When we were in Chennai, India, several years ago, we had come across a store that sold interesting antiques. One of the most unusual items that we came across were tables that had been made out of antique doors. We came extremely close to purchasing this particular table and, in hind sight, regret not making the purchase. The thought of having to pay for shipping ended up discouraging us from making this unique piece of furniture part of our home decor. Lesson learned, in the future we’re not going to let the logistics and costs of shipping keep us from purchasing something that we truly wanted to purchase. Obviously that wouldn’t happen too often, but there are just times when you find something so special that you just need to bite the bullet and make the decision to get it. Since we didn’t buy, we’ll just have to go back to Chennai someday and see if we can find it again.
There are plenty of obstacles to travelling. Time and money are the most obvious obstacles, but there are language barriers, accessibility constraints, conflicts and wars, and sometimes simply our own fears. Sometimes the best way to overcome these obstacles is to simply take the first step, book a trip, and make it happen. This week’s Daily Post Discover Challenge – Obstacles is about the things that block us from blogging or keep us from doing the things that we’re passionate about.
Longing for the BeachHere’s What They Were Looking AtBeauty Beyond the Fence
Certainly our biggest obstacle is our jobs, but they are also the source of our income that allow us to explore places that we never could have when we were younger, at least not in the style that we’ve become accustomed. It is somewhat ironic, but it was actually the stress of work that motivated us to start our blog last year. We needed an escape from the daily pressure that we felt and writing about what we are passionate about, the places we’ve travelled to, the people we’ve met, the foods we’ve tried, seemed like the ideal outlet. In turn, the blog has encouraged us to travel more often than we have in the past, which is extremely rewarding in itself.
Another View of the BeachTemples Locked Behind Gates
It isn’t always easy finding ways to travel and there are definitely things about travelling that still give us that unnerving feeling, but we try not to let it keep us from doing our best to experience as much of the world as we can. We try to use photos from our travels for these challenges and the picture of the boy and the couple staring through the fence at the ocean seemed like the perfect symbolism of how we feel when we aren’t able to travel. They can see the beach, but yet it seems as if they can never get there. All of these pictures were from our trip to India, which was definitely a trip where we overcame some obstacles to make happen.
One of the most memorable day trips from Chennai was our trip to Kanchipuram. We were told that Kanchipuram was the place in the state of Tamil Nadu to buy silk, so we drove the hour southwest out of Chennai to visit the city. In addition to buying scarves and other silk products, we also visited the Ekambareswarar Temple, which was another gorgeous temple that we were able to see while we were there. It was one of the hottest days that we encountered while we were in India, but the beautiful sites and the thrill of buying the silk items more than made up for any discomfort we felt.
Ekambareswara TempleShops Outside of the TempleWorker Spinning Silk
Walking around the Ekambareswarar Temple was one of the few times while we were in India that we weren’t overwhelmed by crowds. Obviously, it is India, so that is a relative term, but it did feel more relaxed than some of the other places that we went to. As with most temples, tour guides will come up to you and offer to take you on a tour and the price always has to be negotiated, but we chose not to pay for a tour at this particular temple. Heading southwest away from Chennai takes you to more of a jungle feel and we enjoyed seeing the parrots that were content to make the temple grounds their home.
Parrot on Top of TempleIntricate Column Inside TempleAnother Parrot Sitting on a Temple
One memory that we’ll never forget was getting blessed by a temple elephant while we were in the temple. Apparently, at the time that we were in India, many of the temple elephants were on “holiday” where they are pampered and spoiled once a year for all of their hard work. We handed the elephant a coin, which he took with his trunk, and then we bowed and the elephant gently tapped us on the head with his trunk. We were surprised by how soft the elephant’s trunk was, we were expecting it to be leathery and hard, but it wasn’t. In addition to being blessed by the elephant, another interesting site within the temple was seeing all of the ribbons tied to the “wishing tree”. We were told that many woman would tie a ribbon in hopes of getting pregnant, but people would tie ribbons on the tree for many other reasons as well. It was just another tradition that we enjoyed learning about.
Temple ElephantWishing TreeGorgeous Views of the Temple
Going to the silk shop was quite the experience. We were told that Indian women from around the country order the wedding saris from Kanchipuram due to the high quality of the silk. We sat down at a table and the owner of the shop started pulling out bundles of silk and laying them before us. If we found a color pattern that we liked, he would pull out several more bundles and lay them in front of us. There were two shop girls who would hold them up in front of us, wrap them around Dona’s shoulder while speaking only to Pete. We knew in advance that Indian men would rarely address women directly, so we weren’t surprised by the way that they communicated with us.
Decisions, Decisions…Miniature TempleColorful Temple Building
We ended up buying scarves for every female family member that we could think of as well as a beautiful table runner that we use on our formal dining room table. The best thing that we bought, however, was an absolutely gorgeous sari. Not only was the silk incredibly sensuous, but it was more than affordable. Everything that we bought in Kanchipuram that day probably cost us less than what a single silk scarf would cost us here in the United States and was even less expensive than the silk that we bought in Chennai.
Dona Wrapped for Her SariOrnate Temple RoofTemple
If you are ever in Tamil Nadu and want to buy some silk, a trip to Kanchipuram should definitely be on your agenda. The owner of the store couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly, despite the language barrier, but fortunately we had our driver plus a coworker to help ease the communication process. Fortunately, you don’t have to haggle over prices at the silk shops, the price that they quote is what you pay and it is so reasonable, there isn’t any reason to complain. We came home with several souvenirs on our trip, but the silk items we bought are definitely some of our most treasured. Not to mention that our family and friends were quite thrilled to receive such beautiful items.
