ANOTHER Buddha!

We had a 4 day weekend for Diwali and used the time to visit the Buddhist caves of Ellora and Ajanta - both World Heritage Sites. We took the overnight train from Hyderabad arriving at a painful 4:00 am. However, the caves were more than worth the journey. Fellow Fulbright Teacher, Rodney Kleber (from MA) met us in Aurangabad and together with Erin we went caving.

Tucked in to an otherwise unspectacular hillside the caves of Ellora where breathtaking. The caves served as monastaries, meditation rooms, and temples. Intricate carvings, dating back thousands of years, decorate the courtyards and interiors, the centerpiece of each being one large Buddha statue standing (or rather sitting) several meters tall.

Evan was eager to explore, or should I say run wildly, through the caves and tiny meditation rooms. He became even more excited when he discovered Buddha. In an effort to keep him distracted I showed him how the Buddha was sitting, and how he held his hands. I did my best to explain why he was sitting like that, and where his toes went, and that no, Buddha is not sleeping, just meditating. He seemed confused by the idea of sitting really still for no purpose, but he was hooked just the same. After the discovery of Buddha Evan was on a quest for more. As we went exploring, every cave became a new opportunity to find more Buddhas, and to ask more questions about what he was doing, or why the rock was so old. Before long, every carving became the Buddha. "ANOTHER Buddha!" He would shout with animated delight.

The final cave at Ellora is the most magnificent. Kailasa Temple (also known less glamorously as Cave 16) was an enormous three leveled rock-cut Hindu temple with tremendous carved elephants around the periphery. Absolutely stunning. Evan commenced his Buddha search, despite the fact that it was not a Buddhist cave, but it really didn't matter.

It was a beautiful place and a beautiful experience. The highlight for me being Evan's innocent enjoyment of Buddhist art. The really neat thing is that the experience has stuck with him. He now likes to "sit like the Buddha" legs crossed, hands in prayer. A few times we have averted tantrums by sitting like Buddha to take a deep breath. And just the other day as he was coloring he explained that he was drawing a cave with a Buddha inside.

Devaraja Market

One of my favorite things about India is the bazaars. They are colorful landscapes of chaotic energy. Stall after stall of fruits, flowers and sweets piled high, all of which can be yours for the right price. I love the vibrant bustle and chaos. The bazaars are also a photographer's paradise. The enticing displays and animated vendors make wonderful subjects, as do the saree clad shoppers with enormous baskets atop their heads.

Mysore has a wonderfully colorful fruit and vegetable market called the Devaraja Market tucked downtown. Our driver tried to divert us to the pricey tourist trap souvenir markets - but we wanted colorful, cheap fun and asked to be dropped at the market. Begrudgingly he obliged.

We spent almost two hours roaming the alleyways of the marketplace. We found lanes filled with thousands and thousands of bananas of every conceivable variety. Apple and potato vendors with displays that defied gravity; succulent stacks of papaya. But there was more to be had than just fruits and veggies. The incense-wallahs enticed us with free hand made samples and a demonstration of their craft. Perfumers mix scents to our specifications. There are floral garlands by the meter and colorful tikka powder by the kilo. You might also have a key made, or buy a wooden spoon.

Two hours and 100 photos later it was time to leave the intensity of the market behind and head for lattes in the air conditioned comfort of Cafe Coffee Day.

The Backwaters of Kerala

The homes, boats and scenery slip by silently as we coast through the backdrop of the lives that inhabit these waters. We are not the only houseboat on the water, nor are we the only foreigners, so the locals do not even give us a second glance. It's peaceful, and beautiful, out on these waters. The network of communities lining the canals and waterways seem just like other Indian villages, only they inhabit narrow spits of lands and the only vehicle traffic is on the water.

As we pass through one such village I hear the melodic Call to Prayer competing with the sound of clothes being washed along the banks. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. The sound of wet fabric hitting the rocks. I watch a solitary canoe glide by noiselessly.

We anchor for the night on a tiny, palm lined spit of land between two waterways. Silence. We enjoy a sumptuous South Indian dinner and share a bottle of Indian wine as we watch the sun slip below the clouds on the horizon.

We wake in the morning to find the adjacent waterway filled with lotus flowers that have opened in the early morning light. White flowers and lily pads as far as the eye could see, palm trees lining the perimeter. The beautiful silence of early morning (so this is why people wake up early!) I feel far away from India, far away from home. This brief, delicious silence is the quietest time we have spent, and probably will spend on the sub-continent. A short journey in our houseboat will bring us back to the heat and bustle of reality and steer us toward our next adventure.