kBrief update before we leave for the houseboat this morning.. I wanted to post some pictures from last night’s Katacali dance.. I have some great video footage of the dance.. (and about 6 other things).. but that will have to wait until I get to a place with better than phone line bandwidth for me to upload them.
Katacali is a ritual story/dance that is performed in Hindu temples across Kerala.. The dancers go through a rigorous 6 year training period from the age of 12. The dances are a very elaborate mix of drama, music, sacred chanting and hand gestures.. They tell stories out of the Mahabharata the Hindu holy texts.
We got to watch the dancers suiting up. It’s an elaborate process.. Everything about the figures is exaggerated. The ‘good guys’ have their faces expanded by wearing glued on paper ‘cheeks’. They all wear bustles of rice bags tied at their waste. The colored make up is made from local minerals and oils only.. . There is a strict vocabulary of hand gestures that allow the story to be told while the dance is going on. 
One of the most remarkable things is the ‘vocabulary’ of exaggerated facial gestures. I have a great movie of this.. but I’ll have to upload it later.
The dance production lasted about an hour. It was amazing. One guy chanted the text while accompanying the dance with tiny cymbals. Two other guys kept a beat with a high pitched drum. The characters didn’t talk.. but the ‘bad’ guy (actually Lord Shiva dressed up as a bad guy) made these wild ‘whooping sounds.. I’ve got some great video of the dance.. but again.. you’ll have to wait on seeing that until I can upload . We got a chance to go up and be photographed with the dancers afterwards.. Which one is me ? 
Afterwards we had a great dinner with new friends Linda and Patrick then came home to sleep. Right now we’re leaving for the houseboat.. I don’t know when I’ll next have internet.. So talk to you all whenever. .
Love you all.. love you Sam..
-us
Gabe took advantage of the rain which comes in the late afternoon to make a boat.. it sailed pretty well in the gutters in the hotel
