I was talking to my friend Rea about how I chose to go to South India. Well, I read some travel literature. India is a huge place...a billion people, so I thought plan small, maybe just one State or two. And I wanted some beach and ocean after a winter of spending as much time as possible on skis in the Rockies. And I wanted to test myself as a stranger in a strange land...could I figure out the bus/train system? could I come to understand what it is like to live in Tamil Nadu or Kerela? could I find a sharp contrast to what I take to be my daily life in Colorado? could I gain some small insight into the life of people, their geography, the culture? And all this without mentioning the beauty of the landscape, the wonder of the temples, the mystery (for me) of Hinduism, the sense of the other.
I've just a few more things to pack: camera, some clothes, a few books, my journal. But first a walk with Charlotte and Pacha in the cool night air.
