We arrived Fri noonish at the Tiger Wildlife Refuge to find a beautiful "hotel"/lodge with a huge room and 1 and 1/2 baths for the two of us. We went on a safarhi Sat early and saw monkeys, of course, a wild, small boar with a horness and a young pig along side (probably the reason for the horness which I assume had a tracking device). We saw lots of spotted deer (which look like our white tail deer) and many birds, but no tigers, sorry to say. PC went again this morning and reports they HEARD tigers and saw deer scurring away from the area the sounds were coming from, but no sightings. I think HEARING tigers counts!!!
We're to have breakfast and meet Tarun for our 4 hour trip to Jaipur and a 3 day stay. Later,mj
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Oops!!!
I read our itinerary wrong - imaging that!!! We were to go to Ajmer, then the Wildlife Refuge and THEN Jaipur. It's all in the same general area - an area a lot like west Tx. It's very dry here, not having had a monsoon for 3 or 4 years. The trip was not as long as I'd thought (since I thought we were going all the way to Jaipur), but it took quite a while. We were privileged to see India building a marvelous infrastructure in the form of roads. For a stretch we would make good time on a finished portion, then we find a stretch that was under construction. PC's comment at home is "This will be nice when they finish it", and that's true here as well. I got lots of pictures of workers and the construction details. India's big highways are built much like ours are, with concrete and rebar. The difference is there are less machines and more hand labor. Women work in construction as well as men. They break big stones into small stones, they carry a metal container on their heads that looks like a large wok. There is a round "cushion" about 2" thick and 6" in diameter between their head and their load. These women carry rocks, dirt, cement or whatever needs carrying from one place to another, and they aren't all young, either!!! The men work with the cement and the rebar and fashion scaffolding and supports from tree trunks, all about 4 - 5" in diameter - an interesting mix of using what you have to accomplish what needs to be done. Big machines are available and necessary, but they put lots of people out of a job.
Anytime I see a sight like this, I think "I will not pass this way again", but our kids (if they wait til they're 70) may see it completed, and hopefully, our grandies can come before they're 70!!! It seems to me this old, old country is in the process of renewing itself - and though it will take a long time, they have the time. They seem to enjoy life more than people in a more industrial country. That's just my observation.
At Ajmer, we stayed in a nice hotel, had very good food and went to a mosque. Tarun, our wonderful driver and guide and locator of barber shop and grocery store, picked us up in an auto rickshaw (a 3 wheel scooter fitted with a seat for 2 across the back 2 wheels and a cover overhead). The reason - his car is too big to get to the mosque. OK, I like the auto rickshaw we rode in in Pune, so off we went with Tarun sitting on a little "shelf" facing us - very cozy. We were on regular streets for a while, then more narrow ones, then very narrow ones that PC and I could almost touch the walls - he out the right side and I out the left. Presently we drove into a small courtyard and parked the rickshaw to continue on foot because the passageways were now too narrow for the vehicle. The walks were uneven blocks of stone with portals requiring the raising of the feet AND the lowering of the head. I've never considered myself tall before, but then I was. The rickshaw driver held onto PC and Tarun held onto me, gently dragging us through the most dense crowd I can remember. When we got to the gate of the mosque, we shed our shoes, of course, (I'm never quite sure I'll ever see our shoes again, but here there were hundreds of shoes, tied with a rope that had a # on it and we were given the same # on a tag to it to reassure us). We went up the stairs to the metal detector. At all metal detectors I've seen in India there are 2 lines divided by genders. A man searches the men and a woman, the women. I'll tell you about the women's line. In some places they wand you, in one place (an airport) they patted me down, gently, politely, but thoroughly. This lady was only checking for cameras. Tarun was holding mine and was on the outside - we were on our own!!!
A very friendly man came to us using very good Eng and explaining that he was not a guide. He indicated we should follow him, and knowing not where the mosque was, much less what to do once we got there - we followed him. He talked to us continually, reassuring us and guiding us and giving info and instruction. When we got to the mosque there was an even larger crowd. Our not-a-guide muscled his way in and drug me who was dragging PC. It's amazing how connected we get when we don't have a clue what we're doing.
First we were sat down (which is a trick for me when there's plenty of room) and told to sit cross legged. Remembering our Loas manners, I ask if it was rude to show the bottom of the feet.
Yes, it is, so we curled as best we could, signed their book, pledged the amount we were going to give for the upkeep of the mosque, gave it, and continued on into the very small bldg with a rock or statue or something holy in the middle that we walked around. We were given another chance to contribute to the welfare of the poor - ("As you like") - We didn't like, so we left. There were vendors EVERYWHERE selling everything from food to flowers for an offering, and including clothes, Islamic men's hats (which they are not required to wear) to handkerchiefs, hats, scarves which the women ARE required to wear)
Of all the scarves I brought, I had none with me. I was reduced to emptying my bag of "necessities" and plopping that on my head. NOW I'm glad there were no cameras allowed.
Our not-a-guide led us safely to the gate and waved good-by. I gave him some rupees - THAT'S the way I like to do business, on my terms, not theirs. Tarun and the rickshaw driver helped us
retreive our shoes (yes, we got the very shoes we left) and let us lean against them to put the shoes on. Then we retraced out steps to the rickshaw and to the narrow passages. This is where we ran nose to nose with another rickshaw. There was a lot of loud conversation between the two drivers with shop keepers and others offering suggestions. They weren't speaking English, but we were understanding enough to be getting a little uneasy. In a bit Tarun turned and smiled and told us it was all over. We backed up a long way, with much being said under the driver's breath. Once they passed, his mood changed and all was well.
We were left at our hotel and had tea in a lovely garden ALL BY OURSELVES. What a contrast!!! from the press of many people and many voices to space and privacy. I'm not sure, but I think most Indians will never experience space and privacy.
I understand you're having winter, even school being out!!! It's cold here in the AM, very warm for 2 hours and cool again in the late afternoon. We're heading to really cold weather in Delhi. we're told. We miss you guys and love you all, mj
Anytime I see a sight like this, I think "I will not pass this way again", but our kids (if they wait til they're 70) may see it completed, and hopefully, our grandies can come before they're 70!!! It seems to me this old, old country is in the process of renewing itself - and though it will take a long time, they have the time. They seem to enjoy life more than people in a more industrial country. That's just my observation.
At Ajmer, we stayed in a nice hotel, had very good food and went to a mosque. Tarun, our wonderful driver and guide and locator of barber shop and grocery store, picked us up in an auto rickshaw (a 3 wheel scooter fitted with a seat for 2 across the back 2 wheels and a cover overhead). The reason - his car is too big to get to the mosque. OK, I like the auto rickshaw we rode in in Pune, so off we went with Tarun sitting on a little "shelf" facing us - very cozy. We were on regular streets for a while, then more narrow ones, then very narrow ones that PC and I could almost touch the walls - he out the right side and I out the left. Presently we drove into a small courtyard and parked the rickshaw to continue on foot because the passageways were now too narrow for the vehicle. The walks were uneven blocks of stone with portals requiring the raising of the feet AND the lowering of the head. I've never considered myself tall before, but then I was. The rickshaw driver held onto PC and Tarun held onto me, gently dragging us through the most dense crowd I can remember. When we got to the gate of the mosque, we shed our shoes, of course, (I'm never quite sure I'll ever see our shoes again, but here there were hundreds of shoes, tied with a rope that had a # on it and we were given the same # on a tag to it to reassure us). We went up the stairs to the metal detector. At all metal detectors I've seen in India there are 2 lines divided by genders. A man searches the men and a woman, the women. I'll tell you about the women's line. In some places they wand you, in one place (an airport) they patted me down, gently, politely, but thoroughly. This lady was only checking for cameras. Tarun was holding mine and was on the outside - we were on our own!!!
A very friendly man came to us using very good Eng and explaining that he was not a guide. He indicated we should follow him, and knowing not where the mosque was, much less what to do once we got there - we followed him. He talked to us continually, reassuring us and guiding us and giving info and instruction. When we got to the mosque there was an even larger crowd. Our not-a-guide muscled his way in and drug me who was dragging PC. It's amazing how connected we get when we don't have a clue what we're doing.
First we were sat down (which is a trick for me when there's plenty of room) and told to sit cross legged. Remembering our Loas manners, I ask if it was rude to show the bottom of the feet.
Yes, it is, so we curled as best we could, signed their book, pledged the amount we were going to give for the upkeep of the mosque, gave it, and continued on into the very small bldg with a rock or statue or something holy in the middle that we walked around. We were given another chance to contribute to the welfare of the poor - ("As you like") - We didn't like, so we left. There were vendors EVERYWHERE selling everything from food to flowers for an offering, and including clothes, Islamic men's hats (which they are not required to wear) to handkerchiefs, hats, scarves which the women ARE required to wear)
Of all the scarves I brought, I had none with me. I was reduced to emptying my bag of "necessities" and plopping that on my head. NOW I'm glad there were no cameras allowed.
Our not-a-guide led us safely to the gate and waved good-by. I gave him some rupees - THAT'S the way I like to do business, on my terms, not theirs. Tarun and the rickshaw driver helped us
retreive our shoes (yes, we got the very shoes we left) and let us lean against them to put the shoes on. Then we retraced out steps to the rickshaw and to the narrow passages. This is where we ran nose to nose with another rickshaw. There was a lot of loud conversation between the two drivers with shop keepers and others offering suggestions. They weren't speaking English, but we were understanding enough to be getting a little uneasy. In a bit Tarun turned and smiled and told us it was all over. We backed up a long way, with much being said under the driver's breath. Once they passed, his mood changed and all was well.
We were left at our hotel and had tea in a lovely garden ALL BY OURSELVES. What a contrast!!! from the press of many people and many voices to space and privacy. I'm not sure, but I think most Indians will never experience space and privacy.
I understand you're having winter, even school being out!!! It's cold here in the AM, very warm for 2 hours and cool again in the late afternoon. We're heading to really cold weather in Delhi. we're told. We miss you guys and love you all, mj
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Rajasthan
We left Puna by air for Ahmedabad, where we met a quiet spoken, gentle young man holding a big sign with our names on it. His name is Tarun, and he is a very good driver - all business while he's driving, informative when we're stopped. We got in the car and drove 6 hours or so to Mt Abu, which is about 2000' above the surrounding plain. The hotel is very nice and the food is very good. I'm mostly eating Indian, and PC is mostly eating 'continental'. The big deal there is the sunset. Imagine being high above the surrounding landscape and watching the sun go down over the plains. Sunday was the day before the 60th anniversery if the independence of India from UK, making this weekend a 3 day holiday -so - there were hundreds of people there to celebrate the sunset together. Our guide book said people are vet friendly and get well acquainted while waiting for the sun to set. We got there about an hour early and found a place to sit. We did get acquainted with several people, parents with their children staring at us as an oddity in their experience. I took pictures of several sweet ones and PC ask mamas if the child could have one of his butterskotch, wrapped, hard candies. Without exception, the mothers have agreed. We visited most with one couple. People feel a duty to explain India to us, and we are willing learners. They are all amazed at our age and how long we've been married. This couple explained why Indian men choose younger wives - "women mature faster than men". After I thought about this, I decided that women get OLD faster than men, but he said it better!
When the sun went down there was a roar from the crowd, just as the book said there'd be. Walking back to the car would have been shaky business if it were not with so many helpful people. One tall man and his wife helped us down some steps and talked while walking - Whivh country are you from? Have you been here long? where will you go from here? etc. As we parted he gave me his card, a lawyer in some big city, saying "you never know when you might need a lawyer". The next day we saw two temples, one Hindu - every inch carved with gods and flowers and daily human activities, the other (smaller) - every inch covered with mosiacs of plain and colored mirrors. Some were in scenes with elephants and riders, some with geometrical designs. This was a first for us - totally covered on the inside with mirror pieces. The outside was plain white.
The next day we drove to Udipur and the fanciest hotel I've ever seen, much less stayed in.
We're here for 3 nights which I'm having trouble fitting into my value system. PC told me it's already paid for, just enjoy! I'm trying.
The first night we did little more than walk around a bit and go to bed (with a giant, skinny TV with the great picture). The next day, my birthday, we went to a temple and the city castle, which is huge. They still have a king in Rajasthan and he lives in part of it. He has made 2 world class hotels in 2 of the wings and still has a large, historical place for the public to view. On the 4th floor there are trees in the garden. Our guide ask if we knew how the trees got there. I, being from a progressive town that has highrise apts with trees on the roof offered that suggestion. PC usually chooses to remain silent and appear more knowledgable. The trees are growing on top of the hill (or mt) that the castle is built AROUND. There was a water harvesting system that collects in beautiful pools and was used for irrigation and for pleasure. Today I suspect the water is pumped there.
In the evening we enjoyed a bagpipe band with drums and bugles, a puppet show and folk music and dancing. There were 3 musicians and 3 lady dancers. The last dance we saw consisted of the 3 ladies with flames coming out of the top of a water jar on each head. With this balanced they preformed many slow movements of controlled balance and many exciting fast movements.
What a birthday celebration! We finished with dinner and rest. Today we take rest til 4pm when we go to the barbershop and then to another palace. Rajasthan (raja - king and sthan - state) has many palaces. Tomorrow we leave early for Jaipur. Much love to all of you,mj
When the sun went down there was a roar from the crowd, just as the book said there'd be. Walking back to the car would have been shaky business if it were not with so many helpful people. One tall man and his wife helped us down some steps and talked while walking - Whivh country are you from? Have you been here long? where will you go from here? etc. As we parted he gave me his card, a lawyer in some big city, saying "you never know when you might need a lawyer". The next day we saw two temples, one Hindu - every inch carved with gods and flowers and daily human activities, the other (smaller) - every inch covered with mosiacs of plain and colored mirrors. Some were in scenes with elephants and riders, some with geometrical designs. This was a first for us - totally covered on the inside with mirror pieces. The outside was plain white.
The next day we drove to Udipur and the fanciest hotel I've ever seen, much less stayed in.
We're here for 3 nights which I'm having trouble fitting into my value system. PC told me it's already paid for, just enjoy! I'm trying.
The first night we did little more than walk around a bit and go to bed (with a giant, skinny TV with the great picture). The next day, my birthday, we went to a temple and the city castle, which is huge. They still have a king in Rajasthan and he lives in part of it. He has made 2 world class hotels in 2 of the wings and still has a large, historical place for the public to view. On the 4th floor there are trees in the garden. Our guide ask if we knew how the trees got there. I, being from a progressive town that has highrise apts with trees on the roof offered that suggestion. PC usually chooses to remain silent and appear more knowledgable. The trees are growing on top of the hill (or mt) that the castle is built AROUND. There was a water harvesting system that collects in beautiful pools and was used for irrigation and for pleasure. Today I suspect the water is pumped there.
In the evening we enjoyed a bagpipe band with drums and bugles, a puppet show and folk music and dancing. There were 3 musicians and 3 lady dancers. The last dance we saw consisted of the 3 ladies with flames coming out of the top of a water jar on each head. With this balanced they preformed many slow movements of controlled balance and many exciting fast movements.
What a birthday celebration! We finished with dinner and rest. Today we take rest til 4pm when we go to the barbershop and then to another palace. Rajasthan (raja - king and sthan - state) has many palaces. Tomorrow we leave early for Jaipur. Much love to all of you,mj
Friday, January 23, 2009
Out of Order?
There are a couple of entries that are saved 'somewhere' because of my low-tech skills. Dr Ashwin will help me when he has time, and you shall surely get them in spite of said skills.
Our most recent adventure was with driver Vijay and helper Da Tah' in Dr Ashwin's big, shinny, black 7 or 8 passenger car with a small decal that has a red cross on it with the word "DOCTOR" across it. It's not big or showy; I only noticed it myself the 2nd day. I mention this to help explain why these 2 white headed, very fair complected elders with the TWO 'drivers' were thought to have lots (or LOTS) of money.
The trip was to the caves of Ajanta and Ellora near Aurangabad about 70 miles from Pune. The caves date back to the 2nd century BCE and are carved from ONE mountain of volcanic rock, probably an uprising of lava that never erupted, but cooled and crystallized underground. I hope I'm explaining so that you can grasp the enormity of the task these monks accomplished with a hammer and chisel only. There are 30 caves at Ajanta, some are like dormitories with single cells that include a chiseled 'bed/pillow' along the walls and a large open space with a 6' sitting Buddha. Others have a large room and a large Buddha. All have many pillars. Remember, all of this out of one part of a rock mt. They started in the front and at the top and worked to the back and the bottom. The angles are all perfect 90 degrees. They seem to have been abandoned in the 1st century AD, and no one we've asked has known why, other than to say that Buddhism seemed to be moving to the east where it is still strong today.
We didn't go in all the caves; there was much walking and climbing. We were convinced to hire a chair. 'Hire a chair?' how do I do that? Four men, not all young and not all strong looking appeared with a chair tied securely to 2 long poles. I was not sure they could carry me - that's almost 100 lbs each. They assured they were able and used to the work. It was 800 Rs ($16) for each of us. It took a long time for me to agree, but finally did and was hoisted up and walked quickly up several flights of stairs. At the first stop I decided they were worth at least what they'd ask. PC at first decided to walk, and the chair men walked beside him til he realized where our destination was. Then he joined me, high above the school children who waved and spoke and smiles and took our pictures. I guess we were a spectacle. The trip down was fast, the men in perfect step on all the steps and passageways and slanting walkways. When the sat us down, safe and sound (us), sweating and panting (them) we paid them more than they'd asked. They had truly earned it!!!
The first afternoon we were there, Vijay took us to the mimi Taj. It was built by the son of the man who'd built the Taj for his wife. The Taj is 80% marble and 20% plaster. The mini Taj is 20% marble and 80% plaster, and dedicated to the builder's mom (are you following this? - that's the same woman the Taj was dedicated to.) In this one (dedicated to his mom) houses his wife. We went inside and saw the place where she is entombed beneath. Here, again, it was being worked on and restored. The whole area is 32 acres and has many gardens and a variety of what was once pools.There were lots of people there of all ages and religions. I saw 4 or 5 teen Muslim girls in heels and colorful pants and stylish tops that don't quite reach the top of the pants with their long thin black cloak loosely draping from their shoulders like a choir robe that's been unfastened, but not quite taken off just yet. They were laughing and talking like teens most anywhere. I couldn't help but think their mom and dad weren't there.
On the way to the Ellora caves, we saw Daulatabad Fort, built in the 12th century, said to be the most magnificent fort in this state of Maharashtra. It is about 60' above the surrounding plain on a volcanic core - straight up basaltic rock with soil on the top. It looked small from the road, but the wall around it enclosed about 100 football fields of plain with the elevated fort in the middle. PC noticed a mote outside the portion of the wall we could see. It seems there was a great battle here between the Muslim king and the Hindu king. The Hindu king won and established the Maharashtra "city-state" which is now the state. In every city and village there can be found a statue of this Hindu king and many public areas are named for him (airports, highways, schools, etc.) I'll have to get his name later. Sorry.
The Ellora Caves are Buddhist, Hindu and Janis. The Buddhist caves were oldest - starting at 5th century. Same strong angles and graceful Buddha statues. The Hindu temples are true to square, but carved everywhere!!! Hindus allow many gods. India is a vast area with many dividing mts and wide river valleys separating the people by language and climate and religion and custom. Many people observed many different customs, so many gods were acknowledged according to the history and need of the people. Hinduism has no one person who "started" it, but is a collection of all the gods the people have prayed to and heard from. This is my own poor attempt to explain; there are better explanations almost anywhere., but to help understand these Hindu caves, this is a start. These caves, too, are chiseled from one rock mt, kinda like Enchanted Roch in the hill country of Tx, but much larger. These were "discovered" in the 17th century by some Britts hunting out from their post. They have been excavated and have been found to hold both monasteries and temples. Cave #16 has the world's largest monolith. We saw it and photographed it. This temple was at least 3 floors in height and complex in design. Many gods, elephants and cows were carved there in huge and small dimensions. The Jains caves are younger and least precise. It's possible the rock was softer - it is a different color. It's really hard to imagine how this work was done and why it was abandoned.
We got back to Pune last night and this has been a day of rest for us, as Ashwin and Sunita are at work.. Tomorrow we leave for our Ragasthan trip of 12 days ,ending in New Delhi for a week in the YMCA. From there we'll take day trips to the Golden Temple of the Sheiks and the Taj. Hopefully we'll get to hang out at the New Delhi University where Grace, Mercy's sister, teaches.
Hopefully, too, photos will be forthcoming. I've taken well over 2000 by now. I LOVE this filmless camera - what a great idea!!! We really miss you folks. We'll be home Feb 17th. Love and prayers from MJ&PC
Our most recent adventure was with driver Vijay and helper Da Tah' in Dr Ashwin's big, shinny, black 7 or 8 passenger car with a small decal that has a red cross on it with the word "DOCTOR" across it. It's not big or showy; I only noticed it myself the 2nd day. I mention this to help explain why these 2 white headed, very fair complected elders with the TWO 'drivers' were thought to have lots (or LOTS) of money.
The trip was to the caves of Ajanta and Ellora near Aurangabad about 70 miles from Pune. The caves date back to the 2nd century BCE and are carved from ONE mountain of volcanic rock, probably an uprising of lava that never erupted, but cooled and crystallized underground. I hope I'm explaining so that you can grasp the enormity of the task these monks accomplished with a hammer and chisel only. There are 30 caves at Ajanta, some are like dormitories with single cells that include a chiseled 'bed/pillow' along the walls and a large open space with a 6' sitting Buddha. Others have a large room and a large Buddha. All have many pillars. Remember, all of this out of one part of a rock mt. They started in the front and at the top and worked to the back and the bottom. The angles are all perfect 90 degrees. They seem to have been abandoned in the 1st century AD, and no one we've asked has known why, other than to say that Buddhism seemed to be moving to the east where it is still strong today.
We didn't go in all the caves; there was much walking and climbing. We were convinced to hire a chair. 'Hire a chair?' how do I do that? Four men, not all young and not all strong looking appeared with a chair tied securely to 2 long poles. I was not sure they could carry me - that's almost 100 lbs each. They assured they were able and used to the work. It was 800 Rs ($16) for each of us. It took a long time for me to agree, but finally did and was hoisted up and walked quickly up several flights of stairs. At the first stop I decided they were worth at least what they'd ask. PC at first decided to walk, and the chair men walked beside him til he realized where our destination was. Then he joined me, high above the school children who waved and spoke and smiles and took our pictures. I guess we were a spectacle. The trip down was fast, the men in perfect step on all the steps and passageways and slanting walkways. When the sat us down, safe and sound (us), sweating and panting (them) we paid them more than they'd asked. They had truly earned it!!!
The first afternoon we were there, Vijay took us to the mimi Taj. It was built by the son of the man who'd built the Taj for his wife. The Taj is 80% marble and 20% plaster. The mini Taj is 20% marble and 80% plaster, and dedicated to the builder's mom (are you following this? - that's the same woman the Taj was dedicated to.) In this one (dedicated to his mom) houses his wife. We went inside and saw the place where she is entombed beneath. Here, again, it was being worked on and restored. The whole area is 32 acres and has many gardens and a variety of what was once pools.There were lots of people there of all ages and religions. I saw 4 or 5 teen Muslim girls in heels and colorful pants and stylish tops that don't quite reach the top of the pants with their long thin black cloak loosely draping from their shoulders like a choir robe that's been unfastened, but not quite taken off just yet. They were laughing and talking like teens most anywhere. I couldn't help but think their mom and dad weren't there.
On the way to the Ellora caves, we saw Daulatabad Fort, built in the 12th century, said to be the most magnificent fort in this state of Maharashtra. It is about 60' above the surrounding plain on a volcanic core - straight up basaltic rock with soil on the top. It looked small from the road, but the wall around it enclosed about 100 football fields of plain with the elevated fort in the middle. PC noticed a mote outside the portion of the wall we could see. It seems there was a great battle here between the Muslim king and the Hindu king. The Hindu king won and established the Maharashtra "city-state" which is now the state. In every city and village there can be found a statue of this Hindu king and many public areas are named for him (airports, highways, schools, etc.) I'll have to get his name later. Sorry.
The Ellora Caves are Buddhist, Hindu and Janis. The Buddhist caves were oldest - starting at 5th century. Same strong angles and graceful Buddha statues. The Hindu temples are true to square, but carved everywhere!!! Hindus allow many gods. India is a vast area with many dividing mts and wide river valleys separating the people by language and climate and religion and custom. Many people observed many different customs, so many gods were acknowledged according to the history and need of the people. Hinduism has no one person who "started" it, but is a collection of all the gods the people have prayed to and heard from. This is my own poor attempt to explain; there are better explanations almost anywhere., but to help understand these Hindu caves, this is a start. These caves, too, are chiseled from one rock mt, kinda like Enchanted Roch in the hill country of Tx, but much larger. These were "discovered" in the 17th century by some Britts hunting out from their post. They have been excavated and have been found to hold both monasteries and temples. Cave #16 has the world's largest monolith. We saw it and photographed it. This temple was at least 3 floors in height and complex in design. Many gods, elephants and cows were carved there in huge and small dimensions. The Jains caves are younger and least precise. It's possible the rock was softer - it is a different color. It's really hard to imagine how this work was done and why it was abandoned.
We got back to Pune last night and this has been a day of rest for us, as Ashwin and Sunita are at work.. Tomorrow we leave for our Ragasthan trip of 12 days ,ending in New Delhi for a week in the YMCA. From there we'll take day trips to the Golden Temple of the Sheiks and the Taj. Hopefully we'll get to hang out at the New Delhi University where Grace, Mercy's sister, teaches.
Hopefully, too, photos will be forthcoming. I've taken well over 2000 by now. I LOVE this filmless camera - what a great idea!!! We really miss you folks. We'll be home Feb 17th. Love and prayers from MJ&PC
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Happy Anniversery to Us!!!
Today, Jan 18th, 2009 marks the 56th anniversery of our wedding. As some of you may have noticed, I'd quit wearing my wedding ring because the knuckle on that finger had gotten so big it was pressing my very wide band, that we chose for our 25th anniversary, painfully into my hand. The first ring you may not know was filed off my fat finger by my nervous husband. Well, Today we have new wedding rings _ Indian silver _ at a greatly reduced price from the James Averys we were looking at. These should take us to the 75th anniversary, unless I have something else happen. You notice it's always me; PC had 3 perfectly good wedding rings.
We left Kodiakanal on Mon Jan 5th for our 13 day tour of south India. At our first rest stop, there was a large cage with several birds and a white rabbit. As I got closer I saw a monkey tethered to a tree with quite a long rope. I watched as he used his marvelous hands to untangle his rope till he had his full length available. I was maybe a few feet from him when he started chasing me. As I backed up, he advanced, snarling and reaching for my shoes. I decided he was the guard of the birds and rabbit and contented myself with a zoom-in photo of them.
Our first night was at Poovar Island Wildlife Refuge. Arriving at 1pm gave us enough time to rest and have our banana, orange and tea biscuit lunch before the afternoon boat ride to see the wild animals. There were Shamba deer, wild boars, bison and many birds that nest in the top of tree trunks that still stand in the lake after 50 years of the lake being created. There is no bark and no limbs, just solitary markers the boats use to guide them. The rare sighting that had cameras snapping was a group of 5 wild elephants - 2 youth, 2 mamas and an auntie. They were busy giving themselves a dirt bath, throwing the red dusty soil up over themselves. They looked at us. We looked at them. We were told to be very quiet. There were 4 boats all looking quietly. Then the babies turned and walked the few steps to the brush covering. The 3 ladies turned their rear to us. We got the message - photo op over! The last I saw of them they were still on the shore, having stood their ground.
The next day we were taken to a spice "farm" (or forest or jungle) where we were shown many spices and allowed to taste (cinnamon) and observe (touch-me-not) and photograph. Then came the adventure of riding an elephant. The only animal I've ridden is a horse and then never bareback or with only a saddle blanket. I was so surprised at being able to feel her shoulders move under me. Next I was surprised at how high we were. Her shoulders must have been 8'. PC said little, but HE was the one who got the info and got us to the right place. I think he really enjoyed it.
At home in time for our banana and cheese and bread, we sat in the lovely lawn with a third chair acting as a table. As I was placing things out in a pleasing manner - BAM - the bananas were gone!!! I screamed but didn't frighten the monkey that sat quite close eating all 6 of our little fruits. It's true; they open the banana at the "other" end. They don't tear them off to eat a single one like we do; they eat them all, but one at a time. PC had to chase one out of our room later. We learned to fasten the door securely.
We've had 3 weeks of the best Indian food in the world in both Nikhil's and Mercy's homes. It was served for our sissy N. Am. pallet. They went to great lengths to have food PC could eat. We've eaten out, and they ordered for us, knowing what we could handle. Now, however, we are on our own. PC is having some difficulty. We've become a fan of curd (which is like yogurt) that calms your mouth when it's on fire. He eats a large breakfast of eggs and toast with butter and jam, hot cereal and milk. Coffee and tea is served with hot milk and sugar, which pleases PC. I've started asking for black tea, and enjoy that.
I'll sign off for now and take rest. We miss you all. Love,mj
We left Kodiakanal on Mon Jan 5th for our 13 day tour of south India. At our first rest stop, there was a large cage with several birds and a white rabbit. As I got closer I saw a monkey tethered to a tree with quite a long rope. I watched as he used his marvelous hands to untangle his rope till he had his full length available. I was maybe a few feet from him when he started chasing me. As I backed up, he advanced, snarling and reaching for my shoes. I decided he was the guard of the birds and rabbit and contented myself with a zoom-in photo of them.
Our first night was at Poovar Island Wildlife Refuge. Arriving at 1pm gave us enough time to rest and have our banana, orange and tea biscuit lunch before the afternoon boat ride to see the wild animals. There were Shamba deer, wild boars, bison and many birds that nest in the top of tree trunks that still stand in the lake after 50 years of the lake being created. There is no bark and no limbs, just solitary markers the boats use to guide them. The rare sighting that had cameras snapping was a group of 5 wild elephants - 2 youth, 2 mamas and an auntie. They were busy giving themselves a dirt bath, throwing the red dusty soil up over themselves. They looked at us. We looked at them. We were told to be very quiet. There were 4 boats all looking quietly. Then the babies turned and walked the few steps to the brush covering. The 3 ladies turned their rear to us. We got the message - photo op over! The last I saw of them they were still on the shore, having stood their ground.
The next day we were taken to a spice "farm" (or forest or jungle) where we were shown many spices and allowed to taste (cinnamon) and observe (touch-me-not) and photograph. Then came the adventure of riding an elephant. The only animal I've ridden is a horse and then never bareback or with only a saddle blanket. I was so surprised at being able to feel her shoulders move under me. Next I was surprised at how high we were. Her shoulders must have been 8'. PC said little, but HE was the one who got the info and got us to the right place. I think he really enjoyed it.
At home in time for our banana and cheese and bread, we sat in the lovely lawn with a third chair acting as a table. As I was placing things out in a pleasing manner - BAM - the bananas were gone!!! I screamed but didn't frighten the monkey that sat quite close eating all 6 of our little fruits. It's true; they open the banana at the "other" end. They don't tear them off to eat a single one like we do; they eat them all, but one at a time. PC had to chase one out of our room later. We learned to fasten the door securely.
We've had 3 weeks of the best Indian food in the world in both Nikhil's and Mercy's homes. It was served for our sissy N. Am. pallet. They went to great lengths to have food PC could eat. We've eaten out, and they ordered for us, knowing what we could handle. Now, however, we are on our own. PC is having some difficulty. We've become a fan of curd (which is like yogurt) that calms your mouth when it's on fire. He eats a large breakfast of eggs and toast with butter and jam, hot cereal and milk. Coffee and tea is served with hot milk and sugar, which pleases PC. I've started asking for black tea, and enjoy that.
I'll sign off for now and take rest. We miss you all. Love,mj
Sunday, January 11, 2009
From the Tip of India
In one day we traveled from the mts and tea plantations to the sea coast where we boarded a house boat for over night, having all three meals aboard (lunch first, although it was 2:30 when we got there). It was a geographer's dream, watching people who live on the waterfront using the non-salty water for fishing, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, as well as brushing their teeth. This water is evidently not as polluted as our lakes and rivers. We had a crew of three (pilot, cook and helper); we were the only passengers, although it was designed for four. We were on the lake (it's long and skinny like Mattagora Bay, but closed at both ends with one small entrance to the Arabian Sea toward the middle) when the kids got out of school. Every where we've been in India school is over at 4pm, even kindergarten. There were several schools (as identified by the different uniforms) and canoes to "bus" the children to the other side, if needed.
We've seen many churches, and they're all Christian!!! I'm surprised at how many Christian churches there are in the south of India. The story is that St Thomas came to the south of India, which is isolated by mts and desert and mostly spoke Tamil, converting many. Christian missionaries came in the 16th century and the rest, as they say, is history. I have lots of pictures of churches but some are from the car as we traveled, so they may not be focused.
Today we are at the Poovar Island Resort. The really big news is: there is a bath tub. We hadn't had a TUB bath since the night before we left the states. This is a tropical paradise (as billed) with trees and plants everywhere, open air reception area and lobby, having ceiling fans anywhere there is a ceiling. We can see the beach and the sea (I'm not sure which one). PC and I got an Ayurveda massage yesterday, and today I'm getting a hand and FOOT massage, where the massage therapist has a rope to hang onto while she works with her feet. There are girls for the ladies' massage and and guys for the gents'.
I have some summer clothes which feel really good here. PC just takes off his coat, and he's comfortable. We spend three nights here, and that's a good thing. We're getting really road weary. It's 11:40 and beginning to warm up, so I'll close and get back to our "land" cottage (some are out over the water) and our air-conditioning. We think of you all and miss you. Love,mj
We've seen many churches, and they're all Christian!!! I'm surprised at how many Christian churches there are in the south of India. The story is that St Thomas came to the south of India, which is isolated by mts and desert and mostly spoke Tamil, converting many. Christian missionaries came in the 16th century and the rest, as they say, is history. I have lots of pictures of churches but some are from the car as we traveled, so they may not be focused.
Today we are at the Poovar Island Resort. The really big news is: there is a bath tub. We hadn't had a TUB bath since the night before we left the states. This is a tropical paradise (as billed) with trees and plants everywhere, open air reception area and lobby, having ceiling fans anywhere there is a ceiling. We can see the beach and the sea (I'm not sure which one). PC and I got an Ayurveda massage yesterday, and today I'm getting a hand and FOOT massage, where the massage therapist has a rope to hang onto while she works with her feet. There are girls for the ladies' massage and and guys for the gents'.
I have some summer clothes which feel really good here. PC just takes off his coat, and he's comfortable. We spend three nights here, and that's a good thing. We're getting really road weary. It's 11:40 and beginning to warm up, so I'll close and get back to our "land" cottage (some are out over the water) and our air-conditioning. We think of you all and miss you. Love,mj
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Koadikanal
We have been in Kodi for a week or so. This is where Mercy grew up, where the International School is that she and all her siblings attended. Her father, Earnest, is in charge of the finances for the school and her mother, Jananthi, is a dorm parent for 24 high school girls. They are on vacation now so we are staying in the dorm, along with Mercy and Nikhil (while they were here - they left here Dec 31st for Pune and will leave Pune for Chicago 5 Jan), sister Grace and brother Imanuel. Mom and Dad have an apt just off the dorm. It is quite convienent to have all this much room. There is a big fireplace in the great room of the dorm where we gather for prayers at night.
Kodi reminds me of a Colorado town - Cold in am and pm, but warm in the mid day. There is a lovely lake not far from here and windy, twisty roads with lots of shops for buying souvineers and gifts. When I went on a tour of per schools yesterday, I discovered Kodi is much bigger than I'd realized.
A lady from Brithania, a Christian program for children age 3 - 5, took me to 5 different centers.
It was the kids 1st day back to school and (thanks to cell phones) each group was prepared to share with me the dances they'd learned for their Christmas program and recite scripture, days of the week, ABCs, poems, songs, various things they'd learned in ENGLISH, which is not their first language, and probably not their 2nd. These children come at no cost to the parents and are provided uniforms, food and loving teachers. The parents are very poor and have to work early and late. The children would be on their own and on the streets. I got lots of pictures.
There is also a women's program to teach them to sew and do crafts. I bought several things to bring to show and perhaps to sent orders and sell in the states.
Sorry I don't have more time. Will write again when I can. Much love,mj
Kodi reminds me of a Colorado town - Cold in am and pm, but warm in the mid day. There is a lovely lake not far from here and windy, twisty roads with lots of shops for buying souvineers and gifts. When I went on a tour of per schools yesterday, I discovered Kodi is much bigger than I'd realized.
A lady from Brithania, a Christian program for children age 3 - 5, took me to 5 different centers.
It was the kids 1st day back to school and (thanks to cell phones) each group was prepared to share with me the dances they'd learned for their Christmas program and recite scripture, days of the week, ABCs, poems, songs, various things they'd learned in ENGLISH, which is not their first language, and probably not their 2nd. These children come at no cost to the parents and are provided uniforms, food and loving teachers. The parents are very poor and have to work early and late. The children would be on their own and on the streets. I got lots of pictures.
There is also a women's program to teach them to sew and do crafts. I bought several things to bring to show and perhaps to sent orders and sell in the states.
Sorry I don't have more time. Will write again when I can. Much love,mj
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