Auckland – Bangkok – Bangalore – (Tiruvannamalai – Pondicherry – Mysore) – Hyderabad – Chennai – Bangalore – Bangkok – Auckland
My first trip to the subcontinent!
Driving for God: Taxis and Theology (Thu 11 Oct 2007) - Religious radiators and godly trucks, sweeping up karma and stifled by dust – motoring madness and verdant oases on my first few rides through town. After many attempts, I reached my contact at the South Asian Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS), who confirmed their phone company was problematic. On Tuesday the ECC office ordered … Continue reading Driving for God: Taxis and Theology →
Saris, Jack-O’-Lanterns and Marmite (Fri 9 Nov 2007) - Blasted barking and poignant chants, trick-or-treat at breakfast and bickies for exams, divine dancers and farewell fireworks – a motley Kiwi-American-Indian exchange. To cite last year’s St Olaf report, the one-month course on India has indeed been a blast, packed with trips and lectures and laughs, though of course there have been some lows. For … Continue reading Saris, Jack-O’-Lanterns and Marmite →
Queuing for Krishna and Avatar Blues (Sun 11 Nov 2007) - First-class Krishna, dreaming Vishnu, and a zoo of incarnations: revamping Noah, avenging Macbeth, and the warrior on a white horse. After attending church and visiting Bangalore palace, I took a rickshaw to the Sri Radha Krishna temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the full name of the Hari Krishna movement. Wearily sitting … Continue reading Queuing for Krishna and Avatar Blues →
Slums and Sweat: by Rail to Chennai (Tue 20 Nov 2007) - Surreal surfing and sewer streams, scurrilous drivers and solicitous chefs, brutal laundry and bemused language; coping with cold waves and Internet cafes and taking the TARDIS back in time. At Hyderabad station Tom and Jerry frolicked on TV screens while men in lungi-wraparounds shifted stacks of parcels on their heads. I bought an India Today … Continue reading Slums and Sweat: by Rail to Chennai →
Sketches of Travel in the East