So, a bunch of cows are running down the hill toward you. What do you do? First I thought, “Hmm, Vanessa is Spanish – she’ll know how to handle this.” Then I noticed we were both looking at each other like, “uhhhhhh…” So I stepped over what appears to be a cattle guard leading into the crematorium. Cows don’t step on cattle guards, right? Newsflash: Indian cows sure do.

Why was I even concerned about the cows? Because my friend Sue came back from Mysore with a scar from a sudden, unprovoked interaction with a cow (who she nicknamed “The Asshole”) in December. 

So now I’m standing on a cattle guard that cows are hopping over and Vanessa says, “Look, they’re burning a body.” Indeed. Open air cremations are held on the crematorium grounds.

No pictures. Things happen too quickly around here, and then you find yourself a bit of an intruder at a cremation.