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The area that I am staying in is called Kokulum, a small village between Enumulapalli and Puttaparthi, there is very little distance in between them . I turn left when I leave the flat walking for about twenty minutes, takes me to Enumulapalli where the center is situated, turning off the main road and up a small hill. It is very picturesque, especially near the river with the hills in the background. The village is traditional with lots of little brick built houses, some of them colourfully painted and quite elaborately decorated. Some of them have electricity but water is fetched either at the river or at wells, it's incredible to see the women carrying these large urns on there heads, they make it look so easy. A few of the houses have little sheds attached to them where they keep either a cow, a goat or chickens. The women are always busy washing clothes or preparing food, a lot of which is done outside. The people and the children are very friendly and greet me everyday (sai ram), even the local dogs are getting used to me now and not barking or growling at me. Most of the villagers wear traditional dress, even the young men but there are a few who wear western style clothing, the women are so beautiful in their sarees. It is not a very busy area, mode of transport is mostly motorcycles, bikes, a few cars and autorickshaws. I love a Tuesday, when the local market is on, the whole village is there and the main road is littered with lots of local grown food ,spices, household items and lots of lovely coloured bangles. The smells and the colours are incredible, plenty of food stalls too and the pakora is to die for! I enjoy the walk most days but sometimes it is too hot so I take the auto rickshaw. It is coming into monsoon season so it should be a lot cooler, that I am looking forward to and seeing the landscape changing too,especially the river, it is very wide but quite low at the moment. I am really enjoying working at the center and like it here so much I have decided to stay until the end of July. The flow of animals is constant and no two days are the same. It is mainly dogs that require most treatments but we had another deer in who had been attacked by dogs. She is doing well but frightened as you can imagine. Contact with her is minimal as they hope to return her to her natural habitat and don't want her becoming used to humans.
Kokulum itself is quite small as well but is totally different, the locals live in apartment buildings and small houses dotted about the hillside, with power and water, some collected from wells dotted about the area. There are several small businesses and a mosque straight across the road from me. The street comes alive after the call to prayers at five am with everyone going about their daily business and from then on it is quite noisy with tooting horns so sleep isn't an option! Most places shut down between twelve and three due to the heat and then reopen for the evening when once again everyone comes out and sits. By about nine o'clock everyone retires for the night and the street is extremely quiet A lot of people actually sleep on the roofs of the apartments to keep cool. I am on top(fourth floor) and have got quite a good view of the surrounding area, especially of the monkeys when they decide to use the power lines to walk or run along! .
Went to Bangalore now (Bengalaru) with Clementien the founder of the sanctuary on my day off. Along with running the center, she does a host of other things, meetings for web design, delivering fruit, Picking up labels, etc, etc, an incredible lady with lots of energy. The foundation has grew considerably since she started and constantly strives to improve and expand it daily with the help of a very good team. Bangalore was as bad as Hyderabad, traffic horrendous and extremely noisy. Lots of tourists on the the busy Brigade and MG Road. Lots of western eateries (McDonalds, etc) a few malls and lots and lots of craft shops. Had lunch at a lovely vegetarian restaurant called Carrots, food was delicious and cheap. Thoroughly enjoyed the day out but was glad to get back to Kokulum away from the traffic and the noise. I can't believe I've been here over a month already, the days seem to pass by so quickly and yes still having problems trying to load pictures, but looking for ways round it. Sai Ram.
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Isobel MacNaughtan
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Enumulapalli
As ever May - a joy to read your blog. I am getting so much pleasure from hearing about your incredible journey. Keep blogging