Travel diary 2013

Hard to get up but time to go for breakfast and get all the luggage in the piano truck. Suddenly one shouts : « An elephant! » we all run and see this huge elephant coming back from the forest where they are used to carry trunks of wood. It is so beautiful to see that animal starting the day ! We are leaving at 9am with about 1h delay....The day is sunny with a light morning fog. The road is very bumpy but we are going through a magic forest with bamboo trees, amazing roots that embrace other trees.Soon we will meet the tribal people. We stop and walk through the forest, nice fields with canals for water ;lambs, goats eat the grass. Here they are, shy, but smily. These tribes were initially nomades but with the help of the constitution they can live now in a sedentary village, with houses built traditionally. The teacher of these villages walk us through a sacred temple in the nature. Reunion of mother nature and the rituals of hindouism. We are so lucky to be in that site and meeting these people. The children of the villages around are awaiting us in front of the school and singing a good bye hymn. Soon we are in the bus leaving them to a peaceful and harmonious life with nature. Little pause on the road for lunch, it is super hot and humid so the AC room is welcome!We have been spending about 6 hours in the bus and finally we are arriving in Calicut and a truck is waiting for us with the school band!They drive us to the village of Koodaranhi where the school is awaiting us. The nature is surrounding all, lush and royal.No time to freshen up just to deposit our luggage and time to meet all the school kids(about 500),the staff and some parents . All is ready for us, we are having such an incredible welcoming!!Some lemonade is served with rice cake. We are all presented by the director, there is a huge banner made for The Love Caravane and this is the international event of 2013!!The kids of the Stella Maris school (founded in 2004) start with a religious song of welcoming then traditional dances, a group of girls and boys give a nice tae-kwondo performance, an other teenage does a mime-dance piece with a somptuous traditional costume, then a little girl finishes with a song of love. The piano is ready and Olivia plays a melodious piece than Marc follows with « La porte des mondes », « La ronde des desirs ». Suddenly the clowns of La Caravane appear and some women start to improvise dancing and inviting kids with them. Smiles, laughs, excitements,we are in osmosis with all here and it's a wonderful evening of music, dance, joy, happiness!Manon and Joaquim will finish the night with music and dance of bolas(lighting balls) . What a night!!We are all exausted and eagger to go for showers and our beds ! But a dinner is offered to us, nanee or thank you !Some need to take a bus to go to a guest house where we are so nicely welcome. The night is here but it is still muggy !Bassam decides to sleep under the stars, yes it is probably the best option !