shades of green.

closing hands, holding tightly. opening hands, letting go. Scrunch your eyes so hard you can shut it all out and open them up and see a different something than you saw before. My mind idealizes the places that i am not. i know this by now. the rice paddy is always greener on the other side they say. but today i got to see the rice paddy here for all the beauty that it is. we rented a motor bike today in the late afternoon and i took my training wheels off again and hopped on a (much less) sophisticated motor bike than i'm used to in lovely thailand. up the first steep hill we went and melissa hopped off 3/4 of the way as the motorbike revved full up to a stop. we made it to the top of the hill and drove another short distance before stopping at a ganesha temple. and then we continued riding passing temple after temple each devoted to a different deity. and palaces that blend in with the large oval rocks here, some built right into the sides. old palaces laying in ruins, pillars striking up into the sky. rice paddies brilliant green setting off the red tones of the earth. i used my horn today on this bike often, as that's what you do in india. it sounded like a frog croaking and was not the least bit manly of a toot, but i enjoyed it none-the-less. i tooted it often (melissa might say too often) at passerbys who gave me big grins back, and some blank stares. and kids on bikes riding old cruisers that waved as we went by. we wandered around after parking and found an old shiva temple, which we both felt like suddenly being transported into an episode of indiana jones. walking past ornately carved pillars through several antechambers to peer upon a black room which opened up onto a box with a shaft of light beaming onto it. it was so eerie that we couldn't get any closer to inspect it but just stand with reverence at the awe-inspiring scene before us. paying homage to shiva we sang the intro chant from our favorite yoga-style, anusara, which is memorized in our hearts forever, harmonizing-- and had an india moment. we ate at the same restaurant three times today, which we found out is run by our guest house owners father. we had porridge and fruit meusli with curds (yoghurt) and banana fritters with lassi's to boot. a special curry and spinach paneer and chapathi for lunch. and paneer masala and coconut curry for dinner. on the walk there and back fireflies lit our way along the path overlooking those same rice paddies that made me appreciate being here so much. yes, life is much better here in hampi!! the rollercoaster of yesterdays feels distant and we are hopeful again that india will take us into her arms and carry us through this trip! after going through a pretty intense culture shock..questioning who we can be here and how we can fit into this already existing.. wild wild culture..we have come to a very relaxed pace here and feel excited about continuing on with this journey. thanks for all the support everyone, we love you and miss you all!!

carson (and melissa)

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Today Could Be The Best Day Of Your Life