A blissed out broken heart

Oh, the terrible irony...

On Friday, December 12, one of my best dog friends in the entire world passed away suddenly. I got the news via email three days later and immediately called Joanie to grieve with her. Ginger is the sister (pictured on the right) of my dog Sadie, and she is like a second child to me, having spent much of her life with Sadie and me - at work, home and play. She was the tenderest, sweetest , most laid back pooch in the whole world (I've been looking!), and she was completely devoted to Joanie. Being halfway around the globe when something traumatic like this happens to your best friend is so difficult, and suddenly the world - which for three months has seemed so small - is in an instant very, very big. For the first time in my travels, I am homesick. My heart wants to be home with Joanie, and Sadie. Ginger Parsons, you will be missed...

But for now, I am here, in South India. And completely blissed out. I am writing from Kudle Beach in Gokarna and have been spending my time floating in the gentle Indian Ocean waves and working on tanning up all those white parts of my body. It's a hilarious mix of aging hippies, dreadlocked backpackers, hungry cows and us. (My family will be thrilled to know that I am definitely one of the least hippie-like people here!) Our hotel room is expensive in India terms -about $28/night - but it is gorgeous, and looks right out onto the beach through the palm trees that keep our room cool and shady. Anywhere else in the world, this room would probably cost a few hundred bucks per night. Of course, I am on a budget (much to Angie's chagrin!) and we do want to see more of India than just the beach, so we will leave here soon. Direction - south. Destination - TBD.

Prior to the beach, we stayed in Hampi for three nights. Though hardly a blip on the India map, it is one of the most amazing, historic places I have ever been. It is INCREDIBLE! I describe it as Ancient Rome meets the Desert Southwest. Imagine Arches National Park with nearly 1,000 temples built on the rocks, and you have an idea of what Hampi is like. When the Vijayanagar Empire was the center of South India's government (until 1565), Hampi was the largest and most developed capital city in the world... even BIGGER than Rome! We met a local rickshaw driver / mega-entrepreneur "Ragu - like the sauce," who gave us a tour of the many temples and historical sites. The pure awe I experienced upon arrival in the town will stay with me forever.

This is a photo of one spot along the riverside in the morning, with nearly every one of the town's 3,000 residents coming for their morning bath.

This was taken from the top of one of the hills to give you an idea of the landscape. From this place (though you can't see it in my photo) there were at least 20 temples that I could identify - and probably at least 100 more!

This is the largest temple, standing at about 300 feet tall, and built right in theheart of the town directly adjacent to our hotel. There were Macaques (monkeys) crawling al over it.

Though Angie didn't get to actually wash Laxmi, the resident elephant (this is as close as she came!) we did have a wonderful morning on the shore of the river watching her morning bathing ritual (same river, same time as the humans!) and then witnessing her adornment for the local festival. It was awesome to watch, and to be so close to one of nature's true majestic beauties. That said, we are still holding out for an even closer encounter...

It's also been interesting traveling with Angie. I joked before we got here that she would be so hard to find in this land of dark-haired, dark-skinned people. Indeed, she does blend in and is constantly asked where she's from - no one has ever guesses the USA. Most people think she's Indian! Meanwhile, I am like a one-person, white-skinned, blue-eyed freakshow. Everywhere we go (that's not touristy), people want to shake my hand, take a picture with me, and try in their best English to make small talk. In these moments, Angie luckily can sneak away and hardly be noticed. The top photo was of a group of school girls who were visiting one of the temples we were, though they were more interested in me (!), and the other one was taken at the river bank. I had to feign hungriness to get away from this group.

One of the highlighst for Angie on this trip so far has been her experience shopping for a sari in Bangalore. Our hotel was in the garment district, and we passed no less than 100 stores selling silks for saris. If you know Angie, you know she is a fabric geek with an awesome sense of style. Watching her in the sari store really was like watching a kid in a candy store!

It is impossible for me to name a single highlight of India. I have enjoyed every second of this country, though as Angie can attest to, I can not stop comparing it to Nepal. Though it's similar in some senses, it is definitely not the third world. I'm looking forward to heading deeper into the heart of this country and to discover all that I can absorb.

With love and gratitude for friendship,

Pam