The Top of the World, or Pune at least

This week I climbed Parvati Hill to visit the temple and the Peshwa Museum. The steps are very steep, and a real workout. Sadly, no photos were allowed inside the museum, and postcards are not available for sale on Sundays. The museum was fascinating, located in the old mansion of the Peshwas, the ruling family of Pune. They built the palace of Shaniwar Wada which I visited earlier. The museum had some beautiful idols on display, rifles and swords, jewelry, and daily use items like serving spoons and betel nut cutters. I tried a temper tantrum when the power went out, but it was really only to make my friend Yogesh laugh. The power goes out almost every day here, but it's only a problem when I want to take a bath and I can't heat the water. Even so, it's not usually out for long.

Parvati is the goddess of music and learning. I went into the temple complex just as the sun was setting for some wonderful photos. The temple is a heritage site built on the highest point in the city and overlooks all of Pune. I didn't take any photos of the city specifically because it was very hazy on that day. You can climb the walls of the complex, but you need to be careful because there are no railings. You'll have to be patient with my photos if they look a little similar. I couldn't decide whether I was taking photos of the temple or the sunset.

I'm posting some photos of my wedding dress... just kidding!! (That one's for EC!) One of my flatmates showed me her bridal lengha from when she was supposed to get married, and then had me try it on. So fun! The skirt and dupatta together are very heavy because of all the beautiful beadwork. Both of my flatmates are moving, so it will be very different around here starting next month.

Here I've also included a photo of the Mula-Mutha River. In India the distinction between urban and rural isn't quite as sharp, so I look out my window and see women harvesting crops, this week men were catching pigs in the lot behind the neighbourhood autorickshaw stand, and buffalo roam the university campus and graze along the river running through the middle of the city. (Haven't seen deer or antelope yet, sorry.) I also tried to capture something else that appears all the time: people playing cricket. You can probably find people playing cricket in other photos on my blog too!

As a side note, I also realized that my trip to Kashid last week also marked the occasion of my third ocean. Now I've been in the Atlantic (both the North American and the European shores), the Pacific, and the Indian Oceans.