Holy Holi!

Holi Eve

Indians LOVE taking pictures of foreigners. Today I posed for the cameras of dozens of strangers. Only one of them asked my name, and a few even took pictures on the sly. Being a foreigner in India brings along a certain kind of celebrity status. Kids constantly yell "hello!", people generously offer their bus seat so I don't have to stand in the aisle on long rides, sometimes people burst into laughter at the mere sight of me, and then there's this photo opp situation. They want pictures of me with every possible combination of them and their family and friends. I try to smile patiently while each person takes a turn behind the camera, but sometimes I get frustrated and walk away mid-shoot. At the Muslim Festival in a village near Ellora, a woman wanted me to hold her terrified baby for a photo. Other people didn't have cameras of their own, but wanted to pose for mine.

Brian and I stumbled upon the Muslim Festival after a day-trip to Ellora caves. We were the only foreigners there and quickly became one of the festival's attractions. We delighted in the flashy kitch, the decked-out mosque and all the carnival food- mainly the traditional fried sweet-bread. On our way back to Aurangabad, we squeezed into a jeep with 20 other people.

Ellora Caves

These caves were carved out of rock by 10 generations, taking over 200 years to complete. Dating back to 760 AD, three religions are represented in 34 caves- Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Although some have declined over the years, the detail and mass-scale was impressive.

Holi!
Holi coincides with the first full moon of March every year. Even though most parts of India are already baking-hot, the holiday celebrates the transition into spring and the triumph of good over evil. Perhaps the most notable part of the celebration is the all-out color fight that closes shops for the day and keeps young men highly entertained. Boys fill up water guns with colored water and smear bright powders on each other throughout the day. I wore a white shirt to better show the color and had a lot of fun getting smeared. Unfortunately, one group of boys used the opportunity to grab my boobs and steal my sunglasses. Aside from that, it was a joyful day with lots of "Happy Holi!" greetings yelled from motorbikes and street corners. After spending 45 minutes with a hot bucket bath and scrubber mitt, I still had pink ears, toes and nose. To celebrate, we treated ourselves to "pizza" that tasted like Thai sweet and sour stir-fry on top of focaccia bread with cheese. When in India, eat Indian food!

To read about an amazing place called Hampi, click HERE.

Hampi

Arriving in Hampi is a bit like arriving on the set of the Flintstones. Hills of boulders jut up from every corner and palm trees dot the landscape. We took a motorboat across the river to the mellow side of town and stayed in a bright hut with a porch and hammock.The Indian woman running the place has the rare habit of saying "fuck" on a regular basis and allows her turkey and Great Dane to roam freely. To get there, we walked through bright green rice fields and giant hills of boulders. Hampi has plenty of ruins, hills and temples to explore. We went to the main temple, climbed up a hill overlooking the city and walked to an abandoned and crumbling temple on the first day.

On my birthday, I had my first Ayurvedic massage, where I was surprised to find NO sheet to cover my naked body and even more surprised when the "shower" that came with the massage was no more than my masseuse (thankfully a woman) pouring cold water over my head from a bucket and scrubbing my hair and all but the most private parts with a dinky bar of soap. This was the second time I've been bathed by a stranger (first time was in a Moroccan hammam). It was equally as traumatic as the first- perhaps more so, given the cold water and sheer surprise factor (at least in Morocco, I knew I would be bathed by someone else). Needless to say, I still had coconut oil in my hair by the time it "dried."

In the afternoon, we took a small, hand-paddled, bamboo saucer-boat out along the river and past more temples. The rower dropped us off down the river so we could walk up to one of the many Hanuman temples of the area (Hanuman is a Hindu deity revered for his strength and generally takes the shape of a monkey. It's no surprise that monkeys can usually be found hanging around Hanuman temples). At the top, we climbed barefoot over giant boulders until we found a front-row seat to a fantastic sunset.

If we had more time, I would have delved into the rock climbing scene and more ancient ruins. But I had to keep moving. We took an overnight bus to Pune, recent site of terrorist bombings. We met up with Jason for breakfast at one of the cafes targeted by the bombings and had our bags searched before we entered. The German Bakery that exploded down the street was still in shambles and heavily guarded. We walked over to the OSHO ashram, where Brian spent a few weeks recently, and peeked in the gates (admission fees are not within a poor traveler's budget). Jason got in trouble when he tried to take a picture.

Next stop- Aurangabad, ancient cave temples and fun festivals!

To read about the beach, the mountains and a town in between, click HERE.

Ooty, Mysore and Om Beach

From Auroville, Brian and I took a mammoth journey involving 3 rickshaws, 4 buses, 1 train and 24 hours of our time. We finally landed in a hill station called Ooty. It's a kitchy holiday spot for Indian vacationers and home to the "first time in the world" thread garden, a lake for paddle boating, local souvenirs of homemade chocolate and Nilgiri tea and a rose garden sporting few flowers and plenty of pornographic name signs for roses that haven't bloomed. They also have a race track for horses and motorbikes.


The climate was cooler and I enjoyed a reprieve from mosquitos. The hotel overlooked the lake and surrounding mountain panorama. My favorite part was a 12-mile trek through tea plantations, a small village and finally a peak overlooking mountains, valleys and tea plantations. The trek was peaceful and the viewpoint meditative.

Next, we travelled through a tiger reserve on our way to Mysore. We saw elephants and monkeys, but no tigers :( Mysore is well-known for producing sandlewood products and boasts luxurious royal palaces. It also hosts a lively market, the best masala dosa I've ever eaten and a temple on a hill with views of the city.

After three days in Mysore, we took a 14-hour bumpy bus ride to Gokarna, a small beach town on the West Coast (Arabian Sea) and home to a temple on wheels. We settled into a tiny hut on Om beach, a mellow cove 2 km south of Gokarna. There we took in lots of sun, lost a fight with a cow over a loaf of bread and enjoyed yoga on a terrace overlooking the ocean. The views were spectacular.