• A Week of Soothing Warmth: Alleppey

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    Villager’s means of transportation: canoes. Feb 14, 2008. Alleppy, Kerala.

    Alleppey is the place of tropical dreams. Forests of palm trees. Huge networks of interconnecting backwater rivers surrounded by massive rice paddy plantations and tiny villages. Bright misty sunny days marked by brightly colored sunrises and sunsets.

    The villages that line the 200 meter wide rivers seem to blend together as you pass by them. Only a narrow one-man path and a single line of palm trees separates the rivers from the hundred acre wide paddies.

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  • Travel Tips for India

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    Sunrise at 6:20am, Feb 14, 2008. Alleppy, Kerala.

    By Tina Su

    Awoken by the sound of roosters and black birds, I crawled out of the mosquito net to meditate and to catch the sunrise in one of the most beautiful places in the world: Alleppy in Kerala, India. I am now sitting on the front porch of the simple palm tree hut where we’re staying. I can see in front of me: serene alleyways of calm rivers, rows and rows of palm trees, birds flying in schools into the horizon and hues of pinks and blues and yellows out in the sky. Occasionally, groups of two or three men will pass gracefully along the calming river in a traditional Indian gondola on their way to the morning market.

    I am in love. Not just because it’s valentine’s day and we’re supposed to feel so, but because I have witnessed a slice of heaven here in South India.

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  • Namaste from India!

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    Adam relieved at finally arriving (Express 66, Room 205)

    A week has passed since we left Seattle, on our way to Delhi. Our two flights were quite long, and slightly delayed, but we landed safely. Our first few days in Delhi were entirely spent getting settled and adjusted.

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  • The Big Day

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    Tina’s things all in ziplock bags, ready to be packed.

    The day we leave for India has finally arrived. It feels so ominous, but we’re glad we finally get to leave.

    We’ve passed being heavily stressed, then quietly nervous, and finally excited. The last week has been lived entirely in anticipation of this day. From trips in and out of our doctor’s offices, to strategically packing the apartment, to planning, to shopping, there have been few moments we haven’t been thinking about this trip. The last three days have been the busiest, as we packed the apartment, move to a friend’s house, and helped our subletter move in. We’ve packed, and packed, and double checked all our bags. It feels great to be fully prepared, and have a few spare moments to sit in relaxed anticipation of our first trek; to the airport.

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