Shwee

We have a rental space! Anusha's family have agreed to rent us a room they own at only 1200 rupees per month (about AUD$24). This is a fantastic achievement given that the rent in the village is usually over 2000 rupees per month. For two months we will occupy a smaller room on the top floor of their house, until the current tenant of the larger room moves out. The larger room is a separate dwelling on their property, with an attached bathroom. We are all thrilled about this. On the facilitator front, we have one great candidate named Apoorva. She is about to start her Masters in Science, and has a fantastic grasp on English. Her father is also very supportive, we just hope she will be able to fit Pod into her busy schedule! ... read more

We have had the last few days (Friday to Monday) off for a long weekend. Tracey and I decided to fly down to Kerala, the state south of Karnataka where Bangalore is located. Parts of Kerala have been described as god’s country, and I can most certainly see where that comes from. Deciding to stay up in the mountains, amongst the tea and spice plantations was a great ideas. It is about 120km east of the coat, a 3 hour drive given the state of the roads. It is absolutely stunning up here! So quiet and peaceful. Yesterday we visited Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary (about 60km, or a 2.5 hour drive from where we are staying), and went for a two hour trek with a local guide. We saw a bison, some deer, and two elephants! I ... read more

India is filled with stray dogs. I was prepared for that. But then I met Bella. Bella was lying by the main road in our village, helpless and sick. He was severely malnourished, barely able to walk, and totally unloved. You could see his ribs ripple under his skin every time he breathed. And nobody seemed to care. Everyone here would walk straight over him. I have been trying to feed him milk and soft biscuits this past week, but he remained extremely weak and unresponsive. He made my heart break. So last night I got in contact with Rakesh, the founder of Voice of Stray Dogs (http://www.strays.in/). Check out their website! They are a not-for-profit organisation that rescues and gives medical treatment to stray dogs, and helps rehabilitate them. They have animal ambulances, and qualified ... read more

One of our catch-phrases here is "TII" to stand for "This is India." We just had a TII moment... We were in Bangalore city for the weekend, and had to head home this evening. We found a lovely auto-rickshaw driver who would give us the meter fare, and was even willing to drive us ALL the way home! Usually this trip requires you to change rickshaw's twice, to put this into perspective. He was even willing to wait for us to finish dinner before driving us the final leg home. Top Bloke. Except....there was one small problem... His headlight was broken. Like kaput. Out. Gone. Oops. Rural India. Rough roads. Speed bumps. Darkness. Thankfully I had my teeny tiny torch on me (It's smaller than my pinky and puts out about 10 lumes). So for most ... read more

After 18 hours on a plane, a stopover in Frankfurt and much fitful non-sleeping, I have arrived in India! We landed at the ungodly hour of 2:30am, so truth be told, I'm a little bit like a walking zombie today! I have made my first foray into the city to purchase some much needed coffee (a surprisingly acceptable latte) and Indian styled clothing. I now have a beautiful sari (whose blouse is being tailored today, so I can't show you it just yet) and a traditional "salwar kameez" (the long tunic, trousers and scarf). I somehow feel like I paid more than I should have for these... but what the hell, being ripped off once or twice is part of the fun isn't it? I'll check in soon, when I have some pics to post. Also- ... read more