India so far...

just a quick note since i really don't have time to write, ill fill this in a bit more later...

As far as my travels, they have been quite amazing, unique, and varied thus far and I couldn't be happier. I spent the entire day at the airport, with 15 min. or so dedicated to storing my luggage. I got through the da vinci code, and started hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. I'm also finished with Into the Wild by Keroack. Sundeep Ganesh and Deep's uncle picked me up from the airport and took me to deep's grandparents place in Bangalore. The next morning we toured the city several times and hung out. they spoke english and were in great health. He is a doctor (the inventor of The RED medicine) and she is a bit of a writer (although not occupationally). Sundeep and I then boarded a bus for Cargal that night and it arrived at 5:30am the next day. Greeted by his uncle and aunt we stayed in Cargal that day enjoying an amazing Jog Falls waterfall that decends almost 1000 feet before reaching the tropical pool below. This place is so different from the crowded city of Bangalore. It is a small town of less than a thousand and mainly employed by tourism to the falls, or the hydro-electric plants that are set up along the river and damns. Here we met many many people, friends etc and went to the hospital where deeps uncle works. The following morning we went to Kumta, but along the way we stopped at a huge temple on the Arabian Sea for Shiva. Then we went to the Bhat family temple, i say that because the head priest is a relative and it has been that way for many generations. They had a Puja or prayer for sundeep and took him to pray with the Ganeesh god in the back (which im assuming is a great privaledge). We had many offerings blessed and were ourselves blessed by the priest. when we left we were surprised to turn around and see the priest following us beconing us to have tea (Cha) with him at his house. We obliged, but i can only guess at what the other worshipers did when he left and the temple was without a priest. Next stop was another uncle, this time in the actual town of Kumta, the nearest to the village. There we met sundeeps other uncle who was the Range Forrest Officer for the area and played a big part in forrest conservation there. Finally that night just before dark we reached Mouror... sundeeps family's village. It was beautifully nestled in a river valley between 7 peaks and covered with coconut palms and beetlenut trees. Mangos grew on the upland slopes and the houses were midway down, just off the road. There were only 2 or 3 stores and scarecely 100 people strong. Electricity came, but was shotty. Water was plentiful during this rainy season and it rained hard and long, creating rushing rivers from nowhere, then as if to tease you the sun came out and tickled the rainwater with its rays.