Yeligeri Summer Festival

I have posted so far about some of the organizations we have seen, and some of the lectures we have heard.  However, I haven't really posted on some of the fun we've had too.

While in Yeligiri Hills there happened to be a summer festival.  It is usually held in April or May, but had been postponed this year due to some political elections.  So, we lucked out.  Tourists from the whole valley area would trek up the mountain (about 4,000 feet) to attend the festival.  It was complete with food, entertainment, and scary rides (scary because they didn't look like anything I would be comfortable putting my own children on).

Here are a few pictures below that highlight the fun we got to have.

No festival is complete without balloons!

Yeligiri Hills has a quaint little lake, and the festival offered boat rides for festival goers.

The people were really nice and wanted to be in our pictures as much as we wanted to take pictures.  This family even tried to get me to take their daughter!

Fulbright photographer Robert the most interaction with locals.  As seen here talking to a father and daughter snapping a shot. 

Fulbrighters Rob, Gary, and Karen eat some fruit from one of the stands.

Fulbrighters Aditi, Natalie, Craig, and Karen eating more fruit.  They ate almost every fruit you could buy, and I'm pretty sure they still haven't figured out at least two of the fruits they ate.

Here's me with some local women who called me over to pose with them.

Brazilian Fulbrighter Noelle shakes her thing with the local girls in the big tent.

I myself danced, but for only a minute.

These were two of the girls we were talking to as they waited for their turn to perform on stage.  Almost all costumes were this beautiful and elaborate. 

People were so happy to have us there that security even allowed Robert to get on stage to take some pictures of the performers.