Where's Arian... update on the whereabouts of our missing chick.

[lostmymarbles]

Been having trouble accessing the internet (on my pc.. not my phone). So I haven't been able to regularly email Arian.

But yay!!.. today she emailed me... so here's an update on her whereabouts.

Note: email edited (lol.. names changed or deleted) to protect the innocent and unwilling...

ok here goes!

** thats ok but i'm not sure how often i can send you stuff (especially photos.) you might have to wait until i am home to get some decent pics.

*to her family* hope you are all well, i had an early bday pressie last night and got the dreaded "delhi belly" and threw up once. i'm feeling a bit better today though i'm still not game to eat much and i'm drinking lots of water. found a place that sold coca-cola so hopefully it'll kill whatever bug i've got! (coke aparently is famous for being so strong it kills bacteria, we'll see how true it is).

*(to her friends)* *big hugs* we'll do all our usual stuff when i get home i promise! The traffic here is very chaotic. People, motorbikes, bicycles and cars/buses going every which way. it seems the road rules are only to be taken "under advisment"!! yet it all works somehow.

*Kelly* i miss our adventures already! i am having some adventures of my own here though, like avoiding store/market sellers. you have to be very polite but firm and say "no thank you not today", and every time you walk past they remember who you are and call out again.

The hotels we have been staying in are very nice, most with aircon or at least overhead ceiling fans. The bathrooms are an experience. the basin, shower and toilet all on one flat tiled floor (so if someone has had a shower you get wet feet when you want to use the toilet). All hotels so far have had western style toilets, so i havent encountered a "squat" toilet yet.

Bottled water is the way to go, even to brush your teeth. And i'm glad i bought so much hand sanitiser with me, hardly anything feels clean even if it is.

Right now i'm in Madurai (not sure on the spelling), where there is a museum dedicated to Gandhi (again spelling?). it tells the history of Gandhi and displays items owned or worn by him, such as his blood stained clothes from when he was assassinated. We are also going to check out a temple this evening.

I've taken a local bus ride, and let me tell you those buses get crowded! luckily we got on early enough so we all got seats and i ended up with a local man sitting next to me and falling asleep on my shoulder.... the buses here look more like a bus on a truck wheelbase and they get very close to other traffic but somehow they are able to just miss other vehicles and people. (and people complain MY driving is bad!)

the homestay in the Kerala backwaters was a pleasant suprise, the family that set it up has nearly every modern convenience that you or i would have, although they do have to filter their water as it comes directly from the canals (which are not clean). they took us on a canoe ride around some of the backwaters and the guys paddling sang traditional songs for us in the dark.

they have power cuts in India, usually they only last for about half an hour, as there is not enough hydro-electricity to power the whole country all the time. sometimes there are random power cuts too, but the last hotel we stayed at had their own generator so we weren't without power for too long.

I'll email again soon, when i find another internet place and tell you more!

Lots of hugs and kisses to those who want them!

~*Arian*

I don't know about you... but I'm going..ewww.

Shared wet floors. Too much like dorm rooms. Hope she buys an anti-fungal foot powder.

And yeah.. filter the water...they do all sorts of stuff in their water that would definitely make the EPA declare the place a clean up site.

Lol.. I really don't think she'll be dipping her face in any of those rivers.