Astoria Hotel Kodaikanal

... in disbelief, knowing what awaits me. It's not cold but freezing. Up here it's also chilly. That combination does not register well with me, so early in the morning as I stand there shivering with teeth clacking together. I go for it and wash my hair, feeling a brain freeze coming on. Completely unhappy and downright in a foul mood I finish clearing my hair and get the horribly pink towel (which smells like ass), and jump into bed, trying to warm up. I spend over an hour and ...

... and then we head back on our separate roads. We walk down round the lake, I try a public convenience which I run out of immediately, leaving me pale and shocked, determined never to speak of the horrors of which I have witnessed. Dan and I mooch and watch all the Indian tourists look at all the tutt stalls selling bindis and glittery outfits and chocolate. There are queues for the peddleos. As a cultural reference, we suspect it may be Blackpool

... there is a high proportion of Indian men scratching their balls, spitting, peeing against a wall or roadside, or finding somewhere to sqatt ... where do the women go ? We wait with the crowd on the roadside for a local bus to take us to Kodai Kanal .. we have no idea how long it will take or where the bus goes from. 20 minutes later we feel jubilant that we managed to clamber on the bus with all the locals and are wedged in the aisle. 40 ...

... the aggressiveness of the rain was the fact that the awning outside my room was made of corrugated plastic, amplifying the sound of the heavens bearing down on me tenfold. It sounded like a most evil and persistent rumbling, and lasted for hours. Cold and damp, I huddled in my little blankets and couldn't be happy enough to get up (again at the announcement of hot water), get out and find a new hotel, of which I have found a great one. All in a days work, traveling.

Stopping in a bus station on the way, i took breakfast but had to eat soo quickly for fear of missing the bus that i didn't have time to breathe even. A man selling chickoo at the bus stand produced a typically comical situation when i inquired about the price. '20 rupees half a kilo' he replies, a ridiculous price for these chickoo, so i laughed and walked off. At this point he began following me, repeating the price and offering ...

... 3$ for meals at restaurants (all decent meals). Most of India is cheap of course, not only here. The hospital we stay doesnt have many patients at the moment. Therefore Dr. Ramaiya, who is our contact person has arranged many other activities for us. We have fx visited a family doctor downtown and see him work (he also visits neary tea plantations), we have done on some trips with NAWA, which is an organisation that gives medical aid to the tribals ...

... Despite what many people had warned about the insane driving conditions in India, we found two wheeled motor travel to be a very good way to get around the area. As we rode up and down the hills of Munnar we occasionally passed other travellers who had rented pedal bikes or set out on foot, and each time we did we were glad to have gone with the option that not only afforded us a little laziness, but also enabled us to take in a much wider swath of area. At the end ...

... of our time. It seems to me that our world is increasingly torn apart by the growing tensions of two opposing worlds. One being the postmodern, secular world of materialistic egocentrism and utilitarianism, the other being the backward oriented, fundamentalistic world, which withdraws itself in theocratic-authoritarian regimes declaring holy war to anyone holding a different view. To speak the Christian message of hope into this tension is our task and duty. Even ...

... dienen überwiegend Lebensmittel. Hier kommt eine ganze Horde in schwarz gekleideter Pilger, dort ein Brahmane mit freiem Oberkörper über den sich diagonal die Schnur zieht, die seinen Stand ausweist. Immerhin stellen die Brahmanen, auch wenn es das offiziell nicht mehr gibt, die höchste Kaste der indischen Gesellschaftsordnung. Im Schatten eines Verkaufstandes für hinduistische Devotionalien hat sich ein jüngerer Brahmane positioniert. Den athletischen Körper eingeölt wie eine ...

... gewesen und hatte b**eits einige Jahre zuvor an indischen Schuleinrichtungen für Waisenkind** gearbeitet, mußte ab** aufgrund ein** Erkrankung in die USA zurückkehren. Von ihr** Erkrankung genesen und mit dem Arbeitsv**trag für die neue Stellung an d** Schule in Kodaikanal schiffte sich Miss Boy** ein und üb**qu**te den Atlantik. In England wechselte sie das Schiff und g**iet nur wenige Seemeilen von England entf**nt in einen heftigen Sturm. Augenzeugen haben das folgende B ...