Back home--but blogging "virtually" from India via cyberspace...

Amazing and lovely people, so gracious and full of grace...

Ironic that the only place I actually got on line was on the flight coming home courtesy of Lufthansa....

India was everything and anything--a feast for all the senses all of the time --the sublime and the ridiculous--awe-inspiring temples, people with such warmth and generosity, the smell and step of dung, stray cows, dogs--goats on beaches, a string of "toilets" that would make any truck stop on 1-95 blush.

A list of three three that any traveler needs:

1) Roll, rolls, and more rolls of toilet paper--plus the capability to squat deeply, aim directly for the hole in the ground, and not pee on your feet.  If all can be done simultaneously--you earn a degree--though which degree is debatable...

2) Snacks.  All kinds.  Dried fruit, chocolate--junk foods optional.  Don't know when you'll eat and where--banana leaf meals were excellent as was most of the food--problem is--our wimpy Western stomachs prefer bland and white food groups....So snacks can come in handy.  So do TUMS. 

3) Lastly--AN EXTRAORDINARY SENSE OF HUMOR.  When a hotel employee or person says "NO PROBLEM," be prepared for a BIG problem.  If someone says "Internet will be working today" that means, "Internet will be working never."  If you ask for water and someone says, "Coming," it really means, "Good luck. No water, never."  A  laugh, patience, and just being grateful in general keeps a gal happy no matter what the circumstances.

Here are some pic previews--though more to come when I iron things out...

Handsome guides a bonus--Radhakunda Das, Barry Silver, Yoginder

Extraordinary decorations

 

Other bonuses... and more on trip and locations after jet lag wears off!

FINALLY IN INDIA!

Okay--it's taken me FOREVER to actually GET ON LINE anywhere in this country--which is the reason for the radio silence.

INDIA.  What can I say?  First, off, I miss Lufthansa--they are much more efficient. At least when you push your "call button" someone appears instantly (a stewardess) and offers you something.  Here, no one appears and you never get what you order anyway--least of all electricity.

But there is no snow here so that at least counts for something.

Hotel Guest in Chennai

Here are some feasts for the eyes....I hope.

The weather here is around 85 degrees and sunny all the time so that's a plus.

Witness the beach and palm trees..

Outside of hotel room

There have also been some very unusual sights from the temples and people on the street, all of which I am posting since they defy any kind of New York explanation.  Suffice to say that the concept of "hurrying" does not exit here nor does the concept of the very famous "New York Minute."  India is very much like Ireland (minus the climate of course) in that (like they say about Ireland) "When God created time, he created plenty of it."  In other words, no one here is neurotic which can be quite lonely but perhaps refreshing.

Some more unexplained India images that speak for themselves..

Hare Krishna Temple in Chennai

Shiva Temple

Temple Entrance at Night

Temple Devotees and Beggars

None of this would be complete, however, without the Neurotic Traveler having been transformed or having received "darshan" at the temple.   Hence, the crazy and final picture of me with the Shiva insignia painted on my head by the temple priest--a red dot in the center--actually a smudge--to signify that I received the priest's blessing.

Did he know what he was getting into??

Will post more pics when and IF I can--onto more festivals, more crowds, and more wild INDIA.

Ah, Lufthansa!.

Neurotic Devotee of Shiva

On Top Of The World!

Snow-Dusted  New Hampshire

 Okay--so the view's not from the top of the Eiffel Tower but what a vista!

I've heard it said that from the top of Abenaki Tower in Tuftonboro, New Hampshire, you can see forever and if you look hard enough, YOU CAN SEE ALL THE WAY TO INDIA!

Look, Ma, there's Chennai!

 

 

Most importantly, as a Neurotic
Traveler, it pays to be prepared for
all sorts of inclement weather...

Intrepid/Neurotic Traveler

I'm all dressed for an Iditarod (minus igloo and dogs....) and ready for INDIA!

That is, of course, if it SNOWS!

Happy Trails!

(Next installment will be "HOT" off the press from India...)

The Snows Less Traveled

Good-bye to All That...

'Twas the week before Chennai...(Christmas Day to be exact) when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...

Pristine Country View  (horses included)

Despite the nippy temperatures, I couldn't help taking a walk and admiring the breath-taking Catskills, frozen grass, picture-perfect barns and of course...horses.

Did I mention we don't have horses in New York City?

Last call for apples

Even the orchards looked inviting, I had to admit. 

I also took a moment to admire the picaresque church--(it was Christmas, after all!)

Extremely Old Church

 

 

 

 

Realizing that soon, I'd be on the OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD,
I calmed myself by counting the miles...


Here's the count:
Boston to Frankfurt: 3,660 miles
Frankfurt to Chennai: 4,720 miles


GRAND TOTAL: 8,380 miles

Maybe, I shouldn't think about it....

And just meditate on Nature instead

Pine Tree At Rest

Did I mention that I have trouble meditating?

My Supreme Guru...

Will I see him in India?

Not likely...

But you never know....

WOODY ALLEN--Divine Neurotic

Creature Comforts...

LORD JAVA

Ah, the quintessential New York cup of Java...Here it is enshrined.  Of course, the very first question a coffee groupie-- a.k.a. Neurotic Traveler wants to know is--"HOW'S THE COFFEE IN INDIA?"

"The Lonely Planet," claims, "Chennai is very much in the throes of India's cappuccino addiction!"  (Love the word "throes!")

Is that Italian cappuccino by way of the Ponte Vechio or a Seattle Roast courtesy of  "Starbuck's?" 

Either way, I'm planning on checking out "MOCHA" on Nawaz Khan Rd. where, "the young and the beautiful go for coffee and hookahs in exceedingly arty surrounds."

Hookah pipes....now there's a thought.

Here's what I won't miss:  WINTER.  Hate it!  Particularly all things white and cold.  Forecast for Southern India:  NO SNOW!

Blissful in winter

 

 

 

 

 

(But one can't help missing the winter sights of Brooklyn....)

Finally, as the sands of time wind down...one turns one's thoughts to issues more profound...that right, SHOES!

What's a Neurotic Traveler to Do?
Jimmy Choo's?   They'll be confiscated by the TSA as lethal weapons.  Also, I don't own any.

Once again, fashion is forced to give way to comfort.

I sincerely apologize to Sarah Jessica Parker!

No matter what comfort's a must!

First Glimpse of India

 COUNTDOWN TO INDIA...

In 14 days I embark to Chennai from Boston on a tour through Southeastern India and its gorgeous temples.

Did I mention that I am a terrible traveler?

Hence, The Neurotic Traveler (TNT) was born.

To Pill or Not To Pill...

The biggest question so far has been how much medication to bring and is it legal?  I am not contemplating smuggling only popping Valium  (did I mention I'm a terrible traveler?)

My doctor gave me a vial but only with a stern admonition:, "this is strictly for flying.  I don't normally do this because people can become addicted.  Can't you meditate instead?"  I nodded and said, "no."  The flight is  twenty hours.  Not even Buddha could mediate that long in air turbulence.

Writing with Head Scarf

 
No one in my family thinks I will last a day in India.  I'm about to prove them wrong...