Seeing our guests off at the train station

The Gosavis left Boys Company Wednesday afternoon 11 February. Since the Coonoor Train Station is undergoing a facelift, there was no point in photographing it. The Gosavis boarded the narrow-guage "toy train," which they would take to Mettapalayam down the mountain. There they picked up a train to Chennai to attend a conference.

You can't see it, but there is a steam engine in this picture


The platform smelled so beautiful with the fragrance of these burlap bags full of pine boughs en route to florists. (I always imagine I can hear the branches whimpering in pain.)

A beautiful stranger, Krishna, Vijaya on board the train.

Farewell! Thank you for coming! We had a nice visit.

Jain temple, Coonoor, 10 February 2009

After Sims Park, we had tiffen at a nearby restaurant, then headed on foot down the hill to Upper Coonoor. While doing a little shopping, Gopal asked the Jain shopkeeper if there was a Jain temple in the area. He said there was, and he would take us there.

Taking our shoes off in front of the temple
Parekh, the shopkeeper in the white shirt

Krishna and Vijaya

Carolyn

Two more temples behind

Visiting these temples was a wonderful experience for all of us. The high point of a wonderful day. And, for me, it was so nice that Parekh could take us.

Sims Park, Coonoor, 10 February 2009

After the wedding reception in Aruvangadu, the four of us boarded a public bus to Sims Park in Upper Coonoor. It's a very old park. The oldest tree is dated 1869. My first visit to the park was in October when it was raining. It was so gorgeous, all drippy and lush. sigh

Vijaya, Gopal, and Krishna

The oldest tree in the park, dated 1869, a red gum (Myrtaceae)

Vijaya and Gopal

Wedding reception in Aruvangadu, 10 February 2009

The invitations for the wedding/reception we went to on Sunday came in person by the families of the bride and groom. Our first invitation was verbally from our milkman weeks before the wedding. The first printed invitation was delivered by the grooms family from the other side of the creek. The second printed invitation came from the mother of the bride who came to our home. Included in that invitation was an invitation to have dinner at their home the evening before the wedding and a lunch the Wednesday after the wedding. The invitation seemed to be aimed at me in particular. I didn't go to the dinner the night before the wedding. So, on Wednesday, the day of the lunch, the mother of the bride came to my home asking if I was planning to come, which I was not because I had guests. She invited my guests and had arranged a ride. What could I say? So, we postponed our plans to go into Coonoor that morning, and we all went to the reception. It was my neighbors impression that this reception was the one serving meat. All four of us are vegetarian, so we weren't sure what to expect.

The bus provided to take us to the reception

Krishna taking one of his one-minute power naps

The tent on the roof of someone's home in Aruvangadu (the next town up the road from Boys Company)

The bride and groom greeting guests

Before food was served on banana leaves

The food was great, even for vegetarians.

Now for pictures of the little girls all dressed up for the party

Lindsey, a little girl who runs up to me on the street to say "hello"

Udagamandalam (Ooty) 9 February 2009

While I was attending the church wedding reception on Sunday, Gopal was going to the Coonoor train station to pick up our arriving guests, Krishna and Vijaya Gosavi. The Gosavis live in Mumbai, but traveled to Coonoor from Chennai where they had been attending meetings and conferences. They took a train from Chennai to Mettapalayam where they boarded the narrow-guage "toy train" up here to Coonoor, a 3-hour ride through the gorgeous landscape up into the mountains.

Janaki, Shemi, Mariama, and Vijaya Gosavi outside our house
Krishna, Vijaya, Gopal, Carolyn outside our door

On Monday, we took the Gosavis to Ooty. After lunch, our first stop was to climb the Six-Mile Hill (6 miles from Ooty). Apparently, this is a very popular place to film Indian movies.

Beautiful Mariama on Six-Mile Hill

Vijaya, Carolyn, Mariama

After Six-Mile Hill, we went to Pykara Falls. This is the river leading to the falls. Apparently, this river's flow is dependent on rainfall, so sometimes it is dry. This is another favorite filming place.

Gopal, Carolyn, Mariama, Vijaya, Krishna

Boat ride on Ooty Lake

Krishna, Rajan (our guide and sometimes driver), Vijaya, Carolyn, Mariama

Vijaya, looking very cute in Gopal's hat

(The hat looked so good on her, we gave it to her.)

Neighborhood wedding

On Sunday, 8 February, the beautiful daughter of the guy who delivers our milk married the handsome young man who lives across the creek from us.The pink house is the groom's house, buzzing with activity before the wedding.

(Picture taken from our front door.) Shemi and Janaki leaving to attend the reception

(Turns out the wedding was early that morning, so we attended the reception. I didn't want to go without my friends and didn't realize I was missing the wedding.)

The church

(Although it was a Hindu wedding, it was held at this Christian church, probably because of its facilities.)

The mothers of the groom and bride

The dining hall
Banana leaf as plate as food is being served

Bride and groom (out of wedding costumes)

Father of the bride, Chandran, our milk man

The bride and groom coming home

Tamil language lessons

Little Shriya in the front, then her mother Shemi, Carolyn, Jayanti, and Mariama

Just wanted to show you my first Tamil language lesson. I was expecting Jayanti, sitting on the far side of me in the picture to come and give me a language lesson. But as usual, I was living in my American brain. Naturally, the neighbors would want to participate.