Beautiful Bangalore

Namaste from Bangalore.
Lot's of happenings since my last post. It is quite difficult to get a speedy internet connection in India
The wedding was unreal! There were over 1000 guests. Ishani and Rhagav(The bride and groom) looked like a proper royal couple. So beautifully dressed in the finest Indian silks, draped in diamonds and gold. I have never witnessed a wedding like this before. I feel so lucky to have been able to be a part of it.
After the wedding the Naidu family hosted all of us on a 3 day Jungle Retreat near Ooti. Although we were surrounded by monkeys, wild boars, spotted dear and wild elephants, the resort we stayed at was quite far from roughing it! I even got a chance to ride an elephant through the jungle. The food was amazing, and the company even better. Rhagavs family is so wonderful, We were able to spend some quality time together at the retreat playing cricket on the field and cards in the evening.
Then we drove to Mysore and spent 2 days shopping for silks and sandalwood oil, and toueing the palace. If anyone ever wants to stay at an amazing hotel in Mysore, check out the Windflower...so beautiful!
Zoe Molly and I left Mysore a few days ago, and drove to Bangalore to meet up with a friend from school. Her name is Shivani, and she lives in a beautiful brand new eco friendly house with her husband and 2 adorable daughters, Shrea(10) and Nitya(5).
I can't get over how kind and generous they have been. Bonding with Shrea and Nitya has been one of my top highlights so far. Pictures and video soon to come on facebook!
Upon arrival Molly informed Zoe and I that she wasn't feeling well, and was clear that she wanted to head to Pune to receive Ayurvedic Pancha Karma Therapy instead of heading up to Delhi with Zoe and I. I too was feeling a bit overwhelmed from so much socialization and touring, so I decided that I wanted to break off from the group for a while as well. Then Zoe realized that she really wanted to head up to the Himalaya's instead of our original plan... and so it is! Our trio is splitting up! With much love and appreciation for one another, we all have our own agendas for what we want to accomplish over our next month of traveling through India, and they don't seem to match up. We have tentative plans to reconnect in Pune to spend Christmas together with our teachers from Vedika.
As for me... I have a flight to leave tomorrow morning at 6am for a 2 week stay at Sivananda Dhanvantari Ashram in Kerala. I am thrilled to have some quiet time, and practice yoga twice a day!
With Love and Gratitude.
Britt

Bollywood Bliss

Hello from Coimbatore!
It's gorgeous here. Everything is green and bursting with life! I am staying at the Coimbatore Golf and Country Club for Ishani's wedding. The condo's are brand new, so everything is crisp and clean. We even have toilet paper, clean towels, and sheets on the bed! A vast contrast from my 1 night stay in Mumbai!

Just finished a delicious lunch of dahl, subji and roti on the Coimbatore Golf Club terrace... The food is amazing here to say the least.
We have been practicing a Bollywood dance for for Ishani's wedding for the past 3 days. Tomorrow we will preform the whole 10 minute routine for the Mhendi Ceremony. The theme of the ceremony is "Bollywood Bling". Just bought my bangles and bindhi's yesterday... Can't wait!

Highlights of the trip so far include:

Getting caught in a rainstorm with raindrops the size of grapes.

Meeting "Paatti" Rhagav's grandmother.

Receiving Blessings from the largest elephant I have ever seen. He literally touches the top of your head with his trunk and blesses you!

Shopping (Although it's not quite as cheap as I anticipated.;)

Going to a random salon with my friend Siddhi to get her head shaved yesterday.

Lameness...
Dropped my camera yesterday down a flight of stairs. It literally flew out of my hands. It's broken now... SUCH a bummer. At least I am traveling with friends who have cameras.

I swear I have the worst electrical appliance karma ever!

It will probably be a week or so until I can blog again. After all of the wedding celebrations I will be in the Jungle for 3 days.

Thanks for reading!

Namaste.

7 Hours Until Departure!

So, I'm sitting at the kitchen table at my parents new house in Danville California eating bites of Pumpkin Pie from Thanksgiving dessert straight out of the tin. It's toasty warm, cozy and comfortable. Looking down at the crisp new holiday themed table mats, listening to the conversation. Trying to stay present, but feeling slightly disconnected from it all. In just 7 hours I will be on my way to India. I can only imagine the contrast that awaits.
Fortunately I will have a very cushy landing. The first 10 days I will be in Coimbatore celebrating my friend Ishani's wedding. I've only heard a few details about the wedding so far, but rumor has it we will be learning a Bollywood dance upon arrival to preform at the wedding, and we each have our own Henna artist. AND, there will be over 1000 people at this 5 star wedding, I have never been to an Indian wedding before, but I've heard they are unbelievable. After the wedding the Grooms family is taking us on a jungle excursion where we will get to play with monkeys and magical elephants.
The month following the wedding will be spent backpacking through Northern India with 3 friends. We are 4 women, all 5'9'' and taller, and 2 of us are blonde, so I
imagine we will blend right in ;)
Am I apprehensive? Slightly.
Am I excited? Definitely.
Off to take a little hike with my sister and parents and then finish packing.
Next time I post I will be sitting in an internet cafe in India!

Travel Advice

If I had a penny for every time I heard these India Travel Tips, I'd be able to fund my entire trip!

"Don't drink the water"
"Not even the ice"
"Never eat street food"
"Never eat with your left hand"
"That's the hand you wipe with"

Anybody else have a tip?