Tamil Nadu has easily risen to the top of my list as one of my most favorite places I've visited in India! South India is radically different from the North in many different ways. Geographically TN has more forests with fields and fields of coconut trees and sugar cane, which makes the landscape much more lush and green as compared to Delhi which was very dry and red. The climate is much more humid (but not as bad as Kerela!) even though the temperature is not as hot as Delhi. At this point I would rather have dry heat then the wet humid stickiness of Kerela. In TN I stayed in the small city of Coimbatore with the family of a close friend, and the time spent with the Kavasseri family is what made my time in TN so special :-) If you ever get a chance to visit India and someone offers you to stay with their family then do it! Staying with an Indian family will show you the real India.
I instantly felt like part of the family and realized how much I missed the comings and goings of my own family back home. A few things to remember when you do stay with an Indian family (specially one from Tamil Nadu): use compliments sparingly! I complimented one family friend on the color of her sari and she literally gave me the sari off her back. I made the "mistake" of complimenting Padma on her earrings and left her house with 3 pairs plus an anklet! Indian families will do their best to make sure that you are taken care of and I had to practically fight to get the bill. I was very touched by their generosity and total acceptance of me as part of the family. Another unique aspect of India is family relations. Over the course of 3 days I met most of the Kavasseri family, if they were anywhere near Coimbatore I met them:-) I was invited over for tea multiple times and for dinner, everyone was so curious about my background and where I've visited etc. and in turn I enjoyed listening to family stories.
Padma and Mani treated me like a daughter. We went on several trips: to a yoga center, a 2,000 year old temple and to the hill station Ooty. The Isha yoga center was a very peaceful place, courses in meditation and yoga are given and the center is known worldwide. We visited a meditation site that housed a Shiva Lingam which is around 13 ft tall, the area is said to radiate special energies. If you have a few minutes google it because its quite a unique site. After gathering under some awnings outside the site we were lead into a dome shaped space and in the center sat the Lingam, surrounded by a small pool at the base. Around the base of the walls there are small niches were we sat and meditated. After 10 minutes or so a bell was rung and we all exited the site. The next day we set out for Ooty a hill station high above Coimbatore. During the British occupation the elite would move to Ooty for the summer and for good reason its a much cooler and quieter place. The ride up was memorable due to the wonderful scenery and harrowing car ride, the only way up is up the mountain side which was very twisty. The hairpin turns made me lose my breath not to mention the missing chunks of the wall that separate the cars from the ravine. However, if you had an accident those walls would not have prevented you from tumbling over the side anyways. We got up to the top safely and spent 2 wonderful days exploring the hill sides. We visited some parks which are known for their famous flower shows and we climbed up many hill sides and took in the exquisite view. Since the temperature was hospitable we were able to do something unusual: leave the windows down! The two smells that will always remind me of Ooty and that is pine and Eucalyuptus. On my last day I was scheduled to take a train to Fort Cochin, but as usual my train was cancelled at the last minute and had to take a bus instead. I found a nice friend to sit with and my Indian family made sure that at least 5 different families knew who I was, where I was going, and where I needed to get off! I gave a sad goodbye to Padma and Mani and left my TN family for Kerela.
I instantly felt like part of the family and realized how much I missed the comings and goings of my own family back home. A few things to remember when you do stay with an Indian family (specially one from Tamil Nadu): use compliments sparingly! I complimented one family friend on the color of her sari and she literally gave me the sari off her back. I made the "mistake" of complimenting Padma on her earrings and left her house with 3 pairs plus an anklet! Indian families will do their best to make sure that you are taken care of and I had to practically fight to get the bill. I was very touched by their generosity and total acceptance of me as part of the family. Another unique aspect of India is family relations. Over the course of 3 days I met most of the Kavasseri family, if they were anywhere near Coimbatore I met them:-) I was invited over for tea multiple times and for dinner, everyone was so curious about my background and where I've visited etc. and in turn I enjoyed listening to family stories.
Padma and Mani treated me like a daughter. We went on several trips: to a yoga center, a 2,000 year old temple and to the hill station Ooty. The Isha yoga center was a very peaceful place, courses in meditation and yoga are given and the center is known worldwide. We visited a meditation site that housed a Shiva Lingam which is around 13 ft tall, the area is said to radiate special energies. If you have a few minutes google it because its quite a unique site. After gathering under some awnings outside the site we were lead into a dome shaped space and in the center sat the Lingam, surrounded by a small pool at the base. Around the base of the walls there are small niches were we sat and meditated. After 10 minutes or so a bell was rung and we all exited the site. The next day we set out for Ooty a hill station high above Coimbatore. During the British occupation the elite would move to Ooty for the summer and for good reason its a much cooler and quieter place. The ride up was memorable due to the wonderful scenery and harrowing car ride, the only way up is up the mountain side which was very twisty. The hairpin turns made me lose my breath not to mention the missing chunks of the wall that separate the cars from the ravine. However, if you had an accident those walls would not have prevented you from tumbling over the side anyways. We got up to the top safely and spent 2 wonderful days exploring the hill sides. We visited some parks which are known for their famous flower shows and we climbed up many hill sides and took in the exquisite view. Since the temperature was hospitable we were able to do something unusual: leave the windows down! The two smells that will always remind me of Ooty and that is pine and Eucalyuptus. On my last day I was scheduled to take a train to Fort Cochin, but as usual my train was cancelled at the last minute and had to take a bus instead. I found a nice friend to sit with and my Indian family made sure that at least 5 different families knew who I was, where I was going, and where I needed to get off! I gave a sad goodbye to Padma and Mani and left my TN family for Kerela.
No comments:
Post a Comment