Sign In
Blogs from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia - page 10
Advertisement
Chennai to Madurai and in Madurai and Kodaikanal
Published: December 31st 2007Asia » India » Tamil Nadu » Madurai
December 31st 2007
We're in Kodaikanal now, this is a hill station about 7500ft high in the Western Ghat mountains of South India. It's 9:30 pm. Got here last night. I'm at an internet cafe, not too many folks in here now. The eternal sound of Indian traffic is happening outside with the horn chatter. It's quite a change being up here vs. down in Chennai or Madurai. Lot cooler here. Quite comfortable. Great fruits like oranges, jack fruit, star fruits, green mangos with lime and chilli (yum), they even have corn here coated with chilli and lime, but it's not impressive. We're all sticking with the food of deep south India which is far and away some of the best food i've ever eaten. Today is the first time we decided to go non-vegitarian. Had some delicious chicken ... read more
July 25th 2007
I am now in my final days of work at People's Watch, and as I'll explain, things are starting to get pretty exciting just as I'm leaving. From a work perspective, I find myself wishing that I had more time in Madurai, although I'm also extremely excited to be a tourist again. First, I received a comment asking if there are any good jokes regarding the Indian police and their foibles. As it turns out, I do have a good joke, as told to me by my friend and colleague Subhra, so here goes: An international panel is formed to study police search methods. As part of their study, they request three police contingents to participate in a study: an American contingent, a French contingent, and an Indian contingent. They bring these three police forces ... read more
July 9th 2007
Well, I haven't really done any extraordinary traveling recently, but I felt the itch to write something, so here's a grab-bag of thoughts: 1. Everyday Life I haven't been taking pictures of my day-to-day life here, so the pictures on this posting will be my "Ode to the Ordinary". I know that with all the pictures of Arabian Sea Sunsets, you've been wondering where I shower, relieve my bowels, etc. Well today is your lucky day. 2. Work Work has finally started moving at a slightly quicker pace. Most importantly, Henri finally gave me a decent image of the PRODUCT towards which I'm working...very exciting indeed. Basically, there will be one National Torture Report and 9 State Torture Reports. The National Report will start with a complete overview of the National Legal Standards on torture ... read more
July 9th 2007
FRENCH Madurai, ensuite... célèbre pour son temple de folie (Sri Meenakshi)... Lorsque l'art et la religion hindoue se rencontrent, on obtient des bizarreries multicolores. Madurai... C'est aussi là où Jason a commencé à se sentir moins en forme. Jusqu'ici, il n'y avait que moi à me plaindre des effets du Lariam... Comme quoi, je n'étais donc pas folle… mise à part le fait que sombrer dans la folie est l'un des effets possibles. On a donc décidé de consulter... pour demander s'il n'y avait pas une alternative au Lariam. La réponse du docteur: non. Sa solution: prendre d’autres médicaments pour nous débarrasser de ses effets indésirables. On s'est carrément fait servir: - le matin: Stugil+ (Cinnarizine et Domperidone) et Rabeone SR (Rabeprazole Sodium & Domperidone) - le soir: Stemetil MD (Prochlorperazine Maleate) et Droti DS (Drotaverine ... read more
July 1st 2007
I had been biding my time before finally deciding to go to Kerala. I knew that I had to go at some point, because the state is renowned for its beautiful coconut tree landscapes and lazy backwater canals. But the problem is that the southwest monsoon is in full swing right now. I looked at the Rough Guide and found that the average rainfall in Kerala throughout July is something like 750 cm, or some absurd amount like that. Anyways, I discovered that the monsoon doesn't end until September, so frankly I figured it doesn't really matter when I go since I'll get dumped on one way or the other. I decided to go for 5 days since Henri has been off on a trip in Europe, meeting with funders and then attending a conference ... read more
Advertisement
June 29th 2007
url='/Videos/4023.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/4023.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;' Temple de Maduraiurl='/Videos/4024.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/4024.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;' procession ds le templeurl='/Videos/4025.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/4025.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;' procession 2url='/Videos/4026.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/4026.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;' Vue de Maduraiurl='/Videos/4027.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/4027.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;' Rickshaw style bicycletteurl='/Videos/4028.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/4028.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;' King of Chaiurl='/Videos/4029.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/4029.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;' Fete religieuse (filmer de... read more
June 14th 2007
Before getting to the legends of Veerappan and Stalin, I want to begin by saying that after re-reading my last blog I feel that in my efforts to convey funny stories about my travels, I made some irresponsible and unfair generalizations about Indian society. After having lived here now for a total of almost one year, I fear that I'm taking for granted the things that I love so much about this country and writing only about the day-to-day irritations, which are undeniably present but which comprise a mere fraction of the overall experience, which is overwhelmingly positive and rewarding. I also am occasionally careless in making observations about India without noting that the same observations often hold true in America. For example, in explaining my friend's commentary on the South Asian tendency to talk ... read more
June 10th 2007
url='/Videos/3646.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/3646.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;' Traffic Before I start, I want to point out that the icon to the left entitled "Traffic" is a video I took while in a rickshaw. Have a look. So I find myself back in Madurai after a refreshing trip (5 days I think, I lost track) into the mountains of Northwest Tamil Nadu. The trip was actually more of a work retreat, a rare chance to have the full and undivided attention of Henri, who is pretty much always off doing something. For example, at the moment he's on a 20-day trip through Europe, doing I don't know what, but most likely meeting with some EU folks, since they fund the National Project on Preventing Torture. He always seems to be off on some trip that doesn't bring him back until the ... read more
June 2nd 2007
Although I've long resisted starting a blog (why? I'm not sure), I've decided that the time has come. Disappointed with my resolve in writing down my thoughts, I figure that a blog might be the spark I need. I'm in my second week of work here in Madurai. The work thus far is slow but promises to pick up after our upcoming trip to Coimbatore (in the Western Ghats, a mountain range that straddles the border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala). The basic concept of the project is this: compile a report that documents instances of police abuse/torture/inaction in nine Indian states, eventually to be handed to the national government with the message "now try to argue that torture isn't a problem in India". My initial feeling is that if we successfully pull it off, ... read more
May 29th 2007
This is an interesting blog to write. I feel compelled to apologise for how long our blogs have been but we really want you to know what India is like and not just what Ana and Chas have been up to. Also, it is hard to be excited about India when we waiting to fly to Sri Lanka for a one week honeymoon (finally, no thanks to you British High Commission!) and then on to Copenhagen to spend one week with Ana's parents. And then retire to a small village in Brittany to celebrate our wedding again with so many wonderful close friends and family. As Jordan described, India is a very abusive relationship. The daily grind of dealing with the people, the bureaucracy, the climate, the food, the filth, etc wears you down until ... read more
