The point of departure was just a 30 minute walk from my hotel, so I figured I would hoof it on over the next morning. I probably studied the google map of how to walk there for a solid 20 minute, noting when the road names changed and jotting down land marks that would help me navigate through the couple of "traffic circles," where 5 or 6 different roads collide, I needed to go through.
The next morning, I showered up and headed on out, making it to my destination without a hiccup. I hopped on the buss to find myself the only non-Indian person, besides one Japanese man. I was a tad surprised, but not too disappointed. I plopped down in my seat and hit the road. The buss was nearly silent for the first couple of hours, as it was early in the morning and many people were catching up on their sleep.
As I mentioned before, in the urban areas, and the surrounding somewhat developed areas, there is garbage everywhere--literally piles on the side of the road. But as we moved more and more into the rural areas, this changed. I saw less and less garbage, and more and more wandering cows. The landscape in southern India is covered in palm trees, small farms, and little roadside stands selling coconuts and over various fruits. Any attempt to capture its simple beauty by photograph is done so in vain, as it is not possible. All I can say that a drive through rural India is beautiful, serene, and calming experience.
Eventually, we stopped for breakfast along the way. As I entered the restaurant, there was a white board with 5 options on it, two of them simply being bottled water and tea, the other three were presumably India breakfast dishes, but I sure as hell didn't know what I was looking at. I heard a young man behind me speak to his mother in English, so I turned around and asked him if he could explain what the options were. He was more than happy to do so.
His English was very good, and he sounded very american. Ends up, he worked and studied in America for about 8 years, several of those years he was a student at UIC. It was great to run into someone who not only spoke American English, but also could chat about Chicago. I sat with him and his mother whenever we stopped for food to chat, as well as to learn about some of the various food options in India, and most importantly, what food I should make a habit of steering clear from. Throughout the conversation, I learned that his mother had a sister living in Lombard, IL! Not at all far from where my parents live. Small world.
Our first stop after breakfast was Shravanabelagola, where a giant 57 ft statue of a Jain deity stands atop a hill, dating back over a thousand years. There are 614 steps carved into the bald-rock hill that take you too the top. Near the very top, there is a smaller temple dedicated to the father of the deity depicted in the giant monolithic statue. I entered the temple and was summoned over by the priest, who as usual, was not just happy to see me but gave me a short explanation along with a blessing for happiness.
As I moved to the tip top of the hill where the main temple and giant statue are, a young man from the tour buss approached me. He was not a part of the tour, but rather worked for the tour. His english was good enough to communicate without too much hassle, and he insisted he take me around the sight. Before I knew it, he was calling me friend and grabbing my hand to lead me from place to place.
One thing I have noticed in India, is that the men and boys here are very affectionate with each other. To walk around with your arm over your friends shoulder, or to hold their hand, is not at all uncommon.
For the rest of the day, at each stop he would show me around and chat about our lives, we particularly had a fun time sharing about our girlfriends, pictures included.
Once we were back on the road after visiting the Jain monument, one of the young Indian boys on the buss approached me. He asked me a few questions and then asked if I would join him and his sister at the back of the buss. I, of course, obliged. The boy was 13 and his sister was 11. His sister was very, VERY personable. She was a very talkative and inquisitive girl, and over the course of the trip, she dominated the conversation.
The older Japanese man was also sitting at the back of the buss, and it was clear the young girl had already befriended him. He was an interesting man. He seemed to have not only traveled a lot, but had moved around and lived in many different places, including Ohio. As the children told us about their hobbies and collections (such as coins, stamps, etc.), we joked that the little girl was very good at also collecting foreigners.
The next two stops on the trip were at Hindu temples in Belur and Halebid, both of which are nearly a thousand years old. Both Channakeshava Temple at Belur and Hoysaleshwara Temple, are from the same era and commissioned by the same Kingdom, and are similar in design. These black stone temples are outstanding for the amount of detail that was put into them. Inside and out, both temples are covered in carvings. Walking around the temples, their are depictions of various gods in various positions, each carving, or sometimes section of carvings, tells a story.
These sights are astounding. Words and pictures simply cannot do justice in portraying how elegant the craftsmanship on these temples are. It's remarkable that nearly a thousand years ago these massive stone structures were constructed, but it's almost unimaginable how the carvers were able to so finely detail the sculptures.
Over the course of the trip, I spoke with many people from the tour. Everyone was very kind and friendly, and by the end of our 17 hours together, our group seemed like a little family.
Reflecting back on the the beauty of the rural Indian landscape, the greatness of the massive Jain monument atop of the hill, and the astonishing elaborate detail of the Hindu temples at Belur and Halbid, all I can think is I wish there was a way to fully portray these amazing sights to everyone back home, but at end, you just have to see it to believe it.
