We started our morning with a typical Kerala breakfast – small rice dumplings called Idli served with Sambar which is vegetables in a sauce, fresh bananas right off the tree and tea masala.

Another guest was pointing off into the fields and we went over to see what the excitement was about. A whole row of wild peacocks were making their way across the field, necks stretched out the way wild turkeys run except with iridescent feathers shining in the early morning light.

Ancient Jain temple with tour guide Justin

So if that wasn’t enough to make our day we then were taken by one of the workers named Justin to see two ancient Jain temples a short walk from the estate. Both were falling down but that only added to the majesty of their intricate carvings, including Hanuman the monkey god.

And if that wasn’t enough to fill us right up, Justin then took us to see the Ganapati temple also off the main road. Ganapati is another name for Ganesha the elephant headed god. This was a huge honor for us as the inner sanctuary of Hindu temples is usually off limits to non-Hindus. It was a highlight for Cath to be able to ask for the blessings of Ganesh in a waft of sandalwood incense with the soft light of the oil lamp on brass tray enhancing the beauty of flowers left for the puja or offering.

After all of that we hopped in the car for what was billed as a 4 hour drive to Bangalore which morphed into 8 hours. We crossed into a wildlife reserve and almost at the edge of the park we caught a glimpse of a wild elephant on the other side of the road. We had passed by her before we realized what we were looking at. Ashref stopped the car but by the time we got turned around in our seats all we could see was the backside of an elephant making a hasty retreat away from the road. It reminded us of seeing bears in the Western national parks, a glimpse is usually all you get and all you would want to get. The road signs say very clearly no picnicking and no photography. We have a couple more visits to wildlife parks on the formal tour so hope to spot more wildlife. The park we were in is closed from 6 pm to 6 am to help protect the animals.

We left Kerala state and entered Karnataka state which was much drier, more desert like than the lush tropics of Kerala. The language changes as well from Malayalam to Kannada, just like it sounds!There is more agriculture including vegetables and flowers. We also saw more livestock – goats, sheep, donkeys and cows being herded down the highway or tended in fields. We saw the classic Indian white bulls drawing carts or being led in groups of 2 or 3 en route for plowing the fields. Sometimes these bulls are tinted yellow which might be tumeric and their horns are painted red, blue or tipped with brass decorations. Other cows can be seen walking on the road but more often resting in the shade – smart cows! We encountered many small hindu temples all along the way plus a huge four sided gold Ganesh towering several stories high.

Traffic got much denser when we got close to Bangalore whose congestion is legendary and for good reason. Picture four lanes of traffic narrowing down to two in complete chaos with a mix of cars, trucks, buses, auto rickshaws and motorcycles all vying for space with inches between each vehicle. We have a few videos to show you – you won’t believe it. Thank goodness for GPS which got us to the hotel. Ashref and Rauf went to stay with a cousin and were to drive all the way home the next day. We were sad to say goodbye to these great guys and we could never have got here without them! Our tour book says “the best advice to anyone thinking about driving in India is, don’t !”

Only in incredible India could we see wild peacocks, abandoned temples, active temples, wild elephants and use a GPS to find a hotel in the midst of complete chaos – all in one day!