Saying Goodbye

Mikayla and Achee

Flying back to the states in 4 days! Signing off for a week or so....

Chennai

I've traveled to India two different times within the past year. Here are some of the shots I took in the city of Chennai:

From the airplane!



the train station in Egmore



busy city streets





a huge jackfruit



Marina Beach



Maha Bodhi Society in Egmore



night life







fried bananas



dosai..... yum!



One of my favorites. I took this when we were stopped in traffic. She just looked down at me from the bus and I was like, "hello!".... Snap. :)



A little girl in the alley outside the train station.



My second favorite shot from the whole trip.... Muslim men praying before boarding their train

King's College



And me! One windy afternoon at the Marina Beach.

Silly Kacey

Snapshots with my pretty little sister.

Three Little Monkeys

Actually, there were more than several monkeys out in our front yard this afternoon. And they're kind of creepy! Some are over 4 feet tall when they stand up. I'm quite content to hide in my house and take pictures of them with my zoom lens, thank you!

Sunday

Nine more days! How I'll miss this island country.
And my backyard jungle!

Fruits and Veggies

Wadi Making

This tasty snack is made by first soaking dahl (which is like dried beans or lentils) in water and then grinding them to make a paste. Chopped chilis, curry leaves, and salt is added to the mixture. Then fry in oil until dark brown. Yum!

I had been wanting to try making wadis the traditional way, by using a grinding stone to make the paste. You can check that out here. A friend taught me how to use the grinding stone and I'm really pleased with the result. Woo! It does takes a long time to do it properly. But well worth it. I can seriously appreciate having a blender in the future.

I was rather delighted to find this article in my inbox today: 10 Ways to Photograph Food . It provided me with the much needed inspiriation to complete my photography class homework.

Loving these people.

Sunday through Tuesday was spent saying goodbye to some pretty awesome people. They came to stay with us for a few days and we enjoyed the company, the beach, and some fine curry cooking. 

Sujani (aka Miss Monkey Pants)

Wadi-making lessons

 

Musical chairs

Love these people!

Saturday

Seventeen days.... and so much left to do.

This was today:

painting wood blocks with little Sabina and Deshani

silly faces with Wasana



and trying to get some semblance of packing underway!

Thursday

Curry making. Most Sri Lankan's eat rice and curry everyday. Today we have pumpkin, carrots, fried eggplant and beef curries.

Somber Procession

A poster announcing the funeral for a young Sinhalese boy from our neighborhood. On the morning of the funeral, the family members and all of the mourners walked down our road, accompanied by kandyan dancers playing drums and other traditional instruments. He was buried in a cemetery nearby.

In The Jungle

Today I ran off into the jungle (which is but a hop, skip, and a jump away) and discovered all sorts of interesting things.....

Creepy crawlies!



curious roots

and a cobragoya!

Monday

I've had a long and busy week that involved sewing, studying, unexpected company, taking care of sick friends, and then being sick myself. But I've still been taking photographs! Here are a few to catch up:

Isn't this one fun?

Silly Kacey! My, isn't she talented?

The little water monitor hiding out by our back porch.

More from my backyard jungle.

And... some random shots.