Ellora was even more impressive than Ajanta.
First though, we stopped for a scenic group picture (this is a modeling heavy picture blog post.)
Hahaha we should this picture to Kristen... her only comment when Tyler complained about her lack of enthusiasm... "I look like a cop."
ahahahahah so true
This entire trip, Riane and I got in immense trouble for being "gigglers." Not trouble, but it was commented on how it was great and perfect that we found each other... people just can't let it go that we are like the same person and we met randomly in India.
Ellora is not just caves. Ellora is also a huge temple created, carved in one solid piece, out of the side of the mountain. The Ellora temple has mezzanines, archways, huge elephants and animal heads, tic tac toe mini Buddhas, picture windows, shrines, changing floors, spiral staircases, huge pillars, giant Buddhas.
All one solid piece of mountain.
We had to walk to all of them - some of them deep caves, some not. And the big one, the temple.
How ridiculous and amazing is that?
Also, forgive me for looking like a soccer mom in these pics.
We walked backwards. This is the last cave, like 27 or something.
I don't know if Riane knew she had her hand on that carving's boob.
ahaha there was a lake at the bottom that during the monsoon season, is filled by a waterfall.
But still, no sweeming or bathing.
This is the amazing cave 16, the temple cave.
I wish I had a better point.
Here, you can see some of the untouched stone behind a portion of the temple.
It is like the temple, completely attached to the stone ground (and everything in it - the towers, the elephants statues, etc) was just sitting in the middle of this big half circle of rock.
Please look at the detail. Think about the amount of concentration and planning carving each person by hand out of a single rock took.
I feel so bad, because I know I can't give you any sort of sense of what it was remotely like. What we were seeing was plain unbelievable. I can't capture the scale, the impressive detail, the mastery of the entire project. I just can't.
I can't do any of it justice whatsoever.
Looooook. I am not even kidding. This place was ridick.
So, then after climbing around and doing some exploring and taking some pictures with strangers, we moved on to other caves.
These are just pics from here.
unimpressed.
We were practicing our meditation and feeling one with the Buddha, as if he were one of us.
Those poor flip flops... they are my absolute favorite, holes in all the rights places, and I left them at the hotel.
Good thing I called and got them sent back to me! They should get here sometime soon.
cool.
Then we visited the small Taj. Still pretty big, if you ask me.
They call it the Poor Man's Taj.
hm...
Then we went back to the hotel, changed, rushed, and got to the train station an hour too early.
While there, Riane ate a disgustingly smooshed fruit and then decided to brush her teeth on the tracks.
Right after I had taken out my contacts in front of a small child and terrified her.
Poor thing - She is probably traumatized.
Then we rode the midnight train to Andhra Pradesh.
And I thought.
Trains make me think. I get on them, ready to race off towards my desires but these trips have yet to fix it, whatever "it" is.
Railway stations...
They almost make me sad, just the atmoshphere.
I always think myself to sleep only to wake up and it is always the strangest I can remember feeling.
I don't always know who I am when I first wake up. I know that I am on a train, far away from home, tired from traveling, and around me are the most unfamiliar sites.
Feet. Feet are everywhere, hanging off of bunks, light streaming through the window, a man is yelling "chaiiii," a pair of dark eyes peering at me from under a blanket, a low roof and a soft sway - I am always somebody different, every single time. I am headed towards my future, each passing moment is pushing my youth and my time and my chances farther away and my past is disappearing. I go to sleep one place, wake up on the other side of India.
And trains... they sound sad. There is no loud, raucous laughter, no smiles. Constant creaking, sways, mumbles.
But I like trains.
Trains give me Allyn Time.
