We got back from our holiday last week after a really amazing time in South India with the Kolkata Action Team.
The train journeys (52 hours each way) were actually really fun – t’s impossible to get bored on Indian trains as there are so many people trying to you sell things (regular calls of “chai, chai” starting at 5am), things to look at, people to talk to and rats to dodge!
We spent the first few days relaxing on the beach in a place called Varkala – a very touristy resort set out along a cliff top overlooking the sea. It was a bit strange seeing so many white people after almost 3 months in Dwarka where we’ve seen about 3, but it was beautiful and SO nice to be able to jump in the sea! We had some really amazing evenings on the beach worshipping and praying whilst being surrounded by God’s awesome creation. We spent a day in the backwaters, punting around tiny villages where we were shown the traditional farming methods they use and how they grow and harvest the different spices for our curries.
We then travelled inland to the jungle – a long and eventful bus journey during which the bus filled with black smoke and had to leave us on the side of the road in the middle of no-where half-way up a mountain! When we finally arrived at our accommodation they had given away one of our rooms, so the 6 of us girls had to all cram into one room with some mattresses on the floor!
We spent 3 days at the wildlife park in the jungle; riding elephants, going on jeep-safaris and trekking through the jungle. We saw elephants, giant squirrels, chickens and a frog – I think our guide was quite disappointed in our lack of interest at the last two. We also saw some massive poisonous spiders on a night trek which was quite scary, and a poisonous water-snake in the lake we’d just gone swimming in (fortunately we weren’t attacked by anything and so far seem to be amoeba-free). We also visited some tea plantations and a tea factory, and had a go at harvesting some tea with the women who work there; Naomi got a bit excited at all the tea so the women dressed her up in their tea harvesting outfits.
It was an amazing 2 weeks and we really felt God’s provision for us throughout – a lot of things could have gone quite badly wrong but jaimasiki it all went smoothly in the end.
We are now back at school feeling really refreshed and excited about the last two months of our time here.
Anna
