india...round two...

I recall in conversation to a friend right after our last India trip commenting "the world is such a big place and of all the places I've been, India is the one place I don't NEED to return to." But what is it about this place, about this people that grip my heart? And so, having opportunity to go again, Deepa, Renuka and I set out with high expectations and the added bonus of seeing Uncle Lyle.



Again, I found that when I most wanted to pull out my camera, I felt the most peculiar doing so. These two women allowed me to...and smiled deeply upon seeingthe result! Cute. Deepa would/did say that this picture is missing the best part....the baby sleeping on the ground at their feet. As for the beggars, I wish I knew what was best. I struggle there. I struggle here, on the streets of Seattle, knowing when to give, what to give, if their need is genuine, if I'm really helping...



Just around the corner from where we stayed in Bangalore, there is an exquisite diner!! Give me an onion dosa and a coffee and I'll be happy...until lunch when I'd like to come back for the same...smile! As for the coffee...yes, Indian coffee is full of goodness...lots of sugar and lots of milk. Here, as an alternative to steaming the milk, they warmed it in a large pot and then stretched it by poring it from a height to produce the pleasant froth. And all done so fast that I had trouble not getting a blur in the photo. Mmmmmm!



Other things about this culture, amuse me. Or perhaps it is back to the reality that when we are out of our everyday routine, our surroundings tend toward more clarity and meaning? So, whether it was the excessive quantity of coconut juice in Renuka's coconut, cows in front of a bank billboard, a rickshaw driver reading a paper at a light in the middle of traffic's controlled chaos, signs warning of dire consequences, being accosted by sellers of Santa hats (20 ruppees and a photo later), flirting with a baby and mother in the back of a rickshaw, seeing hockey fans gathered outside a store with a glass front and a TV inside, or watching a skilled potter at a wheel..or whatever else...vibrance and perspective are the result. This may not be love I am describing to you, but more than sincere fascination!




As before, one of the things that we got good at was waiting. Whether it was waiting at the zoo for our safari (yes, the lions, tigers and bears appeared quite content...whew!), at the Mysore Palace for our ramble through a rich history (what grandeur and what a lesson in not talking to strangers...thanks for the guidance Vivek and Stephanie!), or for food, our American respect for "now" was easily pushed aside. However, I should note that even standing in line amongst our friends for food, is not just absence of movement, rather it is an active foward-looking phobia-free venture.



Maybe now's a good time to say something about my two dear Indian sisters. Would I embarass them too much if I told you here that I find them to be very very lovely...in a natural way with smooth beautifully brown skin and slight persons...and in a more meaningful way with more-than-pleasant dispositions, a depth of character and understanding that I may have discounted previously. Oh and not to forget, the ability to make me smile anywhere and anytime....whether it's laundry on the roof at 5 AM, giddiness journal-bartering at midnight or incredulously noting that the stuffed animal gift to our brother was cut open in six places by security!





Another notable thing that I have yet to speak of is how awesome...and that word not used lightly here...how awesome our friends are. Families and friends alike with a common purpose and understanding that transcends age and chaos and country. People that would do anything for you...and you for them. Melts my heart. And makes me want to return...sooner rather than later!! Truth.

So, if a trip and it's companions can be gauged by the quantity I missed them the day after (that is me...me, who tends toward not missing, but merely reconnecting at another venture), this trip was more than a success!

And so I try to return to reponsible-living, but find my mind floats back to these days.

Until again, dear sisters! And what of you brothers?? :)