Bijapur

Bijapur
26-3-12

Early morning start to make it to Bassi and be transferred to the castle we were staying in. There were people singing and playing traditional instruments to greet us. Each of us got a red dot on our foreheads and a lei around our necks. We were supposed to be camping under the stars tonight…but it is already so hot it would just be uncomfortable.
This place we are staying at (Castle Bijapur) is amazing. The rooms are nice and spacious. We even have a room between our beds and the bathroom. The bathroom is well organized, there is even a curtain so the water goes to the drain and not all over the place. In the hallway into our bedroom there is a swinging seat that I quickly took a nap on. There is also a sitting spot in a nook that looks out over the rest of the castle. There are many rooms on different three different levels. The roof has solar panels. Did I mention there is a fantastic pool?
The food was pretty good as well, lots to choose from. Had these interesting fried bananas in the morning for breakfast and pancakes. The pancakes that they wrapped things in were very similar to the ones that my family makes for breakfast in the morning (we call them Norwegian pancakes –don’t think this is Norwegian ☺). Life is hard…
We had two days to relax and wander. There were activities to do, but nothing here is included in the trip so you have to be a little more selective in what you do. This afternoon I chose to catch up on personal stuff (emails, journal, picture sorting). And joined in on the walk to the farm. We also toured through the hospital as well. The hospital serves people within 50km around this village. The Maharaja (the ruler of the village) has been really good to the village itself. He has created buildings to put the people that are under the poverty line in, he has constructed cell phone towers. He has a farm that also employs locals. This man has done a lot for the area and is well respected because of his actions.









27-3-12
*Happy Birthday Matthew!

Today is an activities day. Early in the morning we start off with some Yoga. Lots of sitting positions and breathing activities because not many of us have done a lot of yoga in the past. I love early mornings so much quieter and the air is cooler. I have really learned to appreciate the silence of the mornings here in India. So much chaos and noise during the day it is nice to find a place to retreat. These villages are nice too because there is less traffic and slower pace of life.
Our group pilled in a couple of jeeps to do a safari around the area. We saw banyans trees and fields of garlic, onions, wheat, and opium. We stopped in a village to look at a house and get a tour around the area. The house is lathered with cow dung and piss to keep people cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The roof is also made in such a way that the wind will send a breeze into the room.
We stopped at a school where all the children were very well behaved, because of a watchful eye. We had a chance to ask them questions and sit with them a while. I talked to a couple of the teachers who were women around the age of 26, one taught math, one Hindi and one Sanskrit.
Later in the day there was some horsing around at the pool and in the evening when it got cooler I actually rode a horse. We were walked out of the village and through a path that took us to a huge vast space with footing that looked like dry mud. We were told we could run free around this area. My horse took off like no ones business. We galloped so far and so fast my helmet fell off my head. And I remembered quickly to hold on tight. These horses are trained differently then the ones I learned how to ride on. Kicking means jumping (so don’t kick… its pretty crazy) and for obvious reasons they don’t understand English. Making a kissing noise makes them go and sucking air in making a pop means stop. This was fun. Really made me want to jump again. This horse probably would have done it too.