Happy Diwali

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Munnar, a hill station in Kerala, a southwestern state. We went the long way unintentionally -- discovered the night before we left that our supposed 10-hour train journey was in fact 34 hours long, in non-AC sleeper second class. We had a huge amount of fun travelling, though -- I always love train trips -- and Munnar itself was well worth the trip. The hills are beautiful, and such a change from what I've seen of India. The cool, cloudy weather and the canal running through the town gave me flashbacks to Holland.

The big attractions of Munnar are the tea plantations and the beauty of the hills. These photos barely do justice.



Mattupetty Dam -- a static shot before we took off in a speed boat.



I love the row of solitary trees on the crests of each hill --



One of several goats that were just hanging out asking to be photographed near the waterfall.



The best...







PS -- re-watching Obama's speech from the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He made the front page of the Maharashtra Herald yesterday when he announced he might consider running for president in 2008. I heart him.