Colonies, "Kerala Meals" and Mosquitoes...not for the faint of heart...

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We visited 3 different colonies today...I wish you all could witness this stuff first hand. "Colonies" resemble what we call "ghettos” or "barrios"...they're clusters of land which are populated by Dalits. The colonies we visited today still lacked basic plumbing (there was a communal well where people could get water) some houses lacked electricity. The houses were about 10x10 feet, others were slightly larger...I'm always amazed at the resilience of individuals who live in these conditions. The first family we visited gave us tea and cookies, then they took us for a hike up this huge rock which led to a beautiful view of the area...they were so friendly (they always are), smiling and laughing with us...it's crazy to think of people (I'm not excluding myself either) who complain about how their manicurist was late, or how they couldn't get the Hummer they wanted in a certain color...or whatever, you guys know what I'm getting at ... In the mean time most of the world barely survives. We went to 16 different households, most of them make under 500 rupees a month ( I know this because we've been surveying every house we go to)which is roughly $11, that is at most they'll make $11, some of them make much less than that.

We'll be visiting other colonies this week...I expect it will continue to be an awesome experience...speaking of awesome check out this guy, who climbed a tree to cut down some coconuts for us to eat and drink:

Between visiting the colonies we had lunch...we had a traditional Kerala meal which is basically this:

Yup, it was one of those eat with your hands dining experiences, and it went something like this:

Please try this at home! It's so liberating...hahahaaaAaaaaaa!

In other news, Caryn and I are being eaten alive by mosquitoes, or ants or spiders or something...we haven't been able to figure out what it is...personally, I, have doused myself in "Jungle Juice" which is SUPPOSED to repel all these little blood sucking things but, so far IT HAS NOT WORKED...the proof of that can be seen here (this is pretty nasty):

At first I was a little hesitant to take the Malaria pills...because I read all this stuff about how they're supposed to make you a little crazy, anxious, depressed, suicidal...nightmares are also a side effect, oh and they also make your hair fall out...BUT now, the malaria pills are my new best friend!!! If you guys have any suggestions about what I can do...send them my way...

Sooooo, aside from being a walking blood bank for every conceivable insect here, everything else has been really good.

Talk to you all soon!

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Photos

Tea?
One of the families owns this little hut/tea shop...it's how they make a living.

help!
the mosquitoes are eating me alive!!

Comments

[joelskee]

HOLLER
Wear a spandex body suit to bed! Oh, and u should attempt to get a coconut out of a tree and makesure to record it. Now that would be good.

[Anindo]

Mosquito
Go to the market and buy a cheap mosquito net. Use it when you sleep. This is the most cost-effective, natural, and easy solution for the problems of insects in the night. For the first few days, you might feel uncomfortable but slowly you will get used to it. If you feel hot because the mosquito net sometimes prevents air generated by the overhead ceiling fan from circulating well, buy a cheap table fan and place it near the bed so that you can feel the flowing air. This is a very common practice in India. Close your windows just before the sunset and do not open them till sunrise. These two steps can help you take care of the problem of mosquito bites at night. You can also use some products like mosquito repellent - "Good Knight", "Casper" to drive out mosquitos in the night. These can be found in any local grocery shop. However, these products leave a smell inside the room that many people can not tolerate. Moreover, the long term effects of inhaling the chemicals emitted in the form of vapours have not been studied in great depth. Many Indians use a natural fumigant by burning dried neem/eucalyptus leaves to drive out mosquitos just before closing the windows before the sun sets. Keep up the good work. Regards,

[Mea]

mosquitos
Get a net and burn eucalyptus. I've heard that people tuck in the sides on the net to prevent the little shit getting in.