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Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html

Monday, September 14, 2020

Adventure in Madras India, now Chennai

Yes, we had now worked, high in the mountains of South India, for Pond's India in their mushroom plant. This was during our four weeks off, after living/working two months in Indonesia.
Our first day, February 21 of 1992, driving up to the plant, we had a driver that had to hold the door shut with one hand, while driving in the mountains. So we swapped taxis!
Pieter had fallen on February 24, with one foot inside the goody pit... the entire day being smelly from those anaerobic bacteria. We stayed in a guest bungalow and washed his jeans, socks and hightop shoes, and dried it in front of an electric stove.
On February 25, we bought our leather jackets, from their Leather Garment Factory.
On February 28, we go one final time to the mushroom farm and received a silk chain stitch embroidered wall hanging, each of us the very same. 
They also proceeded to make a professional video about my Techniques for Harvesting Quality Mushrooms. Today, September 15, just received the converted version on a memory stick and will post it some time later...
Both of us had left our hightop shoes at the Pond's mushroom farm, for those poor workers that have to work in the hot (50-70°C) compost with bare feet. That was far easier than having to clean them up for packing inside our luggage. 
We drive back to Coimbatore, and from there we board a night train to Madras (Chennai).
We have a 1st class sleeping coupe with air-conditioning. 
This time, I slept in the top bed...
February 29, after a ten hour shocking and rattling ride, we arrive in Madras and we slept well.
We got told that we should keep the sliding door of our cabin closed, but having to wash up in the bathroom early morning, of course we opened it.
How in the world could we know that before arriving at the Madras station, a giant of a guy had jumped on the riding train and entered it!!!
He stood there, and grabbed our two suitcases and placed them on his head... Those are mine!
Two people from Pond's met us at the railroad station, and after a fierce dispute with the giant, he ignored them and only hollered: 'I have to feed a family of seven!' He then was so brazen to carry our suitcases on his head, at a rapid pace down the stairs. We had a hard time to keep up with him!
Finally the two people from Pond's located their car and the giant put them down, he got paid and left.
What a zoo...
That guy would be the perfect player in David and Goliath!
This Image from Chennai Central, formerely Madras Central, was created by User:PlaneMad.
We both were wide awake now
~
They bring us to Hotel Chola Sheraton at Cathedral Road.
Now it is called the Welcomhotel Chennai.
After a fresh shower and breakfast, we got picked up by 10:30 AM for a meeting with the manager from Pond's India in Madras.
We visited their Leather Garments Factory and found a better size for our leather jackets, so we swapped them.
On March 1, we wake up at 4:00 AM and depart from this 5 Star Hotel for the airport and our flight to Singapore.
We place our suitcases in a locker and go by taxi to the our Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre
We walk to Centrepoint for some shopping.
March 2, we are early, and by taxi we go to the Alberts Centre for reparation of our Rado watches. 
From there we went to the airport and picked up our suitcases from the locker.
As usual, we shop around at the airport and always did stock up on reading material.
My eyes turned BIG however when I found the Malay version of Times magazine and our boss was mentioned on the cover... Not looking good financially!

To be continued...

Related link:
{Our DEEPER Reach In Bedroom Closet} | previous post showing the silk chain stitch twin embroidery


22 comments:

  1. WoW - Very Interesting - Looking Forward To The Next Installment - Until Then, Smile Often

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Travis,
      Yes, it was quite an adventure this trip!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  2. Hello Mariette, What an amazing incident with the giant! I am assuming that you somehow got them back as you seemed to have them in Singapore. Please tell us how this episode ended!
    --Jim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Jim,
      Well, the two men from Pond's located their car and that's where the giant put our suitcases down and he got paid... Not a pretty sight all the arguing as he obviously also demanded too much money!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  3. What an adventure. Thanx Mariette.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Victor,
      Yes, that was quite an adventure!
      Got the suitcases loaded into the car, the people from Pond's came with and that was the end of this encounter with the giant...
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  4. Hay arquitectura para todos los gustos, desde los más antiguos hasta los más vanguardista.

    Cada época, marca su propia arquitectura.

    Besos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Querida Antónia,
      Sí, la arquitectura era bastante sorprendente!
      Abrazos,
      Mariette

      Delete
  5. Oh, how wonderful an adventurous life you have had!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Anne,
      Well, not always at the moment you are IN it...
      We sure can tell some stories.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  6. It's not usually a good thing when a giant makes off with your suitcases 😉 Enjoyed reading about your travels Mariette, looking forward to part two 💙

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Grace,
      It sure was not a great feeling in the early morning, I can assure you!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  7. I feel like I am watching an exotic scary movie! My oh my what an adventure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Janey,
      Yes, both ingredients of exotic and scary were blended in!
      But we survived a lot during those years of international consulting...
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  8. Replies
    1. Dearest Jo-Anne,
      Well, that sure was interesting but also quite scary at the time for living it!
      Now, it is a story with a happy ending that can be passed on...
      Usually you read this sort of things in books; but we often lived it!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  9. This installment is one of my favorites .... what adventures you have had!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Helen,
      Yes, this was indeed, quite an adventure!
      Being good to others by giving away our hightop shoes proved to be problematic for us... just read the next story.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  10. Hi Mariette. That was a trip to remember for sure. It must have been quite shocking to have your belongings taken away right in front of you! I’m glad you got your suitcases back!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Tamago,
      Yes it is one of those unforgettable trips.
      We both had a hard time keeping up with this giant's pace!
      Guess in their language, the two Pond's people directed him to their car where he finally put the suitcases down...
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  11. Thank you for sharing your trip to India with us dear Mariette! India is one of my dream destinations in Asia not just because of its colorful culture but I wanted to see a number of friends in India that I knew from being penpals and also from my work. Hope I'd meet my friends someday.

    Happy Wednesday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Stevenson,
      Well, this was just our usual departure from work, done in South India... Not at all a vacation or sightseeing trip. But quite an adventure.
      You no doubt will manage to visit one day; never give up!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Mariette...

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MARIETTE'S BACK TO BASICS © 2009. All rights reserved - Text and images may not be copied for distribution or sale.

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