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This is so long overdue, and I apologise firstly. Since last time I posted I have trekked across the width of India and found myself rather firmly planted in Pondicherry, last bastion of French India and home until June.
Before that I stopped in Madurai, a ludicrous place. It's effectively a rather charmless, dirty city with the most beautiful temple plonked in the middle. Although the temple far out dates anything else, it has the feel of being the other way round, as if Madurai Town Council decided to put a gigantic ancient monument in their corner of grimy Tamil Nadu. And accordingly, stepping over the threshold of the temple, it feels as if you have been transported away from everything else. No honking rickshaws, shouting men, people unloading and reloading furniture into tiny vans, hawkers selling jasmine and steaming chai stands. Instead there is the great dense mass of pilgrims, making their way around the gigantic complex. But unlike Churches where it seems silence and solemnity are the only appropriate actions, here everyone was so happy! Parents with their children were laughing, and the whole atmosphere was convivial and fun and exciting. I wandered around for almost 2 hours, watching people pray, seeing how the priests could part the crowd with their presence and all the other things that happen in the various antechambers, halls and shrines. It wasn't until I heard the beating of drums and a huge wave of movements through the crowd that I saw the procession of the idols pass 10 feet behind me, accompanied by several elephants and numerous cows. It was all incredibly surreal and dead exciting.
Unfortunately the temple is about the only thing in Madurai that is exciting, besides a Independence Museum where it was all about how nasty the British were (we definitely were) but which made me feel incredibly uncomfortable as the stream of people read about the crimes we angrez committed. Many a bad look was sent my way and I scuttled off to feel bad and spent my last night sat on the roof of my hotel watching fireworks over the temple gopuras.
And then, suddenly, I was on a flight (picked up for the outrageous price of 20 Great British Pounds) flying over the ginormous expanse of Tamil Nadu, were I was picked up in Chennai and driven down to Pondy, my new home. It was all slightly reminiscent of moving into halls again and meeting your mates for the first time. I drew up, backpack-on-back, and wandered into the office where I knew i'd be for the next 3 months. Luckily for me it has all be incredible. I'm now firmly ensconced and feel amazingly at home. The work with the NGO (www.primetrust.org) is bloody hard, but rewarding, and I feel like I'm learning new things everyday. The other volunteers are great funny and (mostly French) bunch. There's a little buzzy, boozey group of expats who make great permanent drinking partners and we have a rooftop that can host a mean little party.
Pondy itself is an odd mix of Tamil and French which bizarrely cohabit rather well. The French Quarter, near the see, has all the nice restaurants and bars, which are pricier but nice night spots, while the Tamil section (which is by far the majority) is full of snack bars, samosa stalls and A/C bars (the best worst thing ever, bars filled with old Tamil men drinking cheap beer in a shit hole which oddly never seem to actually have A/C). It's proving to be a great mix of all the things you need to survive a long stay (a bit of European food, a lot of drinks, good parties, nice people) with all the things you want from being in India (crazy rabid dogs, meandering cows, onion wallahs, bloody good curry and steaming hot parathas). It's hard to summarise what I've been up to but suffice to say it's been great fun and that although I'm working hard I'm playing hard too (hence the lack of time for updating this!).
Right now I am putting the finishing touches on a Funding Proposal for a bank, and waiting for my flat mate, Tiffany, to bring me tandoori chicken. Life is pretty bloody good. HOWEVER, unfortunately by SD card with ALL of my photos from India has been corrupted (one too many scummy internet cafes) and so there are no photos to accompany this! As soon as I have some I'll post them but in the mean time if anyone knows how to fix this please write your answers on the back of a postcard to POBOX GEORGE, names and address on the back please! A Blue Peter badge for anyone who helps me save them.
That's all for now,
Love to all,
Gx.
