It's those moments of connection, confusion, or understanding that I relish when I travel. My ultimate joy is laughing with people. The following are moments that I treasure as I continue my journey in India: Temple Visits The Arunachaleshwar Temple in Tiruvanammalai is an important destination for pilgrims from all over India. I visited several times. One evening it was crawling with pilgrims, men shirtless and wearing black dhotis, women in red and yellow full-of-shakti-energy saris--all creating a striking contrast with the stone walls and the giant gopurams, or towers, at the temple's entrances. It was the new moon, an auspicious time to visit and pray to the Shiva deities dwelling deep within the inner sanctum spaces. I joined the clamoring crowd, and was ushered by a river of people to a long table of tiny
... read more