Difficult to tell, you have to live it…
A lot of adventures this week. In summary :
I have an Indian sim card. See number below.
I booked a train that I missed the next day because of a meeting with a wealthy Indian who then dropped me off at the station in his luxurious 4X4 with his driver. So I won an important contact and lost my reservation (165 rupees or 2 €).
In the evening purchase without reservation of a train ticket – always 2€ for 200km – and memorable journey by train from Madras to Pondicherry. Windows and doors open, omnibus at start and end of trip. Great atmosphere. No pictures, I’m not in a zoo….
Arrival around 10 p.m. in a very nice Guest House.
Pondicherry is a sleepy, very quiet little town. I stay in the center near the old French quarter. Lots of streets still bear French names (rue St Louis, Rue Suffren…). It’s quiet compared to Madras and I feel good there.
So, I’m going to rest for a few days.
I’m starting to have some contacts:
Sumesh 32 years old who gave me an Ayurvedic massage to solve some small intestinal problems.
Lakshmana, the son of the owner of the Guest House where I live. He is 39 years old and has lived a little in France. He speaks French fluently.
I had the idea of ​​learning Tamil, the French Alliance of Pondicherry offers courses. But at the moment they have no students and only offer very expensive private lessons. In addition, Tamil is only spoken in the southeastern part of India. So I will wait before investing time in learning a new language (there are 16 different languages ​​spoken in India).
This morning, I took a long walk through the city center and then walked along the seaside. Suddenly, a memory came back: I was sitting on the classroom bench and the teacher was talking about the French trading posts in India: Pondicherry, Chandernagor… These words go up and in my child’s head it’s like a dream… inaccessible….. And yet…. I’m here !!! Life is amazing.
Every morning, I thank heaven for this life given to me.
I had the same shock at Roissy on the day of departure. After going through security, I entered the area which includes the boarding gates and suddenly I remembered having passed through this precise place 5 or 6 years ago and at the same time the memory came back to me renunciation when I was in psychiatry. A little violent… in psychiatry I had accepted my situation and clearly renounced future trips. Traveling was the past, when I was independent… Incredible life… a wave of happiness of gratification towards life, crossed me.
Well, this afternoon I’m going to a wellness salon at the old port of Pondicherry.