Auroville and Puducherry

Today we drove to Puducherry, aka Pondicherry, a small coastal city that was formerly a French colonial outpost until about 1951. En route we stopped at Auroville for a couple hours to look around. Auroville is a very interesting village where many people from all over the world have been working the past 30 years to form a utopian society. The concept came from a man called Sri Aurobindo who was once a political activist of great renown. He vanished for a spell, then returned to public life as a spiritual teacher. A French woman known simply as Mother came to India and met up with Aurobindo. Together they conceived of a concept of a spiritual community of people of the world intended to be self sufficient in every way, and a model of how people could and work together for a noble, greater goal. They also said the community was to be religion free. The idea being, in my poor description, that religions are not important, but what is important is the divine in everyone and everything. You can read more about Auroville here: http://www.auroville.org/. In the middle of the community is an immense golden golf ball temple like structure. We could not go inside but did see pictures. It looks like a space craft with a huge crystal sphere engine thing in the dead center. The crystal is illuminated with a sunbeam and is said to be quite a beautiful sight. I really recommend looking over the web site http://www.auroville.org/ because it is a truly amazing place. Of course we were not shown by the residents the darker side of Auroville. The property is immense and encompasses several very old villages populated by Indians. I don't know how they acquired these ownerships, but it is quite controversial. The villages continue to have lives of their own, and they actually look quite prosperous, so the value added by Auroville does seem to be considerable.

 

We left our brief stop at Auroville to stop for the day and night in Puducherry. This is a very clean city by Indian standards. There are mostly clear and clean sidewalks and streets that are far safer to walk than anywhere else we have been. The Indian love of chaos was set aside here. Puducherry is also the site of Aurobindo's grave inside a temple. He is revered in eastern Indian, much as Che Guevara is in Latin America, as a first a fierce freedom fighter, then as a modern spiritual teacher. All the factors create an place where tourists and pilgrims travel to from the world over. The result is an interesting and pleasant blend of European and Indian cultures and architectural ideas. Puducherry and Goa, on the west coast of India, are the two main areas where expats from the world come to live cheaply and pleasantly. So far it is the only place in India I have seen where I think I could live, but that is not in the plans!

 

The monsoon rain clouds have come over the city this afternoon. It was sunny and very hot, in the 90's, now it is about 80 and sprinkling a bit. I hope it does not pour, I do not have an umbrella, but if it does it will be a warm rain.

 

Yesterday, in Mammalpuram, we saw the most amazing sight. A young goat's curiosity got the best of him and he wandered out onto the sheer stone face of one of the ancient temple carvings. This was a seriously steep and smooth rock climber's dream/nightmare. The goat skittered all over, sticking to seamless, smooth surfaces as though he had glue on his feet. I finally realized I should be recording a video halfway through this performance and did get a good video. I will be sharing this on youtube as soon as I get home. It is just too much to do from here, now.

 

It is now 6 pm and the sun has set. It is time to begin to wander about looking for a light dinner snack and bottled water for the night.

 

Namaste!

--
Michael & Susan Kuhn
Trip email: indiaadventure2007@gmail.com
Trip blog: www.indiaadventure2007.blogspot.com

Hello from South India.

Hi all,

I thought I could spell the place that we are visiting now, but I cannot. Last night I know Mike wrote, and I did not. I stayed in the hotel room while he went out, and drank beer, and had my third shower. It was a nice shower too. Today we left from there around nine, and took an hour mini bus ride to Auroville, (sp). An experiment in divine  I am sure mike will go into it in detail. It was an interesting place, and I bought a really neat t shirt. Then we came here. I think it is spelled Pondicheri, or something like that. The French thought they owned it, but the Indians really did, and they kicked the French out. It still has remnants of Frenchness. A nice little town. Saw some cool temples, and walked along the Bay of Bengal shore for a while. It was very pleasant there. A nice cool breeze. I think Mike is taking to the heat better then I am. I feel extremely fatigued. But I keep on trekking.

We had a great South Indian lunch. I ate with my hands, and drank this delicious Masala chai. Our guide then took us on a walking tour. He is very nice, very nice and smart young man, about Landon's age. He is not married, and says he has no girl friend.

 

The others in the tour are going to a French restaurant for dinner tonight. We will not go. We had a big lunch, and will find something light for dinner. I want another chai. I had been reading about it, and heard that it becomes addictive. I think it is true. It is sooo good. We will make some for you when we return.

 

It is almost 6pm here, and just about dark, We thought it was going to rain but it seemed to pass us by. Which is good. There has been too much rain here, and the streets are very bad in lots of places.

 

There are a number of people waiting to use the computer. I feel like I am done writing, but am sure Mike is still going at it. I guess it will do something else. Hope all is well.

 

Oh, tomorrow is another big traveling day. We are on the road at seven, for a two hour or so bus ride, and then a five hour train ride. India is so huge it takes a long time to get from one place to the other.

 

Oh yeah, the over night train ride was a snap. Thanks to restoril. I did not even wake up to go to the bathroom during the night. When I woke up in the morning, there were two more people sleeping with us, and I did not even here them get on. It was clean, and we had sheets, pillow and a blanket.We will have one more over night train ride in the north.

Ok that is all for now....

Susan

 

 

 

Mamallapuram

Last night we spent the entire night travelling by sleeper car on a train from Mysore to Chennai. The train car was very similar to the one we used before, but much cleaner. (Much cleaner by Indian standards is still far from what you would consider clean!) The car was full. There are a series of benches on one side of the car, and single seats on the other. About 9 pm you lift the seat back and hang it from a chain so that it makes a bunk bed. There is also one above that, so there are stacks of 3 bunks down the length of the car. I would guess there are about 60 or 70 bunks per car. Every bunk was filled and there is zero privacy. You carry your luggage with you. It is not checked. Everyone tries their best to tuck it under the bottom bunks, but some ends up floating about. Many people are fearful of their luggage being stolen in the night and secure it with a chain and lock to where ever they can near their bunk. There was no partying or noise in our car. It was very quiet and everyone respectful of the others on the car. We both slept very well with the help of a Restoril pill. The worst part of the ride is the toilets are Asian squat pots that reek like the worst outhouse you have been in. At least you can leave them ASAP.

 

On the train we talked to Provin, our guide, about his family. He has one brother, older, who is highly trained to teach, promote, and certify organic and sustainable agriculture practices. He works for various NGO's doing this all over India. He has been able to help raise  the standard of  living in several communities and made them self sufficient, too. Provin and his brother have also purchased land in Darjeeling where they will eventually grow organic tea and oranges.

 

We arrived about 7 am in Chennai, a large city on the Bay of Bengal, the east coast of India. There we transferred as fast as possible to a van to immediately leave the city. We were in a hurry in order to beat the worst of the morning rush hour. The traffic was as insane as any Indian traffic can be, which can only be imagined as a real world action packed computer game like experience. While waiting for the van to leave I noticed a steady stream of hundreds of people walking in one direction into town. I think they were commuting to work by foot. There were so many of them they would almost warrant their own traffic reports on the radio.

 

The trip to Mamallapuram was a pleasant drive near the ocean, but for the most part not in sight. there were quite a few gated enclaves along the way with very new and fancy looking homes. They were small by our standards, perhaps 1500 square feet or so, but only affordable by the most prosperous Indians or the expat folks. Chennai must have a substantial IT economy. I saw two Tata employee transport buses carrying folks to work.

 

Mamallapuram is known for its amazing temples built in about 700 AD. We visited several of them. The area has immense granite formations of solid rock somehow worn smooth as though it had been under a river at some time long past. Several of the temples were carved into these huge rocks. One complex of about 4 temples and several animal statues was all carved from one single stone. Many were in very good condition, but the ones nearest the beach were worn from sand, water, and salt. This town was submerged by the big tsunami of SE Asia a few years ago. At the time when the tide went far out a series of additional carved temples were revealed. These have been since inspected with underwater archeology and found to be in very poor condition.

 

Later we browsed around the shops where we looked mostly at stone carvings. The stone carving art that was used centuries ago to build the temples is still an important part of the local economy. Most of the carvings are large granite and marble statues of Asian religious icons. These are shipped all over Asia for use in hotels, government buildings, parks, etc. They also make a few small carvings the tourists might carry home. I was sorely tempted to buy a really nice Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god statue, but better sense finally took hold and I did not. We already have too many dust collectors around the house and I have another special souvenir in mind to buy in northern India later next month.

 

The weather today was, for India, outstanding. It was cloudy all day with a hint of possible rain, but the normal weather would have been blazing hot sun and high humidity. That is what is expected for tomorrow when we will be heading south for an hour and a half drive to Auroville and Pondicherry. I hope to have a good report about those places. Auroville is known as one of the world's largest utopian communities populated with people from everywhere in the world, and Pondicherry is known as one of India's best expat communities. Both places are controversial with the Indians who don't seem too sure if they like the foreigners or not.

 

We have both been thoroughly enjoying the spicy and delicious Indian food. Perhaps too much so. Susan keeps asking for food that is not spicy. She has not been bothered with it being too hot, but when I tried hers, and she tried mine that I ordered very spicy we found they were the same. While she won't admit it, she too has become a fiery food connoisseur.

 

Neither of us has had the least bit of stomach illness. That is very surprising because it is 100% impossible to maintain a decent standard of hygiene. India is by a good bit the dirtiest place on earth. It is even worse than Tanzania, I think, and that was ghastly. Regardless, my body and mind are adjusting. I just looked around in the internet shop I am in. Until I looked I did not even notice how every surface is caked with grime

Tonight we are having a relaxed evening of doing not much of anything more important than swatting the pervasive mosquitoes. I am doused in DEET, but a few of them don't care and land for dinner anyway.

 

Onward!!!


 

Time travelling

We have one last high tech moment in Mysore. What a day today! The weather was finally nearly perfect. Dry and not hot. This morning we had a long ride into the country to visit an old Hindu temple. Along the way we went back in time several centuries. We travelled along rutted muddy streets through rough villages where people were still working the land and shops the way they have been for a very long time. I managed to get plenty of pictures, but you will have to wait to see them. It is way too difficult to put them online from here. (For example, I typed the last two sentences entirely without seeing them. When they finally pop up I have to go back and fix the typos, which then take a long time to show up.)

 

We finally arrived at an ancient temple that looked very much like Angkor Wat temples of Cambodia. There is a connection. Then Hindus migrated to there and their religion slowly became that of the Khmers. This temple was built in the 1200's AD. It gradually became mostly buried in soil which hid most of it from complete ruin. The details of the carving in the stone of every surface was still quite visible in many places. It was, in a word, stunning.

 

On the way back to Mysore we stopped at the home of a friend of our guide where we were served an excellent halal Muslim lunch. There the Indian culinary connection to the mid-east became clear. Much of what we commonly think of as Indian food has its origins in the food brought here by the Arab Muslims who have been here for centuries.

 

This afternoon Susan and I wandered around the Indian markets. We bought a little incense from a very pushy, but well mannered vendor who showed us how incense is made by hand. That was followed by a Starbuck's break. There is nothing like an iced coffee Americano for a break from the Indian markets. Actually we went into the Modern Cafe in an old English hotel where the help and the clients have all been replaced with Indians. It was another time machine experience. It looked and felt like what I guess it did 75 years ago, well preserved, but aged without pretense.

 

I am finally getting somewhat used to being here. The dry weather certainly has a lot to do with it. Wading through mud and trying to avoid being squashed by traffic from the wrong direction did take some of the fun out of some situations.

 

Tonight is the overnight train to Chennai. We arrive there about 7 am tomorrow and immediately transfer to a van for another 3 hours ride to Mamallapuram. There we will have an easy day of sightseeing around the ancient small village on the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

 

I realized that the stinky, muddy villages are likely similar to the old settlements of the US where there was not a sewer system, or pavement, and humans and animals discarded all their waste into the commons.

 

It is now time to head back to get ready for the train ride.

 

Namste.

--
Michael & Susan Kuhn
Trip email: indiaadventure2007@gmail.com
Trip blog: www.indiaadventure2007.blogspot.com

Hi again from Mysore, again.

Still here in Mysore.We will be leaving in about three hours, on an overnight train to somewhere else. I don't have any names with me now, so I can't tell you exactly where we are headed. Except that it is a long ways away, 11 hours by train, and then a three hour trip in a mini bus. And it is going to be very hot, even hotter, where we are going. In a couple of days we will be in the jungle, wearing special jungle socks so the leaches don't get us. But more of that later, after it actually happens.

I slept very lousy last night. But great dreams, maybe it is the malarial pills. It was very hot in our room, we did not get AC. Had to pay extra for it, and it was not in our budget. We did have a good fan over head, and that was fine. About three am the power went off, as it has every night since we have been here, for about one and a half hours. It was even hotter. At least we had an open window, and it was not too noisy out side at that time of the morning.

 

We took about an hour and a half mini bus trip to a non working (worshiping) temple (Hindu). It was very interesting, I must say. It is not used for worshiping any more, because once it has been destroyed in any way it is no longer Divine, and they can not worship in it. At some point, more then once, the Moslems came and destroyed part of it, and after that it went into ruin. It is 7 hundred years old, or so. It looks something like Angkor Wat.

Then we stopped at this family's house (he works for Intrepid) and had a delicious lunch. We ate a lot, and then left. Came back to Mysore and Mike and I have been walking around since then (about 2pm, it is now five-fifteen.) We did get out of the chaos for a while, with a good cup of coffee. There are no Starbucks to be found. Probably in Delhi. We went to a veg. market, though they had a lot more then vegies. This area is known for its Sandalwood, so we bought some Sandal wood incense. It is very nice. We watched how they make it. The guy that sold it to us, tried and tried to get us to buy oils as well, but we resisted. He looks a lot like Prince. Now we are here typing, and then we will get some goodies, and water, and head back to the hotel, to get the mini bus that will take us to the train.

I think I am tired enough to sleep on the train. I hope so.

Hope all is well... till next time.

Susan

--
Susan Kuhn
Trip email: susanindia2007@gmail.com
Trip blog: www.indiaadventure2007.blogspot.com

Mysore

If you are a fan of incense then you have seen the word "Mysore" on almost every box of Indian incense. It is not the word for what happens to your feet after a week of mucking around sockless in sandals in India. It is actually a large city near Bangalore, which anyone in the computer business would recognize as where 90% of all calls centers of the world live. We are in Mysore. And my feet also have mysore growing on them, too.

 

We left Ooty a two days ago. Ooty was just as nasty when we left as when we arrived. Have you ever seen a US western movie where the streets run with mud and the horses and carts and people just go about their business in and through it? That was just about exactly what Ooty in the rain is like. And it is populated with real honest to goodness Indians, too! And horses and carts. What they gracefully omit from those westerns is the amazing stink. You see, all that water flowing down the streets is not just pure rain fresh water. It is also the overflow of what passes as a sewer system, too. In every city we have been in the sewers lie right below the sidewalks. The sidewalks are literally just a series of concrete planks that bridge over the water below. In many cases the planks have large voids or are missing entirely. It is essential to watch your step most carefully. Now, in Mysore, we have walked a couple miles and found these folks have taken a large step into the future - there are not any visible sewers under the sidewalks. In fact, they have fairly decent sidewalks where one must only watch out for beggars, vendors, dogs, beggars, post card vendors, beggars, wires, lamp posts, beggars, and... uh... a lot of stuff that looks a lot like shit. Certainly it must be something else.

 

Yesterday we spent the day and night at a jungle lodge. It was a popular place for wealthy young Indians to share quality time together with a lot of US rock and plenty of alcoholic beverages. The foreigners were less adventurous and took off in jeeps that love to honk and drive crazy. We spent time looking for wild animals and found some, too. Somehow the drivers can see animals way off the road, talk on their cell phones, avoid hitting each other on the single lane road, and tell their passengers what to see and where. We saw several wild elephants. One of which had killed people as recently as last week. There were some Indians off their motorbikes taunting it until our driver gave them hell. We saw some drunk Indians having a fist fight on the road. We stopped at an elephant training camp where they take on orphaned babies. There was one there only a few months old. It was about 3 feet high and like all babies, very cute. It was rolling around on the ground, going up to people for petting, and sniffing them in embarrassing places with its trunk. There were also a lot of monkeys about. The tourists love to see them, but the guides and locals treat them like common pests, which they are around here. The highlight was a sighting of a leopard. This is apparently a rare sighting. It was lounging on a dead tree about 100 yards away. It was one huge cat. I took a lot of pictures to prove my claim, but none of them are terribly good and you might think it was actually a disney animation.

 

We went to bed fairly early and had to complain to the management about our neighbors loud stereo and obviously drunken party in the dorm room next door. Our room was a dorm room our entire group shared. It was quite comfortable, and with ear plugs and a sleeping pill I was asleep before anyone. Susan said I snored quite loudly, but no one complained today, so she may have exaggerated.

 

This morning we arose before 6 am to head into the jungle for a 2 hour sunrise walk. Only Susan and I went on the walk. The others said they had to sleep in due to being tired from some night noise that I was unaware of from sleeping so soundly. It was a very nice morning for a wilderness walk. We walked on a mostly low shrubby hilly area for a few miles. Eventually one guide spotted something - a pack of wild dogs eating a killed deer. We were about 50 yards away and were able to watch them for about 10 minutes before they saw us. Calling them dogs was generous. They were huge beasts with big bushy tails and stout heads like hyenas. When we were spotted one started growling and barking the strangest noise was indescribable staccato noises. I would have been nervous had the guides not been there and not too concerned. When the dogs left we even tried to follow them a few minutes, but they were long gone.

 

We returned to a late breakfast and then hit the road to Mysore. That trip was uneventful. I am even getting used to seeing my life history flash before my eyes several times a minute. I have had a couple close call maneuvers in my history of driving, neither of which is remotely like the ordinary way everyone here drives all the time. It is incredible there are not a lot more accidents. Perhaps the way drivers here manage is their awareness is so much more intensely on the road conditions than ours is.

 

After arriving in Mysore we checked into the nicest hotel we have stayed in. Then we walked to the Mysore Palace where the local king lived until about 1950 when the new government kicked him out and turned the palace into a museum. It was a very impressive building. We only saw a tiny bit of it. Most of it is closed off and it would take days to see it all. We were going to go see it lit in its weekly illumination ceremony, but after dinner found it was again raining. Rather than endure a mile's walk of drizzle, I decided to inflict a hour's worth of drivel on you.

 

There may be no reports for a couple days. Tomorrow night we are spending the entire night riding a night train to Chennai, formerly known as Madras. That should be a heck of a lot of fun, or something.

 

Susan just pointed out there are lizards crawling on the walls in this internet shop.

 

Thanks for reading, and namaste!

--
Michael & Susan Kuhn
Trip email: indiaadventure2007@gmail.com
Trip blog: www.indiaadventure2007.blogspot.com

Hi from Mysore

Hello everyone,

I just had to ask Mike where we were! I am very tired, and I forgot. It is very hot in this little cubicle. The fan is going, and it is a monsoon out side. We have had rain everyday, or every evening. The Monsoon season has not ended. It was supposed to have, that is why we came at this time. Well, anyway, it is wet, wet, wet out there. I am glad I brought my little travel umbrella. It has not blown away yet.

 

Early this morning, at six, Mike and I were the only ones to go on a jungle walk. It was fun. But sleeping in would have been fun too. Yesterday we were in the jungle, stayed at a very nice "retreat." Even had a beer, which, though warm, tasted very good. We saw a pack of wild dogs just after hunting. They were eating something red and bony. Yum. They were the only wild things we saw then.

 

Last night we went on a jeep safari. We saw a Leopard, lots of elephants, bison, deer. It was in an open jeep, but it started to rain so we had to close it. The rain is warm, so it is not bad walking in it, in fact it is fun.

Our whole group stayed in a dorm last night, which turned out to be fine. Everyone went to bed at a decent time, though we were the first to arise. I am sure Mike is writing in more detail about it.

I wish we could have stayed in the jungle another day. I am not much of a city girl, at least not these cities. (And I have been told, "just wait till you get to Delhi!"

 

So, then, today, after our hike, and a good breakfast, down we came from the mountain. We came down another way, and it wasn't raining, so it was not quite as scarry, though I praised the lord a few times. We got to our hotel, in one piece, put our luggage away, then off to the palace, that Mysore is so famous for. It is beautiful, to say the least. But... there were soooo many people, that it was impossible to hear what our guide was saying, and to even see some of the things on display. Maybe because it is Sunday there were so many people, or maybe there always are. It was very hot, and stuffy, and everyone pushing. We just have to learn to push harder. I am glad we saw it it.l We were supposed to go back tonight to see it illuminated, but Mike and I opted out, to come here, and then get to bed early.

 

Tomorrow we go to a small village, where there is a temple we will investigate. After that most of the day is free. Except that we are going to some one's home for a special Indian meal. Then the afternoon will be free. There are a number of possibilities that we might do. And THEN.....oh dread... is the overnight train to Chennai (formally Madras). We will be on it for a "scheduled" 11 hours. In India, it could be a lot longer. Though I sure hope not. I know where we will be sleeping, saw it last time we rode the train, it looks most uncomfortable, and roaches abound. I was hoping for at least an air conditioned sleeper, but no such luck with Intrepid Travels! Maybe it won't be as bad as I imagine. After that I am not sure what is happening, I think we will stay in a hotel... hope so.

 

Our hotel this evening, is quite nice, though no AC. I don't think we will really need it though. our window opens, and there is a fan above our bed. Hot, and cold running water too. Boy, when I think what we all take for granted! One takes nothing for granted here.

 

I am aching for a hot shower, and sleep... I also am aching for something sweet! I will have to find something. There are lots of cookies around. And bottled water. We have to buy that at least twice daily.

We have to be packed up, and out of our room tomorrow at 9 am. I wish we could have stayed in the jungle another day....

 

I am going to end for another day. Don't know if we will be writing tomorrow, though we should have plenty of time, maybe just nothing to say.

Hope everyone back home is doing well.. stay healthy...

Susan


@gmail.com
Trip blog: www.indiaadventure2007.blogspot.com