The trip and arrival

The first leg of my trip after going through security in NYC was to Belgium where I had to transfer to another plane. Getting off of our plane, we went through a transfer gate to bring us into the main terminal to wait for our next plane. I don't know if they don't think that the US airport security is unreliable or if they think that now they sell drugs and weapons in the duty free magazine aboard planes because this transfer security was the strictest I've seen. Everyone got patted down after walking through the Xray machine. Many people had there carry ons searched after putting them through the Xray machine. Regardless, I made it through, stretched my legs and was on my second leg which brought me through to Chennai, India.


On arrival in India, I was met at the airport by a great friend, Veera (see above) and his cousin (not pictured). We went for chai (good to be back in India), and got home around 1am for a good nights sleep.


My first day and I just took in all the familiar things that I was so quickly reminded about. The fresh fruit everywhere, cars and bikes honking non-stop, chai at every corner, cows wandering around aimlessly and how white I really am (sidenote: I was at a kindergarten today in an international school and somehow color came up and the little 5 year old girl told me that we are beige and not white after I said something about being white.)

Veera and I went to a fishing village for a good part of one day because his company was donating gps's to fisherman to use on their boats to help them catch more fish, I wandered the beach and village and played with the kids a bit. (seen above)

I forgot how people don't drive in lanes and the driving in general is just chaotic (I've always said that I think of India as having the most organized chaos)
Veera was saying that people are independent here, they drive where they want and do what they want. "look, there is a red light. people will, just go through it because they want to. In the west, people pick their dogs shit up and throw it out. Here, noone picks it up because they don't own the dogs and don't care. Even the dogs are free to do what they want, they go where they want and shit where they want". In saying this, he wasn't necessarily proud of it, more making a joke out of my reaction to the whole thing.

After I left Veera in Chennai, I was heading further south. I was waiting for the bus and when it pulled up it said it was too full to take me and my bags the couple or hours while 6 indians piled in front of me onto the bus (I don't know if they don't want to deal with my bags or since I pay the same amount they don't want to deal with a tourists since maybe in the past some tourists have been a pain; either way, I was discriminated against) I also know that besides people trying to cheat me due to my beige color, it can also work for me, which proved to be the case 10 minutes after the bus denied me. This guy above in his car was whizzing by, but when he saw me amongst the Indians waiting for the next bus, he pulled over and waved me in. I ran to get in along with other Indians who knew this guy was going down the highway to the next big city where everyone was going. With a smile, he told me to get in and told the other Indians that he had to turn them down. I felt a little bad, but once I heard a couple of the old american songs on a cd he proudly had, I enjoyed my roomy, ac ride and let the guilt slip away.

On two lane roads, the cars and buses will pass other cars and completely come over to the other side of the road, as the oncoming cars have to pull off the road. Someone told me. Dont' get mad at them, just think of it as an elephant coming at you. You wouldn't argue with the elephant, you would just get out of its way. The same person also told me I was a good guy for an american.




I am down in Auroville; an international community in the middle of nowhere in India (actually near Pondicherry and they don't like to be thought as nowhere), visiting a friend here. While hear, I am staying in a place that makes me feel like Robinson Crusoe. A bamboo hut right near the beach.

This is the Matrimandir-the heart of Auroville. I got to go inside this today. It is massive, covered in golden plates, geometrically incredible, and has the feel of entering a spacecraft. It was built for meditation and too be honest I don't even know how to explain what it was like inside, but strange, unique, and great all at the same time.

As I am often on the move with my feet constantly going, I got a quote sent to me from a friend that says: "Those who keep both feet firmly on the ground have difficulty putting pants on"

About 5 months ago I befriended a guy in Arizona and we had a spirited discussion on the general happiness of people who I come across in India and such places that have very little, but their families and community and the overall happiness of people that live in the US (a wealthier country) I would like to share the email that I got from him after letting him know that I am back in India. I would love to hear your comments and thoughts either way on this.

"Could you tell me again that those folks like to be poorer than the dirt they shovel (or whatever that brown stuff is…). That they are “happier” than the families and children and elderly, etc., here. Go ahead, convince me that our progress, though flawed in its own way, does not ultimately strive to make everyone’s level of existence just a little better for each subsequent generation. Not just economically, but environmentally, educationally, interpersonally and entertainmentally (my new word for the day, made it up just now).

So keep on losing weight as you eat more, and we’ll keep gaining weight as we eat faster. Difference is we have the choice to eat and live better, any damn time we want. And drive less miles in our gas guzzlers, and watch less TV and conspicuously spend less money on frivolous consumtive crap. We have the choice, that is the key difference.

Gotta hop, all these choices to make. Feel free to post my ramblings as your own, or post them as an opposing view to yours (dare ya). Whatever works for your forehead works for me."

I also would like to recommend a great to book to those looking for something to read.

Tom Hodgkinson: The Freedom Manifesto

Be well, gotta go, it's chai time.