Early tomorrow morning, our group leaves for our trip to the South of India for temples, temples and more temples. We are leaving the computer here. When we went North, it was a nuisance because we could never get on the internet because of challenges with electricity ! We will just have long tourist days, and I hope to have some tales to share when we return on April 17th. Some of us just had pasta on the roof of the hostel, thanks to Giana’s mom “care package” and realized we will be going back to the US in just a month. The time has been wonderful and now seems much too short. We have fallen in love with India! One question to leave with you….Did you know that jungle is a Hindi word?
The itinerary is for those of you who want to follow our journey either before or after.
Nameste….T I I
PROPOSED ITINERARY FOR FIELD TRIP APRIL 6 – APRIL 16, 2013 FOR 13 PEOPLE (SELF, WIFE, 11 RENSSELAER ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS)
APRIL 6 – 13: coach for 19 with A/C
DEPART FOR SOUTH ON SATURDAY, APRIL 6
APRIL 6: Depart from Presidency Enclave by coach to airport (early morning flight to Chennai from Ahmadabad) arrive early to Chennai and meet with coach to explore the city
Visit: Dakshina-chitra, Kapeleeshwar Temple, St. Andrew’s Kirk, Fort Museum Beach, Check into hotel mid-afternoon
APRIL 6: Hotel for night of April 6 in Chennai
APRIL 7: depart for Auroville at 6am with stop at Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram)
APRIL 7 & 8: Hotel for nights of April 7 & 8 in Auroville
Visit: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Perhaps participate in Earth Building Workshop (8:30am – 4:15pm), Ashram/Commune complex, City of Dawn, featuring Matrimandir Auromodel Housing Community, Integrated Learning Center, Solar Kitchen, Visitor’s Center, Vikas Housing, Community Last School. Possible day trip to Pondicherry on April 8.
APRIL 9: depart for Thanjavur at 6am (stop at Chidambaram (Nataraja Temple) on way to Thanjavur)
APRIL 9: Hotel for night in Thanjavur
Visit: Brihadishvara Temple, Observation Tower, Royal Palace: Saraswati Library
APRIL 10: depart for Madurai – if possible, visit Srirangam on way to Madurai
APRIL 10 & 11: Hotel for nights of April 10 & 11 in Madurai
Visit: Minakshi – Sundareshvara temple complex, possible visit to Thiruparankundram, possible visit to tombs of Madurai sultans
APRIL 12: depart for Kollam
APRIL 12: Hotel for night of April 12 in Kollam
APRIL 13: backwater river tour at Alleppy, (3 hours)
APRIL 13: night in Alleppy
APRIL 14: 6am coach to Kochin airport for flight to Goa
APRIL 14: coach pick up at Goa airport
APRIL 14 & 15: Hotel for nights of April 14 & 15 in Goa (Panaji)
Visit: Beach, Panaji, Old Town
APRIL 16: Train from Goa to Mumbai (arrive at Mumbai VT station at 9:40pm) Bus transfer to Mumbai Central Rail Station. Overnight train to Ahmadabad departs at 11:25pm
APRIL 17: Arrive Ahmedabad at 5:50am
This is Incredible South India!
If you could visit India, where would you want to go? Would you want to visit why or why not? I have learned that most people have very strong opinions about India either pro or con! And there seems very little middle ground !
TalesAlongTheWay 
So Dad let you guys have a beach day? He’s getting soft.
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He sure has…a long way from giving US 15 minutes on the beach in Spain!
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Can I simply just say what a comfort to find an individual who truly
understands what they are talking about on the net.
You actually realize how to bring a problem to light and make it important.
More and more people ought to check this out and understand this side of the
story. It’s surprising you aren’t more popular since you certainly possess the gift.
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Thank you for your kind review. I hope you will continue to read my blog, comment and enjoy it! I appreciate your encouragement. Nameste….Anne
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rice,catamaran, vetiver – tamil words too
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Cool…I used to love to help my 8-9 year old students realize the derivation of words. I knew jungle, pajama..but not rice… makes sense! Thanks…namaste….Anne
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I have a few friends in our neighborhood who are from India. Our level of understanding in each other’s language hinders us from becoming better friends, but I see them often. There does not seem to be any language help online for me to look up unfamiliar words, or a list of phrases I can use.
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There are actually about 300 or more languages in India. Imagine! The educated Indians learn English in school. Hindi is spoken in the north of India but the south has rejected it. It is hard to imagine that they would move to the states ( I am assuming that is where you are! ) without some English. Say “hindi” and if they say yes, then you might be able to use the dictionary on line or buy a small book. Namaste. . . is a greeting all Indians understand. You put your hands together as in prayer, hold them up to your forehead and say NAMESTE as you bow slightly in respect. Try that and let me know what happens. . . . . . .
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Thank you! They were very happy that I tried, although I believe I pronounced it with my mixed up accent. 🙂
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That is terrific! I am proud of your international diplomacy! Maybe you can learn , hello , and thank you things like that. I want to learn those the next time. . . .
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It is a small town, and they are my friends, so we have had a few laughs over each other’s mispronunciations. Thanks for adding to my useful vocabulary.
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Another thought is to ask mother or grandmother to teach you some simple recipes. I would recommend chai tea and aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) and rice beriani ( rice with begs or maybe meat, too. You you could go with them to Indian grocery and get tea, spices and of course mangos! They will love doing that ! Where are your Indian friends from in India?
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I’m not sure we are up to recipes, so far from the elder generation I get hello, goodbye, and “Sus see call” (pardon my Punjabi).
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Okay…Punjab. If you go to March 2013, you will find many posts from there. Golden Temple 1and 2, In the Garden ( also in Amritsar, the main city) and Wagha , the border with Pakistan. Does the man wear a turban? if so they are Sikhs. All this area used to be part of Pakistan until the partition in 1947.
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Yes, turbans (except at work), yes, sikhs. Thanks for the post reference. 🙂
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The cooking would work best as demonstration with you watching. Great film “The Lunchbox “. Just out in last few months!
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“The Lunchbox” sounds interesting. I will look for it. Thanks Annetbell
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We saw it in theater but imagine it is on Netflix. Do you have it?
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I haven’t seen it on Netflix yet, but I will search when I get home. Right now is just a quick break from work.
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https://talesalongtheway.com/2014/04/19/love-in-a-lunchbox/ my post!
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Punjab.. . A
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I talked to one Indian woman blogger months ago and I asked her how many languages she spoke, understood etc and it was seven. I have to assume she was telling me the truth! Amazing !
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That is amazing. I answer phones in an area far removed from my childhood, and continually misspell names the way they sound to me. I am the constant target of “yankee” jokes with the local folks with whom I work.
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Aha! You live in the south. I grew up in Virginia where the word Yankee is used !
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‘Yankee’ is just like the word ‘god’, it is only a bad word if you pair it with the word ‘damn’
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Yes, my dear sainted mama said she was 12 before she learned that damn Yankee wasn ‘t one word!!
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:0
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Forgot, in grocery buy some bags of snacks . They are yummy and we bought them from street vendors. Spicy but maybe someone can help you. Also mango juice in bottle or mango soda is awesome!
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Cool. Summer is the best time to try a new snack or refreshing drink!
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and they also speak English, except the oldest grandma & grandpa.
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The older people get the harder it is to learn new languages. I am no sure why , but the best time to learn is at the youngest possible age.Way to go !
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I appreciate the encouragement to become better friends. 🙂
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My post: http://lucy34.wix.com/commnewsviews#!singh/c1unh
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Very interesting format and content. I was drawn to the images without people! . . . Me the people person!
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We were supposed to show their presence without including people. It was a fun project that led to two more projects.
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