Hotel Vaidurya Coimbatore

... br>The hotel over the road (Raja Hotel, named and shamed) had cheap rooms, but unfortunately the room we were given had no shower, although it did boast cable TV and a leaking toilet. The final straw came when a huge cockroach ran across the floor. When we asked to change we were told there were no more rooms.

So we went out and found another hotel, with shower and clean, cheaper than that one, and ...

... both boys and girls, so pretty much a full day. Anyone who knows about Rajivīs typing skills will be shocked to learn that he was teaching kids how to properly place their fingers on the keyboard and practice typing! With the help of another volunteer, John,who had been with FFC before and had a great rapport with the kids, Rajiv managed to pull it off and act like he knew more than the kids did about typing properly. Aside from ...

... buy a dinner set...Indian style... for those dinner parties I will throw showing my Indian cooking techniques off with the friends I don't have in Dunsborough!!! Hmmmm..... hadn't thought that thru well had I ...oh well only one solution...make new friends!!! I also bought some little nick knacks for the girls Christmas stockings...so that was fun too. I had thought I would venture off on a train trip on Sunday to Ooty...our free day...but no the Dr has scheduled me for my ...

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In a place aptly titled the Bison Valley, we stayed in the Planters Bungalow. The bungalow overlooked the valley and we had great moments 'bison spotting'. The bison is a shy creature and keeps away from humans and here they were all over the valley. Since we were staying there on weekdays, we had the place all to ourselves.

Coonoor is a place untouched by time. Tucked away in the Nilgiris, the ...

... No more than 200m away. Just eating and drinking, ignoring us. We linger for a while and then we head off. In the distance we see a small island with stairs leading from the water up behind the trees. The boat docks there and three men come to take our stuff up. At the top of the steps and behind the trees is a lodge; an old Raj era hunting lodge, with a lawn and garden surrounding it and wicker furniture. At the top of the staircase, we are greeted by Sabu, the concierge for the Lake ...

... alive and well in the Nilgiris. It was really nice to walk along smelling that distinctive Australian smell, although it was a little bizarre to see monkeys climbing all around the gums. The tea plantations look incredible with vivid green bushes dotted with silver oaks (to moderate the water levels). It was a cool day, a good chance for a little bit of peace and chance to wander along with my own thoughts. monday was a bit of a write off as ...

English - A new month, a new altitude and back to some more respectable temperatures! We are dropping a thousand feet, literally in a clapped out government run bus. This was one of the smaller buses (late as usual) because the roads are so steep and corners so sharp that the bigger buses can' make the trip. It takes roughly 2 hours to go 40km and by the time we get to the bottom the bus is screaming for help. We headed for Mudumallai national park home to ...

... prices in the US!), not to mention losing his own labour on his farm. The stories we heard from the other farmers were generally the same; the eminent domain law requires the government to relocate any displaced persons, yet in many instances these people are poor, illiterate and otherwise uneducated farmers who are living on a subsistence basis. The land they will be relocated to is unusable for farming, and these people know nothing else. In many instances the land being ...

... stay with Chaya's sister in Maryland should we ever be interested. And one of the most exciting things (which directly contributed to the purchase of a sari) ... we're going to a Hindu wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited and will have so much to write afterwards. I also woke up at 4:30 am Monday morning to go watch the Superbowl, which I could care less about and actually slept through. However it was a lot of fun to just be able to relax with my friends in a non-academic ...

... and they had grown up together. She had even spent a few months living in Philadelphia close to where Suchee lived. After chatting for a while, we exchanged pleasantries, Suchee and Goshni exchanged insults, and we set off on our way again to head to Madumalai. The road through the forest at one point is closed to the general public at night, so Goshni had given us a special pass to allow us to pass through. We sped down the other side of the hill, tearing ...