On the ride out to Tiruvannamali this morning, Ram taught me to say the first ten numbers in the alphebet in Tamil. I'm having such a good time with that. It really creates all kinds of bonds of friendship or at least common human understanding. That is, seeing me struggle to say "eindu" when you hold up six fingers.
The temple and the town are absolutely staggering. This evening I had two rides in rickshaws (the second time because I could not figure out the streets and kept on getting lost). Oh my god. It is like EVERYONE has a motor cycle and is TWELVE years old. Oh my god. It is so scary.... But then the temple, thronged day and night, thousands of people coming in groups, sometimes families, sometimes coworkers, sometimes lovers (not a lot of them), sometimes as spiritual groups...coming into the sacred enclosures, smiling, expectant, walking smartly (people are not encouraged to hang around), walking purposefully, and not paying any attention to me as a foreigner. Nothing. And when you do hear something it's "Hello" because someone wants to say "hello" to you and to hear it come back at them.
No picture today as I doubt the upload would work. This town has NO water in plastic bottles for sale, NO Kashmiri traders selling Jodpur handiwork in this Tamil town, NO cyber cafe (never, never heard of it), NO hassle from anyone...just wishing I had more coins or small bills for the sadus and the saints.
The temple and the town are absolutely staggering. This evening I had two rides in rickshaws (the second time because I could not figure out the streets and kept on getting lost). Oh my god. It is like EVERYONE has a motor cycle and is TWELVE years old. Oh my god. It is so scary.... But then the temple, thronged day and night, thousands of people coming in groups, sometimes families, sometimes coworkers, sometimes lovers (not a lot of them), sometimes as spiritual groups...coming into the sacred enclosures, smiling, expectant, walking smartly (people are not encouraged to hang around), walking purposefully, and not paying any attention to me as a foreigner. Nothing. And when you do hear something it's "Hello" because someone wants to say "hello" to you and to hear it come back at them.
No picture today as I doubt the upload would work. This town has NO water in plastic bottles for sale, NO Kashmiri traders selling Jodpur handiwork in this Tamil town, NO cyber cafe (never, never heard of it), NO hassle from anyone...just wishing I had more coins or small bills for the sadus and the saints.
