This is our last day here – we fly out for Singapore in about 12 hours. From there, Tokyo, LAX, and finally SeaTac. This has been an amazing experience, but I’m not sure how to share it. Words alone won’t suffice, nor will pictures; sadly, neither will combining the two.
We’ve seen but a small part of a small part of India, and the context I have for what we’ve seen and done is fragmentary, incomplete. It’s been hard not to fall back on stereotype, of Indias both Old and New. History, legend, and reality both wondrous and squalid exist side by side everywhere we’ve been. I worry that future writings will rely overly much on words such as ‘lurid’, ‘vibrant’, and, yes, ’squalid’ – but so be it.
Even now, the memories from the first few weeks are fading, becoming pale imitations of themselves, dissipating like a delicate perfume. I don’t think a travelogue-style narrative will work – who wants the blog version of vacation slides? I’m thinking vignettes will probably work best, coming closest to how we’ve experienced this country. At any rate, we’ll see. I won’t be lacking for writing material, that’s for sure.
That’s about all I have time for right now – company has arrived, and tea is being served. We’ll be back in the States soon enough; there will be time enough for writing then.
Posted by protected static as random at 8:48 PM UTC
Caroline four-five-two
When they come to call for her I will be there too…
Observe Radio Silence observe
So I’ve got to apologize for the dearth of posting lately – work’s been hectic, and there’s been a fair amount going on in our lives. As such, I also have to apologize for what could be a dearth of posting to come over the next three weeks.
How can I be so sure this drought will only run three weeks? I can’t entirely, but I can say for sure that it’s when we return from India.
Yup. India.
This afternoon, we leave for LAX; then it’s on to Tokyo, then Singapore, and from there, Kochi in Kerala, India (the SW corner of India, on the Arabian Sea. The region was a melting pot of cultures long before the Portugese arrived; Arabs, Jews, North Africans, Persians, and Syrian & Iraqi Christians all played a role in the spice trade, and to varying degrees their influences can still be seen around the region.
We should have high-speed internet access for at least some of the trip, so I’m hoping to blog some while we’re there, hopefully post some pictures… We’ll see. In the meantime, I’ve got some Friday YouTube nonsense queued up just in case my best intentions gang aft agley or somesuch.
Posted by protected static as random at 12:11 AM UTC