The Trip Home

For my trip home, I chose my peacock saree. Aunty helped me put it on. She put the flowers in my hair, too. Christopher drove us to the airport in his auto. Michael walked me up to door, then I was on my own! I went to the counter, and missed the line where they security check baggage, but a very nice man went back with me, helped me do it, and carried the suitcases back to the counter. The next step was the personal security check. It is way easier in India than in the United States. We even got to keep our shoes on, although since taking off the bangles was too much work I let her do a simplified pat-down! The women at any security checkpoint have their own line with a more private area for the wand exam. I stepped in, and the lady there asked me if I was married to an Indian. I said no, and she told me that I wore the clothes very well. I was so excited by that, I felt like my smile was too big! Those of us on certain domestic flights had to wait for a bus to take us out to the plane. While I was sitting there, the lady behind me leaned up to tell me that she could smell my flowers, and we had a conversation. The flowers are jasmine, and do smell really good. We were talking, and the man next to me looked over. "I thought you were Indian." he said to me, and joined the conversation. When I got to Delhi, the same thing happened. People told me I wore the clothes well and thought I either was Indian or married to an Indian. Once on the plane, a lady three rows up that only spoke Hindi tried to talk to me. The flight home was full. The man sitting next to me was very friendly. We talked quite a bit. He told me purple was a royal color and the peacock was an honored bird in India. He was impressed with not only how I wore the saree, but with the material I picked. Actually, I just loved it. I had no idea of the significance, but now that I know, I like it even more. He asked me where all I had been, and was sorry for me not getting to Kashmir. He has a bungalow there, and very sincerely invited me to stay there the next time I was in India. He gave me his address! He was going to West Virginia for his son's graduation. I really wanted the complete look for John when I got off the plane in Detroit, but as we neared Chicago, the flight attendant told me to leave the flowers on the plane, because customs may slap on a big fine. I kind of expected them to take them, being agricultural and all, but I was planning on giving it a shot. I still thought about it, but then decided they were turning brown and it wasn't worth risking a fine, so I took them out. I am considering buying a jasmine plant now, though. Sad as I was to leave India, it was so wonderful to see John at the airport! This may be my last post, so I switched my color to purple just for fun. I may remember more things to write about, or just continue to blog my life, but really this is probably it. I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing. Thanks for sharing my Great Adventure!

My Last Meal

Christopher's wife came to Michael's apartment to cook dinner for us on my last day in India. I was so sad to leave! Michael lives in Indian luxury, having an apartment all to himself. He has two rooms and a bathroom. Normally, his apartment would have at least 5 or 6 people living in it. Aunty is cooking on the floor in the room where I slept. The orange and green behind her is the bed. The red propane tank is the stove. Indian cooking, at least in my limited experience, has quite a bit of prep work. The actual cooking is fairly fast. She sat like that working for at least an hour, maybe two. I'm not sure what she made, but it was some of the best food I had.

Temple elephant

As we were walking through Pondicherry, we came upon an elephant in front of a temple. I am intrigued by the elephants, especially when they are decorated. Michael said, "Oh look! A temple elephant! I haven't seen one of those for awhile." We walked over, and I was watching it instead of Michael. Michael came to me with a handful of grass and said to feed it to the elephant then bend down. I did, and got blessed by an elephant! When we got there, we were the only people there. As we stood there, a crowd gathered, feeding and getting blessed. There was a hut selling grass. The elephant would also take coins and flip them back to the person sitting behind it. There was a sign that said "No bananas", but I saw people feed them, and although it took awhile, the elephant would eat them. I especially liked when the baby got blessed. The elephant was not tethered, although it looked like it may have been. It had ankle bracelet jingle bells on its front legs, but the back looked scarred. They may have been on purpose, though, like a tattoo. I don't really know. I just know that at the time I was there, it just stood were it belonged and gave blessings.

Sunrise over the Bay of Bengal

These pictures may be in reverse order, depending on if they are looked at first, or the text is read first. The sun is coming up, so start at the bottom and look up. I got up at 5:00 a.m. and went out on the balcony of our room at the ashram. I had been planning on doing this at the Chennai beach my last day, but this was far more beautiful...no offense to Chennai! It was so beautiful. I could hear the waves beating on the rocks. There was a bit of a breeze. As it got lighter, people came out one by one to walk or do yoga. If you look closely, there are fishing boats in some of the pictures. In the very top picture, it is possible to see the boat quite well. I had seen the sun sink into Lake Michigan and the Gulf of Mexico, but I don't remember watching it rise out of water. I know I have been to the Tip of the Thumb more than once, but don't remember getting up for the sunrise. It was so comfortable, I would nod a bit, then remember I was watching the sunrise and open my eyes again. It was a very nice hour and a half.

Ashram

The dictionary definition of ashram is "1.a. a secluded dwelling of a Hindu sage; b. the group of disciples instructed there 2. a religious retreat". This is a fairly large and relatively well-known ashram. Michael and I stayed at the guest house for a night. He had been there before, and it cost 200 rupees. This time it was 600. He asked why, but didn't want to argue, because it is an Ashram after all. He was told it was the location of the room. The first time he was there, he was on the ground floor. We were on the second floor, which is the third floor in the States. We had two beds, a real treat! The bathroom was big...western toilet, shower without a bucket. Toilet still had a bucket, of course. We had a balcony overlooking the Bay of Bengal. We just spent the night, but a person could go and used it for the real purpose. There are gurus available for guidance, and a cafeteria for healthy food. No motor vehicles are allowed past the parking area at the main gate. The floors are labeled Silence Humility Love Patience, etc. There is a garden for use in meditation or yoga. The top three pictures are of the garden by the office. The bottom two are the meditation gardens. I would like to live there. It is very peaceful and calming. Oh, and 600 rupees is equal to $12.00!

Pondicherry

Pondicherry is a little south of Chennai. On the map it looks close. I'm not sure how many kilometers it is, but it took about 3 hours on the bus. The official name is Puducherry, but the only places that is seen is on buses and government buildings. Pondicherry was a French settlement and is quite different from other places in India. Michael said it is a place unto itself. The street signs are posted on the walls of the corner buildings and the architecture has a lot of French influence. They have pastries there! Quite a few people speak French, and signs tend to be in French and Tamil instead of English and Tamil. It is right on the Bay of Bengal. This statue of Ghandi is facing the street with the bay right behind. Between the street and the water there is a sandy area, but it doesn't make contact with the water. The bay is rough, and huge black rocks are placed to make it difficult to get to the water's edge. It is very beautiful.

Ekambareswarar temple

The mango tree at this temple is a shoot from a tree that lived for over 3000 years. The legend has it that Shiva was somehow involved in eating from it, or using it for a wedding ceremony. There is more than one legend. The tree has four varieties of mango on it, each with its own flavor. This temple is also in Koncheeporam, one of the seven sacred cities of India.

Koncheeporam

Koncheeporam is one of seven sacred cities in India, and has many temples. This man is a priest, and guided me around the first one we were at. I had trouble figuring out what he was telling me. We had paid the extra 10 rupees (20 cents) to bring in the camera, but it seemed as though he didn't want me to take pictures. He stayed with me, and soon a family caught up with us. I asked the lady if she spoke English. She nodded no, and went and got her husband. I asked him what the priest was saying and if I could take pictures. He told me that the priest was describing the temple, and yes, I could take pictures. After I took the first picture, he pointed at things and demanded that I take the picture! Michael and Aunty kind of ditched me, so I was on my own with him. When we got all finished and were back at the entrance, he asked for money. I rarely had any; that was Michael's area. When Michael and Aunty came in ahead of me (I was reading a sign), the priest offered them the tour. They said no, and he made a speech about it wasn't about money, just sharing his beliefs, so Michael didn't give him any money. He was a little bent out of shape, but hey, it wasn't about the money. Michael gave what the man wanted to a lady and baby outside the temple. Having someone attach to me uninvited, and sometimes annoying, then wanting money after the conversation or tour, was hard to get used to, but eventually I learned to say no, and mean it regardless of what they chose to do next.