Pondy and Hampi

It's been a while since my last update. Here's a series of photos to give you a taste of what I've been up to!

A few weeks ago we went to Pondicherry. A nice little, former French colony that' s on the ocean. The European influence sticks but the farther you walk from the ocean the more you remembered you were in India as streets became more crowded and the cafe's with baguettes in the windows disappeared. Pondicherry is well-known where Sri Aurobindo fled to when his nationalistic writings began to upset the British in the early 1900s. He became a spiritual leader who is still worshipped there. It is also a yoga haven!

Sarah and I were relieved to reach the ocean after 16 hours of travel.

They were still celebrating the Ganesha festival here. This is Lakshmi the elephant hanging out during pooja in front of the Gandhi statue.

For just one rupee you could receive a blessing in front of the temple.

Lakshmi and I didn't hit it off right away.

The next pictures are from last weekend's trip to Hampi.  It's in the next state over, Karnataka. It's on the river and used to be a thriving community in the 15th century. The temple ruins are the only thing left to prove it.

We ate at a restaurant on the river in a banana tree grove. This is thali, a rice and sambar dish. The best part is the drink, mango lassi, which is kind of like a yogurt shake.

The Dasara festival was just starting. These women are probably carrying sweet rice for pooja. This festival celebrates the goddess Durga's defeat of the demon Ravan. 

Some people following a procession down the street. We got off the bus to celebrate with them.

A woman doing laundry in the Tungabhadra river in Hampi.