I've been in India for 5 days, but haven't been able to post until now. During my first day in Dubai, I developed a painful condition that affected both eyes, which seemed to be worsening. I'd hired a guide to show me the city, but after about an hour I asked if she could find me a doctor. Within 5 minutes I was walking into a modern medical building that was a specialist urgent care facility, and within 15 minutes I was being examined by a London-trained opthalmologist. She diagnosed scratches on both corneas and ulcers inside my eyelids, likely caused by an allergic reaction to something sprayed inside the plane on my long flights - not to mention the significant polluting dust that hangs in the air everywhere in Dubai. I was given an arsenal of eye medications which have very slowly brought things back to normal, but I simply couldn't even look at a computer screen until today.
I'll offer some highlights of this trip as I have time, starting with the following:
I'll offer some highlights of this trip as I have time, starting with the following:
I began my India trip in Chennai, the 4th biggest city in India. It’s in the region of Tamil Nadu, in the south of India, stretching between the Coromandel Coast in the east to the forested Western Ghats (mountains) in the west. It was the cradle of ancient Dravidian culture where Chola kings built spectacular temples. Tamil is the language spoken here, and Tamil people are proud of their culture, customs, dance, music, and food, all of which are unique to this part of India.
Our talented and well-educated guide is Anuja Skaria, who was born & raised in the south of India. She wears traditional Indian 3-piece Punjab outfits, has an excellent command of English and is a delight in all ways. She seems dedicated to enhancing our understanding and appreciation of the fascinating culture of southern India by treating us to the main sights, but especially offering us poignant experiences that aren’t on most tourist itineraries.
Our calm driver who pilots us skillfully past all hair-raising and fast-moving road obstacles (cows, tuk-tuks, other buses, motorcycles, pedestrians, dogs, and more) is Paneer. His kind and ever-smiling assistant is Selvan, who serves us cold bottled water, snacks, and squirts of hand sanitizer. Both men will guard our bus nonstop for the duration of our trip, even sleeping inside on the floorboards during the night.
Our talented and well-educated guide is Anuja Skaria, who was born & raised in the south of India. She wears traditional Indian 3-piece Punjab outfits, has an excellent command of English and is a delight in all ways. She seems dedicated to enhancing our understanding and appreciation of the fascinating culture of southern India by treating us to the main sights, but especially offering us poignant experiences that aren’t on most tourist itineraries.
Our calm driver who pilots us skillfully past all hair-raising and fast-moving road obstacles (cows, tuk-tuks, other buses, motorcycles, pedestrians, dogs, and more) is Paneer. His kind and ever-smiling assistant is Selvan, who serves us cold bottled water, snacks, and squirts of hand sanitizer. Both men will guard our bus nonstop for the duration of our trip, even sleeping inside on the floorboards during the night.
RSS Feed