7/25/08
Part 1: Kanyakumari to Madurai
It's my first train ride in India and I'm excited. I hop onto the train, and immediately strike up a conversation with a friendly PHd student headed to Chennai. Ticket man comes, turns out i have a general ticket, but my new friend manages to get me bumped up to sleeper class without a fine. I chat with my new friend as we look out over the passing landscape. It's beautiful. Tall rocky mountains meet with billowy white clouds that are so thick, you don't know where one ends and the other begins. I stare at bright green paddy fields that look like they've been color corrected in photoshop. I lazily click some photos as the rocking of the train lulls me into a type of trance. We pass over a lazy river that cuts through the rocky landscape. I look down to see men and women on the edges of the river washing and bathing. One lone man stands bare chested up to his waist in the middle of the calm water. The train rattles on. As the sun sets I make out the outline of a woman in a sari gliding along a dirt path, the rice fields behind her. She balances a bale of hay on her head. the train rattles on. As it becomes dark and the full moon rises, i lay down on my birth and am rocked to sleep by the swaying of the train.
Part 2: Madurai to Ooty
It's after midnight, and I'm still sweating, the Madurai heat hasn't let up. A few dozen mosquitoes buzz around my head as I wait on the platform. I'm tired but am looking forward to my second train ride. To pass the time as I wait for my train to arrive I start thinking off all the great train scenes from movies. The old black and white movies with well dressed women making witty conversation with dapper men in dining cars, old westerns with cowboys jumping from their horses onto moving trains....
I don't have a sleeper car ticket, but am unconcerned as my last train ride went so smoothly....My train arrives... "FULL" the ticket man says abruptly brushing me aside. "But i have a 7 hour journey, I need a bed" "FULL, go to general car" One look in the general car with it's wooden benches that are already packed from wall to wall with sweating passengers (and if i'm not mistaken a few livestock), has made me determine this is not an option. The ticket man tries to usher me out of the sleeper car, but it's too late, the train is already moving....This is not going to plan...My only option is to sit on the floor between two of the cars. I sink down into the corner, and stare out the slats in the door at the black night. I then catch a whiff of the urine....yep, i'm 2 feet away from the train's bathroom, I squeeze closer to the door trying to catch a breeze. The jolting train hurts my bum. I don't even want to think about the last time this floor has been cleaned. All images of my romantic train movies quickly disintegrate as I catch another whiff of my accommodations. I try hard to remember a movie that had a train scene that took place next to the urinals...nothing comes to mind....I might have to reconsider my take on buses...it's a long 7 hours
Friday, July 25, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
sunrise
7/18/08
I'm wiping the sleep from my eyes as i wander through the winding streets. It's 5:30am and the town, Kanyakumari, feels fast asleep. I pass a flower seller and catch the scent of jasmine as i make my way to the point. Past the stone temple, with its elaborately carved gods and around a corner and then I see the crowd silently looking out over the ocean. The sky is still dark so I buy a cup of chai from a boy on his bike and then silently wait with the crowd. The sky begins to turn orange and red and then there is a collective gasp as the sun first peaks out above the Bay of Bengal.
I am in Kanyakumari, at the southern most tip of India. This is the spot where the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Bay of Bengal all converge into the waves crashing at the rocky shore. Within 5 min the sky is light and I wander down to the ghats where men in white lunghis and women in saris are bathing in the sea. I climb down the stairs, wade up to my knees (contemplate going all the way in, and then decide holy water or not, it's freakin cold) and then settle on washing my face in the salty water. It's the tip of India, I've seen the sun rise from the southern most point on the sub-continent...And while I'm the only western tourist in sight, for at least this moment no one seems to take notice. I dry my face and walk back to the stone temple to pay my morning respects to the gods.
My journey through southern India continues, I've finished my work in Bangalore, have traveled down through the state of kerala. I've seen holy trance dances where priests become gods, I've floated in a bamboo house boat in the palm lined back waters of Kerala, I've drank toddy (palm alcohol) from a tin roofed shack, sat on the cliffs over looking the beaches of Varkala, slept in trains, and not slept in buses, weathered the monsoon showers and am atempting to manage the south Indian heat... And I've made it as far south as i can go. Now my journey continues north. I hope to send at least another update before I'm back in Bangalore, if for no other reason than to assure my parenets i'm alive. I'm loving life and treasuring the adventure.
All the Best,
Karina
I'm wiping the sleep from my eyes as i wander through the winding streets. It's 5:30am and the town, Kanyakumari, feels fast asleep. I pass a flower seller and catch the scent of jasmine as i make my way to the point. Past the stone temple, with its elaborately carved gods and around a corner and then I see the crowd silently looking out over the ocean. The sky is still dark so I buy a cup of chai from a boy on his bike and then silently wait with the crowd. The sky begins to turn orange and red and then there is a collective gasp as the sun first peaks out above the Bay of Bengal.
I am in Kanyakumari, at the southern most tip of India. This is the spot where the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Bay of Bengal all converge into the waves crashing at the rocky shore. Within 5 min the sky is light and I wander down to the ghats where men in white lunghis and women in saris are bathing in the sea. I climb down the stairs, wade up to my knees (contemplate going all the way in, and then decide holy water or not, it's freakin cold) and then settle on washing my face in the salty water. It's the tip of India, I've seen the sun rise from the southern most point on the sub-continent...And while I'm the only western tourist in sight, for at least this moment no one seems to take notice. I dry my face and walk back to the stone temple to pay my morning respects to the gods.
My journey through southern India continues, I've finished my work in Bangalore, have traveled down through the state of kerala. I've seen holy trance dances where priests become gods, I've floated in a bamboo house boat in the palm lined back waters of Kerala, I've drank toddy (palm alcohol) from a tin roofed shack, sat on the cliffs over looking the beaches of Varkala, slept in trains, and not slept in buses, weathered the monsoon showers and am atempting to manage the south Indian heat... And I've made it as far south as i can go. Now my journey continues north. I hope to send at least another update before I'm back in Bangalore, if for no other reason than to assure my parenets i'm alive. I'm loving life and treasuring the adventure.
All the Best,
Karina
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
hospital tour
5/6/08
It's been awhile since my last email...lots has happened and it's hard to decide what to relate. Summer has arrived to southern India along with almost nightly 'pre-monsoon showers'....mango season is in full swing, and daily stops at the juice counter have become part of my routine. My papaya man has been replaced by my coconut guy...Apparently fresh coconut water cures everything from heat stroke to kidney stones, so I've decided sipping some fresh coconut water daily is a good habit.
I had my first visit to an Indian hospital, and am still in denial that it was in anyway related to my previous night out binging on tasty street food. Rushing to an emergency room while vomiting out of a moving rickshaw is an experience I'm hoping not to repeat. However the doctor, in a bright yellow sari and crisp white jacket, was very efficient (as well as a little shocked to see a westerner). After a quick examination and a few shots her suggestion was to 'drink fresh coconut water'....I would have laughed if I wasn't hunched over her waste basket. I'm fully recovered and am trying to stick to her theory that a coconut a day keeps the doctor away. In the mean time I'm laying off the pani puri
This past weekend however, may have been the highlight of my trip so far. There is a hospital 250 km north of Bangalore in Pavagada, a rural area of Karnataka. The hospital was started and run by an amazing swami (think orange robes, Sanskrit chants, and an uncanny sense of humor)...my work is associated with the hospital and has been involved in providing funding for TB treatment for children. Part of the agreement when I came out to work in Bangalore, was that I'd get to go visit the clinic and the surrounding villages it treats.
This turned out to be one of the most inspiring weekends of my life. One of my favorite books is 'Mountains Beyond Mountains' about Paul Farmer, an incredibly dedicated doctor who sets up and runs a clinic in Haiti....This place is the Indian equivalent. The hospital serves over 500 villages and depends heavily on community volunteers. It treats a variety of ailments, but focuses on Tuberculosis, Leprosy, and blindness. Often villages are so remote the only way patients can get to the hospital is in an ox drawn 'ambulance'. We drove out to two surrounding villages, and visited TB patients , many are children, who with the help of volunteers in the village (one a tailor, another a local teacher) are able to follow a strict treatment in order to be cured. We met lepers in the hospital who were being given special sandals to ease the pain in their deformed feet. We saw doctors preparing patients for cataract surgery to restore their vision.....all free of cost. It was amazing...Everything was run efficiently, the treatments are holistic and effective (not only providing medicine, but food, education and often clothing), and the staff is passionate and friendly. I'm counting down the days until I can go back. Until then...
Best from Bangalore
Karina
It's been awhile since my last email...lots has happened and it's hard to decide what to relate. Summer has arrived to southern India along with almost nightly 'pre-monsoon showers'....mango season is in full swing, and daily stops at the juice counter have become part of my routine. My papaya man has been replaced by my coconut guy...Apparently fresh coconut water cures everything from heat stroke to kidney stones, so I've decided sipping some fresh coconut water daily is a good habit.
I had my first visit to an Indian hospital, and am still in denial that it was in anyway related to my previous night out binging on tasty street food. Rushing to an emergency room while vomiting out of a moving rickshaw is an experience I'm hoping not to repeat. However the doctor, in a bright yellow sari and crisp white jacket, was very efficient (as well as a little shocked to see a westerner). After a quick examination and a few shots her suggestion was to 'drink fresh coconut water'....I would have laughed if I wasn't hunched over her waste basket. I'm fully recovered and am trying to stick to her theory that a coconut a day keeps the doctor away. In the mean time I'm laying off the pani puri
This past weekend however, may have been the highlight of my trip so far. There is a hospital 250 km north of Bangalore in Pavagada, a rural area of Karnataka. The hospital was started and run by an amazing swami (think orange robes, Sanskrit chants, and an uncanny sense of humor)...my work is associated with the hospital and has been involved in providing funding for TB treatment for children. Part of the agreement when I came out to work in Bangalore, was that I'd get to go visit the clinic and the surrounding villages it treats.
This turned out to be one of the most inspiring weekends of my life. One of my favorite books is 'Mountains Beyond Mountains' about Paul Farmer, an incredibly dedicated doctor who sets up and runs a clinic in Haiti....This place is the Indian equivalent. The hospital serves over 500 villages and depends heavily on community volunteers. It treats a variety of ailments, but focuses on Tuberculosis, Leprosy, and blindness. Often villages are so remote the only way patients can get to the hospital is in an ox drawn 'ambulance'. We drove out to two surrounding villages, and visited TB patients , many are children, who with the help of volunteers in the village (one a tailor, another a local teacher) are able to follow a strict treatment in order to be cured. We met lepers in the hospital who were being given special sandals to ease the pain in their deformed feet. We saw doctors preparing patients for cataract surgery to restore their vision.....all free of cost. It was amazing...Everything was run efficiently, the treatments are holistic and effective (not only providing medicine, but food, education and often clothing), and the staff is passionate and friendly. I'm counting down the days until I can go back. Until then...
Best from Bangalore
Karina
Thursday, March 27, 2008
still alive
3/27/08
Thought it was time to send out a quick update and let everyone know I'm still alive, in defiance of the Bangalore traffic....The driving really is quite impressive... scooters, auto rickshaws, cars, cows, buses, and ox drawn carts all crowd the same streets. No one obeys traffic signs, uses signals or pays any attention to lines on the road, so basically my driving technique fits right in, but with 8 million people it sure makes the drive to work interesting. However I love my little scooter and I'm getting more and more comfortable zipping around the city. But just to give you an idea of how crazy the driving is....I actually bought insurance within 2 weeks of trying to drive here....that says something.
I recently had a 3 day weekend (which is a luxury in a town that has a 6 day work week). The occasion was Holi, a festival of color. Apparently it was started by Lord Krishna who seemed to like a good time, and would dance around with his 16,000 girlfriends (known as Gopis) tossing color at each other in some form or merriment (or at least that's the story that was related to me).....not bad....So to celebrate I hopped a flight up to Goa, which is famous for it's beach towns, and met up with Megan and Lena who recently left me to bum around India. I spent the weekend swimming in the warm arabian sea, laying on the palm fringed beach and getting smeared with bright fuchsia paint in celebration of holi....It was a great break.
Now I'm back in Bangalore....Doing the IT thing...every time I meet a person and am asked what I do, I have to suppress a giggle when I say I work at a software company and am opening our first development office here in Bangalore...I mean i can barely turn on my computer...how in the world did i end up in the silicon valley of India? Life is funny....anyway i'm enjoying the roll. Interviewing software developers, arranging hires, researching recruitment agencies, buying computers for the office (yah i want the one with 2 gigs of whatchamacallit, ram, right that's it, ram). All good fun.
The summer is heating up, and we've had a few huge rains even though monsoon season is still a few months away (another effect of global warming is what i'm told). I'm really happy and enjoying life.....there's just one thing, I'm quickly tiring of Indian food...I've eaten over 145 indian meals in the past month and a half...curries and dosas for breakfast, lunch and dinner...every day.... I'd kill for a good burrito, pizza slice or anything that doesn't have ghee or tumeric involved. Think I just have to work through it, and I'm sure I'll regain my love of curries one day. Till then sending everyone back home lots of love.
Best from Bangalore,
Karina
Thought it was time to send out a quick update and let everyone know I'm still alive, in defiance of the Bangalore traffic....The driving really is quite impressive... scooters, auto rickshaws, cars, cows, buses, and ox drawn carts all crowd the same streets. No one obeys traffic signs, uses signals or pays any attention to lines on the road, so basically my driving technique fits right in, but with 8 million people it sure makes the drive to work interesting. However I love my little scooter and I'm getting more and more comfortable zipping around the city. But just to give you an idea of how crazy the driving is....I actually bought insurance within 2 weeks of trying to drive here....that says something.
I recently had a 3 day weekend (which is a luxury in a town that has a 6 day work week). The occasion was Holi, a festival of color. Apparently it was started by Lord Krishna who seemed to like a good time, and would dance around with his 16,000 girlfriends (known as Gopis) tossing color at each other in some form or merriment (or at least that's the story that was related to me).....not bad....So to celebrate I hopped a flight up to Goa, which is famous for it's beach towns, and met up with Megan and Lena who recently left me to bum around India. I spent the weekend swimming in the warm arabian sea, laying on the palm fringed beach and getting smeared with bright fuchsia paint in celebration of holi....It was a great break.
Now I'm back in Bangalore....Doing the IT thing...every time I meet a person and am asked what I do, I have to suppress a giggle when I say I work at a software company and am opening our first development office here in Bangalore...I mean i can barely turn on my computer...how in the world did i end up in the silicon valley of India? Life is funny....anyway i'm enjoying the roll. Interviewing software developers, arranging hires, researching recruitment agencies, buying computers for the office (yah i want the one with 2 gigs of whatchamacallit, ram, right that's it, ram). All good fun.
The summer is heating up, and we've had a few huge rains even though monsoon season is still a few months away (another effect of global warming is what i'm told). I'm really happy and enjoying life.....there's just one thing, I'm quickly tiring of Indian food...I've eaten over 145 indian meals in the past month and a half...curries and dosas for breakfast, lunch and dinner...every day.... I'd kill for a good burrito, pizza slice or anything that doesn't have ghee or tumeric involved. Think I just have to work through it, and I'm sure I'll regain my love of curries one day. Till then sending everyone back home lots of love.
Best from Bangalore,
Karina
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
settling in
3/5/08
Hi All,
Hi All,
It’s been a few weeks since my last update…and not much to report. Living and working in one place is such a different experience from the constant travel I’m used to. No big travel stories of epic bus rides, new cities or hostel hangouts. Instead I’m settling into a routine and finding enjoyment (or at least a sense of accomplishment) in the little day to day tasks that I’m learning to take care of in a new country...
I’m really enjoying the new experience. The mundane tasks from home can easily become an adventure when living in a new place. For example….did you know it’s impossible to find a plunger in Bangalore…go ahead give it a try….but I assure you that after a day of zipping all over the city on my scooter, popping into every corner hardware/plumbing store, making many apparently obscene jesters, and receiving a dozen blank stares…there is no such apparatus in the entire city…just a random fact you probably didn’t need to know. Moving on....
I’m starting to rack up a nice little list of characters that I interact with daily. Since I moved here knowing no one, I take pride in this list, and find pleasure when I get to add to it. My interactions with people are different than when I’m on the road. I have neighbors, contacts, acquaintances and in many locals I’m becoming a regular. For example I have my Papaya Man, who sets up his cart at the end of my street every morning…He doesn’t speak a word of English, but we smile and nod as he cuts my morning papaya. He finally learned (to his amusement) that I take my papaya without the usual salt and pepper, and I no longer have to do my overacting charade involving multiple silly face to let him know I’ll take my papaya plain.
I’ve also established my local chai hang out, where I get my mid-afternoon caffeine fix. The cashier starts to ring up my chai before I say a word and they guy behind the counter has my drink served, piping hot and waiting. My Indian version of "Cheers". Kumar, who owns the local movie rental store, and I are on a first name basis, and he kindly overlooks my late fees, while giving me daily recommendations of (horrible) 2 year old american films. I have contact numbers in my phone for a plumber, electrician and banker. I’ve found the phone companies head office and know which line to stand in, no small feat. I have a jasmine lady, my favorite fruit stand, and my public pool, but my newest and favorite acquaintance is my ironing man.
As you probably know I’ve never been an “ironing type gal”…I’m more of a “this smells clean” type….however, ever since I’ve discovered there is a guy who will iron, fold and deliver my cloths in 30min for 3 rupees, I’ve been hooked and have even taken to getting my t-shirts and jeans ironed. I do laundry just so I can get things ironed...This guy’s work is spectacular. Origami like perfection in his folding technique, and it’s all done on a rickety old wood table, with an iron filled with coals, right on the street in front of my apartment.
So this is my ever growing community. Not a replacement for the one I’ve left back home, but one that I’m enjoying and love to see grow. Hope everyone is well..I’m sending you lots of sunshine and warmth from India, summer is arriving and it's getting HOT!
Best from Bangalore,
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Bangalore Introduction
2/2/08
Hi Everyone,
This is my update to let ya'll know I've made it to India and am getting settled in (in case any of you didn't get the memo, I'm moving to India for 6 months for work).
Bangalore is a big, dirty polluted city, and so far I'm loving it. I love all of the contradictions. The traffic is crazy, with over 10 million people and with no city planning I guess this is what you get. I don't really know why they spend money to paint lines on the road, because it's pretty much a free for all. Lots of rickshaws weaving in and out of congested traffic, scooters with women in beautiful saris riding side saddle, and guys on ox drawn carts filled with fire wood, and then you'll see two cows meandering across 4 lanes of traffic during rush hour. They are so non-phazed (enjoying their privileged status of sacred) that they could decide to lay down and take a nap right there and not have to worry about a thing. It's currently spring turning into summer. The weather is in the high 70s/low 80s and beautiful. However people still think of it as chilly, so you'll see them dress their kids (and sometimes themselves) in thick wool caps and gloves, a very odd site.
My apartment is great, and carries the added benefit of having 5 ladies (who work in part of the space during the day) who bring me home cooked Indian meals for lunch every day. The food is amazing, and of course so many vegetarian spots. You actually have to search out places to eat meat. I'm starting to be appalled that we can only get Naan bread in US indian restaurants, because the different types of bread here are fantastic, and so far in my investigation endless. Yesterday I discovered my local "farmers market". I purchased a huge crimson red pomegranate and a long garland of fresh jasmine, so my room now smells heavenly. For only a few rupees, I'm planning on having fresh flowers every day.
I pretty much have hit the ground running as far as work goes and am in the process of trying to figure out how to set up an office in India. Luckily I have the help of a very sweet, spunky English woman named Sally, who has lived here for the past year and is showing me the ropes. So far I've hired an electrician (who only speaks Kanada, the local language), found office furniture (I would kill for an Ikea here), arranged for phone lines and AC to be installed and am setting up interviews for an office manager. It is definitely a learning process , the bureaucracy is ridiculous, and the idea of showing up on time is non-existent (i'm happy if they show up at all). Ill never complain about any of my friends being late again (you know who you are =). But so far I'm enjoying every minute of it. I still can't really believe I'm working in India. This is something I've wanted to do since I was a kid, and now I've been given the chance to do it. It's like a dream. I feel very fortunate and blessed to be here and am enjoying the adventure.
I hope all of you are well. Would love to receive emails and hear what's going on in that side of the world. Love ya lots and will send pictures soon.
Best from Bangalore,
Karina
Hi Everyone,
This is my update to let ya'll know I've made it to India and am getting settled in (in case any of you didn't get the memo, I'm moving to India for 6 months for work).
Bangalore is a big, dirty polluted city, and so far I'm loving it. I love all of the contradictions. The traffic is crazy, with over 10 million people and with no city planning I guess this is what you get. I don't really know why they spend money to paint lines on the road, because it's pretty much a free for all. Lots of rickshaws weaving in and out of congested traffic, scooters with women in beautiful saris riding side saddle, and guys on ox drawn carts filled with fire wood, and then you'll see two cows meandering across 4 lanes of traffic during rush hour. They are so non-phazed (enjoying their privileged status of sacred) that they could decide to lay down and take a nap right there and not have to worry about a thing. It's currently spring turning into summer. The weather is in the high 70s/low 80s and beautiful. However people still think of it as chilly, so you'll see them dress their kids (and sometimes themselves) in thick wool caps and gloves, a very odd site.
My apartment is great, and carries the added benefit of having 5 ladies (who work in part of the space during the day) who bring me home cooked Indian meals for lunch every day. The food is amazing, and of course so many vegetarian spots. You actually have to search out places to eat meat. I'm starting to be appalled that we can only get Naan bread in US indian restaurants, because the different types of bread here are fantastic, and so far in my investigation endless. Yesterday I discovered my local "farmers market". I purchased a huge crimson red pomegranate and a long garland of fresh jasmine, so my room now smells heavenly. For only a few rupees, I'm planning on having fresh flowers every day.
I pretty much have hit the ground running as far as work goes and am in the process of trying to figure out how to set up an office in India. Luckily I have the help of a very sweet, spunky English woman named Sally, who has lived here for the past year and is showing me the ropes. So far I've hired an electrician (who only speaks Kanada, the local language), found office furniture (I would kill for an Ikea here), arranged for phone lines and AC to be installed and am setting up interviews for an office manager. It is definitely a learning process , the bureaucracy is ridiculous, and the idea of showing up on time is non-existent (i'm happy if they show up at all). Ill never complain about any of my friends being late again (you know who you are =). But so far I'm enjoying every minute of it. I still can't really believe I'm working in India. This is something I've wanted to do since I was a kid, and now I've been given the chance to do it. It's like a dream. I feel very fortunate and blessed to be here and am enjoying the adventure.
I hope all of you are well. Would love to receive emails and hear what's going on in that side of the world. Love ya lots and will send pictures soon.
Best from Bangalore,
Karina
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