Leaving the School
Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2006--Kumbalam
Today is my last day here. I would have left today, but I still have unfinished business. I am helping Joseph re-list the school on websites for volunteers. Some of them require me to first register with them and then place the listing after we hear back. I've spent today waiting to hear from a couple of sites. In the meantime, I did research for him related to purchasing children's books in Hindi for the library. The school must meet the standards for accreditation when a team comes in a couple of weeks, and they are short in the number of books they have in Hindi.
Jerry is no longer living at the hostel. He was one of my favorites last year. He's a bit of a troubled boy with great potential. I am worried for him now that he isn't at the hostel. I understand that his uncle lives with his mother, him, and his sister and that he drinks heavily. Since returning to India from the Middle East in April, the family is already living in their third home after having been kicked out of the others for lack of paying rent. When they lived here by the school, there were often 10-12 of the town drunks hanging around their place. What kind of an influence can that be on Jerry? And now they are living far enough away that it takes 2 buses for Jerry and his sister to get here to classes. They weren't able to make it today because of a bus strike by private bus drivers. My fear is that a combination of factors--difficulty getting to school and bad influences at home will cause him to eventually become a dropout. I hope not, though.
I hate to leave the kids tomorrow, but today is my last day here. I have to move onward. Tomorrow, I will catch a morning bus into town and switch to another bus going to Alleppey. I'll stay one night there and then move to Kochi (Cochin) for a few days. I don't want to stay long in Alleppey because of the mosquitoes there and the mosquito-borne diseases that are a problem there. Kochi is a wonderful place, however, so I think I will stay there for 4-5 days.
Tonight, I will give the kids a small treat of candy. Then I'll hug them all goodnight for the last time.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Back at St. Joseph International Academy in India
Back at St. Joseph International Academy in India
Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006—Varkala (Cont.)
My days here are nice, lazy ones. When I returned from the center of town, I ate lunch again at the same restaurant by the temple pool. As I ate, I watched a young man who was there bathing. As part of the process, he was doing yoga. I watched as he stretched one way and then another. Then, he tried a really difficult position—one where both of his legs were placed over and behind his head. He couldn’t quite make it. He was able to get one leg in place, but not both at the same time. He tried many times, and he saw me watching him, waved, and continued to try so that I could see him do it. As I left the restaurant, he and his friend were still there at the pool, and they spoke to me. I told him I enjoyed watching him do his yoga.
I also returned to the beach restaurant for dinner where I ate last night. This time, I ordered fried rice with chicken. It was good, too, but not as nice as the rice biriyani had been the night before. There was a nice green chile sauce that I ate with the rice tonight to spice it up some.
One of the Kashmiri shop owners asked me to sit and visit with him when I returned to the hotel. We had visited briefly off and on during my stay here. I was surprised to learn that he was only 19 years old and had been coming to Varkala to work since he was 15. He took advantage of the fact that I was a westerner to ask me questions about sexual matters. He said that no one in India ever talks about sex. So our conversation became a sex education class to a certain extent with him saying things like, “I didn’t know that.” “So that is what I did wrong.” Etc. Essentially, he had followed the rather common Indian tradition of quickly satisfying himself, leaving immediately after that, and not understanding why the woman wasn’t happy.
Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006—Varkala to Kumbalam
I finished reading Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. I gave it 3 stars out of 4. It’s a long book (900+ pages) that tells an exciting story about an escaped convict from Australia who goes to India and becomes involved in organized crime there. He works as an extra in films. He goes to Afganistan to smuggle military supplies. He lives in a slum in Mumbai. It is supposedly based on the true story of the author. He’s a fairly good writer, but he isn’t a great writer. Someone else could have made it an even better story. But anyone looking for a fast-paced, exciting book should read it. It is planned as a film to be released in 2008 with Johnny Depp in the lead role.
I left the hotel at 7:30, and I arrived at the school campus in Kumbalam around 11:30 having taken 3 buses and a train. This is the campus of St. Joseph International Academy where I was a volunteer last year: http://www.sjia.org.in
There have been lots of changes at the school The upstairs science labs have been completed. The computer lab has been upgraded and a new computer teacher hired. There is now a librarian for the library. There is a new band program. A full-sized basketball court has been built using paving stones in front of the hostel. There are several new volleyball courts with nets. And goals and nets have been added to the football field. The shortcut route out of campus toward the bus stop has been closed off and only the main entrance can now be used. Instead of 10 students at the hostel, there are 23 now. Jerry and his sister Jenny are no longer staying here; their mother returned from the Middle East, and they are living with her and commuting to school. There are now 3 teachers living in the hostel and helping the children at night as they do their homework.
It was so nice to see everyone again. Abin, who had been too close to me last year and was crying when I left, seems a little distant this year. He’s now 14, so that may be part of the reason; but I think he is being careful not to become too attached this time. Shivani, the 5-year-old who danced and twirled her way down the hallway all the time last year, is still dancing and twirling, but she has a much more mature look this year; she’s still the sweetest one staying at the hostel. Premeela, the cook, seems to be in a much better mood now that the teachers supervise the children in the evenings. Joseph, the managing director (and owner) seems much happier now that he has a full-time principal to run the school allowing him to be free to supervise the continuing construction and deal with other matters beyond the daily routine. All the children seem to be at least 10 cm (4 inches) taller than they were last year.
I like all the new students at the hostel. They speak English well and have good manners. They are all so cute in their own ways. They seem starved for affection, however; by the second night I was here, they were all giving me a hug goodnight at the end of the evening. With the bigger crowd, it is easier for them to work together in doing their homework. Now, in most cases there are 4-6 students from each grade level to work together.
I was so tired at the end of the day. The stress of the traveling combined with the activities involved in getting to the classrooms and seeing all the students again made me very exhausted. I feel asleep immediately after going to my room at 9:15 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 27, 2006—Kumbalam
I went with Joseph to the hospital. He had been having problems with one of his ears. I asked if he had ever used hydrogen peroxide to clean them, but he didn’t know the procedure. Well, the doctor found a fungal growth that was causing the problem and put hydrogen peroxide in the ear. What was interesting was that Joseph asked if it was hydrogen peroxide, and the doctor wouldn’t tell him. Later, Joseph told him that he called his doctor in the U.S. and that he told him it was hydrogen peroxide. Only then would the doctor admit it. He said that doctors here like to keep their treatments a secret so that people feel the need to come back again rather than trying to do it on their own. He was impressed that I already knew the treatment that the doctor used once we were there. But the doctor’s consulting fee was only 150 rupees—a little over $3.
There is trouble with the broadband (DSL) connection at school. I think it is because the campus is too far from the telephone switching station. Joseph said it only works occasionally late at night. Anyway, it means that I cannot get online to post my blog entries. I am typing them onto his computer here and will burn them onto a small CD to take with me when I leave. That’s why the entries are probably more detailed than they would normally be.
Joseph implemented many of the suggestions that I had made when I left last year—higher pay to the teachers, persons to supervise and assist the students at the hostel in doing their work, developing a way to communicate between the main gate and the hostel at night, hiring a professional principal to relieve him of some duties so he would not have such a hectic schedule, etc. It’s nice to know that I have made a difference here.
In the evening Joseph and I went into town to the “First Communion of Jancy Joy.” We were having heavy rain, so it was a difficult trip. Joseph isn’t a good driver in India anyway. He is too cautious, and that just creates dangerous situations in a country where everyone else is aggressive. When he is slowing and stopping to be careful, others are rushing around us on all sides in frustration that they can see gaps ahead of us that he isn’t rushing to fill. In addition, there is the problem of pedestrians in the streets, bicycles without lights in the streets, Joseph talking on the mobile phone while driving, etc. When you combine all of that with the heavy rain, it makes for a scary drive. And the crowd was rather small at the church due to the rain. The food they served was so good. We had chicken curry, fish curry, pickle, fancy rice (with cashews, cherries, peass, etc.), a ground meat patty, etc. And as is typical here in India, the sweet cake was served first while we waited for the meal.
While here, I have agreed to help Joseph with a few things: 1) Posting notices on web pages seeking volunteers for the school. 2) Writing a classified ad to be posted in an Indian newspaper in the U.S. seeking a principal or master teacher near retirement to come here and serve as principal/instructional leader of the school. 3) Looking for Hindi books for the library when I go to Cochin in a few days.
Sunday, Oct. 29, 2006—Kumbalam
It has been raining so much since I arrived here. I am glad I am at a point where I am staying put and not traveling. There has been flooding in the area. In fact, we had to avoid closed roads when returning from the trip into town for the first communion last night.
I spent most of this morning working with Sunil, the computer teacher, to try to fix Joseph’s computer so that he can use a dial-up connection to connect to the Internet when the broadband connection isn’t working. Unfortunately, Joseph was unsure of his user I.D. and password. We finally got the user I.D. figured out. But after trying various possible passwords several times, the central computer locked us out thinking that we were hackers trying to get into his account. Now we have to wait until tomorrow to contact the office and get them to reset the password and let us know what it is. But we have the computer working now the way we want it to be. When he opens the Internet page, it goes to broadband first. If there is a connection, he stays in it. If not, then it opens the dial-up procedure page for him to access it that way.
The rest of the day I relaxed and helped the kids with their work. They are all doing projects for various subjects. It involves having to copy material and keep it in a notebook. They spend a lot of time decorating the pages where they copy the information. They use colored pens to create borders and artwork. It’s more interesting for them than it would be if they were just doing homework.
While the kids went with Sunil to the computer lab in the afternoon, I stayed at the hostel and did my laundry. It just happened that the rain had stopped. So I washed 3 shirts, a pair of pants, underwear, and socks and hung them on inside lines upstairs to dry. I had run out of shirts with collars, and I don’t like to wear t-shirts when I am at the school
The hostel has a new routine. In the morning, they have group singing. Then at the end of the day after they write in their journals, they come together as a group for more singing and for a final prayer. I like it. It makes it seem somewhat like camp.
Monday, Oct. 30, 2006—Kumbalam
I had originally planned to leave today. But I came one day later than I had planned to arrive. And also, today was declared a holiday. That means that if I left, I wouldn’t be able to say good-bye to all the kids at the school. Now, I will stay at least until tomorrow. (I may have to stay another day if it begins raining again so that my shirts do not dry enough for me to put them in my suitcase.)
The holiday situation is a mess here. Last week, the government declared three holidays. Two of them were related to the end of Ramadan. I’m not sure why the other one was called. The people elected a communist government just two months ago, and Joseph says that they are trying out their new powers. Giving the holidays means that workers are free but employers must pay the salaries. So far, they have given about 10 holidays during their two months in power. Wonder how long that will last? Schools MUST observe the holidays, but they are also under a mandate to teach 200 days within the school year. They try to make up holidays by having school on Saturdays (as they did this last weekend). But when they have 3 holidays in one week and then begin the next week with another holiday, there just aren’t enough Saturdays to make up the difference.
Mr. Thomas, Abin’s father, came to visit today. He’s a lawyer and was the one who invited me to their home for a weekend last year. It was nice to see him again.
Well, you are reading this because Sunil, the computer teacher and I, went into town to the computer office today. They tested the line and found that there was a problem. The repairman was working in our area, so they called him and asked him to come see us. He just finished. The broadband is now working. That means not only that I can post to the blog, but I can also start working on the projects that I told Joseph I would do for him that involve the Internet.
Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006—Varkala (Cont.)
My days here are nice, lazy ones. When I returned from the center of town, I ate lunch again at the same restaurant by the temple pool. As I ate, I watched a young man who was there bathing. As part of the process, he was doing yoga. I watched as he stretched one way and then another. Then, he tried a really difficult position—one where both of his legs were placed over and behind his head. He couldn’t quite make it. He was able to get one leg in place, but not both at the same time. He tried many times, and he saw me watching him, waved, and continued to try so that I could see him do it. As I left the restaurant, he and his friend were still there at the pool, and they spoke to me. I told him I enjoyed watching him do his yoga.
I also returned to the beach restaurant for dinner where I ate last night. This time, I ordered fried rice with chicken. It was good, too, but not as nice as the rice biriyani had been the night before. There was a nice green chile sauce that I ate with the rice tonight to spice it up some.
One of the Kashmiri shop owners asked me to sit and visit with him when I returned to the hotel. We had visited briefly off and on during my stay here. I was surprised to learn that he was only 19 years old and had been coming to Varkala to work since he was 15. He took advantage of the fact that I was a westerner to ask me questions about sexual matters. He said that no one in India ever talks about sex. So our conversation became a sex education class to a certain extent with him saying things like, “I didn’t know that.” “So that is what I did wrong.” Etc. Essentially, he had followed the rather common Indian tradition of quickly satisfying himself, leaving immediately after that, and not understanding why the woman wasn’t happy.
Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006—Varkala to Kumbalam
I finished reading Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. I gave it 3 stars out of 4. It’s a long book (900+ pages) that tells an exciting story about an escaped convict from Australia who goes to India and becomes involved in organized crime there. He works as an extra in films. He goes to Afganistan to smuggle military supplies. He lives in a slum in Mumbai. It is supposedly based on the true story of the author. He’s a fairly good writer, but he isn’t a great writer. Someone else could have made it an even better story. But anyone looking for a fast-paced, exciting book should read it. It is planned as a film to be released in 2008 with Johnny Depp in the lead role.
I left the hotel at 7:30, and I arrived at the school campus in Kumbalam around 11:30 having taken 3 buses and a train. This is the campus of St. Joseph International Academy where I was a volunteer last year: http://www.sjia.org.in
There have been lots of changes at the school The upstairs science labs have been completed. The computer lab has been upgraded and a new computer teacher hired. There is now a librarian for the library. There is a new band program. A full-sized basketball court has been built using paving stones in front of the hostel. There are several new volleyball courts with nets. And goals and nets have been added to the football field. The shortcut route out of campus toward the bus stop has been closed off and only the main entrance can now be used. Instead of 10 students at the hostel, there are 23 now. Jerry and his sister Jenny are no longer staying here; their mother returned from the Middle East, and they are living with her and commuting to school. There are now 3 teachers living in the hostel and helping the children at night as they do their homework.
It was so nice to see everyone again. Abin, who had been too close to me last year and was crying when I left, seems a little distant this year. He’s now 14, so that may be part of the reason; but I think he is being careful not to become too attached this time. Shivani, the 5-year-old who danced and twirled her way down the hallway all the time last year, is still dancing and twirling, but she has a much more mature look this year; she’s still the sweetest one staying at the hostel. Premeela, the cook, seems to be in a much better mood now that the teachers supervise the children in the evenings. Joseph, the managing director (and owner) seems much happier now that he has a full-time principal to run the school allowing him to be free to supervise the continuing construction and deal with other matters beyond the daily routine. All the children seem to be at least 10 cm (4 inches) taller than they were last year.
I like all the new students at the hostel. They speak English well and have good manners. They are all so cute in their own ways. They seem starved for affection, however; by the second night I was here, they were all giving me a hug goodnight at the end of the evening. With the bigger crowd, it is easier for them to work together in doing their homework. Now, in most cases there are 4-6 students from each grade level to work together.
I was so tired at the end of the day. The stress of the traveling combined with the activities involved in getting to the classrooms and seeing all the students again made me very exhausted. I feel asleep immediately after going to my room at 9:15 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 27, 2006—Kumbalam
I went with Joseph to the hospital. He had been having problems with one of his ears. I asked if he had ever used hydrogen peroxide to clean them, but he didn’t know the procedure. Well, the doctor found a fungal growth that was causing the problem and put hydrogen peroxide in the ear. What was interesting was that Joseph asked if it was hydrogen peroxide, and the doctor wouldn’t tell him. Later, Joseph told him that he called his doctor in the U.S. and that he told him it was hydrogen peroxide. Only then would the doctor admit it. He said that doctors here like to keep their treatments a secret so that people feel the need to come back again rather than trying to do it on their own. He was impressed that I already knew the treatment that the doctor used once we were there. But the doctor’s consulting fee was only 150 rupees—a little over $3.
There is trouble with the broadband (DSL) connection at school. I think it is because the campus is too far from the telephone switching station. Joseph said it only works occasionally late at night. Anyway, it means that I cannot get online to post my blog entries. I am typing them onto his computer here and will burn them onto a small CD to take with me when I leave. That’s why the entries are probably more detailed than they would normally be.
Joseph implemented many of the suggestions that I had made when I left last year—higher pay to the teachers, persons to supervise and assist the students at the hostel in doing their work, developing a way to communicate between the main gate and the hostel at night, hiring a professional principal to relieve him of some duties so he would not have such a hectic schedule, etc. It’s nice to know that I have made a difference here.
In the evening Joseph and I went into town to the “First Communion of Jancy Joy.” We were having heavy rain, so it was a difficult trip. Joseph isn’t a good driver in India anyway. He is too cautious, and that just creates dangerous situations in a country where everyone else is aggressive. When he is slowing and stopping to be careful, others are rushing around us on all sides in frustration that they can see gaps ahead of us that he isn’t rushing to fill. In addition, there is the problem of pedestrians in the streets, bicycles without lights in the streets, Joseph talking on the mobile phone while driving, etc. When you combine all of that with the heavy rain, it makes for a scary drive. And the crowd was rather small at the church due to the rain. The food they served was so good. We had chicken curry, fish curry, pickle, fancy rice (with cashews, cherries, peass, etc.), a ground meat patty, etc. And as is typical here in India, the sweet cake was served first while we waited for the meal.
While here, I have agreed to help Joseph with a few things: 1) Posting notices on web pages seeking volunteers for the school. 2) Writing a classified ad to be posted in an Indian newspaper in the U.S. seeking a principal or master teacher near retirement to come here and serve as principal/instructional leader of the school. 3) Looking for Hindi books for the library when I go to Cochin in a few days.
Sunday, Oct. 29, 2006—Kumbalam
It has been raining so much since I arrived here. I am glad I am at a point where I am staying put and not traveling. There has been flooding in the area. In fact, we had to avoid closed roads when returning from the trip into town for the first communion last night.
I spent most of this morning working with Sunil, the computer teacher, to try to fix Joseph’s computer so that he can use a dial-up connection to connect to the Internet when the broadband connection isn’t working. Unfortunately, Joseph was unsure of his user I.D. and password. We finally got the user I.D. figured out. But after trying various possible passwords several times, the central computer locked us out thinking that we were hackers trying to get into his account. Now we have to wait until tomorrow to contact the office and get them to reset the password and let us know what it is. But we have the computer working now the way we want it to be. When he opens the Internet page, it goes to broadband first. If there is a connection, he stays in it. If not, then it opens the dial-up procedure page for him to access it that way.
The rest of the day I relaxed and helped the kids with their work. They are all doing projects for various subjects. It involves having to copy material and keep it in a notebook. They spend a lot of time decorating the pages where they copy the information. They use colored pens to create borders and artwork. It’s more interesting for them than it would be if they were just doing homework.
While the kids went with Sunil to the computer lab in the afternoon, I stayed at the hostel and did my laundry. It just happened that the rain had stopped. So I washed 3 shirts, a pair of pants, underwear, and socks and hung them on inside lines upstairs to dry. I had run out of shirts with collars, and I don’t like to wear t-shirts when I am at the school
The hostel has a new routine. In the morning, they have group singing. Then at the end of the day after they write in their journals, they come together as a group for more singing and for a final prayer. I like it. It makes it seem somewhat like camp.
Monday, Oct. 30, 2006—Kumbalam
I had originally planned to leave today. But I came one day later than I had planned to arrive. And also, today was declared a holiday. That means that if I left, I wouldn’t be able to say good-bye to all the kids at the school. Now, I will stay at least until tomorrow. (I may have to stay another day if it begins raining again so that my shirts do not dry enough for me to put them in my suitcase.)
The holiday situation is a mess here. Last week, the government declared three holidays. Two of them were related to the end of Ramadan. I’m not sure why the other one was called. The people elected a communist government just two months ago, and Joseph says that they are trying out their new powers. Giving the holidays means that workers are free but employers must pay the salaries. So far, they have given about 10 holidays during their two months in power. Wonder how long that will last? Schools MUST observe the holidays, but they are also under a mandate to teach 200 days within the school year. They try to make up holidays by having school on Saturdays (as they did this last weekend). But when they have 3 holidays in one week and then begin the next week with another holiday, there just aren’t enough Saturdays to make up the difference.
Mr. Thomas, Abin’s father, came to visit today. He’s a lawyer and was the one who invited me to their home for a weekend last year. It was nice to see him again.
Well, you are reading this because Sunil, the computer teacher and I, went into town to the computer office today. They tested the line and found that there was a problem. The repairman was working in our area, so they called him and asked him to come see us. He just finished. The broadband is now working. That means not only that I can post to the blog, but I can also start working on the projects that I told Joseph I would do for him that involve the Internet.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Saturday, Oct. 27, 2006
Just a quick note. I am in Kumbalam at the school. There are problems with the broadband connection. This is the first time I have gotten online since getting here. Will post more later if I can keep the connection or get online again. Otherwise, I will do a complete update on Tuesday when I am out of here to the big city again.
Just a quick note. I am in Kumbalam at the school. There are problems with the broadband connection. This is the first time I have gotten online since getting here. Will post more later if I can keep the connection or get online again. Otherwise, I will do a complete update on Tuesday when I am out of here to the big city again.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Returning to the School
Returning to the School
Monday, Oct. 23, 2006--Trivandrum (Cont.)
I stayed in the room all afternoon. I took a Tylenol and started feeling better. It relieved the flu-like symptoms. Went across the street and ate a masala dosa for dinner. Rain was coming, so I rushed back to the hotel.
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006--Trivandrum to Varkala
When I was in Vietnam, all the men looked younger than they really are. Now that I am in India, I have noticed many times that the men look older than they say they are. The tailor in Madurai a few days ago shocked me when he said he was 46; he looked older than I am. Today, I met a man who was 30 and looked 45.
Met a nice young man on the train this morning. Actually, he helped me on the platform to make sure that I was in the right place for catching the train and that I got the right one. He has an MBA and works for ICICI Prudential. ICICI is a large banking corporation, and they have a working partnership with Prudential Insurance. Anyway, the young man spoke English very well. In fact, he was reading an English-language newspaper. We sat together on the train and he let me know when my stop was approaching.
I went back to the same hotel in Varkala where I stayed last year. It's a nice place--maybe nicer than anywhere else I have stayed in India. I got a good room in front with two windows to allow light inside. It has cable TV and is VERY clean. They found my entry in their register from my visit last year. It was almost exactly a year ago that I was here--Oct. 21 vs. Oct. 24 this time.
Went to a restaruant my guidebook recommended for good western breakfasts. But they don't serve them any more. I had to settle for a masala dosa. It was very good--better than the ones I have been getting. But I am so tired of eating the same foods over and over again. My table overlooked the temple tank--a concrete-lined swimming and bathing area, so I was able to watch the kids swimming while I ate. To go with the lunch, I asked for juice. All they had was fruit-flavored sodas, so I asked for a lemon soda. A moment later, however, the man came back and asked if I would like papaya juice. When I responded positively, I saw him take a machete and go out to a nearby papaya tree and cut down two fruits. When he came back to my table from the kitchen, he had a glass filled with thick, rich papaya pulp. It was so good. It had not been watered down the way most fruit drinks are here with sugar water.
It was a beautiful day at the beach. And many local people were there. That's because it was a holiday for the end of Ramadan. Most of the people were muslim, but some were hindu, too. I walked the trail that connects the three beaches here so that I could see the people on each beach enjoying themselves. I did that twice. Once around 1 p.m. and again late in the afternoon around 4:30 p.m. I took photos, since I had lost the ones from my visit last year due to the computer virus that destroyed my film card at the school afterwards.
I ate dinner at a seaside beach restarant. I had wanted to go to an Italian place and have something that wasn't Indian. But it was dark when I passed it. There are about 3 restaurants right on the beach, so I chose one of those. I ordered chicken biriyani and got better than I expected. It was freshly made and with good ingredients--raisins, cashews, onions, tomatoes, etc., mixed in with the rice. And it had chunks of pepper to give it a nice spicy taste. The waiter suggested a hot ginger lemon to go with it, and it was perfect, too. It was a tall glass of lemonade with chunks of ginger in it and a big dollop of honey. It tasted so nice and was a new experience for me here.
Oct. 25, 2006--Varkala
I had a surprise in my bathroom this morning. There is a mouse living in there. When I switched on the light and walked inside this morning, he ran from the back of the toilet to his hiding place in the base of the sink. He didn't come out again, so I just paid no attention to the fact that he is living there. From the droppings I could see behind the sink, however, he has been there for a while. I wonder what he eats?
It was actually cool last night. Indian hotels seldom give two sheets. There is just the base sheet on the mattress, so one sleeps uncovered. Sometime in the night, I turned off the fan. Then later, I reached for my towel and used it to cover me partially, because it as so cool. I slept well, however. It must have been after 9 a.m. when I awakened.
There is activity outside today. They are cutting down a tree just outside my room. Three men are doing it. Two hold ropes attached to the portion of the tree being cut. These ropes are draped over branches of a nearby tree to form a pully-effect to brace the part that will fall. The other guy climbs up the tree branch and hacks with a machette until it is almost cut through. Then he backtracks and the other two pull their ropes to break it free. Also, out on the street is an elephant going back and forth moving branches of trees that are being cut down elsewhere. It must be tree-trimming season here.
Note: Tomorrow, I will go back to St. Joseph's International Academy, the school where I was a volunteer last year. I understand that I have installed broadbank Internet since I was there, but I don't know if it will be available to me. If it is, I will post as I have regularly done. If not, it may be 4-5 days before I can post again. Just wanted to forewarn you so no one would worry if there are no posts for a while.
Monday, Oct. 23, 2006--Trivandrum (Cont.)
I stayed in the room all afternoon. I took a Tylenol and started feeling better. It relieved the flu-like symptoms. Went across the street and ate a masala dosa for dinner. Rain was coming, so I rushed back to the hotel.
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006--Trivandrum to Varkala
When I was in Vietnam, all the men looked younger than they really are. Now that I am in India, I have noticed many times that the men look older than they say they are. The tailor in Madurai a few days ago shocked me when he said he was 46; he looked older than I am. Today, I met a man who was 30 and looked 45.
Met a nice young man on the train this morning. Actually, he helped me on the platform to make sure that I was in the right place for catching the train and that I got the right one. He has an MBA and works for ICICI Prudential. ICICI is a large banking corporation, and they have a working partnership with Prudential Insurance. Anyway, the young man spoke English very well. In fact, he was reading an English-language newspaper. We sat together on the train and he let me know when my stop was approaching.
I went back to the same hotel in Varkala where I stayed last year. It's a nice place--maybe nicer than anywhere else I have stayed in India. I got a good room in front with two windows to allow light inside. It has cable TV and is VERY clean. They found my entry in their register from my visit last year. It was almost exactly a year ago that I was here--Oct. 21 vs. Oct. 24 this time.
Went to a restaruant my guidebook recommended for good western breakfasts. But they don't serve them any more. I had to settle for a masala dosa. It was very good--better than the ones I have been getting. But I am so tired of eating the same foods over and over again. My table overlooked the temple tank--a concrete-lined swimming and bathing area, so I was able to watch the kids swimming while I ate. To go with the lunch, I asked for juice. All they had was fruit-flavored sodas, so I asked for a lemon soda. A moment later, however, the man came back and asked if I would like papaya juice. When I responded positively, I saw him take a machete and go out to a nearby papaya tree and cut down two fruits. When he came back to my table from the kitchen, he had a glass filled with thick, rich papaya pulp. It was so good. It had not been watered down the way most fruit drinks are here with sugar water.
It was a beautiful day at the beach. And many local people were there. That's because it was a holiday for the end of Ramadan. Most of the people were muslim, but some were hindu, too. I walked the trail that connects the three beaches here so that I could see the people on each beach enjoying themselves. I did that twice. Once around 1 p.m. and again late in the afternoon around 4:30 p.m. I took photos, since I had lost the ones from my visit last year due to the computer virus that destroyed my film card at the school afterwards.
I ate dinner at a seaside beach restarant. I had wanted to go to an Italian place and have something that wasn't Indian. But it was dark when I passed it. There are about 3 restaurants right on the beach, so I chose one of those. I ordered chicken biriyani and got better than I expected. It was freshly made and with good ingredients--raisins, cashews, onions, tomatoes, etc., mixed in with the rice. And it had chunks of pepper to give it a nice spicy taste. The waiter suggested a hot ginger lemon to go with it, and it was perfect, too. It was a tall glass of lemonade with chunks of ginger in it and a big dollop of honey. It tasted so nice and was a new experience for me here.
Oct. 25, 2006--Varkala
I had a surprise in my bathroom this morning. There is a mouse living in there. When I switched on the light and walked inside this morning, he ran from the back of the toilet to his hiding place in the base of the sink. He didn't come out again, so I just paid no attention to the fact that he is living there. From the droppings I could see behind the sink, however, he has been there for a while. I wonder what he eats?
It was actually cool last night. Indian hotels seldom give two sheets. There is just the base sheet on the mattress, so one sleeps uncovered. Sometime in the night, I turned off the fan. Then later, I reached for my towel and used it to cover me partially, because it as so cool. I slept well, however. It must have been after 9 a.m. when I awakened.
There is activity outside today. They are cutting down a tree just outside my room. Three men are doing it. Two hold ropes attached to the portion of the tree being cut. These ropes are draped over branches of a nearby tree to form a pully-effect to brace the part that will fall. The other guy climbs up the tree branch and hacks with a machette until it is almost cut through. Then he backtracks and the other two pull their ropes to break it free. Also, out on the street is an elephant going back and forth moving branches of trees that are being cut down elsewhere. It must be tree-trimming season here.
Note: Tomorrow, I will go back to St. Joseph's International Academy, the school where I was a volunteer last year. I understand that I have installed broadbank Internet since I was there, but I don't know if it will be available to me. If it is, I will post as I have regularly done. If not, it may be 4-5 days before I can post again. Just wanted to forewarn you so no one would worry if there are no posts for a while.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Not Feeling Well
Not Feeling Well
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006--Trivandrum (Cont.)
I returned to the same restaurant in the evening where I had lunch. I ordered chili chicken, something I often see on menus here but have never tried. It's a little like chicken wings in the U.S. It was 10 small pieces of chicken on the bone with a slightly sweet, spicy sauce that had onions, garlic, and bell pepper in it. I ate it with parota flat bread. Then I returned to the hotel because I really wasn't feeling well. My stomach has been feeling uneasy for a few days, and my body feels tired.
Sunday, Oct. 22, 2006--Trivandrum
Note: I really didn't feel well today, and that made me a little depressed. I will type directly from my journal:
I'm tired of traveling for various reasons: 1) I'm tired of being alone, 2) Tired of living out of a suitcase, 3) Tired of the food I've been eating, 4) tired of the noise from cars buses, loud speakers, 5) Tired of the assertive drivers who expect pedestrians to jump out of their way, 6) Tired of the hassle of finding a satisfactory room when I get to a town, 7) Tired of silly charges like camera use fees or having to pay to store the camera if you don't want to use it where you go, 8) Tired of the trash everywhere and the uneven pavements, 9) Tired of worrying about mosquitoes due to dengue fever and another disease that are spreading around India, etc. Right now, I am thinking I would like to change my ticket and head on home to Texas.
Later entry: Today was not an easy day. My stomach has bothered me for a couple of days. There's no diarrhea, but there is a gnawing sensation. I haven't eaten much because of it, so my body is weak. Then I got several (8-10) mosquito bites last night although I've been trying to control their access to my rooms. I walked to the zoo today soaking up too much sunshine, and all I had for lunch was a 1-dip ice cream cone and a glass of apple juice. By the time I was back at the room, my body was warm and weak giving me the impression of flu symptoms. Well, those are the first signs of the two mosquito-born diseases that are a problem in India this year (and especially here in Kerala where I have just arrived). I took an Advil. It made me feel better. Then I noticed that I had no joint pain; a generalized joint pain throughout the body is one of the signs of either of the two diseases. So I guess I am safe for now. As I go to bed, I'm thinking I have to get up and eat a good western breakfast tomorrow and wear Arne's floppy hat to protect me from the sun. I think I will be fine.
Before sleeping, I watched a travel program about the Texas-Mexico border. Oh, those tortas, tacos, etc., looked so good and tasty!!
Monday, Oct. 23, 2006--Trivandrum
My stomach still feels uneasy, but my body feels better. Will stay in Trivandrum and relax one more day before traveling onward.
They are probably frustrated at the school where I volunteered last year. The government, based on predictions, declared tomorrow (Tuesday), a holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Well, last night, the imams saw the moon and concluded that their predictions were wrong and that last night was the end and that today should be a holiday. So now both Monday and Tuesday are holidays. Schools here face this problem all the time. The exact same thing happened last year with the end of Ramadan. They have nationwide examinations coming up, and the government keeps giving holidays. There was one a week ago for elections.
I ate breakfast at the Indian Coffee House. It's an interesting structure designed by a female British architect. It is a spiral with each table a little higher than the previous one on a continuous ramp. Waiters also have interesting uniforms with white turbans that have an accordian pleat sticking up in the air. I had a tomato omelet, toast and jam, and a pineapple juice. It tasted good, but I wish there had been a nice sauce for the omelet; it was a little dry.
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006--Trivandrum (Cont.)
I returned to the same restaurant in the evening where I had lunch. I ordered chili chicken, something I often see on menus here but have never tried. It's a little like chicken wings in the U.S. It was 10 small pieces of chicken on the bone with a slightly sweet, spicy sauce that had onions, garlic, and bell pepper in it. I ate it with parota flat bread. Then I returned to the hotel because I really wasn't feeling well. My stomach has been feeling uneasy for a few days, and my body feels tired.
Sunday, Oct. 22, 2006--Trivandrum
Note: I really didn't feel well today, and that made me a little depressed. I will type directly from my journal:
I'm tired of traveling for various reasons: 1) I'm tired of being alone, 2) Tired of living out of a suitcase, 3) Tired of the food I've been eating, 4) tired of the noise from cars buses, loud speakers, 5) Tired of the assertive drivers who expect pedestrians to jump out of their way, 6) Tired of the hassle of finding a satisfactory room when I get to a town, 7) Tired of silly charges like camera use fees or having to pay to store the camera if you don't want to use it where you go, 8) Tired of the trash everywhere and the uneven pavements, 9) Tired of worrying about mosquitoes due to dengue fever and another disease that are spreading around India, etc. Right now, I am thinking I would like to change my ticket and head on home to Texas.
Later entry: Today was not an easy day. My stomach has bothered me for a couple of days. There's no diarrhea, but there is a gnawing sensation. I haven't eaten much because of it, so my body is weak. Then I got several (8-10) mosquito bites last night although I've been trying to control their access to my rooms. I walked to the zoo today soaking up too much sunshine, and all I had for lunch was a 1-dip ice cream cone and a glass of apple juice. By the time I was back at the room, my body was warm and weak giving me the impression of flu symptoms. Well, those are the first signs of the two mosquito-born diseases that are a problem in India this year (and especially here in Kerala where I have just arrived). I took an Advil. It made me feel better. Then I noticed that I had no joint pain; a generalized joint pain throughout the body is one of the signs of either of the two diseases. So I guess I am safe for now. As I go to bed, I'm thinking I have to get up and eat a good western breakfast tomorrow and wear Arne's floppy hat to protect me from the sun. I think I will be fine.
Before sleeping, I watched a travel program about the Texas-Mexico border. Oh, those tortas, tacos, etc., looked so good and tasty!!
Monday, Oct. 23, 2006--Trivandrum
My stomach still feels uneasy, but my body feels better. Will stay in Trivandrum and relax one more day before traveling onward.
They are probably frustrated at the school where I volunteered last year. The government, based on predictions, declared tomorrow (Tuesday), a holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Well, last night, the imams saw the moon and concluded that their predictions were wrong and that last night was the end and that today should be a holiday. So now both Monday and Tuesday are holidays. Schools here face this problem all the time. The exact same thing happened last year with the end of Ramadan. They have nationwide examinations coming up, and the government keeps giving holidays. There was one a week ago for elections.
I ate breakfast at the Indian Coffee House. It's an interesting structure designed by a female British architect. It is a spiral with each table a little higher than the previous one on a continuous ramp. Waiters also have interesting uniforms with white turbans that have an accordian pleat sticking up in the air. I had a tomato omelet, toast and jam, and a pineapple juice. It tasted good, but I wish there had been a nice sauce for the omelet; it was a little dry.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Cape Comorin
Cape Comorin
Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006--Madurai to Kannyakumari
Took three buses--local, long distance, and regional--and finally arrived here in Kannyakumari 8 hours after my departure. I was in a hotel room at 4:30 p.m. without having eaten all day. I even had to check about 5 hotels before deciding on a room. Some were dirty, one had mosquitoes, another offerred nice rooms at too high a price, etc. Where I am is clean and very reasonable ($5.39 per night). I can see the sea from one of the windows. And it has cable TV.
I sat beside a nice electrical/electronic engineer major who was headed home for the Diwali holidays. He spoke English well and without the strong accent of the typical Indian. We talked most of the time he was with me. I encouraged him to consider graduate work in the U.S. since he is interested in getting a Ph.D. and teaching at the university level. I think his lack of accent would make him a better candidate than most foreign Ph.D.s.
I went to the beach around 5:30 to watch the sunset. It was filled with people and lined with tour buses that had come just for the day. Clouds on the horizon kept it from being a spectacular sunset, however. But it was nice just to feel the cool seabreezes and to watch the people.
I ate dinner as early as they started serving it. I had chicken curry with chipatis. Since it was my first meal of the day, I was ravenous and ate it down fast!! That sure made it taste good, too.
Kannyakumari is the southernmost point of India--the Cape of Comorin. The Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal all come together here. But it isn't as dramatic as the cape in South Africa or the seas coming together at Skagen in Denmark. In those places, it is easy to see the waves coming against each other. Here, the cape is more rounded. The guidebook points out that there are some differences in the colors of the sands on various beaches because of the different seas, but I never saw that.
On the way here, we passed a great windmill farm nearby. I guess the cape causes winds to come strongly from various directions. And the land has already started to look like Kerala with lots of coconut palm trees and waterways.
Friday, Oct. 20, 2006--Kannyakumari
It was a sunny day, and I made it a lazy one. I walked down to the sea and relaxed a while. In the afternoon, I returned to my room and read while it was too hot to be out. Then I went out again around 4:30. People were already gathering for the sunset. I talked to a local man who said he was a fisherman before the tsunami, but he now operates a stand selling pearls to tourists. Yesterday, my regional bus followed the coast and passed a fishing village that apparently was destroyed by the tsunami and now has many new small houses built by a group of German doctors. I've seen work by British and German relief agencies, but I have seen no evidence of anything the U.S. did following it.
Today is the date, on the average, that the Northeast Monsoons begin. In actuality, they begin sometime within 7 days on either side of today. I've been fortunate that they have not begun yet. It's cloudier today than it has been, however, so they are on their way. I'll be leaving Tamil Nadu tomorrow and heading into Kerala, so I will have avoided them, since the mountains betwen the two states limit them to TN. During the monsoon days in late Oct., the state gets about 20% of their annual rainfall. And then during November, they get about another 40-50%. So missing them means having missed LOTS of rain!!
I bought fried snacks for my lunch. My favoirite is a patty made from cornmeal. Inside are whole kernals of corn and big chunks of hot pepper. They are sort of like an Indian hushpuppy. And, although they are not as light as hushpuppies (for lack of baking powder, I guess), they are very flavorful and would be good to accompany fish the way hushpuppies do.
Tonight and tomorrow families celebrate Diwali with food (especially sweets), gifts, fireworks, etc. The fireworks have been going off all afternoon already. And there is the sense of excitement in the air as people rush to be prepared.
I went to the point (Cape Comorin) tonight as the sun set. Again, it was too cloudy for a nice sunset. But many people were there. I watched a bunch of young guys swimming and wrestling in the water.
For dinner tonight, I had one of my favorites--paneer palak (spinach with paneer cheese). It was so much better than the versions that I get in the U.S. It was darker green. And there were slices of green chile peppers in it along with chopped garlic and other items. Oh, how I wish the Indian restaurants at home would be more authentic!!
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006--Kannyakumari to Trivandrum
Happy Diwali! Since it is a holiday, I thought it would be a good day to travel. I was awakened early by very loud fireworks (the kinds that are illegal in the U.S. and Europe). One after another went off starting about 5 a.m. So I got out of bed and prepared to check out. It was a good day, because the buses were not crowded at all. How nice it was for everyone to have a seat. Normally, the aisles are full of people squeezed together like sardines and the doorways have men barely hanging on. There were even empty seats today!
I am now back in Kerala--God's Own Country (as the state slogan goes). It's nice to be back. It feels familier in looks and smell. It's one of the richer states of India, and I can see that when I look at the shops and signs and things. It was even obvious on the bus when the driver whipped out his electronic ticketing machine instead of ripping of a cheap newsprint paper ticket for my fare. This is my third time here. I'm in Trivandrum for the next couple of days. It's the southernmost city and the capital. I came here last year to meet with officials at the state office buildings, and I was a tourist here 4 years ago.
Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006--Madurai to Kannyakumari
Took three buses--local, long distance, and regional--and finally arrived here in Kannyakumari 8 hours after my departure. I was in a hotel room at 4:30 p.m. without having eaten all day. I even had to check about 5 hotels before deciding on a room. Some were dirty, one had mosquitoes, another offerred nice rooms at too high a price, etc. Where I am is clean and very reasonable ($5.39 per night). I can see the sea from one of the windows. And it has cable TV.
I sat beside a nice electrical/electronic engineer major who was headed home for the Diwali holidays. He spoke English well and without the strong accent of the typical Indian. We talked most of the time he was with me. I encouraged him to consider graduate work in the U.S. since he is interested in getting a Ph.D. and teaching at the university level. I think his lack of accent would make him a better candidate than most foreign Ph.D.s.
I went to the beach around 5:30 to watch the sunset. It was filled with people and lined with tour buses that had come just for the day. Clouds on the horizon kept it from being a spectacular sunset, however. But it was nice just to feel the cool seabreezes and to watch the people.
I ate dinner as early as they started serving it. I had chicken curry with chipatis. Since it was my first meal of the day, I was ravenous and ate it down fast!! That sure made it taste good, too.
Kannyakumari is the southernmost point of India--the Cape of Comorin. The Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal all come together here. But it isn't as dramatic as the cape in South Africa or the seas coming together at Skagen in Denmark. In those places, it is easy to see the waves coming against each other. Here, the cape is more rounded. The guidebook points out that there are some differences in the colors of the sands on various beaches because of the different seas, but I never saw that.
On the way here, we passed a great windmill farm nearby. I guess the cape causes winds to come strongly from various directions. And the land has already started to look like Kerala with lots of coconut palm trees and waterways.
Friday, Oct. 20, 2006--Kannyakumari
It was a sunny day, and I made it a lazy one. I walked down to the sea and relaxed a while. In the afternoon, I returned to my room and read while it was too hot to be out. Then I went out again around 4:30. People were already gathering for the sunset. I talked to a local man who said he was a fisherman before the tsunami, but he now operates a stand selling pearls to tourists. Yesterday, my regional bus followed the coast and passed a fishing village that apparently was destroyed by the tsunami and now has many new small houses built by a group of German doctors. I've seen work by British and German relief agencies, but I have seen no evidence of anything the U.S. did following it.
Today is the date, on the average, that the Northeast Monsoons begin. In actuality, they begin sometime within 7 days on either side of today. I've been fortunate that they have not begun yet. It's cloudier today than it has been, however, so they are on their way. I'll be leaving Tamil Nadu tomorrow and heading into Kerala, so I will have avoided them, since the mountains betwen the two states limit them to TN. During the monsoon days in late Oct., the state gets about 20% of their annual rainfall. And then during November, they get about another 40-50%. So missing them means having missed LOTS of rain!!
I bought fried snacks for my lunch. My favoirite is a patty made from cornmeal. Inside are whole kernals of corn and big chunks of hot pepper. They are sort of like an Indian hushpuppy. And, although they are not as light as hushpuppies (for lack of baking powder, I guess), they are very flavorful and would be good to accompany fish the way hushpuppies do.
Tonight and tomorrow families celebrate Diwali with food (especially sweets), gifts, fireworks, etc. The fireworks have been going off all afternoon already. And there is the sense of excitement in the air as people rush to be prepared.
I went to the point (Cape Comorin) tonight as the sun set. Again, it was too cloudy for a nice sunset. But many people were there. I watched a bunch of young guys swimming and wrestling in the water.
For dinner tonight, I had one of my favorites--paneer palak (spinach with paneer cheese). It was so much better than the versions that I get in the U.S. It was darker green. And there were slices of green chile peppers in it along with chopped garlic and other items. Oh, how I wish the Indian restaurants at home would be more authentic!!
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006--Kannyakumari to Trivandrum
Happy Diwali! Since it is a holiday, I thought it would be a good day to travel. I was awakened early by very loud fireworks (the kinds that are illegal in the U.S. and Europe). One after another went off starting about 5 a.m. So I got out of bed and prepared to check out. It was a good day, because the buses were not crowded at all. How nice it was for everyone to have a seat. Normally, the aisles are full of people squeezed together like sardines and the doorways have men barely hanging on. There were even empty seats today!
I am now back in Kerala--God's Own Country (as the state slogan goes). It's nice to be back. It feels familier in looks and smell. It's one of the richer states of India, and I can see that when I look at the shops and signs and things. It was even obvious on the bus when the driver whipped out his electronic ticketing machine instead of ripping of a cheap newsprint paper ticket for my fare. This is my third time here. I'm in Trivandrum for the next couple of days. It's the southernmost city and the capital. I came here last year to meet with officials at the state office buildings, and I was a tourist here 4 years ago.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Diwali Excitement
Diwali Excitement
Note: This is my second post today, so you may want to look at the previous entry to see if you have read it or not.
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006--Madurai (Cont.)
I ate an egg-chicken parota pocket for lunch today. Parota is a flat bread. They folded it in a square-shaped envelope and filled it with shredded chicken, shredded onion, and a thin layer of fried egg. Then they put the whole pocket on the griddle and browned it on both sides. They served it with ketchup. It is a breakfast item that they serve until 1:00 p.m. and just seemed like something new that would be worthwhile to try. I enjoyed it.
After resting at the hotel for 3 hours and reading, I went back out to see Madurai at night. Like all the cities in this part of India, it is really alive this week. Diwali is this weekend. The stores are decorated with flashing lights. Sales are on everywhere. Kids are shooting fireworks at the entrances to stores. I even saw a small band in uniform performing as they and a group of men who seemed to be soliciting donations went from store to store. Everyone has shopping bags in their arms. It's the time for last-minute shopping and preparations. Diwali is in two days!
For dinner, I wanted something spicy with meat. The waiter suggested butter chicken. Although I have had it several times already, I took his suggestion. The other chicken dish I asked about had bones in it. It was spicy. And the naan I had with it was cooked in the front of the restaruant in a real tandoori oven. I saw the cook slap the dough on the wall of the oven and then pull it off when it was cooked and slice it in half. It was so fresh and delicious that I ordered a second helping of the naan.
Note: This is my second post today, so you may want to look at the previous entry to see if you have read it or not.
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006--Madurai (Cont.)
I ate an egg-chicken parota pocket for lunch today. Parota is a flat bread. They folded it in a square-shaped envelope and filled it with shredded chicken, shredded onion, and a thin layer of fried egg. Then they put the whole pocket on the griddle and browned it on both sides. They served it with ketchup. It is a breakfast item that they serve until 1:00 p.m. and just seemed like something new that would be worthwhile to try. I enjoyed it.
After resting at the hotel for 3 hours and reading, I went back out to see Madurai at night. Like all the cities in this part of India, it is really alive this week. Diwali is this weekend. The stores are decorated with flashing lights. Sales are on everywhere. Kids are shooting fireworks at the entrances to stores. I even saw a small band in uniform performing as they and a group of men who seemed to be soliciting donations went from store to store. Everyone has shopping bags in their arms. It's the time for last-minute shopping and preparations. Diwali is in two days!
For dinner, I wanted something spicy with meat. The waiter suggested butter chicken. Although I have had it several times already, I took his suggestion. The other chicken dish I asked about had bones in it. It was spicy. And the naan I had with it was cooked in the front of the restaruant in a real tandoori oven. I saw the cook slap the dough on the wall of the oven and then pull it off when it was cooked and slice it in half. It was so fresh and delicious that I ordered a second helping of the naan.
Madurai
Madurai
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006--Madurai (Cont.)
Tailors work the main street here searching for tourists. I've met two today. They all start with the typical questions that always lead to someone wanting something from you: How are you? Where are you from? What city--New York, Los Angeles, Florida, Mexico? What is your name? Then they tell you they are a tailor and want you to come to their shop and order something. They say it will only take 30 minutes to make an exact copy of my pants for only 30 rupees (70 cents). Of course, they haven't said that there will also be charges for the fabric, the zippers, etc. Anyway, they are a hassle here.
I did some laundry when I returned to my room. I had worn a pair of zip-off leg pants too long. I could see dirty spots, but I kept hesitating changing to clean ones as long as I was riding dirty buses every other day. I needed to wash underwear and socks, though, so I through the pants and a t-shirt in with them. The room as a closet with plastic hangers which made it easy to let them hang there to dry with the doors open so that the air movement from the ceiling fan could hit them. I did a better job of washig the pants than the laundry did when they were washed before. I was able to get out all of the black stain from my cheap Indian leather bag rubbing against the side of them.
The sun sets so that it is shining on the faces of the temple that I can see from my hotel room. I sat on my bed and watched them glisten in the sunlight in the late afternoon yesterday. They are tall structures with relief sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses painted in bright colors. I was surprise to see, however, that the towers were not lighted at night; they have only a warning light on top for airplanes.
I went back out in the evening around 8 p.m. I was hungry and went back to the same vegetarian restaurant where I had lunch--Meenakshi Bhavan. Their food was so spicy and good that I wanted to try something from the menu (which isn't available at lunchtime). I asked which was the best dosa, and he recommended the "hat." The huge thin crispy pancake had been shaped into a cone. The containers with the four sauces--mint, coconut, tomato, and lentil--were placed under the cone on the serving tray. Then a smaller flat dosa with a small hole in the middle was placed on top of the cone like a hat. (It reminded me of a Mexican sombrero.) It was delicious. The sauces were thick and flavorful except for the lentil one. I ate the whole thing and enjoyed it all.
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006-Madurai
I slept in this morning. The hotel was quiet and there were thick curtains to keep out the sunlight. Then I read a chapter in my book before getting out of bed. It was 10 a.m. before I left the room.
Today, there were more tailors. As soon as they asked me where I was from, I asked them if they were a tailor. I preferred shortening the interaction. Then I told them that I didn't need anything. They persisted some, but I kept walking and repeated that I didn't need anything.
I went to the Gandhi Museum today. It was a rather good museum which first told the history of the independence movement against Britain and then had exhibits on Gandhi. One of the exhibits was the bloodied loin cloth he had been wearing on the day he was murdered.
My knee is bothering me again today. It was feeling so much better last night that I thought it was on its way to being okay again. But today it was popping and feeling as if it was out of place again. Too bad.
I am beginning to be tired of India. Part of it is that I am tired of the food of South India. But I am also tired of the crowded streets, the honking horns, the fact that pedestrians are the low-man on the totempole when it comes to traffic, of the high prices charged tourists for admission to sites (including extra fees for taking photos), the difficulty in finding clean hotels, etc. I think I will return to India one last time on a trip to Kashmir. That would be next year. I will cross over into Pakistan on that trip and fly out of there. Then I don't think I will return to India for a long time unless it is just for a short stopover to break the long flights from Asia to Europe.
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006--Madurai (Cont.)
Tailors work the main street here searching for tourists. I've met two today. They all start with the typical questions that always lead to someone wanting something from you: How are you? Where are you from? What city--New York, Los Angeles, Florida, Mexico? What is your name? Then they tell you they are a tailor and want you to come to their shop and order something. They say it will only take 30 minutes to make an exact copy of my pants for only 30 rupees (70 cents). Of course, they haven't said that there will also be charges for the fabric, the zippers, etc. Anyway, they are a hassle here.
I did some laundry when I returned to my room. I had worn a pair of zip-off leg pants too long. I could see dirty spots, but I kept hesitating changing to clean ones as long as I was riding dirty buses every other day. I needed to wash underwear and socks, though, so I through the pants and a t-shirt in with them. The room as a closet with plastic hangers which made it easy to let them hang there to dry with the doors open so that the air movement from the ceiling fan could hit them. I did a better job of washig the pants than the laundry did when they were washed before. I was able to get out all of the black stain from my cheap Indian leather bag rubbing against the side of them.
The sun sets so that it is shining on the faces of the temple that I can see from my hotel room. I sat on my bed and watched them glisten in the sunlight in the late afternoon yesterday. They are tall structures with relief sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses painted in bright colors. I was surprise to see, however, that the towers were not lighted at night; they have only a warning light on top for airplanes.
I went back out in the evening around 8 p.m. I was hungry and went back to the same vegetarian restaurant where I had lunch--Meenakshi Bhavan. Their food was so spicy and good that I wanted to try something from the menu (which isn't available at lunchtime). I asked which was the best dosa, and he recommended the "hat." The huge thin crispy pancake had been shaped into a cone. The containers with the four sauces--mint, coconut, tomato, and lentil--were placed under the cone on the serving tray. Then a smaller flat dosa with a small hole in the middle was placed on top of the cone like a hat. (It reminded me of a Mexican sombrero.) It was delicious. The sauces were thick and flavorful except for the lentil one. I ate the whole thing and enjoyed it all.
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006-Madurai
I slept in this morning. The hotel was quiet and there were thick curtains to keep out the sunlight. Then I read a chapter in my book before getting out of bed. It was 10 a.m. before I left the room.
Today, there were more tailors. As soon as they asked me where I was from, I asked them if they were a tailor. I preferred shortening the interaction. Then I told them that I didn't need anything. They persisted some, but I kept walking and repeated that I didn't need anything.
I went to the Gandhi Museum today. It was a rather good museum which first told the history of the independence movement against Britain and then had exhibits on Gandhi. One of the exhibits was the bloodied loin cloth he had been wearing on the day he was murdered.
My knee is bothering me again today. It was feeling so much better last night that I thought it was on its way to being okay again. But today it was popping and feeling as if it was out of place again. Too bad.
I am beginning to be tired of India. Part of it is that I am tired of the food of South India. But I am also tired of the crowded streets, the honking horns, the fact that pedestrians are the low-man on the totempole when it comes to traffic, of the high prices charged tourists for admission to sites (including extra fees for taking photos), the difficulty in finding clean hotels, etc. I think I will return to India one last time on a trip to Kashmir. That would be next year. I will cross over into Pakistan on that trip and fly out of there. Then I don't think I will return to India for a long time unless it is just for a short stopover to break the long flights from Asia to Europe.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Up in the Hills
Up in the Hills
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006--Trichy (Cont.)
I went back to town in the late afternoon. I tried to see a church that looked interesting, but the gates were locked. Instead, I went to one of the nice bakeries and bought 1/2 kg (1 lb.) of Indian sweets. It was a small box full. There was a nice variety of them--some made with dough, some from ground nuts (cashew and/or pastachio), etc.
It was starting to sprinkle when I got back to my hotel. Then later it rained with lots of thunder. I just walked to the restaurant in the hotel for dinner because of the rain. I ate paneer kofta and naan. It was two peak-shaped middle-eastern koftas with chunks of paneer (cheese) inside them. They were served on a dish filled with a nice spicy gravy.
Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006--Trichy to Kodaikkanal
I was up at 5:30 and at the bus station by 6:10 planning to catch the 6:40 bus to Kodaikkanal. The bus never came into the station, however. Fortunately, a man and is son were waiting on the same bus and let me know it hadn't come and wasn't apparently coming. They told me we had to take a bus to an intermediate point and change. It ended up taking 3 buses to travel the distance.
Kodaikkanal is a "hill station." At 2343 m (7,200 ft.), it's really a little higher than ahill. It's built around a lake and there are pine and eucalyptus trees everywhere. The air is cool and fresh. The town is rather clean and attractive. There are many nice homes with wonderful gardens. And today it is dry; it rains almost every day here I've been told. There are hikdes I can take on trails through the mountains, so that is what I will do tomorrow.
I walked around the lake today. It's about 5.5 km (3 1/3 miles). It's not round; it has several fingers. The homes and lodges around it are very scenic. There are also boathouses on the lake where many people have rented paddle boats for the day. The town is alive with people, especially young, college-age types. They are whooping and laughing and really having a good time. Besides the boats, others are horseback riding, some are biking, etc.
There is an international school here which seems to live up to its name. Most "international schools" in India are that in name only. But this school, which has a beautiful campus consisting of gray stone buildings, has students who are obviously foreign-born--Europeans, Koreans, etc. And all the students are speaking English everywhere to each other.
I'm having trouble with my left knee. It feels out of place, but it isn't. I think I must have a muscle or tendon (probably the latter, since I feel no pain when pressing on it), that is either torn or hurt. The knee pops and aches when I walk. If I press my fingers on the inside base of the kneecap and bend my knee in and out slowly, the pain is then relieved for a while and I can walk normally. Also, the pain is no so bad when I walk uphill. But if I pause and try to start off without pressing on that spot while bending my knee, I have a bad pain and the feeling that something is out of place.
For lunch, I went to a Tibetan restaurant. The people who left Tibet to come to India have not all stayed in the Himalayan region. Many have migrated to hill stations where it is easier for them to make a living, especially with restaurants serving the tourists. There are two such places here. Both were doing a booming business. I got the only free table available. I had their chicken noodle soup which was homemade with homemade noodles. Then I had 8 momos, steamed dumplings filled with a ground beef mixture. It was too much food, but it was so good.
I miss my hotel in Trichy. It was the best one I have had in India, and it was at such a good price. My hotel here is okay, but the bath facilities could be a little cleaner. And they must not do their laundry in hot water; the sheets and pillowcases are stained and yellowed.
Monday, Oct. 16, 2006-Kodaikkanal
My knee hurts even more today. I'm wondering if I hurt it being crunched up in buses recently. But I am pushing on. Walking doesn't seem to hurt the knee more; it just hurts me some. But when I get going, it doesn't feel as bad as it does at the beginning.
It is too cool here--the opposite of the rest of lower India where it is too hot. Where is the weather great, I wonder? The main problem here is that there is no room heating. But there is hot water for a shower; that felt very nice this morning.
I went walking to explore around the edges of the city and walked much further than I intended. My guidebook map was not drawn correctly. It sent me down a road that actually took me AWAY from town rather than around town as it looked on the map. (I found this out later when I picked up another map at the tourist office.) I was gone about 5 hours, and I estimate that I walked 30-35 km (18-21 miles) before getting back into town. It was a wonderful route. It took me through a national forest with no buildings to be seen anywhere. Several places had clusters of tour buses, so I would ask what the sight was. Once it was a group of pine trees that is used often in Hindi films. Another time, it was a monument for the highest point in the region. Most of the day was sunny, so I sunburned again. But in the afternoon, there came a light rain for a while. Then later, it rained heavily. Fortunately, I was at a point with lots of roadside sales stands when the heavy rain came. I was able to stand under an awning for about 15 minutes until it passed. I also had my aluminum folding umbrella which I always carry in my shoulder bag.
I didn't get back into town for lunch until 2:45 p.m. I went to the other Tibetan restaurant and had fried rice with pork. It was also very good, but there were too many pieces of fat in it. I should have thought about that. Pork has fat. And people who live in cold places like the Himalayas eat lots of fat. I should have ordered the chicken friend rice.
I was so tired that I returned to my room at 4 p.m. and didn't leave it again. I finished the sweets from Trichy for my dinner. I watched TV. I read. Outside, it thundered and rained. The power went off several times (including the point when I was writing about it in my journal).
Tuesday, Oct. 17, Kokaikkanal to Madurai
It was a cold trip down the mountains this morning. I wore my pullover. But it was warm by the time we arrived here at Madurai. Unfortunately, the bus went to an outter bus station. I had to catch a local bus to come into town. Then I had trouble finding a hotel I liked. The first one was cheap an clean, but it had no TV. The second one was okay, but then they wanted me to pay more than two days in advance. The third one is nicer, so I am glad I am there. I have a 6th floor picture window view of the temple here. The room is very clean.
I went out to eat immediately, since it was already 1 p.m. A man who is a tailor wanted me to have pants made at his shop. I delayed him by telling him that I hadn't eaten all day. He showed me a local place to eat that was delicious. I had the vegetarian plate lunch which had some very nice spicy foods on it. Then he was waiting outside and took me to see an overview of the temple, because he said he was headed that way. It was a view from the rooftop of a nearby shop. That meant I had to explain to the shop keeper that I am not a shopper. Anyway, the man was gone when I came out. I'm glad, because I knew I wanted to be on the Internet next. I really could use a good pair of shorts--ones with larger leg openings than one gets in the U.S. U.S. shorts tug against the front of my leg when I walk because of their cut. So I may go find the man and his shop later to see what a pair of shorts would cost.
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006--Trichy (Cont.)
I went back to town in the late afternoon. I tried to see a church that looked interesting, but the gates were locked. Instead, I went to one of the nice bakeries and bought 1/2 kg (1 lb.) of Indian sweets. It was a small box full. There was a nice variety of them--some made with dough, some from ground nuts (cashew and/or pastachio), etc.
It was starting to sprinkle when I got back to my hotel. Then later it rained with lots of thunder. I just walked to the restaurant in the hotel for dinner because of the rain. I ate paneer kofta and naan. It was two peak-shaped middle-eastern koftas with chunks of paneer (cheese) inside them. They were served on a dish filled with a nice spicy gravy.
Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006--Trichy to Kodaikkanal
I was up at 5:30 and at the bus station by 6:10 planning to catch the 6:40 bus to Kodaikkanal. The bus never came into the station, however. Fortunately, a man and is son were waiting on the same bus and let me know it hadn't come and wasn't apparently coming. They told me we had to take a bus to an intermediate point and change. It ended up taking 3 buses to travel the distance.
Kodaikkanal is a "hill station." At 2343 m (7,200 ft.), it's really a little higher than ahill. It's built around a lake and there are pine and eucalyptus trees everywhere. The air is cool and fresh. The town is rather clean and attractive. There are many nice homes with wonderful gardens. And today it is dry; it rains almost every day here I've been told. There are hikdes I can take on trails through the mountains, so that is what I will do tomorrow.
I walked around the lake today. It's about 5.5 km (3 1/3 miles). It's not round; it has several fingers. The homes and lodges around it are very scenic. There are also boathouses on the lake where many people have rented paddle boats for the day. The town is alive with people, especially young, college-age types. They are whooping and laughing and really having a good time. Besides the boats, others are horseback riding, some are biking, etc.
There is an international school here which seems to live up to its name. Most "international schools" in India are that in name only. But this school, which has a beautiful campus consisting of gray stone buildings, has students who are obviously foreign-born--Europeans, Koreans, etc. And all the students are speaking English everywhere to each other.
I'm having trouble with my left knee. It feels out of place, but it isn't. I think I must have a muscle or tendon (probably the latter, since I feel no pain when pressing on it), that is either torn or hurt. The knee pops and aches when I walk. If I press my fingers on the inside base of the kneecap and bend my knee in and out slowly, the pain is then relieved for a while and I can walk normally. Also, the pain is no so bad when I walk uphill. But if I pause and try to start off without pressing on that spot while bending my knee, I have a bad pain and the feeling that something is out of place.
For lunch, I went to a Tibetan restaurant. The people who left Tibet to come to India have not all stayed in the Himalayan region. Many have migrated to hill stations where it is easier for them to make a living, especially with restaurants serving the tourists. There are two such places here. Both were doing a booming business. I got the only free table available. I had their chicken noodle soup which was homemade with homemade noodles. Then I had 8 momos, steamed dumplings filled with a ground beef mixture. It was too much food, but it was so good.
I miss my hotel in Trichy. It was the best one I have had in India, and it was at such a good price. My hotel here is okay, but the bath facilities could be a little cleaner. And they must not do their laundry in hot water; the sheets and pillowcases are stained and yellowed.
Monday, Oct. 16, 2006-Kodaikkanal
My knee hurts even more today. I'm wondering if I hurt it being crunched up in buses recently. But I am pushing on. Walking doesn't seem to hurt the knee more; it just hurts me some. But when I get going, it doesn't feel as bad as it does at the beginning.
It is too cool here--the opposite of the rest of lower India where it is too hot. Where is the weather great, I wonder? The main problem here is that there is no room heating. But there is hot water for a shower; that felt very nice this morning.
I went walking to explore around the edges of the city and walked much further than I intended. My guidebook map was not drawn correctly. It sent me down a road that actually took me AWAY from town rather than around town as it looked on the map. (I found this out later when I picked up another map at the tourist office.) I was gone about 5 hours, and I estimate that I walked 30-35 km (18-21 miles) before getting back into town. It was a wonderful route. It took me through a national forest with no buildings to be seen anywhere. Several places had clusters of tour buses, so I would ask what the sight was. Once it was a group of pine trees that is used often in Hindi films. Another time, it was a monument for the highest point in the region. Most of the day was sunny, so I sunburned again. But in the afternoon, there came a light rain for a while. Then later, it rained heavily. Fortunately, I was at a point with lots of roadside sales stands when the heavy rain came. I was able to stand under an awning for about 15 minutes until it passed. I also had my aluminum folding umbrella which I always carry in my shoulder bag.
I didn't get back into town for lunch until 2:45 p.m. I went to the other Tibetan restaurant and had fried rice with pork. It was also very good, but there were too many pieces of fat in it. I should have thought about that. Pork has fat. And people who live in cold places like the Himalayas eat lots of fat. I should have ordered the chicken friend rice.
I was so tired that I returned to my room at 4 p.m. and didn't leave it again. I finished the sweets from Trichy for my dinner. I watched TV. I read. Outside, it thundered and rained. The power went off several times (including the point when I was writing about it in my journal).
Tuesday, Oct. 17, Kokaikkanal to Madurai
It was a cold trip down the mountains this morning. I wore my pullover. But it was warm by the time we arrived here at Madurai. Unfortunately, the bus went to an outter bus station. I had to catch a local bus to come into town. Then I had trouble finding a hotel I liked. The first one was cheap an clean, but it had no TV. The second one was okay, but then they wanted me to pay more than two days in advance. The third one is nicer, so I am glad I am there. I have a 6th floor picture window view of the temple here. The room is very clean.
I went out to eat immediately, since it was already 1 p.m. A man who is a tailor wanted me to have pants made at his shop. I delayed him by telling him that I hadn't eaten all day. He showed me a local place to eat that was delicious. I had the vegetarian plate lunch which had some very nice spicy foods on it. Then he was waiting outside and took me to see an overview of the temple, because he said he was headed that way. It was a view from the rooftop of a nearby shop. That meant I had to explain to the shop keeper that I am not a shopper. Anyway, the man was gone when I came out. I'm glad, because I knew I wanted to be on the Internet next. I really could use a good pair of shorts--ones with larger leg openings than one gets in the U.S. U.S. shorts tug against the front of my leg when I walk because of their cut. So I may go find the man and his shop later to see what a pair of shorts would cost.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Srirangam
Srirangam
Friday, Oct. 13, 2006--Trichy (Cont.)
I spent the last half of the afternoon and the evening in my room. I finished reading The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. It was the second book I had read of hers. Previously, I read Interpreter of Maladies, a short story collection, which won her the Pulitzer Prize. This new novel is just as well written. She is from Calcutta and lives in the U.S. now. She writes about the experiences of Indian immigrants to the U.S. This latest book is about a couple who move to the U.S. after their arranged marriage and have and raise their children in the U.S. The children, of course, can never relate to India in an intimate way, and the parents can never really leave India behind in their lives. It builds a gap between them. I could relate to it myself in a couple of ways: 1) My educated, middle-class life in comparison to my family's small-town lower-class life, and 2) My life split between the two cultures of the U.S. and Denmark for 20 years. Anyone whose life seems to be in a different world from that of their parents or friends should identify with the story. I gave it 4 stars out of 4! The book is now a movie made by Mira Nair that had its world premier on Sept. 11 of this year.
I have now started reading Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It has been the HOT book to read in India for the past two years. I kept intending to get it, but it is such a big, heavy book--almost 1000 pages. But Nurse Grethe gave it to me as a gift recently, so I HAD to bring it with me and read it while here this year. It's a true story that is now also being made into a movie being made by Peter Weir with Johnny Depp in the lead role.
Didn't go out for dinner. I was still full from lunch.
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006--Trichy
Today, I knew I had to go to the main tourist sites here in Trichy. I caught a bus from near my hotel to Srirangam. It's a huge temple complex north of Trichy. There are seven enclosures. The entrance to each has very tall sculptured temple towers. My guidebook suggested getting a guide, so I did. He talked a lot about all the Hindu gods and what they represented. I found it all rather confusing and uninteresting. But the guide also answered all my questions about the architecture of the site and got the key to let me go up to a special viewpoint to take photos. There was a temple elephant. There was a solid gold dome on the inner sanctum. There were old frescos from the 1700s, etc. Oh, and there was the usual temple elephant who happens to be pregnant right now and has religious markings on her forehead to represent that fact.
I am now downtown inside the Rock Fort. I will climb some of the steps up the rock to get a good view out over the city. I will not climb all 400 plus steps to get to the temple on top, however. First, I don't want to pay to see another temple today, and second, my guidebook says it is somewhat disappointing. But the view from the rock is supposed to be quite nice.
I ate lunch here inside the Rock Fort. I had the daily thali (luncheon) plate. It consisted of rice and many different sauces and dishes of vegetables. It also came with a nice warm coconut-milk dessert that delicious and refreshing. The waiter seemed to like serving me (which means he probably thought he would get a good tip [I gave 20 % which is 3-4 times what Indians give] since I am a westerner). Anyway, with my bill he brought something extra. He said, "Sweet Paan." At first I thought it would be a candy. But when I opened the menu-like cover to the bill, it was a wrapped leaf. Then I realized what he had brought me. "Paan" is the word for beetle nut concoction that men chew. It consists of a beetle nut leaf spread with lime paste and rolled with pieces of beetle nut and other sweet tasting items inside. It's chewed all over Asia as a light intoxicant. It's best known for leaving the chewer with red teeth. Anyway, as he watched me, I bit off half of it and chewed. It was both bitter and sweet. It wasn't a taste I particularly liked. After a few chews, he indicated that I should spit it out. So I put it into a spoon and back on my plate. I also put the other half on my plate and left it there. I'm glad I have had the experience, but I don't want red teeth and I don't want to pick up a bad habit. Chewing paan is the equivalent to chewing tobacco in the U.S.
Friday, Oct. 13, 2006--Trichy (Cont.)
I spent the last half of the afternoon and the evening in my room. I finished reading The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. It was the second book I had read of hers. Previously, I read Interpreter of Maladies, a short story collection, which won her the Pulitzer Prize. This new novel is just as well written. She is from Calcutta and lives in the U.S. now. She writes about the experiences of Indian immigrants to the U.S. This latest book is about a couple who move to the U.S. after their arranged marriage and have and raise their children in the U.S. The children, of course, can never relate to India in an intimate way, and the parents can never really leave India behind in their lives. It builds a gap between them. I could relate to it myself in a couple of ways: 1) My educated, middle-class life in comparison to my family's small-town lower-class life, and 2) My life split between the two cultures of the U.S. and Denmark for 20 years. Anyone whose life seems to be in a different world from that of their parents or friends should identify with the story. I gave it 4 stars out of 4! The book is now a movie made by Mira Nair that had its world premier on Sept. 11 of this year.
I have now started reading Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It has been the HOT book to read in India for the past two years. I kept intending to get it, but it is such a big, heavy book--almost 1000 pages. But Nurse Grethe gave it to me as a gift recently, so I HAD to bring it with me and read it while here this year. It's a true story that is now also being made into a movie being made by Peter Weir with Johnny Depp in the lead role.
Didn't go out for dinner. I was still full from lunch.
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006--Trichy
Today, I knew I had to go to the main tourist sites here in Trichy. I caught a bus from near my hotel to Srirangam. It's a huge temple complex north of Trichy. There are seven enclosures. The entrance to each has very tall sculptured temple towers. My guidebook suggested getting a guide, so I did. He talked a lot about all the Hindu gods and what they represented. I found it all rather confusing and uninteresting. But the guide also answered all my questions about the architecture of the site and got the key to let me go up to a special viewpoint to take photos. There was a temple elephant. There was a solid gold dome on the inner sanctum. There were old frescos from the 1700s, etc. Oh, and there was the usual temple elephant who happens to be pregnant right now and has religious markings on her forehead to represent that fact.
I am now downtown inside the Rock Fort. I will climb some of the steps up the rock to get a good view out over the city. I will not climb all 400 plus steps to get to the temple on top, however. First, I don't want to pay to see another temple today, and second, my guidebook says it is somewhat disappointing. But the view from the rock is supposed to be quite nice.
I ate lunch here inside the Rock Fort. I had the daily thali (luncheon) plate. It consisted of rice and many different sauces and dishes of vegetables. It also came with a nice warm coconut-milk dessert that delicious and refreshing. The waiter seemed to like serving me (which means he probably thought he would get a good tip [I gave 20 % which is 3-4 times what Indians give] since I am a westerner). Anyway, with my bill he brought something extra. He said, "Sweet Paan." At first I thought it would be a candy. But when I opened the menu-like cover to the bill, it was a wrapped leaf. Then I realized what he had brought me. "Paan" is the word for beetle nut concoction that men chew. It consists of a beetle nut leaf spread with lime paste and rolled with pieces of beetle nut and other sweet tasting items inside. It's chewed all over Asia as a light intoxicant. It's best known for leaving the chewer with red teeth. Anyway, as he watched me, I bit off half of it and chewed. It was both bitter and sweet. It wasn't a taste I particularly liked. After a few chews, he indicated that I should spit it out. So I put it into a spoon and back on my plate. I also put the other half on my plate and left it there. I'm glad I have had the experience, but I don't want red teeth and I don't want to pick up a bad habit. Chewing paan is the equivalent to chewing tobacco in the U.S.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Temple at Tanjore
Temple at Tanjore
Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006--Tanjore (Cont.)
It is a hot day here. I was exhausted after walking for just a little while after lunch. I went to the train station to see about taking the train to Trichy tomorrow, but I have decided against it. It is only 50 km (30 miles) from here, and the train takes about 2 1/2 hours! The bus will take only about 1 1/2 hours. On the way back, I bought a cold 2 liter bottle of water and drank half of it immediately. Then I fell asleep on my bed after getting back to the room.
My travel clock has now quit working. Time is a problem for me on this trip. I know that the battery has stopped and could be replaced. But it is such a hassle to try to buy something like that here. No shops have set prices, so they ask what they think they can get. I don't want to have to deal with it. I'll just go without knowing the time now.
I left the hotel just after 5:00 p.m. to go to the temple. It was almost too late for any good photos. The temple is magnificent. There are huge, intricate carvings out of giant single pieces of marble. (One required a ramp during construction of over 6.5 miles to get the stone in place on top of the entrance to the temple.) The complex is built with fortress walls and a moat around it. It's one of the best sights I have seen in India, and it was FREE! It's a World Heritage Site and that designation is justified. It was also free of beggars. I'm glad I saw it. There is a link on yesterday's post to a website with photos.
I missed seeing the local palace. It closes at 6 p.m. I walked by there to try to get a glimpse after dark, but it is a walled compound.
This town is horrible, though. The main streets look worse than some in villages. The paved portion is a narrow stip in the middle of the road and it is well worn. The sides of the road consist of lots of piles of rubble--both trash rubble and broken bricks and stones. It was a hassle trying to go anywhere by foot.
Friday, Oct. 13, 2006--Tanjore to Trichy
Today is election day in Tamil Nadu. The government has declared a holiday, so schools are closed and many people are off work. That means that people are taking a 3-day weekend to go places.
I was so glad to leave my hotel this morning. It was a horrible place. The TV didn't work, the water spout for bathing did not work. (I had to use the spout in the sink.) The toilet tank water would leak out onto the floor of the bathroom when the commode was flushed. There were little bugs that got in around the windows during the night that were biting me.
But now I am at a rather nice hotel in Trichy. And it costs the same as that horrible one--only $7 per night. This one is recently remodeled. The TV works (and so does its remote which is not always the case in India). The bah is very nice with nice, new fixtures. The walls are clean with a fresh coat of paint. It makes me want to stay here!!
I wandered some around noon to explore the neighborhood. My hotel and many others are clustered around the bus station. That's quite a ways from the shopping part of town. I'll have to take a bus to go places here. But today I am just relaxing. I ate at my hotel--butter chicken masala with a bowl of boiled basmati rice. It was spicy enough to make my lips tingle by the time I left. It was a huge portion, too. I may not be hungry again tonight. Last night I skipped dinner because I was so full from lunch.
Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006--Tanjore (Cont.)
It is a hot day here. I was exhausted after walking for just a little while after lunch. I went to the train station to see about taking the train to Trichy tomorrow, but I have decided against it. It is only 50 km (30 miles) from here, and the train takes about 2 1/2 hours! The bus will take only about 1 1/2 hours. On the way back, I bought a cold 2 liter bottle of water and drank half of it immediately. Then I fell asleep on my bed after getting back to the room.
My travel clock has now quit working. Time is a problem for me on this trip. I know that the battery has stopped and could be replaced. But it is such a hassle to try to buy something like that here. No shops have set prices, so they ask what they think they can get. I don't want to have to deal with it. I'll just go without knowing the time now.
I left the hotel just after 5:00 p.m. to go to the temple. It was almost too late for any good photos. The temple is magnificent. There are huge, intricate carvings out of giant single pieces of marble. (One required a ramp during construction of over 6.5 miles to get the stone in place on top of the entrance to the temple.) The complex is built with fortress walls and a moat around it. It's one of the best sights I have seen in India, and it was FREE! It's a World Heritage Site and that designation is justified. It was also free of beggars. I'm glad I saw it. There is a link on yesterday's post to a website with photos.
I missed seeing the local palace. It closes at 6 p.m. I walked by there to try to get a glimpse after dark, but it is a walled compound.
This town is horrible, though. The main streets look worse than some in villages. The paved portion is a narrow stip in the middle of the road and it is well worn. The sides of the road consist of lots of piles of rubble--both trash rubble and broken bricks and stones. It was a hassle trying to go anywhere by foot.
Friday, Oct. 13, 2006--Tanjore to Trichy
Today is election day in Tamil Nadu. The government has declared a holiday, so schools are closed and many people are off work. That means that people are taking a 3-day weekend to go places.
I was so glad to leave my hotel this morning. It was a horrible place. The TV didn't work, the water spout for bathing did not work. (I had to use the spout in the sink.) The toilet tank water would leak out onto the floor of the bathroom when the commode was flushed. There were little bugs that got in around the windows during the night that were biting me.
But now I am at a rather nice hotel in Trichy. And it costs the same as that horrible one--only $7 per night. This one is recently remodeled. The TV works (and so does its remote which is not always the case in India). The bah is very nice with nice, new fixtures. The walls are clean with a fresh coat of paint. It makes me want to stay here!!
I wandered some around noon to explore the neighborhood. My hotel and many others are clustered around the bus station. That's quite a ways from the shopping part of town. I'll have to take a bus to go places here. But today I am just relaxing. I ate at my hotel--butter chicken masala with a bowl of boiled basmati rice. It was spicy enough to make my lips tingle by the time I left. It was a huge portion, too. I may not be hungry again tonight. Last night I skipped dinner because I was so full from lunch.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Tranquebar--The Old Danish Colony
Tranquebar--The Old Danish Colony
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2006--Chidambaram (Cont.)
It's 10 days until the Northeast Monsoons should begin. The Southwest Monsoons are the ones that hit the west coast and come during the summer months. The Northeast Monsoons hit the east coast and come in October and November. When I planned my trip here, I knew I would have to worry about them. There were many articles in the paper last year about flooding in Tamil Nadu during the time I was at the school in Kerala. The newspaper the other day said that the forecasters are expecting the monsoons to begin on Oct. 20 this year. I am hoping I will be ready to move over the mountains into Kerala by that time so that I can completely avoid them. So far, I've had only sunny weather!!
Well, I finally did go to the temple. I went there to take photos from the outside. As I walked to the West Gate (which is not where tourists are asked to enter) to get a photo with direct sunlight on the temple, I saw that anyone could go through the gate. So I took off my shoes and entered behind an Indian woman. No one said anything. It was quiet, since it was about 4:30 p.m. I was able to walk all through the complex without a problem until I got to the entrance of the inner sanctum. I hadn't planned to go to it anyway to avoid the high fee. But there were beggars outside who headed for me--little filthy girl urchens who tagged with me touching (thinking I would give money to keep them from doing it) my arms and my feet. Why do beggars think that continuing to beg will make people give in. It just makes me resist more, but maybe most people are weak. The temple was impressive, but the most impressive part consisted of the towers above the gates. I was able to see those without even entering the complex. Each is multi-storied with colorful Hindu figures in relief. It's hard to describe, but the link above includes a photo.
There are several monkeys living in the trees outside my hotel room. When I opened the door to the balcony and left it open this afternoon, one of the small babies climbed onto the top of the door. I had to shew him away. Although they are cute, they are known for grabbing things like bags. I shut the door so that everything in the room would remain safe.
I had chicken biryani with egg for dinner. It was a huge portion with a very spicy sauce over it. Meals have cost more here, especially since I have been ordering non-vegie meals. But the portions are bigger and the quality higher than what I have been getting. Even with the higher price, I am paying no more than about $2 per meal!
Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006--Chidambaram to Tranquebar
I got a call at 11:30 last night. It was the hotel bookkeeper wanting me to pay on my bill. I was so mad, because I had been sleeping since at least 10 p.m. I told him I would pay when I check out. It took me another hour to get back to sleep. This morning I complained at the front desk about it. They said it shouldn't happen, and I repeated, "But it did. So you should make sure it does not happen again. I'm leaving a day early because of it, so you lost a night of rent at the westerner's rate because of that phone call."
The hotel included breakfast here, so I had that before leaving. There was toast, jam, and butter for a western-style treat. The rest was South Indian breakfast--idly (small rice flour pancakes), onion donuts, soft pancake-like bread made with wheat flour, a mashed potato mixture, and various spicy sauces.
When I got on the bus, a beggar woman was asking for money. She stood there at the door continuing to beg and beg and beg thinking I would give in. Then the ticket seller didn't respond to "Tranquebar" when I told him where I was going. He indicated I was on the wrong bus. I got off, passing the beggar as I went to the a supervisor. He sent me back to the same bus, and the ticket taker seemed to know where I wanted to go now. He sold me a ticket while the beggar was still begging. Finally, the bus pulled away with her sorely disappointed. I worried on the whole trip about whether the problem might be that the bus only goes NEAR Tranquebar and that I would have to get off elsewhere. I watched every highway sign and every city entry sign to see if there was any indication of Tranquebar. Finally, I saw a sign saying it was 13 km ahead. Thank goodness. Later, I realize that the problem was caused by the fact that almost every place in India now has two names, an old name and a new name. Tranquebar is the old name. Apparently, the bus ticket seller knew only the new name.
Tranquebar was a Danish colony established in 1706 as the center for exporting Indian spices and goods to Denmark. It's a very nice town. The old part of town is off the highway so that it is quiet and peaceful (meaning it does not have all the horn blowing that most Indian towns have). The old fort and the Danish church are nicely restored mainly due to the fact that they just celebrated the 300th anniversary of the founding of the colony. The beaches are wonderful--some of the best I have seen in India. This ought to be a backpackers' paradise. The reasons it isn't are: 1) It's off the beaten train, so they just haven't found it yet. 2) Hotel rooms at a reasonable price are limited, and cheap rooms are simply not available.
The nicest hotel is in one of the old colonial buildings that has been restored and turned into a hotel. The rooms there are 4000 rupees (about $85 with taxes) per night. I stayed at their annex a half a block away--a newer building with simple furnishings and only 660 rupees per night (about $14). I had air conditioning and very nice sheets, but there was no TV.
The old fort is just beautiful. Inside is a small museum. There isn't much to see there. But the fort itself is excitingly complete and right beside the water. The old gate to the city with a few feet of the walls still exits. And the roadway from the gate to the fort has quite a few old colonial buildings that are quite impressive. Only 2-3 have been restored. There are some wonderful buildings that could be made into mansions if one wanted a getaway there. I met a young engineer who is working on 3 projects. One is the rebuilding of the parsonage for the Danish church.
Tranquebar was affected by the Tsumani. 400 people died. A Hindu temple that was by the water was toppled, so a dome and other parts are just laying on the beach now. Almost all the boats on the beaches say "Project Hope" on them, indicating that funds from that group bought new boats for those that were lost in the tsunami. Also, there was a sign indicating that Oxfam (a British relief group) was funding recovery projects in the town.
Tourists came and went during the day. One Danish lady is staying at the expensive hotel (on an expense account, I learned, because she is in charge of one of the projects in town). Only one other room was rented out in the annex where I stayed. Most of the tourists were Indians stopping in their cars as they traveled. If someone would build a cheaper guesthouse with an inexpensive restaurant and maybe also a campground somewhere along the beach, I think they would make what would be considered a fortune in India. It's really a special place with a great beach.
I ate from the fry cooker on the sidewalk downtown. I had a ball of fried dough with a boiled egg inside and two thin slices of fried banana (non-sweet) in dough. Then I ate some peanuts in my room. I went back out to the beach just after dinner and the engineer was there. We visited about 20-30 minutes before he had to leave for a wedding celebration.
Thursday, Oct. 12, Tranquebar to Tanjuvar (Tanjore)
I slept well. It is so quiet in Tranquebar compared to most places in India. Also, the air conditioner made the air nice, and the sheets were of a high quality. I was up early, however, and went to check out about 7:30. No one but the guard was there. I had to wait for them to get the manager out of bed and then for him to get dressed.
That delay made me miss the first bus I could have gotten. I had to wait another 45 minutes for the next one. Some young men waiting for the bus were going the same way, so they made sure I got on the right one. I actually had to take 3 buses to get to Tanjore. After the first bus, two of the men walked me through town to another station where I caught the second bus. Then the third bus was leaving from the same station as the one where I arrived. I only traveled about 100 km (60 miles), but it took 3 1/2 hours to do it!
Now I am in Tanjore. It's another temple town. Almost every town in Tamil Nadu is! I will go to the temple in the afternoon like I did in Chidambaram. I've eaten lunch--chicken kebab with a spicy gravy and a big portion of naan. I had a lime juice to go with it. And I am checked into a hotel that is okay but near the borderline between okay and unacceptable. I'll only be there one night, and it is less than $7. The temple is near and can be seen from the hotel. So that is good.
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2006--Chidambaram (Cont.)
It's 10 days until the Northeast Monsoons should begin. The Southwest Monsoons are the ones that hit the west coast and come during the summer months. The Northeast Monsoons hit the east coast and come in October and November. When I planned my trip here, I knew I would have to worry about them. There were many articles in the paper last year about flooding in Tamil Nadu during the time I was at the school in Kerala. The newspaper the other day said that the forecasters are expecting the monsoons to begin on Oct. 20 this year. I am hoping I will be ready to move over the mountains into Kerala by that time so that I can completely avoid them. So far, I've had only sunny weather!!
Well, I finally did go to the temple. I went there to take photos from the outside. As I walked to the West Gate (which is not where tourists are asked to enter) to get a photo with direct sunlight on the temple, I saw that anyone could go through the gate. So I took off my shoes and entered behind an Indian woman. No one said anything. It was quiet, since it was about 4:30 p.m. I was able to walk all through the complex without a problem until I got to the entrance of the inner sanctum. I hadn't planned to go to it anyway to avoid the high fee. But there were beggars outside who headed for me--little filthy girl urchens who tagged with me touching (thinking I would give money to keep them from doing it) my arms and my feet. Why do beggars think that continuing to beg will make people give in. It just makes me resist more, but maybe most people are weak. The temple was impressive, but the most impressive part consisted of the towers above the gates. I was able to see those without even entering the complex. Each is multi-storied with colorful Hindu figures in relief. It's hard to describe, but the link above includes a photo.
There are several monkeys living in the trees outside my hotel room. When I opened the door to the balcony and left it open this afternoon, one of the small babies climbed onto the top of the door. I had to shew him away. Although they are cute, they are known for grabbing things like bags. I shut the door so that everything in the room would remain safe.
I had chicken biryani with egg for dinner. It was a huge portion with a very spicy sauce over it. Meals have cost more here, especially since I have been ordering non-vegie meals. But the portions are bigger and the quality higher than what I have been getting. Even with the higher price, I am paying no more than about $2 per meal!
Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006--Chidambaram to Tranquebar
I got a call at 11:30 last night. It was the hotel bookkeeper wanting me to pay on my bill. I was so mad, because I had been sleeping since at least 10 p.m. I told him I would pay when I check out. It took me another hour to get back to sleep. This morning I complained at the front desk about it. They said it shouldn't happen, and I repeated, "But it did. So you should make sure it does not happen again. I'm leaving a day early because of it, so you lost a night of rent at the westerner's rate because of that phone call."
The hotel included breakfast here, so I had that before leaving. There was toast, jam, and butter for a western-style treat. The rest was South Indian breakfast--idly (small rice flour pancakes), onion donuts, soft pancake-like bread made with wheat flour, a mashed potato mixture, and various spicy sauces.
When I got on the bus, a beggar woman was asking for money. She stood there at the door continuing to beg and beg and beg thinking I would give in. Then the ticket seller didn't respond to "Tranquebar" when I told him where I was going. He indicated I was on the wrong bus. I got off, passing the beggar as I went to the a supervisor. He sent me back to the same bus, and the ticket taker seemed to know where I wanted to go now. He sold me a ticket while the beggar was still begging. Finally, the bus pulled away with her sorely disappointed. I worried on the whole trip about whether the problem might be that the bus only goes NEAR Tranquebar and that I would have to get off elsewhere. I watched every highway sign and every city entry sign to see if there was any indication of Tranquebar. Finally, I saw a sign saying it was 13 km ahead. Thank goodness. Later, I realize that the problem was caused by the fact that almost every place in India now has two names, an old name and a new name. Tranquebar is the old name. Apparently, the bus ticket seller knew only the new name.
Tranquebar was a Danish colony established in 1706 as the center for exporting Indian spices and goods to Denmark. It's a very nice town. The old part of town is off the highway so that it is quiet and peaceful (meaning it does not have all the horn blowing that most Indian towns have). The old fort and the Danish church are nicely restored mainly due to the fact that they just celebrated the 300th anniversary of the founding of the colony. The beaches are wonderful--some of the best I have seen in India. This ought to be a backpackers' paradise. The reasons it isn't are: 1) It's off the beaten train, so they just haven't found it yet. 2) Hotel rooms at a reasonable price are limited, and cheap rooms are simply not available.
The nicest hotel is in one of the old colonial buildings that has been restored and turned into a hotel. The rooms there are 4000 rupees (about $85 with taxes) per night. I stayed at their annex a half a block away--a newer building with simple furnishings and only 660 rupees per night (about $14). I had air conditioning and very nice sheets, but there was no TV.
The old fort is just beautiful. Inside is a small museum. There isn't much to see there. But the fort itself is excitingly complete and right beside the water. The old gate to the city with a few feet of the walls still exits. And the roadway from the gate to the fort has quite a few old colonial buildings that are quite impressive. Only 2-3 have been restored. There are some wonderful buildings that could be made into mansions if one wanted a getaway there. I met a young engineer who is working on 3 projects. One is the rebuilding of the parsonage for the Danish church.
Tranquebar was affected by the Tsumani. 400 people died. A Hindu temple that was by the water was toppled, so a dome and other parts are just laying on the beach now. Almost all the boats on the beaches say "Project Hope" on them, indicating that funds from that group bought new boats for those that were lost in the tsunami. Also, there was a sign indicating that Oxfam (a British relief group) was funding recovery projects in the town.
Tourists came and went during the day. One Danish lady is staying at the expensive hotel (on an expense account, I learned, because she is in charge of one of the projects in town). Only one other room was rented out in the annex where I stayed. Most of the tourists were Indians stopping in their cars as they traveled. If someone would build a cheaper guesthouse with an inexpensive restaurant and maybe also a campground somewhere along the beach, I think they would make what would be considered a fortune in India. It's really a special place with a great beach.
I ate from the fry cooker on the sidewalk downtown. I had a ball of fried dough with a boiled egg inside and two thin slices of fried banana (non-sweet) in dough. Then I ate some peanuts in my room. I went back out to the beach just after dinner and the engineer was there. We visited about 20-30 minutes before he had to leave for a wedding celebration.
Thursday, Oct. 12, Tranquebar to Tanjuvar (Tanjore)
I slept well. It is so quiet in Tranquebar compared to most places in India. Also, the air conditioner made the air nice, and the sheets were of a high quality. I was up early, however, and went to check out about 7:30. No one but the guard was there. I had to wait for them to get the manager out of bed and then for him to get dressed.
That delay made me miss the first bus I could have gotten. I had to wait another 45 minutes for the next one. Some young men waiting for the bus were going the same way, so they made sure I got on the right one. I actually had to take 3 buses to get to Tanjore. After the first bus, two of the men walked me through town to another station where I caught the second bus. Then the third bus was leaving from the same station as the one where I arrived. I only traveled about 100 km (60 miles), but it took 3 1/2 hours to do it!
Now I am in Tanjore. It's another temple town. Almost every town in Tamil Nadu is! I will go to the temple in the afternoon like I did in Chidambaram. I've eaten lunch--chicken kebab with a spicy gravy and a big portion of naan. I had a lime juice to go with it. And I am checked into a hotel that is okay but near the borderline between okay and unacceptable. I'll only be there one night, and it is less than $7. The temple is near and can be seen from the hotel. So that is good.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Chidambaram, India
Chidambaram, India
Monday, Oct. 9, 2006--Pondicherry (Cont.)
I made a cash withdrawal from an ATM today. I will be leaving Pondicherry tomorrow and will be traveling in some smaller towns. Although most are likely to have ATMs, not all ATMs allow withdrawals from VISA. So just to be safe, I am carrying more cash than usual right now. It's well hidden and protected, and no one will know I have it on me. I transfer a few funds to my front pockets as needed when I am in my hotel rooms. No one ever seems me get money from the big stash.
Ajish came to pick me up after he finished classes for the day. We ate dinner together at a vegetarian restaurant (since he is Hindu). I had another dosa. I'm getting tired of them. I have to start finding other things to eat now. I'll mainly deal with that by starting to go to more non-vegetarian places. After dinner, we stopped at a sweets shop and he bought me a small box of special candies made there. They are made from ghee (clarified butter, I think), graham flower, and sugar. They are good, but they taste so sweet since I have been going without desserts for so long.
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2006--Pondicherry to Chidambaram
Today is my mother's birthday. If I'm not off by a year, she will be 92 today.
I had a restless night of sleep. My skin is itching. It often does when I am traveling. I don't know if it is due to the detergent they use for laundering the sheets or to some other cause. I always fear that it is bed bugs biting. I always inspect the sheets, however, and find nothing. If it is bugs, they are microscopic. Anyway, it's frustrating to itch all night and not sleep well.
I didn't do anything this morning but get up and get ready so I could leave Pondicherry. I checked out of the hotel about 8:30 and walked to the bus station about 1/2 km (1/4 mile) away. One bus wouldn't leave for another 45 minutes, so I went around the station asking about other buses. Sure enough, one was already away from the ramp and moving through the parking lot that was going to Chidambaram. I had to have help, since all the bus signs are in the Tamil language which uses a non-western alphabet. So I was very grateful to the man who found the bus for me and put me on it.
It was about a two hour drive to here. This is a small city that is a pilgrimage site. There is a big temple that draws thousands of people here. I'm not too keen on going to the temple, because my guidebook explains that volunteers throughout the complex there will dab my forehead with colored pigment and insist on donations. Then there is a further charge (200 rupees in my 6-year old guidebook, so probably 500 rupees today) to go into the inner sanctum of the temple. Is it all worth it? I doubt it. I will go there to see what I can see from the outside. I may even enter to see how it goes. But I imagine I'll just leave if the visit is marred by too many people wanting money. My main reasons for coming here are 1) to cut the time of travel to the next major stop into smaller segments, and 2) to go to a nearby town--Tranquebar, the old Danish colony in India. I will go there by bus tomorrow.
For lunch today, I ate at my hotel's non-vegetarian restaurant. I had chicken tikka masala with naan. Chicken tikka consists of chunks of tandoori chicken which are charcoal broiled on a spit over a wooden fire. The masala sauce was added for spices and flavor. It was a good size portion and so tasty. It was nice to have something that good for a change. The restaurant was full of tour groups on day trips out of Pondicherry to see the local temple.
Monday, Oct. 9, 2006--Pondicherry (Cont.)
I made a cash withdrawal from an ATM today. I will be leaving Pondicherry tomorrow and will be traveling in some smaller towns. Although most are likely to have ATMs, not all ATMs allow withdrawals from VISA. So just to be safe, I am carrying more cash than usual right now. It's well hidden and protected, and no one will know I have it on me. I transfer a few funds to my front pockets as needed when I am in my hotel rooms. No one ever seems me get money from the big stash.
Ajish came to pick me up after he finished classes for the day. We ate dinner together at a vegetarian restaurant (since he is Hindu). I had another dosa. I'm getting tired of them. I have to start finding other things to eat now. I'll mainly deal with that by starting to go to more non-vegetarian places. After dinner, we stopped at a sweets shop and he bought me a small box of special candies made there. They are made from ghee (clarified butter, I think), graham flower, and sugar. They are good, but they taste so sweet since I have been going without desserts for so long.
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2006--Pondicherry to Chidambaram
Today is my mother's birthday. If I'm not off by a year, she will be 92 today.
I had a restless night of sleep. My skin is itching. It often does when I am traveling. I don't know if it is due to the detergent they use for laundering the sheets or to some other cause. I always fear that it is bed bugs biting. I always inspect the sheets, however, and find nothing. If it is bugs, they are microscopic. Anyway, it's frustrating to itch all night and not sleep well.
I didn't do anything this morning but get up and get ready so I could leave Pondicherry. I checked out of the hotel about 8:30 and walked to the bus station about 1/2 km (1/4 mile) away. One bus wouldn't leave for another 45 minutes, so I went around the station asking about other buses. Sure enough, one was already away from the ramp and moving through the parking lot that was going to Chidambaram. I had to have help, since all the bus signs are in the Tamil language which uses a non-western alphabet. So I was very grateful to the man who found the bus for me and put me on it.
It was about a two hour drive to here. This is a small city that is a pilgrimage site. There is a big temple that draws thousands of people here. I'm not too keen on going to the temple, because my guidebook explains that volunteers throughout the complex there will dab my forehead with colored pigment and insist on donations. Then there is a further charge (200 rupees in my 6-year old guidebook, so probably 500 rupees today) to go into the inner sanctum of the temple. Is it all worth it? I doubt it. I will go there to see what I can see from the outside. I may even enter to see how it goes. But I imagine I'll just leave if the visit is marred by too many people wanting money. My main reasons for coming here are 1) to cut the time of travel to the next major stop into smaller segments, and 2) to go to a nearby town--Tranquebar, the old Danish colony in India. I will go there by bus tomorrow.
For lunch today, I ate at my hotel's non-vegetarian restaurant. I had chicken tikka masala with naan. Chicken tikka consists of chunks of tandoori chicken which are charcoal broiled on a spit over a wooden fire. The masala sauce was added for spices and flavor. It was a good size portion and so tasty. It was nice to have something that good for a change. The restaurant was full of tour groups on day trips out of Pondicherry to see the local temple.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Nice Days in Pondicherry
Nice Days in Pondicherry
Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006--Pondicherry (Cont.)
Ajish, a 28-year-old doctoral student in biotechnology came to meet me in the early evening. He had helped me plan my travels to Pondicherry via a travel forum. He will finish his doctorate within the next few months and wants to try to get a post-doctoral fellowship in the U.S. He has friends at the University of Illinois, so he is thinking he might go there. I suggested that he apply in various places and take the best offer. I told him there will be Indians at ANY university in the U.S. that he should choose. He's a nice young man who smiles with his eyes.
When he left, Ajish dropped me off at a restaurant in town where he recommended I eat. I could tell it wasn't my kind of place. It is really for tourists. So I walked down the street to a local place. I had a special masala dosa. It came with a nice, spicy green sauce that I especially enjoyed. They brought me seconds of it.
Sunday, Oct. 7, 2006--Pondicherry and Auroville
I took a local bus to Auroville this morning. The bus dropped me off on a country road about 1 km (little more than 1/2 mile) from Auroville, so I walked the rest of the way down very rural roads that were just loose red dirt and gravel. Auroville was established to be an ideal community. To live there, one must renounce all religions--past, present, and future--and dedicate one's life to peace and goodwill. The master plan for the community was developed by a French architect. At the center is a huge garden area centered with a structure that is a golden globe. Inside the globe is the world's largest crystal. The structure allows sunlight to come through a point on the roof and "activate" the crystal. I was able to go to the gardens, but I was not allowed inside the globe to see the crystal. To do that, one must stay at the guesthouse, go for meditation in the evening, and then return in the morning to see the crystal. The complex has several nicely designed living structures and a compound with an information center, restaurant, shops, etc. I ate lunch in the restaurant which serves internationally accepted health foods. I had spinach quiche with salad.
In the evening, I stayed in my room and read. I finished The Known World by Edward P. Jones. It's a very good novel about slave owners in a particular (fictional) county in Virginia. Much of the book is about a few free Black families who owned slaves and the relationships that existed between them and their slaves. I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4. It would make a good film, I think.
It was raining lightly, so I went to the restaurant in the hotel for dinner. I ordered an onion dosa. It was filled with chopped onions that were slightly cooked. Unfortunately, the heat from the onions made the dosa limp rather than crispy. But it was tasty with all the sauces that they served with it.
Monday, Oct. 8, 2006--Pondicherry
This morning, I decided to explore parts of the city I had not yet visited. I used a map provided by the tourist office to follow some suggested walks. One took me through a wonderful old section of shops with colorful stucco walls and tile roofs. Another took me through the Muslim section of the city. I stopped at a factory that makes homemade paper. They have the most wonderful sheets of wrapping paper, but it is impossible to carry them. I also stopped at a juice bar and had a very refreshing pineapple drink.
I ate the luncheon plate at a local vegetarian place. It wasn't anything special. In fact, my meals are becoming too routine. I have to figure out a way to provide some variety.
Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006--Pondicherry (Cont.)
Ajish, a 28-year-old doctoral student in biotechnology came to meet me in the early evening. He had helped me plan my travels to Pondicherry via a travel forum. He will finish his doctorate within the next few months and wants to try to get a post-doctoral fellowship in the U.S. He has friends at the University of Illinois, so he is thinking he might go there. I suggested that he apply in various places and take the best offer. I told him there will be Indians at ANY university in the U.S. that he should choose. He's a nice young man who smiles with his eyes.
When he left, Ajish dropped me off at a restaurant in town where he recommended I eat. I could tell it wasn't my kind of place. It is really for tourists. So I walked down the street to a local place. I had a special masala dosa. It came with a nice, spicy green sauce that I especially enjoyed. They brought me seconds of it.
Sunday, Oct. 7, 2006--Pondicherry and Auroville
I took a local bus to Auroville this morning. The bus dropped me off on a country road about 1 km (little more than 1/2 mile) from Auroville, so I walked the rest of the way down very rural roads that were just loose red dirt and gravel. Auroville was established to be an ideal community. To live there, one must renounce all religions--past, present, and future--and dedicate one's life to peace and goodwill. The master plan for the community was developed by a French architect. At the center is a huge garden area centered with a structure that is a golden globe. Inside the globe is the world's largest crystal. The structure allows sunlight to come through a point on the roof and "activate" the crystal. I was able to go to the gardens, but I was not allowed inside the globe to see the crystal. To do that, one must stay at the guesthouse, go for meditation in the evening, and then return in the morning to see the crystal. The complex has several nicely designed living structures and a compound with an information center, restaurant, shops, etc. I ate lunch in the restaurant which serves internationally accepted health foods. I had spinach quiche with salad.
In the evening, I stayed in my room and read. I finished The Known World by Edward P. Jones. It's a very good novel about slave owners in a particular (fictional) county in Virginia. Much of the book is about a few free Black families who owned slaves and the relationships that existed between them and their slaves. I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4. It would make a good film, I think.
It was raining lightly, so I went to the restaurant in the hotel for dinner. I ordered an onion dosa. It was filled with chopped onions that were slightly cooked. Unfortunately, the heat from the onions made the dosa limp rather than crispy. But it was tasty with all the sauces that they served with it.
Monday, Oct. 8, 2006--Pondicherry
This morning, I decided to explore parts of the city I had not yet visited. I used a map provided by the tourist office to follow some suggested walks. One took me through a wonderful old section of shops with colorful stucco walls and tile roofs. Another took me through the Muslim section of the city. I stopped at a factory that makes homemade paper. They have the most wonderful sheets of wrapping paper, but it is impossible to carry them. I also stopped at a juice bar and had a very refreshing pineapple drink.
I ate the luncheon plate at a local vegetarian place. It wasn't anything special. In fact, my meals are becoming too routine. I have to figure out a way to provide some variety.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Life of Pi
Life of Pi
Pondicherry is an interesting city. It was a French colony and, therefore, run separately from British India. In fact, it remained French when India got its independence from Britain in 1949. Pondicherry didn't become part of India for 5 more years. The city is cleaner than most Indian cities and has distinct atmosphere. It really reminds me much of Charleston and of parts of the French Quarter in New Orleans. There are wonderful big stuccoed buildings with many of them having courtyards. Some of the simpler houses and shop buildings are streetfront and have nice wooden trim hanging from the roofline and the balconies. Most buildings have tile roofs. The sea is right here, and many nice government buildings face it. A few blocks back from the sea, there are blocks of buildings that look as if they were built in the 1930s, so different parts of town have different character. All over the city, however, the streets are narrow, and most of them have been recently repaved with concrete covered with patterned pavers.
If you are lucky enough to have read the novel The Life of Pi, you will know that Pondicherry is the setting for the beginning of the book. The boy's father owns a private zoo here. The story is about the boy and a tiger from the zoo being stranded in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean after their ship goes down. If you haven't read it, it is a delightful book that got much recognition when it came out.
I rested part of the afternoon, then I went out for dinner. I chose the wrong place, however. I went to a muslim restaurant and had mutton biryana. Unfortunately, it was barely warm. I worried whether it had been setting at that temperature for a long time and might give me food poisining or if they just didn't leave it in the oven long enough. The mutton pieces were mainly bone with little meat on them. So I left the meal wishing I had eaten elsewhere.
I returned to the hotel for the evening--watching the news and reading from my current book.
Saturday, Oct. 6, 2006--Pondicherry
I was lazy today. I didn't leave the hotel until at least 3 hours after awakening. When I did leave, I went on a slow walking tour of the south side of town and of the waterfront area. It's such a nice city for that. I took quite a few photos. Because it was Saturday, there wasn't much traffic. There is a big ashram headquartered here that is a major tourist attraction. All the buildings they own are painted the same gray color, and they take up several blocks of the old colonial section of town. There was a big crowd at the temple in that area with an elephant out front. I didn't enter because of all the beggars around.
I became hot and sweaty after a while, so I returned to the hotel without having lunch. I just ate a couple of pieces of peanut candy I had in the room. It is somewhat like peanut brittle, but there are more peanuts and less brittle than in the version eaten in the U.S. Here, the brittle is only to hold the peanuts together. I fell asleep and had a long nap. Now I am back out to explore the town some more.
Friday, Oct. 6, 2006--Pondicherry (Cont.)
Pondicherry is an interesting city. It was a French colony and, therefore, run separately from British India. In fact, it remained French when India got its independence from Britain in 1949. Pondicherry didn't become part of India for 5 more years. The city is cleaner than most Indian cities and has distinct atmosphere. It really reminds me much of Charleston and of parts of the French Quarter in New Orleans. There are wonderful big stuccoed buildings with many of them having courtyards. Some of the simpler houses and shop buildings are streetfront and have nice wooden trim hanging from the roofline and the balconies. Most buildings have tile roofs. The sea is right here, and many nice government buildings face it. A few blocks back from the sea, there are blocks of buildings that look as if they were built in the 1930s, so different parts of town have different character. All over the city, however, the streets are narrow, and most of them have been recently repaved with concrete covered with patterned pavers.
If you are lucky enough to have read the novel The Life of Pi, you will know that Pondicherry is the setting for the beginning of the book. The boy's father owns a private zoo here. The story is about the boy and a tiger from the zoo being stranded in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean after their ship goes down. If you haven't read it, it is a delightful book that got much recognition when it came out.
I rested part of the afternoon, then I went out for dinner. I chose the wrong place, however. I went to a muslim restaurant and had mutton biryana. Unfortunately, it was barely warm. I worried whether it had been setting at that temperature for a long time and might give me food poisining or if they just didn't leave it in the oven long enough. The mutton pieces were mainly bone with little meat on them. So I left the meal wishing I had eaten elsewhere.
I returned to the hotel for the evening--watching the news and reading from my current book.
Saturday, Oct. 6, 2006--Pondicherry
I was lazy today. I didn't leave the hotel until at least 3 hours after awakening. When I did leave, I went on a slow walking tour of the south side of town and of the waterfront area. It's such a nice city for that. I took quite a few photos. Because it was Saturday, there wasn't much traffic. There is a big ashram headquartered here that is a major tourist attraction. All the buildings they own are painted the same gray color, and they take up several blocks of the old colonial section of town. There was a big crowd at the temple in that area with an elephant out front. I didn't enter because of all the beggars around.
I became hot and sweaty after a while, so I returned to the hotel without having lunch. I just ate a couple of pieces of peanut candy I had in the room. It is somewhat like peanut brittle, but there are more peanuts and less brittle than in the version eaten in the U.S. Here, the brittle is only to hold the peanuts together. I fell asleep and had a long nap. Now I am back out to explore the town some more.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Pondicherry
Pondicherry
Thursday, Oct. 5, 2006--Mamallapuram (Cont.)
I ate a thali plate for lunch. It had rice, papadam, and various sauces and pickle. I had to do it local style with my fingers, so it was rather messy. The rice was a little bland, but the sauces were tasty.
I sat on the porch in front of my hotel room and read during the afternoon. It was a pleasant place to be, because there is a very green area in front of the hotel--palm trees and other plants. And there was a nice breeze to make me feel comfortable.
Later, I walked toward the beach temple, the one I mentioned the other day that is on a point at the end of the beach. It is only a small (although old) temple, but they wanted 250 rupees (a little over $5) for a westerner to enter. I had no interest in paying that to see a small temple. My hotel rooms normally only cost 250-500 rupees per night! So I walked away. It's too bad that all of India is changing to the dual pricing system with the price for foreigners being so much (usually about 15 times as much) more than the price for locals. Most tourists are coming here once and just break down and pay it, I guess. But I will live a good life without wasting so much money to see a Hindu temple that means nothing to me personally.
I talked to several Kashmiri guys who operate souvenir shops. They do not look like "typical" Indians. They have more of a middle eastern look. They often have gray or blue eyes and are rather handsome. I've not been to Kashmir, so I asked them where I should go if I planned a trip there and how long I should stay. One of the guys told me he would invite me to his sister's wedding if I could go there in May, but I told him that wouldn't be possible. Other of the guys I had met in the morning told me that he thinks I brought him good luck; he had had no sales for a long time, and after I was there he had two customers for a total of 5000 rupees in sales. He wanted to buy me tea to thank me!
I ate parotta for dinner. It was not well made. In fact, the bread was falling apart. And there was only one small dish of sauce to dip it in. But I made do with it. It only cost me about 35 cents.
Friday, Oct. 6, 2006--Mamallapura to Pondicherry
I was up early to catch a bus before they became crowded for the day. I stood at the intersection where they come from Chennai and turn toward Pondicherry. A young man was standing there and said he was going to Pondicherry, too, and that I should just wait and get on the same bus he does. We sat together and visited for the 1 1/2 hours it took to make the trip. He's a 22-year-old student at the sculpture and design college here in Mamallapura. He is studying architecture and wants to design temples. We chatted the whole way. His mother was traveling, too, but she sat at the front with other women.
I found a nice hotel not far from the bus station and within 6-8 blocks of the center of town. It is a very clean room and has lots of windows. The TV is bigger than I have been having, too, so I think I will enjoy being there. Just after I checked in, a man came collecting laundry, so I gave him some shirts and pants to do for me. I then washed my socks and underwear in the bathroom.
At lunch, I ate at a very local place. They used a real banana palm leaf as the plate. (Most places now use pastic-coated paper mats that look like palm leaves.) I had the thali plate--the same as having the luncheon special at home. I got a big bowl of rice, a papadam, a fried bread, about 4 sauces and vegetables, a dish of yogurt, and a yogurt-tasting soupy dish I ate with a small spoon they provided. One of the vegetabes was a green leafy-vegetable in a sauce that was quite tasty. I wanted to take a photo before I started eating, but one of the sauces gets poured over the rice, and the man who poured it indicated for me to start mixing it with my fingers as he poured. That made my hand too messy to take out the camera and get a picture.
Thursday, Oct. 5, 2006--Mamallapuram (Cont.)
I ate a thali plate for lunch. It had rice, papadam, and various sauces and pickle. I had to do it local style with my fingers, so it was rather messy. The rice was a little bland, but the sauces were tasty.
I sat on the porch in front of my hotel room and read during the afternoon. It was a pleasant place to be, because there is a very green area in front of the hotel--palm trees and other plants. And there was a nice breeze to make me feel comfortable.
Later, I walked toward the beach temple, the one I mentioned the other day that is on a point at the end of the beach. It is only a small (although old) temple, but they wanted 250 rupees (a little over $5) for a westerner to enter. I had no interest in paying that to see a small temple. My hotel rooms normally only cost 250-500 rupees per night! So I walked away. It's too bad that all of India is changing to the dual pricing system with the price for foreigners being so much (usually about 15 times as much) more than the price for locals. Most tourists are coming here once and just break down and pay it, I guess. But I will live a good life without wasting so much money to see a Hindu temple that means nothing to me personally.
I talked to several Kashmiri guys who operate souvenir shops. They do not look like "typical" Indians. They have more of a middle eastern look. They often have gray or blue eyes and are rather handsome. I've not been to Kashmir, so I asked them where I should go if I planned a trip there and how long I should stay. One of the guys told me he would invite me to his sister's wedding if I could go there in May, but I told him that wouldn't be possible. Other of the guys I had met in the morning told me that he thinks I brought him good luck; he had had no sales for a long time, and after I was there he had two customers for a total of 5000 rupees in sales. He wanted to buy me tea to thank me!
I ate parotta for dinner. It was not well made. In fact, the bread was falling apart. And there was only one small dish of sauce to dip it in. But I made do with it. It only cost me about 35 cents.
Friday, Oct. 6, 2006--Mamallapura to Pondicherry
I was up early to catch a bus before they became crowded for the day. I stood at the intersection where they come from Chennai and turn toward Pondicherry. A young man was standing there and said he was going to Pondicherry, too, and that I should just wait and get on the same bus he does. We sat together and visited for the 1 1/2 hours it took to make the trip. He's a 22-year-old student at the sculpture and design college here in Mamallapura. He is studying architecture and wants to design temples. We chatted the whole way. His mother was traveling, too, but she sat at the front with other women.
I found a nice hotel not far from the bus station and within 6-8 blocks of the center of town. It is a very clean room and has lots of windows. The TV is bigger than I have been having, too, so I think I will enjoy being there. Just after I checked in, a man came collecting laundry, so I gave him some shirts and pants to do for me. I then washed my socks and underwear in the bathroom.
At lunch, I ate at a very local place. They used a real banana palm leaf as the plate. (Most places now use pastic-coated paper mats that look like palm leaves.) I had the thali plate--the same as having the luncheon special at home. I got a big bowl of rice, a papadam, a fried bread, about 4 sauces and vegetables, a dish of yogurt, and a yogurt-tasting soupy dish I ate with a small spoon they provided. One of the vegetabes was a green leafy-vegetable in a sauce that was quite tasty. I wanted to take a photo before I started eating, but one of the sauces gets poured over the rice, and the man who poured it indicated for me to start mixing it with my fingers as he poured. That made my hand too messy to take out the camera and get a picture.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Out of Hectic Chennai
Out of Hectic Chennai
Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2006--Chennai (Cont.)
I have lost so much weight since leaving Texas that my pants are baggy and catching on the heals of my shoes. My measurement of the waistband shows that my waist is at least 2-2 1/2 inches smaller than it was when I left home about 6 weeks ago. I feel and look better because of it.
Mosai came to the hotel to see me in the early evening. He's an Indian I met through a travel forum on the Internet when I was planning my trip. He's a 23-year-old student majoring in technology on his master's degree. He's a sweet and nice young man. I enjoyed meeting him in person. He was only able to stay for about an hour, however, because he lives far from here.
I went to eat dinner after walking Mosai to the bus stop. I went off my vegetarian diet and had mutton curry at an Muslim restaurant. It came with parota, the nice bread I enjoyed last year so much that is made by slapping and folding and slapping until it is multi-layered. The waiters enjoyed having me there. They watched me as I ate, seemingly impressed by the fact that I knew how to tear the bread using only my right hand and then use it to pick up the curry. When I was finishing my second parota, the waiter brought a fresh, hot one to replace my third one which had cooled. Then he brought extra curry sauce for me to have.
Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2006--Chennai to Mamallapuram
It's interesting noticing the difference in the relationship between traffic and pedestrians in India as compared to Vietnam. In Vietnam, there is somewhat of a natural flow with everyone watching out for everyone while continuing to move forward. I found it amazing how vehicles and pedestrians going at right angles to each other at intersections in Vietnam seemed to continue flowing while everyone paused a little or rushed up a little based upon their perception of the speed of movement of the other person and what would create the optimum situation for everyone involved. Here in India it is different. No one watches out for pedestrians. In fact, motorcycles, cars, buses, etc., seem to purposely cut as close to pedestrians as possible to scare them and/or to force them to move as proof that that the pedestrian is the low-man on the totempole and that they are higher. I've even been crossing an intersection with only one vehicle turning across my path and had him cut close to me or try to force me to stop or go faster rather than just swoop around behind me. It continues up the ladder--motorcycles, then trishaws, then cars, then buses, then transport trucks--in the same way. How sad that people have to constrantly prove how special they are in relation to others.
I went to the museum this morning and didn't enter. India has a problem of trying to gouge tourists at tourist sites. Sometimes, it's not so bad, but when it is really bad, I refuse to let them take advantage of me. The admission price to the museum was 15 rupees for an Indian and 250 rupees for a foreigner. The guidebook complained about the disorganization of the exhibits and said very little positive about what could be seen. I just decided it wasn't worth paying about 15 times the price of a local to go.
I had planned to stay in Chennai one more night and to try to meet Kumar, another Indian who had helped me through the travel forum. When I didn't go to the museum, I tried to call him to make sure he was free to meet me. I didn't get an answer. I quickly decided that I didn't want to stay for the night if I wasn't sure I could meet him. I was tired of Chennai. It's a big, dirty, noisy city with little to commend it. So I went back to the area of my hotel, ate a late breakfast meal of chipatti (like a flat flour tortilla) with sauces, packed, and checked out of my hotel.
I walked to the government bus station only to find it was no longer there. It has been converted to a local bus station. I had to take a local bus for about 45 minutes out to a suburban location where the new state bus station is. There, I waited another 30 minutes or so for a bus going toward Mamallapuram. Then it took us one hour to cross southern Chennai and get into the countryside. Four hours after leaving my hotel, I arrived in Mamallapuram--55 km (33 miles) from Chennai!
I found a nice hotel near the bus stop here in town. It's luxurious and spacious compared to what I had in Chennai. It comes with a free newspaper, too. The only problem is the mosquitos. This town is full of them. I had to leave my ceiling fan on high to keep them off of me during the night.
This is a small village that is popular with backpackers and with weekenders from nearby cities. It has beaches and a famous temple area that consists of stone carvings. It's a little like Enchanted Mountain in Texas in that there is flat land everywhere, but there is this big outcropping of stone. Years ago, the stones were carved into temples.
I spent a couple of hours walking through the village exploring. I went by the temple area and noted that it opens at 6:30 each morning. I went to the beach where boys were playing a volleyball game that was fun to watch. (The beach even has a nice old temple on an outcropping of land at the end of it which is quite scenic.) I stopped and talked to some of the Kashmiri guys who operate the souvenir shops here in town (and in every other tourist town throughout India).
Finally, I found a restaurant and ate a dosa masala. This time, the crispy pancake had a nice filling of a spicy potato-onion mixture (which is the way dosa usually is). The dipping sauces were nice, too, but I really enjoyed the stuffing. I washed it down with a lemon juice.
Thursday, Oct. 5, 2006--Mamallapuram
I was up early to go to the temples before the hawkers and beggers arrived. I got there about 6:45 and had the place almost to myself. I took photos and wandered over the rocks. There are some wonderful carvings of Hindu gods and goddesses, elephants, etc. I was asked to take photos of two groups of Indians who were there that early. They were so happy that I did. To enter the temples means having to take off ones shoes, however. With this being a beach community, there is sand everywhere. So it was frustrating to get sand in my socks an shoes. But I was glad to have enjoyed the temple area. There's even an ancient lighthouse carved from the rocks.
The newspaper tells of two problems in India right now due to mosquitoes. Delhi has an outbreak of dengue fever, and Alleppey has an outbreak of chicungunya. I've never heard of the latter. So far, they seem to be contained in those areas. I won't go to Delhi, and it will be several weeks before I pass through Alleppey. But the mosquitoes are really bad here. I hope they won't be so bad as I move to other places.
India has too many people all chasing the same hopes. I mentioned that Mosai has gotten his degrees in technology. He's working on the master's degree because he couldn't find a job after finishing his bachelor's degree. That's common. He may never find a job. Although we read about all the high-tech jobs coming to India, it's not enough to deal with their need for jobs. The same also goes with the Kashmiri shop owners. This village of 9,000 must have at least 30-40 shops owned by Kashmiris and trying to sell the same items. How can any of them make a decent living with so much competition. The list goes on: Too many trishaw owners trying to make a living by selling rides, too many __________ wanting jobs as __________!
I'll probably move onward tomorrow to Pondicherry. Will post again there.
Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2006--Chennai (Cont.)
I have lost so much weight since leaving Texas that my pants are baggy and catching on the heals of my shoes. My measurement of the waistband shows that my waist is at least 2-2 1/2 inches smaller than it was when I left home about 6 weeks ago. I feel and look better because of it.
Mosai came to the hotel to see me in the early evening. He's an Indian I met through a travel forum on the Internet when I was planning my trip. He's a 23-year-old student majoring in technology on his master's degree. He's a sweet and nice young man. I enjoyed meeting him in person. He was only able to stay for about an hour, however, because he lives far from here.
I went to eat dinner after walking Mosai to the bus stop. I went off my vegetarian diet and had mutton curry at an Muslim restaurant. It came with parota, the nice bread I enjoyed last year so much that is made by slapping and folding and slapping until it is multi-layered. The waiters enjoyed having me there. They watched me as I ate, seemingly impressed by the fact that I knew how to tear the bread using only my right hand and then use it to pick up the curry. When I was finishing my second parota, the waiter brought a fresh, hot one to replace my third one which had cooled. Then he brought extra curry sauce for me to have.
Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2006--Chennai to Mamallapuram
It's interesting noticing the difference in the relationship between traffic and pedestrians in India as compared to Vietnam. In Vietnam, there is somewhat of a natural flow with everyone watching out for everyone while continuing to move forward. I found it amazing how vehicles and pedestrians going at right angles to each other at intersections in Vietnam seemed to continue flowing while everyone paused a little or rushed up a little based upon their perception of the speed of movement of the other person and what would create the optimum situation for everyone involved. Here in India it is different. No one watches out for pedestrians. In fact, motorcycles, cars, buses, etc., seem to purposely cut as close to pedestrians as possible to scare them and/or to force them to move as proof that that the pedestrian is the low-man on the totempole and that they are higher. I've even been crossing an intersection with only one vehicle turning across my path and had him cut close to me or try to force me to stop or go faster rather than just swoop around behind me. It continues up the ladder--motorcycles, then trishaws, then cars, then buses, then transport trucks--in the same way. How sad that people have to constrantly prove how special they are in relation to others.
I went to the museum this morning and didn't enter. India has a problem of trying to gouge tourists at tourist sites. Sometimes, it's not so bad, but when it is really bad, I refuse to let them take advantage of me. The admission price to the museum was 15 rupees for an Indian and 250 rupees for a foreigner. The guidebook complained about the disorganization of the exhibits and said very little positive about what could be seen. I just decided it wasn't worth paying about 15 times the price of a local to go.
I had planned to stay in Chennai one more night and to try to meet Kumar, another Indian who had helped me through the travel forum. When I didn't go to the museum, I tried to call him to make sure he was free to meet me. I didn't get an answer. I quickly decided that I didn't want to stay for the night if I wasn't sure I could meet him. I was tired of Chennai. It's a big, dirty, noisy city with little to commend it. So I went back to the area of my hotel, ate a late breakfast meal of chipatti (like a flat flour tortilla) with sauces, packed, and checked out of my hotel.
I walked to the government bus station only to find it was no longer there. It has been converted to a local bus station. I had to take a local bus for about 45 minutes out to a suburban location where the new state bus station is. There, I waited another 30 minutes or so for a bus going toward Mamallapuram. Then it took us one hour to cross southern Chennai and get into the countryside. Four hours after leaving my hotel, I arrived in Mamallapuram--55 km (33 miles) from Chennai!
I found a nice hotel near the bus stop here in town. It's luxurious and spacious compared to what I had in Chennai. It comes with a free newspaper, too. The only problem is the mosquitos. This town is full of them. I had to leave my ceiling fan on high to keep them off of me during the night.
This is a small village that is popular with backpackers and with weekenders from nearby cities. It has beaches and a famous temple area that consists of stone carvings. It's a little like Enchanted Mountain in Texas in that there is flat land everywhere, but there is this big outcropping of stone. Years ago, the stones were carved into temples.
I spent a couple of hours walking through the village exploring. I went by the temple area and noted that it opens at 6:30 each morning. I went to the beach where boys were playing a volleyball game that was fun to watch. (The beach even has a nice old temple on an outcropping of land at the end of it which is quite scenic.) I stopped and talked to some of the Kashmiri guys who operate the souvenir shops here in town (and in every other tourist town throughout India).
Finally, I found a restaurant and ate a dosa masala. This time, the crispy pancake had a nice filling of a spicy potato-onion mixture (which is the way dosa usually is). The dipping sauces were nice, too, but I really enjoyed the stuffing. I washed it down with a lemon juice.
Thursday, Oct. 5, 2006--Mamallapuram
I was up early to go to the temples before the hawkers and beggers arrived. I got there about 6:45 and had the place almost to myself. I took photos and wandered over the rocks. There are some wonderful carvings of Hindu gods and goddesses, elephants, etc. I was asked to take photos of two groups of Indians who were there that early. They were so happy that I did. To enter the temples means having to take off ones shoes, however. With this being a beach community, there is sand everywhere. So it was frustrating to get sand in my socks an shoes. But I was glad to have enjoyed the temple area. There's even an ancient lighthouse carved from the rocks.
The newspaper tells of two problems in India right now due to mosquitoes. Delhi has an outbreak of dengue fever, and Alleppey has an outbreak of chicungunya. I've never heard of the latter. So far, they seem to be contained in those areas. I won't go to Delhi, and it will be several weeks before I pass through Alleppey. But the mosquitoes are really bad here. I hope they won't be so bad as I move to other places.
India has too many people all chasing the same hopes. I mentioned that Mosai has gotten his degrees in technology. He's working on the master's degree because he couldn't find a job after finishing his bachelor's degree. That's common. He may never find a job. Although we read about all the high-tech jobs coming to India, it's not enough to deal with their need for jobs. The same also goes with the Kashmiri shop owners. This village of 9,000 must have at least 30-40 shops owned by Kashmiris and trying to sell the same items. How can any of them make a decent living with so much competition. The list goes on: Too many trishaw owners trying to make a living by selling rides, too many __________ wanting jobs as __________!
I'll probably move onward tomorrow to Pondicherry. Will post again there.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Hot Days in Chennai
Hot Days in Chennai
Monday, Oct. 2, 2006--Chennai (Cont.)
I went back to the hotel and relaxed and napped during the hot afternoon. My nose had burned while I was out walking, but I am hoping it wasn't enough to make it peel.
I went back out in the evening only for dinner. I ate a wonderful meal that was very spicy--paneer butter masala. Paneer is the Indian cheese I like that is often served in a spinach dish in Indian restaurants in the U.S. I had made butter masala sauce in Texas last year from a recipe printed in the newspaper from a local restaurant. But this was so much better. It was much spicier and had so much more flavor. It was also darker. I had two rotis with the dish. Those are like whole wheat tortillas. And I washed it down with another nice limeade.
While I was out, I found another hotel that I like. I may move to it on Wednesday after the time I have paid for at this place is up. While wandering and looking, a mosquito fogger truck came by. It was such a heavy fog. I hadn't seen such a truck since I was a kid, I don't think. I ran about half a block away from the machine and used my shirt sleeve to try to keep the fog from getting into my lungs. I was glad to see that the truck passed right in front of my hotel.
Back in the room, I watched TV and read in the novel I am currently reading. I was tired, so I went to bed around 10:00. I didn't sleep well, however, for several reasons: 1) There was a mosquito (or two) that had gotten into the room, so the fog wasn't very effective. 2) There were some dogs that started fighting at one point. 3) It rained heavily sometime during the night waking me up.
Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2006--Chennai (Part 1)
I was up early again this morning. I walked to a juice bar and had a fresh pineapple drink. Then I caught a bus going to the suburban areas (and eventually to a train station where I knew I could catch a train back into town). Even in the suburban areas, Chennai does not impress me. The people are nice, but the town is rather dumpy looking. The bus went down what is currently the main shopping street in town. It wasn't very impressive. There were a few nice buildings, especially as I got closer to the edge of town, but nothing to make me think that visiting Chennai is a must for anyone coming to India.
Both the bus and the train were crowded. The train, as usual, was the worst with all of us packed like sardines. Everyone is as considerate as possible, however. And the rides do not last long. It's a REAL INDIAN experience to ride a packed bus or train!
Once I was in town, I walked to Chennai Fort. It was built by the British beginning in the 1600s. There are many old buildings. Most are unrestored for at least 70 years or so. It's too bad. A very few are in fairly decent condition. I talked with a group of soldiers dressed in their uniforms which include a beret with a red feather staff sticking up. I toured the old church on the base. I skipped the museum, since my guidebook had said nothing about it.
From the fort, I walked to the University of Madras campus. It is filled with wonderful examples of architecture with many of the buildings based on Islamic styles. It is right across the street from the beach, so it is a great location for a campus. It is also very near to my hotel.
From there, I walked back to my base area and had lunch. This time, I had the mini-lunch. That's what it is called here; in most of India it is called the thali plate. It was served on a stainless steel cafeteria-style tray. There was dal (lentil soup), a vegetable, three kinds of rice (one yellow with vegetables in it, one brown with spices in it, and one white with yogurt in it), pickle (which is a spicy mixture for making foods stronger), two kinds of breads (crisp papadam and soft tortilla-like flatbread), and rice pudding. I ordered lime juice as usual to go with the meal. I sometimes drink the water they serve with meals assuming it has been boiled or filtered, but today I saw the waiter filling the water pitchers from the tap. Guess I will stop drinking their water at restaurants.
I will head back to the hotel to relax now. A young student I met over an Internet travel forum will come meet me tonight. He helped me with hotel information before I arrived here. We'll visit and maybe go out to eat together.
Monday, Oct. 2, 2006--Chennai (Cont.)
I went back to the hotel and relaxed and napped during the hot afternoon. My nose had burned while I was out walking, but I am hoping it wasn't enough to make it peel.
I went back out in the evening only for dinner. I ate a wonderful meal that was very spicy--paneer butter masala. Paneer is the Indian cheese I like that is often served in a spinach dish in Indian restaurants in the U.S. I had made butter masala sauce in Texas last year from a recipe printed in the newspaper from a local restaurant. But this was so much better. It was much spicier and had so much more flavor. It was also darker. I had two rotis with the dish. Those are like whole wheat tortillas. And I washed it down with another nice limeade.
While I was out, I found another hotel that I like. I may move to it on Wednesday after the time I have paid for at this place is up. While wandering and looking, a mosquito fogger truck came by. It was such a heavy fog. I hadn't seen such a truck since I was a kid, I don't think. I ran about half a block away from the machine and used my shirt sleeve to try to keep the fog from getting into my lungs. I was glad to see that the truck passed right in front of my hotel.
Back in the room, I watched TV and read in the novel I am currently reading. I was tired, so I went to bed around 10:00. I didn't sleep well, however, for several reasons: 1) There was a mosquito (or two) that had gotten into the room, so the fog wasn't very effective. 2) There were some dogs that started fighting at one point. 3) It rained heavily sometime during the night waking me up.
Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2006--Chennai (Part 1)
I was up early again this morning. I walked to a juice bar and had a fresh pineapple drink. Then I caught a bus going to the suburban areas (and eventually to a train station where I knew I could catch a train back into town). Even in the suburban areas, Chennai does not impress me. The people are nice, but the town is rather dumpy looking. The bus went down what is currently the main shopping street in town. It wasn't very impressive. There were a few nice buildings, especially as I got closer to the edge of town, but nothing to make me think that visiting Chennai is a must for anyone coming to India.
Both the bus and the train were crowded. The train, as usual, was the worst with all of us packed like sardines. Everyone is as considerate as possible, however. And the rides do not last long. It's a REAL INDIAN experience to ride a packed bus or train!
Once I was in town, I walked to Chennai Fort. It was built by the British beginning in the 1600s. There are many old buildings. Most are unrestored for at least 70 years or so. It's too bad. A very few are in fairly decent condition. I talked with a group of soldiers dressed in their uniforms which include a beret with a red feather staff sticking up. I toured the old church on the base. I skipped the museum, since my guidebook had said nothing about it.
From the fort, I walked to the University of Madras campus. It is filled with wonderful examples of architecture with many of the buildings based on Islamic styles. It is right across the street from the beach, so it is a great location for a campus. It is also very near to my hotel.
From there, I walked back to my base area and had lunch. This time, I had the mini-lunch. That's what it is called here; in most of India it is called the thali plate. It was served on a stainless steel cafeteria-style tray. There was dal (lentil soup), a vegetable, three kinds of rice (one yellow with vegetables in it, one brown with spices in it, and one white with yogurt in it), pickle (which is a spicy mixture for making foods stronger), two kinds of breads (crisp papadam and soft tortilla-like flatbread), and rice pudding. I ordered lime juice as usual to go with the meal. I sometimes drink the water they serve with meals assuming it has been boiled or filtered, but today I saw the waiter filling the water pitchers from the tap. Guess I will stop drinking their water at restaurants.
I will head back to the hotel to relax now. A young student I met over an Internet travel forum will come meet me tonight. He helped me with hotel information before I arrived here. We'll visit and maybe go out to eat together.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Off to India
Off to India
Sunday, October 1, 2006--Bangkok to Chennai
After leaving the internet cafe last night, I discovered that my watch wasn't working--the new one I had just bought less than a month ago in Laos. I went to a nearby shopping center. It wasn't the battery. And the watches there cost more than they do at Wal-mart in the US. So I loaded up my travel clock with its battery and am carrying it in my pocket.
After that, I went to eat at a sidewalk place. This time, I found a place with pork and ordered a plate over rice. It included roasted pork, bacon with the crackling on it, and sausage. It came with a dark, sweet sauce that was very tasty. And I added lots of peppers.
This morning I was up early to go to the airport. I wanted to eat breakfast when they opened at 6. But at 6:05, they announced it would be another 5 minutes. I didn't know if I could spare the time, since it was supposed to be a 1 1/2 hour drive by taxi to the airport. I was taking the bus, so I figured it would be at least 2 hours. Well, I was wrong. Because it was Sunday, there was little traffic. I made it by bus from my hotel to Victory Circle in just 5 minutes. The 551 bus for the airport was waiting at my bus stop when I got off, and it left within a minute. Then it only took 35 minutes from Victory Circle to the airport bus station. Another 5 minutes on a shuttle from the bus station to the departure floor entrance at the airport took only another 5 minutes. I was at the counter to check in about 7:30! I didn't expect to be there until 9:00 or possibly later. I have to remember to fly on Sunday mornings from Bangkok!
The new airport is nice, but it needs some improvements. It's the largest single-terminal airport in the world. It has a stretched-fabric roof similar to the new Denver Airport. And it has island check-in counters like the airport in Rio de Janeiro. There are many ramps for rolling carts and bags (including some of the escalators). Among problems that I saw: 1) It is too crowded around the exit doors from immigration. They should have planned a big lobby area there so that people exiting can get through the crowds of people waiting for someone. 2) Once one passes customs to enter the restricted area, there are no seats for waiting. The only choices are to sit on the floor, shop in the shops, or sit in a restaurant and order food. The gates are kept closed until 45 minutes before departure. They will have to put seats along the walkways to the gates. I heard many people raising their voices about having no place to sit to wait for their gate to open.
Spending Update for Thailand: I spent $189.04 (not including my new ATW ticket or my dental expenses) pver 6 days for an average of $31.51 per day. For the whole trip since leaving Texas, I have now spent $1101.92 over 44 days for an average of $25.05 per day.
It was nice coming into India in the middle of the day instead of the middle of the night when most flights arrive here. Chennai has a small airport. It didn't take long to go through immigration and customs and exit. The tourist desk wasn't there that the guidebook said to use. And I didn't see the shuttle bus to town. Therefore, I exited the airport and walked down the street to the local train station. I caught a train within 10 minutes to the center of town. The train was very crowded, but I managed well. No one seemed upset that I had my suitcase with me.
I got off the train at Egmore Station. I had marked several hotels in that area in my guidebook that sounded okay. Quickly I learned that they were either cheap and dumps or too expensive for their facilities. I had marked another cluster of hotels in another area of town, so I walked there in about 30 minutes. The first hotel I checked was so much better than what I had been seeing that I took the room. It's not great, but it is okay, especially since it is only about $8 per night. There is a lot less for that $8 than what I got in Vietnam, however. It has only a ceiling fan (no a/c), has no mini-fridge, and is well-worn (as are most places in India). Most people would consider it to be dirty, but by Indian standards it is rather clean. (I just never get over the realization that Indians are apparently blind to filth. Windows, floors, walls, etc., are always dirty. The sides of streets and streams are piled with garbage and trash, but no one seems to care. They sweep off their steps constantly, but the stuff just stays to the side and piles up over time.)
After visiting with one of the employees of the hotel for a while and then resting for a while, I headed for the beach. My guidebook said that everyone in town goes there on Sunday evenings to promenade. I was surprised to fine that it is literally ON the beach where they promenade other than on a sidewalk beside it. The beach is a very deep one. It took forever walking across the sand to get to the water's edge. But the book was right. People were everywhere. Unfortunately, I had left a little too late; it was already getting dark when I arrived. But I stayed almost an hour walking up and down the beach and watching the people. There was a half-moon to give light. Finally, I returned to the area around my hotel and ate dinner at the Majarajah Restaurant. I had a masala dosa. That's a huge crispy pancake served with about 4 sauces. I used my right hand to tear off a small part of the dosa, dipped it in one of the sauces, and then placed it in my mouth. It was delicious. I ordered a fresh lime soda to go with the dosa, and that's what I got. But it was not a sweet one. It was quite sour.
I slept very well. I was so tired. But the doorbell to my room rang sometime in the night. It was two guys looking for Rahul. I guess someone with that name had been in my room before me. Anyway, I still fell back to sleep easily and slept until morning.
Monday, Oct. 2, 2006--Chennai
Today is a government holiday. There were celebrations going on everywhere last night for some Hindu event. Cars and doorways were decorated with pieces of palm leaves and flowers. And fireworks went off just as I was going to bed. I guess the holiday today is related to that.
I left the hotel about 7:00 and walked until noon. I went down the beach a long ways. Then I caught the train back to the center of town. (It was obviously a workers' holiday, because the train car was empty--a rare occurance in India.) I walked through the old downtown area seeing an old Methodist church, and old Armenian church, the courts building (a Victorian structure that is impressive), a market area with narrow streets, the main train station, etc. Chennai reminds me more of Calcutta than the other places I have visited in India. It has more poor people and is trashier in appearance. There are some nice sections of town, though, and there are a number of impressive old Victorian buildings. Tomorrow, I will see some museums and some of the nicer parts of town.
Most of the restaurants here are vegetarian, since it is mostly Hindus to live here. (That also means there are many cows free-roaming in the streets. I saw one today with special brass fittings with bells on the tips of its horns.) Therefore, I ate vegetarian again for lunch. I had a type of fried bread (I knew it from the hostel at the school last year) with a coconut chutney and a vegetable curry to dip it in. I had a lemon drink with it.
It is now early afternoon. I will finish on the computer and then go to my room to rest until it cools down for the evening.
Sunday, October 1, 2006--Bangkok to Chennai
After leaving the internet cafe last night, I discovered that my watch wasn't working--the new one I had just bought less than a month ago in Laos. I went to a nearby shopping center. It wasn't the battery. And the watches there cost more than they do at Wal-mart in the US. So I loaded up my travel clock with its battery and am carrying it in my pocket.
After that, I went to eat at a sidewalk place. This time, I found a place with pork and ordered a plate over rice. It included roasted pork, bacon with the crackling on it, and sausage. It came with a dark, sweet sauce that was very tasty. And I added lots of peppers.
This morning I was up early to go to the airport. I wanted to eat breakfast when they opened at 6. But at 6:05, they announced it would be another 5 minutes. I didn't know if I could spare the time, since it was supposed to be a 1 1/2 hour drive by taxi to the airport. I was taking the bus, so I figured it would be at least 2 hours. Well, I was wrong. Because it was Sunday, there was little traffic. I made it by bus from my hotel to Victory Circle in just 5 minutes. The 551 bus for the airport was waiting at my bus stop when I got off, and it left within a minute. Then it only took 35 minutes from Victory Circle to the airport bus station. Another 5 minutes on a shuttle from the bus station to the departure floor entrance at the airport took only another 5 minutes. I was at the counter to check in about 7:30! I didn't expect to be there until 9:00 or possibly later. I have to remember to fly on Sunday mornings from Bangkok!
The new airport is nice, but it needs some improvements. It's the largest single-terminal airport in the world. It has a stretched-fabric roof similar to the new Denver Airport. And it has island check-in counters like the airport in Rio de Janeiro. There are many ramps for rolling carts and bags (including some of the escalators). Among problems that I saw: 1) It is too crowded around the exit doors from immigration. They should have planned a big lobby area there so that people exiting can get through the crowds of people waiting for someone. 2) Once one passes customs to enter the restricted area, there are no seats for waiting. The only choices are to sit on the floor, shop in the shops, or sit in a restaurant and order food. The gates are kept closed until 45 minutes before departure. They will have to put seats along the walkways to the gates. I heard many people raising their voices about having no place to sit to wait for their gate to open.
Spending Update for Thailand: I spent $189.04 (not including my new ATW ticket or my dental expenses) pver 6 days for an average of $31.51 per day. For the whole trip since leaving Texas, I have now spent $1101.92 over 44 days for an average of $25.05 per day.
It was nice coming into India in the middle of the day instead of the middle of the night when most flights arrive here. Chennai has a small airport. It didn't take long to go through immigration and customs and exit. The tourist desk wasn't there that the guidebook said to use. And I didn't see the shuttle bus to town. Therefore, I exited the airport and walked down the street to the local train station. I caught a train within 10 minutes to the center of town. The train was very crowded, but I managed well. No one seemed upset that I had my suitcase with me.
I got off the train at Egmore Station. I had marked several hotels in that area in my guidebook that sounded okay. Quickly I learned that they were either cheap and dumps or too expensive for their facilities. I had marked another cluster of hotels in another area of town, so I walked there in about 30 minutes. The first hotel I checked was so much better than what I had been seeing that I took the room. It's not great, but it is okay, especially since it is only about $8 per night. There is a lot less for that $8 than what I got in Vietnam, however. It has only a ceiling fan (no a/c), has no mini-fridge, and is well-worn (as are most places in India). Most people would consider it to be dirty, but by Indian standards it is rather clean. (I just never get over the realization that Indians are apparently blind to filth. Windows, floors, walls, etc., are always dirty. The sides of streets and streams are piled with garbage and trash, but no one seems to care. They sweep off their steps constantly, but the stuff just stays to the side and piles up over time.)
After visiting with one of the employees of the hotel for a while and then resting for a while, I headed for the beach. My guidebook said that everyone in town goes there on Sunday evenings to promenade. I was surprised to fine that it is literally ON the beach where they promenade other than on a sidewalk beside it. The beach is a very deep one. It took forever walking across the sand to get to the water's edge. But the book was right. People were everywhere. Unfortunately, I had left a little too late; it was already getting dark when I arrived. But I stayed almost an hour walking up and down the beach and watching the people. There was a half-moon to give light. Finally, I returned to the area around my hotel and ate dinner at the Majarajah Restaurant. I had a masala dosa. That's a huge crispy pancake served with about 4 sauces. I used my right hand to tear off a small part of the dosa, dipped it in one of the sauces, and then placed it in my mouth. It was delicious. I ordered a fresh lime soda to go with the dosa, and that's what I got. But it was not a sweet one. It was quite sour.
I slept very well. I was so tired. But the doorbell to my room rang sometime in the night. It was two guys looking for Rahul. I guess someone with that name had been in my room before me. Anyway, I still fell back to sleep easily and slept until morning.
Monday, Oct. 2, 2006--Chennai
Today is a government holiday. There were celebrations going on everywhere last night for some Hindu event. Cars and doorways were decorated with pieces of palm leaves and flowers. And fireworks went off just as I was going to bed. I guess the holiday today is related to that.
I left the hotel about 7:00 and walked until noon. I went down the beach a long ways. Then I caught the train back to the center of town. (It was obviously a workers' holiday, because the train car was empty--a rare occurance in India.) I walked through the old downtown area seeing an old Methodist church, and old Armenian church, the courts building (a Victorian structure that is impressive), a market area with narrow streets, the main train station, etc. Chennai reminds me more of Calcutta than the other places I have visited in India. It has more poor people and is trashier in appearance. There are some nice sections of town, though, and there are a number of impressive old Victorian buildings. Tomorrow, I will see some museums and some of the nicer parts of town.
Most of the restaurants here are vegetarian, since it is mostly Hindus to live here. (That also means there are many cows free-roaming in the streets. I saw one today with special brass fittings with bells on the tips of its horns.) Therefore, I ate vegetarian again for lunch. I had a type of fried bread (I knew it from the hostel at the school last year) with a coconut chutney and a vegetable curry to dip it in. I had a lemon drink with it.
It is now early afternoon. I will finish on the computer and then go to my room to rest until it cools down for the evening.
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