Auroville

I apologize in advance for spelling and other errors but the connection speed isn't great and I just want to post as quickly as possible so don't make fun--I really do know how to spell--somewhat :P

Dan and I stayed in Auroville for a couple of days, like I mentioned, in a sweet little hut. It was really relaxing. Auroville is kind of special--it's a place that was created by "the Mother" who was Sri Aurobindo's spiritual companion. She had a vision of a place that different cultures could come together and work towards creating a place that was environmentally sound and self suffient. I would say that they are pretty successful. From the solar kitchen (which cooks meals with solar power for up to 400+ people) to the water filtration system to organic farms...it's a pretty special place (a little cultish but I kind of like that sort of thing ;).

At the centre of Auroville is the Matrimandir--a giant gold plated sphere that you can go "concentrate" in. It's a silent zone which I love. I couldn't take pics of the inside since it's a temple and all but here is a pic of the outside. The inside is all white (you have to put on socks to walk around) and there is a giant round crystal that you "concentrate" on. For some reason they say concentrate and not meditate. I like the time we spent there, very pretty indeed.

As Dan mentioned in his last post, we are beach side now.We spent a crazy 12 hours on various buses to get here...it was not fun but SO worth it cause now we are in paradise! We started the day with a nice breaky, then played in some waves. We're taking a break now cause it's TOO hot in the sun at the moment. So I think there is some lunch and some laundry doing in our near future.

One of the things that I'm struggling with a bit is the constant male gawkers! Grrr. There is a constant parade of them up and down the beach. You could be lying there and they walk within inches of you. They also stand there and stare. I'm mostly covered most of the time--I have bathing shorts and a tank top that I go in the water in but it's still a problem. It's not just me of course, it's every tourist here. We did find a part of the beach that seemed to be quieter and actually patrolled by someone who tells them to move a long. Anyway I think I just need to get over it, and I will but it's still a little unnerving.

Another little note: I tried something yet again for the comments but I suspect the issue is with the map we've added to our blog so it's either map or comments...I say map :)

A pic of our sunset yesterday from a cafe.

xo