I'm finding it more and more difficult to find the words to describe my experiences both in each of these countries and overall on this voyage. In my five days and four nights in India I took in a lot of sights, sounds, smells, and feelings. I have been thinking about the great contrast that the country has to offer.

Like many of the other ports, my experience in India was heavily impacted by how I traveled and who I spent time with. This was the first port that I had absolutely no interaction with other SAS affiliates for five days. I met up with Priti (friend from UCSD) and spent five days traveling with her and her two cohort members from IndiCorps from this past year (Sowmya and Hemang). All three of them had just finished a year of service in rural villages in different parts of the country.

My first and last night I stayed with the Somnath family, Sowmya's parents who had owned this home for over twenty years in Chennai. It was more than I could have asked for to be able to spend time in an actual home for the first time in almost two months. I enjoyed watching Sowmya interact with her parents and appreciate their great hospitality. The Somnath family was mad cool. They had lived all over the world with time in Iran, Canada, and the U.S. I quickly felt at home there in their three bedroom apt and this helped me forget that I was on this voyage with 800 (mostly white) Americans.

We spent some time in Chennai visiting Ranganathan Street (one of the busiest in India), craft centers, local stores, and some restaurants. Afterwards, it hit me that I could barely find my bearings in this huge city which is apparently only the fourth largest in India (6 million people). I realized that in my five days there, I had explored about 3% of an extremely large and populated country. It was great to experience meals both at local restaurants and even moreso at the Somnath's home. We also primarily relied on public transportation to get around on autos (3-wheeled rigshaws), buses, and the city train, which gave me a closer glimpse of the people and way of life.

The five of us traveled down to Pondicherry, about 3 hours down the coast of India for two nights. We stayed in a guest house close to the beach and explored the town mostly by foot. The first day we went out to paradise beach and got to enjoy a refreshing swim in the Bay of Bengal (these beach spots are apparently hard to come by along the coast). I also caught two memorable sunrises over the Bay of Bengal along with the many Pondicherry locals many who were meditating, praying, and taking in the beauty.

Our second full day there, Jared and Sowmya headed back to Chennai so it left three of us to go and explore the much acclaimed town of Auroville, an international community and somewhat of an "experimental township" (i.e. a hippie commune of sorts). The best part of the visit for me was our decision to rent and ride bikes 4 miles there and back, albeit ultimately painful for our asses (literally). It was a bit intimidating to bike out of the city with the "flow" of traffic, but worth the experience of biking into the town of Auroville, through some village type parts of town. The sights of these small communities were quite indescribable.

After a five hour commute on extremely crowded public buses back to Chennai, my last night was a relaxing time at the Somnath's home. It was great to catch up with Priti and hear about her experiences over the past year and how it has challenged her to grow. I was fascinated listening to the stories of all three of them and their transformative experirences in the year past.

Overall, the feel of India was perhaps the most memorable. The spirit of the people was very different. I remember hearing someone say that India is one of the "happiest" countries in the world, and I saw that in many of the people regardless of perceived wealth or poverty. A lot to think about. Some of the best moments were the little smiles we got when traveling on crowded buses and trains. For whatever reason, India did not feel like a place that was lonely but rather a place of strong community.

Returning to the ship community and the luxury of the ship was most difficult in India. Perhaps it was because my eyes were opened to a very different way of life or perhaps it was because I enjoyed being with friends and family. Probably a little bit of both.