Two weekends ago we went to several very old sites. At Belur and Halebid there were intricate decorative sculptures from some of the ‘most artistically exuberant periods of the Hindu cultural development’. At Sravanabelagola there where 614 steps which led up to a 17.5 metre statue of a Jain deity.
Sculptures at Belur
Inside a temple at Belur
Sculptures at Halebid
Outside a Halebid temple
Climbing up the hill at Sravanabelagola
Also, Jason and Andrew made friends with a welcoming and hospitable local farmer called Shwamee. It was an interesting experience to gain an insight into the life of a farmer. We met Shwamee’s family, had dinner with them and Jason bought some macaroni and cheese as well as lots of American candy and chocolate which the children really enjoyed. For living in a small hut it was spotlessly clean. They liked our music gadgets. The family only spoke Kannada and did not speak a word of English or Hindi (apart from a very few words like ‘rice’) so we had to play charades most of the time to communicate. Shwamee also showed us around his farm:
Shwamee’s rice fields
Shwamee’s sugar canes
Another rice field with Prakesh,
Andrew & Jason
We came back midday and I went to class again to finish off some work. After that I got to ride Andrew’s new sporty TVS Apache motorbike! It has a digital speedometer and the 160cc engine has a nice crunchy sound to it. I’m now riding Andrew’s scooter that he was renting.