Well, that's how my day went. No kisses, thankfully, but some pretty awesome stuff happened. (This may get wordy because I'm really excited and it's 5am back in Missouri, so I can't talk to anyone at 90mph and get my energy out!)
This morning I woke up pretty early to the birds chirping away. Then I decided to lay there instead of doing abs, although I know when I get back to the states, I'm really going to regret these 3 months of not exercising unless it involves carrying my shopping bags or luggage. Previously, I had the babies to lift around, so I know my biceps have gotten a little stronger, but, well, now what am I doing? Sitting around with a hindi book eating curry doesn't exactly do anyone much good after so long... But, back to topic, it was a beautiful morning to lay in bed and be lazy.
I put on some harem pants/patiala (I think that's how you spell it). These things are the most comfortable thing in the world. Maybe not the cutest, but I don't know why they don't wear these in Ongole, where it's so HOT!
Then, I went to an Indian wedding. Well, more like crashed the wedding, as I was actually just touring the church grounds at St. Mark's Cathedral, heard music, and went inside. I was able to see the groom put the "marriage necklace" on the bride, hear a song & the vows, and then I snuck out. I don't know if they "kiss the bride" here or not since kissing isn't really done in public in India, and I wanted to stay to find out. BUT not if it meant having to greet the bride and groom at the end instead of sneaking out. :)
Afterwards I walked through 3 sections of Cubbon Park/Gardens. It's really beautiful, and I enjoyed the greenery and exotic trees. I may have gone a little further in than I intended, in order to lose the man who was following my every path. But it was enjoyable, and there were lots of young couples there, which I think is cute since arranged marriage is prevalent. (Again, couples here are a lot cuter because of the lack of PDA). Then I headed over to St. Mary's Basilica which is GORGEOUS. I know catholicism has the saints and images of Mary and whatnot, but it was a little confusing here in India. To me (and my lack of knowledge is probably manifesting itself greatly here), the incense, in combination with strings of flowers "given" and decorating Mary's icons seemed to definitely have the origins of Hinduism. But, I know those of us who come from the European area also have the pagan influences within our traditions, so maybe it's just the same here. Either way, it was weird to see them in worship/prayer to Mary, much like the people on the next block were doing with their Krishna and Vishnu. There were a couple little girls who were really excited to see me, and wanted me to take their pictures with the church. And their little sister looked like she was going to cry if she had to look at me again ;)
I wandered around (my favorite thing to do) and ended up in the Muslim section of town, which was really fun and crowded and beautiful in its own way.
And THEN came the best part--well, two of them :) I wasn't sure what to expect of the Bangalore Palace, but it was super cool. Maybe its because I'm not from America, and the only castles I have been to are those at DisneyWorld or HaHa Tonka (which hardly counts). I've seen the gates and pieces of the exteriors of the Moroccan palaces in Rabat, Fes, and Meknes, but this was WAY cooler. It was where the maharaja & his harem & family all lived, and it was incredible. Worth the $20 for the audiotour and my camera :) I must say that I don't think I listened to the audio tour because the art & decor took most of my attention. Stay tuned to facebook for pics, but here's a short synopsis: The owners still live there, but only in one wing. I ignored the "No entry" sign and snuck a few pics there anyways. Other than a few storage rooms and the concert area (which we could see through the windows but not go in), the whole place was open AND there were zero "no touching" signs :D Gorgeous ceilings and floors, fancy ballroom and courtroom, LOTS of balconies (my favorite) and columns, and winding staircases. Oh, there was also the elephant head on the wall, which the maharaja's father hunted himself. And that elephant's feet were made into stools (cushions on top), and another elephant's trunk was so cleverly turned into a vase/stand. The art was just gorgeous, too. I love Indian beauty anyways, but DANG the maharaja had some beautiful wives/concubines/girlfriends, depending on the era!
THEN (last part I promise) in the courtyard next to the harem's quarters, there was a PHOTOSHOOT! Upstairs, I had seen an Indian girl with heavy makeup being dressed by someone, and thought maybe there was a wedding and I could crash another one. But it was just a model :) For the shoot, (in which I am standing behind a column to not be seen), she had to hold a dove and release it while keeping this delicate smile and look of serenity, because, naturally, it's her wedding day, and those are not stress-free at alllllll. Really though, she was not happy to hold the bird, and was sort of scared of it because she had to hold it tight so it didn't get away before the camera was rolling. I watched for about 20 minutes and have my own pictures and video of the shoot. I wished I could have gotten a picture of me and her, but she really wasn't happy after a couple incidents and 3 takes, so I figured it wasn't a good time to ask!
Anyways, that's my day, and now I will study hindi til my dinner of mangoes :) Good morning, America :)
This morning I woke up pretty early to the birds chirping away. Then I decided to lay there instead of doing abs, although I know when I get back to the states, I'm really going to regret these 3 months of not exercising unless it involves carrying my shopping bags or luggage. Previously, I had the babies to lift around, so I know my biceps have gotten a little stronger, but, well, now what am I doing? Sitting around with a hindi book eating curry doesn't exactly do anyone much good after so long... But, back to topic, it was a beautiful morning to lay in bed and be lazy.
I put on some harem pants/patiala (I think that's how you spell it). These things are the most comfortable thing in the world. Maybe not the cutest, but I don't know why they don't wear these in Ongole, where it's so HOT!
Then, I went to an Indian wedding. Well, more like crashed the wedding, as I was actually just touring the church grounds at St. Mark's Cathedral, heard music, and went inside. I was able to see the groom put the "marriage necklace" on the bride, hear a song & the vows, and then I snuck out. I don't know if they "kiss the bride" here or not since kissing isn't really done in public in India, and I wanted to stay to find out. BUT not if it meant having to greet the bride and groom at the end instead of sneaking out. :)
Afterwards I walked through 3 sections of Cubbon Park/Gardens. It's really beautiful, and I enjoyed the greenery and exotic trees. I may have gone a little further in than I intended, in order to lose the man who was following my every path. But it was enjoyable, and there were lots of young couples there, which I think is cute since arranged marriage is prevalent. (Again, couples here are a lot cuter because of the lack of PDA). Then I headed over to St. Mary's Basilica which is GORGEOUS. I know catholicism has the saints and images of Mary and whatnot, but it was a little confusing here in India. To me (and my lack of knowledge is probably manifesting itself greatly here), the incense, in combination with strings of flowers "given" and decorating Mary's icons seemed to definitely have the origins of Hinduism. But, I know those of us who come from the European area also have the pagan influences within our traditions, so maybe it's just the same here. Either way, it was weird to see them in worship/prayer to Mary, much like the people on the next block were doing with their Krishna and Vishnu. There were a couple little girls who were really excited to see me, and wanted me to take their pictures with the church. And their little sister looked like she was going to cry if she had to look at me again ;)
I wandered around (my favorite thing to do) and ended up in the Muslim section of town, which was really fun and crowded and beautiful in its own way.
And THEN came the best part--well, two of them :) I wasn't sure what to expect of the Bangalore Palace, but it was super cool. Maybe its because I'm not from America, and the only castles I have been to are those at DisneyWorld or HaHa Tonka (which hardly counts). I've seen the gates and pieces of the exteriors of the Moroccan palaces in Rabat, Fes, and Meknes, but this was WAY cooler. It was where the maharaja & his harem & family all lived, and it was incredible. Worth the $20 for the audiotour and my camera :) I must say that I don't think I listened to the audio tour because the art & decor took most of my attention. Stay tuned to facebook for pics, but here's a short synopsis: The owners still live there, but only in one wing. I ignored the "No entry" sign and snuck a few pics there anyways. Other than a few storage rooms and the concert area (which we could see through the windows but not go in), the whole place was open AND there were zero "no touching" signs :D Gorgeous ceilings and floors, fancy ballroom and courtroom, LOTS of balconies (my favorite) and columns, and winding staircases. Oh, there was also the elephant head on the wall, which the maharaja's father hunted himself. And that elephant's feet were made into stools (cushions on top), and another elephant's trunk was so cleverly turned into a vase/stand. The art was just gorgeous, too. I love Indian beauty anyways, but DANG the maharaja had some beautiful wives/concubines/girlfriends, depending on the era!
THEN (last part I promise) in the courtyard next to the harem's quarters, there was a PHOTOSHOOT! Upstairs, I had seen an Indian girl with heavy makeup being dressed by someone, and thought maybe there was a wedding and I could crash another one. But it was just a model :) For the shoot, (in which I am standing behind a column to not be seen), she had to hold a dove and release it while keeping this delicate smile and look of serenity, because, naturally, it's her wedding day, and those are not stress-free at alllllll. Really though, she was not happy to hold the bird, and was sort of scared of it because she had to hold it tight so it didn't get away before the camera was rolling. I watched for about 20 minutes and have my own pictures and video of the shoot. I wished I could have gotten a picture of me and her, but she really wasn't happy after a couple incidents and 3 takes, so I figured it wasn't a good time to ask!
Anyways, that's my day, and now I will study hindi til my dinner of mangoes :) Good morning, America :)
You are so rebellious abroad, maybe I should meet you in Europe!
ReplyDelete