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on the road w/ beth, chris, and rob Rob arrived in Chennai on Friday morning, 7 January. We spent a few fun-filled days sightseeing in Chennai (Madras) and going to some parties (there is ALWAYS a party happening somewhere when you're in the Foreign Service). Then on Tuesday night, 11 January, we boarded an overnight train: Our trip to Mysore; a slideshow Our trip to Kozhikode (Calicut); also a slideshow Our trip to Alappuzha (Alleppey); another slideshow Our trip to Kochi (Cochin); yep . . . slideshow Rob's version of what happened Hope you like slideshows. Note: Please keep in mind during this little adventure and at all times, really, that most places in India have two names. Many names known to the world at large are actually British names outright (Madras) or British bastardizations of Indian names. There are also, historically, names gifted from the Dutch, French, and Portuguese, among other historical empires. Recently (~1997), many place names have been changed to embrace traditional “Indian” names (I use “Indian” in quotes because there are also a multitude of religions, peoples, cultures, languages, etc. that make up “Indian”). This is a very politically complicated country. To make matters more interesting, too, everyone changes quite seamlessly between names, even in a single conversation. I have heard a man refer to Chennai as both Chennai and Madras in the same sentence. We have now begun to do the same, as one picks up on local habits rather easily. There is a time when one is used over the other, but I can't describe why. You can just feel it. So, over the course of this entry, keep in mind that: New = Old | ||
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