Ajanta and Ellora Caves in Aurangabad

The Ajanta and Ellora caves of India are truly one of the great wonders of the world. I would make this trip any day over going to the Taj Mahal. The Ajanta caves were excavated from a mountainside nearly 2,000 years old. Each of the approximately 30 caves is filled with frescoes telling the story of Buddha's life. The carvings and sculptures are breathtaking, and inspired by their faith of Buddhism..
 

My favorite Buddha chapel

The caves were carved out of a mountain side with nothing more than a hammer and a chisel.

Visiting monks at one of the stupas.

A stupa was typically a domed enclosure that housed a tooth or other relic of the Buddha.

Young monk

25 foot long sleeping Buddha

Fresco of a sacred white elephant

 The frescoes of Ajanta are some of the most intact and unharmed I have ever seen, especially when you consider how old they are. It is amazing to me that tourists can walk right up to them (not touch, of course) and take pictures (no flashes). The Ajanta caves were concealed by rockfalls until the early 1800's. A British hunting group followed a tiger into one of the caves. VOILA!

Each hand gesture has a special meaning.

Need a ride?

For those with weak knees/bad backs a ride in a chair carried by 4 porters can be had for 800rs ($14.00!). Kris really wanted a ride but Rick gave her such a hard time that she waited till the end of the hike for the picture.

Ellora caves

The Ellora caves are "younger" than the Ajanta caves, about 700AD. They were created over many years and are comprised of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temples.

Just another elephant

Elephants, elephants, everywhere

Elephant with trunk around a lion

I was in elephant heaven! I gave up counting how many there were. In these Hindu caves, people came and worshiped and lived up until about 40 years ago.

Carving of Jain priest

Jain priests preach in the nude (even today!).

Giant lotus flower carved into the ceiling

Taken through a hole from one cave into another

Kris, Marianna and Cristi at a silk house

Of course our journey would not be complete without discovering the local artisans. We all came home with a new treasure.

Doha, Qatar

Islamic Art Museum

Each year AES generously supports teachers attending professional development, including to other countries. When the NESA Winter Institute announced it would be in Doha, Qatar this year, I jumped at the chance to attend. I had never spent time in a middle-eastern country and my curiosity was piqued. Of course, I also wanted to attend a particular workshop called, "Engaging Deep Thinkers in Your Classroom" by John Almorade.

Women in abaya robes and bourgas (picture by Mohana Rajakumar)

Qatar is a very small kidney-shaped country on the Arabian Peninsula opposite Iran. Security in and out of the country was heightened. Qatar is also considered the wealthiest country in the world, as a result of its oil and gas reserves.

My first impression was of amazement of the  absolute cleanliness, outstanding modern architecture, and "whiteness". That is, except for the women dressed in their black abayas. The contrast from living in India was breath-taking, literally, as the air was clean and the sky blue!

Qatar is also considered a more contemporary Muslim country. Women are allowed to drive (unlike in Saudi Arabia), vote and run for elections. Women are well educated. However, it is still a highly patriarchal society.

Fellow male teachers buying a white thobe and gutra (robe and headdress).

Restaurant greeter at the Souq

The woman on the right, Violet, was from Greece and was searching for a glass of wine with dinner. When she asked this young man if the restaurant served wine he burst out laughing. There is no alcohol in Qatar except at hotels. Packing alcohol into the country or possession of drugs will land you in jail!

Damascus Restaurant

As in India, the locals wanted pictures with westerners. Notice behind me, the hookah pipes. Just about every restaurant had smoking of flavored tobaccos, shisha, using hookah pipes.

American School of Doha

The conference was held at the American School of Doha. Stunning school! Very open-air with a warm, happy feel. Kid art everywhere. The teachers that I talked with were very positive about working here. I could see why.

Some of the art in a hallway.

Overall I enjoyed my quick visit to Doha. Not sure I could live in a culture where women must cover themselves (not westerners). I consider myself quite accepting of all religions and practices, but the eye-slit bourgas are a bit too extreme for me. Eye contact is way too important to me.

Pushkar Camel Fair

Camel and cart

When I first heard about the Pushkar Camel Fair from a student last year, I knew it was a must-see. I was right! This year the full-moon in November (necessary for this festival) landed on our 4-day Thanksgiving break. So dozens of AES teachers and families booked their train tickets in the summer for this outrageous celebration.

Camel and horse traders come from all over the desert to sell, race and decorate their livestock. There were over 20,000 camels at the fair. My favorite time was roaming amongst the camels and herders at sunset and early morning (well, not that early). I had always been told that camels can be rather nasty; spitting, biting and head butting. I found them to be quite gentle, unless spooked. I walked in and around the camels never feeling afraid. The nomads tending their animals were equally friendly.

Horse trader

Boy riding camel through the streets

Besides coming to sell and trade livestock, the traders from all over Rajasthan participated in camel races, camel and horse dancing, decorating, etc. The carnival-like atmosphere is so colorful that all I wanted to do was to sit and take pictures. Which is exactly what many professional photgraphers do, coming from all over the world for this spectacle. 

Woman selling blankets.

Young girls selling cook ware.

 

 

Dancing horse

The first days of the fair are mostly centered around the animals. The second part is for a pilgrimage to the holy waters of Pushkar Lake, where thousands and thousands of people come to do pujas (prayers) and bathe in the lake. Pushkar is in the top five places for pilgrimage by Hindus.

Tight-rope dancing girl

Some of the sideshows were quite amazing, but wreaking of "child labor". Still, I couldn't keep my eyes from watching. 

Woman collecting camel dung

The women and children (girls) rolled the cow dung by hand into little balls. Then the women carried them in large bowls on their heads to a place to make patties to dry for fuel. This woman smiled the whole time.

Doing laundry

As I walked through the narrow alleys of the town, a simple life of daily routines evolved. Several members of a family live in these one-room brick huts, cooking and cleaning on the sidewalks. Most were very willing for me to take photos and few asked for money.

Necklaces anyone?

There were hawkers everywhere who were very persistent. My friend, Kris, decided to buy some of these necklaces to take home to resell at a local shop. After buying 20  or so, she thought they would leave her alone. Nope. Every time they saw her they followed and followed and followed...

Kris with newly purchased necklaces. 

Eager to be photographed

I always ask (usually) if I can take someone's picture. Most say yes as long as they can see the picture immediately afterwards. They grin and laugh when seeing themselves.

"Spotted" horse

I cracked up when I saw this painted "spotted" horse.

Pointed-ear pony

View from my roof-top hotel room

We stayed in the Everest Hotel, a delightful and colorful small hotel near the center of town. Very clean, roof-top restaurant, and friendly young staff. Loved waking up to the sounds of of kids flying kites. However, the monkeys liked hanging out on my terrace too.

Holy men arriving for the religious celebration

Our last day in Pushkar was transformed into saffron-colored streams of worshipers. The streets were impassable, so I plunked myself down in the camel stadium and shot away. I would definitely get to the fair in the first part of the week. 

Me and my guy

The Pushkar Camel Fair is a must-see experience in India. It makes me want to wander further west into the desert...

How I felt at the end!

Kerala

Typical fishing "kayak"

Another 4-day break in celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Lights. So off four of us flew to the southern most tip of India to beautiful tropical Kerala on the Arabian Sea. In many ways it felt like parts of Central America.

Chinese fishing nets that go up and down all day.

Picking out our fish for dinner.

Our first night we spent in Ft. Cochin, an old British settlement. Our hotel was a cheap but moldy smelling place. Staff was plenty friendly and it was in a great location, but you get what you pay for!

The next day we hired a driver to take us to the launching place of our houseboat in the backwaters.

Wooden hulled with hand-woven thatched roofs.

Our captains

The men of Kerala all wear cotton mundus, or"skirts", usually orange, but also of many other colors. During the heat of the day, they roll them up into a pair of shorts. Nope, nothing underneath!

Getting ready to sail with Holli, Rick and Kris

Paddling to work?

Morning bathing

Man in mundu cutting bamboo

 

For the next 24 hours we cruised along channel after channel watching this amazing life go by. Our boat was equipped with running water (probably from the lake), a real toilet (undoubtedly flushes into the lake), AC, and fully prepared delicious meals. The houseboat/backwater business is quite thriving. We were surprised to learn that there are over 2,000 of these boats that are used for tourism.  So, although we lazily relaxed, we were not the only houseboat on the lake!

Prawns anyone?

We stopped at this fish market to pick out our dinner. Our captain told us of an Ayurveda massage center just up the spit from the fish market. The captain said, "My father owns it." I have come to learn that everyone is "family" in India and it is a way of marketing. Anyway, Holli and I decided to check it out. What a delight. I got my first ever fruit massage! I like to try things that I have not done before so why not? In came a bowl of freshly pureed bananas, pomegranate, and watermelon.  It was like a soft scrub massage and full-body mask. All naked, without a sheet or towel! After my hour massage, I was hand bathed and shampooed. (The water was pretty brown...lake water?). So $28 later I felt renewed.

Spice jars

The next day we left for two days at the beach. Along the way we saw many roadside stands selling birdhouses, hammocks, and spice jars. Kerala is the land of spices,where many spices are grown and exported. There are also rice paddies, tapioca and pineapple farms.

  

Devi, a Hindu goddess, along the road. She scares away evil. You think?

Kris and Rick at Indriya Resort

The next two days we spent swimming in a luxurious pool and taking long walks on Cherai Beach at a lovely resort called Indriya. It is a brand new 5-star hotel that is trying to figure out how to cater to westerners. For instance, Kris and Rick called to order some food from the room-service menu. "Sorry room service is not available". Then we tried to eat at their seafood restaurant, "Sorry, that restaurant is not open today". Oh, well, after the smog and pollution in Delhi we were thrilled to be in blue skies and clean water.

One of my favorite sayings from this trip is when one of the workers said, "Many confusings". Fits India to a tee!

Joyous people everywhere

Kerala is the home to a balance of Christians, Muslims, and Hindus. They accept each others' way of life and religion. On the night of Diwali (a Hindu celebration), it seemed like the whole town came down to the beach. It was quite a sight to see nuns in full habits tiptoeing through the waves, Muslim women in birkas swimming up to their waists, and women dressed in saris taking a dip.

Cool local boys

Stunning young woman

Stunning older woman

A most interesting part of Kerala is that it is a socialist state in India. People are very friendly and happy. No beggars or children selling trinkets. Kerala also has the highest literacy rate in India (93%)! While people are poor by our standards, they seem to have their basic needs met and are grateful. 

Next trip to Kerala...the hill countries.