Sunday night was Noopur's uncle's mom's 83rd birthday celebration. She was so excited and happy to have all her friends and family around. There were quite a few people there and lots of delicious food.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Mumbai
Sunday night was Noopur's uncle's mom's 83rd birthday celebration. She was so excited and happy to have all her friends and family around. There were quite a few people there and lots of delicious food.
Back in Mumbai
Sunday we went to Elephanta Island. It's an hour boat ride from Mumbai. A complex of Hindu caves and temples are located here that were built in the 5th century AD. In the 16th century the Portuguese used the site as a firing range. Many statues were damaged by bullets. Above are examples of some wildlife I found on the island. A dog I named Scrappy Doodle and a little monkey. It's quite hot in Mumbai right now. Not ready for fall in the states.
Goodbye Indore
We said our goodbyes and then realized the car tire was flat. This was a 8:00 am for our 8:45 am flight. We miraculously made it on the plane. Anything is possible in India.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Day Trip to Mandu
We took a day trip to Mandu. It was about a 3 hour drive from Indore. It's in the middle of nowhere and just filled with so many amazing ruins. We started out with a tour guide that we picked up in the parking lot :) He was explaining to us about a ruler that had music competitions in his home. He wanted to demonstrate the acoustics in the building so he had us sit on one end while he sang in the other. He sang a really high pitched part and then a very low pitched then started snapping a clapping. This went on for a good few minutes and we weren't quite sure if he was going to stop. Katie and Noopur ducked off to the sides and started cracking up. I was stuck sitting across from him pretending to be entertained. The lack of detail in my description is b/c i couldn't understand a word he said. We gave him the boot after this stop. He also had 4 toes on one foot. That's not why we told him to leave, just an interesting fact.
Indore Palace
Out hosts took us to the Lal Bagh Palace. It is a combination of very different architectural styles influenced by French, English & Mughal styles. Above are statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The entrance gates to the palace are replicas of the gates at Buckingham Palace.
Indore Coffee Table
One evening we went out to dinner at a place called the Coffee Table. As we were waiting for the car to pick us up, I spotted a playground near the entrance.
Indore Mirror Temple
The Kaanch Mandir literally translates as the mirror temple. The entire temple (floor to ceiling) was covered in multi-colored glass mosaics. I couldn't take photos inside so I took one in the doorway as I left :)
Indore Jain Temple
The Gommat Giri Temple. The statue above looked so lifelike it was creepy. Directly above are footprints of each of the 24 holy men of the Jain religion.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Bhopal--Workout
Nana was showing us his morning workout. If we do this every morning we will be fit as a fiddle.
Bhopal--Home
Mix of images of Nana, Nani and their home. Nani makes beautiful pillow covers, bed spreads, aprons, wall hangings. The man with the sewing machine is a tailor that comes everyday to help her with her creations.
Bhopal--Bhojeshwar Temple
This temple dedicated to Shiva has never been completed. It is located in the middle of the countryside and we found it so peaceful and beautiful.
Bhopal--Riverwalk
Bhopal is known as the city of lakes. We took a stroll along the river as the sun was setting.
Bhopal--Birla Temple
After our visit to the dam, we ventured to the Hindu Lakshmi Narayan temple. It overlooks the lower lake in Bhopal.
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