vijayawada fish market…

Went to Vijayawada fish market early for once so the smell was not so acrid and now that i have mastered a few Telegu phrases at least i could speak a little with the workers there…

local tourism and undavalli caves…

So there is pretty much zero tourism in this corner of Andhra Pradesh other than Indian religious tourism around the Krishna River and here nearby in the Undavalli cave temple in the Guntur district near Vijayawada. A Hindu temple excavated from the rocks around 5th Century AD, it is a spot for locals and schools to spend a Sunday.

Not many western visitors…am asked for my autograph several times…!!!

my “duran duran” moment – giant prone god carved out of the rocks

FYI, The caves are associated with the Vishnukundina kings of 420 to 620 A.D and  are dedicated to Anantapadmanabha Swamy and Narisimha Swamy.

It’s also a great place for monkey spotting, you just need to climb a little into the surrounding hills…

mother teresa home for abandoned children…

I went to Vijayawada with some Italian paediatricians who are currently working here, they wanted to visit an orphanage they knew in Vijayawada run by the Mother Teresa of Calcutta order. All that i knew before hand was that this was truly the last stop for the children there and they take on all the children that the other orphanages don’t want or can’t cope with, so mainly children who are severely mentally and or physically handicapped.

For sure i felt nervous about going, the doctors had found things in a very poor state the previous year, but i wanted to go…anything to add to my understanding of this place. Things are much improved this year, we walk into a clean quiet courtyard, there is a big notice giving visiting hours and also stating very clearly that no photographs are allowed. Am relieved, i already had an inner monologue going on about whether i should or should not document this visit…but the decision was made for me and i was glad. The place was clean but basic. There were 9 nuns there (last year there were only 3) and around 40 children, the nuns told me a doctor visits every day and also a physiotherapist…but there was so much work for one or 2 doctors. There was one room with children (or maybe adolescents it was hard to tell) that were so handicapped that they sit in a near catatonic state all day…an existence rather than a life. But anyone who is able to attends school in a corner of the courtyard where a teacher visits daily. Have been learning deaf signing so i was able to talk a little with some of the deaf kids and have been trying to force some Telugu into my brain (not easy) so was able to have basic conversations with some of the others. I admit i was a little freaked out by all that i saw at first but that lasts about a minute and then you just snap out of it and muck in and it felt really nice to sit and play and spend some time with these kids. But i think it’s such a precarious existence for entities like these, they rely solely on donations to survive and in an ongoing global crisis…

Before we left the Mother Superior gave us a small card of mother Teresa containing a tiny piece of her robe. I suspect that Mother Teresa’s robe (the swatch is laminated into the bottom left of the photo) may be a bit like the Berlin wall…more pieces than the object itself, but it seems churlish to quibble…Am not religious, i don’t like it at all, but for sure i have tremendous respect for these women. They are dealing with the bottom rung of society here, taking on responsibilities that no one else wants to deal with. I feel grateful to them while i am there.  These kids are actually lucky…

sari and frock shoppinig with zakeera and chandra…

I go shopping in Vijayawada with 2 friends who work in the orphanage. Zakeera is Muslim but often wears “regular” clothing; jeans and a punjabi top but sometimes she likes to cover up. It is a very strange sensation to spend the day with someone whose whole face (minus the eyes) is covered up and i find myself losing a lot of subtle comprehension with her facial expressions hidden. Chandra was an orphanage kid. She started out in a hostel in Vijayawada and now is working in the office of the orphanage in Buddawaram. She is waiting to go to college and to eventually get a job in tourism.

The Saris are beautiful…60 gram silks and gossamer light, they are expensive by India standards…3500 rupees (more than €50) and way beyond my budget. I allow myself €100 per month. Actually you can buy very nice saris for 400 or 500 rupees or less… guess the girls have been saving up as wages are low. When women buy here its a serious business i have watched them have 100′s of saris displayed before walking away purchasing nothing…not easy to be a salesman here…The frocks are also for very special occasions and are also an eye watering 3500 rupees!!!

wild flora…

Wild flower/herbs/weed sellers on Besant Rd in Vijayawada – frustratingly i can’t find anyone to identify the ones i don’t recognise (i think i see marigolds, flat leaf parsley/coriander…)

Also frustrating is that the countryside around me though fertile is so toxic with human waste and goodness knows what else that i would never consider tying to find any interesting wild food. A real shame because of the tropical climate, the flora is lush and abundant…