation, no drinks etc., so I went to Vizag (Vishakhapatnam) to look for beaches (there’s also a scenic and interesting trip to the Araku Valley from Vizag), and the beaches were disappointing, they were OK, but not good enough to warrant staying there, and there was nothing else close by.

So this year I decided to look for beaches to the south of Narsapur, so got an overnight train from Rajamundry to Machelipatnam and so on.
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The following is from another thread and is about the beach I found close to Chirala.


I'm staying in a fishing village called Vodarevu, it's 7kms from Chirala (closest train station), and maybe 80kms south of Vijayawada.

As soon as I got to the village I knew I'd be staying a while, even though I couldn't find accommodation and was walking around and around, but the people are just so friendly, I eventually found a great room for Rs250, though I'll probably have to sleep on the beach on NYE.

Jorge, I think you'll love this place, it's a dozen 'photos of the month' just waiting to be taken, I'll get a few photos, but I've not got the eye for a good photo that you have.

The village is a working village that gets the majority of it's money from the fishing industry, but 'software engineers' from Hyderabad visit the place at weekends, so the locals are starting to get used to seeing strangers, but there are only 5 or 6 small hotels, and the tourists don't get in the way of the locals doing their daily business, the locals are fascinated to see a foreign tourist, but because they are slowly getting used to Andhra tourists, they've lost the usual shyness that we normally find in such places.

Everywhere I look there are cute huts, there are people drying fish, fixing nets, and the beach is a hive of activity, the beach market held in virtual total darkness just has to be experienced to be believed.

Amazingly, there isn't a really strong smell of fish, there is a smell, but it's not strong adn certainly not off-putting.

I decided immediately to stay here for 6 days, I just know I'm going to love this place, on my first proper walk (after I found a room) I ended up playing cricket with some kids (who were asking me to bring my camera), then sitting down with them and trying to teach them some English (about 30 kids in the end).

The beach is a working beach, but I feel sure there will be empty beaches close by, not that I'm too interested; a walk along the seashore is usually enough for me.

I've not worked out the food situation yet, I got my hotel owner to cook for me yesterday.

Two bad point, the level of English spoken is minimal, and I feel guilty that I struggle to pick up foreign languages, but I'll try to find a Telegu-English book today, the 2nd bad point, it's damn hot here, we're about as far south as North Goa, but it's much hotter here, about the same as Udipi/Mangalore, and I dread to think how hot it gets in March or April.

You'll need a torch, they have a 2-hour blackout most evenings and it really gets dark.

I'll do a full report on Vodarevu when I get home.


It would be great to meet you, and you could teach me a few things about photography (what way to hold up a camera would be a good start ), I'll be back in India towards the end of the year, the east coast (Bhubaneshwar, Rajamundry and Vodarevu) of India (and Bodh Gaya) have rekindled my love for India, so I'll be back.