Today is my last day and I am so sad. This morning as did yesterday, started with yoga class. The place is. It easy to find with their numbering system so even though this is the second day, i didn't recognize it immediately. It's in an apartment home but there seems to be a another business there as well. Everyone has the door to their apartment open as I go up the stairs. They each have something by their door--a bookshelf with knickknacks or a saltwater fish tank. It reminds me a bit of Coffee Run in Hockessin, De where my dear friend Judy Rossiter lived.
The class is Ashatanga yoga which is more sun salutations than I normally do, but it was good for me and inspired me to get back to doing more. Class is run differently here. Students show up and the teachers take them through a somewhat personalized sequence. So everyone is doing something different.
Yesterday the owner turned me over to her son to lead my practice. He was way too young for me but hit. Yeah go ahead and make and adjustment or help me balance in tree pose! I told my friend Akshaya who hooked me up with the class that she needs to go check him out. He's close to her age. We had a good laugh about that.
Today the owner worked with me. Both days were really good and I learned a lot. Her son worked more on alignment with me and she took me through more poses and gave me more challenges now that she had a better idea of my level.
We are placed pretty close, so it was acceptable for me to take a leg stretch across to my neighbors mat. There as no liability sheet to sign and no owrmission asked before making adjustments. But it was just fine. I knew the adjustments were coming unlike one teacher who came up from behind me and just wrenched my hips around.
Interesting that they tell you to go into the last resting pose and then it is up to you to decide when to come out. This morning as I rolled out, I was teary eyed. My emotions always come to the top after savasana.
I also started every day here with a walk and this morning I was very nostalgic and taking photos knowing it was my last opportunity. it was the last time the friendly man with the dogs would say hi or the security guard at the house on the corner would greet me or the man with the cane would say Happy morning. It was the morning Id see rongolas drawn outside peoples homes. It was the last time I'd be in my home away from home room.
Breakfast was over when I got back to the hotel so I walked up to Beachville coffee roaster and had a nice Vietnamese (I think)!breakfast wrapped in lettuce and a rose milk latte. Omg. A very good thing I only discovered that on my last day. YUM! I sat here for awhile and worked on blogs.
The only site seeing agenda item today was the Theosophical Society. Started by a Russian occultist Helena Blavatsky and a Civil War veteran Henry Steel Olcott in Newy York in 1875, it moved its headquarters to Chennair in 1882. Similar to Auroville and the beliefs of the ashram, this organization has three premises: universal brotherhood of humanity , study of comparative religions, philosophy and science and study of unexplained laws in nature. Interestingly they also have a location in Wheaton Illinois, the home of my Alma mater a conservative Christian college and other bastions of evangelicalism.
I was disappointed that there was no admittance to the gardens. I was really hoping their website was wrong, but I was not. I could only visit the book store. Directions to both locations were a hassle for my driver, but we made it to the bookstore finally. The gardens looked wonderful and they probably would have been the only nice garden I could have toured.
I had to remove my shoes to enter and the stern gentleman turned in the lights and fans for me in the circular room that houses the books. Sooo many interesting books and so reasonable. But I am thinking about the weight of my suit cases and I take a conservative approach. I do have to purchase 500 rupees worth to be able to use my card, but I was onl 80 short with my selections, so it was easy to make it up.
The man and woman running the place were much friendlier when I checked out. Maybe because I actually took time in the store. They seem to appreciate people who take time to soak in whatever it is one goes to visit.
From here it was a quick last stop by the office and then time to go back to the hotel and finish packing. They kindly allowed me to check out very late 9:30 pm before I left for the airport for my 2 am flight. I did spend some time on the outdoor swing just enjoying the weather, the sounds, and people watching.
9:30 was very early to leave because the airport was only about 30 minutes away. However, now that it was time to go, I just wanted to be going. And I wanted to allow at least two hours for international check in.
I was emabarassed to have the hotel help bring down all three of my bags, so I brought my roller board down myself. I was equally sheepish when the driver put one suite case in the back and two in the front seat. But I'm sure he's seen worse and he was just the sweetest man always opening the car door for me all day. None of my other drivers had done that.
We got to the airport in plenty of time, but as I feared, it was a snarled mess. The driver aske me is I wanted a trolley (cart), and I said yes, but a man there said there were none to be had. He offered luggage assurance and I thought I said ok but he blew me off and the driver when he tried to confirm.
There was nothing to be done, but to just wade into the fray. Many of the people were just standing around. I got in the line to get in the door. As I wrestled with three suitcases with only two hands, I was reminded of why I only wanted to have two children. The line was slow so it made it easier to manhandle the suitcase until it was my turn to hand over my passport and show my flights on my phone.
The guy had to ask me where my name was on then flight confirmation. I realized then that maybe the reason the line was slow was because he wasn't totally literate. No mind, he let me through and I only had to limp about 30 feet to the AirFrance desk to drop my bags.
Next stop was immigration which went quickly but I was glad I had pulled out my e-visa paperwork so it wasn't in my checked bag. Then it was off to security which was the longest wait. It was not a long line; just slow. By now I have learned to be
more aggressive and did not let a man push infront of me. The ladies only line was going slowly as many women did not take off their jackets.
Once I cleared security it was off to the lounge. I got in the wrong line and was extremely frustrated at how slowly they was going. But then a woman came by and asked to see my boarding pass. O was in the wrong line. The lounge was further down the hall and no waiting.
I picked the quietest spot and went to get food. Shortly after I return with my food and buffoon on his cell phone and his wife parked themselves nearby. He was talking loudly using his speakerphone. It took two riots to move my stuff to another sport and when leaving for the second time, I said to him, no one wants to hear you on your speakerphone. A woman looked at me askance, but I noticed very shortly after I left the area, she did too.
I hung out there and ate lightly. Then I had to pee and there was no bathroom in the lounge (fail), so I headed down to my gate. I thought there might be some interesting shops or planes to watch. Nope. It was a small hallway with not much going on, so I took some slow laps because I was going to be on a plane 11.5 hours.
The flight was intily scheduled for 2:20, they moved it up to 2:05, but then as I got to the gate at 1:20 to start boarding, they announced a 15 minute delay. Ugh. Just let me on thr plane already. They finally called zone 1 but then we still stood for another 10 minutes before boarding.
I got settled in and was ready to sleep. We were wheels up at 3 am and shortly thereafter I had extended the flat bed, but on my eye cover, and went to sleep without getting the first meal.
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