"Women keep the economy moving" said sister traveler, Constanza from Columbia, South America. Connie has an excellent eye for capturing ordinary activities by hard-working women and girls. Most of the photos are hers with a few from some others as noted in the photo credit. Some women are pictured with smiles for the camera, and some are captured in the midst of their work, much of which is simply about survival.
She has the dish washing chore, which is done in the nearby river. (P.C. Sabine)
"I hope that one day, every home in India will have access to water and a washing machine at home." (Photo and quote by Constanza)
The basket of stone is too heavy for the woman to lift on her own, but apparently, it's not too heavy for her neck and head.
Somehow, she gets it off to dump in the crusher.
"Women move the economy in this country." (Constanza)
There were many mindblowing sights along the road to the historical parks near the town of Hassan. I spent a lot of time with my camera/cell phone held up to the window waiting to catch a "new-to-me sight," of which there was no lack.
This fabulous photo was taken by traveler, Connie, from Columbia. Although I also tried to capture it, Connie's was by far the best.
Some of the loads being carried were unbelievable, and would be deemed unsafe in the states. There was often a person precariously perched on top to hold it all down.
Unless one is in the large cities, little shops tend to look like flea markets. Chances are, the goods are overstocks or less than perfect. There's typically no clustering of services or goods as one might find in a mall.
There is always a Hindu deity or shrine about every 50 feet or so. This is the elephant-headed Ganesha, who is seen as the remover of obstacles and the god of new beginnings, wisdom, and intellect.
I'm sure that our tour bus was a novelty for these people. They must have a slightly better income to have their house painted blue.
Their next door neighbor did their laundry today. They have a higher quality roof than their blue house neighbors.The covered ditch could be water or something else.
The primary economy of India is agriculture, on a small scale. Although there are occasional tractors to be seen, the cattle-powered plow is definitely a popular tool.
With wandering paths around the property, the Hoysala Village Resort in Hassan was lovely and well maintained with. Our rooms were nice and clean, but more of a 3 to 3.5 star level, and the wifi was lacking. Customer service from staff, and the food quality were both excellent.
The staff was kind and welcoming.
Hand washing is a welcome ritual after a long bus ride.
The buffet for every meal was delicious. This smiling sweetie made a large assortment of fresh breads.
I began to learn what some of these dishes were, but mostly by sight. One of my favorites was Idly, a fluffy, steamed rice flour mound that was topped by an assortment of chutneys or sauces.
Our room was large and traditionally decorated. The bathroom was simple, and there was another room with table and chairs that we didn't use.
With a priest for prayer at specific times, the on-site temple was used by staff and our tour manager.
On the morning that we left, there was a formal prayer service with a touchy brahma bull that some of us dared to pet. Nandi the bull is the preferred ride for the god Shiva and received much attention as worshippers exited the temple.
The video quality is a bit compromised. Not sure why.
Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebid, a marvel dating back to the 12th century, is renowned for its magnificent architectural design. Everything is amazingly intricate and all are carved in black soapstone. Soapstone is easy to carve initially, but becomes hardened over time.
One must always remove your shoes in Hindu temples as footwear carries dirt from the outside. It is also a sign of humility, respect, and reverence for the sacred space, symbolizing the shedding of ego and worldly concerns before entering to worship. I can agree with the second half of the statement, but sandal-wearing locals carry all sorts of dirt (cow poop) and germs (foot fungus!) on their bare feet into these sites. I got in trouble carrying my shoes inside in a little sack that I brought. I don't walk well in bare feet, and the stones were hot, although I always put on my well-used temple socks over my shoe socks for some padding. IMO, there is misguided perception of bare feet and cleanliness.
Saris are always so pretty and she was kind to let me take a photo of her.
The interior walls and columns are quite plain, compared to the exterior.
Our tour manager, Pradeep, was very knowledgeable about the deities and stories of the Hindu religion. All the carvings told many stories. (Many went over my head.).
The adjacent Nandi shrine is a place of worship dedicated to Nandi, the sacred bull that is the mount and devoted follower of the Hindu god Shiva.
This 900-year old Nandi (bull) statute is 9 feet tall and made out of a single piece of stone. It is the 6th largest Nandi in India.
Front entry to 12th c. Hoysaleswara Temple, dedicated to the god Shiva. The Nandi Temple is the structure on the right.
Chennakesava Temple in Belur, is a 12th century Hindu temple that took 103 years to build. It is located near Hoysaleswara (above). It is one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture and the largest Hindu temple complex that has survived from pre-14th-century Karnata-Dravida tradition.
Before I even got in the gate, I was surrounded by adorable teens who were visiting the ruins. Don't you love their smiles?! Caucasians often get a lot of attention due to our skin color. (It's like we're the latest monkey in the zoo.) These teens were practicing their English, which was quite good. As it should be, since it is one of the official languages of India.
A gopuram is an ornate, monumental entrance to a Hindu temple.
No doubt about it, the temples are ornate. Following are photos of structures and details on the temple site.
Nagarahole National Park is located in the India state of Karnataka near the city of Mysuru. We stayed at a lovely resort called The Serai. Although there were a lot of memorable sightings on land and water, I'll start with the unexpected wonder of seeing a tiger waiting for lunch at the water hole.
Such a pretty kitty!
Our safari naturalist/guide got word that a tiger had been spotted and we took off like a "bat outta hell" to get to it. She was about 25 feet away from us down a little incline.
About three years old, she lay quietly watching, twitching her ears occasionally and turning her head. She moved a few feet a couple of times, but apparently could care less about all of the vehicles and observers.
There are always lots of spotted deer about, as well as wild boar, the occasional monkey, peacocks, and happily, an elephant!
It was very cool to see an elephant in the wild chomping down some foliage.
India's national bird, the peacock.
Warthogs.
This safari vehicle was more comfortable than some we would later experience.
Back to the resort we went for breakfast/lunch, a rest, and later, a cruise on Lake Kabini (in front of the resort) with our naturalist to spot more critters.
It was such a treat to see the moms and young'uns getting some refreshments. At different times of the year, there are reportedly more than 100 that line the hills.
There were several osprey having their dinner.
Northwest football fans call them Seahawks. Magnificent birds.
Two monster croccodiles. Not a lake that I would swim in!
One can usually spot a beautiful Kingfisher or two. The blue feathers are distinctive. The most popular beer in India is called "Kingfisher." We also saw black snakebirds, white egrets, and other species.
The spotted deer, that we also saw a lot of on the morning safari, were plentiful on the shores of the lake, as were monkeys, otter, and warthogs.
Indian Giant Squirrel.
There were villages and farms along with their healthy sacred cows.
This was the local and loaded ferry boat. Such beautiful, friendly people.
You can't really see them, but the tree was was alive with noisy and flapping egrets.
Our boat was like this. The sunset was amazing.
It had been an eventful day for critter spotting. The evening entertainment features a neck-breaking show that is performed at local festivals and events. Unless someone else remembers differently, I believe the display topper weighed 150 pounds. After that, dinner and bed were on tap and packing up for the next day's travels.
This man performed all sorts of balance demonstrations that were amazing!
I can't imagine how difficult it was to do these things. (The drumming was a bit over the top.)
No doubt about it, the food was spectacular and the presentations were stunning.
I'm not sure what we did to earn this, but it was such a lovely touch!
Looking toward the front of our unit.
The veranda outside our room, but it was too hot to enjoy.
Our lovely, air conditioned, room.
Beautiful bathroom.
Resort pools that we didn't have time to try.
Approach to the resort after entering the security gate.
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