Maya meets sunyata

Hello everyone! Naomi and I just emerged from "the bush" last night, caked with grime and sweat. On October 21st, we joined a caravan in Chennai, and have been on a road/camping trip through Orissa, Eastern India ever since. Our caravan came with a very knowledgeable and respectful local guide who was adept in Oriya language, plus a local chef who made some dangerously delicious local specialties (wild mountain chicken stew, prawn curry, lemon coriander soup, and anything pakora-batterable and fryable, etc.). The caravan even came with a stocked bar! (F.Y.I., in India, it is illegal to drive with a closed container of alcohol in a vehicle. If one is caught traveling with a sealed container in the vehicle, stiff fines may be imposed. This is to prevent liquor trafficking between the cities, which each have individual liquor laws. ) Orissa is one of the poorest and most rural states of India. This might give one the impression that it is dirty and destitute, but it is not at all! The landscape rotated between densely green forests, rich, pastoral farming land, and rice terraces. The villages were very clean and tidy; the homes were skillfully made of dried manure, clay, and straw; and the villagers, men and women, were very muscular with thick, strong hands (we, silly city-people, might wonder how many hours at the gym these physiques might require). Unlike the Hindus, they kept chickens and goats for meat.... the villagers are Anamistic, meaning their religious practices pertain to the rhythms of the natural world. They appeared to be very healthy and free of the birth defects and poverty that often characterize Indian cities. Over the last 10 days we have been fortunate to camp in some villages and even participate in Animistic dancing with one of the tribes. It has been my personal duty to bring gifts for all of those gracious enough to let us camp on their land, or take photos of their lifestyle. One village even shared their fermented sego palm wine with us. I began this leg of the trip wondering if it was terribly exploitative to wander through tribal India looking for people and lifestyles different from our own.... Then one day, as we all had stopped near a lake to make some lunch, a group of 10+ local villagers came to watch us, which is not at all unusual. At one point, five village girls stood about 2 feet from Naomi, our friend Robert, and I and stared at us, unflinching. We were doing the same thing to them: staring, observing, wondering. This went on for almost 10 minutes, practically in silence. We were watching each others' movements and eying each others clothing. That is when the complete obvious hit me, that they were as curious about us as we were about them! Both parties are voyeurs and zoo animals to some degree. (In the end, the girls gave me some marigolds and I gave them some dates and nuts.) After this realization, it seemed silly to get very reclusive when the usual hoard of 30+ Indians ambushed us with questions or simply wanting to stare. I am attaching some photos to this email, please let me know if they display inadequately. Enjoy! 1 - A tribal women adorn in N. Indian garb. 2 - A village woman carrying clay down from the hills. 3 - A butcher who was very excited to get his picture taken. The chickens are covered in turmeric. 4- Dengeri ("hill dweller") woman grinning at supper. N and I bought and traded jewelry with this woman. 5 - A husband and wife harvesting sweet potatoes. 6- A family waving from the fields. 7 - Landscape 8 - Naomi laughing with some boys in front of their house. 9 - A pile of ginger! I hope you enjoy those. Tomorrow we leave again for Calcutta, then Western Bangladesh, then Darjeeling, etc. I will write more as I have the chance! love you all Kelleigh