Our guide picked us up at the port by 8:30 this morning, along with seven others that we had toured with yesterday. Our first stop was at the Kudroli Gokarnanatha Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The entrance is flanked by two life size black elephant statues. The Temple complex is quite extensive, with multiple buildings. We were lucky to be there as a wedding was getting under way. The wedding party was more than happy to pose in their absolutely beautiful wedding attire.
Our next stop was at the Pilikula Heritage Center, where we watched artisans weaving cloth, grinding seeds, making cane furniture, and more. The Indian government is making an effort to continue crafts with few artisans left.
Our tour guide, Nelson, invited us to his home, to meet his family. He just completed college and lives with his parents and two brothers. They are a Catholic family. Nelson has a full time job in sports media and works a second job as a tour guide. His family gave us a tour of their home and some refreshments. They were delightful!
Nelson was happy to show us Aloysius Chapel, famous for its interior covered in paintings and frescoes. The chapel was built in 1900 and is on the campus of Aloysius University, Nelson’s alma mater. The church was beautiful.
We made a quick stop at a local market, with fresh fish, dried fish, fruits and vegetables, and flowers. The variety of dried fish was amazing! Our last stop was at a cashew factory, with over 200 women processing the nuts. Their labor intensive hard work will cause us to appreciate cashew nuts more than ever. We had a wonderful day!
