India day #17
It’s a travel day!
Monday 12 February 2001
Hey, I got to sleep in… to 08:00! Breakfast and packing. 10:30, to the National Association for the Blind’s Kerala HQ. Got the “Your mother’s in the field, therefore you must find this fascinating” tour — showed my ignorance of Braille, had tea, got some candles (notice a theme?), left. Picked up some sandalwood soap (woo-hoo!) on the way back. Achamma gave me a little brass lamp, which got packed (that thing is so full). Lunch before going to the train station — leftovers got wrapped in banana leaves from consumption as dinner. Also sent — a bottle of water (boiled municipal) and some almost-ripe red plantains.
Got to the station (I already had the ticket, 2AC, so no trouble there) and found my car and seat. Locked down my bags and got rid of Josey before we pulled out of hte station. It would be a long trip (17 hrs), so I broke out my Walkman and listened to my new tapes. (”The Sun Is Shining”, the remixed Bob Marley tune, did in fact remind me of rubber trees.)
Not much else happened. Met a nice elderly Aussie who reminded me of Lloyd Bridges. Used the Indian-style latrine, yee-haw. Ate dinner and hit the sack.
The sandalwood soap got me laid several times, since it smells VERY nice and makes the skin VERY soft and touchable.
The banana-leaf wrapping for dinner served as both container and plate; when done, it is typically chucked out the window or door of the moving train. (It’s biodegradeable.)
Tomorrow: jeem returns to Chennai and buys things.
Tags: India
