round Philip and Anya's school, who were the
children of Anu. It was a lovely school and we
were fortunate to be shown round by the
headmistress and a few older students. All
around the school there were slogans, reminding
everybody how important academic work and a
conscientious attitude was, and this powerful
work ethic was very noticeable.
O
n Tuesday it was back to
work, the walls nearly
reaching full height, so
bamboo scaffolding had to
be erected. This appeared
very hazardous to begin
with, particularly when bricks had to be thrown
up to the builders, bearing in mind there was
not a hard hat in sight, but after a while it was
also refreshing to be away from the rigorous
routine of health and safety we were used to!
Perhaps the most interesting and thoughtprovoking
experience for me was a tour around
the local private hospital, kindly organised for me
by Anu and her brother-in-law Dr Kurian, who
showed us around. The hospital was situated in
a large town called Kottayam and it was run by
the Church. It was hugely different to anything I
have ever experienced in England. The Accident
and Emergency department was just a large
room, the beds separated by a thin curtain. It
was basic but clean, something which applied to
the whole hospital. The radiology department
was a shock to me as it consisted of just two
rooms and there was no digital X-ray system.
This was in contrast to our local Musgrove
Hospital, where I needed directions to find my
way around the radiology department. In the
corridor we passed a wheelchair which was in
fact an example of raw practicality as it was just
a simple garden chair taped to a frame. Like
England, there is a private and Government
health system, but what was shocking was only
2% of Indians had health insurance. The whole
experience was a very interesting insight into a
foreign country's healthcare system, but most of
all it opened my eyes to just how lucky we are
with our health system in England.
The other highlight (but in a very different way!)
was our weekend in the Cardamom hills where
we were lucky enough to have an elephant ride:
something I will remember forever! On arrival at
the area, it was very difficult to control my
excitement, especially when I caught
sight of the first huge elephant and
her baby! For the first part of the
experience, we were separated onto
three different elephants and taken on
a tour of the hills where there were
magnificent views. The keepers who
were local men had amazing
relationships with the elephants and
all of our group were given the
opportunity to clamber up onto the
elephant's back using its knee and ear
… an amusing experience as some
were more graceful than others!
Overall it was an amazing day and we
were all buzzing when we got back to
the hotel. An animal safari awaited
us the next day, which was also
amazing as we were lucky enough to
see otters, a large assortment of
birdlife and wild elephants!
Being back at the farm was a relief,
although I had thoroughly enjoyed our
trip to the Cardamom hills. Mummy,
Anu's mother-in-law had prepared a
lovely traditional lunch which was eaten off
banana leaves and was delicious! That evening it
was a sad farewell to Anu and all her family who
had looked after us so well. Philipkutty's Farm is
an incredible place, totally magical and I would
love to return there sometime in the future.
Although our trip to India had only been brief, it
had left me with an impression of welcoming
people, beautiful scenery, a very different and
colourful culture, and a way of life which was, at
the same time, totally bewildering. Aluredian
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