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You Are Always in my Prayers

Incredible India 2016

2/26/2016

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Kerala--God's Own Country

1/27/2016

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Well, we've returned to dry land and wifi. We spent last night house-boating it on the backwaters of Kerala. The tourism motto for Kerala is God's Own country, and it certainly lives up to its promise. We knew we were going to be treated well when we were greeting with green coconuts full of tasty juice upon our arrival.

The afternoon was spent cruising down the river quietly reading as we floated by life happening--laundry, fishing, children playing, and cormorants waiting to swoop down and claim a tasty dinner. At six we docked at a small village to walk the along the shore and watch the sun set over the rice fields. After a fabuolous dinner, cooked up right on the boat, we settled down to watch a Tamil movie on deck. Later we were rocked to sleep by the swaying of the boat.

Now we are at Kovalam Beach which is quite a resort area. As great as the last few days were, it will be nice to have a little luxury. The hot water is on all day here, as opposed to only 7-10,and we don't have to use a cup and bucket to get enough water to shower.

Only a few more days before we are home. Miss you all.
You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
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Best Day Ever

1/26/2016

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A Ring of Fire

1/26/2016

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There has been so much to do in the Periyar National Park area.  After my glorious afternoon with my elephant we headed off to see a Kalaripayattu  martial arts demonstration. This was like something out of the movies with young men running up and down the walls and jumping through hoops of fire.  As far as we could see only one guy singed himself. 

Today we went on a hike through Periyar National Park where we helped our guide track a wild elephant. What an adventure! But still not quite as wild as the one Aunt Gillian and I had this afternoon. We were walking by St George's when we saw a wedding in progress.  Your Aunt asked if we could peek in. They were so welcoming and our inclusion in the wedding just escalated. Pretty soon we were being introduced to the bride and groom. Next thing I know we are in a white jeep in the wedding procession heading to the reception. We stayed for the candle lighting and cake cutting.  Although we were invited for the meal we only accepted a drink in appreciation of their hospitality and then thought we had better find our way back to our hotel, which was a considerable distance from where we were. The bride looked beautiful in a red and gold sari.  An experience we will never forget--and further evidence that if left to our  own devices your Aunt and I appear to be able to find the nearest party.

Well, I must recover from tonight's cooking class, so I will sign off. No wifi tomorrow as we are on a houseboat in Kerala.

You are Always in My Prayers.  Love Mom. 
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Can I Interest You in a Kilo of Flowers?

1/24/2016

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When I say we went to a flower market you might imagine an enormous selection of bouquets and potted plants. The enormous part is accurate, but this market sold flowers by the kilo to temples and perfumeries. The market in Madurai transacts as much as 10 tonnes of flowers a day. There was a wee bit of a tear in my eye as I watched them chop the blossoms off of long stem roses, tossing the tops into the bins and leaving those beautiful long stems for the trash. Dad was"accidently" garlanded while he had his hand up to take a video. We are pretty sure it wasn't a marriage proposal--he happily paid the small fee for the experience.

It was such a fabulous day that I can't detail everything we did. Suffice to say we are now templed-out. However, I should mention something about our two hour cycle-rickshaw tour in the evening. Because the rickshaws  can get into places a bus can't we were able to see a different side of Maduari. I loved the banana market--a dozen types of bananas including yellow, green, red, and pink. The red bananas were very sweet and tasty. They ripen the bananas overnight by the smoke of burning cow dung in the cold storage.

Our adventure ended with dinner on a roof top. You are always in my Prayers. Love Mom
 

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Definitely Deserves its World Heritage Status

1/22/2016

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This morning in Thanjavur we visited the  BrihadiSvara Temple. It is a World Heritage Site, and is one of the great monuments of Southern India. We have seen many Hindu temples in India; so you would think it would be easy to dismiss this experience as "just another temple". However, BrihadiSvara was spectacular both artistically and architecturally.  The temple is 1000 years old. The  tower is 66 m high and is the tallest of its kind in the world! My fa​vourite part was the colourful birds that perch among the Chola carvings. Definitely an amazing morning!

We have moved on to Madurai. Definitely not roughing it here--we enjoyed the rooftop pool as the sun set.

You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
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Sugar High in Thanjavur

1/21/2016

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Someone just raided the sweet shop in Thanjavur: Jalabies, Laduu, and Chandra Kala. Does he look a wee bit happy?
Definitely NOT Newry Coach Lines
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Chilling to the Bee Gees in Pondicherry

1/20/2016

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This morning, as the sun rose, hundreds of Hindu pilgrims gathered on the beach in  Mahabalipuram--and we were there. You might expect that this would be a solemn experience. Quite the opposite. The festivities included horse back riding, photographers with digital printers, and a generally boisterous amount of splashing and chucking water about. Then we were off to Pondicherry.

On our way to Pondicherry we stopped at the most incredible bird sanctuary. It is sort of like the Point Pelee on India. However, the thousands of migratory birds that stop here are enormous. There were storks, pelicans, ibis, cormorants, herons, egrets--truly amazing!

Our evening ended in a garden restaurant in Pondicherry gorging ourselves on pizza baked in a wood fire, and listening to the Bee Gees. This very European/Western experience is not surprising  considering Pondy was under French rule until 1954 and some residents, by agreement, still maintain their French citizenship.

So, heading off to sleep with a stomach full of pizza (sometimes it is good to have a taste of something familiar).
You are Always in my Prayers.  Love Mom.
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Painted Stork in Flight
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Rocking the Hippy Vibe in Mahabalipuram

1/19/2016

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​Mahabalipuram definitely has a hippie vibe. I bought a dress this afternoon that just may be tie-dyed. I walked down the street wearing it and venders yelled after me "you buy another dress Madame--different colour--good price". Clearly these items are local to Mahabalipurum.  

There is a dance festival on here for the entire month. It is free in the park in front of the shore temple. So of course we had to check it out. It was so much fun to watch the young people perform their traditional dances. The costumes were fabulous.

So, peace man. You are Always in My Prayers Mom.
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Be Careful what you Wish For

1/17/2016

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​On our way to Bangalore (Madras) we visited the Bellur temple in Karnataka. This Hindu temple is covered with intricate carvings depicting everyday life and the legends of Hindu gods. I found this one particularly clever:

When  Hiranyakashipu (a demon god that Brahma is pleased with) asks for immortality, Brahma (a Hindu god) refuses. Hiranyakashipu then makes the following request:  

Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought by any being other than those created by you, nor by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal.......His wish is granted.

You would think this would guarantee his immortality--but NO! Vishnu (another Hindu god-there are tons of them) comes upon Hiranyakashipu at twilight (when it is neither day nor night) on the threshold of a courtyard (neither indoors nor out), and puts the demon on his thighs (neither earth nor space). Using his nails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he disembowels and kills the demon. OK--creepy--but clever right?.....and an excellent lesson on "be careful what you wish for".

On a lighter note (but still brilliantly clever) we spent our evening at the local theatre in Bangalore watching a Kollywood movie. Gethu was entirely in Tamil, but the action and dancing sequences did not disappoint. We caught most of it except the subtler joke. For those we just laughed when the rest of the audience did. Laughter is contagious. Of course, we wrapped up the evening with dosa in the food court.

Our adventure is different yet amazing every day.  You are Always in My Prayers.  Love Mom.
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