Guesthouse:Shunpiker Summit Log
From ShunpikerWiki
Seven people gathered in Mamallapuram, India (and several met us there) in June 2006 for the Shunpiker Summit. This page is intended as a space to gather notes on our experience.
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June 23
Riley
Tom arrived in the afternoon while I was changing rooms: From the Mamallaa Heritage (formerly known as the Mamallabhavan Annexe) to the Green Woods Resort.
In the evening, we all (Tim, Scott and Dana, Clark, Murugan, Kannan, Sati and myself) dined at the Luna Magica to kick things off. Before we ate, Tom played "Vincent (Came to Paris)" on a guitar I had purchased around the corner.
June 24
Riley
I saw Todd, who arrived in the early morning, at breakfast. He has a black folder with some of the drawings which appear on the site, as well as others which don't and a bunch of research material: photos and articles on ecologically-friendly technologies.
In the afternoon, we took a bus to visit some potential sites for the Shunpiker Guest House.
June 25
Riley
Today, we rented a bus and went to Pondicherry for a bit of sightseeing before Tom has to leave, as well as to take a peek at Auroville, which has been identified as another do-gooder project not entirely unlike our own.
Our drivers cheated us when gassing up which led to something of a standoff when, upon arriving in Pondicherry, they asked for more money for a permit.
Pondicherry is having elections, so it's a dry town. As a result, we had to dine without the french wine that the town is known for.
June 26
Riley
When I woke up -- sleeping on a couch in the hotel room at Pondicherry -- I found my arm was covered with Bedbug bites. I'll be spending the next few days tending to that, but at least I know what to expect now.
By the time we reached Auroville, it was hot and people were tired. To see Auroville, you have to be ready to walk, so we called it a day and headed back to Mamallapuram. Todd picked up a DVD about Auroville's use of technology, which is mostly why we were there in the first place.
Scott and Dana and Todd joined me in the Green Woods Resort. Clark and Tim are staying in the Uma Guest House next door.
We gathered -- our last gathering before Tom leaves in the morning -- at Lakshmi restaurant, where the Australia-Italy World Cup match was playing.
June 27
Riley
A quiet day in Mamallapuram. Today we rested up for the trip to Bangalore, tomorrow.
June 28
Riley
Today we took the bus from Mamallapuram to Bangalore, in Karnataka state. We stopped for lunch ("thali", served on banana leaf plates) in Vellore.
Upon reaching the Karnataka border, the official demanded 1500 rupees for a permit for our bus. According to the sign posted there, the charge should have been 900 rupees. When this was gently suggested to the official, he begrudgingly agreed, but then took the driver to task -- apparently for allowing me to accompany him to the window to conduct business. The official ended up fining our driver 300 rupees for not wearing a uniform. In the end, we paid several hundred rupees from the original figure he presented, but still had to make some concession to the "system".
After some running around, we found accomodation for our group in three hotels in the Mahatma Ghandi (MG) Road area. Tim, Clark, Kumar and Kannan ordered in from their hotel's Tibetan restaurant. Scott, Dana, Todd and myself had little other recourse due to the late hour -- Bangalore has a 11:30 pm curfew -- than a fast food join on Brigade road called the American Corner. We all wanted to know what "broasting" is, since "broasted chicken" is their specialty. Only Todd was bold enough to find out.
June 29
Riley
Today's first order of business was to meet up with Chitra the architect in her home/office in one of Bangalore's northern suburbs. She treated us to lunch and a tour of the homes in the neighborhood she has helped to build, using compacted earth bricks made from clay excavated from the sites of the houses. We also met her husband, who is a civil engineer with a special interest in water ecology and the use of rainwater in particular.
In the afternoon, we took Tim to the hospital to have his foot examined. Since he had the cast removed 10 days ago, it has become quite swollen. The doctor's verdict, after examining the foot and making x-rays, is that the fracture has not yet closed and he needs to dedicate the next 2-3 weeks to bedrest, elevating his foot. We're still working out how this is going to affect our immediate travel plans.
June 30
Riley
Today was mostly devoted to splitting up and exploring different parts of Bangalore, but a number of us (Todd, Clark, Scott, Dana, Kannan and Riley) met up in the evening to have dinner with Chitra and Martin, a Canadian architect she has been working with.
July 1
Riley
Today, we drove from Bangalore to Mysore. There have been complaints of varying degrees of gastrointestinal distress from various quarters, so much of the afternoon was devoted to resting up. On the way to Mysore, Tim had some important ideas about new directions for the project which will soon be reflected in the wiki.
We have one more day in Mysore, and then we will be headed in different directions: Scott and Dana to Chennai to catch their flight back to Australia, Tim, Kumar and Kannan back to Mamallapuram, and Todd and Riley will continue east into Kerala. Clark may stay in Mysore for a while.
July 2
Riley
Today we visited Chamundi Hill, just outside of Mysore -- site of a giant Nandi (Shiva's Bull) statue. Then we drove north to Sravanabelagola, home to yet another giant statue, Gomateshwara, in the Jain temple overlooking the town.
We held one last dinner as a group at the Park Lane hotel. This concludes my Shunpiker Summit log. Other participants are welcome to retrospectively log their memories of the proceedings.
