Aaacckkk! Running out of Time!

This past week or 2 have gone by in a real blurr. I have been going to surgeries, catching babies, running off to see places that I've seen and places I haven't seen, meeting more new people, reconnecting with people whose babies I've caught or whom I've met elsewhere along the way, and trying to arrange my exit journey from India.

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I will be stopping at Coimbatore to tour the organic cotton mill and catch the bus or train to Mettupalayam. There I catch the Blue Mountain Railway to Coonoor. I'll stop there and make a side trek to Kotagiri (okay, maybe bus there and walk back) where I will visit a Women's Cooperative where they teach handicrafts. Then I'll get back on the Blue Mountain Rails to get to Ooty (Oodagamandalam), the famous hill station. From there the BMR takes me back to Mettupalayam, where I take a train or bus to Bangalore. In Bangalore, I will check out some cashmere for spinning and maybe some silk to bring home. I'll take a flight from there to Chennai. In Chennai, I will get to meet Jeremy's friend Rekha and visit the Enfield motorcycle factory before catching my flight home on the 31st.

It has been great being here, but I am really looking forward to getting home and cooking some good old fashioned American food (okay, good old fashioned American hippie food), seeing my family, playing with the dogs, playing with my grandbabies, playing with my spinning wheel and getting cold while camping out at the Folks Festival.

This has been an amazing three months. The things I've learned about people and life and the friendships I've begun will affect my outlook forever. I am already looking forward to a return trip so that I can continue exploring this place and see my friends again. Who knows when that will be, but when I leave, a piece of me will stay behind, pulling me back.