The Tourist Side

One of the nice things about Global Volunteers is that we work 40-hour weeks from Monday to Friday, which gives us the opportunity to go away for the weekend. This weekend, we went to Kancheepuram, Pondicherry, and Mamallapuram. We went to each destination by van so I was able to catch up on reading, writing, and sleeping. By the way, in case I have not mentioned, I am reading Holy Cow by Sarah MacDonald. For those of you who have been to India or are coming here, buy it! It is a hysterical depiction of the life and culture of India.

Saturday morning was spent in Kancheepuram where we visited temples carved in the 1700s and shopped for silks. Upon arrival, I was disappointed to see "white people" until I looked at my hands and realized I was one of them. Having been in the community of Chennai on this volunteer assignment, I guess I started to mistake myself as an Indian. Who knows? Anyway, I made myself get over the fact that tourists invade these parts and the locals beg. Why do they beg? Because they know that naive tourists will give in, so here is a lesson: Do not look at or talk to the people trying to sell you anything; otherwise, you will be followed for miles.

Our tour of temples consisted of three temples. The first one was kamakshi where we had the joy of riding an elephant. It is trained to lift its leg, which I climbed, and then you grab onto the rope around its neck, while swinging your leg over. After the bareback ride, I stood in front of the elephant and he put his trunk on my head! The locals give him Rupees (in his trunk) and then he "blesses" them by putting his trunk on their head as they bow.

At ekambranatha temple, we experienced acupuncture (not the kind where you lay down and get pricked). The building is carved (yes, carved) such that there is a walkway surrounding the center temple, which only Hindis can enter. One must first walk this path, typically, five times, and then enter the temple. Why? The stones on this path are purposefully uneven so as to calm you down, through acupuncture, before entering the temple. I will tell you that it got rid of my headache.

At varadarajasamy temple, they were preparing for a special festival so one of the buildings was covered and under construction. However, we did walk around the temple of 100 columns, each of which is carved out of one piece of stone. In some stones, we saw kama sutra poses.

Then onto silk shopping. This was amazing, and I want Barack Obama to pass a bill that we ladies wear saris and that men and women should wear salwar kamis (think comfy pajamas that look good). One thing about Indian people, moreso the women, is that they always look great.

We spent the evening walking the beach in Pondicherry (remember Life of Pi?) One of the best parts about Pondicherry is that there is actually space to run! You better believe I put on my running shoes at 6 AM on Sunday and went for my first run in India. It felt great, and I had the privilege of watching one of the most beautiful sunrises. Clouds lined the horizon so the sun kept peaking through the clouds' openings. Above the clouds were vibrant sun rays. As the sun rose, the rays became more vibrant, as did the sky.

Then onto Auroville. This is a utopia-like community that started in 1968. Currently, it has 2,000 residents, where the aim is 50,000. In the center of the village is a gold golf-ball looking dome, similar to the Epcot "golf ball." People can enter this to meditate. In consists of a center room with marble floors and a light, powered by the sun.

While the concept of this utopia-like village was neat, many of us were creeped out. I started realizing that maybe the best part of life is not being in utopia but instead journeying toward it.

While walking to the globe, we got first-hand experience of the impact of Barack Obama's Presidency. A group of Indian men from Bangalore started intruding in our photos so they could pose with us. I was confused at first. Then they said, "Barack Obama!!! He like India, yes?" This is being said while giving an excited "thumbs up." Another man showed us his cell phone, on which he has Obama's inauguration speech. We all had goose bumps. (Katie told us this is so different from her other travels (she has been on six prior volunteer trips) as most were not pleased with Bush, making travel abroad for Americans difficult at times.)

The last stop was in Mamallapuran were we saw 7th and 8th century rock carvings. Think of a humongous playground with rock carvings. It was unbelievable. Surprisingly, you can touch them and walk on them...and they are in fine shape, except for when idiots in the past have decided to take bats or other tools to ruin some of the carvings.

Ashrams - We saw a few ashrams, which are beautiful and peaceful. For any who are interested in going, know that because meditation is now so popular, some of the ashrams are crowded and/or overrun by tourists and bookshops. I highly recommend doing research and planning out what your expectations are. Meditating is hard enough; imagine adding tourists passing by as you are sitting in peaceful silence. I felt guilty walking through the ashram.

Now back to volunteering.