An Amazing Experience

It is a hot and steamy Monday morning in Chennai and we fly out for KL tonight at 10pm. We have found the Spencer Plaza Shopping Centre and Liz has gone missing. I reckon she's had withdrawal since she hasn't been near a regular shopping centre for almost 10 days! We'll need the Chennai CSI and Forensic Police to find her in amongst the smart Gucci and other upmarket shops.

What an amazing day yesterday. I mentioned my friend Bala who is now a Front Office Supervisor at the Residency Towers Hotel. He has gone out of his way to make everything perfect for us and we are very grateful to him for making our stay in Chennai so special. But he wanted for us to meet his family so we eagerly ventured out on Sunday and headed south towards Pondicherry, the old French city on the coast south of Chennai.

The traffic was of course bedlam and to make it more interesting, there is a fuel strike so we stopped at every gas station, joined a queue and filled up with maybe 5 litres at a time. I kep thinking, how would we get back at night if it got worse! Still, we managed ok and some 4 hours later we arrived at the town of Auroville where there is an international community and an ashram. All very serene and interesting but bloody hot under the banyan trees.

Soon after we again headed south and then towards to coast, all the way passing through small Indian villages complete with oxen, donkeys, dogs, cows, pigs, kids, goats, beggars, holy men ... you name it ... the whole of India was in every village. I had the impression from Bala's description of where his folks lived that it was in the city of Pondicherry but we were a little surprised when our taxi pulled up in the main street of a small village. Yes... dogs, cows, bullocks, beggars etc. and thatched huts, dirt floors ... your typical Indian village scene.

The main road was undergoing repairs so we could not access the dirt road to his house so we had to travel back through the back blocks and come in the back way. Wow! This was an amazing experience ... it seemed that we were going to meet a real Indian family in a real Indian village and, what's more, we'd been invited for lunch!

Soon enough we arrived outside a mud-brick house and there waiting patiently at the front door was Bala's Mum, Dad, Grand-father, Uncles, Sisters, Brothers, Cousins, Aunts and half the village kids. This was the real thing alright! We felt like royalty as we stepped out of the taxi and were immediately surrounded by kids, with the adults rousing on them and telling them to give us some room to move.

Bala's parents could not speak any English, none of them could, but they welcomed us to their home and we sat in the small living room and Bala acted as interpreter. The home was spotless and had few adornments but these were simple country folk and they had no need for luxuries.

I think Liz and Charlie and I were a little unsure about lunch but soon after we were ushered to another room where a small low table had been placed with some chairs for us. Then Bala's uncle arrived, he was the village Holy Man, complete with all the face markings and trappings ... we were stunned to say the least as he welcomed us and we thanked him for inviting us to the village. (I'll post the photos of all of this when I can).

The it was time for lunch, the moment of truth for our sensitive Western sensibilities. Bala's mother placed three large banana leaves on the table and then spooned out boiled rice and mutton and chicken curries. Bala instructed us on how to mis it all together and then use the fingers (right hand only!) to eat the meal, as they do every day. I think they were all a little confused when we each took our Travelan tablets and used Wet-Ones before eating. But we all managed to finish the delicious food, with the whole family watching on and obviously getting a laugh from our novice attempts to pick up a lump of rice with some meat and try to place it in our mouth, without spilling most of it on the Banana Leaf. It was a hoot and a lot of fun.

Then it was time for family photos and a look around the village with the village kids in tow and jockying for photo shoots. We then watched Bala's mother fold the Banana Leaves we had used and take them across the road and drop then for the village dogs to clean up. Not to worry about the bones in the scraps, they ate the lot. Toka would have had to be taken to the Vet and would have cost $500 after such an episode!

Before long it was time to say goodbye and they whole family gathered to wish us well and thank us for visiting them. We looked around the village. It was very very basic, dusty and without hot showers and western toilets and all the trappings of our lifestyle back home. But the people were the same as simple friendly country folk everywhere. We didn't need to speak the same language ... our simple sign language and gestures said it all. Everyone had a good day and it was as much an experience for them as it was for us. It was a highlight of the trip.

We then headed for Pondicherry and Bala had organised for us to have a hotel room for an hour in a local hotel where we could freshen up and importantly, Liz could use the Western bathroom. None of us has mastered the Indian custom of squatting yet! Bala has gone out of his way to accomodate us in every way. He's not just a nice guy from the hotel... we consider him a friend and his family is proud of him and the success he has enjoyed. Remember, he started out as a kid in that small village.

It was getting late and a long 140 km drive back to Chennai. If you ever thought driving in India was an adventure in terror during the day ... try it at night! I can safely confess to being totally terrified for 2 hours as we overtook vehicles with no room to spare, had trucks and buses and motorcycles and cars heading straight for us and all you could see was a blaze of headlights and all the time praying to whatever gods were active to protect us and deliver us from evil ... or the madness of Indian drivers. But our intrepid driver Vijay delivered us in one piece, albeit trembling and incoherent! I am recommending him for a CAMS Licence and I'll enter him in the F1 and Dakar Rally. (Ian... this was MUCH worse than our experiences here in September 2006!)

So, Charlie has bought some new shoes, and Liz is apparently ready to head back to the hotel ... she must have spent the whole holiday budget already! They both send their love. I'll post the photos when we get to KL. In the meantime, thanks to all for your emails and news from home. Next eposide will be from KL tomorrow.

Chennai

We left Puttaparthi around 11:30 for the 4 hour drive back to Bangalore and the crazy drivers in this country did not disappoint. Many near misses and a diversion due to a road accident provided some exciting and hair raising fun on the trip.

The Richmond Hotel in Bangalore, the same one as we stayed at a few days ago upgraded our room and we even had a massage chair which I think Charlie wore out. Our sensitive stomachs were ready for some solid food so we ventured to the restaurant for some light Indian food before an early night.

Up at 4:30am and a cab to Bangalore Station to catch the 6am Chatabdi Express to Chennai some 5 hours away on the Bay of Bengal. I'd done this trip when I was here with Ian 2 years ago and it was a highlight of that trip. It was just as good second time around as the sights of rural India flashed past and I think Liz and Charlie enjoyed it too. I bought along the video camera and shot about an hour of footage so plenty to see when we get home.

Arrived at Chennai Central at 11am... stinking hot, dirty, crowded, noisy and porters and cabbies touting for business. A cabbie tried to extract an outrageous sum to take us to out hotel, but I told him I'd been here before and knew the prices so his first offer was substantially reduced.

If Liz and Charlie thought the traffic in Bangalore and Puttaparthi was mad ... well Chennai is like the Dakar Rally, Formula One, Le Mans and Saturday morning at the Lennox Shopping Centre Car Park all rolled into one! Most of the time we had our eyes closed and, as Ian will confirm, the drivers here take the award for the worst in the world. Stop lights mean nothing, pedestrian crossings mean nothing.

However, we did arrive safely at our hotel, the Residency Towers where we were enthusiastically greeted by my friend Bala Krishnan who, when Ian and I were here, was a doorman but has since been promoted to Front Office Supervisor. He put it down to a letter I wrote to the hotel manager after my last trip, praising his service and efficiency and to some positive encouragement to aim high. Seems it worked.

Anyway, we have been treated like royalty and have a wonderful room with everything we could wish for. So we're here for 3 days and Bala has invited us to visit his family down the coast at Pondicherry on Sunday so that should be a good day out.

Chennai is much hotter than anywhere else we've been so Charlie and I are going to settle down with a Kingfisher and Liz will have a G&T and we'll watch the madness below from our quiet room. I'll post some more pics when I can. Thanks to all who have sent emails and SMS messages... it's nice to hear from home even though we've only been away a week.

Puttaparthi Fashion...

Well yesterday (Tuesday) dawned bright in Puttaparthi but I am a little surprised that it is not as hot as I thought it would be. It is still in the mid to high 30's during the day but is not the scorching 40+ temps we were expecting. Mind you, we still sleep with the air con on all night and Charlie is a little miffed because although he got the bigger room, the air con don't work!

Anyway, the day was full of surprises, which is normal around this town. We ran into a friend of Chris's, Barbara. She's from the UK and a very nice lady. She and Liz got talking and before long they were off to the tailor to get white silk darshan made to measure. I think I already mentioned this. Well Charlie got some darshan pants too and it was decided we'd go to the 4pm darshan where Sai Baba comes into the ashram to be greeted by a silent 1000-2000 people. Barbara would accompany Liz and Charlie would come with me on the mens side. I was really surprised that Liz and Charlie wanted to go but, what the heck, we're here so we might as well see what all the fuss is about.



So we joined the thousands and sat quietly for about 45 minutes until Sai Baba is wheeled out in a wheel-chair and slowly wends his way through the crowd. It was quite a scene and quite moving. Afterwards, we headed off to the Blue Lagoon cafe which has become our favourite meeting place and we chatted and had dinner.

Wednesday....

The inevitable has happened... Charlie arrived at our door about 8am and declared that the dreaded Delhi Belly has stuck him. So today we take it a bit easy but manage to fit in a drive in the surrounding countryside and a visit to two Indian villages where we are greeted by the village folk and welcomed into their homes. This is the real India that tourists don't get to see ... a family of seven living in one room about the size of a small Australian bedroom. All cooking done outside on wood fires and water carried in by the water wallahs in plastic drums. It was a very special and moving day and I'll write more later.



Liz was taken with the small babies and ladies who although poor, dressed immaculately in their colourful saris. These people live so simply, they are not concerned that the price of Unleaded has risen to $1.70 ... they are trying to survive on 1000 rupees a month. That's $25 in Australian money! Still, they seem happy with their lot and the families help each other in the village. Altogether a special day in the real India.

Puttaparthi...

After our gruelling 4 hour drive yesterday from Bangalore it was nice to be able to chill out in our air conditioned rooms at the Sai Towers Hotel in Puttaparthi. This hotel is on the main road right next to Sai Baba's ashram so it's right in the heart of the action and there is lots to see in the busy streets. Hot, steamy, busy, noisy, beggars, dogs, bullocks ... you name it and it is here right at our front door.

I think Liz and Charlie were a bit overcome with the rush of the past couple of days and being thrown into the hustle and bustle of India but they have both taken it in their stride and are coping very well with the cultural shock.

After a quiet breakfast at our hotel we ventured to the bazaar where I was fitted for three pair of darshan pants (those white cotton pants the Indian men wear). I had some made last time I was here but when we went to find the tailor ... the building had been demolished! This discovery was a double blow. Those of you who remember the photo of the lady and the baby I took last trip ... this family lived in the same building so suffice to say ... who knows where they would be now. I am really quite disappointed as I had hopes of seeing them again and maybe helping them a little as Ian and I had done 2 years ago.

It was good to see a familiar face soon after we arrived here. Our old friend Chris who has been living here for the past 2 years turned up ... as things often do here ... so we headed of to catch up on news. Chris is not in the best of health and will be heading home to Australia the same day we leave here next Thursday.


But we managed to find a nice restaurant where Ian and I, and Chris and his friends had frequented when I was last here and we chatted until the all the travel finally caught up with us and we headed to our hotel and a good nights sleep.

This morning we ran into Chris and one of his friends Barbara and we found a new cafe off Chittravathi Road and away from the teams of beggars and we chatted for a couple of hours. While Chris and I were sorting out his trip home, Liz and Babara had gone off and ordered a white silk outfit to wear to the ashram this afternoon. Liz was amazed that it would only take a couple of hours to make and it would cost pennies. Stay tuned for the photos!

And Charlie has bought a white outfit to wear as well so this afternoon we'll head off to the Mandir in the ashram and see what it's all about.

So, we are all ok ... I had a slight touch of the "collywobbles" this morning but with just some yoghurt and dry toast for breakfast I'm feeling ok now. It's all part of the experience of India.

In Inja's Sunny Clime Where I Used to Spend My Time...

After a delayed arrival in Bangalore and a 2am check-in at our hotel, we surfaced this morning and managed to navigate the impossible Bangalore traffic on our way north to Puttaparthi. Liz and Charlie were saucer-eyed at the traffic but have now settled down.

Now 4 hours later we have just arrived in Puttaparthi in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh. Hot and noisy and people everywhere here but glad to be able to stay in the one place for a few days. We're off to do some village viewing and Liz has her eye on some bargains she spotted.

Anyway, just a quick post to let you know we arrived here ok. Will update the blog and more news later.

In Transit ... But Where?

G'day from a sunny and hot Seremban in Malaysia.

Our already delayed flight from Sydney was further delayed and we didn't tuck the Dunlops until just after 9pm. The flight was full so no chance of spreading out across empty seats so it was a long flight. Arrived in KLIA about 3am and found there were about 60 other passengers who had been delayed for ongoing flights. So the next hour spent sorting luggage and then a bus to ... well ... when I turned on the GPS said heading east and not to KL.

Ended up at the Royal Bintang Hotel in Seremban a large provicial city. Only got about 4 hours sleep when the body clock said get up so we had a quick breakfast and then off to explore this noisy and crowded old colonial city. Found an internet cafe and just had a cold coke at Maccas and now off for lunch at the hotel.

Our flight leaves KL at 10:10pm tonight and we arrive in Banglaore India at 11:30pm Indian time so another long night ahead. Tomorrow we're off to Puttaparthi and a few days to aclimatize and catch up.

The Best Laid Plans ....

I should have known there would be a hiccup somewhere along the line. Liz reckons it's an omen ... she stubbed her toe last night and thought it was broken and then when I checked the flight departures last night and saw that yesterdays MH122 flight had been delayed until this morning, I knew there would be a flow-on effect.

So this morning I called Malaysian Airlines to confirm the flight and sure enough, our 747 has a problem and instead of departing Sydney at 2:20pm it's gonna be 8:00pm tonight ... a delay of 6 hours.

Of course, that means we miss our connection out of KL to Bangalore so we've been re-booked on that flight for Sunday night, 24 hours later. In the meantime we don't arrive in KL until the ungodly hour of 2:45am and the airline will put us up at a hotel overnight and we spend a day in KL and fly out to Bangalore Sunday night.

Well it gave us a chance to catch up on some chores and not rush, but it's a disappointment all the same.

So, all being well. we're on our way tonight. So stay tuned.

India and Malaysia 2008

Well, just one more sleep until Liz, Charlie and I board MH121 from Sydney to Bangalore via Kuala Lumpur. It's gonna be a long flight ... we depart Sydney at 2:20pm and arrive in Bangalore at 11:30pm Indian time. I will really perfect my Sudoku by the time we land.

All reports are that it is going to be hot, hot hot. That will be a change from the dismal and cold Sydney of the past few weeks. But I know what Indian summers are like and it's gonna be a shock for the first few days.

This time 6 years ago I was in Nepean Hospital after having a heart attack on the 18th June. So I reckon I am having a second chance at living and I'm gonna make the best of it.

To all our friends who wished us well, thanks. To my old traveling mate Ian ... sorry about your Mum and I wish you and Linda were coming along too. It would be a hoot. I'll be sure and give your regards to all the taxi drivers and rickshaw wallahs in Puttaparthi.

Anyway, we'll take lots of pictures and try and keep this blog interesting so stay tuned.