LIVING A LIFE EXTRAORDINARY
It startles me that one of my favorite photos from the journey, taken during a sunrise boat trip along the Ganges River, so magically depicts what became my least favorite place, Varanasi. Arriving in Varanasi, we were welcomed by some trickery from a tuk-tuk driver, dumped unceremoniously down a side street far from our hotel,…
During a severe state of utter travel delirium (Maldives to Hanoi, 5 planes, 24 hours) I was inspired by the hardcore intensity, madness and hilarity of the Indian airport system and in what I’d like to consider an inspired moment, composed the following: (to be sung to the tune of the “Hokey Pokey” because, why…
It started with my “trendy kurta,” and I’m not putting that in quotes to be funny – the receipt from the mall in Darjeeling labeled it as such. I’m happy to report I hadn’t purchased any old kurta – the traditional, long, loose top worn by women across India – I was keen enough to…
There’s a heck of a lot to be said for sitting and watching the sea. And even moreso when the sea is the Arabian, and you’re watching it perched high above on a rocky red cliff in Varkala, India. But seriously, back to the sea. If you stare long enough (say, for 5 days straight,…
Let’s just say you’ve been in India for a few weeks, amassed a bunch of souvenirs for (mostly) yourself and others, and don’t want to lug your new booty around the subcontinent. You head to the post office, with goods in tow. Ask for a shipping box and are met with blank stares. Boxes? Envelopes?…
I found myself under a shiny half moon, in the midst of a desert in Pushkar, India, surrounded on all sides by the shadows of thousands of camel silhouettes and the harrowing braying noises that these funny-looking beasts make when they’re happy, mad, or just going to the bathroom. Smoke from the fires of nomadic…
More aptly, it’s the city I couldn’t stop photographing. STUNNING, in a word. (The city, mind you, not my photography skillz – hehehe). For more of the eye candy, as well as photos from Diwali (the incredible festival of lights) check out my Udaipur Flickr album.
On the third night of Diwali, the most celebratory eve of the 4-day Hindu holiday, I sat cross-legged on cushions high above the Rajasthani city of Udaipur at the Soul Meet Cafe, taking in the silky black waters of Lake Pichola, and watching as festivities unfolded below and above my perch. A steady stream of…
I thoroughly enjoy adding new terms to my general lexicon, and while scanning my Lonely Planet for deets on the famed Darjeeling sunrise overlooking the 3rd highest mountain in the world, I found a new doozy: Bunfight. What it means? I can only imagine, as it was used to describe the mayhem of the crowds…
I am fairly certain that it is completely inappropriate to admit to really disliking India’s holiest city, not to mention realizing my great takeaway from the visit will be visions of feces, but alas, here I am. The guidebooks say to “give it a chance”, that for those with patience, Varanasi can be a hidden…
Nothing I write will ever match all that the Taj is to see. Here’s my attempt to capture some of that magic in photos.
The task, you see, was simple enough. While in New Delhi – that great, chaotic city of technology outsourcing and IT heroes – get my broken Mac Air fixed at one of the city’s many Apple-certified resellers. Though, in India as I was to quickly learn, few tasks are ever so straightforward. And that’s what…