Indian Experience Part 2: Tirvannamalai

After spending the working week in Delhi, I hoped on a plane to Chennai. My close friend Harriet has been living in a rural town called Tirvannamalai for the past ten years. Tiruvannamalai is a pilgrimage town in the state of Tamil Nadu and is quite the spiritual destination due to the famous Annamalaiyar Temple located at the foot of the Annamalai hill. Tiruvannamalai has long been associated with many yogis and siddhars, and more recently the 20th century guru Ramana Maharshi, making it a very spiritually auspicious place. Basically it is in the middle of fucking nowhere but there is the odd crusty that pops by to notch one up on their sandal wool bedpost of hippy traveler credentials. Clearly I had packed all wrong and soon realised that my 4 inch glittery black stilettos were to have no part in my adventure but was proud to reveal my 1998 Miu Miu gemstone sandals which I had been saving for the last 12 years for just such an eventuality as finding myself in the hippy arse end of nowhere.

Tiruvannamalai

And this was what I pondered as I sped out of Chennai and drove the 3 and half hours to Tiru. How could a girl as obsessed with packing as I am have got it so wrong? However I soon reached into a karmic place and redirected my channel of thinking towards my chakras which was a stroke of luck because fashion felt a long way from home.

Indian Experience Part 1: Delhi

First and foremost I cannot believe that it has taken me 35 years to get to India. This insanely amazing country somehow never happened for me until now. And now I am hooked. They say that India is either in your blood or it isn’t and for me it most definitely is. And to be clear-my blood is also in India simply through the ridiculous number of mosquitoes that made it their business to feast on me daily. I practically needed a transfusion. But first things first…. Delhi…. This is one crazy city. I was lucky enough to stay with a friend of a friend and to have this part of my trip made incredibly easy for me. My great friend Neha organized everything from my accommodation to my driver as well as some sturdy dos and don’t lists of what to eat, what to avoid and a whole host of contacts to call upon for whatever I might need. This did make a huge difference and allowed me to embrace Delhi in all its madness knowing I was safe and only a phone call away from help should I need it. So thus armed I launched myself onto Delhi with gusto….