In and out of Mangalore

Unfortunately I missed our tour in Mangalore yesterday. Although I was disappointed that I didn't get to go, it was definitely the right decision for me to stay behind and get some rest. I was glad that Ronnie went and he was sweet to take a lot of photos for me. And since the primary purpose of my blog is to serve as a trip diary, I will do my best to write about this tour even though it is not a first hand account.

We also had an excursion booked for today in Cochin, India. I haven’t had a chance to look at his photos from today yet but hopefully I can blog about that one as well. The heat here has been really intense (after all, this is their summer) so one has to make a real effort to stay hydrated when away from the ship. I still have a nasty sounding cough and unfortunately I don’t have the stamina for these outings just yet.

drummers welcome Insignia passengers at the dock

 

Yesterday’s tour began with a visit to an immensely ornate Gokarnath Temple built in 1912. Perhaps you can see from the photos that is it basically a complex – a large temple surrounded by numerous smaller temples. One can see that preparations were being made for a wedding that was soon to take place. Notice the wedding decorations both on the cars and inside the building. They also visited St. Aloysius Chapel which is often compared to the Sistine Chapel, as it features intricate paintings that cover virtually every square inch of the interior ceiling and walls. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside.

 

 

 

Gokarnath Temple built in 1912

getaway car?

wedding flowers adorn vehicles in some Asian countries

inside temple complex

appears that last minute preparations are underway

the groom?

From there they visited the Belmont House. The home’s owner, Joan Peres, welcomed them with refreshments and allowed them to tour the house and grounds and take as many photos as they liked. The house was built by the son of Lord Harris, a part of the then British Madras Presidency, in the early 18th century. It was designed after his ancestral mansion in Faversham, Kent. He died at the age of 40 so his young widow sold the home and returned to England. After going through several owners, the Belmont was purchased by the Peres family for the sum of $400 US dollars a few years before India’s independence from the Crown.

 

"Welcome" from homeowner Joan Peres

 

Belmont House

 

The Peres’ were successful coffee and rubber merchants with plantation estates around the hills of Mangalore and Cochin. They raised 5 sons and a daughter, most of whom have moved away to pursue careers in travel, law and financial consultancy. Son Joel is the General Legal Counsel for Coca Cola for the Asia Pacific region. Joan, now a widow, cares for the Belmont House along with her son Greg who is involved in the real estate business in Mangalore.

 

the house has 6 bedrooms

 

kitchen

TV room

 

Joan Peres' well worn Bible

The last part of their tour was a visit to the Achal Cashew processing plant, where they learned how cashews are processed. It is very detailed work to pick the cashews out of their hard shell, so they prefer women workers because they do a better job. Both men and women operate the machinery. I think Ronnie did a good job of showing the cashews in their various stages.

 

the nut is inside the shell on bottom of fruit

sun drying for 2 days

warehouse of unprocessed cashews

 

 

 

sorting along conveyor belt

 

 

 

separating the nut from outer shell

roasting machine

notice that most of the workers are women

removing the hard shells

ready for roasting

Perhaps you can see from the photos why cashews are more expensive than some other nuts. It takes one whole piece of fruit (1st photo above) to produce one cashew nut. Not to mention the steps involved in the processing. GOOD JOB, RONNIE!!