On Mulberry Street

   Growing up we had this book about a boy who walked home from school everyday on Mulberry St. He never saw anything interesting, but everyday his mother would ask him what he saw on the way home. So one day while walking home he was imagining all kinds of amazing things, but when he got home he just said, "I only saw a horse and carriage on Mulberry Street."
   Here in India, you don't even have to use your imagination to see all kinds of interesting things along the road. Here are a few pictures of some things that we have seen. Keep in mind that these are just everyday sights to the people here, even though they seem strange to us.

Let me begin by saying that just driving is an experience in itself. Not only do they drive on the left side, but all the buses, cars, and motorbikes are weaving in and out, constantly honking their horns. If you can drive for five consecutive minutes without fearing for your life and thinking that you're going to crash, you're doing good. It really seems like madness at first, but there is a method to it. It takes getting used to though, and I still close my eyes a lot. lol

   You also have to be careful not to hit the pedestrians and animals that share the roadway. Animals we have seen crossing the road: cows, horses, monkeys, elephants, water buffalo, sheep, donkeys, peacocks, dogs, deer, wild boar, and dolphins. (jk about the dolphins lol)

didn't know animals could survive on trash, but apparently...

Why did the peacock cross the road?

   One of the most common sights you'll see along the way are Hindu temples. They are literally everywhere. Only certain castes are welcome in certain temples, and tourists are not allowed inside except by special invitation. Not that that's a problem with me, they seem really creepy.

Hindu temple

   Modes of transportation are very diverse. Trucks, buses, three-wheeled taxis, ox-carts, motorbikes, bicycles, cars, tractors, boats... (jk again)

three-wheeled taxi

the loads we've seen are incredible

truckload of sugar cane

share the road

   You also see different kinds of plants growing. Coconut trees, banana trees, rice patties, sugar cane...

   Then there's the random stuff...

washing clothes

A Palace And A Zoo

While we were in Mysore, we got to tour this really magnificent palace, called the Mysore Palace, or the Ambas Vilas Palace. It is one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, right up there with the Taj Mahal. That's what I've read anyway, I'd never heard of it before we went lol. Anyways, it was really neat. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but if you want to see more pictures you can look it up online here: http://www.mysorepalace.gov.in/Mysore_Palace_Pictures.htm

Mysore Palace

My favorite part about the palace was the elephant ride. :) Have you ever wondered why we call an elephants nose a trunk? I think it must be because they really do feel like a tree trunk. Not that I expected an elephant to be all soft and cuddly, but I wasn't expecting hairy sandpaper either.

Elephants are soooo cool!

We also got to go to the zoo. It was definitely the best zoo I've ever been to. All the animals seemed very well taken care of and in as natural an environment as possible. I guess that's to be expected in a country that worships animals as gods. I didn't really get any great pictures though. I don't have the patience to stand there and wait for the animal to move just right before I snap the photo. The other friends we were with got some really great ones, so maybe I'll get their pictures sometime.

Above and below: Usually the aviary section of zoos are really boring, but this zoo had had the biggest exotic bird collection I've ever seen.

Above: Sleeping tiger. Wish we could have seen one of these in the wild.

Above: King Julian. (Also known as Ring-tailed Lemurs ;)

 Above: Did I mention I really like elephants? :)

Above: Sleeping Rhino

Above: I actually heard this lion roaring from several cages away and was wondering what it was. lol

Above: They keep the Giraffes at the entrance to the zoo, so you walk in and WOW, we're at the zoo!

 Above: The signs at the zoo where hilarious. This one vividly warns that you should not climb on the animal cages because someone might push you in. Then not only will you be mauled violently by the wild beast, but afterward hauled off to jail.

Above: This one shows what will happen if you feed the animals. The poor monkey will swell up like a balloon, then pop and become flattened and most likely dead. How do you like my translations? :)

In The Jungle

We got to stay two nights at Quiet Corner, in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. It was soooo cool to be in the jungle. Some of the terrain actually kinda reminded me of Texas, dry with lots of prickly pear cactus. But there are vast areas of bamboo/banyan tree forest. All the official safari trails were closed, but we still got to see a lot of animals just from the road.

Guar, wild Indian bison

horses (no, they're not wild)

Indian tractor

wild elephants (no it's not a trick, look closely :))

cute monkey family, we also saw langur monkeys but didn't get a good pic

jungle cock, wild Indian chicken

this guy saw two tigers in his yard a couple days ago

spotted deer, and peacocks were everywhere

aren't the low clouds so pretty?

Wildlife

I am officially christening Thursday as Flora and Fauna day for my blog. So each week I will try to post something about some kind of either plant or animal that we have encountered here. For this week I'm including a picture of a gecko, a herd of sheep, and wait...is that monkeys?

these cute little guys are very welcome residents in our house

herd of sheep causing a traffic jam on a rainy day

monkeys? no, wild? absolutely!

Preparing a Feast

Independence day celebrations anywhere are not complete without a feast. India is no exception. No hamburgers or hotdogs here tho! What's on the menu? Short-legged elephant, as they jokingly called it. A whole pig was butchered and made into delicious curry.

This little piggie weighed about 220 lbs. After killing the pig, they burned and scraped off all the hair. This way, every part of the pig can be used, including the skin. Thankfully, all the "undesirable" parts (such as brains and other organs) were cooked in a separate pot. I'm all about not wasting things, but I'm glad we weren't offered any of the weird stuff. Being ignorant of what you are actually eating is one thing, but I've butchered enough animals that I think I would be able to identify any odd parts that might appear. But then, you know, I might just eat it for the sake of saying I have eaten... whatever it may be. Pig brains couldn't be any worse than the grubs, turtle, or snake I've tried. Hmmm...

Mom, you will really enjoy this. They took the pig's bladder, blew it up like a balloon, and kicked it around. Just like Laura Ingals in Little House in the Big Woods!

WARNING: if you have a weak stomach, you might not want to look at these pictures

ignorance is bliss...

burning and scraping off the hair

yummy!

yes, that's the head

inflated pig bladder ball

The Honorable Bovine

Cows are very revered, and considered sacred by the Hindus here. It's very common to see them just along the side of the road here, or hooked up to a cart. The very high castes will not even eat milk or milk products. It's difficult to find beef for sale here, you have to know where to get it. Butter and clarified butter (ghee) are more readily available.  The milk here is usually watered down to make it more economical, and affordable.

The excrement from the cow is also considered holy, as gross as that may seem. They mix it with either yellow or green coloring, and spread it on their doorsteps. I'm not really sure exactly what this is supposed to accomplish, but it's connected to religious superstition somehow.

In case you were worrying about me developing a protein deficiency, I reassure you that we eat plenty of dead cows and chickens. Our hosts here feed us very well.

Looking pretty regal