Back from India

Just thought I'd say hi after getting back from the big trip - a little the worse for wear (India is NOT an easy country), but I saw some totally amazing things.

Hope you all had a good month and I guess I'll start my catch-up reading :>

Welcome back! How was your trip?

Hey Desert! Glad to hear you had a safe journey...isn't India an amazing place? I find almost everything about it fascinating (except the caste system, but that appears to be dissipating). I sponsor a child from the Kalrayan Hills District, did you go anywhere near there? It's rather poverty stricken I know.

What about India enticed you to go there?

Wow, what a great trip, DesertSpring. Tell us about it. Why did you go there, etc. Will you post photos? I love Indian stuff--clothes, music, food. Luckily, there are a lot of Indian people in my area.

I know, Patricia :>

We live in the same area - LOL.

I went to Southern India - Mumbai to Chennai (Bombay to Madras) and points in between, so no I don't think I made it to your Kalyran Hills. It's a darned large country!

India was great. I'm totally jet-lagged and a bit sad today as I seem to have picked up something icky and fungal on my skin which I'll have to have looked at on Monday, but small problems aside, it's a totally hypnotic place.

There's no doubt that the filth and pestilence in many areas is indescribable, and the looming ecological disaster of so very many people is ominous, but the beauty and history of the land, the kindness of so many of the people, and the incredible array of things to see makes up for alot.

Some of the highlights: the ruined 15th century city of the Viyanagar at Hampi,
the backwaters of Kerala, the bottom tip at the pilgramage sites of Kanyakamari and Rameswaram and the extroardinary Chola temple at Thanjavur.

I did feel a bit for the women sometimes, though. I'm not convinced that a society based on the arranged, loveless marriage is fulfilling, secure though it may be. There is too much domestic violence, and too much having children to fill the emotional needs that aren't being met in other ways.

Hinduism, whatever it's faults, does seem to be a source of great comfort and strength to many and I am in awe of the stoicism that is so readily on display.

I'm sorry to say that my digital camera had an unfortunate encounter with a rock, so the pictures are not on-line, but perhaps I'll scan a few and put them up sometime.

It was a good trip and it is nice to be home.

DS, welcome back, I am happy to see you here and although I have never been to India, I was good friends with a half Indian half Japanese neighbour who taught me lots of things about her place (she was born there). I know all about the filth, but she also told me something, that people are very honest. What is your feeling about that?

I ask you because in Asia, except for Japan and maybe China, I have always been very careful because they really like to cheat. I have been to Indonesia, Thailand, and had terrible experiences there, with people trying to get money from me by all possible means, often by cheating.

It's really a shame about your camera, but I am sure you will keep all those beautiful images inside your heart, and as for us, we`ll have to go find some nice pictures online! ;)

Hey! Glad to hear you survived your trip. I too enjoyed my trip to India though mine was in northern part. It's an amazing place of beauty and dispair isn't it? Can't wait to hear more after a few days of recovery!

Welcome back, DS - good to see you around again.
And glad to hear you enjoyed your trip to India - hope the residual physical symptoms will be sorted soon, though - got to say, I mostly had to deal with stomach problems there due to contaminated water - amazing how many things we do take for granted in the Western world ;)

I hope you will have at least SOME pics to show :)

So, take it easy and readjust a bit ;)

/hug
C.