We're Not in Kansas Anymore

So we’re not in Kansas anymore…not even Delhi…What a wonderful adventure we had today in rural India!

After a hearty breakfast, we went out with a driver and guide to see the sights – and what sights and smells there were!  The villages are like stepping back 150 years in time except that every few houses you see a satellite dish.  We spent some time watching a man making clay cooking utensils and then went to two wonderful Hindu Temples – one built in 13C and the other in 11 C.  Both were filled with erotic carvings that were intended to “represent the ephemeral world of senses.”  It is hard to reconcile this in a country where men and women do not show any affection to each other in public and yet here are these erotic scenes right out there for all to see – and not just one or two – dozens and dozens on the walls.  One of the Temples is still in use and we were treated to watch several people in prayer and presenting gifts to the gods.

We had a wonderful picnic lunch prepared for us by our hosts at the palace and then a trek through the fields and woods.  The weather was hot, but not blazingly and quite dry.  Everything was VERY dusty, but not too hot.  We saw really cute monkeys in several trees and gorgeous flowers.  At one point we had to cross a river and our guide had the men who were bathing there create a “bridge” of rocks for us.  Again, it is so nice to be so well taken care of, but I am starting to feel like one of the British during the Raj.

Our last stop was a local market and I do not have words to describe the dust, the crowds, the smells, the flies, the colorful women, the produce, the spices, the women getting bangles put on their arms, and on and on.  It is not possible to get a sense of this from photos or videos – you just have to be in the middle of it to get the feel of it.

This is so far removed from Delhi that it could be another planet.  Tomorrow we have one more day in the rural countryside and then off to the coast.  We continue to be amazed at how well we are being treated and how far away we feel from home.