Off The Map

I've been off the grid for a while. I was in the Andaman Islands for the past few days. For anyone who doesn't know where that is (aka most of you, because I'm a geography nerd and I had never heard of them until we decided to go there), they are a tiny island archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean closer to Thailand, although they belong to India. There is only one way to get there, and that's via the single daily domestic flight from Chennai. That should give you an idea of how remote this place was, and as such, there was no internet until I got to Delhi, which is where I am now. So the next few posts are from this past weekend--I wrote them but couldn't upload til now. Bear with me and enjoy me making up for lost time? (I wrote a lot, because I had a wicked time!). ***

Animal Sanctuary

For anyone interested in the work I've been doing with the animals here in India, here is a link to the shelter's website. Have a look!

http://www.arunachalasanctuary.com/index.html

I will be going tomorrow or Thursday to say goodbye, and I'm sure I will be a complete mess after doing so. Puppies really get ya, but injured animals somehow make a special bond that's different. Gotta mentally prepare starting now. Wish me luck.

Me and Vishwa (right), the manager of the shelter--such an incredible individual; I was very lucky to get to work with him

Intro to Mountaineering on Mt. Arunachala

Arunachala, the mountain I conquered (that almost conquered me)
Sweet taste of victory at the summit...spoiler alert: I made it!

Whoever said this climb was easy is crazier than the one who told me it was just a short walk to the Corfu bus stop. I really need to stop taking people's word on this.

I woke up at the crack of dawn (otherwise it gets too hot to climb) and met my friends Simon (German), Shanti (German and American), and James (from New Jersey, who I'm backpacking through India and Nepal with).
Our climbing posse We took a rickshaw from the ashram to the base point by the temple. From there it was straight up. For 2 and a half hours. I really thought I was going to die-- how was I the only one having trouble here? Am I really THAT out of shape? I know I haven't run since I left for my trip but come on Katy, get it together! I was seeing spots and I thought I would pass out any second. It was only 6 am but already brutally hot and hazy. Combine that with lovely asthma lungs and you will have a hilarious (or sad) picture, depending on how you see it.

I'm not kidding about the vertical climb...it's a long way down

We kept going though, and reached the summit at about 8:15 am. It was incredible; just the four of us standing there looking at the world beneath us, wind providing sweet relief from the exhaustion our bodies were feeling.

We did some yoga on the top of the mountain, and then I took a nap. After an hour and a half, we started our descent, which was slightly easier on the lungs but tougher on the legs. I heard somewhere that there's only two muscles in your entire body that will just give out when they've reached a certain point, and one of them is your quads. Mine got pretty close to that point, I'll tell you that much.

We were down in time to have lunch at Ramana Ashram in town, where you sit in these huge rows on the floor, and devotees come around and serve you unidentified dishes onto your banana leaf. You have to cover your plate with your hands if you don't want something, or say "kunjum" which means "little" in Tamil. But they work quickly, so you've gotta watch your leaf like a hawk, otherwise you'll end up with a giant ladle of spicy sambar and you have to eat it (it's considered the absolute worst disrespect to leave food on your plate at the ashram). Once I had my plain rice, curried veggies, and ghee (clarified butter), I tucked in. After I remembered custom there, I had to sit on my left hand so I wouldn't use it to eat--it's considered unclean there and people would be really sketched out if I did. I don't know if you've ever spontaneously tried to use your non-dominant hand to do something that is already difficult, but let me tell you, it ain't pretty. I definitely would not recommend the traditional Indian dining experience as a first date--it's pretty messy. Unless you like to test someone, in which case it'd be hilarious.

After lunch, my roommate Almut (German), James and I went into town to see the elephant. Turns out it has siesta time just like the rest of India. Their hours take some getting used to. Because of the heat, shops and such are open from 8 to 12; close from 12 to 4 for afternoon siesta, and then open again from 4 to 8.

After that, we headed to Birani's, a three story clothing shop. Shopping for clothes in India is a totally different experience. You have a section with fabric and tailors who will make custom garments that don't cost you an arm and a leg. You also have ready-made items, which they keep in boxes behind the counter. You tell them what you're looking for (fabric, cut, size etc.) and they somehow know exactly what boxes to pull out. Everyone is extremely friendly and wants you to walk away satisfied.

We hit a wall of exhaustion after that, so we headed home to shower and take a nap. Later, we went over to james' place and made mango,banana, and nutella pancakes. So good. I was also introduced to Bananagrams, a game similar to Scrabble but you make your own board. I have a feeling James and I will be playing it a lot on long train rides through the Indian countryside.

It's hard to believe my time here is almost up--it feels like I just arrived, but at the same time it feels like I've been here forever. Thursday night we (and for the next two weeks, we means James and I) head to Chennai to hop a flight to the Andaman Islands (seriously, google it. The pictures will make you so jealous). I'm working on a few posts before then, since I definitely won't have internet in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Catch y'all later.

So I'm Not Invincible

As it turns out (who knew?). I've never had an allergic reaction before (except for being a lacktard, and that incident with Buckley's where I passed out) so I didn't worry about the 6 hour hike through the Indian jungle around the mountain this afternoon. After 14km, I get home and am so excited to take a shower--that's a long hike! Then I look down at my legs and I see angry splotches everywhere...All of a sudden they start to itch, which quickly escalated to pain and more bumps. Then I started getting short of breath. That's when I ran to the doctor thinking something is seriously wrong here.

Turns out there was a plant in the jungle that releases pollen when it's really humid out (like today), and I'm pretty allergic. I was kind of confused because it's not like it touched my bare skin, but apparently the spores will go right through your clothing and there's not much you can do about it.

Currently on India's version of anti-histamines. Hopefully the swelling goes down soon and I will be able to get some sleep.

This country is really putting me through the ringer!

Ps- No pictures included in this post. You definitely do not need to see me looking like Hitch when he eats shellfish (hopefully you get that reference). Just imagine the hilarity. You're welcome.

They Call It Puppy Love

Although I've been pretty busy with various tasks assigned to me within the ashram that I stay in, I found time today to start the project I've personally wanted to pursue while I'm here in India.

Treatment of animals is strikingly different here than in the Western world. There is a dichotomy where certain animals are revered (in Hinduism, it's worse to kill a cow than a human), yet others are left to starve on the streets--can they even be called homeless if they've never had homes?

There is an animal hospital nearby that my mother told me about when she last came here. This general attitude for animals that are suffering in India is why I was so deeply impacted when I first visited the hospital. This place is a little silver lining in the cloud of neglect, and I want to make as much of an impact as possible in the short time I am here.

They take in strays, provide emergency medical care, and find good homes for the animals. They are in financial trouble, because they get very little funding from the government, and one of their biggest private donors just went bankrupt in the US. I donated what I could, but they still need much more. I just hope that the time I spend helping out eases their difficulties in some way.

I got a tour of the facilities today, which includes an exam room, several kennels, an operating room, and various other places for animals to stay. While the majority of patients are dogs that have either been abused or hit by a vehicle, the hospital is also currently caring for a horse, a cow, two monkeys, and some peacocks. They will take anything that is brought to them.

Puppies!!!! There is a brand new litter of puppies brought in last week--the mother had been hit by a vehicle in the street and has a broken hip, so she can't care for her litter. They were falling over themselves trying to get me to pick them up. They're so tiny! I can't wait to see them every day. I also spent some time with a couple of the monkeys currently in recovery--one had a bad skin problem, and the other had a broken back; they're both pretty much healed and will be released to a wildlife sanctuary soon. The third monkey has a ways to go yet, so I'm sure we'll get to know each other better.
My new monkey friends

Seeing some of the injuries sustained by these animals is really tough. Missing an eye, no hind legs, lesions on their skin--this is unfortunately normal in India. It breaks my heart to think of the pain they must have known, but at the same time I'm so happy they are in a place like this where they can get a little TLC--I'd say they've more than earned it.
This dog hasn't got any working hind legs--it's had to learn to walk on its two front ones The manager is going to Bangalore to find homes for some of the puppies, but when he returns on Wednesday he will assign me a specific task to help out with for the next few weeks. I've been told I might assist some of the sterilization surgeries (heavy on the assist--I'm definitely not a veterinarian!) which would be amazing. I got to watch my uncle do a canine splinectomy when i visited his vet clinic in Vancouver this year, and it was awesome. Why can't I be good at science? I would love to do this for the rest of my life!

If it's just feeding and playing with the animals, that's fine with me too--I've got a lot of love to give and these guys deserve it! I'm finally feeling like I'm fulfilling what I came here to do.

I'm also starting a project with the charity that I have been assigned to this week--the animal hospital is strictly volunteer. Well, I suppose they both are, but this project has been chosen for me, whereas the animals are what I do with my spare time. Hopefully I will keep learning even more this week--so far I'm on pretty good pace for a fascinating seven days.