slides I have known

look what I found!

are you sure I can go down?

still works!

we saw some doozies of playgrounds in India - I wish I'd taken more pictures. Rusty, jagged metal, holes in the middle of twisty slides, puddles everywhere, broken glass, lots of rubbish, lots of animals hanging round...  Didn't stop 100s of kids enjoying them, Janu included (and lots of adults too!). 

Bath time

one of many bucket baths...

hampi streets

glorious hampi

snakey green rivers have given way to the boulders and ancient splendour of Hampi, Karnataka.  We came directly inland from the coast, leaving the rain behind - feels like the first time we've been dry for weeks.  It feels like we've dropped into a different country - parched land, huge elephant-rocks dotted in the swirling river. Temples over 50m, built in the 14th Century crowding the sky. 

Janu adores the huge white monkies flying from tin roof to roof - crash! I've never seen his eyes wider.  The resident temple elephant is his other love - we watched her giving blessings (touching the top of the head with her trunk) to lots of people for 1 rupee. Then I tried and she politely gave the rupee to her keeper and didn't touch me. He explained that foreigners need to pay 10r. what a clever, if racist, elephant. the 10 r did the trick and J and I got a very loving pat on the head. janu, as usual, is loving it. He loves the disco buses (crazy loud music blaring), tuk tuks and taxis. We have played endless games of bingo for motorbikes or women in red saris!

We have bought a cheap camera so we can record a few rocks and smiles here and there, but I am far from organised enought to do it now I'll go back thru the blog later and update it. This is my first 10 min away from Janu since we left. I feel anchorless but good!

I do love my new identity in India as a mum - zero hassle and a million smiles.  We have made friend with lots of local kids whereever we go.  Janu could do with less cheek pinching; we are yet to learn Kannada words for 'no pinching please!'

gorgeous hampi! janu splashes every chance he gets - this morning we helped wash the temple elephant, Lakshmi. She made waves in the river when she sat down, and we had some auspicious jets of water blast out of her trunk! Janu had made easy friends with locals, all playing with his car fleet. Dad, you'll be upset to learn he has a liking for Indian mythology cartoon books. 

sssssssss

 aminals (as Janu says) galore! I admit I didn't watch this snake show - they are not my favourite animal. but spent plenty of time with cows and dogs to make up for it.

rest

all this exploring makes us.....

this is in our roof top room, where monkies barricaded us in some mornings. they leapt from flat roof to tree to roof, thumping and crashing, eating as they swung. 

rocky nap

exploring Hampi, following tracks along the river.  This was one of Janu's favoured nap positions during our travels (on Adrian's shoulders!). The tree below was festooned with offering for those wanting a home or a baby - cradles made for rocks, or small rock piles made on the ground.

train to hampi

click clacking our way from the west coast of south india towards the east.  trains are good places to make friends & eat platefuls of spicy unidentified objects and hope for the best. 

rangoli

Rangoli is Indian folk art that captured me. These are decorative designs made on earth floor outside homes, and indside living rooms and courtyards during Hindu festivals and are meant as sacred welcoming areas for the Hindu deities. The ancient symbols have been passed on through the ages, from each generation to the next, keeping both the art form and the tradition alive. The patterns are  created with materials, including colored rice, dry flour, sand or even flower petals.  I talked to women (doing them eeeeearly morning, and they'd get stepped on during the day and fade) and they told me different ones are made for newly weds, or for special birthdays in the family.  Interestingly when we went to our next village, Puttaparthi, and the designs were on concrete instead of earth, they didn't look nearly so captivating.  I think they could be beautiful embroidery or quilting designs.

royal enclosure

In Hampi, the Queen's Bath is part of the Royal Enclosure, constructed during the Vijaynagar Empire around 1336 to 1565. It's all spread over an area of 59,000 square metres, believed to have once housed over 45 buildings all used by the royal family. Amazingly beautiful, serene, best seen by motorbike! Of course Janu loved it, zooming around (safely-ish).  We did all wear helmets, promise!