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So Nandi must have been smiling on me today – previous posts will note my frustration of being in a country full of bullocks carts and my incredible lack of success in photographing one – because I was actually able to get a few really good pictures of bullocks today with their decorated horns.

The first picture I took on the way back from the saree shop yet again – this time to get my petticoat shortened so that I don't trip on it while I am attempting to walk in my saree.  (Yeah Yeah, no comments please)  There is actually a second bullock but he is behind the wall of the construction site.  I think he has sort of a regal look on his face and you know, I might too if I had a pair of huge blue horns.

Blue Horns

The second set of pictures I captured was on the way back home from running errands later today.  The cart pulled up alongside the rest of the traffic.  The driver was also kind enough to let me (the crazy lady in the innova) take his picture as well.
Thanks Nandi!

Yellow Horns and Tassle

Sure Ok Lady

Actually, it is winter here but after all the rains, the trees are blooming.  I was walking back from my saree wrapping lessons – yes, yes, I needed some practice and some expert advice – I saw the following on the street next to ours and had to stop and take a picture.

3rd Main Flower Show

Flowery Street

This guy thought I wanted to take a picture of him (actually I wanted the picture of the flowers on the street) but he was posing so I thought why not?

Look at my Bike

is being able to capture images like these:

Building

Watching Mom

Bike On Roof

Coming From Temple

A couple of mornings a week, round about 9:30, there has been this profound whacking sound outside my office window – not sure if I was playing my music to loud before to hear it or what but the past few weeks, I have really noticed it.

So, given I am a bit (ok "a very") curious person, I decided to take my camera and investigate.  Our behind the way neighbor's backyard is right below our balcony window in the office.  And I discovered the other day, the whacking sound was their maid doing the laundry – the traditional way.

Basically, it involves a couple of big pots of clean water, a laundry soap bar (think TIDE compressed into a small eraser), occasionally a brush (depending on depth of a stain) and a huge slab of granite or other hard surface.

The procedure – yes, I watched for a while as I am always willing to learn something new and thought it would be handy when the power is out – is as follows:

1 – Wet dirty garment with water
2 – Run soap eraser over cloths
3 – if significant staining, use brush to scrub out stain
4 – Wet garment again – have noticed that this occasionally means dipping soapy cloth in one bucket of clean water
5 – WHACK cloth against granite or other hard substance and kneed like dough – HENCE whacking sound which started this investigation…
6 – Throw garment in 2nd clean water pot for final rinse
7 – Take garment out, ring out and hang to dry

Very impressive process which no doubt builds arm muscles – humm maybe this is what I need – and might help me prepare to my trip to Mali after seeing Marie having to wash clothes in a similar fashion.

Pre Whack

Driving around Bangalore during commute hours is something to be seen – the other day I was driving to teach my class and we had to contend with the morning traffic – actually Shashi had to contend with it and I just had to sit back and wait and wait. 

After passing this bus (and about 5 others) packed to the gills with people – some sleeping, other being jostled about as the bus started and stopped, I thought two things:

How remarkably similar it was to the SF Muni bus run in Chinatown and THANK GOD I was in my car with plenty of space.

Can You Say Sardine?

The second largest Democrats Abroad in India, the Bangalore chapter, was started by my friend Sara in July of 08.  She recently moved back to the US, passing on her chairmanship to two other American expats here in Bangalore. 
Boy howdy – all were sure proud of all her hard work because it
culminated in a fantastic election day gathering at a local hotel on
Nov 5 (we are 13.5 hrs ahead of California).

It was really amazing to see how passionately fellow citizens engaged and cared about the election – not to mention the future of our country and it's perception in the eyes of the world.  It started at 7am as the east coast had mostly been called. Dar and I got there around 7:20 and the crowd was a little sparse so we went next door to the hotel restaurant and had breakfast – we didnt miss any action because every TV in the place was tuned to election results.

By 9am the place was rocking.   Dar – being the newly minted US citizen – posted a blog on the Huffington Post giving his perspective of the election – I was so proud!

Print and TV reporters were everywhere.  All were very interested in getting expats takes on the election, who we wanted to win and what a potential OBAMA victory would mean for the US and the world. 

When the results came in, I cried – what a momentous victory and a step towards redemption – for my country in the eyes of the rest of the world and it's citizens who built the nation with their hard work.  I was finally honestly able to say that I was PROUD to be an American – something that had been so far from the truth for the past 8 years! 

When I was interviewed by a reporter from a local TV station, I shared that sentiment, as well as my opinion that now, the work began and my hope that Obama's victory was a signal to the rest of the world and that it was also a bellwether for the future.

Darren Bloggin for Huffington Post

Mou Getting Interviewed

The Crowd

So what could be a more perfect way to cap off a peaceful day than with watermelon and a hamburger – devoured in different places but devoured none the less.

Yummy!

Caught!

NOT AS GOOD AS NOBBYS!!

Hila and her husband Ran (whom we affectionally refer to as our extractors because they get us out of our apartment on the weekends) suggested that we travel about 20 KM outside the city central of Bangalore to a Dancers Village. 

It was a fabulous day.  The village, Nrityagram, was established by Protima Gauri in 1990 and is the most idealic and peaceful place I have been to in Bangalore so far.  We paid a 20 INR entrance fee ($0.50) and spent about 2 hours wandering through the complex and watching a dance rehearsal accompanied by musicians.  It was an amazing experience. 

The dance that the two women performed was incredibly intricate – they used every part of their body (eyes, face, arms, fingers, hips, feet and toes) to communicate a story to the watching audience.  I was gobsmacked by the beauty and power of their movement and the music.  I would urge anyone who can to see these women perform – they are world renown and often perform in the US and Europe (schedule can be found on the link above in blue).

The entrance to the dancers village:

Village Sculpture

Urli (very traditional sign of welcome in India placed outside a door)

Welcoming Urli

Darren about to watch a performance

My Love

Statues inside the dance studio where we watched the performance

Elegant Dancers

God statues in the garden

God Statues

Hila pondering the universe

Hila

Dancers houses in the village

Local House

Me standing outside one of the practice studios

Me

Ran teaching his little one to be a photographer

Future Photographer?

After going to the temple, Ran, his daughter and I wandered into the local market in the area.  The market consisted of cramped alleyways covered in blue tarps filled with stalls and vendors selling everything from live animals to dried chillis. 

I took these pictures of the meat stall at the end of the market – it was pretty dank and sad.  Animals – mostly chickens, a few goats and a kid (baby goat – not the other kind) were for sale.  I thought it was sort of cruel that these animals were able to see their fate hanging inches above there heads in come cases….way to heavy for me.

This was one of the meat stalls – in the upper left hand corner three is a dead chicken with other chickens in the cage watching…

Meat Vendors

Chickens and a kid goat (bottom cage) – I wanted to take it come and save it from being pooped on by the chickens, the horrible conditions it was living in and it's certian fate as someones dinner.

Chickens and Kid

This is a close up of the kid – covered in chicken poop – so cute and so sad.

Kid in a Cage

The following pictures are of wooden statues representing different gods that my friend Ran took at the temple.  During festival processions, these are statues are put on massive chariots and pulled by devotees around the city.

Ganesh

Multi Red Guy

Nandi with Big Ummm

Crazy Eyes