India Once More!

Well here I am back in Tirunelvelli for the first of my follow on visits. I know that some folks thought it was rather quick, but I'm glad I came. My instinct that they might need support seems to have been right.
Back to the beginning though
I left Edinburgh on Sunday morning on the 9am flight to London, there I picked up a BA flight to Chennai (Madras) a 10 hour flight and the first timer I have travelled to India in one sitting so to speak, I've always stopped in the gulf somewhere before. All went smoothly and I arrived in Chennai at 3.15am as planned! Yuck! However Seline was there to meet me and take me to her home to put my head down till around 10.00am. We then left at 10.30am - back to the airport to pick up the 1.15pm flight to Tuticorin. It only takes an hour and a half and leaves me only 50km from Tirunelvelli.
The flight went very smoothly again, a tiny plane only around 50 seats. Tuticorin is a seaport and famous for pearls and for salt, it is surrounded by salt pans and produces a huge proportion of the worlds sea salt. In the pics, the white rectangles are salt pans. They are filled with sea water then the water is left to evaporate off leaving the salt behind, simple, natural and effective.

Nancy my landlady was waiting for me at the barrier having come with her new driver Anthony to pick me up, Balagi, who had been working for her for around 20 years had suddenly left last month to get a job driving for the State Bank, I imagine the hours are more regular for him! I am going to be staying in my little house again for the 3 weeks I am here which is just great, I would find it very hard to be in a hotel or back dependent on my friends for accommodation, a draw back to being independent I suppose.
I should add that I have been very secretive so far as my Indian friends are concerned and am looking forward to surprising Carrie and the school staff. Only Nancy; the school principal and the Bishop know of my return.
I came back to the house, unpacked a little then phoned Caroline (in India) via SKYPE to check she was at home,she answered and I said, 'Hallo! Hallo! are you there, I can't hear you.' and hung up. I then rushed around the corner and leapt into a passing auto rickshaw and went round to her house, up the stairs, opened the door, and said, 'sorry could you repeat that, I couldn't hear you!' The look on her face was worth a million dollars! I'm sure she was speechless for a full minute! Last time I saw here was in our house in Edinburgh when she was on her way back to India from Canada and neither my family nor Handel her son who is in the UK and was in on the secret had given her a hint I was coming back.
I picked up the belongings of mine which Carrie had been looking after - after I had picked up her jaw that is! Amongst my bits and pieces, was my phone which means I am on the same number as last time for those who know it.
I went to get a top up voucher for my phone and was strolling back when an auto rickshaw did a U-turn in front of me, screeched to a halt alongside me and the driver threw open the door and said, 'In'! always obedient I did as instructed, this was Ignesh, my morning auto driver who had seen me when passing. He has little English and so was not being rude simply clear! He shook my hand and said 'Welcome, welcome, welcome!' which was rather nice. He arranged to pick me up and take me to school at 9.30 yesterday (Tuesday) morning.
I enjoyed my free lift home, finished unpacking and settled down for a nights sleep in the bed I had used before, the school had not bothered to pick it up as they knew I would be back!
I was very sad to learn from Raja, my english speaking auto driver, that his mother had died on Saturday. He told me she was ill and he had to pick her up from work on Wednesday, but was better, so everything must have been very sudden. She was very kind and friendly to me last time I was here, and can't have been much older than I am. May she rest in peace. Raja was incredibly kind to me last time I was here and is one of four brothers, three of whom lived at home with their mum.
The picture was taken mid-April during my last visit.