Back in action

Hey, everyone! Rumours of our demise have been greatly exaggerated. We are alive and (knock on wood) well and we had a great day of light sightseeing. Since we couldn't go to the famous Ajanta and Ellora caves yesterday, we visited some less touristy but still spectacular ones called the Karla Caves.

This morning began like Valley of the Dolls -- 1 Ciprofloxacin, 1 Gravol, and 1 Imodium. I may have been over-cautious, but I didn't want to risk anything for the hour-long drive to the caves. The Gravol made me sleepy, but other than that I was quite comfortable. When I came down to breakfast, every person working for the hotel seemed to know that I was sick. We were waited on hand and foot at breakfast and given advice on what and what not to eat. Our maitre d' said not to drink water immediately after eating a banana (have to wait 10-15 min). I ended up having banana pancakes, pineapple, white toast, and water. No complaints from tummy.

We hired a different driver for the day to take us to the caves and he was excellent. I was afraid that the road was going to be bumpy all the way, but most of it was pretty smooth. On the way, we went through one toll booth as well as two other checkpoints where unofficial-looking guys with clipboards were collecting cash. Our driver took care of it, but it didn't really look above board to us. The 50km ride took a little over an hour and we arrived mid-morning.

The Karla Caves and temple are at the top of a small mountain. Our driver (I'm ashamed to say that I don't know his name) drove us as far as he could and then we walked the rest of the way up the steep staircase. There were tonnes of people going up and down and the passageway was lined with vendors selling snacks, drinks, and little packages of flowers, coconuts, and fruit that serve as offerings at the temple. There weren't any other Western tourists so we attracted a bit of attention. The climb was steep, but very short. If desired, you could hire four strapping boys with bamboo sticks to haul your fat ass up the hill in a kind of chaise. It reminded us of the Simpsons episode when Homer was dragged up the mountain in his sleep by the sherpas.

Once we made it to the top, we saw there was an enormous, stagnant line-up of what looked like hundreds of people waiting to get in. We couldn't take the crowd, so we wandered around the hillside a bit and took some pictures of the view. We thought we'd wait until the crowd dispersed, but people kept coming and coming. Then, Marcelo realized that all those people weren't waiting to see the caves; they were waiting to worship at the temple. So, we easily popped in to see the caves only and at some points we had the place to ourselves.

These caves are said to be over 2000 years old. The main cave was quiet and vast. This was the only cave you needed a ticket to get into and it is beautifully kept. The ceiling is ribbed with curved wooden beams (like the body of a ship), which Marcelo says is actually the original wood. The friezes and other sculptures are intact enough to easily see what they represent. The large elephant sculptures have lost their trunks and tusks, but back in the day the tusks were made of real ivory.

We explored the rest of the smaller caves as well. The small ones had little decoration and looked very utilitarian. They all had what looks like a kneeling stone in the doorway, so perhaps they are shrines. We climbed a steep, dark, narrow staircase to get to the final upstairs cave. This one smelled like tinkle. A guy hanging out up there took our picture as we were taking pictures. I deserve it since I do this to people all the time. It makes me feel like a celebrity.

The drive back was a piece o' cake and I dozed most of the way. Before going to the hotel, we stopped off at Central again where Marcelo bought a little suitcase and some sandals for our beach weekend in Goa. On domestic flights in India, you're not allowed to take ANY liquids or gels in your carry-on, so we needed something small to check in. While Marcelo was trying on shoes, I wandered into sportswear and saw that they are selling New England Patriots hoodies. I wonder who buys them?

On the cab ride back to the hotel, I had a huge panic attack because I couldn't find my camera. I guess I had jumped out of the cab and left it on the seat, so our driver sweetly pocketed it for me for safe keeping. I heart India.

Due to the past 2 days of tummy trouble, we are trying to avoid anything deep-fried or spicy, so tonight we punked out and ate at Pizza Express. We had garlic bread, a marguerita pizza, and a pizza funghi and it was GLORIOUS. It was gentle on our tummies, familiar, and a nice change of pace after eating 100% Indian for the past 2 weeks. We may have a lot of howaito-san food this week while we are feeling a bit vulnerable.

We're leaving India exactly 2 weeks from tomorrow. Time flies. To see more pictures from today, see here. Until tomorrow...goodnight everyone.