Ants

Amazingly, my last two days in Chennai were spent with an old friend from London, who has just moved there. I helped her move into her new flat and provided moral support killing cockroaches in the bathroom! I felt like such an expert and took great satisfaction in throwing four ugly carcasses down the toilet. Funny how that kind of thing used to gross me out, now after a few months in Asia I'm so blasé about creepy crawlies. As long as they don't crawl on my face I don't care, I'll carry on sleeping. In fact there are ants in my bed this week and I can't figure out where they're coming from... I find them quite fascinating to look at crawling up and down my arms and across my pillow, they seem to be on a mission to who-knows-where. Actually, their destintation is perilous death if I roll over in the night. God bless them! At least I'm not a Buddhist, I'd have to save each one of them, which would mean no sleep for me.

Tsunami

We caught half an hour on the beach in Chennai (Madras), after visiting a graphic design school called Artlab. What I didn't know is that at least 4,000 people died when the tsunami hit the beach here in 2004. Most of those who died were the poor who live in fishing villages along the shore - their boats and homes were destroyed along with their loved ones, many children died. A lady told us that when the tsunami came, the first thing that happened was that the water retreated back, and of course everyone ran to see what was happening, children were estactic to see the crabs and fish on the sand where the water had receeded. Little did they know that their inquistiveness would lead to their death.

Two years later, you wouldn't know that anything had happened here. The shore is flanked with colourful new boats, many with the names of American sponsors painted on their hulls. Life continues, the sun continues to shine and fish are brought up in new nets.

The children we met said they didn't go to school, but they were happy playing and fishing with their fathers. They were fascinated by Chris' camera 'phone, and though Tamil is their first language they were adept at crying 'photo please'!

Between the lines

Hyderabad is building a flyover in the middle of the city, and the general public are shielded from the view of the work by metal billboards with a variety of signs, encouraging people to be better citizens.

Here are a few, caught from the car window. Other classics included:

Take care on the roads. Someone is waiting for u.
Men at work. Drive carefully.
Wide roads, flyovers and more - when taxes are paid by everyone.

Love it.

India Photos

Anorexics not allowed...

In India they like their ladies 'curvy'. A 7 up advert has a woman asking a genie in a bottle (Fido) for three wishes. The first one is, 'I want to be more curvy!' Imagine that happening in England! Bill board posters feature ladies in short shorts with legs that, well, let's just say that I wouldn't be wearing short shorts if I had their legs...

There's something cool about this celebration of the natural womanly shape. Women are appreciated for the very physical attributes that make them female. The ubequitous sari is one size fits all, and if you're pregnant or have just eaten too much biryani, then you can just let it out a bit!

Thin people are assumed to be poor, food is wealth. This is an eye-opener to someone from our calorie-counting obsessive culture in the UK, but there's something to learn from the Indian attitude towards fat.

India - Day 1

The breakfast cereal I ate this morning promised to give me "vitality, muscle growth and sexual urge"... imagine! I was chuckling to myself whilst reading the back of the pack. A bit different from snap, crackle and pop!

On the ride into work this morning there were hairy black pigs and skin-and-bone water buffalo running across the road. People on old bicycles with their lunch strapped to the back in a metal pail. The women ride side-saddle on the back of motorbikes with their multi-coloured saris blowing in the breeze. It's an experience and I'm happy to be here.

lounging

I'm writing this in the business class lounge at Singapore Airport, having been upgraded, yay! We're en route to Hyderabad and my colleague Chris and I are enjoying the free food, escalator music and internet access. It's a completely different experience from flying economy. We went straight to a private check-in lounge, where a smartly-dressed lady shouted 'Julia Evans?' Goodness, I thought, that's good service! When I asked her how she knew my name, she replied rather sheepishly, 'You're the only Caucasian lady on the flight, it was quite easy!'

I might have to get used to this!

My most frequent visitor

On Wednesday this week, I met up with my old friend Matt at the airport in Singapore. He was on his way home to NZ as a surprise for a friend who had won an 'instant wedding'. Imagine! It was halfway between very surreal and completely normal to be sitting having a coffee with him before he got on the next leg of the flight. I realised he's been my most frequent visitor since I've been away from home - we met up in Kazakhstan in March, London in May, and now Singapore in June. Very cool. See you soon Matt!

India calling...

I'm leaving for India on Saturday, heading off to Hyderabad and Chennai to run a training event with a colleague from New Zealand. It'll be the first visit either of us has made to the country, and to be honest I was relieved when he said he was dreading it! I kind of am too... I'm not sure why, maybe the fear of the unfamiliar, and the knowledge that I'm a wuss with no stamina and will find it hard to cope with 40C heat and no aircon, and the prospect of getting sick...

The good thing is that I'll be meeting up with two friends from London, so they can look after us and hopefully keep us going!

I'll post a full report when I'm back, until then please pray!

The Singapore Sale

As Singapore's national passtimes are eating and shopping, it's no surprise that a major event in the year's calender is the Great Singapore Sale. It lasts for six weeks, and all shops are kind of obliged to give some kind of discount, even just 10% off their normal prices. It's crazy. There are all these people who have all year to shop (at pretty cheap prices anyway), and they still make a beeline for the malls to buy more stuff! I've met people who tell me they often buy the same item of clothing twice without realising until later that the first piece is in their wardrobe with the label on. Maybe I'm just jealous, but I like to wear my shoes out before buying a new pair, and I only have two pairs of jeans, honestly! Hmm, think I'll be giving the shops a miss this time round, nothing fits me anyway!

Lunch

I’m just back from lunch, which is always an occasion here in the land where food is King! Today I ate nasai lamak, which consisted of coconut rice, omelette, fried chicken wings, green beans with shrimp paste, veggies in spicy coconut milk, peanuts, cucumber and chilli. That’s a lot of lunch but I’m trying to fatten myself up having got to London last week to be told by countless people that I look ill. Great. It reminded me of that bit in Bridget Jones where she finally, finally gets to 8 ½ stone after dieting obsessively for years, and all her mates tell her she looks terrible! I haven’t been dieting obsessively, far from it, the Singaporeans eat about six meals a day and there are countless snacks in between. Yesterday I ate two breakfasts, (including some glutinous rice and red bean paste wrapped in a banana leaf), roti prata (crispy Indian bread) and curry for lunch, about four snacks and Vietnamese beef noodle soup for dinner. That’s not counting supper! I don’t know how they all stay so thin… most people here are miniscule, of adolescent proportions. I think that’s why I hadn’t realised I’m thinner than normal – I’m about twice the size of anyone on my bus journey to work! I’ve only got six weeks left to enjoy the food, and enjoy it I will.