28th - 31st

Firstly an apology to friends of Anna, Chris and Zoe as the Blog is light on what they are up to when with their hosts, but we rarely get together without there being committmnets and sufficient time to use the lap top, in order to bring every one up to date.  Hope to put that right in next day or so - see entry for 30th.  Also, problems down loading photos, so will see if that can also be rectified - there are enough IT specialists around, so should not prove too much of an issue.

So........on the 28th the Teams were picked up at 8.30 am and taken to see two Rotary projects.  Firstly a school for children with mental disabilities, such as autism.  The Club had provided specialist equipment to challenge the children.  We met the Ch. Excec of the Charity running the school who was an American of Indian decent and now lives here and is dedicated to improve the lot of the 150 children at the residential school and the 3000 children in the country areas, where they provide advice and family support.

We then moved onto a local bakery.  The shop, attached to the business, was as modern as any bread shop in the UK and the bread and pasteries where of equal standard.  The difference being that the shop was the outlet for the training school that was also on the site.  The school was run and managed by the Rotary Club.  A regisered charity, all profits were either reinvested in the project, or to other needs supported by the Club.  Last year a proportion of their income went to build new homes for people in the District who had been effected by the sunarmi.  We were shown aroung the school.  The students come from disadvantaged/poor backgrounds often from the countryside and undertake an intensive course in bread and pastry making.  After about 6 months they are sufficiently skilled to enter the workforce, either locally, or it seemed, a fair proportion found employment with cruise liners.  We had lunch at the school - just pasteries, both savoury and sweet and no curry in sight! Just like home.

Back with our hosts, I spent the rest of my afternoon - about 2 hrs observing domestic chores, like seeing where my daily milk came from, correct the cow in the back yard of my host's house.  So from this simple side of urban life, suitably 'suited and booted', he then took myself and a team member from Sth Africa, with her hosts, to the Madrass Gymkarna Club for dinner.  (It is interesting that, despite the Government's change of the City's name, many institutons, including many Rotry Clubs, still use the original English name.).

The Club, the oldest in Chennai, was what I imagined a colonial Club to be.  Bridge was being played in the 'games' room and snooker tables was upstairs.  We had an excelent dinner on the lawn, before moving off to the local night club - 10 Downing Street.  It was karioaky night in the Club, so the ladies sang and men did what we do best - mime to the music and take the odd tipple or two!  The last to leave - true, we then went for coffee, before getting home at 2 am.  I have to say that our hosts were in there early 40's and  my fellow team member was early 30's. So I felt privilidged to be out with the bright 'young things' and more amazed that I kept up, or perhaps they had made concessions for the old 'britisher'.  More about the average age of Rotarians on return, but just to say that the greater majority seem to be in their 30 - 40s.  The DG is 44 and the President of the No1 Rotary Club in Chennai, with 250 members, is 35.  Where lies the future of Rotary International?

29th

Up early for 8.30 start, the two Teams spent the day sightseeing around Chennai.  So a day of churches and temples and a walk on the beach.  At the visit to the Shrine of St Thomas we just happened to meet a visitng Rotarian  from Austrailia.  A past DG, he was touring this part of the world, to vist projects supported by the Clubs in his District.. He was extremely complimentary of Rotary in India, especially 3230, saying that he could not fault the commitment of the Rotarians to get hands on involved with projects and most especially the financial propriety with which they managed donated monies.

On return, early to bed - 5 am start the next day.

30th/31st

The start of the mid term break.  We knew we were gong to Coorg, that it was in the hills and famous for growing coffee.  We did not know we had a 9 hour train journey to Mysore, then after a couple of hours waiting around, whilst spare clothing was purchased for a team member from Sth Africa who had had her luggage misplaced by a porter in Chennai, we then embarked on a 3 hour drive, on the most tortuous road I have ever been on.  Most of the way was single track and unmade.  It seemed that most of India was on the road, jostling for road space and trying to avoid going into the ravines, clearly visable on the right of the vehicle.  But again, this was normal for our driver and we made it tired, but unscatheed, to the Resort from where this portion of the Blog is being sent.  Great accommodation with many facilities, including Indian massage.  We are accompanied by three Rotarians and their families, so a real holiday feeling.