Recycling

Chennai can be a dirty city. Every city produces dirt, grime and garbage, but with an "official" population of 8-10 million and an estimated population of perhaps double that, everything is more intense. One figure I saw had the population density at over 60,000 people per square mile. By contrast, the population density of Seattle is 7,000 per square mile and Bellingham's was under 3,000.

Today, I had lunch with the team from the office, and my mango ice-cream came in this cool container. The inside are leaves that are machine stitched together, and the outside is recycled newspaper. There is a tradition here of using leaves to serve food. If you ever get dhosa and idli with sambar and chutneys, it should be served on a banana leaf.



It's great that there are businesses willing to make a difference, even in this small way.

Significant kitty experiences

I love animals--cats, dogs, otters and even elephants. Since I've been away from my own cats, my encounters with animals takes on even more significance. My recent trip to Thailand introduced me to the following "significant" cats.

First of all there is the Siamese cat (in Siam). He greeted me on my arrival to the Akha village known as Elephant Valley.

Then there is the typical bookstore cat. This was down a side street in Chiang Mai, where there were 4 really good bookstores, although only one cat. In this store, I found a couple of Rumpole books I don't already have.

This cat was my buddy on my visit to a Hmong village on Doi Inthanon (the tallest mountain in Thailand). I stress that his stress is not due to me. One of the village dogs was nearby and the kitten was asserting his authority.

I found this kitty literally outside my hotel. [OK, so it was outside my hotel, a 20 minute taxi ride, a 15 walk through the zoo property and there he was--outside my hotel].