Tatz's Travels Around the World

The start of the school year has a lot of festivals in India, therefore many days off.  This year, one such date coincided with a Monday, so we had a three-day weekend.  My friend Lynn and I headed to Goa, focusing on the northern capital city of Panjim.

The history of Goa is fascinating, having received independence from Portugal only in 1961 and joining as an Indian state in 1987.  Therefore, Portuguese influence is very strong in this state, a lovely blend of the two cultures.  In the Latin Quarter of Panjim (also known as Panaji), it is the architecture that is most obvious.  The colorful houses were initially inhabited by workmen (with the nobles and other rich people living up on the hill) who built the ships used in Portuguese trade among other industries.  The houses used to be white but since the Reformation felt that only churches should be white, residents were forced to paint their houses colors.  Since the houses were joined together, different colors indicate different families.  As one tour guide told us, ‘this means we hear everything happening in our neighbor’s houses, while there is no privacy,  there is a lot of entertainment!’

Portuguese pottery is big here, with the dyes and clay being imported from Portugal to ensure authentic colors, while the molding and painting is done locally.  Naming homes is a very popular thing to do.

We arrived Friday evening and headed to our hotel, Panjim Inn, located in the heart of the Latin Quarter.  This wonderful hotel is decorated with antiques and as you can see, the decor in my room helped me feel history – especially the old, hard mattress!

Saturday morning was a quiet morning where we walked around the old town getting our bearings.  The streets, crowded with tourists taking selfies in front of the colorful homes, didn’t distract from the ambiance.  We made it to the Church of the Immaculate Conception only to be told it was closed for renovation (we later learned western tourists can enter from the side, but it was too late, and when Lynn tried another day it was closed for lunch…oh well, another reason to return!).

I know many people might be bothered by all the sleeping on the streets of India, but I personally love how anyone can take a nap when they need it. I wish I could nap like that!

Lunch was at Fisherman’s Wharf, a chain with excellent sea food (which Goa is known for).  I had the traditional crab dish with garlic and butter.  You knew it was fresh since they brought out the poor creature for me to approve.  Needless to say, the food (and service) was exceptional.

The big tour of the day was a trip to the artisanal distillery that creates my favorite rum (Nomad) and gin (Doja).  Last American Thanksgiving Lynn and I went to a rum tasting where we were introduced to this delicious rum.  Here I learned that good gin (details to follow) is delicious.  The ride was an hour away which afforded some nice views.  The ride back was pouring rain…nice that the only big rain this weekend was when we were in a car!

As many of you know, gin was the solution to malaria as it could be drunk with tonic (quinine).  The creation of gin occurred in Britain when King William the Orange banned imported brandy (the favored alcohol back then) due to war with France.  

Doja gin is a made with a blend of Indian and Japanese botanicals.  There are two ways to make gin: adding botanicals to the liquid or the vapor.  Doja is made the Japanese way, with the flavor added to the vapor.   All the alcohol is made in this small distillery, which can produce around 300 bottles a day.  The cone shape on top is to allow the liquid to return to the steamer, while the metal tube brings the vapor for infusion.  The process for both the gin and the rum takes about 5-6 hours.

Like fine wine, we were introduced to the initial aroma (lemony) and then after swirling the cedar smell dominates.  Adding ice or water allowed the third botanical to be smelled (peppermint, which smelled a bit like lavender).  The botanicals in Dojo Gin are shown below and are imported or local.   To quote one of their promotional posters, “each sip honors a legacy of two cultures, embracing tradition and modernity in equal fashion”.  From Japan we have Yuzu lemon, juniper, sansho pepper, cedar lead and Hinoki chips.  From India fennel, peppermint, coriander and cardamom.

The most prominent botanical is juniper.  The berries are picked after 18 months of growing and then dried.  The second prominent is coriander.  Then comes Yuzu lemons and green cardamom (the most expensive spice in the world by weight).  The woodchips come from the Japanese Hinoki Cyprus tree, which is a high-quality wood used for temples and palaces in Japan.  The peppermint, which originated in Greece, comes next.  The sansho pepper, is native to Japan and Korea, with the female berries turning into the peppercorns which are used.  Dried Hinoki leaves are also used.

To be honest, until I tasted this gin, I didn’t like gin.  Now I understand that fine gin is to be drunk like wine, fine rum or whiskey (on it own) and tastes delicious.   They also produce ‘traditional’ gin called Portal, which is better for making cocktails.

The Nomad rum is a blend of aged rum, Japanese Hinoki and finished in Jamaican Oak barrels.

Our host is the company’s chemist as the master distiller Victor de  Benito is on home leave in Spain.  We learned that Shaji used to work for pharmaceuticals but his passion for fine drinks brought him here.  Lynn, a lover of whiskey, was pleased to learn that he has created the formula for a Scotch style whiskey and is waiting for approval for production to begin.

Dinner was at a restaurant called Outpost. As expected, the service and food – as well as the decor – was wonderful. Unfortunately I forgot to ask about the spice level of my dish…of course the shrimp was WAY to spicy and I couldn’t eat it. The parmesan truffle fries made up for it, as did the cocktail and mousse for dessert. The walk back to the hotel showed that the houses were equally lovely at night.

July 4th was a most special day for me, thanks to the Volino family (Ben is Sophia’s boyfriend of over 4 years). They own a boat, the Nauti Boy III and we traveled from Stony Point, where the boat is moored down and around Manhattan. AMAZING!

This is a short video of the trip, followed by some photos.

The beautiful shoreline of the Hudson relaxed me as we started our journey.

This is the Mario Cuomo Bridge, recently built to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge. While the name still sparks emotional responses by local residents, it is a beautiful bridge and it was totally fun to go UNDER it, after many years of crossing it by car,

Heading down we passed many iconic landmarks: Yonkers (made famous in the movie Funny Girl), the cliffs of the Palisades, the Cloisters, and then the George Washington Bridge.

One of my biggest takeaways from this trip was how beautiful and varied the newer architecture of Manhattan is.

A new park along the Hudson River, one of the many projects that have made the shoreline a place of fun and exercise. A huge difference from the warehouses and ugly industrial plants of my youth.

Before heading over the Liberty Island, we hopped across the river to New Jersey to have a rest break at a local marina where we saw this JetSki tour returning. For a huge amount of money, you can see lower Manhattan from the water for one hour.

Floating by the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island was special. Seeing her never gets old.

Heading back towards Manhattan we see my favorite view of the NY skyline, where the flat land touched the water and it looks like you can peel Manhattan off the water!

Now we bore right and headed up the East River which has a totally different feel to the skyline. There is a blend of old and new – from the South Street Seaport to the Brooklyn Bridge and the UN Headquarters. Passing under so many bridges I lost count…I was hoping to count all 21 of the bridges that enter Manhattan!

Going under the Henry Hudson Bridge was fun, as was passing the Columbia University crew dock and the famous ‘C’ painted on the cliff. The train bridge was open so we didn’t have to wait to return to the Hudson River.

On the way back, we stayed on the north shore of the Hudson, where we got a good view of the Palisades cliffs, along with the rock pile from a recent erosion. We also passed the mansions, often weekend homes of wealthy New York City residents. As I have driven past their gates so many times over the years, it was fun to see what these huge homes look like, because from the road they are very unassuming! I had no idea there was ship dock (on the video, where a yacht was being repaired) and how many homes there are! I also got to steer the boat for a while – totally as fun as it looks! Then before we knew it, we were back at Stony Point.

The day ended with a traditional bbq of hamburgers, hot dogs and pie, complete with great company. Thus ended one of the best 4th of July I ever had!

Not all great travel happens in India!  As I head back from my much-enjoyed summer vacation, I realized there were many experiences worthy of a blog post!  Aside from quality family time, I was able to explore some new places and visit some old favorites with fresh eyes.

First was a reunion in California with great friends from when I worked and lived in the Bay Area.  The ten of us rented a house in beautiful Bodega Bay and had 4 days of laughter, good food and drink, nature and games.  I won’t bore you with photos of that (other than one of us sitting around and chatting), but will share the photos I took of the flora and fauna of the area.

The birds, as always, intrigued me.

Between meals we managed to drag ourselves out of the house and visit the town of Bodega, where The Birds was filmed.

Next up, my daughter Sophia joined me in California and we visited some more friends, as well as the Marin Headlands and Muir Woods. These two places never get old, the views are stunning and its hard to believe such beauty exists so close to a major city and civilization.

Next up was visiting Sonoma County. The main goal was to have a meal at Folktable, a restaurant where the executive chef is a Top Chef alumni (Sophia and I are big fans of the show). Casey Thompson creates seasonally inspired menus with ingredients locally sourced. This restaurant, recipient of the Michelin Bib Gourmand award, has incredible food that blew us away.

While waiting for our reservation, we happened to pass by the Gloria Ferrer sparkling winery. We were unable to have a tasting (booked solid) but the real treat was sitting in chairs under a tree and soaking in the stunning view.

Earlier in the day we had a scheduled visit to Buena Vista winery. I chose this as it was the original winery in Sonoma, so there was a historical significance. The tour guide was quite good, the video a big disappointment, the wine as expected. We did enjoy going though a maze though and I was able to take some fun pictures, which included a very large eucalyptus tree.

We had an opportunity to briefly explore downtown Sonoma.  Sophia, not as interested in history as me, opted out of the Sonoma Mission visit.  I learned a lot about the great state of California while teaching its history to grade 4 students.  One aspect that intrigued me was the mission system set up by the Spanish.

These 21 missions, starting in San Diego and ending in Sonoma, were spaced approximately 30 miles apart, which was a day’s travel at the time.  This allowed for a guaranteed place to stay as well to solidify Spain’s hold on the territory and for the church to work on converting local inhabitants.  Such motivations today are suspect but I was into looking at the architecture and was enamored by the music playing in the chapel.

The next day was a lot more fun as we explored Napa and visited two wineries, pre-booked (something you need to do if visiting).  Visiting wineries is not like in the old days when we went and tried a glass of wine for free (or a minimal cost) with a tour explaining the wine making process.  Today you pay a large amount of money (ranging from $30-70) for the privilege of sitting and drinking – as well as paying for food.  That said, the two places we visited did not disappoint.

First, we visited Honig Wineries (due to their connection with honey making which is a favorite of Sophia’s).  We learned the word honig in German means honey!  This is a family-run winery, and Governor Honig (who was in office when I lived in California) is part of this family and lives on the estate.  Part of our package was a tour of the vineyards where we learned a lot about wine making and this family’s commitment to eco-friendly farming.  Some interesting tidbits I learned were 1) growing vines near each other promotes competition between the plants and results in better yields, 2) if a white wine is in a green bottle the vintner is sending you a message that this is high quality white wine and can be aged, and 3) foil is not needed anymore for preserving wine so therefore they discontinued this practice in 2021.  Anyone who still uses foil on the cork does so for sentimental reasons.

On the way to our next location we stopped in Napa for a snack.  We checked out the Culinary Institute but the place didn’t impress us, other than this cool sculpture.

We ended up exploring the infamous Oxbow Public Market, a hodgepodge of stalls selling lots in gourmet items, artisans’ work, and one the best stocked bookstores I have ever seen (Napa Bookmine).  We indulged in some cornbread from Moro, which is a stall inspired by Moroccan street food.  It did not disappoint, and the dipping sauce/butter was particularly tasty and unique.

Our exploration of Napa Valley ended with a tasting at Domaine Carneros, the sister winery of Taittinger’s.  Opened in 1988, the building is a replica of the country home and estate of the Taittinger family.   Carneros is the region between Napa and Sonoma valleys and is a newer wine growing zone, especially liked due to its cool climate and foggy mornings.  The setting was quite lovely (complete with a couple who had just become engaged), and we indulged in an expensive sparkling wine tasting (crafted in the traditional method) and paired food.  This indulgence included smoked sturgeon pate and a cheese plate with local artisanal cheeses – to die for delicious.

Then we started the long drive to Sonora where we spent the night before entering Yosemite National Park. The drive, through the Central Valley – flat and full of farms, was uneventful but did afford me time to reflect on the diverse topography of California and reminded me how much I loved living here. We Googled breakfast places and Mandy’s was advertised as the best…it was. Highly recommend it should you be in the area. A bit of a drive out of town but WORTH IT!.

While we were driving towards Yosemite Sophia discovered that there was a tour one could take which turned out to be one of the best decisions of our travels.  The park ranger was funny, engaging and extremely knowledgeable (of course, a former teacher).  Since our time was limited in the park, this allowed us to see the majority of the valley and learn a lot about the nature and history of the park.

Sophia’s dream was to see El Capital as she has always loved the Academy Award winning documentary Free Solo, which documented the rope-free climb by Alex Honnold.  The view didn’t disappoint nor did the facts we learned about him and the climb.  Unusually, there were no climbers the day we were there, but it was awe-inspiring to see this hallowed mountain for climbers, quite humbling when you observe how huge it is.  We saw the forest hill where the climbers descend and learned that it is illegal to parasail/kite in the park but at times you can see adrenaline junkies do this, landing and then running away to a waiting car.  One enthusiast said he has the fine money in the bank should he ever get caught!

Half Dome is the other famous Yosemite mountain, and I learned about the Three Brothers during this visit.

Another highlight is Yosemite falls, the highest waterfall in North America (2,450 feet) and 5th highest in the world.

There were other stunning waterfalls as well, with interesting names: Bridal Veil and Ribbon!

I was enamored by rock formations, mountains made of rock and a few hearty trees growing. God’s artistry at work.

Included in this valley of beauty were fields and the Merced River, with water so clear you can see the rocks and fish without difficulty.  It was in a field that we saw our only wildlife: a Mike Deer.  You can often see bears, but we were not lucky.

A highlight of the tour was driving up to view the valley from above.  

We learned if the branches grow straight out, it is a White Pine. If droopy, it’s a Douglas.  We also learned to tell the difference between a regular pine and a Sequoia – the bottom swells out on a Sequoia.

Our visit ended with visiting the historic Ahwahnee, a luxury hotel within the valley.  This is considered an architectural masterpiece, blending with the surroundings and affording you views of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls.  The Grand Dining Room wasn’t open for lunch, so we ate in the bar – a delicious meal, excellent service and yummy Lavender lemonade!  

After that whirlwind visit, we continued on to San Francisco where we had 24 hours to soak in the essence of the city.  We were pretty tired and kept a slow but focused pace.  We were staying at the Hyatt across the street from the Giants’ baseball stadium where we saw memorials to the great Willy Mays, who had died that week.

First order of business was seeing the sea lions on pier 39.  These gentle giants first appeared after the 1990 earthquake and quickly became a profitable sightseeing spot for local businesses, so they were allowed to stay.  Experts at the Marine Mammal Center believe they like it here because there is plenty of food, it’s comfortable to rest and most importantly there is protection from predators like sharks and orcas.  We watched as the large group were jumping in and out of the water, vying for space and barking for various reasons.  However, I was drawn to the two ‘loners’ who understood the power of calm and quiet.  One was sunning himself on his own dock and one was swimming away from the rest of the animals.

The day also included walking around Fisherman’s Wharf where Sophia bought Ben his birthday present and I got SF’s finest Ghirardelli chocolate for my teachers.

Lunch took us to the Presidio (a former military base, converted to home bases for various non-profit and other such businesses) for lunch at Dalida, our second Top Chef restaurant experience.  This was even more special because Laura -who own the restaurant with her husband- was on this season and finished 4^th.  The food was good, as expected, but the best was meeting Laura – who came out and spent 15 minutes with us chatting.  When Sophia said we had visited Turkey (Laura’s husband is Turkish and much of the menu has this cuisine) she exclaimed ‘that is why you connect with me – I focus on blending cultures through food’.

I indulged in an amazing cocktail with lavender, mint and some other Turkish spices and a great glass of wine (I wasn’t driving!).  The mezza plate was yummy, but the highlight was the dessert – a deconstructed baklava that she re-created on Top Chef.  Needless to say, the service and ambiance was exceptional.

Our time in San Francisco ended with a boat trip around the bay, a real highlight – especially going under the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was quite windy, but the sky cleared as we floated along.  The sights were beautiful and watching a kite-boarder (I don’t know the official name of the sport) was impressive. 

As always, I end this portion of the blog with street art and a photo of the largest dog I have ever seen!

Upon returning to New York, there were three excursions that are worthy of being posted on this blog.  The first was a visit to the Hopper House Museum in my hometown of Nyack, NY where this illustrious artist was born.   I had known about this museum for many years (it opened in the 1970s) and it only took 64 years to finally visit. My older sister came up to NY for the weekend and we wanted to do something different, hence the visit.  This is a small museum and while it doesn’t really have a lot of Hopper art on display (other than some childhood works the family hung), it displays other artists’ work and there is an exceptional video narrated by Steve Martin explaining Hopper’s significance as an artist and how his ideas impacted modern art in the US.

Born towards the end of the 19^th century, Hopper was a Nyack resident until he started commuting to NY for college and eventually work.  He even graduated from Nyack High School!  His talent was evident early on, as was his desire to be an artist for he started signing and dating his work from the age of 10!  His mother encouraged his talent and culture was an important part of their household.

Hopper is considered the embodiment of the authentic American artist.  He focuses on the interplay between light and location, and he remained true to realism even while impressionism was in vogue (although his use of light was influenced by this movement).

Hopper enjoyed etching as well and used this media to explore light and shadow, which forever influenced his painting.  He is quoted as saying “After I took up etching, my painting seemed to crystalize”.  His sense of mystery and storytelling blossomed, as did the themes of the isolation and lack of privacy in urban life .  His works tell a story and give you a sense of peeking into a someone’s life.  Just like authors and actors create back stories to add depth to their work, Hopper (and his wife) did the same, giving names to the anonymous subjects.  This resulted in the viewer’s needing to combine their eyes and their imagination when reflecting on his urban scenes.  As the viewer we need to finish the story. Hopper also used light and detail intentionally to draw your attention, he painted details only where he wanted your eyes to go. 

These are some of my favorite pieces by him, most I downloaded from the internet.

Hopper’s interest in maritime themes started early on and continued through his life.  The docks on the Hudson River (which he could see from his bedroom window) were a common source of inspiration.

Married to a fellow artist, whose work is below, Josephine was an ardent promotor and catalogued his work.

The contemporary artist on display, Dike Blair, was influenced by Hopper’s fascination with cinema and narrative in paintings.  He used his own point-and-shoot photographs and paintings to offer his own narratives where light is the character, blending realism with the unreality of movies. These are the two pieces that spoke to me.

We leave the Hopper House Museum with this quote, painted on the stairway wall.

Another gem of a museum is the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Ct.  My brother, sister-in-law and I decided to go there due to the Andy Warhol exhibit, which was nice – but there was so much more to see!

The Warhol exhibit was called Small is Beautiful and contained 100 pieces.  They covered the span of his career and had examples from his prominent subject matter: celebrity, consumerism, flowers, and Catholicism (including death).

I learned that Warhol’s interest in fame was both a concept and a personal goal, with his portraits evolving from celebrities, politicians to himself and fellow artists.

Then the unexpected happened as we walked into the adjoining gallery and saw the William Richter Collection of Barbizon and Impressionist paintings.  Barbizon painters were the first to go outside, rebelling against idealizing natural form and painting what they saw in a less formal manner.  From these innovators Impressionism grew.  Here we see Corot who convinced Pissarro to paint outside, who then influenced Gaugin!  Even John Singer Sargent, known best for portraits, joined in the movement and went outside to paint.  There was a Renoir here, as well as a Cezanne and a Rousseau!  In one small room I was able to soak in some of the greatest masters of the era, seeing paintings I had not seen before.

Learning this about Matisse’s daughter was astounding. Clearly a formidable woman!

Across the room, some Surrealistic works influenced by Freud and Marx were hanging.

Then there was an exhibit on David Hockney, a Pop Artist I was not that familiar with either, focusing on his earlier works. Being Greenwich, Ct, these pieces were from the private collection of local residents, Roy B. and Edith J. Simpson.

Panama Hat depicts the portrait of Gelzahler without him being in the composition.  The museum writes “This unconventional portrait plays with the ideas of presence and absence, an underlying theme in several of the artist’s compositions, especially his well-known painting from the mid-1960w that feature the splashes in pools left by unseen figures.”

I absolutely fell in love with this piece called A Grand Procession of Dignitaries in the Semi-Egyptian Style, 1961, which Hockney competed while a student at the Royal College of Art, in London.

Probably predecessors of his later pool paintings, Hockney collaborated with a printer to make paper on a hydraulic press where the colors were infused into the pulp.  Since he was limited to the size of the press, his innovative solution was to create sheets based on his sketched and then he put the pieces together.  He was working on how to depict the pictorial effects of light, color and movement, in water – with the different sheets of paper helping to convey the distortion water creates.

This installation by Tana Donovan (called Aggregations), which made me want to curl up in the soft fluffy cotton-ball looking balls, is actually made of glass rods!  Her work takes every day objects and re-creating them into something new and unique.

Next up…a room with the mineral collection of Robert R. Wiener, whose fascination started at age 7, and resulted in the largest collection (4000 pieces), many of which were displayed.  These pieces were works of art.  I learned that each mineral tells its own story as the structure, color and growth are a combination of their atomic composition and its interaction with chemistry, heat, pressure and spacing.

Next a quick walk through two more rooms – one dedicated to how man and nature protect themselves and one a hands-on animal exhibit for kids.

There was an exhibit of art by incredibly talented high school students. Here is a sampling. The students range from 9th to 12th grade.

Last and without a doubt NOT least, was an installation created by Jennifer Angus.  This was an immersive experience made out of insects…thousands of them arranged into ornate patterns and pictures.  The work is a piece within a piece within a piece – almost too much to take in. You get the whole then you step closer and you get details, but you can’t process every detail because there are so many of them.

The museum writes, “The Golden Hour is a site-specific exhibition inspired by the enchanting glow of the day’s final rays of sunlight, surrounded by nature’s fleeting richness on the cusp of biodiversity’s twilight.  She invites visitors on a winding journey through three chambers of wonder.  In The Village, dollhouses tower overhead while insect beckon like stained glass windows.  In Cabinet of Curiosities, insects stage dozens of intriguing scenes ranging from executions to coronations.  Finally, as the light fades, other animals gather at The Dinner Party, poised in eleventh-hour deliberations of our ongoing climate crisis.”

A Google search (jenniferangus.com) brought me to her website where I learned she is Canadian, only does site specific works, and she reuses insects and other natural objects (some are 20 years old).  “Drawing upon my background in textile design, I often place insects upon walls in patterns which mimic those of textiles and wallpaper. This strategy lulls the viewer into complacency, for at a distance the designs suggest an interior, perhaps even a domestic space. However, upon discovery that the ornate patterns are formed of insects, viewers’ feelings typically fluctuate between incredulity and amazement, and very occasionally terror. Herein lies the power of the work as the observer is confronted with considering insects in a new light.”  I can say my reaction fell in the amazement category.

Next ….July 4^th, my brother’s gig and some random moments. Stay tuned!

Yesterday, with the help of my tour guide-friend Anita, I discovered a whole new Mumbai.  We went to three places and had lunch at a local hot spot.

The first location is what Anita calls the Varanasi of Mumbai with its steps leading to the holy pool, said to be a tributary of the Ganges. This sacred water tank, Banganga, dates back to 12th century, although destroyed by the Portuguese and rebuilt in 1715.  Like in Varanasi, the water is said to have healing powers and each house has a small temple.  Likewise, there are temples honoring many of the Hindu deities. Legend has it that Rama shot an arrow to give his wife water because she was thirsty, thus the name Banganga come from two words-Baan (arrow) and Ganga (River Ganges).  In February there is a two day music festival on the banks of this pool so I have made a note to see if I can return to enjoy that event!

In the pool were large fish and some interesting looking ducks.

Heading down to the pool and the ‘village’ one enters a new world. This might not look unique for India, but bear in mind this is in South Mumbai and Malabar Hill – the modern and wealthy enclave of Mumbai. You truly enter another world.

We were lucky to observe some rituals in one of the temple halls, built in 1858 and housing a temple for Shiva. Here, under the direction of a priest, worshippers were praying to ward off obstacles that have been put forth in their lives.  Part of the rituals include a snake made of whole wheat flour who is meant to protect from evils.  This sect, whose name I forgot, do not pray to one particular god or the cosmic God, but rather to all.

Everything getting ready for the next group of worshipper:

To ask for a wish to come true, one puts a finger on each of the vessel’s horns and whispers in its ear.

This is the Tulsi plant which has medicinal qualities and is a sacred plant as well.  Most homes will have their own and  parts of the plant are dried to make rosary beads.

This temple has a 400 year old monkey idol, beautifully preserved.  One is supposed to walk clockwise around a temple, which we did, affording me views of the stunning and colorful carvings and colors on all four sides.

The Walkeshwer temple has silver (or metal) ornaments and idols, which is unusual.

We entered a temple honoring Vishnu, called the Venkatesh Balaji Temple. As with all the bigger temples here, they were built in honor of relatives and maintained by trusts.

Vishnu’s vessel is a garudat (half man/half bird). 

We were blessed by this kind man while receiving auspiciously colored string around our wrists. 

Finally, we climbed to the top of the temple to view the pool and street from above.

Here are a few photos of the many temples dotting the compound.

Being a holy place, there was the requisite cow to touch for blessings or buy some grass to feed.  Always happy to interact with animals, we paid and fed this beautiful creature.

This is a Jain temple located outside the compound.  The man is covering his face so that microbes from his mouth do not defile the temple.

Life goes on in this holy place, moments I was happy to capture.

These are my favorite photos of life in this area.

Then it was time to climb back up out of this haven to the big city and our next destination, the famous Crawford Market.

Crawford market, established in 1868 by -you guessed it- Mr. Crawford, who was the Municipal Commissioner of Bombay. The two entry reliefs shown below were designed by Kipling‘s father (he was supposed to complete a third but left India before it was done).  This is the original covered market in Mumbai and is still functioning where prices are good and everything can be found.  Porters will follow you around with their baskets on their head as you do your shopping (much nicer than metal carts!) and everyone has their own vendor they return to, thus business is steady for all (even though there are many stalls selling the same items).  This is a massive market, open 6 days a week and always bustling.

We passed over the housewares aisle (who wants to look at that!) and the first aisle we visited was dried fruits and nuts where Anita bought us a treat.

Next was the fruit and vegetable section, although being mango season the selling of mangoes spilled out over several sections!

Porters at work.

We stopped at the spice vendor that Anita recommends as he has quality ingredients with spices well ground and fresh.  He has earned the title Spice King! I spent a lot of money buying spices for myself, friends and family – having a lot of fun – including meeting You Tubers from Brazil and Iraqi airline pilots!  Ahh, the moments of tourism where you see how small the world is and how humans are the same no matter where they come from.

Lunch was delicious at Hotel Sadanand, clearly a good venue as one always must wait 10 minutes to enter.  I was struck how this restaurant (called hotels by locals) mimics a US diner – with similar décor, a varied menu and fast service.  We ordered Puri Bhaaji (puffed dough with a sweet/spicy potato mix) and the ever delicious palak paneer.  Dessert was fresh mango juice.

While waiting our ten minutes outside the restaurant, I was struck yet again by the intense labor so many Indians endure.  It made me much more patient and tolerant of the heat while waiting to enter the air-conditioned restaurant.

Last on our list was the spice market.  Why didn’t I buy my spices here?  Because this is not where you BUY spices but have your family combination of spices ground into your personal masala.  Before I go into the process, the history of this area in Mumbai is connected to the US Civil war.  As the war raged and Britain’s cotton supply dwindled, the merchants switched to India for sourcing cotton.  As a result, mills opened all over Mumbai.  As the mill business moved elsewhere and became more industrial, these buildings took on new roles or were demolished for other purposes.

This street translates into Chili Lane and observing the process was AMAZING!  First, it is traditional for woman to come at the end of the dry season – right before the monsoon season begins.  As this is NOW, there were MANY women waiting for their turn.  People were everywhere. What I thought was peppers for sale turned out to be individuals’ spice mixes waiting in the sun for the processing to start. Anita has never been her at this time of year, so she too was enjoying the sight.  We met two young women with their masalas complete who told us the whole process took 5 hours: 4 to wait and one for the spice grinding!

Like with many cultural favorites (like Italian tomato sauce, and Eastern European, borscht, kulich and Pascha) each family has their own combination of spices for the masala.  One could see some with coconut, some without.  Some combinations had onions dominating, others did not.  It was amazing.  EVERYONE added chili peppers of one kind or another and in varied amounts.

Spices waiting their turn patiently.

We visited three ‘factories’, two on the main street and one around the corner.  At the first location, even though the signs said no photos, I was invited in to record the events.  The other two were clearly less friendly and on the main drag.  No smiling or stopping to wave, but a few timid lip smirks at the white lady doing her thing and breaking up the monotony of their day.

When it is your turn, your spice mix is briefly cooked and combined with the peppers.  Then it goes to the grinding machines.  No matter what the ingredients, the mixes all turn various shades of red due the chilis.  The mix is ground, then a sieve shakes out impurities, and the mixture is re-ground until it is a fine powder. I had to wear a mask (although many women used their dupattas to cover their face) as breathing in the dust caused me to cough.  Of course, the poor men doing the actual grinding breathed the air and were used to it.  I hope it is not toxic, but I imagine their tolerance for spice is high!

This first set of photographs are of the spices being cooked. On the video you can see how certain ingredients are added first, with the peppers always being last.

On these videos you seeing the pounding at work (I never got to see the spice mix being put in at the start of the process).  The process includes sweeping the powder around to ensure even distribution, as well as sifting the powder to remove irregularities and then re-pounding the powder so it is even finder.

Time to pay!

Peppers on sale everywhere – stores, floors and bags.  Who knew there were so many ways to dry and sell peppers.

These poor souls are removing the little beige stem – clearly for quality peppers as not all peppers on sale had them removed.  The women could care less a while woman was photographing them, the men – well behaving like true Indians.

Other spices were on sale in case you forgot a key ingredient.

Here you see the local temple, snacks for sale, and two happy women heading home.

Thus ended another wonderful day, which rejuvenated me as I felt I got away from the stresses of work (it is the end of the academic year), ready to face the next three weeks!

Here are some random photos:

True to form, all Indian men love to be photographed (Anita says by women) so here are two of our society guards and my vegetable men sorting the delivered herbs. Taken in the morning while waiting for Anita!

As always, I end with street art!

Last weekend I had the honor of going to Tadoba National Tiger Reserve.  It was an amazing weekend, with many lifetime memories created.  My friends Zeeshan, Tom, Lynn and I had been trying to go there during one of the three-day weekends, but the safaris were always booked as they only allow a limited number of jeeps per day.  As a result, we found a weekend with open tours and off we went, flying out Friday night-landing in Nagpur at 10pm and starting the 3-hour drive to the reserve.  Getting to bed at 2 am and waking up at 5am for the first safari was tough, but naps during the day and adrenaline kept me going.

We stayed at a lovely ‘home stay’ called the Spotted Owlet, which was peaceful, well decorated and served excellent food.  I highly recommend both the park and this location should you have a hankering for a tiger safari in India!

After 3 hours of sleep, we were off!

Driving to the safari park I got excited seeing this family of Indian Bison, also known as Indian Gaur. Little did I know this excitement would only grow!

safari #1 – Buffer Zone

Our first four-hour safari was to the buffer zone, entering through the Dewada-Adegaon Safari Gate.  The buffer zone is the place to start your visit because you are excited to see all the other animals and while we were able to see a tiger, this is not the norm.  We also saw wild dogs which is unusual.

The first animal I saw was a wild chicken, officially known as a Grey Jungle Fowl!

Then the excitement began as we saw a Spotted Owlet.

The drive continued, with us enjoying a stunning sunrise and being surrounded by nature while we waited for the next animal sighting.

Up next, the first of many Langur family groups. With each group, different aspects of their body and behavior caught my eye. If my research is correct, this breed is the Northern Plains Gray Langur.

Below is my favorite photo of a Red Wattled Redwing:

As we saw our first wild warthog, memories of Lion King came to all our minds!

Some more Langurs!

This is a boundary marker, which one sees all around the park. Near here we stopped at a little bridge with two water tubes under them. The guide was trying to see what was sleeping there, as it was a black bundle curled up. As no one is allowed to get off the jeep we couldn’t confirm what it was. He assumed it was a sloth bear, and since we never saw one again, I have decided that it was definitely there! Other animals I saw but wasn’t able to photograph were a porcupine, stunning birds who showed their bright blue wings while flying, squirrels (not the boring grey ones like in NY), and an Indian Pitta (a green and yellow bird).

As the light got better, the colors of the forest changed.

Throughout the park, there were groups of Gaur – otherwise known as Indian Bison. It was fun to see how at certain angles they looked like cows and at other times, not. One of highlights was seeing a baby drinking milk from its mother, and watching the group cross the road – some sauntering, some running – with their symbiotic Cattle Egrets trailing along. The morning light made these views even more impressive.

One of the benefits of a zoom lens is being able to watch animals up close. This guy enjoyed looking at me (while eating) as much I enjoyed looking at him (not eating).

Langur sighting number three had me enjoying how these guys hang out on trees. The mother with the baby was sweet as well.

From Babu I learned that a forest with termite mounds is a healthy forest. Whatever the termite height of the hill is, it’s the same depth underground and of course, there are lots of rooms inside. India has over 200 species of termites. Termites build their mounds either in a tree, somewhere around leaves or on the ground. The last bit of termite trivia is that termites can’t hear so they use saliva to feel vibrations as they exit their mounds.

Then we saw what we initially thought was a fox, but turned out to be a wild dog – an animal we learned was hard to spot but we saw them 5 times. It’s official name is a Dhole. Funnily, every time we saw some wild dogs, we saw a tiger shortly thereafter!

Throughout the park, there was much evidence that the rainy season ended a long time ago: dry bamboo, bare trees and empty watering holes like the one below. As a matter of fact, the core zone of the park is closed during monsoon season because it is so muddy, but mainly to allow insects to mate undisturbed.

Then it happened – a passing jeep informed our guide there was a tiger sighting, so off we went and waited for our turn!

Shambhu is a newly spotted tiger, first spotted during the monsoon season of 2022.  Scientists are assuming he grew up in non-tourist areas.  He tried to enter territories ‘owned’ by other tigers several times but was chased away.  In January 2023 he was sighted in the buffer area mating with another tigress.  Since then, he is often seen here, being the young, confident male that he is.    FYI: all the information on specific tigers is from a book you can buy, Tigers Of Tadoba – a Field Guide by Jignesh Patel.

Spotted deer, elegant and peaceful, were the final animal we saw during the first safari.

With safari number one finished, I am ending this part of the blog with a few random photos.

These were taken during the ride back to the hotel.

safari #2 – The Core Zone

After a delicious breakfast and several power naps, we returned to the park and drove up to the entrance of the core zone (Moharli Entry Gate) and met our naturalist guide for next two safaris: Babu. Our four hour afternoon safari meant lots of hot sun (the temperature was over 40C), so Tom and Lynn wrapped themselves up while I didn’t care…however I felt obliged to cover up for the photo.

Babu, a phenomenal naturalist and our guide for the two core safaris, started by sharing the park was officially opened on April 9th in 1955. The park is also designated as an Important Bird Area. The buffer zone has more entrances and therefore more cars are allowed inside, while the core has less entrances. The core is called that because of the number of tigers plus in the core there is no human activity. There are about 115 tigers in the entire park, with around 86 living in the core. Each female has a territory about 12 km² and the male shares all that territory with them: one male for three or four females. The cubs stay with the mom till around two years of age then they go off on their happy, solitary lives. The cubs might even fight the mother for territory.

The park has been a transit zone for centuries and in the 16th century a local king erected markers showing the road from Changpur to Nagpur, with the the arches on the top indicating which direction to go. They also acted as emergency beacons to communicate.

Today, the animal extravaganza began with Sambar Deer.

Then my first decent photo of a peacock and some wild woodapples.

This bison was HUGE, I don’t know if the photos convey that. By the way, the bison is known as the bulldozer of the forest jungle because they’re so big they make a path that’s easy for deer to walk through.

Then we saw some wild dogs in the woods…you know what that means…

Yes, we saw Roma! Roma was born in 2020 and her sibling (a male) disappeared at 8 months. Roma is a bold, young female who has claimed her territory near the tar road we were on. She had a litter of 2 cubs in 2022, which was young for a tigress to give birth, but the babies were healthy. She has taken a chunk of her mother’s territory who is old and rarely seen nowadays.

Most of the time you see maybe one or two jeeps while you explore. You always know there is a tiger nearby because the jeeps converge and wait.

At first, we saw Roma resting in the woods behind a log. Like before, it was hard for me to find her but when I finally did, the joy pulsed through my body. A joy that paled in comparison to what I felt as she started walking in the woods and then by and through the jeeps that converged in the area. As we watched Roma to walk around, we heard the warning cries of the Sambar deer – a loud bark!

Some unique photos: me not holding a camera and still being happy!

We watched majestic Roma as she sauntered around us and then disappeared into the woods. Then it was off to see more animals and search for another tiger.

If you look at these two Sambar deer, you will see the antlers are different sizes. This has nothing to do with age but rather, the deer shed their antlers yearly and then grow them back. The antlers come out fuzzy due to blood flow, so the Sambar rubs the antlers against trees to make them hard.

When looking at this pair of spotted deer, I noticed how they have a stripe of spots along their back. I also was amazed at the size the antlers of the far-away male. I believe these were the largest antlers I saw.

Some more warthogs enchanted me as well.

As we moved on, the landscape changed.

We arrived at a watering hole and saw many animals – some new, some repeats – but no tiger so we moved on. I did, however, enjoy seeing the Sambar Deer drinking water. There is something very special about seeing animals living their lives in freedom.

Next we stopped at the Tadoba Lake where we were able to see some birds and a lazy alligator up close.

And then at our next location, Roma graced us with her presence again. The evening light gave her coat a glow and aside from just enjoying this majestic animal walk, I was able to focus on some interesting angles as she walked by and around us.

On our way to the next possible tiger-sighting location the evening light gave me some opportunities to get some lovely shots.

This area had a somewhat more green appearance because recently there was a little rain, however, trees having or not having leaves is more due to the seasons.

As we arrived at another lake, Babu saw a ripple in the water.  He watched the area to see what animal is was when we saw Collarwali, our next tiger.  She was coming out of the water wet with water and mud.  She started walking along the bank as we heard the warning cries of nearby animals: barks and cries that told us which animals were sounding the alarm. 

Collarwali was born in 2018 and has taken over her mother’s territory.  There was no evidence of a battle for the land, so it is assumed the mother voluntarily gave up the acres.  Her first litter has just reached adulthood.

Interesting, nearby was a bison with a cattle egret perched on her back.  Collarwali was slowly walking towards them, using looping routes and a casual gait. As tigresses take 30 minutes to hunt (going slow as to give the impression she is not interested in eating you), we were worried she was going for the bison but that was not to be.  She went off without an attack.

Below she is taking a rest from the exhaustion of a stroll along the bank. But for real, she is cleaning herself.

Normally I use my phone to take videos but since phones are not allowed during the safaris, Babu figured out how to take videos with my camera.   While I still must learn and remember to steady the camera when on zoom, these videos are fun because you can hear how we chatted about what might be happening.

Being a lake, there were some beautiful and unique birds here as well. This first magnificent creature is a Painted Stork.

Before we knew it, the sun was setting and our four-hour safari was over. We went home, had cocktails, a delicious dinner and went to bed exhausted but excited. Our wake up was 5 am again for our final safari.

safari #3

The day was off to an auspicious start with this stunning view of a peacock perched on a tree.

During this safari I also had one of those silly ‘aha’ moments when I made the connection to the name peahen for a female, and the words ‘hen’/’cock’. However, this location on the safari also gave me the opportunity to shoot a peacock after it had shed its feathers and was growing new ones.

I will comment here on what you probably have already surmised. The sunsets and sunrises were stunning, with the golden orb rising and falling for our pleasure.

The morning also gave me an opportunity to get a better (but not great) photo of a parakeet.

Then the fun began as we saw another pack of wild dogs.  This time we got to see how the alpha male marks the territory: on his front paws!  Amazing.  After he finished, he rolled around in the grass – probably to shake off some insects.  Yet again, it was a pleasure watching animals doing their thing in their own environment.

We came upon some Spotted Deer at a watering hole and some Sambar deer eating grass.  Here we saw one deer with a broken antler, probably getting ready to shed it.  Deer, such graceful creatures, are always a joy to observe.

Since we recently saw wild dogs, we now had our next tiger moment.  Before I go on, let me explain the how the tiger hunt goes – a process that is probably the same today as it was a century ago, only today our trophies are photographs not furs.  We stopped in a spot with other cars, always a good sign.  We heard several roars, quite amazing – as we could track the direction the tiger was moving.  Once that was surmised, all the cars went around the bend to where she would probably exit.  Then we looked for movement, which Lynn saw first!  At this point Mowgli exited the forest. 

Mowgli, born in 2016, is a male from in a range of Tadoba where tigers tend to be shy and aggressive.  He saw how his mother often feasted on Gaurs (the bison), so this is favorite meal to this day.  As a result, he is massive (genetics help as well) and weighs 1500kg.  For a long time he was wandering looking for a territory to claim as his own.  He went head-to-head with two males in the Alizana territory, finally defeating Samrath for the territory.  He killed the cubs of a previous male’s litter and mated with two females and fathered their cubs.  In the summer of 2022 Mowgli was badly injured by the male Chota Matka and as a result he has been dodging him ever since.

While we were waiting for the tiger to come out, we saw a tree with sloth bear claw marks!  We watched Mowgli rub his face on the bark.

While we were absorbed watching nature in action, bees attacked us. Babu, the naturalist, was amazing and immediately told the driver to drive fast so we got away from them. For some reason I was able to stay still so I wasn’t stung, but poor Tom and Lynn were. Everyone who was stung had 20 minutes of burning sensation and the next day swelling.  From then on, our eyes went up every time we stopped!  Babu said that the bees will go to cars with women on their period or with a lot of perfume.  Since none of us fit those categories, we are assuming it was the lovely jasmine flowers that drew them.

After the adrenaline and pain subsided, we moved on and got to see a Monitor Lizard lounging in a tree on the lookout for insects.

We stopped at another watering hole where Choti Tara graced us with her presence as we watched her walk down to the pond, drink some water, cross the island and sit to rest.

The book tells us that Choti Tara (which means Little Star as she is the daughter of Star) was born in 2009 and is the boldest and one of the most loved tigresses of Taboda.  She was raising her third litter when an unknown male entered her territory, she lost sight of her cub and later her male cub was also lost.  In 2019 the male Matkasur was unable to maintain his control of the territory when Rudra pushed him out and fathered Choti Taku’s fourth litter.  In 2021 she had her fifth litter, also losing some of them.  She was seen in 2023 with her sixth litter.  In April she was seen with a single cub and later with two cubs: one of her own and one who was Bijli’s (it is rare to see tigresses caring for another female’s cub).  Unfortunately, she misplaced both cubs and was seen circling the territory for a few days calling out to her cubs, but all was in vain.  This sad story pointed out to me that while living in a sanctuary forest, life is still not easy for wild animals.  My research on tiger cubs tells me bears, crocodiles, and snakes are their natural predators in this jungle.  Males will also kill the young of tigresses they did not father.

We returned to the Tadoba Lake and were able to see two ibis: Redneck Ibis and the Blackhead ibis.  The alligator was still in the same spot, showing his teeth this time.  On the way we saw this Crescent Serpent Eagle fly off its perch and a warthog checking us out.  After leaving the lake we passed by the remains of a temple and saw the landscape change again.

While the safari was coming to an end, we tried to have another tiger sighting or to see a Sloth Bear, but our luck had run out.  This did not mean there weren’t beautiful sights and sounds, like the singing cicadas or a running peacock with his flopping tail dragging behind him.  I was able to get some decent photos of the elusive peahens (they run a lot faster than peacocks) and some deer in a field of grass.  A mongoose crossed our path, as did some warthogs.  We passed another family of Langur, and it looked like one was nursing an injury.  A highlight was seeing a Mottled Wood Owl, sitting in a unusual pose, with its wings slightly open.  In my photos you can see how she has blinked, as in one photo the eyes are open and in the other closed.

As we left the park, Babu submitted the GPS (which is used to track the speed of the jeeps), we took some memory photos, and I bought Tom some Jungle Honey since he clearly contributed to future honey production.

For those of you still reading (!), below are some photos from other moments during this incredible weekend. 

After a good night’s sleep and a normal wake up time, we head off to see the sights of this holy city for Buddhists.  Our first, and most important spot is Mahabodhi (Mahavihara) Temple, the site where Buddha achieved enlightenment.  One is not allowed to drive up to the entrance and while there was the option of a horse-drawn carriage, we opted for the simple auto-rickshaw/tuk-tuk that was waiting where we parked the car.  While waiting I snapped these photos but opted not to take a photo of the man I bought water from.  Why you ask?  He was high as a kite!  The smell of pot reeked, and I only mention this because this State is a dry state – you are not even allowed to bring in liquor from another state.  However, humans always find ways to compensate!

Some more colorful cars in town!

But I digress.  We met our guide and entered the complex.  Interesting, phones are not allowed but cameras ARE.  So, while I was able to get great photos I could not write down or remember all the interesting information I learned from the guide.  I ended up buying a book from which I gleaned the information for this blog post.  To cite the book, it is called Bodhgaya: The Sacred Place of Buddhists by Shanti Swaroop Baudh.

According to this book, Prince Siddhartha was banned from his kingdom because he fell into dispute with the army (arbitrary intervention into army affairs) because he proposed peace and didn’t think one should fight over a river as it is a natural resource and belongs to everyone.    He had a choice of several punishments: be a soldier, execution, banishment, social boycott of his family (the royal family), or confiscation of agrarian lands.  He chose banishment and left with his horse and charioteer Channa (who later returned to explain to the family of his quest for truth).  For me, this explained why he left his family to search for peace and this wasn’t perceived as a selfish act.

At this time, he was 29.  Since even before banishment he was searching for peace, this focused his search and along the way met several gurus and gained 5 followers but did not find his answers, so he decided to find it himself.  While he was mediating and participated in 6 years of penance, he had a dream where three maidens were playing an instrument called the Veena. One was strung so tight, the sound produced hurt ears. One string so loose there was no sound. The third was strung just right and produced harmonious sounds.  Siddhartha took this as a vision and a moral.  He concluded it was not wise to punish one’s own person through penance and starvation.  Rather, one must have a proper diet as one could find success in meditation only through one’s body.  Thus was born his doctrine of the middle path. 

I am now going to alter my usual pattern of writing about my excursions in order. Rather, I will write them in order of Buddha’s life. First, the cave where Buddha meditated for 6 years.

The drive to the cave was a highlight for me as we passed a farming village.  Aside from being very picturesque it offered a glimpse into the life of farmers.  Driving through the community, which is clearly separated from the whole world, looks rural and simple – indicative of the hard life of farmers. Yet there were satellite dishes, electricity, and joy abounded- except as we returned for everyone was just hanging out waiting for the heat of the day to go away.

I loved how there were so many ways to dry dung for fuel.

There were brand new baby goats but I couldn’t get a good photo of them. Here are a few other goat shots, including one where the baby is drinking the mother’s milk.

We arrived at the location for the cave, which was a nice hike up the hill. In the heat, it was brutal but I wanted the steps and opted against being carried up! This might have been a mistake because even though I drank water I had a headache for the rest of the day. There was a sign saying the road was built in 2005. As this (for some reason) is not a very popular destination, villagers were begging. It was hard not to give money but the guide angrily complained about all they get from the government. Another example of how every day Indians feel about the beggars. However, one scam we participated in was buying a crate of packaged cookies and the young man (who gave me a stick to use while walking) went with us and handed out the packages to everyone we met. Zeeshan and I wondered how many cookies are actually eaten and how many are traded in for cash!

The view at the top was beautiful.

Aside from some shops, this is clearly a mini-monastery but the monks were not around, probably also resting from the brutal sun and having lunch.

The compound was very Tibetan in feeling and architecture.  Outside the actual cave was a grotto with a lovely meditating Buddha statue.  However, inside the cave was mystical.  The emaciated Buddha was powerful.  The man sitting inside was collecting ‘gifts’ and allowed me to take his photo.

While here, it was a drastic cut in diet and severe penance weakened Siddhartha to such an extent he was unable to stand or walk far. After these six years Siddhartha gained nothing towards his quest but he did have the dream I mentioned earlier and left the area. This brings us to our next stop. He crossed this river, the Neranjana (known as the Nilajane today), and settled under a tree in the lotus position.

As he mediated under a tree a servant of Sujata (the daughter of a local landowner) saw him and took him to be a tree god and implored her mistress to go to him as she was due to give thanks for the blessing of a child after many years of barrenness.  She was impressed with Siddhartha and arrived with Kheer (sweetened rice in milk).  At this point he was a Bodhisatta, one who has attained nirvana and on the way to enlightenment. Sujata’s house is semi-restored and shows how rich people in the past had round houses with a stupa in the center. The lower sections around the stupa is where the living quarters were.

The Sujata Garh was constructed to commemorate her residence. Excavations in 1973-74 yielded an inscription dating the original structure from the 8th and 9th century.

The Sujata Temple, where Buddha was under the Banyan tree was a short distance away and houses an orphanage school.  There are many idols depicting this auspicious moment, the latest donated by a family in 1993.  Everyone who comes can try the Kheer given to Siddhartha (sweetened rice in milk).  It was delicious.

And now, this brings us full circle to our starting point where Siddhartha, now Bodhisatta, becomes fully enlightened and Buddha.

Dominating the compound is the stupa of the main temple.  Ornate and at the same time imposing yet calming, this has been re-built on the location connected to the tree where Buddha sat.  King Asoka was the first to recognize the holiness of the tree and develop this area as a holy site, constructing the border wall. This was around 250 BC.  The Mahabodhi Mahavihara is estimated to have been built in the 2^nd century AD with coins with its image confirming it was in existence during the reign of King Hiviska.  Archaeologists confirm the inner sanctum gold Buddha was built in 380 AD.   The Turkish invasion (and depending on the guide it is called Muslim and or Moghul invasion) resulted in destruction of a lot of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara.  The base of the stupa is the original and pieces of the original stupas and towers dot the compound, along with offerings left by pilgrims from all corners of the world.  From the book I learned that the excavations done under Cunningham’s direction were not without trouble.  When money was running short, General Cunningham had to tell the British government that if they won’t pay, the French or Portuguese will!   Also, the Burmese were always willing to pay and do the excavation but the book implied they weren’t doing a good job.  Formal excavations were from 1877-1880.

The history of this location is rife with conflict, power plays and politics as ruler after ruler claimed it as their own.  This conflict continues to this day as the ‘owner’ is the Hindi mahanda, big wig. Interesting, there is one Hindu temple near the main stupa and it break the symmetry of the compound because of its location and architecture.

The details along the rim of the stupa were stunning.  The green tinged with gold mini-Buddha statues captivated me and my eye kept returning to them.

Here are some of the remains of the original stupas, now decorated and dotted around the compound.

The oldest structures on the compound are some of the posts of the fence, with reproductions finishing the stone wall.

Excavations revealed this gate.

The gold Buddha statue inside the stupa was stunning, one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.  Serene, the statue emanates a sense of peace and calm.

The most interesting information I learned was that after his enlightenment in the year 589 BC , Buddha spent seven weeks meditating in seven locations on the compound, as he refused to stay in one place so as not to become too attached to the location and therefore focus on the process. Thanks to the book I bought I was able to identify each of the seven landmarks.

He spent the first week remaining under the shade of the Peepul (Sacred Fig) Tree where he attained enlightenment. This location, the hub of all the energy, was surrounded by a golden fence and many pilgrims were praying – some monks and some novices with a book to help guide them.

The original tree was damaged once by accident during excavation and once by anger, but luckily a Sri Lankan princess had taken a cutting. Thus the tree is the 5^th generation of the original tree.  Cuttings from this tree have been transported to Buddhists countries all over the globe.

Week 2: Animesalocana Cetiya is designed after the main stupa and here Buddha was so blissful he looked at the tree for a week without blinking.

Week 3: This week was spent walking and this strip represents the path he took.  It also represents the path all Buddhists are on and often devotees will pray here.

Week 4: This week is represented by wonderful statue of Buddha. It represents his knowledge, which was made into a gem and is enshrined inside as Buddha’s heart.

Week 5 was spent under the Ajapala Nirodha tree where Buddha’s famous statement about actions vs birth was spoken.

Week 6 was spent under the shade of a Mucalinda tree near Mucalinda lake. This is a symbolic lake as the real one is 1 km away.  The Buddha statue has a serpent king over him, for when meditating the demon tried to distract him  and was unsuccessful so the demon, in the form of a snake, protected him so Buddha could mediate without disruption.

This is also a holy spot for Hindus who can come here to venerate their ancestors. Like in Varanasi there are priests here to help prepare the offerings and guide the process.

During his 7^th and final week he basked in his Buddhahood before deciding to head to Varanasi to give his first sermon.

Below are some of the many votive stupas that dot the compound.

The Bell of Dhamma weighs about 2250kg and is a gift from Japanese businessman.  It is still rung every day at 6am, 5pm and noon.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to hear it.

The next set of photographs represent how marvelous this whole compound is.

These beautiful reliefs were on the wall as we were leaving. I have no idea what they represent.

Throughout the city, there are numerous monasteries and temples from various Buddhist countries.

We only had time to visit one, a unique Thai shrine called Metta Buddharam Temple, where there was a statue of King Ashoka!

The day ended with a walk near the entrance to the compound to see if there was anything interesting to buy. There wasn’t, but I learned how these outdoor stands are protected at night!

Thus ended this intense but fascinating journey to Varanasi and Bodh Gaya. At the airport there was this list of who get to by-pass security. I imagine this is to prevent tantrums by those unsure of the rules who think they are important enough!

We woke up early and headed back towards the Ganges River, but this time to a different location (Banaras), north of where we were yesterday.  We were here to observe the same ceremony honoring the river but at sunrise, smaller and more meaningful.  Here spectators were invited to light the holy flames, plus there was a girl’s school chorus chanting the prayers.  The more intimate setting added to the atmosphere.

The reason the Ganges River is sacred to Hindus is because it is believed the goddess Ganga took on the form of the river to cleanse the predecessors of King Bhagirath of their sins.  This ritual, which is meant to bless the goddess river, begins with the blowing of conch shells meant to eliminate negative energy, which the harmonious sound succeeds in doing.  There are seven Brahman priests whose movements are synchronized and this adds to the atmosphere. Incense is lit and waved, as each priest repeats the circular motion, facing in each of the four directions so all can see.  Bells are rung throughout the ritual and this sound blends with the chanting and smell of sandalwood.   The first lanterns are lit with songs in praise of Mother Ganga.  It is believed the lamps acquire the power of the deity and that is why when the lanterns come around to observers, one places hands over the flame and then carry the heat to your head for a blessing.  One of the lanterns looks like a snake’s head and is called a Sheshnag.  At the end, though not seen by me, flowers are places on the river to float away.  I do not know why the ritual ends with the waving of peacock feathers and a stick with feathers of some sort, but after that the priests bend in thanksgiving and the ceremony concludes.  For the amount of tourists present, the exit is calm and peaceful – silent by Indian standards!

Then the incense is lit and spread while women from the audience light the towered lanterns.

Then the large lantern is used.

I am not sure what is blessed or used in this part of the ceremony, by the hand gestures are elegant.

The snake head lantern is next.

Then the peacock feathers and the brush with some sort of feathers.

We return to the previous night’s location for another boat ride but this one with a guide which was wonderful, as we learned about all the building on the river bank. While waiting I was able to take some photographs of people walking to the river as well as believers cleansing their sins in the Ganges.

A sea of saffron!

And a lone white man (if you look carefully you can see his partner taking a photo):

There were priests available to help families pray to ancestors. They help prepare the offerings which are then placed in the river.

The early morning light allowed for wonderful photos, especially of the buildings on the riverbank.

First thing I learned from the guide was that the boat drivers are part of the Malgha community while the weavers are Bunkars.  Then I learned that the grand homes along the shore were built in the 18th and 19th centuries by kings from all over India.  When they visited to pay respect and ask for salvation (Varanasi is known as the City of Salvation due to the Ganges), they had a place to stay. This is also why there are so many architectural styles on the riverbank, as each king built his home in his region’s style.  Now these are all hotels and each house includes the word Ghat, which means riverbank.

First is the Darbhanga Ghat, the grandest hotel to stay at should you have that kind of money! This was built by King Darbhanga in the early 18th century and the structure jutting out is the first elevator in the area. His region is now part of India and Nepal. By the way, I could write Maharaja instead of King, but it takes too long to type! Of course I could write Raj but it doesn’t sound as royal!

Digpatiya Ghat was built by the King of Bengal and the script you see on the wall is Bengali.

Below is the Raja Ghat built by the Maharashtrian king, the state where Mumbai is located, so of course I had to take a photo. If you look carefully at the right hand side of the building you will see a faint yellow line. This is where the monsoon flood of late 1970s reached!

Below is Shivala Ghat, built by King of Nepal.

There are two cremation spots on the Ganges River in Varanasi. This one is the ‘simpler’ one and usually only residents south of this area are cremated here. Those living north of the city have to be cremated at the northern, main crematorium. I do not know why those living south cannot cross the city for burial.

This grand palace, just south of the crematorium, was the home of the Benaris king who destroyed the stupa with Buddha’s ashes and threw them in the river. It is currently abandoned, except for the woman meditating on the banks in front of it!

The power of internet struck again. I noticed some writing on the stairs and asked the guide what it said. He didn’t know the language. OK, I let it go. A minute later he tells me it is Tilian, a language from South Indian, and it is a Sanskrit prayer. He had put his camera on the image and got a translation!

Then there was the drying laundry. In the past there was a man who washed clothes in the river, but that is no longer allowed, so laundry is just sun/air dried here. Interesting, in the time between our passing this area and returning about 15 minutes later, the man had hung all the laundry. That was fast!

Our ride ended at the northern, more famous crematorium. This is the only crematorium that is allowed to have cremations 24 hours/ day and 7 days/week since Varanasi is the city of salvation. Normally, women do not come to the cremations as it is full of negative energy. However, there was a young woman sitting with the body of a near and dear one, stroking her, while waiting for the burning. Very touching.

There is a very famous Hindu temple located here and recently the government tore down many homes with their temples to open a second entrance. The lines at both entrances went one for a very long time and we didn’t stay! The only photo I could get of the gold temple roof is below, before we were all shooed away. Part of the current Hindu/Muslim tensions is centered here as there is a mosque inside the compound that has been closed. Whether it is ‘really’ a mosque is currently in the courts. Hopefully an honest judge will preside.

Then we entered my favorite part of Varanasi, the old town. If I ever return I am SO spending hours walking and getting lost in these little alleys full of homes, each with their own temple. I was very aware while walking of what was lost to build the ‘modern’ entrance to the temple.

These two men were saying their morning prayers and both gave me a friendly nod allowing me to take their photo!

There was, of course, traffic in the narrows walkways with vendors and carts taking turns to pass. Very civilized and organized.

As the cow walked by and I was taking a photo, a man said ‘let her pass’…like I would stop a cow in India!

This was touching, seeing a group of chanting men bringing a relative to the crematorium.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Varanasi and start the 7 hour drive to Bodh Gaya. On the way, there were many opportunities for photos! First was this fun photo. We were stuck in traffic and sitting at a light. I just missed the man putting the dough on the pan. I took the photo of him cooking and then he looked up and I acted out to pretend to drop batter. With a smile, he obliged!

The Indian version of disposable tea cups: clay!

Two more photos of bike drivers:

Before leaving for the country roads, I leave you with the street art of Varanasi.

The long ride afforded me many opportunities to capture great examples of colorful vehicles.

Many temples and mosques along the way, with most of the temples having the traditional cone shape of this region.

Many times we had to drive on dirt highway roads due to construction.

Not sure why people didn’t tell him he was going the wrong way…sure he’s on a bike-but in the middle of the road???

We entered farming country and harvesting the dry hay was clearly the order of the day. This was made crystal clear by all the farmers and families in the fields and many people carrying bundles on their heads.

More interesting dung cake patterns, ready for the fireplace!

We finally arrived and after a harrowing journey to get to the hotel due to detours and construction (thank you Babloo who ended up just driving on the dirt road against traffic!) we collapsed at the hotel, ready for the adventures awaiting us tomorrow.

March Madness ended with a long weekend visiting the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.  In Utter Pradesh I visited Varanasi and in Bihar, Bodh Gaya.

I arrived at the airport to be greeted by my trusted travel partner and guide Zeeshan, along with our driver over the next four days: Babloo.  We immediately went to our first location, called Sarnath. This is one of the four major pilgrimage sites of Buddhism and where Buddha gave his first sermon after Enlightenment.   King Ashoka (268-232 BC), a great emperor who after a brutal victory made it his mission in life (after conquering lands as far north as Afghanistan and east to Bangladesh) to spread the value of righteous conduct and later spread the word of  Buddhism, gave much money to this area and as a result many monasteries, stupas and monuments sprouted.  Interesting, the wheel on the Indian flag is not in honor of Ghandi’s spinning wheel but rather to Ashoka’s Charkra (more on that later).

While there are many debates about the positives and negatives of British rule over India, one indisputable fact is that as a result of Alexander Cunningham’s interest in the history and archaeology of India, many historical sites were excavated.  While Sarnath was first explored by Jonathan Duncan in 1794 and then by Colin Mackenzie in 1815, this site’s main excavation was done by Cunningham between 1834-36 when he was the founding head of the Archaeological Survey of India.  The location of Sarnath was made possible in part by the writing of Xuanzang, a Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler, a nice personal connection for me.  In the 20^th century excavations uncovered a lot of the artifacts found in the museum on the grounds of Sarnath.

The compound itself presents as a green lawn dotted with remnants of brick structures, from the base of giant stupas to Buddhist monasteries.  

Of note are four locations.  The first is the Mulagandha Kuti where the remains of a temple erected on the spot where Buddha is believed to have meditated.  As there are many different cultures where Buddhism is practiced, walking here is a mini-cultural excursion with varied remnants of tributes left by modern day and ancient visitors.  For example, gold leaf is left by Thai worshipers, while wrapped ribbons tend to be from Sri Lanka.   These practices are as ancient as the site, with these little ‘votive’ stupas left by less affluent visitors centuries ago.

Second is the remains of a stupa built by Ashoka where Buddha’s ashes were stored and it was named Dharmarajika.  This was torn down when the Moghuls ruled India and Buddha’s ashes were thrown into the river.

Third is the Ashokan pillar containing writing in the language of the day, Pali, in which Buddha gave his sermon. Hindu evolved from this language. There were several pillars and one is the earliest pillars contain a message from Ashoka urging monks and nuns not to create a schism at Sarnath. The pillars also contain messages from Ashoka defining him as a protector of his people, as well the teachings of Dhamma Buddhism with virtues such as truthfulness, and even what animals can and cannot be killed and when. The top of this pillar is very important and in the museum (more on that later). The structure was originally 15 meters high!

The main structure that rises from a base and seen from all areas of the compound is the Dhamekh Stupa.  This stupa, shaped in honor of Buddha’s begging bowl (inverted) is 2000 years old and is built on the spot where Buddha gave his sermon.  You can see some of the photos before restoration and the intricate carvings that remain. Being such a holy site for Buddhists, it was special to see this group of pilgrims chanting while going clockwise around the stupa several times.  I am guessing they are from China.

I enjoyed looking at various carvings of Buddha in main positions.  The one when his hand is touching the ground symbolizes his enlightenment. There is a myth around this that when he reached enlightenment there was no one around to tell, so he told the earth.  Then there is the yoga pose.  The third one, with fingers making a circle in a line represents his first sermon and teaching.

The Panchytan Temple was like a doll house!

As I adore stone carvings, I got a thrill looking at all these carvings created so long ago.  As expected, many of the carvings are of lotus leaves or flowers and leaves from the Buddha tree (it was a fig tree).  Walking on the original steps up to the Dhamekh Stupa and seeing their simple carvings gave me an even more poignant thrill.

The Archaeological Museum of Sarnath houses many artifacts found on the grounds and is a modern, well-laid out museum.  The AC was a blessed relief and made looking at all the stonework even better.

Upon entering the museum, you are immediately struck by the four-lion sculpture that was originally on top of the Ashoka pillar.  This was built by the emperor between 272-232 AD and is the national crest of India.  It is on all the money and is an excellent example of Mauryan art (Ashoka’s time).  The lions look out in all four directions to symbolize the influence of Buddha as the ‘king of all’.  The pillar has four great animals (elephant, lion, horse and bull) with wheels between to suggest the ever-active potency of law.  In essence, this represents how Ashoka’s empire was following Buddhist principles.  It is made of sandstone and no one to this day knows how they made the sandstone shine like it does.  It is beautiful: gentle and powerful at the same time.

Needless to say I was in seventh-heaven looking at all the stonework!

This inscription was discovered in 1908 and has 26 verses in Sanskrit in the character of Nagri script (see the chart!).  The first section focuses on the Buddhist queen Govindachandra (1114-1154 AD) with her genealogy and verses in praise of her.  The tablet ends with the notation that the poet Shrikunda wrote the verse and it was carved by Vamana.  Nice to see the carver get mentioned!

In 1990 a clay pot was uncovered containing precious items, found near the temple built by Myanmar.  The gold was in many forms from jewelry to gold foil and the pot contained as other stones and metals as well.  It is assumed to be from 2^nd to 1^st century BC and since it was located close to the Ashokan pillar was either an offering or used for rituals.

The panel below honors the four critical moments in Buddha’s life: on the bottom, his birth.  Above that is when he attains enlightenment with his wife and two daughters depicted standing at his side.  The third is at Sarnath, with two celestial figures above him. The top is his death with mourning figures around him.

After we checked into our hotel, we headed to what we thought was a real silk factory but it turned out to be one of those tourist trap stores.  However, I enjoyed looking at and learning about the traditional vs ‘modern’ ways to loom.  The modern way has those ‘computer like cards’ that determine what color goes where and the weaver just shoots the needle, The other way is much more difficult and therefore more expensive of course!  The old way required two men, one threading and one holding the strings. I ended up buying two exquisite fine silk scarves for $20 each; I felt guilty and obliged…sigh. Now who to gift them to??

Then we headed to the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, a most holy site, and an auspicious place to be cremated and to dip in the water to wash away your sins.  Dying here is also supposed to help your reincarnation. I was very touched to see an ancient man being walked to the water by his sons. 

We took a bike ride to the riverbank, a popular form of taxis here. Cars are not allowed as one gets closer to the riverbank, but being India there is still traffic!

People watching was overwhelming, with a wide variety of people and reasons for being in Varanasi – from tourism to pilgrims, from wealthy to professional beggars posing as holy monks. Very India!

We arrived early so we took a rowboat ride to see the views, but they dwarfed compared to the morning ride we took with the guide the next day (that was scheduled) so I will only include a few photos here.

I asked to be dropped off at the bank further up river as that would be a better to disembark instead of walking over 4 or 5 boats to get shore. This decision resulted in two fun moments.

The first is seeing an excellent example of medieval Rajasthani architecture, which is also one of the observatories in India (no longer functioning).

The second was seeing this boat being built. The boat maker was hammering the last piece (you can see the clips holding it together. I missed the photo because I received a phone call…but what a moment! A dying art I imagine as these boats are very expensive to make, but they are made by hand!

While waiting, I was sitting and it was fun that for ONCE I was not the object of vendors….they were going for the Indians!

The big ‘thing’ here is a night service called the Ganga Aarti Ceremony which honors the river.  EVERYONE watches it and there must have been 30,000 people when we were there. It was a sea of people singing and chanting, very moving.  We sat on a boat and watched from the shore.  Should I ever return, I will want to watch from a balcony, as the view from above must be amazing.  For the show/service we were meeting my friend and colleague Disha who was visiting with her son and husband.  It was totally freaky to meet someone from work here!   We had a nice catch up and enjoyed the show.  Below are a few highlights.

We left a little early to avoid the mad rush, stopped at a liquor store for me to buy vodka (of the rot-gut variety – big headache the next day) and then a delicious Indian dinner. Early to bed as we were getting up before sunrise to watch the sunrise ceremony.

March has been a busy month, and I am only now getting around sorting through photos to write my next blog post.  We have just started our spring break and for the first few days I am at home recuperating.

The first weekend in March was a trip to the Ambani Cultural Center to see a one-man show about an Indian South-African and his experience during Apartheid.  Very Powerful.  Afterwards an amazing dinner of butternut squash and sage gnocchi with goat cheese, brown butter and pine nuts.  Followed by goat cheese ravioli with golden beets, kale and pine nuts. My cocktail was a Sawayaka which contained sancho infused bourbon, matcha foam, lime and ginger ale.  The other cocktail was entertainment!  This restaurant, called Amadeo, had four separate open kitchens serving Japanese, Italian, Chinese and Indian cuisine.  Exceptionally delicious and it is here I learned what is meant by a perfect bite.  I tried the ravioli alone and it was so-so.  Then for my second bite I included the other components and the flavor explosion in my mouth was amazing!

Later that week was the wedding of a former employee from Ecole.  The happy couple met at Ecole, so the love match was a real Ecole story! I attended two of the many ceremonies: the Haldi ceremony at the groom’s house and the reception at a venue the next evening.  I am NOT used to doing things weekday evenings, let alone TWO evenings in a row.

What is wonderful regarding the Haldi ceremony is the exact same event happens at the groom and bride’s houses.  Then some of the turmeric mixture (along with curd, sandalwood, gram flour, rose water, milk, mustard oil, almond powder, and lemon juice) from each of their faces is brought to them during the night and added to their facial decorations.  This ‘facial’ allows for the faces to be glowing the day of the final ceremony.   It is a joyous, music filled affair.  I was honored to be invited and as you can see from my face while dancing – had a great time.

These photos are from Ankesh’s neighborhood, full of life and color. Ankesh’s family is part of the Koli community, the original inhabitants of Mumbai who were (and are) fishermen. Ankesh has opted for a career in finance.

The next evening was one of the ceremonies but unfortunately, we arrived too late for it.  I did get to greet the happy couple and give my present.  I was too tired to stay for the dancing but had a nice time people watching and chatting with others from the school.

Next was the 3-day weekend which coincided with some good friends visiting Mumbai.  William Scarborough (we worked together in Moscow) was hired to do some consulting for an international school in Hyderabad, so he and his wife Martha took the opportunity to explore Mumbai with me.  They stayed at the 5*deluxe Taj…I stayed at a lovely boutique 3* hotel down the road.

Our first day found us having Thali at the famous and long serving Chetana.  

We shopped for kurtas and stumbled upon the old Synagogue in Mumbai which was beautiful. This Orthodox Jewish synagogue was established in 1884 by Jacob Elias Sassoon. While there was a small fee to enter, it is mostly maintained by a trust set up by the Sassoon family.  It has a nice blend of Jewish and Colonial influences with beautiful stained glass and woodwork.  I found the soft colors conducive to calmness and prayer.

Dinner was at the Lebanese restaurant at the Taj with its majestic views of the Mumbai harbor.  A wonderful tidbit I learned while on a previous Mumbai tour was that years ago when Lumiere came to Mumbai in 1896 a cinema was opened in a hotel but it was only for whites. Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, founder of the Tata Group, opened the Taj Mahal Palace, a hotel in Mumbai in 1903 in (so it is said) retaliation.  His hotel is still operating the other is a ruined building.  FYI- the Tata family from the very beginning have been strong philanthropists. Today 60% of their profits go into a foundation.

Each morning as I walked to the Taj before the onslaught of vendors and tourists, I was able to enjoy the view of this Methodist church, as well as other South Mumbai architecture.

The second morning I joined William and Martha for the buffet breakfast at the Taj, which allowed me to hear the traditional music being played in the lobby and in the old building’s stairwell.

Here are some other views of the majestic Taj – the jewelry on sale was stunning.

Today’s excursion was to the Dharavi Slums, a place I have visited several times before.  I joined William and Martha because I wanted to replace the blue leather purse I lost last year.  As always, visiting here is a great experience where one sees the efficiency and organization of the various businesses. The neighborhood is divided into two sections: the business side and then you cross into the residential zone. 

I always see and learn something new while on the tour.  This time we focused on the metal recycling.

I also learned that the shredding and cleaning of the recycled plastic no longer happens here due to the pollutants.  It is done in the country and returned here for some of its repurposing.  I enjoyed chatting with our resident-student guide and again would like to reiterate that 95% of the residents move on to higher education. This community is tight and supportive of each other.

I finally got a decent shot of the knife sharpener and William took the video where you can see how the bike fuels the grinder.

Lunchtime: seeing this bread being made was hard…I wanted to eat a fresh roti!

During this visit I learned that if you add salt when dying, the colors last. These experts are given a swatch of material and match the colors perfectly.

The luggage section was hard at work, there clearly is a big order to be finished.

Today, the leather dryer was being used. This is the first time I saw this.

As we moved over to the residential section, I saw this amazing machine which is a spice grinder. You can order any spice ground to the consistency you want.

Two ancient ways to iron: coal and the more modern electricity method.

Some animal photos!

The highlight of the tour was seeing these kids playing this game with a top (something to do with throwing down your top onto another one, hitting it so it moves). They practiced their English on us and everyone had a lot of fun. I wish I took a video of that game!!

The older boys were into cricket of course!

The tour always ends at the pottery section, where the potters live AND work.

Lunch was a lovely restaurant where we had delicious wine and food.

After napping at our respective hotels, dinner was at The Table, one of my favorite restaurants in South Mumbai where we had drinks at the bar while waiting for table service to begin.

The next morning we had breakfast in the old section of the Taj which had elegance and was calmer. The view was lovely. Notice the amazing way they serve honey!

After our relaxing breakfast it was time for the highlight of the weekend (for me at least): visiting Elephanta Caves, a 40-minute ferry ride from the harbor at The Gate of India. The name Elephanta comes from the Portuguese who found a massive elephant structure on the island (now displayed elsewhere) however the original name is Khara Puri, which means the city of rocks.  These caves are estimated to be from the 6^th-7^th centuries and are a world heritage site. The island is lava rock, so therefore was easier to carve.  I will add that the Portuguese used the caves as shooting practice so some of the sculptures are disfigured.

From our wonderful guide Anita I got a firmer understanding of Hinduism and how the three main gods are in essence their Trinity, manisfestations of the bigger cosmic being. I also learned that the hand gesture for Namaste symbolizes the joining of an electrical circuit of respect towards the one you are greeting. When you do a Namaste, you are doing the Anjali Mudra a symbolic hand gesture involving pressing the palms together in front of the heart chakra, accompanied by a slight bow of the head. This gesture serves to establish a profound connection between the body and mind while expressing gratitude and respect. You are recognizing the god in you and the god in me.

We arrived at the island and started the climb up the hill, taking our time and checking out the stalls.  Arriving at the first cave was impressive, and from this moment on, my mouth was constantly open.  I love stone carvings to begin with – but this collection of mini caves creates an incredible atmosphere.  I hope some of my photos do it justice.

The main temple is to the right of the center.  It is the only part of the caves still considered consecrated and the only place where you take off your shoes.  This square room is flanked by four door keepers, and one must climb steps up to the stone.  The shape of the stone, similar to the domes of nuclear power plants, symbolizes Shiva’s energy. Throughout this cave are carvings of various manifestations of Shiva.

This panel, to the right of the shrine, depicts destruction of the demon Andhaka by Shiva (who had tried to abduct Parvati, Shiva’s wife).  Since each drop of the demon’s blood created a new demon, Shiva created the goddess Chaminda to hold Andhaka’s blood in a skull cap.  In the end, Andhaka was spared when he praised Shiva (no ego there) and subsequently apologized and performed penances.

To the left of the shrine, is a panel depicting the marriage of Shiva with Parvati.

This panel, called Ardhanarishvara, is an interpretation of a myth in which Shiva manifests himself in an androgynous form.  You will note how male and female body parts are included in the carvings, with the right half as Shiva and the left as Parvati.

At this point, like you, I was overwhelmed with the all stories connected with Shiva and the carvings so I just enjoyed their beauty.

Upon reaching the bottom, we boarded the little train to the dock, doing some people and nature watching along the way.

While selling to tourists is a major source of income, fishing is still the traditional industry.

The ride back saw me entertaining myself by taking photos of tankers. Mumbai is a major port for the receiving oil to be refined.

We disembarked, said goodbye to Anita and headed to the first restaurant we saw which turned out to be a hit, both with decor and food.

After lunch, before heading to the Taj to relax by the pool, Martha and I walked to buy me new reading glasses. On the way, I had a literary moment as we passed the Parsi compound, where the character from one of my favorite mystery series lives.

This weekend ended magnificently with William, Martha and I lounging by the pool in the courtyard that was so quiet you had no idea you were in a major city!

The view from William and Martha’s room!!

Heading back north to my neighborhood I was treated to a lovely sunset.

If that wasn’t exhausting enough, the next weekend there was a PYP conference in a nearby city (a 4 hour drive) which Shraddha, Jonathan and I attended. It was a good conference put on by a wonderful, little school (Mahindra International School). We spent the night in Pune so in the morning we had a yummy western breakfast before heading back to Mumbai.

The last week of work before vacation saw the Primary Production (a huge hit) and a lot of very tired teachers. I have been sitting at home recuperating and catching up on household chores and tasks that have been piling up these past few weeks. Today is Holi and I opted not to go out and celebrate. However, when I went to buy my vegetables for the week, I met some women visiting India whose tour guide brought them to our apartment complex to celebrate. Their joy was infectious as was the water and powder play by the kids. I returned to the the apartment a little different than when I left!

Now stay tuned for part two of March Madness as in 3 days I head off to Veranasi and Bodh Gaya!

My last day started with an excellent omelet and the knowledge that this amazing vacation was coming to an end.  We were exploring the sights of Trivandrum and I was going to make the most of it.

On the way to our first stop we passed more beautiful temples, which I photographed since we were not on a highway and I could get closer angles.  Like Moscow is the city of Orthodox churches, Kerala is the state of temples. I also saw this interesting sight: a bus with a door that is opened by hand.

Our first stop was the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, dedicated to Vishnu. It is unknown when this temple, with its stunningly beautiful façade, was built or by whom, but references of it appear in the 950s.  The current trustee is the Maharaja of Tavencore and non-Hindus are not allowed to enter.  The incredible heat of the day made it difficult to use my zoom lens as it kept fogging over.  I managed to get a few shots before security asked us to leave either to move further from the entrance, or to stop taking photos.  Not sure what was said but we moved on to our next stop, the adjoining palace of the royal family.

To enter the temple one must follow the dress code: The dress code for men is Dhoti with or without Angavastra and their chest must be uncovered. The dress codes for women are Sarees, Dhoties or Pavadas with blouse or other coverings as appropriate to their age. Salvar sets and other modern dresses are not allowed. Young girls below 12 years may wear gowns. The color, as you can see, must be white for men.

The Puthen Maliga Palace Museum was our next stop. The palace entrance was on this main path to the temple and it was amazing how just outside the wall it’s noisy and hectic yet within the walls of the palace, it is silent and peaceful. The museum has a very strange rule: on the palace grounds you cannot use your regular camera, just your phone camera. Inside no cameras at all.  The guide (who was excellent) was curious about why I was dictating information onto my phone so Zeeshan mentioned I had a blog. As a result, I think she politely ignored my stealth photo taking (I didn’t take too many considering what was in the museum).  When we learned the fine for taking photos was only 1000 rupees, I was hoping someone would fine me but so one did. The guide was tipped well.

This palace was built in the18th century by Sree Swati (1813-1846) who was considered a great leader with a corruption free reign. He died at the young age of 33.  The palace is still owned by the family and in 1955 was reopened for tourists.  This is the same royal family who owned the palace I visited yesterday, and they currently live in yet another palace!  In the past they hosted music festivals here, a tradition that is continued to this day.

The palace was filled with amazing artwork, ceilings, paintings…the list is endless.  During the walk I took stealth photos of items that were especially intriguing or interesting to me. One really gets a sense of how these royal families lived. Throughout the tour I wondered what their home looked like, if this was the extra stuff!

In one room there were windows to the outside world. In this room there is a secret door that has a direct tunnel to the temple!

The first thing I fell in love with were these statues.

This is worth noting: the tusks from elephants! There were tusks that were at least one meter long and almost a foot width at bottom, with one as tall as me. In the other museum on the compound, there was a taxidermied (is that a word?) elephant which was a Maharaja’s favorite. It is there I learned the size of tusks is not dependent on the size of the elephant, just the age I guess. Made me sad for all the elephants who were killed for their tusks and how elephants today will never grow such large tusks.

Once outside we were able to carefully look at the trim on the roof from below (we saw them in the palace as well) – a row of 122 perfectly carved horses. Hence this palace is called The Horse Palace.

This ring, carved from one piece of wood so it could move, is the signature of the artist:

I end with photos of one of the best museum guides I have had in India.

Upon leaving the museum, we ran to get water as the heat today is brutal. Our next stop was the Napier Museum. This is one of the oldest museums in India and was established by the Maharaja in 1874.  The museum architecture was a display in and of itself, a building that replaced the original in 1880. This museum is full of a wonderful assortment of carvings, textiles, household items and even instruments representing Southern Indian cultures and dynasties.

The first item I spent a long time exploring was this temple car with its intricate carvings and large size (note the wheel next to a chair!). This cart was used to carry the deities, a practice in existence to this day.

These were some other interesting wood carvings.

Of course, ivory carvings were on display as well. The most interesting was this concentric ball: look carefully and you will see a ball within a ball within a ball. How that was created is beyond me…such craftsmanship!

My favorite deity dolls were on display as well. Not life size like in the palace, but equally beautiful.

With the bronze statutes there was a Vishnu chakra from the 11th century (a wheel that identifies the energy points in your body).

The final room we visited, actually the right wing as this museum’s layout is one floor with an open plan, displayed artifacts from Raja’s trip to the Indonesian islands in 1937. Like me, he is a collector of masks. FYI- some of these masks are from Sri Lanka, not this trip, but I am grouping them together.

This was my favorite lady, the details were interesting.

This stone Buddha is from the 2nd century!

This toy bird on wheels is from 2500BC! The timelessness of toys….such toys are still in vogue today!

The reclining Buddha is from the 18th century while the standing one is Burmese from the 10th century.

There were some excellent examples of Indonesian shadow puppets.

And finally, a Balinese girl dancer’s costume. If you look closely there is a photograph of her in the upper-right corner. This does not look like a comfortable outfit to dance in!

Luckily while we were in this museum it rained so it was not a brutal walk to the next museum. The ‘street art’ here is clearly a style developed and supported by the government (or just one lucky artist).

This museum is called the Keralam Museum of History and Heritage and is dedicated to celebrating the diverse history and cultures of Kerala.  It starts with the neolithic and paeleolithic ages.  We only explored the first floor unfortunately because I was exhausted.  Should I return to Thiruvananthapuram, this is the first place I will return to.

Artwork welcoming us to the museum!

The first rooms were dedicated to the Paleolithic Period, or Old Stone Age. Of particular interest for me was this tool for sharpening axes!

This is a reproduction of engravings from 3000-500BC. It amazed me that it could be a modern piece of art. It is from the Ekaddal caves, clearly a location to visit when I return to Kerala.

The earliest evidence of written language were found at these caves. Later, in the 9th to 15th centuries orders from the rules were written on stone and copper plates. Below, these talk about donating land to the temple as well as information on the administration of it.

The museum shared their belief that sculpture is the highest expression of art and how this art form was practiced in Kerala from ancient times through to the present. Metal carvings began in the 8th or 9th centuries, before that wood and stone were the main medium. These were my favorite.

Here I learned about the Theyyattam dance form. The rigorous dance style is often a dance of the gods and the performers impersonate popular deities. It is felt the dancer is possessed by the deity while he performs. There were two amazing examples of the elaborate costumes worn by the dancers. Imagine dancing in these heavy masks! I wonder how this is related to the performance I saw earlier in the trip?

We also got to see reproductions of some murals. Of special interest were the famous ones from the Padmanabhapuram Palace museum we visited on the way to this city. The rooms housing them were temporarily closed to the public due to renovations.

The last rooms I had the energy to visit were highlighting the architecture of Kerala.

I leave this section of the blog with two fascinating tidbits. First, I saw how the statues I love were used: very similar to Orthodox icons – deities to pray to and displayed in your house.

I also found it interesting that water was collected using these slanted roofs that open directly into the house. I wonder what happens during monsoon season??

On the way back to the hotel we stopped to buy the famous banana chips of Kerala. I was given strict instructions by the teachers to return with some. It was fun to see how they were made and I can without hesitation say they are delicious, the best banana chips I have ever eaten.

We returned to the hotel to rest before dinner, a restaurant recommended due to its excellent food with a sunset view – so we booked a table. I wanted to treat Zeeshan and Bijou as a thank you for an exceptional week. What the travelers who posted the review failed to mention was that this restaurant was at the Taj hotel so the price was not what one usually pays for meals in India! However, the food was exquisite, the view amazing and we stayed outside even when it started to rain. A wonderful way to end the day.

Returning Home the next day

I was a bit frantic with photos on the way to the airport, wanting to hold on to the vacation as long as possible, building the memories so they won’t fade. I love my iPhone’s camera!

Arriving on Sunday, the last day of the Diwali break, meant the airport was a madhouse. As we landed everyone jumped up before the plane stopped yet no request from fight attendants to site down: the Cricket World Cup finals were to begin soon. Totally acceptable behavior! While waiting at the Keralan airport many were watching the pre-game show. While chatting with one fellow, he quietly and politely asked which team I was supporting. After all, it was India vs a western team (Australia). I enthusiastically said India at which the man visibly smiled and relaxed!

At the airport in Mumbai there was not a trolley to be seen. There was no way I could walk without one (too much shopping…I know, no sympathy) I had to wait 30 minutes as a kind young man went to get more. Once leaving the terminal, it was clear why!

Once home I went to our apartment complex’s function hall as a large screen TV was set up to watch the final. The energy was low as it was clear India was going to lose. I didn’t stay. 

The next day at school there were a lot of conversations by students, with phrases they clearly heard from their parents the night before as they were probably bereft and crying: ‘we should be proud they made it to the final’, ‘they tried their best’, ‘the better team won THAT particular match’.

My final photo, my last location in Kerala: