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Published: December 13th 2008
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Fishing at Kovalam When we left Kalimpong we said that we would be in touch when we reached Kerala if we could get an internet connection. Well our trusty Tata Indicom Dialler works here as well and so this is the last post in the blog before we set off for home on Monday.
If you have been reading the blog from the start you will have seen that we have experienced so much in what in reality is quite a short time. While we have been living the adventure however we have at times thought that it would never end. We have at times been ready to chuck it all in and return. This was mainly in the dark (literally) days of the monsoon when we hardly saw sun amid the mist and rain for several weeks at a time. However all of a sudden that all disappeared and we were presented with amazing vistas of the Himalayas from the school.
At the end we found the parting quite difficult. We have made many friends at Dr Graham’s and enjoyed the company of adults and children alike. Because we came to act as trainers and soon became management consultants we have
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Evening over the Arabian Sea had unprecedented access to everything, everywhere and everyone in the organisation and feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to contribute to the life of the Homes.
Our five days in Kolkata passed very quickly, spent in the company of the family of Christine from Ahava and with the young people of the choir as they rehearsed for their big performances in the run up to Christmas. We saw them perform in St Paul’s Cathedral and very good they were too. We met the Board and presented our final report and enjoyed a great party with members of the Board and friends at the home of one of the Board members. We had just enough time to savour the sights and smells of Calcutta and to witness but not come to terms with the scenes of abject poverty and misery which abound in the streets of this city. It was a great opportunity for us to contrast the lives of those sponsored children at Dr Graham’s who have in the main been rescued from this poverty and abject misery in order to pursue an education in wonderful surroundings in the pure air of the Himalayan foothills.
Now
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Waves on the backwaters we are coming to the end of our ten days in Kerala, an amazing contrast to what we have seen in the far north. In fact looking at the map of India, we could not have travelled much further from one end of the country to the other if we had tried. Kerala is the deep south of India. The food is different; the people are different as is the language. We have also been living in the lap of luxury at the Taj Green Cove in Kovalam with a view over the Arabian Sea from our balconies. We spent 2 days away, overnight on a backwater boat and one night at a hotel in Varkala. The backwater trip was a bit curtailed as there are security concerns about how accessible the area is from the sea as a potential landing area for foreign weapons and terrorists. Nonetheless we enjoyed the trip and saw lots of wildlife including sea eagle, kingfisher and egret. We were able to witness the daily rhythm of life at the edge of the water and as usual we were regaled with smiles, waves and namastes as we passed by. A bit like the cut at
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Man washes cow Wolverhampton in fact, Paul!
It was nice to come back to Kovalam, however, and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of this little seaside resort. The area has become very quiet as a result of the global downturn and the Mumbai Terror. Bookings are down hugely and it is sad to see so many people struggling to make a living from tourists when so many tourists have cancelled at what should be the peak of the season. We have continued to do our bit for the local economy and Eleanor has become even better at negotiating a good price for everything from sandals to rickshaw fares. We are of course helped when asked where we live when Eleanor replies, “West Bengal”. The effect of this reply has to be capitalised on quickly before they realise that we are not actually resident in India but Eleanor knows how to haggle over the price of a shirt or a string of elephants or anything in fact!
So that’s about it really. We now look forward to returning to see all our friends who have kept in touch; and of course Katie, Guy, Toni, James and Oscar all of whom we have missed
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Man washes elephant so much while we have been away and without whom we would probably not have undertaken this big project. So watch out soon in Kelso for Eleanor haggling in Somerfield over the price of a loaf of wholemeal bread!
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Denise
non-member comment
Look forward to your return
We are all so much looking forward to you both returning home and being part of our lives again , we have missed you both, travel safely and we will be thinking of you both on your return journey home. God bless Denise