Mysore bum

Sorry no photos, despite being in Mysore, sister town to Bangalore, the capital of the Eastern IT world upload is so slow that I will have to do them from home. Ooty has little going for it except a super botanical gardens, giant eucalyptus and fir trees hundrerds of years old and for the first time for a while perfectly maintained laws, paths, a real breath of mountain fresh air. The un-planned urban splawl has ruined the town for ever, however there is currently a scandle involving the destruction of 1500 illegally built homes, to little to late. I booked my trip to Mysore , 1 day will easily do Ooty.

My god, I`m sure my anatomy is changed for ever!, I got the bus from Ooty 2240m in the Nilgiri hills, this time a private mini-bus to avoid the `cattle truck effect` on public transport. I was however last on and luckily had the middle place of the back row for my legs which seem to be double the length of the locals. Seriosly rutted `roads` stretches of unmade roads, roads under construction and all of this descending through 36 switch-back turns with hundreds of metres of precipice below, even I offered a little prayer to any/all the deities so prevalent in India in all the busses. This is the short cut not taken by the pulic busses. Each time we flew over a pot hole we at the rear were shot into the air landing in a heap on the seats. We passed through the Bandipur National Park, home to wild elephants, bison, spotted deer,a few tigers and the list goes on. Usually nothing is seen of these illusive creatures but as luck would have it coming around a bend, a safari vehicle was stopped in the road and there at about 30m was a group of 3 Asian elephants walking slowly along. It tookm a moment to realise that these creatures are completely wild and free. Later the same scene was replayed with 200 or so spotted deer, black faced monkeys and another elephant with small baby....aah!. After a short stop and a total of 4 hours bumping, flying and bus rally driving we arrived in Mysore, a lovely, clean(ish) city largely built by the british. The Maharaja`s palace, a spectacular edifice built and designed in 1916 by a British architect in a park with huge parade grounds resembling Buckingham Paslace. Inside it a strange mix of high kitch, art nouveau and deco, with a heavy dose of Indian maharaja thrown in. On Sunday it is illuminated with hundreds of thousands of light bulbs anl locals and visitors alike come flocking to snap the lights, me included.

Catastrophe, nearly

da da da da da da, the familiar dulcet tones of my alarm went at 4.30 am. I half fell out of bed and went to the bathroom intending a quick shower to wash away the cobwebs, bed bugs and anything else I might have unwittingly aquired in the night. A very quick appraisal of my immediate surroundings changed my mind and a spot wash was all I could do, I even had to leave there to take my malaria pill. Down to reception to retrieve my deposit although why, when I had paid my room? Another family waiting to check out and I start to look at my watch nervously. Finally I dash across the already teeming main road in the dark to find my train. The platforms are at least a kilometre long and my train was waiting at the far end of course. I installed myself in what was the post wagon where they were sorting the night`s mail, and told to move.....luckily. I have my...backpack, a plastic bag with my snake boat in and....my day-pack, oh god my day pack is not there, my v.expensive camera, all my collected paperwork including flight e-ticket, my diary, my...life is in there. Responding to that electric discharge that the adrenalin effectuates in times of imminant death, I leap from the carriage, my cheeks flushed, my body tuned for fight or flight, I try to run back to the hotel where I realise I left my Bag. My pack must weigh nearly 20kgs and it will not let me lift my legs fast for more than 10 paces so I slow down to a fast walk, back up the platform, through the milling crowds across the teeming street and there it is propped up against the counter where I left it. Now I have to calculate whether it is worth speed-walking back with my dear very precious prodigal bag or give up and take a bus. Never one to give up too quickly, I go for it. It seems to me now that it all unrolled in slow motion, I can still feel every step there and back, seeing the red tail light at the back of the train hundreds of meters away, will it just be pulling away just as I reach it? No, as I install myself, a verirable torrent of sweat is pouring from every pore(it`s already 24 C), I mutter a generic offering to all and any deity that might be listening and another one to me not to be so stupid again!

We arrive an hour later at Mettupalayam and go looking for the steam train. The 4 carriages are already waiting.......full to the brim(?) with people. 2 carriages are reserved, leaving 1 1/2 for 2nd class and 1/2 for baggage. I settle down (stand up) for 4 hours of discomfort. My legs are already suffering from pre-dawn army weight training, I don`t know if I can `stand` this. The rather delapidated engine puffs it`s way behind us, it pushes the train to avoid smoke in the tunnels?, and off we go rocking to the rhythm of the steam power-stroke. We wound through the foot-hills for a while and started climbing, at a speed that you could comfortably jog at (oxymoron?).

The cuttings are so close to the open windows, people were picking flowers. There was just room for my feet on the floor, holding on to seats as we chugged up the mountain. Soon our first tunnel and the 2 groups of Indians, obviosly on a works outing or something, wives, kids and all and a real party atmosphere, starting whooping and shouting which occurred at each tunnl or gorge we came to (300m down). The views were breath-taking as dawn arrived with the plaines appearing below through a light mist, stunning. A lady next to me wanted to join the party in the back of the coach so I finally had a seat...ooof. Passing through immaculate tea plantations seemingly stuck to near vertical hills, rows of tiny tea-pickers huts, we arrived at Coonoor, another hill station and we have arrived, finally, in the Nilgiri hills. 2250m altitude. Change of engine to a diesel loco and off for another hour arriving at 10am. Find a hotel, it`s cold up here, and fall on the bed, I seem to do lots of that! Another unforgettable day but not one to be repeated!

Ooty-not so snooty

After being based for nearly 3 weeks in Cochin, Kerala, a town that I grew to love in my time there, it was time to move on. My last visit to the excellant Dr. Prasanth and his wife and team for my last crown and plate was over and he presented me with a model `snake boat` that are raced during a festival in Alleppy, very sweet of them. My next objective was the narrow-guage steam train to Ooty, a hill station used by the British Raj during the insufferably hot summer season. It is nestled high in the Nilgiri hills, famous for its tea, cofee and wild life. To get to the steam train railhead involves a 4 hour train ride from Cochin-Coimbatore, arriving at 9 pm, then catching the train to Mettupalayam at 5 am the following morning. The ride to Coimbatore was uneventful (for India that is). Several encounters including a young man running an orphanage in S. Kerala, going to meet an American in Delhi coming to work as a volonteer. The train I`m on goes from Trivandrum in the south to Delhi in the North, 50 hours stuck in a sweaty, dirty uncomfortable, (I`m in 2nd or `cattle` class) carriage eating food from vendors on the train or at stations and living in very intimate proximity with fellow inmates, not something I would consider doing except in the most dire of circumstances. I was glad when we arrived and headed for the ticket office to get my ticket for the next day. There were no less than 400 people queuing for tickets at the 24hr ticket office in very little order at the 6 windows, everbody trying to protect their place by moving as close as possible to the person in front, while desperate/audacious enemies tried to push in where they could. This , for the first time that I have seen in India, occasioned shouts of anger from the orderly line and at one point some one went to fetch the police. Order was established for a total of 5 minutes and chaos resumed its natural place in a country as overpopulated as this where 12 million passengers travel EVERY DAY! (think what it will be like around 2040 when the population should exceed that of China),

better visit soon if you want to. 45 Minutes later, ticket in hand and shoulders screaming from my back-pack, I barge out of the station somewhat looking forward to the inevitable

confrontation with the ubiquitous touts amassed outside. I find a hotel spitting distance from the station and, ignoring the unchanged pillow case/sheet and stinking squatter tiolet, lay out my silk sleeping sheet, put a t-shirt on the pillow, set my alarm for 4.30am and am soon in the land of nod...........(to be continued)

Up the Backwaters

So at last I go to see the famous backwaters of Kerala, a vast system of lakes, rivers, canals and ditches. Between these are huge areas of jungle, plantations of coconut palm, banana and pineapple. We started off in a mini-bus picking up a mixed bunch from various hotels, a young couple from Leeds on a long trip covering most of SE Asia, an older couple from Aus...... A bus ride of 40 minutes and we arrived at bridge over a canal and we disembarked. There was our traditional backwaters canoe at least 10 m long, 3m wide, covered with a superstructure of bamboo and palm thatch. Seats were arranger along the sides and our 2 `polesmen` each with his 5 meter bamboo pole made their way to each end. We were slowly propelled, very slowly and silently, down the shore, where the water is shallower and we get a better look. We continued for 1/2 hour and then sharp turn right into a channel all of 31/2m wide, the advantage of being punted is that you can navigate channels the same width as the boat. another 1/2 hour and we arrived at a village where the main activity seemed to be making coconut (coir) rope. Then on to a place where they made lime from shells, burning them with dried coconut husks, grinding, grading till pure lime is produced. I dont think, however that the health and safety inspecters had been to have a look! On to a well deserved lunch, a thali served on a banana leaf, rice, several veggie curries, a sauce for tthe rice, green mango chutney and yoghurt, followed by a sort of rice pudding made with pasta. We then transfered to a smaller canoe and were polled for a further hour down a stream no more than 2 meters wide. we passed by people`s huts and homes, washing clothes, themselves in the stream as we passed by, cameras at thhe ready. The stream was so narrow that the jungle closed over us and we silently slipped by, majic. We were all ready to head back to the bus, heat and sensory overload take their toll, another unforgettable day in God`s own Country.

Cochin-Guruvayoor

Hindu Temple, Guruvayoor
Elephant sun shade, Guruvayoor
The beach, guess where

I had 3 days to get to Calicut, or Kozhicode as it is known now, 200 Kms north of Cochin, or Kochi.....as it is known now. Got an `express coach` driven by the usual rally driver who weaved in and out of traffic at lightning, frightning, excitning speed, often being overtaken whilst overtaking with at least 3 vehicles doing the same in the opposite direction. Luckily they all sound their their excessively loud horns so everything will work out fine. The drivers also have much insurance having a flashing shrine to Shiva, Ganesha etc, with a rosary and cross hung around it and various Muslim writings for good luck. Long live religious tolerance I say. Is there not a religious equivalent to Esparanto? (on second thoughts it is almost a religion to those who speak it.) After 3 hours of sharing personal space and sweat with a series of co-bussers, I made the mistake of taking the leg-room option of the back seat which means getting catapulted towards the roof at each pot hole, we scream into a town called Guruvayoor. My Friend Saj has bought some land there to develop as another home-stay, and highly recommended that I visit. My first impression is a party town, there is bunting everywhere and thousands, no hundreds of people dressed in off white lunghis trimmed with gold, hundreds of stalls selling ....everything, definately something going on here. Turns out this is one of the majorm pilgrimage towns with a huge temple devoted to Ganesh (I think), and not a tourist in site. Luckily I find a room and go gawking. Now I`ve been here in India a while and been to some less frequented spots but this is special, a town full of Brahmin devotees out for their annual bash, various coloured splotches on their foreheads, and I have just gate-crashed the party. Being the Brahmin cast they are preists, intelectuals, teachers etc and they had a noble aire to them, friendly but aloof. I had heard about the Elephant sanctuary from Saj so I took a tuc-tuc to have a look. They are all temple elephants and 5 of the 80 or so walk the 5Kms to town to paricipate in then daily rituals, at the end of the 10 day festival they have an elephant race, not to be underestimated, they have killed 3 trainers in the last 9 months!
We go from there to the local beach. A dozen fishing boats, fishermen`s palm shacks, and a hand ful of locals frolicking in saris, lunghis in the sea. Oh I forgot 1 vendor selling drinks. In either direction beach and palm trees to the horizon, I see what Saj sees in the place but there is NO infrastructure yet. However with tourism rising by over 20% a year, an econmy bursting at over 9% for the last 4 years, I feel it wont be long before Guruvayoor is on the map (it`s not even in the guidebooks yet!)
Back to town for a Brahmin meal at my Brahmin hotel and off to the concert area, Folk dancing
Carnatic music, Katakali dance, I am riveted to the spot till a lovely man gripped my arm like a vice and lead me to the front saying `you will see much better here` in perfect English. Wot a day.
inoubliable.

Kerala State Agri show.

On my way back from the dentist I had to go to the High Court Jetty to check out busses to Calicut on Sunday, there aren`t any. Next door however was the Kerala state Agricultural show, a lively mix of best flower arrangement, as in a village fete, hi tech companies selling their wares and individual producers selling theirs. No democratic wandering around, there were alleys cordonned off to usher us all in a long queue and tough shit if you wanted to bypass a section. On reflection this is what we do to animals so hardly supprising. There were at least 50 varieties of coconut, the same of bananas, strange masses of twisted tubers weighing upwards of 50 Kg, fascinating. Then came spices, veg, fruit in awesome profusion, a whole area dedicated to orchids, Rosie`s favourite, Remember Barbados? To cut a long story short I made contact with 2 organic producers, 1 of whom I was going to meet later anyway, saves me a trip, and left with a bunch of interesting seeds. Anybody interested in raising tropical seeds let me know. (see rosies blog about chillis)

Now this is international trade

While writing this , hopefully 2 nice fotos of darling Rosie`s new glasses are uploading themselves so that she can choose. For her information, they are both green side bits, one brighter than the other. Incredible, they, that is 2 fotos took a total of 4 minutes to upload, unheard of, I might add some more. Either one will cost 7400rupees or134 euros with light sensitive lenses and an anti reflecting treatment (garanteed not to peel off!) and thin lenses not tom be mistaken for coke bottle bottoms.Rosie, let me know ASAP, they take a week to order,I prefer the top ones. This is the ultimate cyber cafe so far, brand new with sort of Japaneese decore, all black and white, brand new computers (with all the letters still ledgible, air conditioning so cold that I just asked to turn it down before `I catch me death` and it is just next door to the ferry jetty where I get my boat to the dentist. Talking of which, I am well on the way to a new chewing experience, 3 root canals, more on Fri+Sat. That means I can go to Calicut on Sunday( 200Kms north) and meet Kris, a lovely man G/Rosie met on Youtube. he is now an eco tourism consultant having been a high flying accountant in Oxford in another life, more to come on that soon. .

Wisdom is relative.

Monday is D-day here in Cochin, for me any way. The main excuse to come to India has always
been to visit a dentist who is professional, serious, thorough and who`s first interest is not his bank account and new 4x4 BMW. This person is perhaps to be found in Brittany but as yet I have not had that luck. Treatment seems to be based on getting you out of there with the max bill for min treatment, I have not once had a dentist in France propose a deep cleaning every year, a long term plan or take the time to explain risks, options etc. My last bridge of 2 teeth lasted a total of 3 years for an investment of several thousand euros......end of rant.
I arrived at the Quality Dental Clinic and despite trepidation at the state of the road under repair, as soon as I entered the Air-conditioned reception I felt at ease. the receptionist in beautiful sari, put on the big screen TV and gave me the tele-command (sorry remote control). Dr. Prasanth arrived 5 mins later, a dapper moustached gent, mid-thirties, with bedside manner oozing from every pore. He proceeded with a thorough examination and we got down to treatment options. What he discovered was that I had an `impacted` wisdom tooth lying horizontally against my last molar, the one supporting the future bridge. It needs to come out before any other work is done. Now I had a Quote and x-ray in Plaintel for 2500 euros for 3 units and the subject of the wisdom tooth was never even mentioned WHY WAS THIS?
So I have no more wisdom tooth after a surgeon came the same afternoon and had a jaw-wrestling match that he won, I will have 3 root canals, a bridge of 4 units (teeth), A special crown to replace the tooth that anchors my plate (TMI too much information?), in all 3 weeks of treatment for.................750 euros. He called me this morning on my mobile to see how I felt!!!
cant imagine Plaintel doing that.

Kerala at last

I finally dragged myself from my litte slice of paradise, after visiting Palolem beach I wonder how much time is left before Agonda joins its sister beach and becomes the hut-sprawl, vendor saturated spot that it is. Agonda is still a community, village with locals out-numbering visitors, mostly called Fernandez it seems.
16 hours of train journey which I shared with a Goan basketball team, all considerably shorter than me, and I arrived in Ernakulam, part of the greater Cochin agglomeration. A transport strike ensured a sweaty wait then sweaty walk in search of a tuc-tuc, found after 1/2 hour and shared with a couple of Israeli tourists braving the world outside their 5* air-conditioned hotel.
I took a walk to the chineese nets, first installed in the 16th century and a big tourist draw, cameras at the ready, snap, move on. As I sat gawking as usual the fishermen on the nearest machine invited me to come and try my hand, just pull on a rope really. I stayed for an hour chatting about our respective lives families, names....incomes. they dont make more than a euro a day and depend on volonteer helpers for a small donation, which they got and richly deserved.
Sorry, no fotos this time as no compatible driver.

Valentines day in paradise (alone)

beach huts at Agonda Beach, Goa
The beach, Quoi

The 2 Kids in Udaipur that I mentioned before

Now I`m the romantic type really so to be here in Goa, Agonda beach in the very south, to be precise is a mixed blessing. A beach 4 Km long almost deserted, coconut palms dangling their nuts (over the beach), bamboo beach huts waiting for a tsunami, 26/28 degrees in the day, beach restos serving up tasty food of all types, all this and you can easily live well for 300 rupees a day (6 euros). So what`s wrong you say? Basically it`s much better if you come with your true love by your side I say. A beach hut is great, don`t get me wrong, but for 2.....a candle-lit tandoori and a Kingfisher beer is great, but for 2..., and to top it off it`s Valentines and lots of entertainement tonight.....for couples. I do however love it here after the dusty desert of Ragasthan, I could easily imagine...........?

2 in one day, never heard the like

Yes I`m back, I just cant resist cos I dont know when I`ll have this facility again. So here at last is an AMLA (or AONLA as it`s known locally, or Indian gooseberry) about the size of a tangerine (clementine) and the next health craze to hit the world, I hope. Next, 2 enterprising beggar kids who had the entrepreneurial initiative to dress up and ask a premium for the tourists in Udaipur `10 rupees photo` 10 times as much as the other kids, and they got it!

Mumbai the way

After a long night train ride from Rajasthan to Mumbai, sharing 4 bunks with a family of 4 with 2 snivveling kids, all of whom had colds, coughed all the time (without covering their mouths, listening kids?) and basically not leaving much room for4 me, I was ready to arrive in Mumbai. The usual `bidonville` on the outskirts but on an unimaginable scale. Took a taxi to the station which I leave from which is in the banking district, got my first european meal in a long time in the Malongo Cafe, full of idni-yuppies. Veg lasagne, mango juice and oh god, a chocolate torte, YES. All this and a spotless loo where I had a quick scrub and changed my socks. I think every body ought live in the sort of conditions that I have lately just to experience the benefits afterwards (those of us in the world who can). All this and I found a cybercafe with...a keyboard that has all the letters on, a connection in at least in second gear, and to top it off air conditioning, yes at last, it`s hot, well about 22 C. Pictures at last- local sound system in Bundi, a marching brass band followed by these `sound wagons` 2 truck batteries and a mic for the singer, give you ideas Ronan? a couple of my larcenous monkeys at the RN haveli, Bundi

Monkey stole my breakfast

There I was eating my breakfast, a lovely papaya, good for the digestion, purched yesterday especially and poof it ws not there any more. all I saw was a monkey flying straight up the garden wall with it in her hand. Kamala my sweet host had warned me but nothing quite prepares you for the stealth, she must have slowly approached and hidden for the right moment, and the speed, amazing. I reflect on the human race and how, and from where we evolved....this explaines a lot.
Off to Goa, the south, no all-night drug induced raves for me (now). going to try again to upload photos now there seems to be favourable conditions.

No editor`s toolbar

There is definatety no editor`s toolbar, any ideas

At last, a connection, no power cut (for the moment)

I felt well sad leaving Jaipur and my good friends recently made. Also, had time on the train to start feeling home sick (strange expression that, you`d think it meant the opposite, there must be a technical term for that..... Rosie ?) Arriving at Udaipur you are confronted with the ubiquitous filth, squallour, and abject poverty that you see everywhere. Combined with the COLD nights and bedrooms without heating, I decided to get the hell out of Dodge, go straigt to Goa. Not so easy,mate, bookings for sleepers need to be made at least 2 weeks before. So instead I explore and finally very pleased I stayed. Buildings painted sky-blue, narrow twisting alleys, full of art shops selling miniature paintings on sink of the Mughal era, truly amazing when you look under a magnifying glass, and lovely happy smiling people. Changed hotels for a cheaper one, on the 3rd floor overlooking the Maharaja`s palace and the lake palace where`Octopussy` was filmed., much better. I have to wonder about guides like lonley planet. Next on the plan, a cookery course. Along with A Danish boy, 2 Norweian girls and 3 ladies from Geogia, we made a real student masala. We learned to make Masala Tchai, a Paneer ( sort of unfermented cheese) Biriani vegetable Rice, Veg cutlets with Korma sauce and Kashmiri tea. All was going great till my lunch declared that it had not been made in a european kitchen and proceeded a sleepless night and much sweating and shivvering. Leave you in suspense now, see if you can guess the outcome? (I must be slowing down or train lagged but there is no toolbar here to upload photos, always something, aaaagh.)

Jaipur, the Explorer`s Nest

The mullahs are wailing away as I write, it`s 7.45 pm and it reminds me of stories my dear W tells about her childhood, everybody singing a different tune depending on personal taste. There are 4 mosques within half a Km and they all crank up the volume at 2 or 3 minuites intervals calling there respective faithful. It would not be so bad if there was a common tuning or coordination of some sort. Arrived by train in Jaipur Sat. am and was met by the charming ex- Lt-Colonel Arvind Grover who took me off to the `Explorer`s Nest`, the B and B he runs with his wife Somana, Professer of botany at Jaipur Uni. Lovely little room on the roof, which one big terrace looking over the old town. There I met Ron, a fellow traveller from Lincolnshire and a bit older than me> You doing a bit of traveling around I asked by way of opening, `yes, I`m here to buy 3 camels and treck across the Rajasthan desert for 6 months` My explorer`s hat was firmly knocked sideways. since then we have reminisced for hours at table, the `60`s, mods and rockers, england etc, great fun.
I spent today at an organic Amla farm. `What is that` you all chorus. Amla is a 6 sectioned fruit the size of a big golf ball also known as the Indian Gooseberry. Gram for gram it has a vit C content 150 times that of an apple, 30 times that of an orange. It has been eaten here for thousands of years and has truly remarkable health qualities. I am truly impressed and left with a bag of fruit, dried with salt and sugar, Bio tea, Amla powder. You will be hearing more of this stuff. Off to Udaipur tomorrow to boldly go..........
Off to get dressed for bed, it was 2 degrees last night, no heating and almost no windows!

Delhi Delites

Well I`ll try again. This morning I wrote a cracker of a blog and after 50 minutes there was a short but decisive current cut and oops, no blog. Luckily the camera was not plugged in but still....

I woke up at noon well groggy and time to check out the shower, bliss hot water and lots of it.

Time now to chech out the world outside, I`d already seen enough to prepare me a bit but now for the real thing. I have to admit that I was actually shaking, me the well seasoned traveller and all. Outside is actually straight from a science fiction book, except that it is not, it`s real and here and now. I went for an explore on foot and saw the most sqallid horror, the most beautiful and the most friendly people. The poor unfortunates sleep, covered by aqn old tatty shawl, just any where in the street, 4x4`s passing inches away. Nobody would notice or care if they died. At the station there was a corpse on a stretcher with a woman squatting next to it waiting for a train?

Don`t get me wrong there is truly wonderful stuff here but you soon get your sense of priorities sorted out.

Basically, to keep things short, I have been to the.........main station-all documents copied out in stacks of ledgers, straight from the Raj...... many stupifyingly dense and sensational markets

.....the `Organic Expo where were 3 organic exhibiters` but have been invited back 11+12 March at the expense of the Indian Gouvernment!!!......eaten superbe, mostly South Indian food, mmmmm.....and generally immersed myself totally. /before I sign off, just to say that it is not what you`ve got that makes you great, it`s how you see the world... These people are humble, poor but smiling, generous and really interested in you ( apart from 1 or 2 touts) bye for now

Well I`m here at last. The flight was long and got interesting about Bahrain where I found myself in an arab disneyland surrounded by 150 pilgrims from Rajasthan on their way back from Mecca. Lots of rags wound about them, obviously very poor. I found out later that all they could afford to bring home as presents for friends was bottled holy water. Seated next my new Rajasthani friend all of 80 years old, all went well till the hostess dropped a glass of rouge in my lap, resultig in an upgrade to business class, cool for me but horrific for him, annointed for the first time with the demon drink.. Since then I have been reeling from the sensations that are everyday Delhi.
I`ll tell you more as soon as I find a proper cybercafe, equiped with USB access for photos and a keyboard that works and has letters on all the keys.

J-6

J-6

After many months study in travel books and on line and consultation with my distinctly non-tropical doctor, I have amassed what seems like half of the stock of the 'Pharmacy du Centre' in Plédran, can all this really be necessary, why am I going to a place that requires all this just to stay alive!

Shall I return sounding like Brazilian percussion? At least dear Sarco will be pleased that I am such a good consumer (of pills and sprays).

The tension is palpably mounting, as are piles of things to pack and lists of things to do. My dear W is responding by booking a flight to see her old chums in London, something to do with a 'pole-dancing art exhibition', one can only imagine the mice at play while the cat's away.

Log blog, Delhi in a week!

My first blog, it is with a certain trepidation that I start to bare my soul (sole?) before the massed ranks of the world's already accomplished bloggers, but here we go......
Saturday morning and the 12 cubic meters, stères, of firewood that I have been cutting in the forest on and off for 2 weeks has all arrived chez nous by small loads. but imagine the chagrin when on my last trip through the trees, loaded with logs, I spy with my finely tuned logger's eye, an orange X
on a tree in the distance. this means that despite my well earned satisfaction at arriving at the end of a load of serious physical work and a somewhat primordial sense of providing for my clan, that it is not yet over. I shouldn't complain since I have already paid for all that has been cut, I have to admit that a 'free' tree is somewhat motivating. So it's back to the woods tomorrow and get it done. For all you tree huggers out there this forest is managed by a professional forestier and we are just cutting specific trees to make more space and light for the others!
The reason for the rush is that at last I can see the light at the end of the tunnel leading to Charles DeGaulle Airport where I will soon be leaving this green and pleasant land (yes, France) for India. I have dreamt for so long of doing this that I can hardly stand this effect of time compressing towards a certain date because I know that after that point , time is just waiting to be used up and will fly by with me hardly noticing. So I am going to try to nail time down by regularly writing this blog for y'all but mainly for my friend and enemy, Time.
I shall be starting with a stay of 5 days in New Delhi (get your maps out now) where I will be attending an expo on organic agriculture and products. The Indian gouvernment has been promoting organic farming as a way of extracting small farmers from the near imposible challenge of competing with big-time industrial agri-buisiness and there is now an enourmous production coming on-line. As yet they have a very small percentage of the world market (less than 2%) but it won't be long before we will be seeing much more from there, watch this space for continuing episodes of this story!
Rajasthan will be my home for the next 10 days with visits to Jaipur, Udaipur (where they have a 'green-leaf rating' for ecolological accomodation) and Bundi, before heading for Goa via Mumbai. If I survive the rigours of the beach and party living (just to wind up my dearest!) I will be heading down the coast to Cochin in the state of Kerala for 2 weeks. Kerala has declared the intention of becoming the first 'organic' state in India by 2010.
From Cochin I will head through Tamil Nadu to Chennai, via Madurai, Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram. So there you go, well I go actually, 6,000 miles by train, bus and legs. You can follow close behind thanks to modren teknologie and I will be posting the best of the snaps I take along the way.
I will be back here very soon if I can stop shaking long enough to tap away on the trusty lap-top.