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RANDOM INCIDENTS AND OBSERVATIONS:

MILESTONE:

UnknownDay before yesterday I swam in the Bay of Bengal. That’s me toward the upper left. The big deal? Not the location, though that’s interesting, but the words “I” and “swam” in the same sentence. I haven’t been able to do that for some years, but here I am 7 mos. out from shoulder replacement surgery and sailing along like Michael Phelps.

 

WHAT’S IN GITANJALI’S NAME?

We at Musically Minded Academy (Stepdaughter Anna’s music school) are proud to have on our board a lady from India whose name is Gitanjali. According our tour leader the name means something like “Embraced in Song.” And indeed she is.

ON THE SUBJECT OF PRIESTS AND MARRIAGE

HTKY_Ganapathy_Homam0596.20672845_sq_thumb_sUnlike their Roman Catholic brethren, Hindu priests can marry. In fact, they must. The ritual performances of an unmarried priest have no power. Why? Because a male has no power (Shakti) without a woman. Both the phallic and the yonic are central to Hindu ceremonies. If a priest’s wife dies, he must not perform rituals till he remarries. Not only must he be married, but he must be sexually active. Otherwise, again, his rituals are a sham. How they check up on this last, I don’t know. However, it’s been reported that there is a big market for Viagra among older priests. No hard data to support this.

ACCOMMODATIONS

FullSizeRender 2Yesterday was our first disappointing hotel. It was located in a temple town called Chidambara. Guess good lodgings are scarce and expensive next to the magnificent temple we visited yesterday. The room smelled like mothballs last night because staff put mothballs in the drains. To stop odors, I guess. Should be a better idea out there. The smell was not so bad this morning. Guess they dissolve. More about the temple later. For right now, what matters is we’ve transferred to a virtual paradise with small chalets scattered over sylvan gardens. A royal welcome. Note Susanne’s so embarrassed by the attention she can’t keep her eyes open. Meals prepared from the on-site garden. Not feeling guilty about the luxury at all after last night’s experience. Violin concert tonight.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

IMG_0657Witness the scaffolding. Detail shows how the Eucalyptus poles are attached to one another. If screening is needed, they attach palm branches. OSHA’s worst nightmare.

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SHOPPING

FullSizeRender 6Best we’ve had in a while. Prices are good, wide selection of merchandise. Susanne’s watch is a good example, as is her new top. Here she is mirroring one of Shiva the Destructor’s wilder dances. When the going gets tough, the tough start dancing. As somebody said, “Who could believe in a god who didn’t dance?”FullSizeRender 4

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