India 20A - Our Peace Corps Group

India!

Joan Noreikis

Friday, November 16, 2007 11:57:30 PM

To:rasmith 10

Hi there...can't quite remember where we were in our journey last we sent a message. Found Mr Rao and Mr. Shenoy in Mangalore...old friends of Chester's from Kumbla. We went to K looking for them, and they were in the same place we were staying! But it was interesting to see what Kumbla looked like after 40 years....K has expanded 6-10 times. Paved main street with turning circle...telly, plumbing, gas stations...no one at the health center from the old days, but the ctr is still there.

Took bus to Kasaragod a couple of days ago. Enjoying being in a smaller town, although there are many motorbikes frequently parked on sidewalks, as the parking facilities have not kept pace with the proliferation of motorized vehicles. A young Muslim man has adopted us...met him less than 2 hrs after our arrival when he stopped us on the street and told us he wants to practice his English with us...he has been showing us around. Took us to Bekal Fort, built circa 1919 that is on a promontory overlooking the ocean and some of the tourist beaches. Took us to his school to meet his class...all men...and had his classmates pepper us with questions for 2 hrs. They were interested in how we met, wha dating was like in America, and one fellow asked me why I gardened! Told him that we liked fresh organic food to eat, and that I liked to play in the dirt. He probably thought I was a little crazy, but was nevertheless deferential. We are on the 6th floor of our hotel in the coconut treetops, and are unable to see the ocean less than 6Km away due to the "fog"...even the newspaper refers to what looks like smog as fog. Paying the price of progress.

We will visit an inland village 20Km from Kasaragod with one of Abdul's (our guide) friends. He said tht his village only has 1000 residents, and perhaps I can get a glimpse of the India that Chester saw 40 years ago...Probably depart for Payyanur, Kerala on Tuesday to reconnect with schoolteacher friend from Kumbla.

More to come. Best wishes to all. Namaste.

Joan and Chester

________

The continuing adventure...

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Joan Noreikis

AddTuesday, November 27, 2007 6:01:55 AM

To:rasmith_10@; perlanger@; randall.giles@; meadowm@; muffy@; dougva@; ifish@; dvaudrey@; hollysil@; cdollar@; kimmysilver@; katrinafjohnson@... more

Cc:frankfurter@; solarrichard@; rnoreikis@

Good day, Mr. Richard,

Take your seat!

20/11 Packed up our kits and headed south to Payannur by bus. Twice we hit ruts so deep that my tush was jarred 6 inches into the air...ah the effects of the monsoon....At one high point on the road, we looked out at a sea of coconut palms stretching to the horizon. Many small towns along the way, each with its mosque quite visible. We thought we had made plans to be met by Mr. P.E.K. Namboodiri, the old schoolmaster from Kumbla days...he wasn't there when we arrived, so we called him and he dashed in by rickshaw, took us to a very new, westernized hotel for lunch, and off we went by taxi to his home in a small village where he was raised call Mathil....don't bother looking for it on the map!

Mr. N is the vice-president of the Panchayet, equivalent to our county gov't. Elected as a member of the communist party, as are all other 12 members.

He lives in a modest home amidst coconut, aracanut and rubber trees. There are also bananas aplenty, vanilla vines and pepper vines, which really look aggressive. He married his wife, Savi, when she was 14 (no longer allowed) and he was 24. He is now 70 years old. They live on his pension, which he says is adequate for their needs...spends most of his time on political activities. Garrulous as ever, quite energetic, a dynamic speaker, and still able to climb 60' coconut palms. His wife is the closest thing I have ever seen to an enlightened being...she has lived a life of selfless service to her husband and her family since she married. Raised 5 children, kept house, cooked food that is very time consuming to prepare, hauled water for some of those years, helped on the plantation....all with a smile that would light a small city. Her husband has purchased a sponge mop and a washing machine for her, but she prefers rags for the floor and hand washing in a bucket. She is one of the happiest, well adjusted people I have ever met. Her husband has offered to buy her new sarees and gold bangles, and she says she does not want these things, that life is good just as it is.

We stayed until the morning of the 27th. It was like living in paradise. Neighbors would stop by with milk...if a papaya was needed, they walked to the neighbors and were given one. Coconuts all over the place. Our second night in Mathil we stayed in a house built in 1931 by a very wealthy family with 8x8 teak ceiling beams, wooden ceilings, an atrium open to the sky with a catch basin with copper downspout, pillars of carved stone at least 7' carved from single stone. Handcarved door frames with many sacred friezes carved into the lintels. Son-in-law calls this house "naturally air conditioned", and indeed it is! There was a large latterite block pool behind the house for bathing and doing laundry. The family also uses it to teach the children at the nearby school how to swim. C enjoyed the pool greatly, and got to see a beautiful kingfisher.

PEK N made arrangements to meet with children at 5 different schools--his family is teacher top-heavy-- to speak with the kids and answer questions...it was, needless to say, delightful. We were quite the novelty. Some schools are gov't funded, where the kids get a simple but nutritious meal midday at no cost. Went to one English immersion private school also. All the children wear uniforms. Really takes a lot of distraction out of the air...esp with the high schoolers. Children always asked about Bush, the condition of the Kerala roads, what life was like in America, and if we liked Indian food...We were surrounded by children seeking handshakes and autographs at the end of the Q and A. Such beauties!

Stayed with Mr. N until the 27th...a full week. Our room and bathroom were well supplied with frogs, busy eating mosquitos. Indian version of Integrated Pest Management!

Had 2 tank shirts made of woven white cotton at a tailor shop in Mathil...all for 40 Rs, or the equivalent of $1.10...

Had a call from the police one afternoon. Apparently we were supposed to let them know where we were...and the word was all over the little village grapevine that there were these 2 Americans in town...Chester gave them the info they wanted, and our host, Mr Vice President of the Panchayet, was able to call and verify that he was watching over us.

Went by rickshaw to an area inhabited by native hill dwellers. They are stocky of build with wider noses, with hair that was coarser than Malayalis. One young man from their compound took us to their sacred forest of 120 acres. Outsiders are forbidden to enter this place or take photos. It is an untouched jungle of native trees and vines where the Devi resides (Earth Goddess). In past times, these folks lived off small animals and vegetative edibles in the forested areas of Kerala. The gov't is now trying to "improve" their lives, and their culture is beginning to unravel. Sound familiar?

One evening, our hosts took us out for a walk under a full moon to a rice paddy nearby...crickets and frogs and egrets ...took Chester back 40 years...a magical place. We walked on to another neighbor's house where their oldest dtr (16) sang traditional Indian songs from memory for 30 minutes or more. Then she sat, and the younger kids in the family sang a song with her leading them, keeping time by slapping their thighs whilst seated crosslegged on a mat on the floor. Extraordinary performance!

While visiting one of Mr N's daughter's house (described above) we saw 2 flying foxes (fruit bats) on our way to a small temple compound in their neighborhood. To reach the 5 small temples on the property, you have to cross a small stream and a lashed aracanut tree trunk bridge. There was a menu of available poojas posted, each with its own price. Priests have to eat, too! Mr N's relative is the head priest, and earns more than a teacher in the public schools.

Bird watching here is glorious...their songs are the first music of the morning along with dew dripping off the wide bananas leaves and plunking down onto the carpeted plantation floor. Spiders here are most beautiful...some of them very large with yellow stripes on their abdomens with webs 5' across. (More IPM!)

On our last night at Mr. N's, two of his daughters showed up, one with her dtr, the other with her husband, and within 2 hours time, some of which consisted of many people talking at once, our travel plans, or what we thought were plans, were totally altered. We are being accompanied by the Namboodiri clan in a hired van to visit another of the daughters and her family near Cochin and other sights in the ghats over their Christmas holiday. So, we now are getting ready to plan our time between now and the 22nd of December, when we are apparently giving a command performance back in Kerala. We have been welcomed by all members of this remarkable family as family, and are treated with such great care and respect and love by all of them, that is feels like we do indeed have a family we are a part of in dear Mother India.

There is, of course, so much more we could share...in time, perhaps we will get the opportunity to do so, at least with some of you...I will surely be leaving a part of my heart in Kerala forever.

We will head to Kannur (Cannanor) tomorrow for theyyam and then on to the southern tip of the subcontinent where we will we watch the sunrise from the sea and the sun set into the sea from the same rock. We will be at the confluence of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian ocean; surely one of the great energy vortices on the planet.

For now, we hope you enjoy this tiny bit of this miraculous experience we are blessed by.

Love to all. Namaste.

Joan and Chester

Phillip S will be happy to learn that we were awakened at 5:30 AM by the loudspeakers of the nearby temple.

___

Update and reality check

Joan Noreikis

Saturday, December 1, 2007 1:07:50 AM

To:rasmith_10@;

Hello all. December 1st in the western ghats, after some travels by bus from Payannur to Kannur to Kozhikode(Calicut). Travel days are a bit more draining...first due to the condition of many of the Kerala roads after monsoon, and crowded buses...not to mention dragging our big packs and day packs along.

Whilst in Payannur, we attended part of a theyyam festival at the local temple. Started at 7PM and was planned to go through the night until perhaps midday. When we arrived at 8PM, there was a band of brothers playing drums and brass cymbals---amplified, no less. Drums were suspended by cloth straps and slung over the shoulder. They played for 2-2.5 hours like men possessed, including some sophisticated syncopation. Most folks sat or stood respectfully...we wanted to boogie! Of course, we limited our movements to head and neck so as not to offend. Appeared to me that the drummers were summoning the god, as soon after they finished, a solemn procession to the steady beat of a larger drum filed in, led by torch bearers, a man with a liver statue of the god on his head, a parasol of green velvet follwed him--looked like something straight out of the days of the Raj--a couple of old brahmins in white dhotis and then a man holding aloft 2 large circular fans...He was followed by another gent hold a brush-like item in each hand. Much chanting ensued...We strolled the courtyard of the temple in which was an ancient tree protected by a wall. Several teens stopped and namasteed the tree. It was so appropriate...truly a being deserving of reverence.

On our way out, after walking the temple grounds, including nearly being deafened by the generator supplying the event, we walked by a room off to the side where the drummers were gathered. One of the two lead drummers spotted us and immediately came out to greet us and summoned his buddies. We thanked them for their inspired performance and namasteed them. I don't think they understood the language of the spoken word, but they received out message of thanks loud and clear.

Now to the reality check portion of this epistle before I get carried away by the myriad delights of this country....

The "posh" hotel we stayed at in Payannur had fleas--perhaps in the bedding? It could have been worse, but I got a few bites and was kept up at night fending off the six-leggeds. We also got bitten up at the temple...many lights were on, and the no-seeums and mosquitos seem to be attracted to the new taste of western flesh.

The roads in Kerala are enough to cause spinal injury...there were signs of maintenance and repair going on, but as most of the work is still done by hand...progress is slow. The two lane blacktop up into the ghats was in excellent condition. We are finding that any town over 100,000 is almost uninhabitable due to diesel fumes, cooking fire smoke, auto exhaust and a constant cloud of dust raised by incessant traffic, including foot traffic. Walking the streets is difficult, as the "sidewalks" have gaping holes in them and motorbikes and autos parked across them. No apparent provision has been made for the explosion of vehicles, even in the cities. The noise and very heavy pedestrian traffic also makes it hard to negotiate the streets...not to mention the heat at the lower elevations. Consequently, we are trying to avoid large cities, although that is where the bus and train connections are, and somehow make connections in smaller towns. How successful we will be remains to be seen, as the guide books and main transportation centers focus on urban areas. We are enjoying the ghats, as it is comfortable sleeping and a bit cooler.

On the way to Kannur (Cannanore), we were stopped briefly by road work. Men and women were carrying baskets on their heads full of various sized rocks and dumping them in the roadway, where others were adjusting them by hand to fill the potholes. Filthy work on dusty roads in the hot sun. Tar was spread by hand and raked. The bus we travelled on was so colorful...garlands of artificial flowers festooning the front window and the shrine which was behind glass. Conductor was a young chap, who virtually sang his information. Never did "hurry up" in Malayalam sound so lovely. There was radio music as well...sounded like Indian pop. Stored our packs at the luggage holding room at the main bus station in Kannur and went on the hunt for lunch, which was reasonably priced and delish. Rickshaw to rail station to book for Calicut (Kozhikode). A shopkeeper we asked for info and the info officer at the rail station were both incapable of giving us correct info, so we ended up buying tickets for a destination way too far south our intention. What's a few rupees here and there? By the time we reached Kozhikode I was drenched in sweat despite numerous fans in the railway car. Any hotel in the Lonely Planet guide book was going to be OK with me. I was dusty and dirty and eager to just get my tush into a clean room and a shower...even hot water didn't matter. We found a hotel that was a ways away from the incredible hustle and bustle of the city, and which was clean and very pleasant, and spent the night. Rs 1000. The Lonely Planet guide we are using is two years old, but is very out of touch with current prices. Of course, we are travelling at the peak travel time of the year...that likely makes some of the difference. But, be prepared to spend at least $65/day if you want halfway decent accomodation.

Up the next AM, packed our kits and headed to the bus station to catch a bus for Lakkadi, up in the western ghats. Again the travel gods smiled upon us, and we got seats. Of course, partway through the trip, C had to surrende his seat to a woman and her companion, leaving me with both packs and a bench seat designed for Indian sized folks and three of us trying to sit. The only solution was to put C's pack on the seat and to stand for the rest of the journey up into the mountains. Actually, cooler standing up. Bus let us off at a stop with nothing else in sight. Oops...we thought we might be a bit out of luck....but just as a local local us there were no rickshaws, one stopped by and took us to the first hotel we spotted...another one designed for westerners, but not yet completed. No AC rooms, as the gov't power authority hasn't granted the permit for the hotelier to install it. Aryuvedic treatment area in same complex along with a couple of shops with snacks as well as Keralan handicrafts. The trip up into the ghats was full of switchbacks--any of you ever drive through the Rockies?--we saw a few monkeys, lots of plantations...banana, coconut, aracanut and terraced tea plantations.

We stayed the night and both had Aryuvedic massage followed by steam bath and shower in the morning before breakfasting, sharing our photos with our host, and hopping in a rickshaw for the short hop to Kalpetta, where I sit this very moment in the lobby of our rather posh hotel (actually living up to its billing--even has TP on request), tiring of typing and eager to jump into the pool.

Of course there is more to tell about Kalpetta, Lakkadi and our trip to a wildlife preserve yesterday.

More to follow when the spirit moves.

Namaste

J and C

_________

The continuing saga...

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Joan Noreikis

AddSunday, December 9, 2007 11:46:37 PM

I'm sitting here in Chennai, where we have been for the last 3 days, soaking up the smog, but visiting with a friend of friends in Portland, OR with whom we have been corresponding prior to our trip.

But back to the ghats....

On 2 Dec, we hopped a bus from Kalpetta to Sultan Bathery whose bus station was rather minimalist and had a group of monkeys who were quite brazen at times looking for refuse or handouts. Then the 5 hour bus trip to Ooty, which is quite a journey on roads with hairpin turns that were so narrow that the buses had to plan their turns. Guardrails seem to be unknown here. The dropoffs in the ghats are very steep. We got into the midst of Army convoy of 8-9 trucks that were transporting water tanks, mules and horses, and kicked up quite the dust cloud. We ate dust for hours--wet hankie over the nose is essential--and arrived looking like "Pig Pen". Ended up at a decaying Raja's summer home...not his palace, but probably a guest house. 14 foot ceilings, a huge room...but in a state of decline. Call it "decaying elegance"...we stayed one night and moved on...price was too steep. 65 Rs to have the servant build a fire of small sticks in the fireplace...the only heat on a night that required long johns.

Drive to Ooty was rather spectacular...tea plantations, eucalyptus plantations, bananas...and coffee which petered out at the higher elevations. Some of the steeper slopes with tea required dry stone walls along the contour to keep the hill from sliding down in the rainy season.

When riding a bus in the ghats, your life is in the hands of the driver. It was intense at times when rear wheels came perilously close to the edge of various multi-thousand foot drops while listening to what sounded like major metal components clanking and slamming against other major metal components...all these sounds coming from beneath the floor boards.

Ooty is quite beautiful. For those interested in agriculture, there are beautifully terraced hillsides mostly planted to raised beds of carrots, with some cabbages, red and green, potatoes and beans. Even saw some artichokes. Even some of the weeds were familiar! The veggies of Ooty are highly sought after throughout much of the country.

As soon as we left Kerala, we noticed that the roads were in worse shape...

Tamil Nadu...people are darker complected here...hair tends to be slightly more coarse and more curly in some folks. They are strikingly beautiful people.

Visited a tea factory up in the hills of Ooty, and had a short, but informative tour...and of course the obligatory sales area before you exit. We were greeted by a fellow who had an ear-to-ear grin, and was one of the most accomplished salespersons I've ever encountered. We bought white tea...the top bud of the plant...supposed to be the delicacy of teas...we'll find out when we get home. Tea seeds were originally brought from China, as it was not known at the time that it was native to Assam. A huge business in this area. We saw huts near the roadsides of the tea workers...can only be described as squalor...but these tough folks manage...and there are lines of clean laundry outside each palm-frond roofed or tin roofed shack. Nice botanical garden in Ooty...a lovely place where the grass is mowed by scythe and the clippings raked up with a broom. Met a little gem of an old man in the fern house there, who looked rather frail, but knew all the botanical names of the plants under his care, and appreciated my interest. Took his photo...he asked for some $ "for my tea" whih I gladly gave, as he had been so helpful....and he looked like he could use it...probably not paid very well for his efforts.

One day, while waiting to order lunch in a restaurant, 2 unknown Indian couples asked if we would mind posing for pictures with them...they too were on holiday, and for some reason, westerners are desirable subjects...trophies? Who knows. We were, of course, happy to oblige. A word of caution here...yesterday we were visiting ancient temples near the coast south of Chennai, when our friend, Randall, was also asked to pose with a group of young men...and almost got his pocket picked as they crowded around him with their arms about his shoulders. He got savvy before any damage could be done...but there's a lesson here.

Ooty is definitely set up for tourists...chocolate shops abound...but just off the main streets, you are walking through something that appears just this side of medieval...women getting water from gov't supplied tanks...washing clothes on the street stones...half naked kids about. Goats browsing through garbage...we ran across a laundromat...3 flat washing stones mounted at 2+ feet and a woman beating the soaped clothes on them...probably the wash from the hotel occupants. Another recommendation for those of you interested in travelling India...Jain restaurants and hotels are assiduously clean and tidy...pure vegetarian, of course...not even eggs, but safe and well maintained. Saw what looked like an ancient woman one evening on a coffee prowl off the main road...she could not stand in the little stall...and had a couple jars of pickled somethings she was offering for sale. Anything to earn a few Rs here...

Many Tibetans in Ooty...they even have their own market with very repetitive merchandise..but the prices seem reasonable unless you want 100% wool or cashmere...6 million folks left Tibet in 1959...many of the folks we spoke with had been born in India. They do not feel that they can return to their land unless the Chinese gov't is drastically altered.

More about Ooty and the bus station to follow...need to get on the move.

Namaste to all readers,

Joan and Chester

______

Ooty onwards Saturday, December 22, 2007 12:22:24 AM

Joan Noreikis joanandchester@.com

To: rasmith_10@.com

Hi Richard. Been awhile since I had both the time and inclination to create a posting...here goes!

Back to Ooty...

On our last day there, we walked through the veg market and were given a taste of a custard apple...first time for both of us...what a delight. The meat cutters were using huge, worn stumps and had very large hunks of cows they were cutting up. In addition we saw whole goats or lambs hanging along with some very well-cleaned chickens. Saw at least 10 different grades of rice for sale along with hard red wheat from Punjab. Some of the vendors brighten up the environment with come-hither songs as they try to attract customers. So many of the stalls are stocked with identical merchandise, that it is a wonder that any of them can make a living.

Came across a laundromat in a stepped alleyway off the main road...consisted of 3 flat stone slabs and a woman beating the hell out of the soaped up clothing...strings hanging against the wall opposite for drying. Seems to work well, and not so terribly hot for this type of work up in the ghats in Winter.

Passage down the east side of the ghats to Coimbatore on a air bus, which, if you have to take a long ride, I would highly recommend. Roads were in better shape, however. Large Catholic influence up in the hill country...also evidence of some inroads by Pentecostals. Arrived to find the hotel we had tried to book online was full. Once again, the travel gods smiled on us--was it that Ganesh that I bought that morning?--and we found a hotel within walking distance--the Naveen--and booked an AC room for Rs650, which these days is pretty cheap. Went to a nearby bar for a beer--once again, I was the only female in the joint--and toasted Jude, my son, when one of the muchies served was boiled peanuts. Coimbatore is rather industrial. Lots of textile mills, none of which we contacted were open for viewing. We did manage to find a museum of textiles and art on the outskirts of town, and had a lovely female guide who was quite taken with our rudimentary knowledge of her country, esp the struggle for independence. Incredible, old stone carvings and bronzes (lost wax) as well as an interesting collection of hand spinning tools and explanations of methods and an old English made spinning machine called a "mule", which likely drove a stake in the heart of the cottage industry spinning in India for a while. Saw, but couldn't touch 400 thread count muslin which looked like silk. Textiles rank right up there with other basics of life like food and shelter..no wonder that Ghandi recognized the importance of preserving that part of India's economy..

To Chennai on the night train and grabbed a taxi who took us many kilometers to the wrong MGM hotel. They fed us free of charge from their brkfst buffet, and then we had to backtrack to central Chennai...the travel gods must have taken a holiday..Got ahold of our new friend, Randy, whose lodging was right across the street from the hotel, and he graciously received us.

Went to Mylapore temple with R's driver..some kind of special day that occurs 2X/mo, so the place was pretty crowded...had an old man guide us around, but he didn't mention that he expected to be paid...another word to the wise here...the priests will expect a donation to the temple...this fellow wanted money for himself. We decided to donate $ to the temple which feeds the poor daily, and told him that if he was really hungry, he could come and eat there. He wasn't too happy, but couldn't make headway with any of the three of us...

Places toured with Randy...DakshinaChitra, aplace established by the wife of a deceased physician for the express purpose of preserving the old architectural styles of southern Indian states and cultures...having the houses moved onto a 20+acre site and open to the public. Also an arts colony and preservation and training in weaving, painting, stone cutting, etc. Nice gift shop. Mamallampuram, known as Mahabilipuram, where there are huge, ancient stone temples with excellent scarving work, some of them dating from the 6th century AD. Stone appears to be granite with rather large crystalline structure. One temple excavated at least 20 feet into the rock! Next day hit Fort St George which is a bureaucrat's wet dream and St Mary's Church on the same grounds which dates from mid 1600's. Courtyard was made of slabs of stone carved with names of the British dead that used to be buried beneath...later we found out that the remains had been moved to consecrated ground. In the museum, we saw exhibits of the outfits the Brits were wearing in India...head to toe red and navy wool! insane! It is a wonder that most of them didn't die of heat stroke. Something to be said for flexibility, neh?

Chennai is very dirty, dusty and busy, although you can see blue sky here, which we never did in Mumbai. We found out at a party, that the hotel we are staying in is often renting rooms by the hour...little did Randy know he was booking us into a cat house!...it was very dirty and poorly kept, but we trained the "boys" to bring us hot water to bathe by tipping them. Got a small rate reduction when we left.

Night train to Madurai. Got into a bockety bogie (apologies to Frank McCourt), so it felt like we were in a cocktail shaker most of the night. Made the mistake of taking the rickshaw whose driver approached us in the station....Rule 1. Don't take the auto whose waala leaps at the chance and is looking for whites in the station. Rule 2. Bargain for the price. None of the rickshaws I saw in Madurai had meters, and if they did, they were "broken". Paid Rs100 for the fare...should have been Rs50. Stayed at the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, an enclave out of the heart of the city which was protected and very pleasant, although fully endowed with mosquitos. We taped the cracks in the windows and weren't bothered. TTS appears to be doing some good work...there was a Ration shop, a Dalit resource center, sewing and typing education, herb garden, playground for the children, and they had recently gotten hooked up with a computer with internet access which was inexpensive to use. The down side is that you need to be referred by someone with connections.

Main attraction in Madurai is the Meenakshi temple, and it is worth the trip there to see. Main tower is 40 feet tall and covered in statues that are gaily painted all the way up to the top. Compulsory demons looking down on you from all sides. Site is at least 16 acres. Some parts open to the public...some restricted to Hindus. If you get a chance to get into one of the buildings across from the temple, and get up to the roof, you can get a feel for the enormity of this colossus. Another interesting site in Madurai is the Ghandi museum. Reinforced my suspicions that Ghandi was indeed a saint, and that the world is a better place for his having walked among us.

Next leg...Kanyakumari...until then...

Namaste,

Joan and Chester

_____

Re: Ooty onwards

Joan Noreikis <joanandchester@>

To:Richard Smith <rasmith_10@>

Many of our friends are following our trip on the website.

Wanted to let you know that we tipped a cold Kingfisher in your honor last night at the Sea Lord in Ernakulam. There are several tall buildings now which obscure much of the view of the water...Ernakulam has a regular skyline now. New construction of glass and steel, as well as concrete. The mosquitos were anxious to feast on western flesh last night, which somewhat took the edge off the experience...but you were fondly remembered by one Chester.

Off to Munnar in a day or two with our friends from northern Kerala.

Actually, I have already filled one journal and am starting on a second one...good thing I brought them both...

I'm not sure where you are staying at the moment, but if you ever get a hankering for the West Coast, rest assured you have a place to stay 3 minutes walk from the Pacific Ocean...with organic food, no less!

Happiest of holidays to you and yours...celebrations are all the rage here as you know.

Fondest regards,

Joan

From: "Richard Smith" rasmith_10@com
To: "Joan Noreikis" <joanandchester@com>
Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 11:03:51 PM (GMT+0530) Asia/Calcutta
Subject: Re: Ooty onwards

Joan,

The Sea Lord Hotel is the one place in Ernakulum that I remember the most clearly. I'm sure Chester told you that India 20A people used to gather there when in town, sit on the roof top terrace, drink fresh lime sodas or beer, and look out over the water which at that time was just across the street. Of course, at that time, it was a very fancy and expensive hotel so we could not afford to stay there. Pete and Sue Luce included a picture of the Sea Lord on their description of their journey to India a few years ago. It, of course, looked a bit run down. Were you able to sit on the roof top terrace or is that gone now? Is the bar still on the roof or has that moved to a different location? At that time, 1965-67, there was no skyline in Ernakulum nor any thought that there might ever be one.

Did you receive our "Holiday Greeting" with the Family Letter email? I think I may have sent it to your old address. I'm attaching a copy "just in case."

I think we would love to visit the West Coast and eat organic fund. In Texas we eat mostly Bar-be-que and drink Lone Star Beer. Some folks once opened an organic food restaurant in Houston, but it had to close for lack of customers since the local population considered it the work of the devil.

Richard

Richard A. Smith

http://www.india20a.org/
http://inst.uhcl.edu/podcasts

----- Original Message ----
From: Joan Noreikis <joanandchester@com>
To: Richard Smith rasmith_10@com
Sent: Tuesday, December 25, 2007 5:41:09 AM
Subject: Re: Ooty onwards

Merry Christmas...and yes, the rooftop bar is still intact...that is where we tipped one up in your honor.

The Sea Lord is rather chi-chi at the moment and clean...and probably too expensive for us stay in even now, altho we didn't explore that possibility.

Some might believe we have a bit of the devil in us...esp the
Evangelicals who are sure we are headed for his/her company despite our organic veggie outlook!

Happiness to you and yours in the new year...more to be written for the website when I get a chance.

Today, we are in Munnar with the Namboodiri clan--two rented SUV's with drivers no less.

Love,

Joan and Chester

From: Richard Smith

To: Joan Noreikis

Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 8:29 AM

Subject: Re: Ooty onwards

Joan,

What happened to your emails from India? I haven't received anything for a month and a half. Are you still there?

Richard

Richard A. Smith
Houston, Texas 77071
http://www.india20a.org/
http://inst.uhcl.edu/podcasts

From: Joan and Chester <joanandchester@com>
To: Richard Smith rasmith_10@com
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 6:54:22 PM
Subject: Re: Ooty onwards

Dear R,

Kind of fell off the wagon at the end of our trip. We returned home on the 3rd of Jan, after an 18 hour train ride to Mumbai, a couple of days in a hotel near the airport, and then >30 hours in transit to get to Portland. I had picked up a respiratory infection that was causing periodic paroxysmal coughing fits, and C spent a good deal of his time worrying about me. We did manage to stay a few more days with Namboodiri, and attended a birthday party at one of his son-in-laws houses for a 2 year old, which was quite remarkable....none of the fluff and nonsense that we do for kids here...just a feast on banana leaves seated on the floor of this rather commodious home surrounded by all the sibs and their sibs and spouses....and blessing of the child whilst he ate by taking a small amount of rice and placing it on his head with both hands. Then we were entertained by one of Ravi's brothers who is a professional musician. He sang a sacred raga...to Rama, I think. All in all another remarkable experience.

I have been planning to do a reflections article for the website, but have been overwhelmed with culture shock on the return home, and catching up with my life and volunteer work...I will get to it one of these days to tie things up. I have gotten a good deal of positive feedback from my postings, which is gratifying. Been in e-contact with Peter and Sue Luce lately. C called Judy Jones and shared a bit of our experience with her. Also talked with Katie.

I apologize for being remiss in my communications with you. The invite still goes!

Yours,

End of email trail. February 16, 2008

One last email

Long time coming

Joan and Chester <joanandchester@>

ViewTuesday, June 10, 2008 11:10:29 AM

To:Richard Smith <rasmith_10@yahoo.com>

Cc:

Dear Richard,

I suppose I have egg on my face for leaving my missives unfinished for so long a time. Needless to say, we have both been busy getting reoriented to our 'normal' lives, although we did experience culture shock upon returning home. The streets here are so quiet and sedate...devoid of the stream of humanity we saw everywhere in India. It felt like we had returned to a morgue. The streets in India are so inviting despite the crumbling sidewalks, cars parked on what remains of the sidewalks, plastic trash. Vendors are chock-a-block in front of the shops and hotels. Women in colorful sarees and shalwar kameez look like flowers on legs. I never saw 2 outfits that were identical the entire time we were there.

We were drawn out into the street despite the fact that one is breathing a 'soup' of polluted air from the 2-stroke engines powering the autorickshaws, wood smoke from cooking fires, and dust which seemed ubiquitous, even in the cities.

I have come home with a longing to return, especially to visit with our Namboodiri family friends, despite returning home with bronchitis, likely from breathing the air in the cities. Fortunately, a short course of antibiotics did the trick in a very short time.

The most lasting impressions I have are of the generosity, genuine care and concern extended toward us even by strangers in railway stations, the simplicity of their lives which are far less encumbered by 'stuff' than ours are, and the presence of a spiritual life that seems much more immediate than that which I experience here. Yes, the temples and sights were astonishing, but far more awaits the visitor on a human scale rather than an architectural one.

We were serenaded on two occasions by teenage girls who had studied classical Indian music without any hesitation or bashfulness on their parts. It was hard to imagine our teens performing for strangers without something of a struggle with their parents.

The children appear to be much better educated than ours. Indeed, by fourth grade in Kerala, all of them are studying a minimum of 3 languages: English, Hindi and Malayalam. Sanskrit and Urdu are electives that can begin in grade 5. The country kids are well behaved and respectful of adults and teachers. The only unruly children we encountered were those of westernized professionals on holiday, and they seemed much more like many of the children here...whiny, demanding, etc. When we visited a government elementary school, the children invited us to share their lunch with them without prompting by any of the adults.

Enclosed find a photo of C and myself with Joyce Horton-Sherman and Mike Sherman when they visited us last year. Thought folks might like to see it.

Hope all is well in the great state of TX, and that you are enjoying your lives.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Joan and Chester