Shriya's new Divali outfit

On 20 October Gopal and I visited Lingama Colony to see our friends there. Unfortunately, I did not take more pictures. But I did take a picture of Shriya in her new outfit. It has little sparkles all over the shirt, the skirt is paneled with two beautiful fabrics, and it fits her like it was made for her (except the waist is too tight). She looked so wonderful in it. I miss her very much.

'After" pictures of the new apartment

I've been waiting to show you 'after' pictures until we finished decorating our new place, but that is not happening for various reasons. Our funds have been very tight this month, the livability of the place has been slow to come by, and we are finding that we are paying too much rent for this place. Because of the rent level, our friends here are all looking for a new place for us to live. And, the very large puppies who live here are becoming an unwanted burden for us while the owners are away. Soooo, we're not decorating, ya know? Until we work things out. Therefore, I have not given you any pictures of the outside because it is pretty junky. Much of the junk has been removed, but it still looks like a construction site, and no garden has been developed. We have one of the landlord's beds on our porch, for example, where I like to have my morning tea.

Gopal in the living room

Kitchen

Spare bedroom and office

Small dressing room between master bedroom and master bath.

Notice the drapes. They had these drapes made (pink and metallic gold - beautiful) for the bedrooms. Green and metallic gold for the living room.

Master bedroom. Note door to outside.

The move, 28 September-1 October 09

Our internet was disconnected 27 Setember. Yesterday, 8 September, we were finally reconnected. 11 days.

After three nights in the guest house upstairs, we actually slept in our new place on the 1st of October. Bala and Vanitha took extremely good care of us while we waited to move in.

On the 28th, we came to the house and did Vijaya Dassami puja with Bala and Vanitha (and Krishna) honoring our new home and our new relationship with Bala and Vanitha.

The special boiled milk boiled in our new home

Sacred marking of yellow sandalwood paste and red kumkum were put on our foreheads, on the front door, on the windshields of the cars, on everything.

Puja at Bala and Vanitha's shrine

Krishna recited a special mantra for the occasion

Bala performing Aarti at our front door

"Aarti is generally performed one to five times daily, and usually at the end of a puja or bhajan session. It is performed during almost all Hindu ceremonies and occasions. It involves the circulating of an 'Aarti plate' around a person or deity and is generally accompanied by the singing of songs in praise of that deva or person (many versions exist). In doing so, the plate itself is supposed to acquire the power of the deity. The priest circulates the plate to all those present. They cup their down-turned hands over the flame and then raise their palms to their forehead - the purificatory blessing, passed from the deva's image to the flame, has now been passed to the devotee. " from Wikipedia)

Bala feeding prasad (food offering to the gods) to a cow outside the gate

Vanitha fed us well

Here are their dogs, 7-month-old puppies

The following pictures are "before" pictures of our new apartment.

From front door, dining/living room

Guest bedroom

Kitchen, getting repairs

Living room with typical Indian sink for washing hands before eating (with your hands). All restaurants having a washing place too.

Master bedroom (not our bed)

Master bath (may not look like much to Americans, but this is a wonderful, well-appinted bathroom - hot-water heater, western toilet, shower)

View down stairs from Bala's guest house to our home

Junk around our yard

View from our place

Front gate at the guest house, with stairs down to our home on the left.

Last evening, 7 October, Bala, Krishna, Gopal and I went for a walk. This walk is very close to our house, picturesque all the way.

This picture is supposed to show you a bison, a wild buffalo, known colloquially as a "Nilgiri Goat." I took it on zoom lens and still couldn't get the shot. Below is what the bison looks like close up. Bala took his dog off trail and was chased by one of these big boys. Scared the heck out of him.

The Gaur or Indian Bison is a large endangered herbivore, and can be seen in protected sanctuaries in India. In the wild its young are preyed upon by tigers and leopards and the loss of its habitat due to human encroachment has led to the reduction in its population across India. (from http://www.india-wildlife-tours.com/)

The rest of these pictures are just to show you how beautiful it is here.

There is a tiny temple at the base of this tree on the road through the forest.

Gopal and Bala

Approaching the house