After our last visit with Balaji, Devi, Swastika, Shrinidhi, et al, we left for the airport, flew to Chennai and, after several hours in the Chennai airport (including a hip fusion bar), we all left - Becky to Washington, D.C., and Raphael and I to London.
India is an assault on the senses - ALL the senses. Not for the faint of heart. Sensory overload, really.
Despite warnings to the contrary, didn't get sick at all on this trip. Unfortunately, my camera died - a casualty of sand from the Great Thar desert, I suspect. Full disclosure - photos from Agra and Madurai are not mine.
India didn't feel like a country, or rather, it felt like more than a country - a civilization - a collection of civilizations. In many ways, it feels as different from California as any place could be. In other ways, very familiar.
Of course, two weeks is a drop in the bucket for such a vast place -just a taste.
It was a great opportunity to experience this with Raphael and Becky. Thanks to Becky, I got to visit South Africa (with her) last year and now India. Fun and fascinating encounters with yogis, priests, beggars, crazy drivers, thespians, avatars, rock sculptures, elephants, camels, camel trainers, snakes, monkeys, and rodent-storytellers, among others.
When I arrived in Mumbai, my first act was to try to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes. I got through the two weeks with no malaria, but something else got into my blood.
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