Textiles, Texture, Tactile

Southern India is temples and churches, mansions and palaces, and masterpieces in sculpture arts and culture. It also has an inexhaustable variety of textiles,textures and tactile.

We shopped for Sari's in Chennai, spices in Periyar, cottons in Chettinad, Bamboo Linen in Kerala, gems at Gem Palace in Fort Cochin, bronze scultures in Tanjore; pashminas,cashmere and silks everywhere.

CLICK HERE to see a video of the piglets shopping for spices in Periyar

CLICK HERE to see a video of a classical dance guide in Chennai

We felt the warmth of the wax when watching the sculpter cast his image; the touch of cold marble on our bare feet in the Palace of Madurai; the velvety feel of the oil rolling down our skin as the two masseuses did our Ayurveda treatments; the coolness on my neck that only a rare gemstone can create.

Nowhere else could such variety exist and just like everything else in India....the possibilities are endless.

CLICK HERE to see a video of the Meenaskshi Temple

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Traveling In India with Friends - A Spiritual Journey

Julie and I once had a guide in Croatia, who after a few moments of rattling off facts and figures about a building, took one look at our glazed over expressions and said, "I will not torture you with details, nor trouble you with names." The six little pigs had a great day in Chennai and I will try to abide by my friends motto as I give you the highlights of this special city.

Chennai is a unique city because of its connection to the East India Company and Fort St George. As the pigs truffle through the South, we will primarily be visiting Hindu temples. However, today we visited two Christian Churches:  St Thomas Basilica Catholic Cathedral (where the apostle St Thomas was buried); and St Mary's which is inside the walls of Fort George and is the oldest Anglican Church in Asia. We also visited Fort St George which was one of the two forts which housed the British troops in India.

Both St thomas Basilica and St Mary's shared two common threads:  Christ and memorials. St Thomas basilica highlighted the crypt of St Thomas and his relationship to Christ and the other apostles while St Mary's highlighted Christ and the memorials to all who died in service to their country, or while giving childbirth. We found both churches beautiful and refreshing in their simple surroundings.

What really made our day special was our friendships. We find happiness with our friends if we expect it there. I watched as each little pig found a particular memorial plack or gravestone that moved them, then call out to others to share the emotion. I laughed in St Thomas' crypt as the lights went out leaving us in total darkness underground and one pig sings out "Onward Christian Soldiers," and we all marveled at the statue of the Virgin Mary dressed in her Indian Sari - showing us  the common threads we all share. I am grateful to have friends to share these experiences with. We receive from every experience in proportion to what we give ,and what each one of these little pigs gives to each other is the uniqueness that is themselves. Yes, today the six little pigs enjoyed Chennai but most importantly we enjoyed each other.

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