A world away in 5 weeks - India to Sri Lanka and back
Aug 20th, 2019, 08:30 AM
#84
Original Poster
jacketwatch, thanks!
Perhaps one of the most remarkable sights we saw in Tamil Nadu were the clay horses of the Ayyanar shrines. Ayyanar is considered an early god who is worshipped in South India and is the guardian of small towns. Votive offerings are traditionally terra-cotta horses for Ayyanar to ride around at night! Other clay figures are offered as well, but it’s the clay horses that are most striking.
Perhaps one of the most remarkable sights we saw in Tamil Nadu were the clay horses of the Ayyanar shrines. Ayyanar is considered an early god who is worshipped in South India and is the guardian of small towns. Votive offerings are traditionally terra-cotta horses for Ayyanar to ride around at night! Other clay figures are offered as well, but it’s the clay horses that are most striking.
Aug 22nd, 2019, 05:08 AM
#92
Original Poster
I'm so glad that you're all enjoying this photo report! More to come... though slowly!
annhig - it was wonderful to meet some of the folks at Indian Panorama! We were warmly welcomed and it was great to "know" who it was I was working with.
thursdaysd - There are Ayyanar shrines in and near villages throughout Tamil Nadu; perhaps the explanation you received is one of the many myths that explain them, but I thought this blog post was especially helpful. https://theurgetowander.com/2015/11/...-of-tamilnadu/
jacketwatch - we are definitely saving film costs these days! But those cameras now come at a much heftier price!
sartoric - so glad this is bringing back memories of your own wonderful visit (and photos!)
natandmiriam - you will be amazed when you are actually in India! It is a place like no other I've visited.
annhig - it was wonderful to meet some of the folks at Indian Panorama! We were warmly welcomed and it was great to "know" who it was I was working with.
thursdaysd - There are Ayyanar shrines in and near villages throughout Tamil Nadu; perhaps the explanation you received is one of the many myths that explain them, but I thought this blog post was especially helpful. https://theurgetowander.com/2015/11/...-of-tamilnadu/
jacketwatch - we are definitely saving film costs these days! But those cameras now come at a much heftier price!
sartoric - so glad this is bringing back memories of your own wonderful visit (and photos!)
natandmiriam - you will be amazed when you are actually in India! It is a place like no other I've visited.
Oct 15th, 2019, 09:21 AM
#93
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Originally Posted by progol
Feb 6/7/8 Habanara - Cinnamon Lodge (3 nights)
Feb 14/15/16 - Galle - Mango House (3 nights)
Feb 14/15/16 - Galle - Mango House (3 nights)
Oct 21st, 2019, 10:09 AM
#94
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I just came across this report! I am not a frequent visitor to the Asia forum. Wow!!! What a fabulous trip! Love your photos and respect your energy. Did you have any stomach issues? The reason I ask is that I had several problems when we last visited China in 2017, so I’m a bit nervous about visiting this part of the world.
Oct 23rd, 2019, 01:10 AM
#96
Original Poster
Oh, dear, I never did finish this, did I? There's still all of Sri Lanka that we visited...maybe someday, I'll finish it! But we just returned from a 5-week trip to Italy, so my brain is elsewhere right now. Something to work on during the long winter days, I think!
Karen, we never had any stomach problems in either of our trips to India, and part of the reason is that we were very diligent about drinking and even brushing teeth with bottled water. On our second trip, we were less worried about food in more local places, but again, it's being careful about where we eat.
Bob, thank you! Glad you're enjoying the photos! India is fascinating and wonderful, as I'm sure you know!
Karen, we never had any stomach problems in either of our trips to India, and part of the reason is that we were very diligent about drinking and even brushing teeth with bottled water. On our second trip, we were less worried about food in more local places, but again, it's being careful about where we eat.
Bob, thank you! Glad you're enjoying the photos! India is fascinating and wonderful, as I'm sure you know!
Oct 24th, 2019, 02:10 AM
#97
Original Poster
We visited the Chettinad region in Tamil Nadu, a fascinating region that was settled by wealthy merchants over a century ago, who built palatial mansions with materials acquired from their trading in places such as Burma or Malaysia. But in the mid-20th C, the families left and moved to the cities, leaving their mansions in the care of caretakers or abandoning them. Many of them are now in disrepair, with some taken over as hotels or museums. It’s a fantastic area to visit and has a different feeling than the temple towns of Tamil Nadu.
We stayed in the lovely Saratha Vilas, in a small town of Karaikudi. The hotel had been bought by 2 French architects, and they’ve done a beautiful job of restoring the house. We enjoyed our stay very much, although I’ll add that it’s not for everyone. The ambience is, for some, a bit cool and distant, but we found it very comfortable.
We enjoyed staying in the town, too. One of the frustrations we had on this trip was staying in many resorts, which are certainly pleasant enough, but often far from a town, so we were not able to just walk outside and have a stroll around. Here we did, and enjoyed it very much. Karaikudi is small enough to be able to walk from one end to another in an hour to explore the town.
More photos to follow.
We stayed in the lovely Saratha Vilas, in a small town of Karaikudi. The hotel had been bought by 2 French architects, and they’ve done a beautiful job of restoring the house. We enjoyed our stay very much, although I’ll add that it’s not for everyone. The ambience is, for some, a bit cool and distant, but we found it very comfortable.
We enjoyed staying in the town, too. One of the frustrations we had on this trip was staying in many resorts, which are certainly pleasant enough, but often far from a town, so we were not able to just walk outside and have a stroll around. Here we did, and enjoyed it very much. Karaikudi is small enough to be able to walk from one end to another in an hour to explore the town.
More photos to follow.
Oct 24th, 2019, 03:00 AM
#98
Original Poster
I’m having difficulty posting vertical photos from my iPad for the first time! They keep coming up horizontal! I don’t see where I can turn the photos, either!
I’ve posted this problem in the Help forum, but if anyone has any recent experience, please let me know. As you see above, I’ve never had problems with posting vertical pix before!
I’ve posted this problem in the Help forum, but if anyone has any recent experience, please let me know. As you see above, I’ve never had problems with posting vertical pix before!
Oct 24th, 2019, 04:08 AM
#99
Original Poster
Never mind. I discovered the flaw. Post full-size photos from an iPad. Resizing them smaller through the photo app causes some weird change to the vertical photos and they post horizontal!
Photos to come!
Photos to come!
