Tue Dec 30 18:51:15 IST 2003
A bit more than a week of pictures, about 80 of them.  Some of the temple and
tiger pictures may not excite you, so check out the thumbs before downloading.

We visited a Shiva temple built around a huge bull statue.


Tiny Ganesha statue at the rear of the bull statue.


The Shiva linga statue, past the bull statue.


Front of the bull statue.


The bull statue from outside.


Again, looking down the hallway to the bull.


The exterior lights of the bull temple.


The bull temple, from far away.


There is a monastery nearby, centered around late-1800's/early-1900's mystics
named Ramakrishna and Vivekananda.  Pictured here is a temple-like thing with a
picture of Ramakrishna at the front, and pictures of his disciples around the
room.  This was the quietest place I've been to in Bangalore.


The same temple, from outside.


Shashi, Madhavi, and Tejas sitting on the steps.


The view from the side.


Sayings of the gurus.


More sayings.  I take particular exception to the one about how "the rest will
take care of itself."


Madhavi's former coworker Suresh came to dinner.  He grew up in Fresno, and is
visiting India for the first time since he was a small child.  Very nice fellow.


Tejas, I, Yeshas, Gaj, Suresh


again.


Gaj, Yeshas, and I went to see a cricket match.  It was kind of like baseball,
but even slower.  Plus the two teams dress the same way, since you can tell the
two teams apart based on who's holding a bat.


Admission was free.  Karnataka vs. Assam was not a big draw, apparently, and
this was a five day match.  These plastic chairs were set out by the main
entrance.


The stadium was mostly empty.


We got there right at tea-time, so the grounds workers were repainting lines,
etc..


During the tea break, two players practiced.


CRICKET ACTION PHOTO!!!


Our hero.


Play resumes.  The batsman is the one in white (ha, ha) facing away from us,
standing just to left of the right wickets (the three thigh-high poles).


When the ball has been hit, the runners at each of the wickets run back and
forth between them.


Closeup of a batsman.


Now that tea break is over, a few fans have returned to witness the action.


The light tower at the stadium.


On Christmas Day, our neighbors downstairs said they were going to a party-type
event at a place called "The Club" (no handle), so we showed up after Gaj,
Yeshas, and I returned from watching cricket a bit.  We arrived after the magic
show was over.  The movie theater was full.  The snake charmer, though, was
still hard at work.  In his right hand is a drum with two balls on strings,
which when rotated back and forth rapidly, makes noises.  They apparently drain
the venom from the snakes periodically, so that bites are not super-dangerous.


A closeup of the snake that had its hood out.


The freakiest part of the whole event was the "Santa" that arrived and handed
out candy to the children.  Apparently to be Santa, one needs to be white, fat,
and have a big white beard.  Such people being hard to come by, they resorted to
a (rigid) plastic Santa mask.  The aerosol-can snow was odd, but nothing
compared to Santa himself.


Oh no!  He's getting away!


The hunched back.


If you waited in line A Really Long Time, you could get your picture taken with
Santa.


Gaj's college friend Pritam visited us for a day-and-night, including a trip to the
zoo.  Clockwise from lower left:  Madhavi and Tejas, Ritika (2.5), Anu, Yeshas,
Pritam, Aashika (5).


Looking at, um, something.


Unlike other monkeys one sees, this one is in a cage!


Mama and baby hippos.


Looking back out through the front gate, to the vendors on the street.


The line for the safari (bus trip through the lion/tiger breeding area).  At
right, in the foreground, you see some familiar people.  Gaj waited in line for
45 minutes or so while the rest of us looked around before joining him.


Ritika and Pritam.  Behind is Madhavi, holding Tejas.


This was going to be a nice picture of Anu holding Aashika, but Yeshas ran up
and jumped in front of the camera.


There were quite a few people at the zoo, because many children are off from
school around now.


Odd bird.


Plastic is not hygiene.


Looking back from the front of the safari line.


Gaj, Ritika, Yeshas, and Aashika.


Tiger.


Glimpse of tiger.


Suggestion of tiger.


Lioness, lion, lioness.


Closer view of lion.  The lioness at right has gotten up and walked away.


Tiger.


Tiger.


White tiger.


Looking towards the gate again, this time from outside.  A buffalo scavenges in
a big trash pile.  Walking up the path are familiar people.


We were on this hill to take an elephant ride.  Here comes the elephant!
Slowly.


The previous folks getting off.


Elephant head.


We were packed in quite tightly.  Madhavi and I haven't gotten in yet, in this
picture.  From left:  Gaj, Tejas, Aashika, Yeshas, Anu.


Forward view of the top of the elephant's head.


An attempt at a side view, which mostly ended up being my pants.


The next group of elephant-riders go off.


Gaj, Tejas, Madhavi, and I went to a girl's clothing store to buy a present for
Kruti (you'll meet her later).  While there, I happened on the following box:
for "Naughty Doll" brand clothing.  The logo is a toddler girl holding a rose,
and the slogan is "Love adds a precious seeing to the Eye." (capitalization
preserved)


A view of the shop, packed in in the usual way.


Another college friend of Gaj, Pramodh, is in town on business, and brought his
wife and two children since it is visiting season.  This is his daughter Kruti's
(2) first visit to India, so they threw a "come and see" event for their friends
and family in Bangalore.  There is a priest sitting on the floor on the stage,
dressed in red.


Aanjina, Kruti's mother.


Kruti, carried by a relative.


Pramodh and Aanjina with the priest.


Looking back at the hall.


We ate lunch in a side-room.


Pramodh


Gaj, Aanjina, and Pramodh


The automatic drum-and-bell machine.


After the Kruti event, we went to visit Gaj's aunt


Kruti's brother Aavinash, Yeshas, and Gaj's cousin Subu (10th grade)


Views from the top of the house where Gaj's aunt lives


An alley across the street


At least *some* people are doing rooftop container gardening.  This place is
perfect for it.


This part of the city is older, and pretty densely packed.


A closer view of the alley across the street.


The street in front of the house is typical:  full of construction materials.


Many of the buildings in the area are brightly painted.



Wed Dec 31 07:27:34 IST 2003
Ugh, I've got the flu.  And I even had a flu vaccination this year.

Fri Jan  2 00:00:16 IST 2004
Feeling quite a bit better.  Played catch, cricket, and badminton today.

Let us hope that this is a good 2004.

We'll be gone for the next few days, to Mysore for a night and then to a resort
on the Cauvery River for a night.  We're going with Kruti's family (excepting
Kruti), renting a big van (a "Tempo Traveller").  Shashi is going back to her
parents' place for the weekend.

Some more about Tejas:  when he's feeling disagreeable (you have resisted his
demands in some way, or imposed demands of your own), he will hit you, then yell
at you one of:
   "[You [are a]] bad [boy|girl|fellow]!"
For instance, "You bad boy!" (not necessarily directed at a male).
Then he cries.  If you ask him why the person is bad, he just repeats his "bad"
line.  He then runs away from the person he has decided is bad.  Hopefully, in a
few years, he'll be mature enough to reason with.  Not at the moment, though.

When he's quiet (maybe about half an hour a day, out of his waking hours), he's
very cute.  But often he is just difficult.

Sun Jan  4 18:15:27 IST 2004
Back from the trip.  It was fun, but my connection is horrible at the moment,
for some reason.  More later, including lotsa pictures.