Day 7...

Oh man, I wish posting pictures was working! I've taken over 700 photos so far and they have really turned out great. It'll just have to wait until I get back.
So what happened to day 6? Well yesterday was a great yoga day for me. I was able to take 3 of Arun's classes. His ladies class have over 50 women in it. The Indian women practice in their Salwar Kameez outfits with grace and beauty and humor. I feel so honorednto be with them, they are all so welcoming and sweet.
We also went to the Krishna Conciousness Temple in Rajajinagar. The temple in an active place of worship for Hindus. When we arrived late in the afternoon, it was packed, but for some reason, they waived us right to the front of the line. All I can think of is we are obvious foreigners visiting and maybe might donate a little money, which of course, we did. Andy, Maria, if you are reading this, Darcy, Jim and I thougt of you guys because the entire time we were there the Hari Krishna, Hari Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, (etc.) chant was being piped in. We chnted it with a priest performing an Arati ceremony just for us, received prasad, and joined in on a Kirtan jam! No cameras are allowed in the temple though, so we didn't capture the moments on film. :( Anyway, the experience was just so amazing, it is hard to put into words. But visualize an old enormous temple made of stone, filled with thousands of people all chanting, prostrating, crying, and worshiping Krisha and Rama. After receiving our blessings and supporting the gift shop (where ingot this amazing tulsi mala and frankincense) we revived another form of prasad--some very tasty, spicy, kitcheree. It was delicious and piping hot and so we all ate it of course with our hands, no forks or spoons here--you eat with your hands, including kitcheree, which is a mixture on rice and dahl, the consistency is like oatmeal, which makes eating it with your hands a little challenge. But where there is will, there is always a way, and we managed just fine.
On then way back from the temple (heading to a shopping district) I saw a cow, yes, an actual cow standing inside the bus stop, as if he was waiting for the bus like all the other passengers. As I mentioned previously, the cow is sacred, so he was not shooed away, but rather treated justnas any other person/being waiting for a bus. Anyway it was a hilarious sight, and one I will not soon forget.
So that brings me to today. Today we drove 200 kilometers into Belhur to see the Halebeedu Temple. The temple Is an eleventh century architectural phenomenon that is beyond words to describe, but was well worth the 4 hour drive in. Then journey itself was such a rich experience. Just like the scenes from the movie, "Slumdog Millionaire," we drove through slums as we left the city, through yards and yards of garbage, saw a beautiful sunrise amidst the hazy air, and really felt the reality of the billion plus people that live here. We left very early (6am), so we witnessed the rising day, the beginning of the sound assault as the beeping, honking, literal laying of horns began. The smog was so thick it was difficult to see some kids practicing yoga on their school lawn, oxen and cattle being walked by their owners (this vision appeared when we got out of the city), the women walking with large jugs of water on their heads, and the carts full of reeds and kindling wood slowly moving down the road, and the ever-present colorful sari clad women floating down the streets (both in the city and out in the country). There are sad disturbing visions as well, like the polio inflicted beggars in the streets, hands outstretched, sitting on tangled limbs all turn the wrong way.
I wish I had film of Jim telling Darcy the story of the Bhagavad Gita along the ride, it was a beautiful sweet thing to witness, and the Gita is told in so many different written ways, it was delightful to hear it casually verbalized. Anyway, when we got there and forged through the entrepreneurs selling trinkets (btw, in Mysore there was even a kid with 2 cobras and a monkey selling the opportunity for you to take a picture of him and his pets) the temple was almost surreal. Elaborate carvings, intricate work, layers of stories all carved into stone back in the eleventh century.
I am going to explain more tomorrow in detail about the temple...
It's now past midnight and I have a 6am class to get to!
Jai, jai. Stay tuned...