Settling In

Yesterday we arrived around 2am, and slept until around 10. We left the flat around 1 to grab lunch (a turkey/chicken-ham/roasted lamb club at Subway), then wandered around a retail district to get some local clothing for Andrea, as well as some fresh produce, and to experience a bit of the town. I kept wishing there was a way to capture the moment – the constant honking and grind of diesel vehicles, 2-stroke bikes and scooters; the smells of urban life; the blurring spectrum of religious affiliations; the brilliant colors on clothing and buildings; the cool breeze that dried sweat accumulated in the airless shops. We ended the day dining at a neighborhood restaurant: kadhai chicken, dahl, rice, naan, and sweetlime soda. By the time we went back to the flat, we were feeling the jetlag catching up again.

This morning we woke up at a fairly normal time, and were feeling pretty good. The car horns, the grunting (not lowing) cow, the dogs, the rooster all conspired to keep us awake during the night, but we slept quite well. Andrea and I took a walk through the neighborhood after breakfast, taking in the different houses and gardens, the vacant lots full of weeds, trash and discarded coconut husks. We checked out a couple of shops and waved to children at a small school, out in the yard taking their recess.

Lunch was dosas and idli, with sanibar and coconut chutney, from a small café on the corner. Andrea and I tried masala dosas, which were quite good, although they left a little warmth in the belly. After lunch, we drove across town to see a temple and shrine – very sobering. It’s amazing to see how hopeless a religion has such a stranglehold on the people here. Tying orange threads on a tree to give your burdens to a god, dropping small coins in pots to signify prayers, sitting quietly staring at a giant statue of the god, all to gain a god’s favor, to hope to manipulate the god into blessing them.

We spent a couple of hours wandering through a mall adjacent to the temple – actually, the parking garage for the temple is underneath the mall. We stopped at a hallal chicken shop, then headed home for dinner, which was a delicious version of a local chicken and spinach dish. We’re winding down now, feeling a bit weary, but looking forward to fellowship tomorrow.