Ellora Caves

We've finally made it to a CAVE post.  The first set of caves we visited were the Ellora caves.  Consisting of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain sites, these cave temples are between 1,000 and 1,500 years old.  The drive to the Ellora Caves is an easy 45 minutes from Aurangabad.  After a small climb into the nearby hills, you arrive at the site, where monkeys groom, hawkers are eager to sell you all sorts of "treasures" and guides are ready to attach themselves to you.

We managed to make our way through the initial crowds, and turn right, down the path towards the Buddhist caves.  Here, the crowds disappeared and caves were cool and quiet. 

 These caves make you feel seriously ZEN. 

Lighting was tricky in the caves and flash photography is not allowed.  We did our best with our little point & click camera, but our skills are sadly lacking. 

 The Hindu temples were a stark contrast from the Buddhist caves.  Active worshipers crowded the areas, which were much more ornately carved but also more damaged. 

I think I should send this picture into BYU.

Elephants guarding the temple.

N. found a dancing monkey carved into the floor

With the elephant parade.

Unfortunately, the Jain caves were inaccessible when we were visiting.  Run-off from the hills had washed out the path leading to them.  We were a little disappointed.

Bidar

We began our first Indian road-trip with a stop in Bidar.  About two hours outside of Hyderabad, Bidar is an easy day trip, with a cool fort, an old madrasa, and a road lined with Bidri workshops. 

This is the remains of the 15th century madrasa.  At one point, it was a storage facility for gunpowder, which explains why the building is now in ruins. 

The security guard was happy to unlock the main door for us, and let us wander around.  He then unlocked various gates, and we were able to climb inside the ruins. 

We then made it over to the Bidar Fort, which was, at one point, the largest fort in South India.

Walls like this stretched far into the distance, and are even found in the midst of the modern parts of the town.

Some beautiful detail work of the old structures still remain.

For some reason, there are parrots all over Bidar.

This beehive made us think of Uncle Dale.  We can't wait to taste some fresh honey this summer!

Our Second Holi

By 8:00 a.m. the summer sun is blasting, the music is pumping, and the fun is already in full swing.  We gave ourselves a little more time to wake up, but by 9:30 had joined in the mayham that is Holi. 

 HAPPY HOLI!

Sri Lanka: Saving the Best for Last.

Our final excursion in Sri Lanka almost didn't happen.  The day started off with dark clouds, and as we headed out in the car for our hour long drive along the winding coastal road, the skies opened, and the rain began to pour down.  We drove for about twenty minutes before we had to pull over onto the side of the road, where we waited for the rain to let up and the road flooding to begin to drain.  After almost an hour, the rain finally lightened, and we had to decide whether to continue on, or return to the hotel.  After some lengthy debates, we decided to press forward and made our way to Galle.   

 We are so glad we did.

Monitor lizard.  He was a good 4 feet long.

Antique elephant

Fantastic pizza

While the modern city of Galle was significantly impacted by the tsunami of 2004, the old Dutch portion of the city sustained very little damage.  The Dutch built enormous walls around their little fort town, and an efficient drainage system beneath it.  These two facts meant that, almost 350 years after the fort was built, it was able to withstand forces of nature that decimated almost all of the surrounding coastline. 

The kids loved exploring the old walls of the fort, and particularly enjoyed terrifying themselves (and their mother) by leaning out over the walls and cliff to get a better look at the beaches and ocean far below. 

It was a bit windy.

About 100 years after the Dutch built the fort, the British took over.  This combination of Dutch and British history leaves this tiny pocket in Sri Lanka feeling a bit like some of the oldest streets in Manhattan (on a much smaller and more tropical scale.)  The same colonial flavor exists in both places.  After a week in Sri Lanka, the fort city of Galle was a quiet and comfortable breath of fresh air.  There were scores of good restaurants, fun little shops, safe streets to wander on, and clean bathrooms everywhere.  When you travel in Asia, a clean bathroom WITH toilet paper is a real find, and something you remember and appreciate for years to come. 

This historic church was converted into a mosque.

"Dutch" blue doors.  They reminded me of my mom.

 We ended our tour of Galle at Dairy King for a pretty wonderful treat.  Tucked into a front corner of the family home, is a teeny little shop that sells homemade ice cream.  The little kids splurged with sundaes, I got a mango ice cream, but Danny and M won the best flavors award with their orders of cinnamon ice cream and mint chocolate chip.  Both of these ice creams featured the amazing, fresh, local spices that are famous in Sri Lanka.  If you are ever in Galle, don't miss it!