Hotel Roopa Mysore

... and demon-faced gargoyles to keep away intruders and spirits. And as my companions gossiped or snoozed I watched the scenery blur past, catching glimpses of wondrous things and filling my notebook with 16 pages of scrawls in pencil.<br><br>On large acreage farms there were painted shrines and tombs of the peasants who worked the fields they were buried in. There were beautiful and healthy cows in the fields, and big black water buffalo with horns that arched back like the handlebars ...

... made from sandal wood. The assumption is that because we&#8217;re western we are very rich. Relative to them, we are. A fan made from sweet smelling sandal wood would be sold to an indigenous visitor would sell at 25 rupees. To me, a rich western white girl, 600. I had two for 100 after bargaining, so that wasn&#8217;t too bad. I wasn&#8217;t being tight, its just the way things get done and is all part of the fun. Another ...

... when we reached.. litterally jumped out of the car when he heard we reached the river.. both of them were all worked up for taking bath and wearing new clothes. I was wearing the one , I had planned for the anniversary. had taken new clothes for them too :) . no new dress for sriram ! :(<br> <br>After coracle ride , boppu and I rushed to water, while amma - out of order - volunteered to take care of slippers , bags , by staying on the riverside ...

... causes more inequality than not giving. We enjoyed Mumbai. The splendid colonial buildings had been kept intact and were in daily use as law courts or as university buildings for example. Chowpatty beach reminded me of Copacabana beach in Rio, full of locals and of full of life. Five weeks of curries, sometimes three a day, did not stop us taking the curry option on our Virgin flight home. We didn't want the holiday to end !

... we're on a tiny island in the middle of Bandipur National Park. <br><br>On the long jeep-journey to the site, we discovered that all things certainly do come in threes: we spotted three groups of Indian elephants, and when we stopped the jeep for a closer look, we quickly discovered a nearby tree was home to three snakes! <br> <br>We've set up an impressive camp of bamboo in the old anti-poaching camp which has been dubbed the "servants quarters" and comes complete with a ...

... thought you were French' I was of course rejoicing inside - I couldn't be THAT fat if they thought I was French! Upon learning I was English all attempts at communication were ceased, apart from a few sympathetic smiles when I couldn't quite tuck both feet behind my head and bounce around the room like a ball -ok, that's an exaggeration but this is seriously yoga for show-offs! And let me tell you, there's nothing more disturbing than a middle-aged ...

... of the locals who haven't received formal higher education and work with tourists, whether it's a rickshaw driver, coconut stand or a little beachside trinket shop have an altogether new dialect of pidgeon-English what Ben and I have dubbed "cheap price" English; words enough to make a sale, but it rarely goes beyond this. Conversations can be interesting especially when conveying a message outside the boundaries of vocabulary. It becomes a sort of ...

... the back with Jean-Pierre and company (again, nothing against the French). it was a good thing, too, because once that organ began to play we were plenty cozy. a strong comforting smell of sandalwood and incense in the air, with a slight smell of mango coming from me (i swear with all the fresh fruit i've been eating, my sweat smells like mango (it's kinda awesome)). even though half of the carols were in Hindi, there was a great familiarity about ...

... about 6am-9. you come wwhen you want within that time, to fit in your practice. for instance, a beginner may not need as much time to practice, because, heck, they're a beginner and have fewer poses in their repitiore. during that time Saraswati moves around the room student to student (30-40 students in all) helping out. she tends to know your body's ability even before your body does. if you're stuck on a pose (literally or figuratively) you just ...