Trichy Temple Happy Halloween Anniverary Blues: Saturday, October 31st!

happy Halloween, Hope you're having fun in a nice warm climate, had about 30 kids begging for candies tonight, but I fought almost all of them; one was so stubborn as I was kicking his pants down the street his school pack was spilling crayons down the street; otherwise all is nice and calm...cheers, Henryk

Hello Malt Cabinet Raider! Great to hear that you are dissuading neighbourhood kids from coming Trick or Treating next year! More leftover chocolate bars for me, so thanks. Loved your portrait of a Scottish ruffian depradating the malt collection. I don't need it anyway as at our visit, this morning, to Tanjore, about 50 km from where we are staying in Trichy, (full name Tiruchirappali), to the incredibly beautiful Chola Temple of Brihadishwara, (A simply stunning example of Dravidian architecture, the temple is capped with a monolithic cupola, originally thought to have been made from a single block, (Now actually determined to be composed of eight pieces.), weighing 80 tons. It is theorized that it was taken to the top with the help of a 6 km long ramp and then carved in situ, I have become a follower of Shiva!

I hear that in spite of your heavy drinking you are making headway on the shelving etc. Since this is the case, we've decided to stay away for a year so that we can come back to a completely new home! Fondestos from Cora Lee, resting up for our coming night out on the town, to you and Louise. Cheers, and Nandri, ("Thanks" in Tamil!), for clearing out unwanted hootch, Patrizzio!

Pics: First picture was taken, yesterday, on our way inside, minus footwear, (not allowed inside temples and shrines), to The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple or Thiruvarangam, a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha, a reclining form of the Hindu deity, Vishnu located in Srirangam, not all that far from our hotel in Trichy. It is a massive temple complex, "enclosed by 7 concentric walls with a total length of 32,592 feet or over six miles. This temple has 21 towers, 39 pavilions, fifty shrines, a hall of 1000 pillars and several small water bodies inside. The space within the outer two walls, (outer courtyards), is lined with houses, shops, restaurants and stalls of all sort or another. Srirangam temple is often listed as the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world, the still larger Angkor Wat being the largest existing temple. In the second, taken shortly after my conversion, the main part of Brihadishwara temple is in the background. The third shows Maharaja, (Yes, that is his name!), just before we dropped him off. He was a wonderful guide and our visits were so much more enhanced by having him show us the various sites, providing historical and artistic context, etc. The fourth is a selfie to prove I have put hootch behind me, one single malt, two of gin, one being a local product. Cora Lee, Lynne and Peter are very happy as more for them!

Hi Goils! Trust everyone is well. India is incredible!!! Much, much to tell but no time to write!!! Here is a copy of message I sent to Henryk after I received the his message. (See above) Love Patrizzio/Dad

Pondicherry Bay of Bengal Blues: Friday, October 30th!

He who has provoked the lash of wit, cannot complain that he smarts from it. -James Boswell, biographer and lawyer (29 Oct 1740-1795)

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Nadienka Wyss‎ to Patrick James Dunn Dearest Host Vati and Mutti (Corinne Durston) in the whole wide world… I'm coming back to visit you guys in Canada!  

You just say that, Dearest, Cruel Host Daughter as you are afraid that Nicolina and Mario have replaced you in our affections! (Lovely visit with them even if very brief!) Wonderful news, in fact, as we'd love to see you! When? Just started our six week trip to India, this past Tuesday. Yesterday was really the first day of sightseeing and our introduction to Tamil Nadu state was to visit the  Mamallapurum monuments. We are travelling with good friends, Lynne and Peter, with a van and driver, meeting local guides at the various sites we will visit over the course of our stay, three weeks in the south, same in the north. Let us know your dates as you need to plan your trip to include a stay in Penticton, where the real action is! Fondestos and Cheers, your Difficult, Exacting Host Vati!

Chloe Alexis Dunn Swiss!!! When will you visit??

On towards Pondicherry this morning so really looking forward to seeing this city and environs. We will be staying in the Tamil quarter so hope to wander the streets this evening.

Day 2, Field Report!

Up at 6:30 am to make myself a mug of my beloved Nescafé and then worked away on the GDD until it was time for a shower and dress for breakfast. We were already seated when Lynne and Peter arrived. Another great selection of food and everyone was pleased with their choices. I kept with the theme of Indian cuisine with a slight foray into an English breakfast, heaping baked beans on top of my helping of one of the fairly dry, bland, yet extremely tasty, porridge –like dishes. After finishing the meal with a goodly helping of fresh fruit, mango, pineapple and watermelon, a second cup of java, back to the room to finish packing. Check-out was quick and easy and once Hanif had stored our bags we waved goodbye to the Ideal Beach resort and hit the highway, making for Pondicherry.

Road took us along the coast and the vegetation was rather reminiscent of what we seen in Playa del Carmen, extremely lush, almost blindingly green at times. About an hour later, after dodging and weaving through the requisite cows and goats and dogs, not to mention the traffic, whether of the two, three or four wheeled, or more, kind, we stopped at the Tamil Nadu/Pondicherry boarder. The latter is a separate state and Hanif had to pay a road tax for our vehicle. Didn’t take long and we were on our way, stopping at one of the many AirTel shops one sees, to buy SIM cards for Cora Lee’s mini-iPad and Jugos Dom Pedro’s grande. Couldn’t have done it as easily and as quickly without Hanif.

Before checking in to our hotel, Hanif took us to Auroville, the utopian community founded by The Mother, Sri Aurobindo’s spiritual companion. I knew a little about this movement, having studied it in a course on comparative religions, but it was fascinating to see the actual idea put into practice. The grounds were lovely and we learned had been completely reclaimed, rehabilitated from more or les destitute land. At the centre of the community is an impressive golden dome with a huge, low circular amphitheatre, nearbye. We spent about an hour touring the small museaum there, walking the grounds and having our pictures taken, by invitation, with a number of Indian tourists, one party of Sikhs, and another a Hindu family, the daughter visiting from London where she works in IT.

After we returned to the van Hanif to us back into Pondicherry itself and ten minutes or so later, we arrived at Maison Peruma Hotel to be welcomed, once again, with garlands of jasmine flowers and a refreshing drink, this time a delicious lime concoction. What a place, built in the French Colonial style, a three story building, with wonderful wooden stairways, surrounding a central courtyard, open to the sky. Our room, listed as a “Standard Room”, was wonderfully elegant and most tastefully furnished so Cora Lee, in particular, was thrilled. I wasn’t at all unhappy, myself, although there wasn’t a bar fridge or the facilities/supplies to make tea or coffee. However, as we were to learn, the service was so friendly and bar so comfortable, that we spent much of our free time there and in the adjoining lounge area.

Just a quick stop to unpack a few things and then back to the van where we met Boniface, our guide. He was to show us the city. Our first stop was at a paper-making factory, owned by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, a significant economic entity in the city, owning huge amounts of real estate and many other business enterprises which funnel money back into Auroville. According to Boniface, the Ashram is well-liked as it performs and provides many important social services to the community at large. The paper is made from recycled materials, (cuttings from T-shirt manufacting, used hemp bags, etc.), and is a pretty simple, if labour-intensive, operation. Not any worker safety procedures in place. Most of the people were barefoot and much heavy, awkward lifting of wet screens of pulped, wet semi-paper. As well, marbled paper is another product and the chap responsible for putting the enamel paint into the water was working without any mask or respirator. We were in the room for but a few minutes and the fumes were almost overpowering. Shudder to think what the long-term implications would be. Still, the people we saw seemed happy, (The operation had been much, much larger but due to union protests, [perhaps for better working conditions], the plant had been shut down for a year or so.), in all likelihood, just to have jobs.

At any rate, we took a peak into the gift shop and found a wonderful array of colourful, inventive paper products, limiting ourselves to cards and gift bags, for ease of packing. Next stop was the French Quarter where we left the van at the Promenade, about two km concourse along the beach. Boniface gave us a brief, yet highly informative overview of the history of Pondicherry and we then set off on a short walking tour. He took us into a number of original historic buildings, built by the French, for one administrative purpose or another, all of them in the wonderful, most attractive colonial style, with gorgeous grounds. He also explained that the colour of the buildings here, imperial yellow for the French colonial edifices, dull white with medium blue/grey trim for those belonging to the Ashram. Knowing this we soon realized how much real estate the latter owned as almost all the buildings in this quarter, in the streets back from the Promenade, were white/grey.

After leaving our shoes across the street at a Shoe Depository, (aka “Clock “ Room, according to a sign on the wall, so Peter said we had to leave our wristwatches!), we next visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, the final resting place of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Place was filled with devotees, a number seemingly in swoon, over the edge of the beautifully flowered sarcophagus. Cora Lee surmised that these were seriously ill people come to seek healing salvation. Whether this is true or not, we were not able to confirm. Once back on the street, we realized just how significant a place it was to many others as there was a line-up that curled around the corner of the block, the disgorges of a number of buses.

Reclaiming our “clocks” we walked a few more streets to a temple dedicated to Ganesh with a live elephant who would bless you, tap its trunk on your head, for a small donation placed in the crook near the end of its trunk. Shoes off, jut outside the temple entrance to go inside and have Boniface explain many of the images and rites. The entire temple is repainted every 12 years, (Has to do with signs of the Zodiac, etc.), so the images were absolutely vibrant, the repainting having been recently completed.  

First Breakfast Blues: Thursday, October 29th!

A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)

Slept well, even if it wasn't till close to 3:00 am that we turned out the lights. [No small feat, in the first instance, trying to locate various light switches and then determining which switch controls which light or set of lights.] I had set my travel alarm for 7:30 am so when the phone rang an hour earlier, 6:30 am, I assumed it was my alarm, so well under was I. Turned out to be a wrong number. Man on other end was deeply apologetic but I decided to get up anyway. Had a quick shower and will start to re-pack my large bag and knapsack, the better to be able to find what I need over the course of the next few days. Also want to do a bit of "exploring", even if only around the hotel and grounds. Looking forward to our first Indian breakfast. Wonder if it will be a mixture of both East and West, such as we often found when in larger hotels in Japan. Onward!

One of the items on my shopping list happens to be a couple of Madras shirts. I've always liked this colourful fabric so you may notice a change in my hiking gear upon my return!

Ayn P you know you're in love when you follow your woman into unknown, malaria-riddled territory and you can't even bring your bicycle to at least ride furiously away from pending doom!!

Patrick James Dunn Learned all about Hindu, love today at the simply incredible, monolithic, (basically carved/chiseled out of one piece of granite, huge boulders or otherwise), Mamallapurum monuments, 7th Century, about 57 km south of Chennai. Drive was another story but you'll need to wait until I've time to compose my very thoughts!

Hello Kathryn, et al! No time, unfortunately, for VAP, but we send best wishes to everyone and thanks for another terrific festival. Drive, today, was another story but you'll need to wait until I've time to compose my very thoughts! We are travelling with good friends, Lynne and Peter, with a van and driver, (Hanif), meeting local guides at the various sites we will visit over the course of our stay, three weeks in the south, same in the north.

Please tell Eduardo that I am following his advice, regarding water, as so far we are only drinking Gin and Tonic, before dinner, followed by Single Malt, on our outdoor patio, afterwards, chatting in the warm, fairly humid but pleasant night air, before turning in. The meals, (complimentary breakfasts, fantastic with unlimited array/choice, ), have all been wonderfully delicious. I've opted for traditional cuisine., some of the others choosing omelets, etc. Fondestos from Mme Coriandre, locked in a yoga pose, to one and all, as I scribe. Cheers, from the bar at The Ideal Resort, hic, Patrizzio!

PS: I am now able to levitate but so far have only managed to be about an inch off the floor. Malt consumption seems to help so I'm going for a yard tonight!

Field Report, Day 1, Chennai:

After I sent a few messages I took a quick shower and then started to repack while Mme made herself a cup of tea. I had completely forgotten that there was the possibility of preparing my own Instanto so I used the still boiling kettle to fix myself a delicious mug of Nescafé. Felt almost like being back at Burns Street other than the fact that there wasn't any milk, just powdered creamer. Nonetheless, I sipped in sheer delight, the brew helping to wash away the last of the jet-lag cobwebs.

Mme Coriandre left for breakfast a few minute before me and was already seated with The Naramatians when I arrived in the comfortable dining area. We greeted one another and after kissing The Babes and giving Jugos the power handshake, I set off to fill my plate. Quite familiar with the cafeteria style arrangement., from past travels, where one can help oneself to various offerings and/or order specific dishes, such as omelets, waffles, etc. The find was an extremely light, paper thin lentil based crepe, a simply delicious variation of a Crêpe Suzette, that came with three different condiments. The gang had ordered these, and highly recommended I do the same. There was so much other choice, however, that by the time I had made the first round my plate was too, too full for me to contemplate more.

We had a great time catching-up on everyone's flights and related travel experiences, sipping fresh juices and sipping tea or coffee. By chance, our waiter, (The service was impeccable and the wait/serving staff friendly and polite and gracious without exception. As well, the various hotel managers came by our table to inquire about our stay, even the gentleman in charge of IT. We all complimented him on the WiFi, etc., telling him how impressed we were to have been given our user names and passwords, at the airport, by the hotel driver who had come to collect us! 

Around 8:30 am we finished our wonderful meal and went back to our rooms for last bit of packing. I wanted to take a few snaps of the food so headed for the hot-plate where the delicious potatoe balls were served. The hotel's Director of Operations, Sapnil Kalkar, happened to be close by and we struck up a conversation. I told him that our stay had been so comfortable that we were cancelling our tour and would stay for six weeks at the Radisoon Blu. An incredibly charming, handsome man, he said he would be more than delighted. We chatted a bit more and then I said I had to go but wanted to "steal" a few cinnamon buns before returning to our room. He immediately asked one of the staff to fetch a box for the buns and when he returned I take as many of the pastries as I wished. Even I felt a tad embarrassed as I would have loved to have taken tubs, (I spit on small take-out containers!), of the doughnuts and croissants and other rolls but limited myself to four cinnamon beauties, even though everyone around me urged me to take more!

Sapnil accompanied me to the elevator and we bumped into Cora Lee in search of the room key. She assumed I was right behind her and was not amused as she wanted to go to the bathroom. I learned all this on in elevator, on way up, after I had introduced her to Sapnil and he wished us a safe, enjoyable  trip. Back to room to finish packing and then down to Reception to settle our bill. This was the only time that we will have to pay for accommodation as all our future stays have already been pre-paid, as part of the tour package.

We met our driver, Hanif, who had been waiting since 9:00 pm, unfortunately. Front Desk had called then to say he was at the hotel. We had been told by the Luxe India representative, who had met us at the airport, that we were to be collected at 10:00 am. This being the case none of us were ready earlier so I asked that he be informed, apologizing for the delay, trusting he would understand. Not a big deal, in the end, and I suspect he is probably used to such things as he beena  driver for the comapny for thirteen years.

Once our baggage was stowed and appropriate tips had been given, we climbed aboard our van and settled into our seats. Janet had suggested that one of the best views was to be had sitting beside the driver so group we happy to let me sit in the passenger seat. We took off, heading south, back towards the airport so we were reasonably familiar with this stretch of the highway. Once through the thick, thick traffic that was bottle-necked around the fly-over construction, near the airport, that apparently has been going on for four years, we were on a four lane, divided highway, most of the time. What I was not ready for here, however, was the fact that there was a constant stream, mainly two-wheelers, (aka motor-bikes), bicycles and a few small cars and trucks, coming against the traffic, in the curb lane. Takes a bit of getting used to but didn't phase Hanif or any of the other drivers either.

The other thing that one notices, immediately, is that although most of the two-wheeler drivers wore helmets, their passengers certainly didn't. Usually they were women, sitting side-saddle, from teen sweethearts to wives to aged grandmothers, one intuits, perched nonchalantly, as they weaved in and out of the traffic, horns beeping all the while, mainly to signal approach and overtaking, not an angry declaration of right of way. In fact, in spite of the sheer anarchy, of the traffic flow, at least by our standards, I don't think I've seen a single instance of road rage. 

About an hour of this and we started to leave Chennai behind us and it started to rain, extremely heavily. The two-wheeler traffic thinned considerably as the owners sought what little protection they could under trees by the road side or awnings of buildings, etc. Some brave souls pressed on, the saris of the women completely soaked, clinging to their skin like a second skin. Felt nothing but sympathy for their situation having been drenched myself, a number of times, while cycling, but never on a busy inter-state!

This situation was soon further compounded by the fact that quite regularly, large trucks, buses and many small vehicles came driving towards us, usually in the outside lane, but sometimes in the curb lane, depending on the situation. Bit harrowing, (for us, if not for Hanif), it goes without saying. Much like going Like going the wrong way down a one-way street, at speed! Wasn't until later that I puzzled out why this was so. The motorway, (Driving is on the right-hand side of the road, a British influence, I presume.), is divided by a continuous concrete median, only broken at certain spots, often fairly significant distances apart. This being the case, drivers opted for the practical, indeed elegant, if seemingly suicidal, solution, of crossing the highway at one of the openings closest to their eventual destination and proceeded there, against the flow of traffic, minimizing the distance they needed to travel out of their way! Really have to admire the fact that this practice, at least in our experience, works so well, given such flagrant disregard for basic rules of the road, safety and the monumentally high risk of collision. 

To avoid such possible catastrophic accidents, the "Wrong Way" Corrigan drivers often flash their headlights or beep their horns to signal their presence. All in all, nobody seems fussed and traffic moves rather efficiently, even in the tightest of jams, the likes of which are well nigh impossible to describe. So far we have not witnessed a single incident of road rage, although I cannot imagine that this is unknown. Furthermore, another colossal difference is the fact that in addition to avoiding pedestrians, (There simply are no sidewalks, certainly not in the villaes and towns, and often not in the cities, either.), and bicycles, going with the flow, drivers must weave there way around cows, goats and stray dogs. The omnipresent cows wander, nonchalantly, along the roadside, often standing in the middle of the thoroughfare. At one point we had to wait for a large herd, completely unattended,  to cross the divided, four lane highway. More often it is herds of goats if they are not otherwise occupied in sleeping well onto the tarmac, often at busy intersections, or standing up against walls,  happily eating the posters plastered thereupon. To date, we have seen but one dead carcass, a small dog. It seems truly amazing that the highways and byways are not littered with roadkill, both human and animal, but the traffic flows much like a school of tropical fish or a flock of starlings, guided by unseen forces, gliding without contact or friction.

This baptism of fire introduced us to our first day of sightseeing, here in the state of Tamil Nadu with a visit to the simply incredible, monolithic, (basically carved/chiseled out of one piece of granite, huge boulders or otherwise), Mamallapurum monuments, 7th Century, about 57 km south of Chennai. The site is really most tranquil, in spite of the many visitors, set, as it is amidst stunning trees and gorgeous expanses of lawn. The bustling, constantly busy nearbye streets, filled with the sound of every-present honking, disgorging endless streams of beeping motorcycles, often belching smoke, don't impinge on the quietude. Quite remarkable, really. One does feel a sense of peace washing over one and the presence of an ineluctable, other-worldliness, radiating from these stunning, mesmerizingly, eternally still carvings.

Thanking and tipping our guide, we climbed back aboard our van, Force One, ("Force Motors, formerly Bajaj Tempo, is an Indian manufacturer of three-wheelers, multi-utility and cross country vehicles, light commercial vehicles, tractors, buses and heavy commercial vehicles."), and drove to the Ideal Beach Resort, [Place is fine but isolated so not much chance to soak up local colour.], where we were soon checked-in, welcomed by having strings of highly perfumed jasmine flowers placed around our necks and offered small towels to wipe our faces and hands, followed by very refreshing and tasty glasses of cold watermelon juice. Shown to our comfortable rooms, (Lynne and Peter, the hoi aristoi, were immediatley above us, on the second floor.), we proceeded to unpack. Rest of gang were planning to go for a dip in the lovely pool but I preferred to prepare a cup of Nescafé and message away until dinner time.

We had a lovely patio outside our door, overlooking the well manicured grounds, and we had decided, earlier, that we'd have drinks, Gin and Tonic, don'tcha know, there before heading to the dining room. (The resort was reasonably isolated so we were prisoners in a gilded cage.) Cora Lee had managed to arrange to buy more cans of Schweppes Tonic Water, from Reception, (We'd been unable to buy it anywhere in Mamallapurum in spite of Hanif's best efforts, although Jugos Dom Pedro scored plenty of limes.), so when the gang returned from their stroll to the beach, followed by a quick dip in the pool, and then showered and changed, we convened. JDP did a sterling job as bar tender, although when he went to fetch ice and ask the barkeep to slice the limes he discovered that he had purchased oranges! None of us had seen completely green-skinned oranges before so it was quite a novelty. Still, they were delicious, if not as sour as limes would have been. 

Over the course of our cocktail hour, we knocked back about three drinks apiece, enjoying the fruit at the bottom of our glasses as we waited for a refill from our efficient is slightly surly barman! Feeling pretty good, as you might well imagine after the stiff Bombay Sapphires, we toddled off to the dining room. Not overly busy full enough, given the size of the space. Clientele is mostly pesky tourists, (Seemingly, many Germans, from conversations I eavesdropped upon and recorded, over dinner, future leverage material. Some boisterous Aussies in ground floor room next to ours, but those brass Antipodeans are everywhere!), unlike we four, more chameleon-like visitors. I ordered a delicious mutton curry, (Turns out that "mutton" here is usually goat!), while others had fish, of one sort or another. Lovely meal and rather inexpensive, to say the least, as dinner, for two, with two large bottles of Kingfisher beer, shared with the Naramatian aristocracy, was  ₹1,000, roughly $20. 

I was pretty sleepy, not to say juiced, by meal's end so I lurched my way back to our room to get ready for a few much needed snorts of malt, back on the patio. Lynne would have none of this so she said goodnight. Trooper Cora Lee had a wee dram with the Lads before she said goodnight while Jugos and I chatted on for a bit, comparing my stellar Bruichladdich to his anaemic Balvenie! When my eyelids started to close, mid-sip, even I knew it was time to repair to bed. Bidding one another good evening, we both headed to our respective rooms and to our already sleeping beauties. What a day! What a way to start tour of this truly remarkable country.

Hi Louise, Second day in India. Wonderful contrasts, much like Mexico.
Sounds like Henryk has been busy. We really appreciate all he has gotten done.
Have you done any house hunting? Cheers Corinne 

Bere Barley Blues: Wednesday, October 28th!

When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes. -Desiderius Erasmus, philosopher, humanist, and theologian (28 Oct 1466-1536)

Next Monday Kilean and Ken will be leading us on a romp up the south-eastern side of Cartwright Mountain, at the edge of town in Summerland. So we will be leaving the IGA parking lot in Summerland at 9am, and Pentictonites can carpool from the Home Hardware parking lot at 8:40am. Afterwards we will converge upon Good Omens for coffee (however if there are 20+ of us not sure what to do if we can't sit outside.....) or whatever.

[Penny Doorbar Have a wonderful trip and keep in touch as I'm sure you will! Xx]

Hello Hikers! Have been following your hikes, courtesy of Pam's alerts and a number of terrific albums, posted by Karlos and Aarturo. Quite difficult to accept that I have already been replaced as Official Photographer! Looks like I've missed some wonderful outings, and more to come.

Arrived in Chennai just before midnight, local time, on Tuesday, October 28th, (Need to keep reminding myself of actual date as with two time changes it is hard to keep track of what day it is. If it's Tuesday, it must be Holland, isn't that so, Aarturo!), in pretty good shape. 

[Christina Tassell Have a great trip, I loved Indialove your hair Corinne!]

Flight from Vancouver to Frankfurt was chock-a-block so we weathered it but it wasn't like following from there to Madras/Chennai where we had two seats apiece. I noticed one woman stretched out across all four so she was almost in First Class. I snoozed quite deeply for a goodly part of first few hours of trip, falling asleep before Bessie, (Blues singer Bessie Smith [Queen Latifah], rises to fame in the 1920s to become a musical legend.), was over. Woke up, reasonably refreshed, to then watch Far from the Madding Crowd. Liked it muchly, {Who isn't a sucker for a happy ending when boy gets headstrong, beautiful goil!}, but am not sure how true it is to Hardy's novel, given his propensity for dark resolutions, as I've not read it!), at our hotel, Radisson Blu.

[Ayn P They've made it safely to India and sound ready for adventure...hopefully the wine there will suffice!

Patrick James Dunn No wine, only Kingfisher beer and Nescafé made with boiling water! My "office" with malaria pills for a chaser!] 

It is situated in the neighbourhood near the airport, St. Thomas Mount, as first explained by our driver, an extremely friendly chap, who gave us a running tourist's commentary all the way from airport to hotel. Must say that we westerners could learn a great deal about the service industry, from the very truncated experiences we've had so far. Given the late hour, after midnight when we touched down, not a soul, (even Customs officials and other bureaucrats), has been anything but friendly and extremely helpful, ("No" doesn't appear to be part of the vocabulary, much like in Turkey, per esempio!), and certainly welcoming. 

Our room is luxury, sheer luxury, (at least by Patrizzio's standards, [and most of you know my hiking dress code], although desk lamp doesn't work ), and we were plugged in without a moment's fuss or bother, having been given the hotel Internet access code at the airport, by the representative of Luxe India, our tour company, who met us, along with the hotel driver.

One of the first things I did, after unpacking a few things, was to open the Bruichladdich 2008 Bere Barley, 50%, one of their un-peated offerings, (Thank you YVR Duty-Free), and Lady Mary is knockin' it back like there is no tomorrow! Had a message, left at front desk, by our friends, Lynne and Peter Lighthall, from Naramata. They both arrived safely, (Peter was on a business trip to Madagascar and he arrived on Monday, Lynne earlier on Tuesday afternoon), and we will see them, at some point, probably for breakfast.

After we both take showers we'll probably hit the hay as we want to be up for complimentary breakfast, [Starts at 6:30 am but we won't be there until around 8:00 am, so that we can have more "complimentary" foot massages at 9:00 am. Our driver, Hanif, will collect us at 10:00 am and the aventura really begins! Fond regards to one and all. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: Cora Lee waiting to board in Frankfurt while I stood guard over my computer at the only working plug I could find, across the way from where she was sitting; one of the many attractive sculptures, large wooden carvings and shrines to various gods/goddesses,  found throughout the airport. was able to snap this shot while waiting for our checked baggage.

Hi Cathy, great to work with you and our wonderful shadows. I have some thoughts on organization. The blue tub and pails worked really well for ice and chilling the drinks. I think that it is the same each year so that drinks, incl. wine and beer should be set aside and labelled for Studio 1398. It's fine for us but would not want new volunteers scrambling around in the garage looking for appropriate beer and wine supplies. Also there was no table booked this year for the lobby at 1398 and no table cloth. Which is fine if you are into beg, borrowing and stealing. All of this is the same each year so should be on a spread sheet. The bar is easy so once set up easy to maintain. The instructions for the shadows were great and easily understood by them all. Hope these comments are helpful.Sorry to miss the wrap up party, Best from India, Corinne

Hi Rosemary Thanks for best wishes. Arrived around midnight. About to go down to breakfast. Look forward to seeing you in the spring, Hugs Corinne 

Chennai or Bust Blues: Tuesday, October 27th!

A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. -Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US president (27 Oct 1858-1919)

Chloe Alexis Dunn with Corinne Durston and Patrick James Dunn

Look who's headed to India!!! Have a great trip!!!❤

Have a good trip. Wayne  Hi Sarge: Here are the snaps from last night. We will give Joanne's keys to Chloë to return to you. Thanks again for everything. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Ayn P shared Chloe Alexis Dunn's photo.Wishing my parents a safe and wonderful trip to India!

Up at 6:15 am to make a cup of java while Lady Mary continued her blissful sleep. Wanted to send a last few messages as well as needed to take some papers down to Flamin'. I had opened some junk mail at their place, (It's still coming to our former address!), and inadvertently scooped up a number of pages belonging to her when I left last night. Will rudely awake Mme Coriandre in a few minutes as we have to launder the sheets and make the bed before we leave, as well as give the place a thorough tidying.

Sylvia Sutherland Have a wonderful trip!!!

Carol Riera Me too! Bon voyage!

Patrick James Dunn Thanks for the lovely wishes, one and all!

Hi Pradeep! Thanks again for being such a great help on Sunday! Much appreciated! Lovely to meet you and I do hope our paths will cross again, in the not too, too distant future. Must away as I have last minute packing to do. All the best. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Lori Wood Have a great trip! Looking forward to your posts and pics!

Patrick James Dunn Hi Lori! Will do my best! Cheers!!!

Hi Ilona! Kathryn passed along your name and email address after I had mentioned just how much I had been impressed by the various sessions I had attended, specifically target for school groups. Overall, I think this program is extremely important for a whole host of reasons, (educational, societal, etc.), and I certainly wish to commend you for all your obvious hard work on this part of the VWF. I have always maintained, (ever since I've been a Festival-goer and volunteer), that this programming is critical. All the best for future festivals. Onward! Cheers, Patrizzio! PS: As you can tell, I have included my impression of the session Against All Odds.

Chloe Alexis Dunn Ayn P don't cry, they'll be back!!!

Ayn P Wah!!!! Mommy!!!

Patrick James Dunn Boarding is just about to start!

 
Hi Kids! Just a quick note to say hello and goodbye! Thanks for sending along the John Oliver link. [Worth watching!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V5ckcTSYu8&feature=youtu.be], haven't had time to watch all of it but will do so at the airport! Fondestos, from Mme Coriandre who just turned over in bed, grumbling about having to be up so early! See you both soon. Take care of each other. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Patrizio! I am so sorry to have missed you this morning or yesterday afternoon when you came by to drop off your badge. THANK THANK thank YOU!!! And Corinne too of course. I hope you two have a Wonderful Wonderful time away. And maybe when I’m next up in Penticton (my sister lives there), I will come a knockin…Kathryn                           Margareta Maunsbach Have a wonderful journey!

Patrick James Dunn Thanks Maggie! Any tips?

Margareta Maunsbach Never take icecubes in your drinks - and drink only boiling hot tea

Patrick James Dunn I never use ice in my Single Malt and I have an asbestos tongue so I'll do as you suggest with respect to tea! Cheers!

Margareta Maunsbach And the rest will just come to you 😀

Patrick James Dunn Can hardly wait!!!

Krissy Seymour Have a great trip xxxxxxxxxxx

Ginette Bertrand Lovely photo...safe travels!

Hi Kathryn! Sorry to have missed you as well! We had hoped to drop by this morning, in part to return Cora Lee's badge, but time evaporated! After last minute packing, doing laundry and making beds, we had to go to the Vancouver Bullion & Currency Exchange to obtain rupees and then to Chloë's place, on Wall, just off Powell, to leave our car there. She then drove us to the airport. Arrived about 11:45 am and after hugging and kissing, we were through bag drop-off, (I had checked-in on-line, from home earlier in the morning so we had our boarding passes), and Security, (First time I've used my Nexus card and nobody even glanced at it!), by about 12:30 pm!  Bella M. Mercado Have a good time guys!!!

Alan Waldron Have a veddy veddy good trip! Oh yes.

Howard Gold no bike?

Chloe Alexis Dunn He wasn't allowed to bring it!!🚴

Joanne Trueman Wish you the best trip ever
Cora Lee stopped at one of Duty Free boutiques for hand-cream, I believe, while I went ahead to Gate 55 to set up shop. Great that YVR has free WiFi. In our experience, many other airports don't. I have quite a grand, marble-topped kiosk, all to myself! As soon as she comes to the gate, I'll go back to Duty Free for some single malt and then I'll be able to sip as I scribe! Unfortunately, bag will be sealed! Still, I can dream!!!

Thanks again for lovely travel wishes. We'd be delighted to see you in Penticton. Plenty of room so please do visit. Until next we meet, take care of yourself. We'll miss the Volunteer Party terribly so please say hello to one and all. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!

Dear Corinne and Patrick,Believe today is when you head over to India - have a good flight, wonderful experience and certainly look forward to hearing all about it. Andre is in Vancouver and I head over on Friday (currently in Brussels working). Apartment hunting is my number one priority since I am too old to not know where I am staying and living out of a suitcase every time I visit. Prices appear to be softening so hopefully if we make an offer above asking price we might be successful this time around.

Really sorry not to be seeing you (even planning to take plenty of reading matter since you will not be around to supplement my needs) but am sure we will be back in the spring when we can come and visit your new home in Penticton. Maybe even see you in Chabeuil next summer? Safe travels and take care. Much love, Rosemary XXX 

Hi Rosemary! How kind and considerate of you to wish us Bon Voyage, almost on the very moment of our departure! Sorry to have missed you and Andre as well! Very busy, yet extremely rewarding week at the Vancouver Writers Festival so certainly pleased we decided to come in earlier to volunteer again.

Thanks again for lovely travel wishes. We'd be delighted to see you in Penticton. Plenty of room so please do visit. There may well be a European trip this coming Spring/Summer so we'll keep you posted as plans concretize. Good luck with apartment hunting. Until next we meet, take care of yourself. Hello to Andre. (Funnily enough we met his good friend, Dan, a week ago Sunday as he is a good friend of Janet, our India expert!) Fondestos from Cora Lee, still shopping! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Adios Patriccio and CoraLee, Have a fantastic trip....we cant wait to see hear all your adventures! Be safe, have fun, dont do anything WE wouldnt do! Love you guys! We want to reserve the freeloaders suite when you get back so we can come and relive all of your adventures from India! love Marilyn xoxoxo 

Hi Marilyn! How kind and considerate of you to wish us Bon Voyage, almost on the very moment of our departure! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Thanks, Patrick, for your detailed and constructive comments. I took yesterday off and am back to Fest work today and for as long as it takes me to sort papers and make notes for next year. I sure agree with you - our volunteers were terrific. No, you and Corinne won't be given the heave-ho! Shadows were just in case you can't be there or would like an evening off. Take care on the road. Travel well. CathyA  Kathryn - Will get my vollie report for you within day or two. Hi CathyA! Glad you received my notes. Cheers, Patrizzio!  

Have to dash! Love, Dad! Great snaps!! Hi Goils! Sorry, I didn't think I had time to send message along so just decided to forward and earlier message. Managed to score our Duty Free hootch so now just waiting to board. Most other passengers are fussing but Nana is reading and I'm sending messages. Time to go now, however. Much love to you both. Love, Mom and Dad!

Not sure when your flight leaves - but we wanted to wish you safe travels.
Also to update you on couple of things....Luckily Henryk has had some free time from work so he has been able to achieve many things...He's repaired the sink in your bathroom; so now both are working - no more leaks He fixed the counter chair He picked up the fridge and has already changed the doors and positioned it in the garage. He picked up the new vacuum hose from Greyhound has hung the unit and has started making the shelves in the garage.
 
and Yes - I have been wine tasting :) - I learned that the 'Back Door Winery' is owned by the son of the owner of Sonoran wineries -- both very nice wines!
Moving forward...enjoy your time away and don't worry about anything here
regards, L&H Hi Louise! Just about to board. Don't wear out Henryk! More later!

After last minute packing this morning, doing laundry and making beds, we had to go to the Vancouver Bullion & Currency Exchange to obtain rupees and then to Chloë's place to leave our car there. She then drove us to the airport. Arrived about 11:45 am and after hugging and kissing, we were through bag drop-off, (I had checked-in on-line, from home earlier in the morning so we had our boarding passes), and Security, (First time I've used my Nexus card and nobody even glanced at it!), by about 12:30 pm!

Cora Lee stopped at one of Duty Free boutiques for hand-cream, I believe, while I went ahead to Gate 55 to set up shop. Great that YVR has free WiFi. In our experience, many other airports don't. I have quite a grand, marble-topped kiosk, all to myself! As soon as she comes to the gate, I'll go back to Duty Free for some single malt and then I'll be able to sip as I scribe! Unfortunately, bag will be sealed! Still, I can dream!!!

Ma Cherie Corriandre et Patriciozo, Have a wonderful trip!! Veni Vidi Vici India! Kisses, Arat & Sjo

Sylvie Roy Have a very nice trip to both of you xxx

Alastair Bird Have a great Trip!!

Colleen Teahan Waldron India will NEVER be the same .

Betty Chapin Bon Voyage!!! Don't forget to come home!! xoxo

Robbie Burma Have a great trip...I went with Gary 2 years ago and used Luxe India per Janet Tomkins recommendation. Best trip!

Sara Jane McGillivray Bon Voyage!! I look forward to seeing your photos.

Beverley Wittwer Have a wonderful time xx

Takagaki Toshiko Have a great trip!!

Douglas Jameson Buon viaggio! Not sure if they stock Peller Estates in Mumbai...

Louise Sartorio nice pictute...enjoy your travels

Monica Chattaway Grove Awesome!

Kurt Traugott Hope u left all these cloth on the airport... Have a great trip, enjoy

Lauren Beattie Have a blast you two! (heart emoticon)

Thanks again for lovely travel wishes. Fondestos from Cora Lee, still shopping! Cheers, Patrizzio!