Chasing the Monsoon

pontesnm

I think your idea of travelling during the monsoon is a good idea. Many parts of India are distinctly different during the monsoon season. For one, the countryside is generally much greener, the lakes, rivers, and waterfalls are fuller, and life moves at a different pace. As long as one is prepared for unexpected changes in travel plans due to the weather, it is doable. One should remember,of course, that millions of Indians live during the monsoon. Having said that, it should be noted that some places receive heavier monsoon rains than others so that the changes may be less dramatic. Some areas such as the Rann of Kutch are very different during monsoon.

Besides there are some festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi and Onam, that take place towards the end of the monsoon and you can time your visit to experience them.

Spirit of Havelock

I'm probably wrong, but I am actually wondering whether our esteemed fellow travellers Jorge & Pontesnm have actually spent any real time under the Indian monsoon. I too have waded around Calcutta in dirty flood waters - and got sick.

The moldey clothes, the leeches, messed up transport, the lack of fellow travellers (in many places), closed businesses, the wet feet, the fog. You can't even dress for it - your quality waterproof jacket and trousers might be the bee’s knees for Oregon, Scandinavia, Tasmania or England’s Lake District - but not for the Indian coast and plains. In the tropics, the bulk of the rain falls in the warmer part of the year, that is, June, July and August. If you are on the plains, the heat and humidity make quality rainwear unbearable - so you have to get wet. Wet as in damp/soggy. Even with an umbrella, the water still seems to trickle down the back of your neck.

You hide indoors, until it "clears up". Three days later, sometimes, it still hasn't cleared up! It can be dangerous to trek, it's slippery, and there are mudslides - you can't build a camp fire. People die, they are electricuted, they drown, entire families are forced out of their houses, because it's one foot deep in water. Thunder, lightening, hail stones in some places.
I read that book too, it's a fun read, but that's not to say it's fun to copy.

Call me pampered and fussy, but it doesn't sound too much like a great holiday to me. But still, everybody to their own....

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Neither worry about, nor rejoice in the future (Ancient Egyptian saying)

SitaParityaga

I'd love to see the Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai during monsoon!

Sounds like a great trip to me

Spirit of Havelock

On the positive side though - you don't have to actually follow the black cloud. I mean, whilst it's bucketing down in Goa and Bombay, it's still dry in Mamallapuram and Madras - you can actually duck in and out of the monsoon.

PeakXV

Storm chasing is definitely popular in North America lately. They drive around following hurricanes & tornados with their video gear, weather scanners, sensing equipment and an ample supply of underwear I'll bet as well! Some people make a lot of money at it too .... depending on how lucky, daring, & timely they are in capturing the storm in it's finest fury - they then sell it to discovery and/or cable news channels.


..... so with that in mind it's quite trendy these days to follow weather systems and the color/light for photography can be quite spectacular at times. McCurry's starkly contrasted photos of the monsoon in Bangladesh stand out in my mind - although I haven't perused his book for some time. Expect delays though and thus budget extra time ..... because Indians tend to become conspicuous by their absense in that time of year.

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We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started ...and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot

Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

pontesnm

I lived in Mumbai from 1958 to 1980 (23 monsoon seasons) and was a freshman in college during the 1974 deluge when nearly 23 inches (650 mm) of rain fell during a 24-hour period. My parents still live in Mumbai and they lived through the floods in 1995 when over 37 inches (940 mm) of rain fell during a 24-hour period (the latter is a Mumbai record). So I know what heavy rain can do. One can google for pictures and news if one wishes and see what probably is the worst case scenario for travel disruption in Mumbai.

Not every part of India receives very heavy rains. The area of the Deccan Plateau has probably the best combination of temperature and humidity for travel. The continuous mist is usually only seen in hilly areas; it is not really misty in Mumbai during the monsoons (cloudy yes). Ladakh and Leh is probably best in July August. Valley of the Flowers is best at that time, too.

Here are some festival dates for 2008 (see link below). Narali Poornima (Coconut Day) and Rakhi are festivals in August along with Parsi Yew Year.

http://festivals.iloveindia.com/festival-calendar.html

backpakker

Goa - actually Karwar , Mangalore and the Kutralam falls in Thirunelveli - they call it the " charal " season when the rain just starts and the scent of the rain is amazing .
Also Coorg , Chikmagalur from Karnataka

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Jorge Reverter

S o H,

Have been so many times in India that I must do something different, I don't care about how many inches of water..., I have in mind an itinerary passing through places that I'm quite sure have fabulous colors during monsoon, is not a race I only want to travel to sites that I already know like the Rann Of Kutchh or some places in Rajasthan but in a different way, I have been in India during monsoon time but rains were not that great. I've seen several videos about Kerala during monsoon and I loved.

Pontesnm,
Thanks for the link to the festivals.

Jorge

saajan_20

true TO THE CORE as kids we used to luv the monsoon and go splashing in rains to school but now as a parent monsoon mean s a terrible time especially sending ur kids to school s located in flood prone area s
We used to listen to poem s and many inspiration s about monsoon s but now its only getting glued to the television set and watching news about affected people & services

Nick-H

I remember my first flood, in UK, at age about 14.

I loved it.

I had absolutely no realisation whatsoever about what would have happened to our carpets, our furniture, our house, if that water had come an inch or two higher, or my parents hadn't happened to have a sleepness night, hadn't had the materials and knowledge to make sand bags that worked. For me it was fantastic. For them it must have been just horrible.

Now I'm living in a single-story house again, and I can't help worrying just a little when rains come.

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

pontesnm

Yes, that is definitely an experience. Perhaps even a trip to Ganpatipule further down the coast for a visit to the Ganesh temple and a more country experience. Actually I think the monsoon is an experience. And although you always get wet (at least in Mumbai where it can rain very heavily) the weather is warm so no threat of hypothermia! Plus in the monsoon season you get hot fresh roasted bhutta (corn - roasted over a coal fire) seasoned with lime, salt, and chilli powder. I have never been able to duplicate the flavor in the US.

SitaParityaga

Check out your local Mexican restaurants. On the CA coast, most farmers markets have a stall selling roast corn with chilli and lime...some places have mayonaise and cilantro to add as well.

Have you already been to the Hassan district? I've heard there is a spectacular monsoon there, over the mountains.

pontesnm

Yes, i will check the Mexican restaurants - that sounds good.

I have not been to Hassan, have you?. There is now a train from Mangalore to Hassan. So for a full monsoon experience one can to from Mumbai to Mangalore and then cross over to Hassan. I would expect cancellations and delays, though! But that is all part of the authentic experience! I have experienced several monsoons in Mumbai. But I think it would be new experience for my kids (8 and 10 years).

Jorge Reverter

The city of Hassan is not interesting at all ( my opinion) but from there you can visit Belur, Halebid, Sravanabelagola and many, many villages with lovely Hoysala temples, in every small hamlet there is a thousand years old temple..., I don't know during monsoon how it is. Probably Madikery area (the Scotland in India) is a better idea for treking during monsoon, nevertheless the "Hoysala experience" is one of the best you can have in India.

Jorge

pontesnm

Thanks Jorge.

Karnataka has a number of nice historic sites (I studied them during the 10 years of history that we had in school in Mumbai). It is only recently that they are getting notice. Even places like Hampi have minimal tourist infrastructure compared to say Agra.

Early next month I will probably be going to Bijapur from Mumbai and I have enjoyed your photos.

Manuel