An Experiment with Traditional Indian Art...

After leading my art students in a project to complete a huge rangoli (traditional Indian art form), I wrote about it for this non-profit! http://www.shesthefirst.org/2012/02/traditional-indian-art-at-shanti-bhavan/

4th grader working hard

The designs are first drawn in the sand,

and then colored rice flour is used to pour into the designs.

The 4th and 5th graders completed the whole thing in 3 days!

Color obviously got on avery piece of clothing within a hundred-yard radius.

The custom rangoli I designed for the school!

The Nilgiri Mountains

Woman in the mountains tending her sheep.

The colorful house...

to go with the colorful cow,

Tea plantation!

Woman working on the side of the mountain.

Mountain top.

Lassie came with us after we crossed her path in a nearby village. 

Another town dog with a man walking up the mountain.

The Finer Things

I got a customized kurta with gold ribbon trimming the edges made in a temple for $10!

Coconut water that I am addicted to at home and in India. Here, my friends and I are drinking it straight from the source after taking a yoga class.

Fruit. On the street. In the trees. On my plate. Everywhere, and it's so fantastic.

Samosas made fresh and by hand. 

Hindu Temple at Madurai

Vendor outside temple selling things to offer the gods.

Monkeys rule this country. And beware, they are feisty!

People sleeping and praying in the temple.

The temples are intricately decorated and are festering with people.

Vendor inside the temple foyer.

Walkway between sections of temple.

Hindu temple decorated with colorful statues of the gods on its mount.

Beautiful folk art on the temple ground. (I'm learning how to do this!!)

The red objects hanging in the trees are baskets that women hang to attract the attention of the gods and make them fertile.

Camels inside the temple.

Darjeeling Limited: the trains of India

De-boarding the train madness.

Businesswoman in her canary-colored sari.

Waiting for a train.

Riding the trains in India is an experience in and of itself. There are sleeper compartments and some of the rides can be 35 hours long!

Saris galore.

My friend, Rachel, and I!

Crossing the tracks.

The Hill Town of Munnar

We took a bus like one of these red ones below with bars for windows and jam-packed with people 6 hours to Munnar.

The buses are incredibly cheap- we paid a dollar for the whole trip.

Men, nuns, women, children crowded the aisles and you are lucky to get a seat.

A nun who insisted on having my phone number. I actually gave her my mom's cell phone number, so mom, look out for incoming texts from India!

Arriving in Munnar, we enjoyed the ambiance of a quaint mountain town. Many flower garlands for worship were being made, especially in preparation for the holidays. 

The Hindu temple. 

The mountains covered in tea plants. And plagued by wild boars and elephants at night!

Kerala Backwaters

Beautiful palm trees border the waterways. 

People live in boats and in houses along the waterways. Beyond the dirt berm are rice

 fields and different crops. 

House boats that cruise down the river. 

We took a cheaper ferry ($5 for 6 hours) down the river that was lovely and really fun.

Children along the river. 

Chinese fishing net. 

Man chauffeuring boat down river.