BeTraveler

This entry dates from August 20, 2006. Location: Coimbatore, India

We informed the manager about the cockroaches in our room but he didn't even apologize. Even when we told him that under the bed we found crisps from previous guests (many hotelrooms in India are not regularly cleaned - we stayed in many places two nights and never saw a cleaning lady or even traces of something being touched) he didn't budge. The complaint register showed an entry somewhere last year as the last negative feedback, so we imagine that either nobody complains or nobody bothers to write it down. Anyway, if you want to stay in Hotel Saat, you have been warned.

We checked out, got to the station and tried to find a bus to Coimbatore. Again we were not lucky, because the bus never showed up. But there was another one going to Salem (100 km further) so we jumped on that, settled in the back with reclining seats and put in our earplugs when the Bollywood movie started playing on the DVD player in front of the bus.

After almost 5 hours on the bus (bumpy roads, state border controls) we arrived in Coimbatore where Vishnu, another HC member, picked us up. He took us to a very nice place for lunch where we tried Pongal (looks like mashed potatoes but is actualy made from rice, peppercorn and spices) and some dosas with cauliflower. We then drove to his home, met his mum and freshened up to go to a wedding.

A friend of his(Senthil)got married that day to an American girl (Amanda), and we were invited to the reception. Indian weddings are quite different from European, they can last several days (or even a full week) and having more than 1000 guests is not uncommon. Here it was a 'small' wedding with about 500 people showing up during some stage of the day. And most will have their picture taken together with the bride and groom (just like us). This marriage had a walking dinner with starters, main courses and desserts. I tried a carrot halwa (soft sweetmeat) but found it too sweet for my taste. The bride and groom met on the internet and then in Chicago. They promised to listen to our CD when they are going on their honeymoon.

Getting married is serious business in India. Many people still have arranged marriages
, where the parents will choose the bride. Some men and women have the option to refuse twice, the third time they HAVE to marry the partner chosen by their parents. But nowadays there are more and more marriages out of love. And these are often found on the internet or in newspapers. Reading the classified ads in the newspapers is quite an eye-opener. Most people demand that their partner is from the same or similar caste (with more than 1600 castes that can be a bit tricky) and special importance is put on the biodata and horoscope.

If you want to find out more about the pros and cons of arranged marriages : click here

Afterwards we went back to Vishnu's place and he found us accommodation in Ooty (our next destination). Vishnu works in logistics (textile, Coimbatore is the textile capital and often called 'The Manchester of India) but lately he wants to broaden his horizon by importing champagne and European wines. We even got a taste of some Indian wine made from Strawberries which a friend of his makes in the hills around Coonoor.