india

Cheap tickets + Christmas money + days off for Khmer New Year = a weeklong trip to southern India! 

I went to visit friends who are working there alongside Indian social workers, lawyers, and others to rescue and provide ongoing support to bonded laborers -- men, women and children who are forced to work years, sometimes multiple generations in brick kilns, rice mills, and rock quarries with minimal sleep, inadequate food, restriction of movement, and no end in sight to "paying off" their small original debt with illegal endless interest rates. It was amazing to see their work up close, meet their coworkers and even a few freed laborers, and learn about efforts to stop this injustice that has been illegal in India for decades. 

And it was SO GOOD to spend time with girlfriends there! Shopping, up late talking, eating meals and trying on kurtas. Popcorn and a movie, palace and temple tours, long auto rides, and impressive bargaining skills... 

What a gift to get to see a small glimpse of India. As always, I was fascinated with the public transportation...

and the fabrics: saris, salwars, kurtas and bangles in every color adorned by Indian woman, perhaps the best dressed women in the world.

India... beautiful. dirty. colorful. complex. noisy rhythm. bracelets and bangles. channa masala and amoebas in my belly. krishnas and cows grazing along sidewalks. auto rickshaws and cars honking, people crossing. name brands and beggars. birthplace of Ghandi and home to over 1.2 billion people living in 28 states and 7 union territories, speaking hundreds of mother tongues. beautiful multi-faceted india.