This morning over breakfast Manuel and Siddharth regaled me with a story of a 8" scorpion they'd spotted the night before. " The rain makes them come out", said Sid.
Tonight, we caught one. This bug is as big as your hand. I'm not joking. For scale, consider the size of the fork.
One thing I've been dying to get a picture of is the common Indian practice of piling up a scooter or motor bike with anything that will fit: Full milk cans, giant bundles of sticks, large containers of diesel or gasoline, people... you name it. I routinely see motor bikes with Dad, the wife, and two kids. The best snap I've been able to manage so far is this picture of Dad, Wife and Kid.
The wife/sister/mom/etc. usually rides side saddle. The bikes are specially modified with a foot rest and often a larger, squared off seat facilitating the practice. If the bike has "saddle bags", it usually only has one on the right, so that the passenger can ride side saddle with their feet hanging off the left side.
We played hookie and went to see the Matrimandir today, but weren't allowed inside.
Afterward, we went to see Aureka, the "Unit" here in Auroville that actually fabricates the brick making machine used to make compressed earth bricks.
The first thing that I noticed was how NOT up to OSHA standards the shop was. First of all, people were working in flip-flops. Metal working in flip-flops. Another common practice was to not wear any kind of eye protection.
The next thing I noticed was the seeming preference for working on the floor as opposed to a work bench. This seems like a common thing in this part of India. This shot is the final assembly area for the Auram brick press.
Just as I was about to leave a couple of friendly fellows asked me to take their picture. I didn't get their names.
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