3/14/13
Felix Pilkington and Eleanor Pearson
Up bright and early today for our morning hike—which was definitely a highlight of the trip. We left the houses to meet as a group at 5:35am. Everyone was very tired, and it was still dark. Around 6, we left the village and headed uphill. The more ground we covered the higher the sun rose in the sky. At first everyone was excited, but after a while some of us began to feel dehydrated and we took a break. By the time we climbed to the top we could clearly see the village below and the sun was above us. The scenery was breathtaking, and we could see for miles. After some Frootis and biscuits we spread out across the mountain top and reflected on our journey and everything that had happened yesterday. On the way back down there was some slipping but eventually we made it to the village. Later, we met back up to walk down to the lake, where we continued our work from yesterday. We placed tiles on the steps and by 1:00 we headed back to our houses.
After repeating the Marathi phrase "Bus", meaning "enough", to our host families endless offers of Chai, Naan, and rice, we met back up for the local East-Maharastrian bull and horse races. It was on the beach, and everyone was relaxing after some hard work. Like all other places we have visited, we stood out. Although India is diverse in its languages, cultures, and religions, racially it is very similar. Being a group of obvious Westerners, we seemed to be attracting everyone's attention. We waited for a couple hours on the beach before the races started (they were later than expected), and had our own race in the process. One of the nicest parts of waiting was the opportunity to relax and get some water on our feet. Then the races started! Starting with beach bicycles and ending with colorful bulls pulling carriages, the races were a great source of entertainment.
We then returned to the auto-rickshaws with sandy feet and headed back to Chinchoti for a forty-minute-long journal session where we were able to catch up on our thoughts and experiences. We went our separate ways for dinner around 8pm, ready for a long night's rest.
Felix Pilkington and Eleanor Pearson
Up bright and early today for our morning hike—which was definitely a highlight of the trip. We left the houses to meet as a group at 5:35am. Everyone was very tired, and it was still dark. Around 6, we left the village and headed uphill. The more ground we covered the higher the sun rose in the sky. At first everyone was excited, but after a while some of us began to feel dehydrated and we took a break. By the time we climbed to the top we could clearly see the village below and the sun was above us. The scenery was breathtaking, and we could see for miles. After some Frootis and biscuits we spread out across the mountain top and reflected on our journey and everything that had happened yesterday. On the way back down there was some slipping but eventually we made it to the village. Later, we met back up to walk down to the lake, where we continued our work from yesterday. We placed tiles on the steps and by 1:00 we headed back to our houses.
After repeating the Marathi phrase "Bus", meaning "enough", to our host families endless offers of Chai, Naan, and rice, we met back up for the local East-Maharastrian bull and horse races. It was on the beach, and everyone was relaxing after some hard work. Like all other places we have visited, we stood out. Although India is diverse in its languages, cultures, and religions, racially it is very similar. Being a group of obvious Westerners, we seemed to be attracting everyone's attention. We waited for a couple hours on the beach before the races started (they were later than expected), and had our own race in the process. One of the nicest parts of waiting was the opportunity to relax and get some water on our feet. Then the races started! Starting with beach bicycles and ending with colorful bulls pulling carriages, the races were a great source of entertainment.
We then returned to the auto-rickshaws with sandy feet and headed back to Chinchoti for a forty-minute-long journal session where we were able to catch up on our thoughts and experiences. We went our separate ways for dinner around 8pm, ready for a long night's rest.
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