my cousin got hitched and the wedding was beautiful and fun and full of ceremonies that we didn't fully get but that was ok because no one understands it all anyway. anj and i got hennaed and wore sarees and tried to be ladylike (i couldn't really walk but i did my best ;0)). the parade to the wedding hall was the best part, in my opinion, which started from the house my dad grew up in (which is now situated on a major road with crazy traffic malls and soon-to-be-imax theatres, if you can imagine it) and went toward the ceremony. basically, the groom's side of the family (us) dances in front of his vehicle (traditionally a horse or elephant but this time a car) while a band leads the whole group from the house to the wedding. it was pretty unreal because we were on the equivalent of a major highway, completely interrupting traffic with our dancing and music and firecrackers. only in india!after spending some quality time with lots of relatives i don't get to see very often, anj and i and aki took off for hampi, which is between hyderabad and goa. the city was the site of a very powerful hindu empire during the 14th and 15th centuries, but now is a tourist haven because of its wild landscapes. everywhere you look are impressively large and strangely placed boulders, lush banana palms, ornate temples, monkeys and water buffalo, and ruins of the once-great city. the sunset from the top of a nearby hill is amazing.
we spent our mornings there doing yoga on the roof of our guesthouse, from which we could see 2 old temples, 2 hills of boulders, a winding river lined by boulders, and a variety of tropical birds (some bright green). afternoons we would explore one of the historic sites (a huge temple complex famous for its musical columns, the queen's bath, or the royal elephant stables) on foot or by bicycle. cycling through the landscape was really the best part, as giant boulders and strange ruins come out of nowhere, and beautiful, strong village women walk by, easily balancing tiffin boxes (like cylindrical, silver lunch boxes) and machetes on their heads. we were mesmerized by the groups of villagers walking back and forth across the golden fields with their stacks of hay. in no particular hurry, back and forth, peaceful.
one evening we befriended some tibetans who showed us how to make tenthook (sp?), a tibetan noodle soup. we shared it with them on their rooftop, surrounded by boulders, stars, and monkeys.
the next day we went with one of them to monkey temple, across the river from where we were staying. the temple was up on the top of a cliff, and after exploring it, we took our hoop and went with aki and some friends from japan and australia and argentina and taiwan over to some surrounding boulder-plateaus. 
aki and his friend played the drum and assorted other instruments (including beatboxing) while anj and i took turns dancing with the hoop and teaching people how to use it. it was a gorgeous space overlooking a bizarre landscape of boulders. after hampi we headed to gokarna by overnight bus, which dropped us off at 4 am in the equivalent of a parking lot (luckily we had befriended 2 other male tourists, so we weren't all alone) with a supposed connection to the town we were trying to reach. as it turned out, i ate dahl at a rest stop on the way and managed to get sick and had already vomited by the time we arrived. so, while anj and our two friends dozed on their packs against a storefront, i spent the next 2 hours trying to make it to the bathroom before vomitting. it was a blast. finally, the store opened up and kicked us out and we found our own transport to Om beach, where i am currently writing this update. it is beautiful and thankfully not too touristy. about an hour's hike or half-hour boat ride is paradise beach, where we spent most of the day yesterday. it is really mellow and has a good variety of folks playing every instrument and juggling and doing their thing on the beach. we are actually heading that way now and will probably spend the night there, so i will wrap this up. a cute gecko is staring at me from the wall. come back for pics soon...
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