We made it back!

Hi there-
We did not have ready access to email in Vijayawada... so sorry for the break in posts! But, we're back! A bit tired, but all of us fared much better on this long trip than the last one.

We are getting settled in today, and I will be updating our blog with some pics from our time in Pedapulipaka - which was great. We all had a really good time visiting with Sri's family and attending a few India functions.

More pics to come soon!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Hi Mom,
Just wanted to wish you a Happy 60th Birthday! We thought of no better way than posting it on our blog... as we can't be with you to sing and share the day.

Hope you have a great day and look forward to celebrating when we return.

Love,
Marci, Sri, Kaeshev & Noe

Update from Vijayawada

We left Bangalore on Tuesday, and thanks to a short flight… made it here for the first time without jet lag! We are welcomed by Sri’s parents, grandmother, as well as his sister (Padma) and her son (Maneesh). It’s so nice to be amongst family in India… food just shows up, all of our creature comforts are met, and Kaeshev has someone to play with (other than his adversary Noe). We are getting settled in and other than a nasty high fever and cold that Sri has had for the past two days… we are generally well.

Today was Noe’s birthday and she had so many new clothes she didn’t get a chance to wear them all. It is Indian custom (here anyway) that you receive new clothes on your birthday. She loves dresses and skirts, especially the long, flowing, shiny ones but hates too much attention when she wears them. It is quite comical.

We have a family function for Shivani (Sri’s brother’s daughter) tomorrow. So we’ll be all decked out, and I’m sure the pics will be colorful. Since the head photographer has been on the couch or in bed since we arrived, we have yet to take too many pictures. Hopefully, he’ll bounce back soon.

That’s all for this blog… I hope to post more soon. We still don’t have internet connection in PuliPaka, but I will post when I come into the city.

Love and miss you all.

Belur & Halebid- Off to Coffee Country

Belur- took 103 years to complete!

Went to Belur and Halebid this weekend... here's a few pics of the trip. The temples were amazing, built from the mid 11th to mid 14th century, they are so fun to explore. We spent the night (Friday) at the Taj Garden Retreat... which was bit too moldy, so we decided to just stay one night. But the kids had fun swimming and it was certainly beautiful outside! Kaeshev has another little bug (fever and cold), but is weathering this one well. Traffic was terrible coming back into the city on Sat- it took about 6 hours to get back (and 4 to get there)!

Sri has another day of work, and then we're off on Tuesday for Vijayawada. We decided to ditch the 16 hour train adventure for the 1.5 hour flight. So today (Sunday) we're spending time packing and last minute shopping. Kaeshev seems to be better today, we're keeping our fingers crossed that Noe doesn't catch this one.

Hard to believe that our time in Bangalore is winding down. Seems like the first week was a blur with illness, and the next two we spent getting to know things. Now it's time to pack up and leave. We think it will be easier when they are maybe 5 & 6. Between the diapers and fevers- it's a little stressful with small kids, but we're managing and clearly not letting it slow us down much!

We are starting to miss Chapel Hill and are reminiscing about our food, friends, and frequent haunts. We're looking forward to a couple of weeks at Sri's parents house, and then the long trip home. I hope to write a few blogs from "DJwada" as Kaeshev calls it... but I'm not sure about Internet connectivity. So, check back next week- and I hope to have more up by next weekend. Hope you are well, send an email if you get a chance to let me know you read this- lest I think I am writing this for cyberspace strangers!

Below are more pics from the trip. Amazing and totally worth the trip to see sometime when you're in India!Belur Entrance to Temple

Carving details

Kaeshev and Mama
Noe swimming at the Taj Garden Retreat

Halebid
Halebid Entrance

Halebid Details of sculpture- beautiful!


Sunflowers in Coffee Country (on the road to Halebid)

And here's a little info on Belur and Halebid...

Belur-Halebid go together like twin cities. Separated only by a short drive, both were home to the Hoysala dynasty for three centuries (mid-11th to mid-14th century). Coming upon one after visiting the other is like recognising a family resemblance. Both look similar being star-shaped. They were founded by a Jain, Nripa Kama, whose kingdom was sandwiched between the Cholas of Thanjavur in the south, and the Chalukyas of Badami in the north. Nripa Kama's son and successor was Vinayaditya. He is remembered by later generations that often, incorrectly, consider him to be the founder of the dynasty. But Halebid and Belur tend to defy history. It is rare to find a place that appears so untouched by time.

The Belur and Halebid temples are cut from the soft stone called chloritic schist. It allowed for very fine detailing, evident in the intricately carved temple walls. The tradition of ivory and sandalwood handwork is reflected in the sculptures of these temples. As representations of South Indian styles they are comparable, perhaps, only to the temples at Khajuraho.

Of special interest are the engineering techniques used in `assembling' the temple, particularly the locking systems that used grid locks, interlocks and the pin and socket system! They were used for attaching separately carved panels onto the walls and ceilings, achieving a continuous and inseparable appearance for what are essentially disparate stone structures.