to Coimbatore

Yesterday I said good-bye to Ooty and boarded a tiny steam train which took us down the mountain, through some of the most spectacular scenery on this planet. It was second only to cruising the backwaters of Kerala on a houseboat. What a lot of variety there is in this country!
I enjoyed being with all the backpackers from various parts of the world, including a 12year old Irish boy named Liam who was travelling with his father and was so wide-eyed and excited by everything he was experiencing. One of the highlights of the trip was stopping for chai and seeing a large band of monkeys crossing the bridge and approaching us for handouts. Some had babies clinging to them. Apparently they get fed like this 3 times a day when the train stops there.
Leaving Ooty was another lesson in contrasts as we arrived back on the plains to the humid heat and mosquitoes, crowded cities, and dealing with the Indian trains.
It was wonderful to see Manoj and two of his friends waiting for me when I arrived in the Coimbatore train station. He took me to where he is living and the family had a bedroom waiting for me with my own bathroom. So I am experiencing true Indian life now and am no longer a tourist. Manoj has changed so much during his year here, and we have enjoyed getting caught up and sharing our experience of India.
He was adopted from an orphanage here in Coimbatore when he was 6 years old by a Kelowna family, along with two other children who also were adopted into Kelowna families. Manoj came back in February to spend a year volunteering at the orphanage that he had spent the first 6 years of his life. There he met Arun, who had been his childhood playmate and was now a student in a music college. Arun was conscious of the discrimination that orphans faced and decided he wanted to do something about it. He was inspired to start a trust called "Youth Helping Hands" to raise awareness, to recognize talents and to empower orphans through providing resources and scholarships for further education. He shared his vision with Manoj who immediately recognized a kindred spirit and joined him with his more international vision.
They have been joined by two other groups who are working collaboratively with them: VOYCE (Voice of Youth for Clean Environment, and Caliber Trust which lobbies for equality for the physically disabled in India). Their efforts have attracted many influential supporters and they are doing some wonderful work. I will learn more about it as I spend the next month here and will add more as I understand more. I will also post some photos soon.