We were invited to a party at the ‘The Club’ yesterday to meet the CEO of the tea plantation, watch a tennis tournament and eat some great India food. Having enjoyed the food and meeting all the people more fun was to be had when Patti and I decided to walk the 6 kilometers back to our bungalow. From the minute we started walking we felt like royalty. Everyone along the way smiled, waved and called out greetings to us. More than once large groups of people would gather around us to ask our names, where we were from and where we were going. When we reached the other side of town and started the long walk up hill to our bungalow we were surrounded by dozens of children and some of the tea plantation workers that have seen us walking through the tea fields everyday.
Before long we found ourselves being lead, along with everyone else, into one of the workers’ homes for tea. We were the guest of honor and special chairs were brought out so we could sit while everyone else stood. (A very strange custom here but hey it made us the same height so I didn’t object.) After finishing our tea we were lead to the next house and then the next house and again the next house for more tea and more tea and more tea. It felt great to be so openly and truly welcome by an entire village without the overlay of fear and distrust of strangers we’d find in America.
What a great story! I couldn't finish reading it without using the facilities, drinking all that tea got to me.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're recovering quickly! 6K! Reading your adventures in India has made me far less apprehensive about visiting some day.
ReplyDeleteFacilities, what facilities? They don't even sell toilet paper in Pandalur. The nearest store that sells luxury items like toilet paper is one hour away and that's by car not walking.
ReplyDelete