Tie One On

"Tie One On" -- that's the title of the shipping tag collage. I finished this morning. Whew! It took much longer than anticipated, even with help from Shayna and Lynn. I will ask Mark to take a high quality picture of it before it gets installed tomorrow night at the gallery.

Last night I went out after all. Jeff and Karma offered to come fetch me, braved the hill in their regular car with snow tires, and had no problem going up or down -- twice. I felt embarrassed to let fear get in the way of doing something fun. I ventured out this morning in the truck to meet Karen and Sayword for a snow shoe, and it was fine. The snow is extremely wet and heavy, so they suggested that we follow tracks left by snowmobiles. That worked out well. It's not so cold, in the upper 30's, so it was very pleasant to be out.

Going Goth

What goes up must come down, right? This morning I woke to another 6 inches of snow. I bet we have 3 feet here at this point. I had an early hair cutting appointment, but wasn't sure if I would be able to get the truck out. (We keep Mark's old 4-wheel drive truck out here for situations like this.) No problem! I went up the crazy hill just fine, albeit in 2 low wheel drive. The problem was getting back home. The temperature or snow conditions must have changed just enough -- it was extremely slippery. I have developed a (healthy) fear of losing control of the vehicle on the downhill trip. So I will opt to stay home tonight in spite of a lovely invitation from Karma and Jeff for dinner.

My hairdresser offered to give me some color today. Why not? I have never done color before other than henna many years ago. We did some "color block". I now have very short hair with black tips on the bangs and along the neckline. In truth it really isn't that noticeable. I was hoping for something a little more dramatic. Going goth.

Our neighbors out here are awesome. It really feels like a community. Lots of them were alerted that I was going to be here by myself and were looking out for me. Dan and Desiree. Karen and Sayword offered to drive me in their truck last night if I stopped by their house, and also offered that I could stay over if desired. The man who usually plows the driveway was unable to do so in his regular rig, so asked another neighbor to help out. So Lance plowed us out last night before I got here. Another neighbor, Bill drove in on his big tractor this afternoon and cleared out the new snow -- I didn't ask -- he just appeared.

I'm working hard on the tags. I hope to be able to finish the project before delivery on Monday. Now that I've decided to stay home tonight, I think I can get it done.

Went for a snow shoe in the wet, heavy snow. It was really hard work so I got tired quickly. I sunk in about 6-8 inches with each step so it was slow-going. I took many photos -- like usual. I was thinking -- how can this still be fun after all these years, just walking/shoeing in the woods? Yoga is similar -- how many times can you do trikonasana in your life and still feel like it's fresh? Narayan made a comment on Tuesday to try to keep each moment of (walking) meditation fresh. So fresh is the word of the week.

Being alone -- this is a relatively novel situation for me. I typically prefer to be surrounded by others. This time, however, I am loving this. I'm baking bread and planning a nice meal. It is lovely, here in the beautiful woods, drinking chai in the fading afternoon light and feeling so very, very blessed in this life.

More Tags

Lynn and I spent the day in the studio. She worked on her own projects, then helped me make more tags. Here is a photo of her. We did 20 in all, so now I've got about 75. 35 more to go! I hope to finish before the end of the weekend. I brought along some tea and chai mix so we had a lovely lunch, sitting on the grubby floor, drinking most excellent tea and entertaining each other all afternoon.

Mark stayed in the city this weekend. I needed to drive out West to pick up the rest of the paintings and sculpture for the show which will get hung early next week. It wasn't an ideal time to drive out as they got 20 inches of snow yesterday, followed by rain. Ashley and I drove together, and it took 4 hours for a trip that is usually 2.5 hours. It was a little dicey in places with freezing rain. And a little scary on the hill down to our house, but I am here safely and happy to be so. By this time I know all the neighbors so feel perfectly comfortable here by myself. The snow shoeing will be fantastic. The trees along the drive are heavily weighted with snow. Can't wait to take the camera out in the morning. It should be quite spectacular.

My meditation has been shifting lately. This morning I decided to "just sit" rather than doing metta. I worked with the breath instead. I focused on "breathing in" and "breathing out". That's it. Pretty simple. It was interesting, though, as I found that it gave me more space to observe my thoughts and body sensations. It's kind of hard to describe how it's different than metta, but it definitely feels like a "next step" practice. Most people don't practice metta for 2 years straight like I did; I think that most people use a little metta now and then. For whatever reason, I've been practicing like that from time to time. Especially if I don't sit until late at night and I'm tired. I don't have the energy for metta. But now I'm intrigued by it. Narayan had told me last November that maybe it's time to shift. So that's where I'm headed now -- insight practice.

Metta Study at MGH

Shayna remembered that I had taken a photo of this barrel in the woods when she visited in December, and wanted to be sure to take another photo of it last week. I visited them tonight. They are all doing well. Shayna was walking around the house with a black cape on. Kids are so funny. They were very happy that I brought them the leftover lemon bundt cake. Luke begs me to make an orange bundt cake next time. How I love those kids.

My friend Josh sent me an email today about a study being done at Massachusetts General Hospital on meditators who practice metta for 2 years or more. They are seeking subjects. I was interested in being a participant, so I contacted the project coordinator. The idea is to test the blood chemistry of meditators over the course of a few hours to see how the metta practice impacts the endocrine system. The first question was about medication I take. Since I take the hormone drugs, I am disqualified. The coordinator said that the hormones I take would override any sensitivity picked up by the test. So disappointing! She did say, however, that there are some imagining studies being done and that she would pass along my contact information to that group.

Mark and I went to our favorite sushi bar tonight. He proposed to take me to Paris for my 49th birthday which will be the end of May. I think we will go, even though it will be crazy expensive. How fun will that be?!

A Perfect Day for Bananafish

Yesterday I went to a library to find a book of short stories by JD Salinger called "Nine Stories". A local bookstore has a reading group and next month they will be discussing this book. So I decided to give it a try. The library had a section for "young adult". I must live under a rock or something; I'd never known books to be categorized that way. It was a relatively small section, but it was all the classics. They even had a copy of Beowulf which I also checked out. My education growing up was really choppy because we moved around all the time, so many of the classics I've never read. So that was an exciting find. I will be visiting the "young adult" section again, for sure. I read the first story in the book entitled "A Perfect Day for Bananafish". It was totally creepy and wonderful. Such simple language, simple story, huge impact.

Tonight I went to my friend Tilla's for dinner. Many people ask if we are twins when we are out together. She is a wonderful cook so it is always a double treat to eat with her and her family. She is an artist and potter. She gave me a fantastic mug which I am very excited about. Our house is full of Tilla-wear. She has been very generous over the years. I was joking with her tonight that I want not just the cup, but her entire collection. My sister loves her work, too, and has quite a bit of it as well.

Wise Speech

Another photo taken by Shayna on Saturday.

Tonight was the long-awaited meditation class with Narayan. The format is 45 minutes of seated meditation with very little instruction; 15 minutes of walking meditation with very little instruction; 10 minutes to discuss last week's homework with another classmate, then a dharma talk. The theme of this course is "wise speech", one of the foundations of Buddhist practice. The homework was to notice when you either exaggerate or understate the truth. I partnered up with a long-time meditator so she filled me in on what's been going on in the class for the last few years. I was thinking about how I write this blog -- what I over-emphasize, what I leave out. Wanting to be seen in a particular way by whoever might be reading this. More on this topic another time.

I brought Narayan back a gift from India which I was able to give it to her tonight. I brought back a simple cotton scarf in colors that she wears. In some ways it was disappointing, the class, as I've been anticipating it for so many months now. I am fickle. At one point she was saying, "notice when doubt arises...". I was getting so annoyed, especially during walking meditation. Everyone was moving so slowly -- it drove me crazy. It reminds me of that scene in that 1970's film "Midnight Express" where the American gets locked up in a Turkish jail on drug charges and everyone is walking in a circle like a zombie. Impatient or what? Where exactly was it I was trying to get to? Or from?

There was an envelope waiting for me on the table when I got home, from my "difficult" uncle. Mark jokingly said, "maybe he's written you out of the will again". It's not funny because this has happened many times already. You never know with my uncle. To my surprise, it was a hand-written note, congratulating me on my clean bill of health last week. I was very touched by that. He has been having a string of health problems these last few months. I am very happy to be in peace with him.

My "difficult" person has shifted from my uncle to my former step-mother. I am working on her this week again. This is the second week-long cycle of sending metta to her. It's a difficult category because I keep envisioning and remembering so many past hurts. It is a challenging category to work with.

Twins

Tonight I went to visit Mike and Kande who have 4 week old twins. This was my first visit. They are all doing great. Her parents are with them so they have lots of support. Even so, what an undertaking. I was pretty useless as I am not at all comfortable with infants. It makes me happy to see them doing so well.

Shayna took this picture in the woods on Saturday.

Tomorrow is meditation class with Narayan. Last week class was canceled due to what turned out to be a bit of snow. This class will be weekly through late April. My meditation has been very sweet and easy the last weeks. No struggles, no fear, just a sense of ease and peace. It has been deepening. Less thoughts, more openness of heart. 30 minutes goes by so quickly. I remember at the beginning I couldn't tolerate keeping my eyes closed for very long. I'd feel disoriented. So it has been just lovely.

Whereas yoga practice has been much more challenging even though I do very basic poses these days. The injection I took on Wednesday (Zometa) strengthens my bones, but it also causes extreme stiffness. I still have pretty extreme tightness on the right hip and shoulder/chest. I'd probably be even tighter if I didn't practice yoga so I probably shouldn't complain about it too much. Yet I continue to practice daily. I always give a "thank you" every morning for all my teachers and all I've been given over the years through these practices.

Too Much Fun?

Shayna likes to use the camera as much as I do, especially in the woods. She took a bunch of lovely photos yesterday -- here is a sample. Today we were both too tired to do what we had planned. We stayed up late last night baking a lemon bundt cake (my latest obsession) and preparing crepe batter for this morning. She loved nutella crepes for breakfast. So did we!

We spent more time in the studio working on the shipping tags, then Mark helped with some sculptures I'm preparing for next month's show as well. We went up to visit Karma and Jeff at the horse barn. By that time she was too tired to go out on snow shoes. So we spent the rest of the day playing Monopoly.

It was an awesome visit. Can't wait til she comes back for another weekend.

This will be a normal week for me. It's back to school for her. Life is good, all is well.

Spinning the Prayer Wheel

Shayna and I have worn ourselves out! We have had a fantastic day. We got to bed extremely late last night for an 8 year old, after 10pm. Her mother will not be happy if she hears about that. But we woke up happy and kind of early and ready for the day. What didn't we do today?

Uncle Mark brought not only me coffee in bed, but brought Shayna a cup of hot tea as well. We spent the morning playing Monopoly, then moved into the studio. I am preparing a piece for the show next month, and Shayna has been helping me with the mini collages. We are collaging 3" x 5" shipping tags (the sames ones used for the China project last winter) and are tying them to a found child's bed spring which is hung on the wall. We will need to complete 110 of them. So far we have about 40 done. She and I made about 25 of them today. I am hoping that her mom will bring her to the opening. My idea is to let people take them, but give a donation to the gallery. Kind of an interactive fund-raising idea. Here is a picture of Shayna attaching tags to the frame, and a close-up of some tags.

We snow shoed and had our lunch in the woods. She went a really long distance. Chicken noodle soup, hot chocolate, chocolate bars and homemade bread with honey and butter never tasted so good.

Some months ago Mark installed a Tibetan prayer wheel in the staircase which you can spin each time you walk by. It must be spun clock-wise and it is to bring good luck and good health to me. Shayna spins it each and every time she walks up or down the stairs. So cute.

In the late afternoon we practiced yoga. She does amazing backbends. She was encouraging me that mine got better on each attempt. She is a pretzel.

Our last task of the day is to make a lemon cake. We are happy, happy together.

Peeling Paint

I took this picture the other day with Lulu. We both loved the look of bicycles in the snow. We both used my camera so in fact this "photo credit" might in fact belong to her.

I spent the day with Shayna in the studio. She loved it as much as I. I introduced her to the peeling paint technique, and she went to town with it. She said that I can use an image of her piece tomorrow -- if Mark is willing to photograph it, that is. She is a pleasure -- I love being with her. She used to spend lots of time in the studio when she was really little. The first time I took her, she was 22 months old. Still in diapers. She is quite sophisticated these days and is confident in her art-making. How I wish that someone had introduced me to creativity as a child!

She will spend the weekend with us. She is very excited to snow shoe. We went out and bought food for our winter picnic -- she wants chicken noodle soup, hot chocolate and chocolate bars. We are prepared!

Aunty's India Store

I took this photo yesterday as Lulu and I walked to the hospital. It was a beautiful late winter day with a bright blue sky and a hint of warmth if we walked in the sun. The days are lengthening. As I left work at my customary hour, it was light out! Our neighbor Karen out West said that there is 6 inches of fresh snow out there this week. So it's not quite spring just yet.

I had a really short week. Tuesday I work in a satellite clinic, today I was back to my main site. It was fun to pack up a bag of goodies from India to share with friends and colleagues. Both Mark and I brought chai to our work sites. I made innumerable pots of tea all day, using tea and chai mix from India. It was fun to share such a delicious thing with the whole staff.

The Angels came over to shop in "aunty's India store" tonight. The girls were captivated by the bangles and bindis. My sister loved the perfume oil and a scarf and a tiny Buddha. Luke loved a cloth-bound notebook with a picture of Ganesh on the inside cover. I told him that drawing in the notebook would bring him good fortune. He loves to draw and was most excited about this prospect.

They are on school vacation this week. Tomorrow I will pick up Shayna, the 8 year old, and she will stay with us for the weekend. She is very excited to go to the studio tomorrow, then to drive out West tomorrow night. She has been talking to her mom about having a winter picnic. She reminded me tonight to pack up the thermos so we can have chicken noodle soup and hot chocolate in the woods. I am thrilled to have her company.

Road Dog

All clear! I just got back from a full day at the Dana Farber. Lulu was my "road dog" -- a term that she uses to mean "sidekick" or "riding shotgun". We have been friends since college; needless to say, we go way back. She showed up this morning at 7am. I hadn't showered and met her in a long-sleeved t-shirt at the door -- with nothing else on! We walked to the hospital and were together all day until about 4pm. Mark met us at 2pm when we met with the nurse practicioner who gave us the good news. High-fives all around.

She said that since I am doing so well, that we can now space out my visits to every other month. I am just thrilled. I hope to convince her that we can space out the scans, too. So I won't be back at the Dana til April.

I am racing off to see a film, "The Last Station" which is about the last few years of Leo Tolstoy's life. It got great reviews and I am eager to see a film as it's been a while.

Big sigh of relief. Amen.

German Bakery

Besides fabulous doors, Fort Cochin also had lots of interesting windows. Here is an example.

In Bangalore I met the Aussie spiritual seeker, Gary. We had exchanged emails and I heard from him this morning. He said that he had been in the German Bakery in Pune 1 hour before the bomb went off. I read his email just before sitting down for meditation. I found that really disturbing. It made me think about the preciousness of life, how you never know what is just around the corner. Had his timing been just a little different, he might have been one of the 9 people who died. So when I repeated the phrase, "may I be safe and protected", it had a different, more poignant flavor this morning.

So it was back to work today. It was actually less difficult than I'd anticipated. The weather was bad today with snow all day long, so many patients didn't come in. That's most welcome post-vacation because it gave me a chance to plow into the inbox, the voice mails and every which way that people communicate their requests for what needs to get done. I was able to sneak away and have lunch with Valerie which was a welcome reprieve. I found a street vendor in Bangalore who sold tiny brass Buddhas. Valerie is a meditation student as well so it was a pleasure to give her one.

Meditation class was canceled tonight which while disappointing, is fine, as it was a long day. And tomorrow is an all-day medical marathon so an early night is quite welcome. While I don't anticipate any "findings" tomorrow -- I feel well -- I always prepare for a bad report. And then am relieved and grateful that all is well.

Geraniums in Bloom

I took this photo in Fort Cochin at a little cafe called Tea Time. I have enough images to last about a year! if I post one a day. Mark ordered a very high-end printer which just arrived. He spent the afternoon printing some fantastic images. India is a photographer's dream. I can't wait to go back, but next time I'll get a little more comfortable with Mark's fancy camera. Goodbye, point and shoot.

I spent the day in the studio. It felt so wonderful to be back in that space. From the street I could see that the geraniums I salvaged from the window box were in full bloom on my high window ledge. It is a cheery place. I am part of a 3-person show next month at the gallery in the studio building, and am suddenly faced with the question: what am I going to show? I finished 3 medium-sized collages today using the "peeling paint" technique which involved many layers of acrylic paint and petroleum jelly.

This evening I met up with Lynn and Lucy (Lulu) for a little India gift exchange. We've been friends for almost 30 years and always entertain each other. They particularly loved the story about the textiles from Aranya. Beautiful textiles with a beautiful story. The perfume oils were a big hit, too.

Lulu is on break from school this week so has offered to go with me to my appointment on Wednesday. She was hoping to meet The Vixen. Alas, the appointment will be with the nurse practicioner. Unless there is bad news. In that case she would summon The Vixen.

It's back to work tomorrow. I am not happy about this. The last few weeks have been so rich, so interesting. I feel change is in the air but am not yet sure in which direction I will shift. I trust that it will unfold in just the right way if I remain open and follow my heart.

Tomorrow night I will be with my beloved teacher, Narayan, for a weekly meditation class that will run until the end of April. I am very excited to see her. The last time was in late November. She spends a month of so every January in Myanmar; the first class was last week. A few friends are also taking the class so that will be fun, too.

Chai Masala

We have unpacked -- the bags arrived yesterday evening -- and are drinking chai masala. I bought several packages of Everest brand tea masala in Bangalore at a local grocery store and we bought some fancy tea at the Tea Museum in Mannur. Maybe this will become my new drug of choice. We are trying to stay awake. Last night I didn't make it past 6pm. Mark outdistanced me and stayed up until about 8pm. We were both awake and up at 4am again this morning. Mark goes back to work tomorrow; I don't start working until Tuesday.

Wednesday I will get scanned. It is always a scary proposition. I actually haven't had a bone scan in 6 months because last time someone screwed up and didn't order the radioactive injection. So last time I only did the CT scan. The Vixen didn't insist that I return for the bone scan, and I certainly didn't beg for it. I feel well, but then again I felt perfect (other than my hip) when all this craziness started 18 months ago. My right ankle as been bothering me for some weeks now; I hope it is only the edema. I try not to freak out but inevitably I start to wonder "what if". Lucy is leaving for Italy today so I might go by myself for the day-long appointment. Ugh. It is always a huge relief to have it behind me. Metta.

I was really upset to hear about the bombing of the German Bakery in Pune, India on Saturday. I have eaten there many times, on both my first and second trips to India. I know lots of people who go to Pune to study with BKS Iyengar. It feels "too close to home" as we were just in the country and were aware of the State Department warnings. Mark registered with the State Department while we were there. It makes me sad but also anxious -- I suddenly feel much more personally vulnerable.

I just went for a brisk walk for an hour at mid-day. Hopefully the sun and fresh air will tell my body to wake up. We're having a low-key day, doing laundry and sorting things out. Certainly not the excitement of the last 2 weeks.

Aranya Naturals

Last night we went to sleep around 7pm and I forced myself to stay in bed until 5am today. I feel pretty well, considering. Mark has picked up another cold but should recover with a little more sleep.

This trip has made a huge impact on me -- for the better. India is a challenging place. It makes you question things deeply. It is easy enough to slide back into complacency of how we experience life here in the US. So I want to write while the impressions are still rich and alive.

Any traveler to India will comment on the poverty. It is unlike anything I have seen elsewhere. Driving to the airport Thursday afternoon, we drove through what are probably typical neighborhoods. The air quality is terrible. Dense with people and animals. No green space. The air in the mountains was very fresh. As you go down to the coast, your throat begins to burn and your eyes water. I never saw any public garbage cans. Litter everywhere. It seems that the introduction of plastic and non-biodegradable packaging has a huge negative impact. I don't think there are recycling centers but am not sure. I got sick the first few days in Bangalore with a terrible cough and laryngitis. Now Mark is sick. You have to wonder if it is the air?

It made me think about the concept of reincarnation -- you definitely don't want to be re-born as a poor person in India. You see laborers barefoot -- including women -- carrying loads on their heads or using big hoes to pour concrete. It is a rough life.

What was surprising is how few beggars we encountered. Just a handful. You see more homeless people in the US asking for money than we did in India. On my first trip to India I saw many people with leprosy or mutilated bodies as in the film "Slumdog Millionaire". This trip I saw one young man in Fort Cochin but he might have had a birth defect rather than intentionally injured.

On a more positive note, there are many project going on to help improve quality of life. In Munnar (the mountain town) we visited the Tata Tea Museum. Tata is a huge multinational with many concerns including tea growing an processing. They also manufacture trucks, cars and heavy machinery as well as the high-end hotel chain Taj. A few years ago they bought the Boston Park Plaza Hotel which was upsetting to many Bostonians.

Anyway, at the museum they showed a film about the history of the area, tea growing and Tata Tea Company. As part of their program, Tata runs a local hospital, health clinic and welfare center. The welfare center is called Srishti and there are several components. The recipients are family members of Tata employees. There is a school for developmentally disabled kids and a job training program called Aranya. Aranya is a natural dye manufacturing center which trains and employs disabled people. They hand-dye and produce fabric which is made into scarves, pillow cases, bags, handmade paper and such. They use only natural ingredients for the dyes all of which is grown locally. They even use the by-product of tea leaf processing. They give public tours. We were amazed. They also have a store -- I bought lots of beautiful things there. In fact I went there twice. They have a web site:

www.aranyanatural.com
The image is from their web site. The facility is surrounded by a massive tea plantation which is owned by Tata.

I am wondering if I could help them find a retail outlet here in the US? Once I go through my current stash of beautiful things, I'd like to order all future gifts from them. They product fantastic products and it is for a good cause.

I also read an article on the airplane about an NGO in Goa which helps prostitutes find employment in a laundry company. I didn't note the name of the NGO so have no details on that.

So I am back in my "normal" life and am feeling like I can't return to it as before. Our lives here are so comfortable. Even having cancer. I have the best health insurance, the best doctors, the best medication and treatment. It is hard to square the over-abundance of my life with what I have seen. Even though I am a social worker and am allegedly working for the common good, it doesn't feel like enough. I feel over-indulged and lulled into complacency.

Now I will start to think about what's next -- how to go forward, given what I've seen and experienced. Hopefully the trip will have a lasting impact which will propel me into helping in some bigger way.

36 hours later

Mark estimates that we traveled for 36 hours straight. We got into Boston Logan airport about 4pm today. I called my sister from the airport and she said that the angels were missing me something fierce, so I drove over to see them immediately. I didn't even shower, I just went. Shayna was very excited to let me now that the Girl Scout cookies have arrived. The kids love to hear any kind of stories so now I have a lot more tales to tell. Shayna says that she is now ready to travel with me. I would love to share these experiences with her.

We both feel quite disoriented. Our bodies are on an 11.5 hour time shift. Can't wait to get in the shower and put on some clean clothes. And eat a salad! Eating washed fruits and vegetables is a no-non for Indian travelers, and as that is the bulk of my diet, I can't wait to dig in.

The only bummer about the trip is that our bags didn't make it to Boston. We are assured that the airlines knows where they are, and that they will be delivered by tomorrow night. I have traveled enough to know to keep essentials with me so it is no big deal. Unfortunately the wire to transfer photos from the camera to the computer is in Mark's bag, so that will have to wait as well. I will eventually put them all on facebook. I can now justify postponing the huge job of laundry and sorting.

We had a great trip. But it always feels so good to get "home".

Another day, another dosa

We are at the Bangalore airport, ready to fly on to Paris. This is the bad part about traveling to far-flung places: the hours spent in transit.

Knowing it would be a brutal trip back, I took full advantage of the morning. I got up early and had Indian breakfast of dosas. And the excellent plantation coffee. Mark wasn't feeling so energetic, so I went off by myself with Anand, our tuk tuk driver from yesterday. We agreed to meet at the plantation and to go "trekking". Trekking conjures ideas of Nepal and such; basically we went for a hike. We drove 15 kilometers west and hiked for about an hour and a half. The scenery was quite dramatic. The climb was hard with much of it on all fours. He promised to have me back to the plantation at noon and we were right on time. It was an exhilarating morning.

The owner of the plantation, Simon, invited us to have lunch with him. He is an eye surgeon by profession and inherited the plantation. He turned it into a guest house. He liked us, and invited us back as his guest next time we are in India. What a great offer!

I am not too happy thinking about returning to my job. I have been happy there for 11 years now, but what has felt like a safe, secure situation now is feeling quite confining and stifling. I yearn to be free. I have a fantasy of returning to south India and photographing doors. I took many pictures of doors -- they are just fantastic (the doors, not my photos). Irene told me many years ago about a book that someone did of the doors of Brazil. Why not the doors of India? Then I'm thinking I could study Hindi so I could communicate with more local people.

I will post photos of some of the doors.

Windermere Plantation, Munnar, Kerala

Mark says that he lost track of how many head-on collisions we almost had yesterday on our drive up into the mountains. And we are told that the drivers take it easy for the tourists, not to scare us to death. My solution: pull out the I-pod, close my eyes and rock out. The air became drier and cooler as we left Cochin which was a relief. But then again how can a New Englander complain about too much heat in February?

We had booked a homestay that Lonely Planet said was the best in town. It was a nightmare. There was one dingy room with one overhead florescent tube. The building was being renovated. Mark said it was like Beirut during a war so we decided to look elsewhere. I quickly looked through Lonely Planet and called the place we are staying called Windermere Plantation. It is also very helpful to have a Blackberry with us. I called the fanciest place and they had a room for 2 nights. So here we are. Unfortunately I can't post our own photos as I'm using their only computer -- no WIFI. But here is an image from the web.

If I could say this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been it would not be an exaggeration. We are at 6,000 feet. We are surrounded by mountains which are planted with tea, cardamom and coffee. It is pristine -- no garbage, no smells. The clientele here is definitely of a different class. Older European couples with private cars driving them all over India. This is more like the trip I took with Irene and Carlos in Brazil in June. It is delightful!

The plantation has 60 acres, planted in cardamom and coffee. Every day at 3:30 a naturalist guide takes the guests for a trek through the farm. He showed us birds, flowers, trees. He found a porcupine quill that I hope I can get back through customs. It would be a perfect tool for applying ink to paper. After that there is an open air tea room where they serve plantation coffee (their own beans!!) and all kinds of tea. Mark says he hopes to try each kind of tea before we leave. This place is absolutely wonderful.

We have hired a guide to take us hiking through a nearby tea plantation this morning and will later visit a tea museum. As I write this an old woman in a sari is watering the plants outside the window. Behind her I see blooming flowers, mountains and mist in the distance. Breath-taking.

Munnar

I took this picture a few days ago on the drive back from the backwaters tour. The street was decorated for a Christian wedding, with streamers suspended from high overhead. It was quite beautiful and unexpected. You drive along, seeing both squalor (open sewers on the streets, garbage, burning garbage) and wonder as well. It seems that each neighborhood has a small Hindu temple. There are also 2 mosques in town. We tried to visit them yesterday but our timing was wrong so we couldn't. There seems to be a really strong Catholic community in this area. Fort Cochin has the second oldest Catholic church, Santa Cruz Basilica, in India. Mark and I spent some time there yesterday; he lit a candle for his mother who died in 2004 and I lit a candle for my friend who will have a mastectomy this week. Our host family is Christian with many Christian symbols in the common area of the house.

At Santa Cruz Basicila, we noticed that images of the Christian saints are decorated with malas, long garlands of flowers that the Hindus use as well. It would be a very interesting study to look into how the religions in this area co-exist seemling so peacefully and how they might influence each other. In Brazil the African influence is very strong and the Christian saints also have an African counterpart. This all makes me very curious.

This morning our driver is arriving at 9am to take us up into the Western Ghats, a mountainous region 4 hours east of here. It is described as lush and cool, at 5,000 feet elevation. It is the heart of tea plantations. Tata Tea Company is headquartered there, one of the biggest team companies here in India.

The heat is really getting to me. Being in 90 degree temperatures all day with the occasional hot flash is over-the-top. We have to keep reminding ourselves to drink more and more water because you sweat it all out. Last night I sat out on the balcony for meditation after sundown and I thought I was having heat stroke. Our room has air conditioning but it's more like a fan, not the frigid air that we are used to from AC. And the mosquitoes were swarming as well. Now I'm wondering if I should have taken anti-malaria medication? Fortunately Mark brought along hydrocortisone cream which helps with the bites.

We will be staying at a little place called Kaippallil Homestay in Munnar. Tomorrow we will be on a tour of the area. Thursday we will hire someone to take us to the airport in Kochi, then fly to Bangalore. International flights leave and arrive in India in the middle of the night. It is brutal. Our flight leaves Bangalore Friday morning at 2:20am.

Arabian Sea Sunset

Last evening we took a short walk to a local beach and were surprised to find it jam-packed with local people, and several cows. You see them everywhere. It is still mysterious who takes care of them and how they survive. The other animals we frequently see are goats. They, too, hang out all over town. They are not tethered, just wander freely. A few dogs on occasion and perhaps a cat of two.

Today we went on another adventure. Mark wanted to get another dhoti (local men wear these all the time -- a piece of material that you tie around your waist that can either be long or tied up into shorts). I asked the hotel owner Coral, and she said that tourists pay way too much for them, and she told us where she shops. She said to walk this way, walk that way, eventually you will get to Palace Road. So off we went. I love walking into the neighborhoods. We walked. And walked. And walked. We went into a temple or two along the way. We finally found Palace Road but didn't really see any dhoti shops. We asked 3 or 4 people. They seem to have a different sense of time and space here as we often can't find what they tell us. Mark wandered down a lane and we found another temple. On the left was a sign that said "art gallery". Intriguing.

Suddenly a young man pops out and asks us to go upstairs with him so he can show us his work. Which we did. Then we went up another set of stairs to see a second gallery. I asked if he knew where we could get a dhoti; he said, "I sell them downstairs". We were of course dubious -- why would an artist be selling dhotis? Sure enough, he had a little store on the ground floor where we found not only dhotis, but the Bhagavad Gita in English, Hindi and Sanscrit, all kinds of malas and tiny buddha statues.

The other funny thing is that we realized that we had taken the alternate route to the Jew Town area. I had wondered how those 2 parts of town connected -- and we found out!

We are considering going 5 hours inland to a town called Munnar tomorrow which is famous for tea plantations. It is very lush and green and relatively cool up there. We may get adventurous and take a public bus which costs less than $2. There is so much to do and see here, the choices are endless.

We're both feeling comfortable at this point. I have been drinking the "filtered" water that the hotel people themselves drink. It is not boiled. The Vixen would kill me if she knew where I was and what we're doing. So far we are both well other than mosquito-bitten and a little sunburned in spots. I didn't take any prophylactic medication so hope I don't get malaria or something like that. We are in the groove.

Tuk Tuk Ferrari

Tuk Tuk Ferrari -- that's what the locals call the auto rickshaws. Tonight as we walked by, one of the rickshaw wallahs shouted out, "want a ride in my tuk tuk?". Tuk tuk has made it's way into our everyday conversation the way that silly things do.

Today we went on a group tour of the Kerala backwaters. This area is famous for their waterways, mostly natural and some man-made which includes a huge lake, brackish tidal river water and canals. A driver picked us up at our hotel at 8am, and we stopped at a bunch of other hotels until we filled the micro van with 6 of us. We represented the US, Germany, England and Poland. We drove about an hour and got on an old wooden boat, described as a rice barge. We met up with other tourists, and filled 2 boats. The boat pictured here is the same as the one we were in. It was "driven" by 2 men, one in the front and one in the back, using long bamboo poles. Unfortunately this internet connection only lets you upload one image because we took so many wonderful photos today.

It was incredibly relaxing, so much so that towards the end I lied down on the rough carpet, put my legs onto a chair, and took a little nap. India is a hard place to be some of time times, and we all felt a little reprieve while on this trip.

Being a tourist is so weird. Not one of us wants to think that we are a "tourist" and each of us secretly wants to have a non-tourist experience, to get away from the tourist areas. You judge other tourists, they judge you. Who looks silly, who looks like they are trying too hard. There is a pecking order with "newbies" in India having low status. I found myself inwardly commenting about how inappropriately a young woman was dressed (very short shorts). You are encouraged to be modest at all times, no bare shoulders, bare legs or showing too much cleavage (not a problem here!). You look out-of-place if you try to look too "native", you look out-of-place in your Western clothes. It is hard to find the right balance, the right attitude.

I also feel uncomfortable with the power dynamic. Our boat drivers worked all day in the hot sun, using their sheer muscle and skill to ferry us around as we sat and drank bottled water. Then we give them a tip for the equivalent of about $2. It feels wrong, in a way, to be here. The tour guide says that they have lost many species already from pollution. Being a tourist contributes to the local economy, yet it also robs the people of their privacy, their traditional ways. Part of the tour was stopping at a village and watching demonstrations of the making coir, the rope that comes from coconuts. There were several stops along the village where we could buy various handmade products and snacks. We all took a million photographs. How would I like it if some tour group were to come to my neighborhood and photograph as we go about our daily activities?

Kerala Flower Perfume

At some point in every trip, I have a meltdown. At least once. It happened yesterday. We flew in and had some difficulty connecting with our taxi driver at the airport who we had previously contracted with. Once we were in the car, I began to wish that we had gone home straight from Bangalore. I felt anxious, everything seemed so foreign. I felt like I was too far from home. The traffic is crazy here, the drivers are within inches of each other much of the time. You have a heart attack if you pay attention to how they drive. (I have not seen any accidents.) Yesterday afternoon all I noticed was the pollution, the garbage. I was coughing a lot, not a happy camper. We checked into our guest house and I was still feeling kind of grumpy. I practiced yoga, then sat for meditation and began to feel calmer.

We went out to a north Indian place around the corner recommended by the guest house owner, and began to love being here again. The food was so tasty -- and so cheap. I was able to sleep until about 5:30am so that was good. Today my cough is totally gone and we had fun running around the town. Anyone who has been to India will tell you that it is a constant love/hate kind of experience. You are grooving, enjoying -- until you're not. Something happens that is upsetting, disappointing, frustrating and you want to be far away from here. The next minute you are captivated, enthused, amazed.

Here is how Lonely Planet describes Kochi: "serene Kochi has been drawing traders and explorers to its shores for over 600 years, and today stands as a living homage to a vibrant past unlike any other. Nowhere in India could you find such a melange: giant fishing nets from China, a 400-year old synagogue, ancient mosques and Portuguese houses, all mixed in with the crumbling residuum of the British Raj. The result is an unlikely bled of medieval Portugal, Holland and an English village grafted onto the tropical Malabar Coast... wonderfully serene... thick with the smell of the past where goats still outnumber rickshaws..."

Today we walked all over town. We walked from Fort Kochin to Jew Town where there is an old Jewish synagogue and cemetery. We walked along a street filled with merchants selling wholesale quantities of nuts, spices, rice. There were many shops selling perfume oils, tobacco, produce as well as hardware such as chains, building materials. My sister asked for perfume oils, so I bought several -- sandalwood, carrot and Kerala flower. It is really hot, in the 90's. So we are taking a break this afternoon back at the guest house.

We booked tickets to see a show this evening of classical Indian dance.

Mark is "going native"; he bought a dhoti and is wearing it now. It is a kind of sarong for men. Men in Kerala wear them -- it is so hot, and they are so comfortable.

Bernard Bungalow, Fort Cochin, Kerala

We are at the very southern tip of India. We flew this afternoon from Bangalore to Cochin airport, then took a taxi to this place. I am actually surprised that we have computer access from our room. To say that we are staying in a simple place would be the understatement of the week. But more on that later.

First, the wedding. We were up very early this morning as our driver came at 6:30 to take us to the venue. By the time we got there, the ceremony was in full swing. They started around 5am and finished around 11am. There was also some ceremony last night which we didn't attend, although we were invited. The wedding was really amazing. It was small by Indian standards, a few hundred people today. Chitra said that last night about 700 showed up. Mark took 450 photos on his fancy camera. I took about 100 or so. I will show just a few and not of the bride or groom as I didn't get permission to do that. Like in the US, weddings are an opportunity for everyone to put on their best clothing and jewelry. The women all wore saris and amazing gold jewelry with precious stones. Quite something.

The picture is a wedding guest's hennaed hands.

We were invited to stand up on the platform where the priests were performing the rites. First we had to take off our shoes. Everything has a symbolic meaning and Chitra's mother was explaining things as we went. The ceremony takes place in many stages with the bride and groom taking time to change clothing between "sets" and to rest. It must be grueling. At one point Chitra invited me in the bridegroom's room and he was taking a nap.

After a few hours we were invited to breakfast upstairs which consisted of idlis and all the side dishes. It was served on banana leaves. For drinks there was very sweet milk coffee and water. Completely traditional.

Chitra then had the idea to see if we could have a tour of the kitchen as Mark and I both like to cook. That was a trip. We had to take off our shoes to enter the kitchen, too. The cooking was all done by men and the washing up by women.

It was an absolutely wonderful experience.

Fish Spa

Here is a life lesson learned from traveling here: hold your plans lightly. Don't get too attached. You never know how it will all unfold, in spite of your desire to make things happen as you want. I had planned to meet with Shafe at 10am, but he didn't show up. I still can't figure out how to call from the Blackberry (in spite of Chitra's instructions -- several rounds) so had the hotel call. He told me he'd be at the hotel in 5 minutes. He pulled up with another driver named Noor. Here is a photo of the two of them togehter in Noor's ricksaw. He explained that his "boss", the English woman, needed him this morning to drive her to a yoga class. So then I asked him where the class was and if they would drive me there. They dropped me in front of a building with a sign that said "Rotary Club of Bangalore". I walked up the stairs, saw no one, so just kept going up to the top floor. I looked in a window and saw a yoga class in progress. The teacher came out to see what I wanted, and said that she was Patabi Jois' granddaughter and was teaching ashtanga classes. Unfortunately I was too late to take the class and we leave here tomorrow, but it was an interesting excursion.

I had planned to see a film, "3 Idiots" but the timing on the web site was wrong so that didn't work out. So I picked up a few more gifts, dupattas for the angels and for my goddaughter Laila. I stay in touch with Chitra all day long via Blackberry, and she suggested that I go to a "fish spa" which was nearby. This was a funky experience. Basically your pedicure is done by hundreds of tiny fish that chew on your feet which are immersed in a fish tank. One of the attendents took a picture of me in action. It felt very strange, kind of tickly. The place was full of other Western women. There was a big group of them who were all together. I didn't ask where they were from or who they were.

From there I went to a neighborhood grocery store and bought tea, chai spice mix, garam masalas and sandalwood soap. Then, back to the hotel where I stayed the rest of the day. I am not feeling great, this cold is lingering.

The hotel offers high tea every afternoon starting at 3pm. Mark and I basically have dinner there every evening because they serve so much food. Sushi, smoked salmon, full bar, exquisite pastries, full cheese board. Bowls of olives. Whatever you want, basically. Tonight they brought Mark a plate of hot Indian appetizers with dipping sauce. So this afternoon I was by myself, and the woman server asked about my cold. She said that her grandmother used to make a tea out of fresh ginger, honey, lemon and black pepper that she would give to family members with colds. So the server brought this to me. I was astonished at how thoughtful she was. Within minutes my head cleared, my throat felt comfortable and I stopped coughing. Then I was able to sleep for a few hours and woke feeling much better.

So ends my adventures in Bangalore. Mark is now officially on vacation, too. He worked 4 days this week. Our driver comes at 6:30am tomorrow to take us to the wedding. Mark's colleagues bought him a kurta to wear to the wedding. It is a cream-colored long-sleeved tunic that is below the knees with tight pants underneath. It's cool that he's open-minded enough to wear such different clothing. He looks great in it. I will post some images -- if he will let me!

Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath

5am. Still jetlagged somewhat. It gives me a chance to write as Mark takes the computer with him in the morning to work.

Yesterday was another adventure with Shafe. He was on the street, waiting for me at 10am as we had planned. We have turned into an adventure duo; he has lived here his whole life and has a good sense of what I might like. So rather than drive across the city to a botanical garden, he suggested that I might prefer an art museum/college called Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. Chitra later told me that it was the same place that hosted the art street fair on Sunday. The images today are of the museum.

It is fun getting to know Shafe. He is chatty and tells me lots about his life. And his other employer who is a British woman. He is her driver. She is extremely wealthy but prefers an autorickshaw, too, because you are right out there on the street. He said that she is married to a Spanish man, that she is attending a year-long fashion design course at the local university and that she drinks like a fish. They were on the phone yesterday and he handed me the phone to speak with her in Spanish. He also told me that his wife was 15 when they married. It is glimpse into another world.

So the museum was interesting in many ways. The admission price was about 25 cents. It has a museum shop which also sells some local artists' paintings and sculpture. I purchased a calendar for about $1.50 and 2 sets of prints which will be great for collage. The art complex has permanent galleries displaying modern Indian masters. It also features folk and traditional paintings. At the fair last Sunday I bought some cards in a particular folk style. In the museum I learned that it is Warli tribal painting. I copied some of the basic design elements into my notebook and will explore it later. They also had a few Western artists' work including 3 by Robert Rauschenberf. I had the place to myself. It was staffed by cleaning women in beautiful saris who turned on and off the lights as I passed through each gallery.

I asked for the toilet, and was sent around back. I experienced my first squatter toilet on this trip. You squat down and go. I am not particularly flexible post-radiation in that position so it was a challenge not to wet myself. There is no toilet paper, just a faucet and bucket. You clean yourself with your left hand; the right hand is for eating. The idea is weird to Westerners, but if you think about it, it is probably much more sanitary. You clean yourself with water rather than leaving waste against your skin. Another interesting thing is that there were may monkeys around. I have a fear of monkeys; I was traumatized on my first trip by aggressive ones up in the north. They were harmless and didn't approach me. Just as well.

After that I went to a mall for -- yes, more shopping. Everywhere you go that's public you go through a security checkpoint. The mall entrances are guarded and there are multiple security people around in uniform as well as the security cameras. Chitra says it's been like that for a long time. I found a fabulous buffet lunch place which specializes in south Indian food.

Late in the afternoon I went to Mark's company which is walking distance from the hotel. He is here working with his Bangalore team which he co-manages with Chitra. It was after-hours, and his team was amusing themselves by practicing cricket in the hallway. I had never even seen the equipment before. In fact I am sure it was a game version, not the real wooden bat and heavy ball. They told me that cricket is a huge passion here. I have driven by a cricket club many times. I wish I had the opportunity to see it played.

From the office Chitra took us to her house for dinner with her family which included her kids, husband and parents. We stopped along the way and went to a really cool shop that is located in an old house. It is run by her artist friend Cynthia. They describe their shop as "tribal". She sells beautiful, high-end clothing (saris, amazing fabrics), jewelry, ceramics. All made by local artists. Not a tourist shop. Very tasteful, chic. Mark bought a beautiful shirt for himself. I, of course, opted for earrings and a ring.

The evening at Chitra's house was a wonderful opportunity to make more friends and get a better sense of this place. I took several pictures of her cooking which was interesting to watch. She said that they tend to shop for fresh food every day
and to eat at home. In general the people here are slender, not obese like in the US. Her older son gave me some lovely gifts, a small terracotta vase that he had made and a model airplane. Now I have another set of Indian "angels" who call me auntie.

I am still coughing a lot and my voice comes and goes, so am not sure about today. I really should rest up a bit. That's always my last choice and do it only if absolutely necessary. Shafe is coming at 10am. I may have him take me to see a film. Bollywood style.

Tomorrow we will attend Chitra's cousin's wedding, then will fly down to Kerala in the afternoon. We will stay 3 nights in Fort Cochin and make the rest up as we go.

Auto Rickshaw-wallah

It is 4am and we are both wide awake. We haven't yet transitioned into sleeping through the night. Lucy gave us some Starbucks instant coffee which is actually quite good, and comes in handy at moments like this. Mark is straightening up the mess of my endless shopping.

It is hard to narrow down which images to use. It is so visually juicy here. Here is my auto rickshaw wallah Shafe. He has taken me around for 2 days now, and I've hired him for today as well. Yesterday we met in front of the hotel. He said that his rickshaw wasn't running well, and as we walked, he stopped in front of another car and driver and suggested that I go with the other guy instead. I got in the car but immediately felt uncomfortable. There was no government placard and I didn't want to be in a locked car with a stranger. So I insisted that we take his rickshaw instead. He said OK, we hopped into his rickshaw, and spent the next 5 hours together. I wasn't sure what that was all about, but it turned out fine. I trust my instincts here and when something feels wrong, I pay attention. Which is not to say that the other drive had any bad intention towards me. I just follow my gut, especially here.

Our first stop was an 800 year old temple. I spent a long time inside. Shafe didn't go in, he is Muslim. A temple is a series of buildings inside high walls. There are flower vendors outside (I bought 2 gorgeous malas of basil and chrysanthemum as offerings) as well as many beggars. There is also a stand where you leave your shoes and pay a tiny fee. The temples are filthy according to Western standards. But so beautiful. There is one central building with many on the side. In each building is a diety attended by a priest who are dressed in white robes with painted faces. You can offer money and they offer back flowers, bananas and dry powder which you rub on your forehead. I am not at all describing the intricacy of what I observed. I felt very welcome and tagged around after 2 young women who didn't speak English but were showing me what (and what not) to do.

As I exited the temple, an Assie named Gary was standing next to the rickshaw with Shafe. Shafe asked if we could ride together as he had arranged to drive Greg somewhere else. So off we went. Gary told me that he is 46 and spending 2 months in India on a spiritual pilgrimage, visiting different ashrams and teachers. He had been laid off, had a payout of $7,000 and decided to do a little soul-searching in India. He worked as a psychologist back home. He was very chatty and fun to talk with. He also apologized for his hair which looked totally normal to me. He had had it hennaed and the gray hair turned bright pink, so he bought some other dye to cover it up. I wish I had seen him with the pink.

Next we went to a different neighborhood called Commercial Street. I told Chitra that I'd like to get a bathing suit, so she went me to this area. Not that there are many tourists around anyway, but Commercial Street was definitely off the beaten path. Shafe left me off in front of a mosque and we agreed to meet in an hour. I found the shop and bought the bathing suit (a one-piece that fits like something from the 1920's, bloomer legs and much coverage). I asked about a restaurant but couldn't find it, so headed back to our meeting place 30 minutes early. So I'm standing in front of a mosque, a single Western woman in bright Indian clothing. And I start to think -- what in the world am I doing here? I suddenly felt vulnerable and frightened. I searched among the parked rickshaws but couldn't find Shafe. Many drivers offered to drive me, and one kept insisting that Shafe had left and wasn't coming back. My panic began to rise. It was hot, packed with people and I was hungry. Not good. I was standing next to a guy on a motorcycle who didn't speak English. I somehow communicated that I wanted him to call Shafe on his phone (I had the Blackberry with me but didn't know how to call within India). The motorcycle dialed his phone and handed it to me. Shafe picked up and said he'd be right over. I felt relieved to see him.

He brought me back to city central for lunch, then eventually back to the hotel. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool, drinking bottled water and being waited on by the pool guys. In my Indian bathing suit. I feel really mixed about this hotel. On the one hand I feel very safe here. The streets are intense and I love it -- until I've had enough. They are alternate realities, the India of the streets and the Western hotels. At the hotel you could be at any beautiful resort anywhere in the world. The service is impeccable, elegant. It is so clean, perfect. Any whim can be indulged, for a price. On the streets it is extremely polluted. By the end of the day my throat is burning. Poverty. I haven't seen the mutilated beggars here that are everywhere in northern India, especially Mumbai and Delhi. But if you look much off the main streets, there are lots of hovels. A part of me wants to wander down them with camera but I haven't yet. It seems intrusive to them and I'm not sure how welcome that would be.

Last night another of Mark's colleagues, Anu, took us out. She had visited us last summer and I was very much looking forward to spending time with her. She suggested that we go to a temple nearby called Shiv Mandir. She wears Indian clothing exclusively, attends temple regularly, yet at the same time is a highly educated software professional. I find that intriguing, how she can bridge both worlds so seamlessly. I asked her lots of questions about her traditions regarding marriage and such. We got on a dilapidated public bus in front of the hotel which was packed, filthy, and filled with working people, mostly women in saris. The working people tend to be very thin. You don't see the obesity like you do in the US. We got out a few miles down the road in front of a mall with Western restaurants such as KFC and McDonalds. We walked down into what appeared to be a parking garage and suddenly were in a temple. I'd never seen one like this before. Anu said it wasn't typical. There are some vendors selling ritual offerings such as garlands (malas) of fresh flowers, or plastic bags which contained small coconuts, bananas and flowers. Maybe other stuff as well. You take off your shoes, pay an entrance fee, and enter yet another alternate universe. You are suddenly outside again and see a huge Shiva, about 100 feet tall, surrounded by scaffolding. He is under re-construction. There are people everywhere and a 5-piece "band" playing devotional music. Move over, Krisha Das. This is the real deal.

There was a woman selling tokens. For a small fee, you could buy 108 tokens which you would deposit in 108 separate copper bowls which were all lined up along the walkway. The walkway was cordoned off, much like at an airport. You zig zag through the walkway. You put a token in each bowl and recite one of the 108 names of Shiva at each one; the name is written on the bowl. If you do this, you are assured excellent health.

Next comes another vendor selling orange ribbons. You buy one of these and tie it to the handrail of the platform that you climb onto, or to the limbs of the tree as you walk along the top of the platform. You descend, and next is a priest. You hand him your coconut which he cracks open and spills the milk into a trough. You keep the empty coconut. Then there is what you might call a series of 12 dioramas. You enter what seems to be a cave and on the walls are little scenes depicting sacred sites around India where Shiva did various things. Each diorama is lit and some have moving parts.

Then there is a room with a globe-shaped ceiling and walls. Kind of like the Maparium at the Christian Science Center in Boston. There are 7 dieties, each depicting one of the planets. You circle around 3 times very quickly.

After all that, you can sit in legless chairs and meditate, looking at the huge Shiva and listening to the devotional singers/players on sitar and tabla.

As you exit, there are many vendors selling religious trinkets and food. You are then back onto the street which is congested, noisy and chaotic.

Blossom Bookstore

I couldn't help myself. Even though I felt lousy yesterday, I was out and about, exploring on my own. I had laryngitis which was more of an annoyance than anything else. My right ankle was also hugely swollen, aftereffects of radiation last winter, then the long plane ride. Lymphedema big time. No pain, it was just incredibly unsightly. Today I feel well. My voice comes and goes; the swelling of my ankle has largely subsided.

Yesterday the local morning paper ran a story about the US State Department issuing another warning on Sunday for attacks on Americans in India. That caught my attention and made me think, gee, maybe I should just stay in the hotel. But then again, if any place were to be targeted for a terrorist attack, this hotel would be perfect as it is filled with Westerners. The cash machine was also out of money and taxis are quite expensive, so I almost gave up on hitting the streets. Then I decided to ask about auto rickshaw -- bingo -- they are super cheap so I had enough cash. So I went out onto the street and flagged one down. The driver said he would drive me anywhere I wanted to go for 2 hours for about $2. Wow. You gotta deal. I ended up spending 4 hours with him. He took me all over town. He is picking me up this morning at 10am for another day of adventure. I can't recall his name.

My first stop was a used book store called "Blossom". I was looking for collage materials, old books in Indian languages. Initially I was told that they didn't have anything like that. After poking around, I found some dictionaries in Tamil, Hindi, and some other languages. The salesman got the idea, then we were deep into the fun. I brought home a huge stack. He probably wondered what in the world I wanted with such weird, dusty out-of-date books. Perfect!

I have been doing meditation and yoga in the late afternoon. I didn't bring any props but have gotten pretty good at improvising in any kind of space. Although this being India, the room has a bolster pillow which I've put to good use. This week in meditation I am focusing on "all beings" which is a good practice for being here. The press of humanity is impressive. I have never before experienced such density of people. It is really gritty on the streets.

I had a little scare yesterday afternoon. I was in the middle of yoga practice, when I heard a really loud roaring sound outside. My initial thought was -- what if it's an attack? To add to my growing panic, there was a huge amount of dense smoke down by the pool. There was also a strange chemical smell. I freaked out. So I called the front desk and was reassured that it was only a pest control spray. What a relief! The flight attendants walked up and down the aisles of the plane on the leg between Paris and Bangalore as well, spraying some kind of insectcide. I had never seen that before.

There are a lot of cows all over the city. They are hanging around, eating garbage. That is a very strange site.

Impressions: I feel very far from home. Most of the time I am intrigued, fascinated. India is itself. The extremes of everything. Love it or hate it, it's India.