Thodikana visit

We are back in Sullia today after traversing the rather grueling roads to Thodikana. mom is feeling a bit under the weather because she did not pre-medicate with Dramamine. It's only 15 km away from here, but the roads are indescribably bad and it takes about an hour. The roads were paved, or at least parts of them were, about 4 or 5 years back, but the monsoons have washed away all the blacktop and there are huge ruts and potholes on a one lane roadbed of grapefruit-sized granite rocks.

Anyway, we had a nice visit with his granny and aunt/uncle/cousin. They have one of the nicest houses you will ever see in India, and they are most welcoming and friendly, despite the rather large language barrier. We also visited several of his granny's brothers families (she comes from a family of 9), several of whom live on neighboring estates. They all were welcoming and ceremoniously brought us tea and snacks. One of his great-uncles showed us his entire house, including the storage rooms and the attic. He also showed us the rubber processing equipment (they grow rubber trees) and old cooking implements in the storeroom. I think this was all for our benefit since obviously Avinash's auntie and uncle had seen it many times before.

Mom got to tour the plantation as well, and saw her first crops of areca nut (betel nut), banana, coconut, rubber, cashew, cocoa, black pepper, cardamom, etc up close.

We went to a nearby waterfall in the bordering Coorg region by Jeep. Avinash's relatives hired a professional Jeep driver to take us there, although it was not far, in deference to Mom. We had hiked there last year, but it is a rather grueling climb in the rain-forest conditions of heat and humidity and not for the faint-hearted.

We had to traverse two rivers to get there, and since there was no bridge at either place, the Jeep forded the river both times. Apparently that is the only way that this isolated (cut off by three rivers) area was accessible until fairly recently, since there were no bridges before about 10 or 15 years ago. That is also apparently the reason why the estates had to be self-sufficient during the rainy season and also why everyone is so closely intermarried in his family!

The waterfall is an interesting walk through the forest and across several streams. We had to wade across at one point, even Ani's mom and auntie in their beautiful saris (I was wearing the practical salwar-kameez for the occasion). We enjoyed seeing the tropical waterfall and the relatively cooler temperatures up the mountain. Only on the way back did Avinash mention that in the water next to where we had all stepped was a snake with a triangular-shaped head (poisionous!).

We stopped at the local temple on the way home and viewed a pooja ceremony. Avinash had never actually seen one so it was new to all of us. It took place after nightfall, with 4 or 5 priests in lungis and sacred strings leading the affair. Avinash and his cousin had to remove their shirts and leather belts. Avinash said that he was worried his pants were going to fall down the entire time! Fortunately, we ladies could leave our shirts on. ;)

Everyone clanged a bell to the beat of a drum (there were many bells, all different pitches, located overhead). This went on for about 5 minutes, with the drum beating faster and faster until a dramatic climax. There were oil lamps waved in circles in from of the temple deity, which had been draped with flowers as is customary. Then the temple priests took the deity statue out for a walk, going around the inner sanctum of the temple about 10 times and back again all to the beat of a drum. Then they took the deity outside for a walk and circumnavigated the temple around the inner courtyard for about 5 minutes. Then back inside they came, and the drum beats started to accellerate once again. Then it was time to ring the bells overhead while they put the deity back in the sanctum sactorum and extinguished the lamps to a final clamor of drums and bells.


This morning we made our way back to Sullia after a round of visits to relatives. Even the dogs here are all inter-related! Since we don't all fit in the little car, Ani's other granny (his dad's mom) is coming back to Sullia later on.

That's all the news from here. Glad the little Ponies are working out well. Freecycle is great for both the donor and the recipient, since everyone is happy knowing items are put to a good use! Thanks for the dog and cat news also - Darwin gets dirty very easily and needs frequent grooming. It was sweet of Melissa to help out.

love
Linda and Mom

excursion to Udupi

Yesterday Avinash's dad drove us to Udupi which is on the western coast of India on the Arabian sea. The roads are so rough here that the ride was something like a roller coaster and a trampoline - hard to describe. My head hit the ceiling of the car several times as he manoeuvred around cars, trucks, rickshaws, cows, dogs, you name it. We probably averaged 11 MPH, so it took forever.

We met a temple elephant who was very clever. If you handed her a banana, she took it gently with her trunk and stuffed it into her mouth and chewed it. If you gave her a rupee coin, she blessed you by bonking you on the top of the head with her heavy trunk, and then she handed it to her mahout who was sitting in a nearby chair. We got such a kick out of this procedure. Avinash, his dad, and Linda all got "blessed" while I took pictures. She even knew not to eat paper money, but to hand it over and bless the giver.

The beach at Udupi was crowded with people, but unlike any beach you have ever seen. Unlike in the USA where people are all sprawled out of the sand sunning themselves, here the children and the men mostly go in and out of the water, and the women in beautiful colorful saris wade a bit. Children run around gleefully, and others just stroll on the sands. I'll be able to show you in pictures later.

Our blistered feet and coughs and colds are slowly improving, so we are doing well.

Linda is here with me, so I'll let her add her two rupees (tee-hee).

Hi All,
Yesterday was Mom's first experience with the really bad roads in India. She now understands why flying and the train are such attractive options in comparison! She had neglected to take any motion sickness medication before we left, and after a couple of hours of up and down, stop and start, and constant swerving, honking, jolting, and so on, we were both feeling pretty green. I had put my patch on just before we left and I had an extra one I gave mom, and eventually we stopped for a rest and the medicine started to work. Motion sickness is something that fortunately does not afflict Avinash, but his mom has it and she wisely decided to stay home.

On the way there we stopped at a small hilltop of black stone, where there was a monolithic Jain statue of "Bahubali". We had seen one before which was slightly larger, but it was still impressive at 32 feet. The views from the top of the hill of the surrounding palm-covered Western Ghat mountains and the valleys of tropical trees were not to be missed, even though the mercury was surely around 100 and the humidity very high as well.

On the way home after dark, we could see the diya lights for Diwali outlining many houses and hear the sounds of Diwali firecrackers as we passed Hindu households.

Today we are relaxing around the house and Avinash is working on his dad's computer problems. We may take a small (but time-consuming) trip to the nearby city of Madikeri, a cooler hilltop area where there are beautiful coffee plantations.

From Dakshina Kannada

Hi all,
We have arrived at Avinash's family's place today after a short flight from Bangalore to Mangalore. Ani's dad came to Mangalore in a taxi and we all took the taxi back to Sullia, which is a 3 hour journey on little mountain roads. Mom was very impressed by the picturesque tropical scenery and the comparative wealth of the district (no bullock carts, beggars, or pesky vendors bothering us). This is one of the most financially well-off regions of India and the landscape is extremely lush and green.

We had a small siesta when we reached the Bhat household (which like all South Indian homes, has a name (which translates to "unique" or "unrivaled") and then had an afternoon tea of chai with vermicelli noodles prepared with black mustard seeds, chili, and toor dal tempering.

We took a small excursion to Sullia proper (we are located in the countryside outside of town) and took some photos on a small pedestrian suspension bridge across the river. Avinash's dad then showed us the local engineering, medical, dental, and nursing colleges, and visited three milk stores looking for skim milk for me (none was available, but he is trying hard to be accomodating and won't accept reassurances that 1% is fine).

We returned home and watched a little of the cricket game between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on TV. Mom and I understand most of the game now, although the rules are so difficult I'm not sure if we will ever master them.

Tomorrow is the festival day of Diwali. Avinash's relatives (aunts, uncles, cousins, grannies) are coming for the day - there is a special feast and firecrackers in the evening.

Hope all is well at home,
love
Linda and Mom

From Bangalore

We're here in Bangalore, where we arrived yesterday evening after
almost missing our flight from Delhi. We had trouble finding
appropriate transportation to the airport from our hotel, due to the
amount of baggage we had. We ended up taking two auto-rickshaws.
That was probably a lucky decision, because they w\could wiggle in and
out of the heavy traffic, which we did not anticipate. Still, our
rickshaw had to stop and get gas along the way and Ani's rickshaw
ended up going to the wrong airline terminal, so it was a very close
thing indeed to missing the plane. I was \getting somewhat panicky
without Avinash there and they were doing the final boarding call and
we didn't even have boarding passes yet. Fortunately, I was able to
enlist the help of a Spicejet employee and I think that he bent some
rules for us to make the flight safe and sound when Ani finally showed
up at the terminal, running and pulling three heavy suitcases in the
100 degree heat. That was an experience I would rather not repeat!
We were all so shaken up by the experience it seemed like the flight
was over before it begun, because it took us quite a while to calm
down and cool off! We arrived in B'lore and checked into our hotel
and went to a Hyderabad-style restuarant on Brigade Road for supper.

Our hotel in Bangalore is an old Raj-era edifice, without A/C, but
that's ok in this garden city which is somewhat cooler than elsewhere
in India. We have been enjoying the huge Lalbagh Botanical Gardens
and just had a wonderful and very cheap meal at a central-Asian
restaurant called Samarkand. This afternoon we may go to the city
market and perhaps do some shopping along Bangalore's famous
Michigan-avenue style M.G. Road.

That's all the news for now. Tell Dad to give the cats a pat for me
and Suki too.

Checking in from Jaipur

Greetings from the Rajastani capital , the Pink City of Jaipur. Today we went to see the Amber Fort/Palace, which is one of the local palaces (there are many) and where the military was garrisoned. It was never conquered due to its location on a desert mountaintop. The palace and fort complex is huge, comprising of thousands of rooms (including 1000 for the ladies of the seraglio and their maids) and is quite a fantasia of places to explore and romantic views of the mountaintops. You and I would have loved getting lost in the labyrinth of rooms as children. Yesterday we saw the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, which was occupied by Shah Jahan (a muslim leader) and his court. The Taj Mahal was impressive and huge, and most impressive of all the sites due to its good condition. The Agra fort also has thousands of rooms and was formerly covered in gold and silver and gems. Both palace/forts are now highly deteriorated due to weather, neglect, and looting, but India is engaged in restoration efforts in both places. We saw construction crews working to do delicate inlay work, plastering, mortaring, and fine painting work at both sites.

Rajastan is known for its colorful city and local dress, and also for its crowdedness and pollution, all of which are true. Mom is getting acclimatized to India and its poverty, driving conditions (indesribable, although I had tried), and energy sapping heat and humidity. We are also getting over our jet lag, which will help.

Tomorrow we will go see the city palace and the pink palace, which has 900 windows on the front facade. You can really tell that all the great wealth of the former trading states of India contributed to the many fabulous royal cities and settlements in old India. That all vanished with the occupation by Great Britian but many traces remain.


Bye for now. We'll try to communicate from Delhi tomorrow night, but we only know of one internet cafe and I'm not sure we can get there. Fortunately, Jaipur is full of them.

Love,
Linda and Mom

Greetings from Agra

Delhi is remarkably short of internet cafes for such a large city and such a techno-savvy nation, so we didn't get the chance to write. Now that we have traveled to Agra, hopefully the density of e-cafes will increase. South India has one on every corner.

I'm glad we're missing the dismal cold weather. Here it is anything but cold, with temps about 100F every day. Fortunately, as they say in Las Vegas, "it's a dry heat". We have upgraded to a/c rooms and will probably have to hit the ATM at the Taj Mahal or in Jaipur!

I'll add more about our sightseeing trips when I get the chance. Everyone is having a good time and doing well. Thanks for checking on Dad and the periodic updates.

Colleen on the Riverwalk

Colleen celebrates the fall season by shredding sumac pods.

Last Harvest

This is the last harvest from the garden this year: hot peppers, zukes, and tomatoes. All the plants are still bearing, but they will either succumb to a hard freeze or we will be leaving on vacation. I will be busy tonight trying to make chili paste. The zucchinis got hit by the big hailstorm the other night - the one that did $4500 worth of damage to the new car - so they look a little worse for wear. I'll see if I can find anybody who would like them at work.

Olbrich Gardens Thai Pavilion

Saturday was a beautiful autumn day, so we went to Olbrich Gardens for an excursion. The gardens are waning this time of year, but the plantings and the Thai Pavilion are still beautiful.