…And here we are again in another place altogether doing a thing we know how to do. The big job this time around is the bottom. Wait…that’s always the big[…]
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Author: Dena
A Great Circle
We sailed a great circle over the last week. Not in the traditional sense of navigating along the shortest path, but in the equinoctial Chesapeake sailor’s way. And we looked[…]
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2 Days at Mahabs
What should we do for James’s birthday? The shopping area can’t hold our attention for long. I know… More stuff to haul 12,000 km… Hmm, the lighter, the better. How[…]
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Meenakshi Amman Temple
If you’re thinking what I was thinking, yes! Meen as in meen kappa (fish curry with boiled tapioca/coconut/tumeric), but in this case, Meenakshi as in fish eyed, an old-fashioned compliment[…]
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Madurai Mad
We arrived in Madurai at nearly midnight, after an emergency dental tightening and a long train ride. First thing, right after we left the train station proper, a young man[…]
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Attukal Pongal
I was riding my bike not long after 8 in the morning on the 11th, heading into town for Attukal Pongal. When an event is the record holder for the[…]
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More on Traffic
I forgot to mention the elephants. They’re not as common here as in other parts of the country, but they’re in demand for temple rituals. This one was likely part[…]
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Cultural Priorities: Efficiency and Safety Margins
James and I ride up to Ulloor or Medical College or Pattom fairly frequently. One of our favorite thali lunches (Sree Gauri Nivas, pure veg and de-lish-us) is across the[…]
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Bicycle POV
As nervous as I was about cycling on Indian roads (lanes, paths, cliffs), there was no doubt in my mind that it would be better than driving, being driven, riding[…]
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Poovar and Prakash
Prakash came to visit! He’s the friend who owns the apartment we’re using here in Akkulam and we had a grand time. The day after he arrived we went for[…]
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