Namaste :-)

K is posting an update as to where we are and what we have been up to.

I want to make a couple of corrections relating to some of the things that I have mentioned in my previous posts, having been educated by people here to the correct terminology etc.

Firstly, I mentioned that when we went to the temple in Ujain, I said that the men were wearing lungis, I was in fact incorrect, a lungi is a different type of garment although very similar. They were in fact wearing dhotis, which is a piece of cloth that is wrapped around the waist and is knee length, it is then pulled between the legs and tucked into the waistline. It is a timeless piece of dress and can be seen in many sculptures and art. It is also worn for formal occasions and would in this instance be worn full length rather than folded up to knee height.

Also, the NH4a (Our longest day of riding and the worst surfaced yet), I mentioned that I thought that it could have been flooding, this did not make sense due to the landscape and thinking of where the water would be sourced from for this to happen. I have since discovered that there is a border dispute involving Karntaka and a neighbouring state and as a result, neither of the states involved want to take responsibility for this section of road. I am not sure of the exact details but it is to do with the local dialect belonging to one state but the the border puts the people in the adjoining state thus misplacing them. Apparently it has been going on for 8 years or so, this explains why the road has not been maintained. We may not like the congestion in the UK but at least we can travel in a degree of comfort and luxury in comparison :-)

Thanks to a dear friend of mine, I have started to read a great book about India, it is called India: A History and is written by an English journalist/ historian named John Keays. He is taking a new approach having found that much of the history of India has been distorted and that there is more focus on the later and more recent eriod due to a higher availability of sources. The book contains some unique views, focusing much on teething out a chronological order including periods between the larger dynasties and looking at kingdoms which co-existed simultaneously with one another, as he argues was the norm. I mention it because it appears to be a fantastic book, if you are at all interested then try and pick up a copy, it is widely available.

Going back to my study of language, I have come to a brief halt in learning Hindi. The languages now are local and English is the main language that connects everyone, therefore it has been harder to continue with Hindi and I do not have a language book of Kannada or Marathi :-( I do hope to continue my study when we head further north again later on.

Language causes many disputes here, there is an issue in Karnataka state at the moment whereby the state wants to put up road signs in english and hindi, this disregards any respect for the local language - Kannada. People have been tearing down the sanskrit and english signs and burning them in some parts of the state as well as burning effigies of their political representatives in protest.

Finally - time is almost out on this prepaid service. The landscape and vistas that we have seen today have reminded me of being in the Mekhong Delta in Vietnam. We passed by paddy fields and ghats that were a little like limestone outcrops, the earth has also turned into a red colour. I attribute this to being of a similar latitude. Note made to oneself to find out more about geology :-)

Thanks for reading.