So Long Sub-Continent (Chennai, India)

Alleppy was lovely, the backwaters amazing. There's this incredible series of tiny intertwining canals and huge lakes all surrounded by palm trees and rice, filled with flowering plants, lined with villages. Wooden boats punt or paddle coconuts, women wash clothes, kids skip home from school along narrow paths, men wearing dhotis (a sort of wrap miniskirt) carry large quantities of heavy things around on their heads, there aren't rickshaws to run you off the road since there aren't any roads, the drawbridges are operated by a guy pulling a rope, and it's tranquil and green and gorgeous. If you have friends you rent a houseboat and spend the night floating about, but I didn't have any friends in Alleppy so I hung out on the public ferry for the day and watched Indian life flow by instead.

From there, across the country to Pondicherry - pretty French architecture, a sunny waterfront, Indian tourists galore, delicious fresh pomegranate juice, and revolutionary (this is India) signage about keeping the city clean (my favorite signpost being the one with dead fly-covered dog at its base). A couple hours north to Mamallapuram, a beach town with great temples in boulders to climb around on, masses more Indian tour buses, and fun Australians and my Israel chef friend from Kodaikanal to hang out with.

This morning I took my last insanely crowded swerving honking deathtrap of an Indian bus to Chennai to mail trinkets and re-pack and take care of businessy tasks at this lovely internet place where the proprietors are in the middle of a screaming match with one another so that tomorrow I can fly to Africa. Chennai to Dubai to Nairobi to Dar Es Salaam. Goodbye English/Hindi/Tamil/and the 322 other languages spoken in this country, hello Swahili!

Hope everyone is well. XOXO