It’s been over a year since my last blog. That’s bad.  While I can still remember some of the highlights, the basics, the main bullet points, I’ve compiled them in this blog as an overview of our entire experience.  I definitely mean “overview”.  It’s the skeleton of our comings and goings for which I can add meat to in time.

It seems like another world now that I am back home in Canada again. Our Indian adventure started 2 years ago this summer when we decided to sell everything and go see India. I never dreamed that it would come to feel so much like home to me.

Our decision to go was hatched out of the reality that both Harold and I are facing physical issues that will eventually claim his mobility and my vision. A year prior to our decision to go to India, we had attempted to secure employment in the U.S. but had to return home due to immigration issues.  Starting up the piano tuning business that we had shut down to go south proved to be more difficult than we had anticipated so rather than waste any more time trying to re-start life in Canada, we decided to pull the plug on everything we had known and go.  It was an all-or-nothing decision.  Our lease was up in 2 months time so rather than sign again, we used those 2 months to sell almost everything we had, and put the rest in storage. In August of 2017 we left to see India.

Our plans were to stay there for our foreseeable future. We boarded the airplane that would begin our journey halfway around the world with only 1 suitcase and 1 carry-on piece of luggage each. Upon our arrival there we had booked accommodations for only 4 nights.  We had done research that pointed out the issues we might face if we tried to book anything online too far ahead of time, so we went for the short-term accommodations plan. We would figure out more long-term housing once we got there. We held 1-year tourist visas, so we had lots of time to hunt down a place to stay once our 4 days were up.

Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu

Our only connection to India before we left Canada was an email conversation with the Alumni Director at Kodai International School, Yvonne.  Having a family history at the school through Harold’s Mom and Dad was our motivation to go check out Kodaikanal, Harold’s place of birth.   Yvonne was very helpful.  Before we had even left, she had arranged our taxi transportation from the airport in Madurai up to Kodaikanal.

Our Journey

We knew nothing of what we would face physically as we traveled.  Our itinerary was a long multi-stop trek.  From Calgary we flew to Amsterdam with a short layover there.  From Amsterdam we went direct to Mumbai, 2 very long flights.  We would spend about the same amount of time jumping around and driving in India as it took us to do our first 2 long flights.  From Mumbai we traveled to Chennai, and from Chennai to Madurai.  After finally reaching Madurai, we completed the last 4-hour leg of our journey by taxi up into the mountains of Tamil Nadu. It was incredibly arduous.  Harold had traveled using his walking cane, but as we journeyed, I began to experience hip pain and ended up needing the use of his cane more than he did. I blame my week of sleeping on a hard floor after putting our bed in storage just before we left.

The taxi ride was amazing as we traveled through the plains to the foot of the mountains. The weather was so warm and the scenery was filled with palm trees, grassy fields, crazy traffic, bustling people and cows.  The sights, sounds and smells of that experience were all new to us. It was visually intoxicating.

Kodaikanal

We finally arrived at our hotel in Kodai, The Abriyami Residence. By the time we got there, I was unable to walk without the help of Harold’s cane.  Thank goodness he was able to do without it for that short distance from the taxi to the front desk and up 1 flight of stairs to our room. I have never been so happy to see a bed!  As soon as we got to our room, we both laid down and did not stir for a good 12-15 hours.

By the time I woke up all the hip pain I had developed as we journeyed had vanished and has not returned to this day.  We were both able to take in our surroundings after that good long rest.  One of the first reminders that we were no longer in Canada  were the signs on the windows and patio door of our hotel room advising us to keep them shut as monkeys are a problem and will come in if possible.

We had four days and nights to recuperate and find our next accommodations.  One of our first stops was Kodai School.  We went to introduce ourselves

to Yvonne. It was so good to have her help in finding our next place to stay.  The hotel across from the school would be home for a short while as we waited for a school cottage to become available.  After a couple weeks we were finally able to settle into Dunbar Cottage. It was the first place that felt “homey” to us since we had left Canada. It also bought us more time to find somewhere more permanent to stay.

 

The School became our main connection and source of information and help.  Through them we were introduced to The Friesen’s. They would be vacating an old British stone house that they had been renting with an address that seemed to be nothing more than “Prospect House”.  That became our home through to the end of November.  It was furnished with all the basics for living. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, dining room, each with their own fireplace, kitchen and a back deck with a breathtaking view over the valley below and across to the mountains on the other side of the valley.

Living in India

Getting around town was a challenge at first.  We were dependent on taxis and friends with cars. I did a ton of walking to become more familiar with the lay of the land. Eventually we purchased a scooter, a main form of transportation throughout India, and Harold was able to explore around town as well.

Shopping was a completely different game than what I knew from back home.  There are no big box stores over there to dominate the marketplace.  There are many individually owned businesses that supply specific things.  They are scattered throughout the town but by simply walking up and down some of the main streets you will find everything you need.  Fruit markets, vegetable markets, clothing stores, souvenir stores, restaurants and tea stands just to name a few.  Everything is available there if you know where to look.

More travels

We had planned to fly back home to Canada for 3 weeks to celebrate Christmas with family. After Christmas Prospect House would no longer be available to us, so part of our time was still occupied with finding a place to stay once we returned at the beginning of January.  This search lead us to the owner of a small home only 3 km away from where we were staying. It was in Pambarpuram, a self-contained community that we would come to know well.  This small home was not livable when we first went to see it.  The front door was accessible by navigating an overgrown sidewalk down a short but steep hill. It had been occupied previously by a free spirit who possessed quite an artistic talent. The walls inside were carpeted up to the halfway point and the space that remained up to the ceiling was his canvas.  The rest of the house was in a terrible state. It was uninhabitable due to the mess and dirt.  Harold looked beyond what I could see and got excited about developing the potential of that little house into a place we could rent and call our own for the long term.   So that’s what we did.  We were able to hire the help we needed to make it livable.  November was cleanup and renovation time. The fresh paint and new flooring alone made a huge difference. Once it was ready we purchased some basic furniture: bed, couch, washing machine, a cook-top stove, a few dishes and a TV.  Yes – no home is complete without a TV.  The before and after of this little cottage was hard to recognize.  This place went by the name of “Hope Villa”.  We were able to move in by the beginning of December and get settled just before leaving for Christmas.  We now had a place of our own to come back to on our return.

Hope Villa and 2017

We were anxious to return to our new little cottage situated at the top of a terraced hillside in Pambarpuram. It offered such a different life for us. It was not difficult to leave the bustle and -30° C temperatures of Canada behind.  I don’t remember the journey being as difficult that second time around.  We had so much to look forward to this time.

Upon our return we enjoyed morning coffees just outside the only door. Our chairs faced the rising sun and we would feel the warmth of the new day as the sun rose above the hillside across the valley. We were entertained every morning by some local dogs, both wild and owned. They would play in the sunshine then flake out on the top of the hill to rest after a night of survival in the mountains.  This would be home for us until we had to return to Canada in June as our 1-year visas came to an end.

Back in Canada

After being in India for 11 months, it was good to be home again.  My dear mother gave us a place to stay for a couple weeks while we searched out a place to live again. It didn’t take long for us to find our current address. One thing I missed while being gone was having a place to call home back in Calgary. The closest thing we had to an address in Calgary was a storage unit.

Harold’s Return to India

Harold lasted in Calgary for only a few months before going back to our little cottage on the hillside.  I’m such a homebody family person.  I wasn’t ready to leave yet, and I wanted to spend Christmas in Calgary, so I did.  He returned to India for his birthday, Nov 1.  His adventure back to India took a bit of a turn from what we both expected. While I decorated my place for Christmas, he was dealing with the reality of Hope Villa being empty for 5 months with little to no attention or care.  Basically, he returned to find it no longer habitable due to lack of daily maintenance. Monsoons can be brutal on a home, and rats had found their way in to do their own bit of damage to the inside.

Our Indian Family

While living in Hope Villa in December, we chanced to meet Vani (pronounced “One-knee”) and her mother Mary. They lived just down the street from us and own Britto House, an accommodation that could be found on Trip Advisor. While living in Hope Villa we got to know them well.  I spent lots of time visiting with them over those next few months.  We had tea, went for walks around town, shopped and just hung out together.  Vani spent many hours with me trying to teach me Tamil. She was a great teacher. I was not so great a student. Lessons will continue once I get back there.

Introducing you to our Indian family is not complete without mentioning Solomon, our taxi driver.  A big part of feeling like you are at home elsewhere is meeting people who you grow to love and trust.  I could write a whole blog on its own just about Solomon. Maybe watch for that.

Back to Harold

Vani’s family own a home across the street from them called Barbara House, a beautiful 2 story home which is well maintained. The second floor of the house is a separate apartment. It has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, back deck and a rooftop!  Mary and Vani came to Harold’s rescue.  He was able to move into Britto House while making ar

rangements to move permanently into the 2^nd floor of Barbara House.  It didn’t take too long, and he was completely re situated from Hope Villa into Barbara House. 

Winter in Calgary last year had not been too bad. It was cold, but the deep-freeze temperatures had not yet hit. I ended up joining Harold right before the cold hit Calgary at the beginning of February. He had made Barbara House home.  All our things had been moved and set up there.  Long story short – After a 3 ½ month stay there, we both returned home together in mid May.  It was difficult to say good bye.

Present Day Summary

There was a time when I had no address to call home. Life was an unhooked adventure. And now I find myself with 2 homes.  One is half a world away and the other is here in Calgary, but India has stolen a part of my heart.  I believe I may just spend the rest of my life being in one place and missing the other, and vice versa.  But really, is that such a bad thing.  The world has become for me, a much smaller place.