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. 

Kochi

India! Beginning my journey through the colorful subcontinent, we arrived in Kochi, Kerala. Kerala is in the southwest of the country and is known for its lush natural beauty. 

Beautiful door in a seaside town. This state has the highest literacy rate and is also the most Christian state in India-- not that I am suggesting a correlation....

Chinese fishing nets that pull up a wild arrange of fish from the Indian ocean.