Kodaikanal
well, after a whirlwind weeklong ten-person eurocentric bicycle tour of the weird-yet-inspiring auroville - "the new universal city"- cycling under the guidance of a very french new-agey woman named ambre (say aaaaahmbrra) mind you, i landed this morning in kodaikanal, a hill-station way way up in the western ghats, a mountain range than runs north-south along the border between kerala and tamil nadu, india's two southernmost states. the bus-ride from the plains (a town called dindigal, where i disembarked a train at 5am) to the upper altitudes was breathtaking. it reminds me of umbria, italy (lots of farmland etching patterns across the earth), only with bigger mountains in the distance. i was snapping pictures all the way, while the bus driver performed acrobatics at the wheel (i lost my breath on some of the hairpin curves)... right now, i am wearing three shirts, a jacket, and hankerchief and SOCKS! it's much cooler here.

this place is a dream. i think my heart belongs in the mountains.  ¶ 8:59 AM