Let's talk food

The food was over the top great.  There were 3 women who cooked for us in the kitchen over a fire stove.  Here are a few pics from the kitchen.  I regret not taking photos of the fully prepared food.  Basically very simple and very fresh. 

Getting ready to cook dinner



These were kind of like sun fish.  Served baked with a black spicy coating, and eaten by hand like everything else.  They cut out the teeth, but we still had to watch out for bones.

I imagine anyone with a germ issue or an overactive imagination would have a hard time eating the food after seeing how it was prepared.  We had no casualties.



I did not spend any time at the Runs Hotel, either literally or figuratively.  In fact, I ate lots of the things you're not supposed to eat - rice, bread and potatoes -  and lost a tiny bit of weight.  I found it when I returned home.

 

Competition Day

The first half of the day was spent at a Sports Competition, given in our honor in the schoolyard.  The students had foot races (barefoot), jumping contests, and a sack race.  The younger ones also did a leap frog race and a very noisy version of musical chairs with people banging on pans instead of playing music.

Being a spectator was a good way to ease into the day - I thought I'd be more jetlagged, but it was mostly getting used to the surroundings that took some time.  Speaking of surroundings...     

Above is the view from the front porch of the house.  There is a 1 lane asphalt road running in front of it - you'd get cars, moped, and the occasional bus going by - fast - but overall it was quiet.  Everyone drives fast if they're not in a traffic jam, which happened whenever we went anywhere near a town.

Below the backyard and beyond, the jungle.  I'm not sure if we were in a village.  It's very loosely defined, but walking 5 minutes down the road each way there were a few houses, a chruch, a Hindu temple, lots of small store shacks, and plenty of land.

                                                 

Back to the rest of the day...  with the Sports Competition complete, we went into the town of Cochin to purchase bicycles.  The idea being that the older kids could use the bicycles to take kids to school, which is 2 miles away for the students beyond 4th grade.  I never made it over to that school, only the one that was for K-4th grade.

Cochin was crowded and dirty with bad traffic.  We went to the BSA bike store, paid for the bikes, and then had to go down an alley to pick them up.

Crossing the street is not for the faint of heart: Run across lanes to get to median strip.  Climb onto median strip, hang on fence and wait for opening.  Jump down 3 feet to roadway and make a run for it.  I think I took this pic while hanging on the median strip waiting to finish the game of Frogger.  An appropriate way to end Competiton Day. 

MENU: 

Breakfast - watermelon juice, fresh egg omelets, homemade bread and butter, mini bananas.

Lunch - Mango curry with chicken, Kerala rice, pineapple.

Day 2: November 19

Like much of Dubai, the airport is modern, sleek and clean.  There are 3 terminals, with Terminal 3 being dedicated solely to Emirates.  Terminal 3 is the largest building in the world by floor space, covering 370 acres of space.

At left are my travel mates Robin and Sharon, just before entering to catch the flight to India.

Once arriving in India at 3 AM, we had an hour's drive to the orphanage, and upon arrival, were shown to our sleeping area.  My head hit the pillow after 5 AM, and we slept for a few hours before getting up to explore.  . 

Before visiting the kids in class, we got familiar with our surroundings, and tried to get organized.  At that point, the shower situation became apparent.  Talk about a wake up call... 1 bucket, 1 hose, and 1 cup.  (Stand in bucket, use hose, then cup to rinse.)  The excess water stayed on the floor, and when you are done, a squeegee (sp?) pushes the water to a small drain in the corner.  I thought this was unique to our primitive setup, but then saw the same facilities in other bathrooms, even at the airport.

The bed was, uh... elevated and rectangular. There's not much else to say about that.  Luckily, I had packed 2 wool blankets to donate to the children's home, so they were my sheet and blanket for the week.

Comfortable but moldy bed.  I slept well most nights, although there may have been some medication involved.

I'm signing off each post with a photo of one of the kids.  This is Anjulie, posing in the front yard of the church, where the men had been chopping wood.  She's looking quite serene here, usually she was outgoing and a little sassy. The kids would sometimes mug for the cameras, but most of the time they were calm and composed.  They seemed to be very respectful and sincere when being snapped.

                                           

Day 1: Thursday, Nov. 18

Arrived in Dubai at 8 AM local time.  The 12 hour flight from JFK to Dubai was a piece of cake, due mainly to the all around awesomeness of the Emirates Air flight experience.  Each passenger gets their own seat back media screen, allowing you to watch TV, films, play games, check your flight status,  and even look at live shots from cameras mounted on the plane's nose, tail, and below.

Because of our 10 hour layover, the airline put us up in a room for the day.  Again, Emirates is the best!
So... first visit to a Muslim country, only a short time to explore... what to do?  Visit Biggles English Pub, of course, which was located in our hotel lobby.  I later came to learn that alcohol can only be served in certain hotels.  So all of the restaurants are dry, unless they're in a hotel.

Time for a shower, short nap, and then we had just a short time before getting everything together to go back to the airport.

We boarded our flight at midnight for the 3 hour flight to Cochin, India.  This day was a little bit of a blur.   :-)

The Cochin airport was PACKED at 3 AM.  There was also a lot of traffic on the road.  Daytime was even more crowded.

Back in the USA

Well, that went fast!   It seems like I was just getting used to the pace and way of life, and then it's back on a plane. I have hundreds of photos to sort through, and will start posting in earnest tomorrow.      In the meantime, here's one of the first photos I took after dumping my luggage and walking over to the school where class was in session.  Chaos erupted when we arrived, and all the kids ran out to get a look at us.   These guys are outside of their 3rd Standard class.  (third grade)

While I have a ton of photos of the kids I met along the way, I only have one photo of a man on the side of the road with a cobra.  Here it is.  Taken in the port area on the coast of the Arabian Sea.  The cobra is totally ready for his closeup.

Almost there

Deja vu.  I feel like I'm back in artist management mode, and planning a tour.  The passport, visa, flights and partial accomodations are in order.  Basically, all of the factors for which I am responsible.  For the main part - the time spent at the orphanage - I am part of a group, and know only the basics.  It's been an interesting exercise in going with the flow.  Here are a few things I found out:

  I assumed the orphanage would have electricity. It does. "Sometimes".  What this 
  means is that one should proceed as if  there is none, and sometimes it just
  magically comes on for a short bit.

  I thought many of the kids would know English.  They do.  "Sometimes".  I am now
  in express mode learning useful phrases in Malayalam, the local language.   One
  easy one... "Thank you" is "Na-nee".

  Yes is No, and No is Yes.  I went through the same thing when moving to
  Nashville.  Down south, a bag is called a "sack" (ie for groceries), and a sack is
  called a "bag" (ie of grain).  In this part of India, shaking one's head up and down
                                       means NO, and from left to right means YES.  Understand?  (shake your head in
                                       the appropriate direction)

Left Hand Rule is active.  If you've travelled to certain parts of the world, you know what this means.  The left hand is considered unclean because it's used for toilet needs, so the right hand should be used for everything else.  I'm ambidextrous, but mostly a righty.  My travel mate, Robin, is 100% lefty.  We'll need to work out a subtle sign when she grabs the fork with her left hand.  Wait a minute... that brings me to my next revelation:

They don't use silverware at meals.  Just hands.  I guess the Left Hand Rule makes sense.

      While not self sufficient, the orphanage has fruits,
      vegetables, and fresh milk in the form of cow(s) on
      the land.  Note to self:  Find a way to "help"
      by being taught how to milk a cow.  For totally
      selfless reasons, of course.

      I'll sign off by doing something I should have done
      first thing.  Big thank you's to the friends who have
      sent a donation to help defray the expense of the
      supplies.  It's much appreciated, and I'll be able to
      see first hand how the supplies help many people. 

       Thank you.  Na-nee.

       If you've read this far, you can understand that
       further posts will have to wait until I return.  In the
                                                                                    meantime, stay on the edge of your seat by 
                                                                                    checking out "The Walking Dead" on AMC. I've never been a zombie and gore gal, but am digging this in spite of it's subject matter.

where am i going, and why?!?



I'll be here in a few weeks.

8400 miles and 13 hours after leaving home, I'll be in southwestern India, on the coast of the Arabian Sea, in the state of Kerala.  The tourist board calls Kerala "God's Own Country" for it's lush forests, back rivers, and abundant wildlife.  The fact that it's also known for it's chocolate and spices doesn't hurt, either.  
                                                                     
Why?!?  Well, it all came together suddenly.  (More on that later.)  The short story is that I was invited to participate in a humanitarian mission:  taking supplies to an orphanage, and spending 9 days living on site with the 160 kids who are full time residents. While there, we'll visit a leper's community with more supplies, spend some quality time with the kids, and indulge in a few touristy things as time allows.  The touristy part will involve riding elephants, drinking lots of homemade chai, and buying a tailored linen shirt if all goes according to plan.



Some of the younger residents of the Children's Home

Friends and family have asked if there is any way to help.  YES!  I'm funding all of my expenses, including acquisition of health and school supplies, which are the top priorities.  Contributing even a small amount will go a long way, and I'll provide a receipt from the orphanage - an approved non-profit - for your tax deduction.  If you have a PayPal account, here's how to help:

• Click here to visit PayPal.com
• Sign on and click on the "Send Money" tab
• Enter my email address: dlcbay@hotmail.com 
• Enter dollar amount, click on the "Personal" tab, and and click on the"Gift"option  
• Press "Continue", hit SEND

Please email me directly if you'd like to contribute but don't have a PayPal account.