Chennai, India

When couchsurfing we try to find hosts with our similar interests. In this case our host volunteered with a school and women's shelter so our time was mostly spent visiting the organizations and learning about how they started and are working towards sustainability. The school had just set up a thrift store and of course Jaims and I can never say no to a thrift store. Lucky for us we even found a few outfits and a scarf to protect us from the dust that never seemed to settle. 

The school was inspiring as the we talked with the man who started it all. Although I have many opinions on how humanitarian and development should work the one thing I believe in most is that in order for something to last and be strong enough to create the desired change it has to start from within. As a foreigner I can support, inspire and encourage but that can never replace the personal investment required in development. This school and the women and childrens' shelter had it. Started by locals who saw a problem, it is about changing their community and their own lives. 

As we sat and spoke with the women and children I could not hold back the tears. Confused by my response the women, mostly victims of abuse and prostitution, smiled at me in attempt to make me smile. Their strength inspired me and reminds me to never give up. Although they may not qualify to be the models of a magazine or in a Bollywood film, to me they are beautiful. 

*such basic needs*

To learn more about the school visit their website Little Drops

Welcome to India: First stop Chennai

Regardless of how many times you watch Slum Dog Millionaire or The Marigold Hotel, nothing and I mean NOTHING can prepare you for the overwhelming sites, sounds and smells that encompass you, in the most colorful and yet bleak country I have ever stepped foot in: India. 

We landed at midnight in the Chennai International Airport and were quickly escorted into what looked like an abandoned school cafeteria. We waited beneath the flickering neon lights for what seemed like days. As we approached the old beaten up desk that doubled as the customs office, my heart jumped. I had no idea what was going to happen once we left that building and all I could see were scenes from the movie Taken, that my boyfriend kindly showed me the week before I left on the trip- yeah, really good idea. 

As we left the building the humidity poured over our bodies and added to the nervous sweat we were fighting back. In the dark it was difficult to distinguish between each person. The sea of bodies before us looked tired and lost. Laying on top of another, hanging over the guard rail and against any stable pole or person, I couldn't figure out if they were waiting for someone to arrive or hoping they could leave. 

After building our courage we decided to approach the taxi area that was still partially blocked off. Maybe this way we could prevent getting lost in the crowd. Approaching I realized that although they spoke English I couldn't separate their words into coherent sentences. Although we were looking for someone to pick us up we realized fast that if you don't take control of the situation, someone else will for you and then you are in their hands. Before we knew it we were in a taxi that could have been taken right from a 1960's gangster film. Our driver spoke no english and as we looked into his eyes noticed that one was completely blurred over and did not move from the inner corner. His other eye has a slight cloud but seemed to work. My mind raced as we sat in the back of the car. The doors are unlocked. Is Jaims scared? How much would I go for on the black market? Good thing there are lights on the streets. oh no- the lights are gone and here is a tunnel!!! Can jaims read my mind? Yes, yes i think she can. Do we jump out now or after the tunnel? oh wow a cow is sleeping in the middle of the road. As my mind continued to race and form escape plans we noticed a tuk tuk behind us honking loudly which seemed odd in a silent and empty neighborhood. A small excited man jumped from the tuk tuk and proceeded to bang on our windows. If we weren't scared before this point I can say with complete honesty that at this moment I knew I was going to die or be sold. 

With the use of many hand gestures he conveyed that he was supposed to pick us up at the airport and was there but when we tried to call him the taxi men took the phone and pretty much hung up on him and then lied to us. The first of many lies. 

So we got in the tuk tuk and hurried off to the home of our couchsurfing host. She welcomed us with wide open arms and put us right to bed as it was early in the morning by this time. As we lay there we laughed through our fears and I silently prayed for no more scares. 

Drifting into sleep I felt a wet sponge on my face. Scared to death I scream which then scares the culprit, a huge creature that then decides to silence me by jumping on top of me with such power that I felt the air leave my chest. Searching for breath I jumped out of bed as a beast began to pee all over the bed in which I hoped to finally rest. Regaining conscience I realized the beast was a huge dog and my bed was now wet. To tired to care, we covered the bed with extra sheets and the puddle with a large pillow and then jaims and I curled into the part of the bed that was the least drenched and once again tried to sleep. 

*our beautiful host- a woman with a heart of gold, and a very large dog*

*teaching us the many ways to wear a sari*

Chiang Mai, Thailand, dare I say my favorite city so far?! I do!

To this day I still dream about Chiang Mai. The fruit smoothies (yes I know I am addicted to them and no they are never as good anywhere else), the thai massages, the jungle hikes, the night market, and the many beautiful temples and holy sites. Even though it rained every day I still couldn't have been happier.

*this is the only pic of the street food- I guess I was too busy eating to take any pictures- sorry*

*so our first night was wild- big spiders, damp mattress and water dripping on our heads like a form of Chinese torture- oh good times*

Jaim

6/28/11

You  guys i just had the coolest day EVER!! get this - this is wht 25 dollars wil gt           you  (sorry, really really sticky key board  50 cents and hour though, not complaining) 

  1. trip to butterfly pavilion where they breed a unique species of butterfly that is invisible  or senses tourists from miles away and   flies away  until the coast is clear.  the hundreds of orchid plants howver were visible and stuck around for us to see and man were they beautiful! I never knew there were so many differet types!

2. a  treck  through the jungle on an elephant!!!

3. a great lunch of pad thai w/ loads of great fruit

4. a  hike up to  a waterfall that we coul dswim in and under and get pummeled by the water crashing down

5. a really really great water rafting trip down the river on a rubber raft and then halfway through where the waters are more calm we transferred to a bamboo raft that sunk  quite a bit under the water so it looked like we were just  standing on  nothing  with a guide that fancied tilting the raft from one side to the other making us scramble to balance  while cracking up     .  I was laughing probably obnoxiously loud the whole time bc i was just having so much fun and got a kick out of just about everything.  it was brilliant  - in our group were these two guys from ireland - one wit hthese shortish neon shorts that were quite thin from the looks of em and becme more or less transparent when  wet.  luckily i was directly behind him which gave me a top notch view while he scratched his arse .  ha! gross.

we were staying with this one guy that houses volunteers and also runs different tours here that we met through the couch surfing website .      first night was really really miserable - neither of us could sleep at all and it was one of those nights where you ar ejust praying for it to be morning so that the dreadful night can me over that you can get up. it may have had something to di with the dirty dirty sheets, or the ridiculously uncomfortable matreses on hte floor , or perhaps it was the ginormous wolf spider we saw on the wall next to the bed before we turned off the lights and couldnt manage to catch bc it was lightning fast , OR it may have been the chinese water torture in the form of water leaking from the roof onto camis head...so we stayed two nights there and then we caved and found a different place for 3 dollars a night each, with a big bed, dry  mind you , and our own bathroom AND shower. awesome.  we took it and peaced outta there, after leaving a thank you note of course!  free is great and expectations are low but man being able to actually sleep is   great too , worth 3 bucks id say :)

love you guys so much and really love getting your emails that keep me connected to what's going on in your lives!

p.s. went to church here! so so neat!  saw  an BYU prof i had, and the sister of another prof I had! crazy!  it's a small world after all! there was also this couple trveling there from utah that took us under their wings and took  us ou t to  this amazing place for dinner!         cam and i got seafood in red curry and it was served in a coconut! only 3 dollars! we've already decided to come back here to asia every year with thailand as our hom base. 

oh, also, thai people are absolutely lovely, really really

love and loads more love,

jaimie