Author Archives: Varya

Kagoshima Area

Day 8. The Volcano of Sakurajima, the Chiran Peace Park and Samurai Gardens The common visual depiction of Japan often includes the perfect coned shaped Mt. Fuji, with top covered… Read more »

Amami Oshima

Day 6  Amami Oshima It is grey outside as we sail into the Naze port of the island of Amami Oshima in the South Japanese archipelago.  There are dark clouds… Read more »

Okinawa

Days 5: Okinawa, Japan After the quiet islands of the last few days, approaching the tall and crowded-in buildings near Naha Port on the Japanese island of Okinawa, was a… Read more »

Mumbai End

From the rural lands of Chettinad we flew to the major industrial and teeming city of Mumbai, formerly known by the British as Bombay.  Two opposite ways of life.  … Read more »

Chettinad

The community of the Chettiars community in Tamil Nadu South India is unique.   But not without some similarity elsewhere:   Think of the uber-wealthy of New York in the… Read more »