Down Kerala’s watery fingers, we serenely floated in our rice boat by small homes on strips of land as wide as the house. Rice fields flank the canals, where men and women bath and wash their clothing and dishes. Here … Continue reading
In Southern Kerala where the rivers meet the ocean, there are tips of land that jut out through the waters like fingers, Kerala’s backwaters. Fisherman used to bring rice and other goods up and down the backwaters on large boats … Continue reading
We saw another waterfall on our way to Kerala. I forgot to get the name! This one is a pilgrimage site, and therefore filled with people. Vendors line the water in canopied huts piled with fresh fruits and vegetables and … Continue reading
Down by the shore, several fishermen stood lined up along the shore, pulling a line attached to a boat. Thousands of tiny dead fish lay scattered across the sand, and as my eyes darted from the fish to the huge … Continue reading
We had driven South of the small town of Rameswaram, until we reached a spot where our driver pulled over and turned off the car. “The car can’t go any further than this. You have to take a truck.” he … Continue reading
Rameswaram is an island off the southeast coast of India, connected to the mainland by a long, concrete bridge. We stopped at the top of the bridge, with a bunch of other people, to watch the current sweep underneath. There … Continue reading
Our host decided to dress me up for my birthday. I got an Indian outfit, pearl jewelry, and my hair done with flowers and a braid. We drove to the hills where we were going to see a Jain cave … Continue reading
The Thirumayam Fort appears seemingly out of nowhere- poking out of rocks on a large hill. We enjoyed the reason to get out of the car and stretch a bit. Some of the walls are crumbling. There is a colorfully … Continue reading
We were incredibly blessed in Tanjore because our host was a South Indian tour guide and extremely passionate and knowledgeable. She took us to the Tanjore Palace. The main courtyard of the palace is now turned into an art museum … Continue reading
We hired a driver for our trip from Pondicherry to Tanjore. The roads were still flooded from the recent cyclone, so we drove slowly under a clear blue sky, past fields of rice and small thatched-roofed mud houses, some with … Continue reading
Aurobindo, a famous Indian philosopher, moved to the former French territory of Pondicherry in 1910. Aurobindo spoke of people coming together above politics and nationalities, of transcending the ways of the past. A few years later Mirra Alfassa journeyed to … Continue reading
Pondicherry is beautiful, and very hot and humid due to its close proximity to the ocean. On our arrival, police barricades blocked the street entrance the beach. Our waiter explained that was because of the cyclone that had just passed through. Everyone … Continue reading
We visited Sarnath, the city where Buddha taught his first sermon after becoming enlightened. We pushed our way past hawkers before entering the Sarnath museum whose main point of attraction was a stone statue of three lions, originally carved two … Continue reading
On our arrival at Hogenakkal Falls, we came to a booth next to a small rope bridge. The bridge spanned a gorgeous river which had cut its way through a large ravine over a long patient span of time. As … Continue reading
After a delicious breakfast we went to film another school that our host had helped through Rotary, a Catholic school for tribal girls whose parent’s worked on the coffee plantations left over from the British. The school was high in the … Continue reading
Hindu households have a puja room: a room to house and worship the gods. I slipped downstairs early morning to find our host in her puja room, candles lit all around her, fresh flowers adorning her statues, she in quiet … Continue reading
We made our way to Salem, India to stay with friends Kevin met on his last trip to India. Our host, besides being an all around amazing guy, is actively involved in the Rotary club and many of their projects. … Continue reading
We explored the Melkote Temple, about thirty miles (approx 50 km) outside of Mysore. Maybe I read too much Jungle Book as a kid. This is the sort of temple I’d always imagined in India: old and weathered, lost in … Continue reading
In Mysore, after forgoing a trip to the elephant park because of the long drive and cost (a note: the elephant park isn’t that expensive- we were in India for so long & therefore kept a tight budget) we chose … Continue reading
It was somewhere on the train between Bangalore and Mysore that I first noticed the sky, shiny and blue overhead. There were clouds, real, white clouds, and, it being early enough in the morning, I even saw the moon. How … Continue reading
3 Months In India 