Pachyderm Prayers

While we are lacking in the fruit department, we North Americans really got the short end of the wildlife stick. Sure, alligators are fearsome, bison awe-inspiring, cougars impressive...

But they ain't no elephant.

There are not too many things that would seem more foreign to an American than seeing a pachyderm standing on a random street.

Screaming naked crack heads? Sure. Insane bible thumpers babbling out the will of the lord? OK. Gun toting gang bangers or SWAT teams? Of course. But a 10-ton elephant just chillin' on the boulevard? Uh...no.

Well, that was among the first sights we caught one fine morning in Pondicherry. It was not altogether unexpected---afterall, the chance to visit an elephant temple was part of what vaulted the town onto our itinerary. But until you walk up on an elephant in the middle of a narrow lane, it is just too weird a concept to believe. And when you are there, looking up at those big, flappy ears with all sorts of designs and doodles painted all over, it's all just a bit too dreamy for a zooie like me. But there we were standing in front of a tiny temple on a small side street where they had squeezed a good-looking elephant. The scene was made all the odder by the elephant's mahout, who stood by idly chattering on his cell phone. (Apparently you get used to a partner hundreds of times your weight---the novelty is lost... But not for us.) I have read that lots of Hindu temples have their own resident elephants---so the idea that this was somehow a common sight in India is more than a tad mindboggling. Nonetheless, we had not seen any---so when Jeff mentioned stumbling onto this temple and getting a blessing from the big girl...well, you couldn't get there fast enough for Jo-Elle.

So, amidst the din of people smashing coconuts as a sacrifice outside the temple, we timidly approached the behemoth blesser. She wore the biggest silver anklets I've ever seen, some lovely bells about the neck, and was decorated with glittery blue bars of paint across her head. She happily reached her trunk out to accept money and food offerings from passersby in return for her blessing---a soft plunk on the head. A few moments, a few rupees, a bonk upside the head and it was done. Fleeting---but a most memorable experience. (Check the Flickr page link on the left for a couple of really great photos of this.)

A block away from the elephant temple, we ducked into the well-known Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Frankly, I did not know what the heck was going on there... Lots of folks meditating. Plenty of flowers. A surprising lack of hubbub...but we certainly did not feel any more peaceful afterwards, just kinda perplexed. Getting ponched on the kepi by a mammoth was way more meaningful (and fun) for me and Jo-Elle.

Soon, we were back on the road to Chennai, passing salt flats and ocean views as we cruised northward in our driver Kumar's Ambassador. Huge banyon trees shaded the road as Hindi club tunes created an interesting soundtrack to a drive where we saw the roadway completely covered in goats, busses with riders on top, and bicycles carrying impossibly large loads (don't forget, this was India's best highway).

In the evening we prepared to travel in truly Indian fashion---by train. Every day nine million Indians pack onto Indian Railways---we were ready to join them as we wandered into Chennai's big station in Chennai with its huge clocktower and stereotypical-looking shed. It was easy to mosey right up to our train, but not easy to find our car---the train must have had 50 cars at least. Each car looks pretty much the same---nondescript blue with only barred windows signaling the cars without air conditioning. We were traveling to Mysore. Second class AC sleeper berths would be our home for the next 12 hours. In the end, this was a pretty good way to travel. The fold-out beds were far from luxurious, but I was able to sleep for much of the trip, despite the horrific snoring that screeched from a nearby berth. India railway even supplied the bedding---a pillow, two sheets, and scratchy wool blanket. The far-from-sumptuous accommodations were topped off by easy access to the toilet just outside the car. The toilet lacked a bowl, it was just a toilet seat over a hole. I was intrigued by the fact that when I pee-ed and the train was moving at a good clip, I was probably covering a mile of tracks with my waste! As you can imagine, use of the toilets is verbotten when the train is stopped...

When we awoke, the scenery had changed. We had moved from the state of Tamil Nadu to Karnataka---an area known for its plentiful waterways and lush scenery. The change in temperature was noticeable too. It had been sweltering in Chennai (probably almost as bad as it was in Chicago). The temperature was a good 15 degrees cooler as we passed through verdant green rice fields and approached Mysore. At the station, Jeff dickered and arranged for a car, and we were off for Bandipur. 80 km south and we were at the edge of the Bandipur National Park, part of the Nilgiri Biosphere reserve---a jewel of India's wild animal preserves. The park is only open to the public a few hours per day, so the best way to efficiently use our time was to stay at one of the "jungle lodges" nearby.

The rooms were not jungle-y; but they were cheese-y. Each was named for an animal found in the area. As we entered the cheetal room we were fascinated to see the larger than life spotted deer mural looming above our bed. Jeff did even better scoring the elephant room! (check the photo on the Flickr page.)

Our elephant encounter and the room decor had whet our appetites for the wild life---and we were just about to get our wish, and then some!

NEXT---Safari, Indian style; the largest cattle on Earth; the largest posse known to man; veg meals; follow that cow!