When Americans think about India we tend to think of it in monolithic terms. Erratic, kinetic, cows in the road, vibrant colors, dazzling sights, smells and sounds.
I had that impression from my time spent previously in the north of India. On this visit I've started in the south, in Tamil Nadu.
Although Madurai was much gentler than the north it still gave me that sense of India; endlessly fascinating and incomprehensible.
Coimbatore is a whole different scene; it is modern, clean and western (ish). One can see clearly the influence of the west here.
While researching Coimbatore online I read that it was the Detroit or Manchester of India; meaning it is an industrial city. From that I inferred that there would be more affluence here, more western influence and there is.
As has been the case thus far (except for the beach town Hikkaduwa in SL) we are the only Westerners I've seen with the exception of the people at the Integral Yoga Institute here for a one-month teacher training.
Although I have not seen any other white faces I see evidence of us everywhere.
There are many nice shops here with glass windows, western clothes, coffee and not so much tea. Nice cars thread their way through auto rickshaws and barefooted motorcycle riders. Advertisements for expensive products and salons all with white models.
In the neighborhood where our western style business class hotel was located we would go out about 7:15 in the morning to one of the little local temples to attend puja.
I had that impression from my time spent previously in the north of India. On this visit I've started in the south, in Tamil Nadu.
Although Madurai was much gentler than the north it still gave me that sense of India; endlessly fascinating and incomprehensible.
Coimbatore is a whole different scene; it is modern, clean and western (ish). One can see clearly the influence of the west here.
While researching Coimbatore online I read that it was the Detroit or Manchester of India; meaning it is an industrial city. From that I inferred that there would be more affluence here, more western influence and there is.
As has been the case thus far (except for the beach town Hikkaduwa in SL) we are the only Westerners I've seen with the exception of the people at the Integral Yoga Institute here for a one-month teacher training.
Although I have not seen any other white faces I see evidence of us everywhere.
There are many nice shops here with glass windows, western clothes, coffee and not so much tea. Nice cars thread their way through auto rickshaws and barefooted motorcycle riders. Advertisements for expensive products and salons all with white models.
In the neighborhood where our western style business class hotel was located we would go out about 7:15 in the morning to one of the little local temples to attend puja.
As we would walk to the temple we saw many Indian people out for their morning constitutional. They were walking around wearing sneakers, iPhones and earbuds.
This last phenomenon is a contrast from when I would walk in the north or in Nepal. In Nepal people would stop me as I was walking and they would ask "where are you going?"
This last phenomenon is a contrast from when I would walk in the north or in Nepal. In Nepal people would stop me as I was walking and they would ask "where are you going?"
I would say "I am taking a walk. I am just looking." They could not understand what I was talking about. The concept of simply taking a walk for exercise or sightseeing was not something that could be understood in their cultural context.
On one hand it feels nice to have a little bit of a respite from the "otherness". To have a luxurious warm shower and be someplace where it all makes sense, where the difference is exotic as opposed to slightly disorienting .
On the other hand I prefer to be in that place where minds drops completely, where intellect has no choice but to fall away because everything is unintelligible.
On one hand it feels nice to have a little bit of a respite from the "otherness". To have a luxurious warm shower and be someplace where it all makes sense, where the difference is exotic as opposed to slightly disorienting .
On the other hand I prefer to be in that place where minds drops completely, where intellect has no choice but to fall away because everything is unintelligible.
It's all good!
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