Half of India was there...really!
Trip Start
Jun 27, 2010
1
12
20
Trip End
Aug 07, 2010
Where I stayed
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Sunday, July 18, 2010
To reach the cave you first had to get to this teeny-tiny town about an hour away from Pune. The streets were unpassable. Goats, cows, chickens and PEOPLE everywhere. Cars were decorated with orange flowers, people were wearing the holi paint on their faces, and every where you looked you could buy marigold flower and coconut offerings for the special gods being celebrated. Orange is the color of sacrifice here, and every temple has orange flowers for people to buy to offer when they reach the temple. Every temple has a bell or two or three which it is customary to reach up and ring.
There were cars and people everywhere, as well as buses, some of which are called Arabian buses, where people sit on the first floor like you are used to seeing, and then the second layer is for people to lie down. Watching the bus inch its way into the town was an experience. I think it cleared each car or other bus or truck by an inch. People bang on the outside to let you know that you can get by. And everyone is honking...as if it would make a difference. Everyone was hanging out of the windows of the cars and trucks, and some of the cars were packed with 9 or ten people in each. There were trucks packed with people too...babies, children, old people, PEOPLE!!! There are (duh) a LOT of people everywhere in India. It's just constant movement of human beings wherever I am.
We hiked up amidst bands playing and music blaring. People were dancing wildy everywhere except for the gazillions who were waiting on line very patiently. We were the only non-Indian people there, and at times we were the center of curiosity. People wanted to get their photos taken with us! It was really funny but people have not seen light skinned people like us before. I keep thinking that we must look very boring with our blacks and blues next to all of these fabulous colors!
The caves themselves were huge. It gave me a bit of a window into how the caves in Afghanistan must be and why it's so hard to find them. From far away it looks like a green mountain until you are close up. These caves were originally used in the 1st century BC by Buddhist monks. There are fabulous carvings inside, and the monks cells are still intact.
I came back to have a head, shoulder and back massage. Ah---Two hours of bliss! They do a hot oil hair treatment here which I did have. My hair is so smooth right now! We had dinner on the roof of the hotel overlooking mountains in the distance, and of all nights there were fireworks over the city. I don't know why but it is so funny when things like that happen when you are traveling. We couldn't have planned it any better.
Tomorrow we leave for Chennai....next adventure? I'll let you all know! Hope you are all well and enjoying your summers. I love reading your posts back to me, and know how much I appreciate your keeping me posted on life on the other side of the world.
Comments
Back in the East, where local and stay-vacations look like this: mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, watering only what has to be watered in preparation for two weeks on the Cape in Wellfleet. Megan took my car on Thurs at 2:30AM to drive to Schnectady, NY for a three day music festival. She is on her way back now. Then, we get a ride to the Provincetown ferry and head to the Cape. Nick and his girlfriend Claudia, are flying in from Washington DC, staying overnight at the house and then driving down to Wellfleet to join the rest of us. My parents are taking a bus from NYC on Monday and we will all be together to celebrate Dan's 60th birthday, our 30th anniversary, Megan's graduation, my mother's 85th birthday. Should be fun, more mundane than your trip. I love reading your posts, keep them coming.
Wow! It is such a gift to share a piece of your journey-your entries and your photos give such a wonderful flavor of the experience! Love the colors and the people. Life in Newton, by contrast, is quiet and boring. I hope you continue to have an incredible time and look forward to your next posting!! Love from Cindy
The cave and cave event sound great.... culture and geology and art .... and adventure!
Safe travels
Steven
Andi,
Your descriptions of the amazing colors, sights, sounds, and smells keep me up in my dreams trying to somehow imagine the kaleidoscope you are seeing. And the children--they are so beautiful. I want to know more about the caves and their extraordinary splendor and what the cells of the monks were like? Your writing is beautiful--and you look amazingly cool and calm under the hot sun and crowded passages!!!!
Luv,
Lucia
Andi,
Is today (the 18th) your birthday? We are celebrating my beloved sister's b'day today as well. Many wishes for you both for more adventures and connection with this extraordinary world--I so envy your spirit and have many things to talk to you about on your return!
Lucia
What a blessing that you are able to take this wonderful trip.