karma generation - captured

Autumnal Leaves II

2007-07-04T22:18:00.000+10:00

Autumnal Leaves

2007-07-03T23:50:00.000+10:00

Yummy

2007-06-13T23:54:00.001+10:00

Grand Final

2007-06-12T21:19:00.000+10:00

Misty

2007-06-11T20:13:00.000+10:00

Archways

2007-06-09T19:16:00.001+10:00

Long Sighted

2007-06-07T20:10:00.001+10:00

Incense

2007-06-06T19:17:00.000+10:00

Old Mill

2007-06-05T23:13:00.001+10:00

Arthi

2007-06-04T20:45:00.001+10:00

Whiz-bang!

2007-06-03T14:11:00.000+10:00

Mates II

2007-06-01T18:23:00.001+10:00

Mates

2007-05-31T21:56:00.000+10:00

The Red Light

2007-05-30T22:07:00.001+10:00

The Middle Ground

2007-05-29T21:53:00.000+10:00

The Wheel

2007-05-28T22:17:00.001+10:00

Fly

2007-05-27T17:29:00.001+10:00

A Marigold Rope

2007-05-26T13:39:00.000+10:00

Resigned

2007-05-24T22:44:00.001+10:00

Unblured

2007-05-23T21:56:00.000+10:00

Shell City

2007-05-20T13:54:00.000+10:00

Zebra V

2007-05-19T15:31:00.000+10:00

Zebra IV

2007-05-17T20:44:00.000+10:00

Zebra III

2007-05-16T22:18:00.000+10:00

Zebra II

2007-05-14T17:41:00.000+10:00

Zebra

2007-05-13T20:12:00.000+10:00

An Indian Railways Sunset

2006-10-27T21:15:00.000+10:00

Narayana

2006-10-27T20:10:00.000+10:00

Anagahs first steps

2006-10-27T19:38:00.000+10:00

Stay tuned for more...

2006-10-26T21:15:00.000+10:00

VIDEOS!!!

Test

2006-10-26T20:40:00.000+10:00

Only because I can....

2006-10-15T18:51:00.000+10:00

The summer was 2003...Adelaide, the game we won...

...ok, so i'm living in the past, cos 3 of them are no longer in the one day team, but they're minor details right? ;)

My Town

2006-10-07T18:21:00.000+10:00

As seems to be the thing to do, here is a mini-comeback post...which doesn't say much, except for that my town, Sydney is the best in the world and i'm glad to be here!

The end...

2006-09-07T19:21:00.000+10:00

With the pics of Varanasi, that pretty much brought an end to the travelling around India. From there, I went to Patna in Bihar, for just one night, to watch the soccer (that was world cup time) and then caught a monster 36 hour train to Dadar station in Bombay. For the next month or so, I shopped, waded in knee high water, caught Bombay trains pre and post blasts (they were exactly the same), hung out in Pune for a little while, and then Thirupati, and Bangalore, all in the comforting arms of relatives.

Having landed back in Sydney, I felt nothing changed. Had I changed? Probably, but nothing blantant on the outside. Inside, I think, the subtle choices I make reflect the great impact India has had on me. Interesting, huh, that spending so long in a country so different from what I was ever used to, boils down to non-perceivable choices in day to day lives.

I think also, the direction I want my life to take has also been influenced, though this has been a work in progress over many years under the influence of many factors.

SO what am I doing now? Sad to say, but its the rat race. I have been temping at a place called Super Partners for the last 3 weeks, and will finish up tomorrow, only to start with Colonial First State on Monday, wearing a suit and tie, and running for trains etc.

Not a day has gone by when my mind doesn't drift back to India, to the friends, the people, the places and experiences. I relive them through the pictures I took (incidentally, the camera which travelled most of the journey and took all the pics, has died a in the watery grave of Pacific), the sights i saw, and the aromas which perculated about.

I have been quite awful at keeping in touch, but I promise to do so.

At this stage, I'll probably take a break from blogging for a little while. Don't know if i will return or reincarnate at another site at another time...

Thank you all for your comments and support...it really did provide a great deal of support on the road...if you do want to contact me, try this: hrishi2000@hotmail.com

Hrishi

Benares

2006-09-06T19:18:00.000+10:00

Gwalior II

2006-08-30T21:50:00.000+10:00

On the road up to the fort one encounters numerous statues which are very much like those at Ajanta and Ellora.
A temple within the fort.
More intricate carvings.
Another more modern palace, which these is quite popular with Bollywood.
Wish the pic was clearer, but essentially, this was the barracks for the soldiers and their horses.
The Gwalior fort is layered with tunnels and caverns and technology. The was an underground meeting place for the queens of the palace. There's another roon below this, and connecting the two is a shoot through which people in the two rooms can communicate. The fort also has many tunnels leading of to Agra and Red Fort in Delhi.

Gwalior I

2006-08-30T21:45:00.000+10:00

Peacock carvings... The road up to the fort.
The seemingly massive walls of the outter fort.
Gwalior city from the heights of the fort
The main palace at Gwalior. The blue on the walls is the original paint, when the fort was built. Curiously the facade also has illustrations of ducks!

Agra Fort

2006-08-30T21:17:00.000+10:00

Fatehpur Sikhri

2006-08-30T21:01:00.000+10:00

The ideas of Akbar were once beautifully manifested in this planned city. Today what remains are ruins, but only in name. Well worth a look (though not in summer!)...

Delhi: Random

2006-08-24T23:26:00.000+10:00

Delhi: Raj Ghat

2006-08-24T23:07:00.000+10:00

Delhi: Jama Masjid

2006-08-24T22:36:00.000+10:00

Delhi: Humayun's Tomb II

2006-08-24T21:33:00.000+10:00

Delhi: Humayun's Tomb

2006-08-24T20:59:00.000+10:00

Back to India

2006-08-24T20:29:00.000+10:00

So after the Dubai/Muscat trip, it was back to India's capital to soak in the history. I'd seen Red Fort and India Gate etc with Som, Chai and Arthi on the wedding tour of May 05, so this time, it was to discover some other parts.

Enjoy...

Thomas Friendman rocks!

2006-08-18T22:53:00.000+10:00

This from his article today in the NY Times...

Yes, thanks to $70-a-barrel oil you can have Katyusha rockets and butter at the same time. When oil money is so prevalent, why not? Hezbollah and Iran are like a couple of rich college students who rented Lebanon for the summer, as if it were a beach house. ''C'mon, let's smash up the place,'' they said to themselves. ''Who cares? Dad will pay!'' The only thing Nasrallah didn't say to Lebanese was, ''Hey, keep the change.''

(I just like his writing...don't know enough about the Mid East to comment on the war itself...)

Muscat III

2006-08-17T21:32:00.000+10:00

The following are pics of a couple of mosques. The first is of the massive Sultan Qaboos, which can hold heaps and heaps and heaps of people! The second is just a random mosque, but i found it quite elegant...The arabic script is also quite beautiful...

Muscat II

2006-08-17T21:25:00.000+10:00

The architercture is also a massive contrast to Dubai. Things are flat, and elegant, and are very middle eastern.
The Kings palace...when I was a kid, I used to get a kick out of saying his name...Qaboos! Have no idea why...
An old fort all lit up...
That there is a mosque with very neat lighting...
The frontal view of the Palace
King Qaboos' (hehe!) coat of arms...
Ministerial buildings...

More ministerial buildings...

Muscat I

2006-08-17T21:17:00.000+10:00

So half way through my stay in Dubai, I left to fly east to another Gulf state by the name of Oman. Its capital is Muscat, and its natural beauty is quite unique. The city is almost built on hills. The city is surrounded by them....

That there is the building we stayed in. Theres a mountain to the left...
The "CBD"...i guess its in name only...

More mountains

How Indiafied is Dubai? This much...

2006-08-15T23:42:00.000+10:00

Dubai Niight

2006-08-15T23:41:00.000+10:00

I hung out ont he massively busy Sheik Zayed road, almost on the median strip of the off-ramp, to take this pic, so you better appreciate it!!!
A bazaar as your alight from little boats which cross the creek...
The lights of another busy shopping district. They're not kidding when they say Dubai is great for shopping...there's one at every corner!
A nice sunset from the roof of the place where I was staying. Out that beyond the buildings is Dubai ports...

The Manhattan like skyline of Dubai out towards Sheik Zayed Rd

Dubai Day

2006-08-15T23:40:00.000+10:00

So from the white snow of Rothang, I made it to Delhi and then quite unexpectedly to Bombay, before heading to the white sands of Dubai.

I think for me, this was the turning point of the trip. Thus far the scenery was mountainous and I'd fallen in love with the sunsets. The deep gorges and winding roads were awesome and I left only to complete a trip half done.

In between though, I had to leave the country and return, so I wouldn't overstay on my tourist visa. And so it was to Dubai. Apart from seeing what the hype was all about, the other reason to fly to the middle east was to revisit some family history. My dad moved moved to the less well known mid east country, Oman, in '75, and stayed untill '88.

So this trip, then was to see Dubai and the hype, but also rediscover where we lived, and where we went to school, where my folks went shopping, etc.

So I'll start with Dubai, and move to Muscat, Oman, a bit later on.

The construction of the Burj Dubai, eventually home to the worlds tallest building. Here's the finished version...

If you wanted to read in to this pic, you could say that it represents a nice blance of old and new, then you would be hopelessly wrong! This fort and its contents is really an oasis in the dessert!

The amazing Dubai skyline...apparently it plays host to 18% of the worlds cranes, mainly for different housing projects, but despite this, rents have increased manifold!

Abassi Uncle...

Golden sands, crystal clear water and the Burj al Arab on the far left

Rothang La

2006-08-14T21:40:00.000+10:00

To get to the seemingly forbidden lands of Leh and Ladakh, one has to pass through the Rothang La (pass in local speak). The Pass to me, had mysterious feel to it...at 4000m, only the ardent could get through its formidable terrain and to the otherside lay the great Himalayas.

So imagine my eyes when the romanticism of Rothang manifested into the below...
...more a summer winter wonderland! Anyways, the following pics are of the journey. The picture below is of the snake of cars winding their way through the glacier. The authorities close the roads for a couple hours at a stretch to remove the snow and ice. So when the mad rush of cars and buses finnally settled into some order, you get the below...

Norbulingka II

2006-08-13T23:02:00.000+10:00

The alter...

The above two pics are at another Bhuddist learning institute. Whereas Norbulingka is dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan art and culture, the monastry above is purely for teaching. I love the crimson coloured robes.

The position from where I took the pic is a bit theda, but his posture is almost perfect, just like the statue of Bhudda in the snactom sanctorium.

Norbulingka

2006-08-13T22:37:00.000+10:00

Ok so this starts bottom up, so scroll to the bottom and work your way up...

The entrance to Norbulingka. I would rate this is place as the no 1 Bhuddist destination in the Dharamshala area. Sure, there is McLeod Ganj, but, to be honest, I really didn't enjoy that place, and beyond the views and the fact that it hosts the Dalai Lama's residence and temple, I wouldn't go there more than once.

Norbulingka, on the other hand, is a nice and peaceful, set at the end of a long uphill road, presumably to keep away everyone except the most sincere seeker. As the pics will show you, the environ is full of peace and tranquility.

More pics...what????

2006-08-02T18:11:00.000+10:00

Though I am back, I want to put some pics of the places I visited after the Taj...

Swap

2006-07-30T15:32:00.000+10:00

Please replace +919945322908 with +61410168095.

Blog ban

2006-07-19T02:26:00.000+10:00

I was wondering why i couldn't access my blog, or anyone elses...and then I read in the Times of India, that in the wake of the Bombay blasts, the government has asked ISPs to shut down dubious sounding blogs such as hindunity.blogspot.com etc.

But showing no discrimination it seems all blogs have been banned...a touch too much of paranoia?

gasp...

2006-07-14T04:58:00.000+10:00

...less than 3 weeks till i come back...

Bombay

2006-07-14T04:06:00.000+10:00

Although I'm quite tempted to let this brief disappearance of mine morph into a scandalous version of Sherlock Holmes' finest, I will come out of hiding and bear you with a few experiences i've had of late.

Firstly, Swati was correct in that I was in Tirupathi for a few days but did not heed her sensible councel of not flying to Bombay. In fact we landed last night and today I caught a train from Andheri to Dadar (near Matunga, one of the places hit by the bombs), and then later from the city side back to the suburbs. If I had some how been shut out of any news, or any information ovre the past few days, I would have thought everything was normal.

There was no sign of carnage, or anxious passengers, or low crowds. Infact we fought just as hard to get into the train, and even harder to find a seat. The people were friendly as ever, still pointing out which side the platform would arrive (on the Bombay train, there are subtle undercurrents at work which the novice is quite oblivious to. Each passenger strategically positions himself so that he's stading facing the exit at the station he wishes to alight at. The newcomer then, may seemingly jam this well oiled machine, but so well oiled is it, that the newcomer is quickly pointed his way with minimum fuss and order is restored.), and peddlers pushing their goods are still in fine voice. Today we saw the performance (for thats what it really is) of a pen seller, selling his multi coloured pens at the rate of 5 for Rs10; and then later a gentleman trying to off load a clothes hanger which resembled more a contraption to keep babies amused while they lie in their pram.

Its precisely this spirit - which i've been fortunate to witness first hand - which keeps this city functioning. In the first few days of coming to Bombay (I came here on the 29th of June) the city was quite literally flooded. For me, it was great. I'd never been on the receiving end of a torrential down pour before, and wading through filthy knee high water was, in an absurd way, fun. It rained and rained and I marvelled at the rising water.

On the streets though, I imagined quite the opposite mood. I would have imagined frustrated people, unable to go about their business, not able to buy their food, or sell their goods. Instead, as the water rose, the traffic ceased - I too had to turn back, cos I couldn't find a ride to the station which was more or less submerged - and the buses finally stopped, the people took over.

JP road is quite busy and can be jammed during peak hour. That day though, kids were running around, guys were playing throw ball, parents had put their bubs in seated floaties (so only their feet were in the water), while others, more desperate, waded to get to their place of work or school or whatever. It rained, but Life went on. That is Bombay.

The sad thing is that some groups of people out there are intent on destroying this way of life. The clear message though, is that Bombayites, or Mumbaikers will not let that happen, becasue these events help the masses bind that much more tightly through invisible chains to maintain their way of life in their beautiful city.

Lahul an Spiti

2006-06-27T15:11:00.000+10:00

So i've pretty much slowed down my travels. I'm in Patna right now (where they have ESPN!) but I head of to Bombay on a 36 hour train ride...no don't say "ouch"...I get to see the Indian country side, which is so different in different parts of the country.

Anyways, sometime back I told you about Matty, from Canbera. Well, he's now in the Lahul and Spiti valley in Eastern Himachal, and some of the pics he's taken are awesome. I feel I should have gone there instead...check it out...

http://mattythej.blogspot.com/2006/06/spiti-valley.html

Who's Going to be the New Sect-Gen

2006-06-25T00:53:00.000+10:00

Kofi Annan is due to complete his term at the Sect Gen of the UN at the end of this year, and candidates have already thrown their hat in the ring. The latest is India's own, Shashi Tharoor. At the moment, he's the Undersecretary for Communications and Public Information.

Along with Tharoor, are other more favored candidates from Thailand, South Korea, and Sri Lanka. Then theres Pakistan. Cos India now has a candidate, there are reports (and don't laugh!) Pervez himself may throw his hat in the ring.

A more realistic occurance, which has been widely reported in the local media here, is Pakistan influencing China to vote against any Indian candidate (permanent members make a final selction - complete with veto powers and everything - which is then put to the General Assembly). To this Tharoor has said, in his upper class Anglo accent, that China has a "sophisticated" view of the world and will not be influenced by other nations. Nice one.

What are his chances? Tharoor is widely regarded as an insider, someone who knows the UN system. He's worked under and is quite close to Anaan which many analysts regard as a negative.

Anyways, here's a couple of links about other possible candidates, by the UN, who also catagorise the potentials in terms of "The Candidates", "Serious Speculation", "Others Suggested", "Politically Remote" and "Populist Longshots"...
http://www.unsg.org/candidates.html

And Shashi Tharoors personal site...
http://www.shashitharoor.com

We're through!

2006-06-23T16:28:00.000+10:00

Actually I was expecting we'd get through :p, so this was really no surprise!!!

Varanasi is on some anti-ESPN thing, so I didn't actually see the game...so, thanks heaps to Rahul and Jigglypuff for sending me msg's with updates of the score, and in the case of Rahul, even commentary complete with expletives...made me feel like I was actually at the game!

Expressions of the Tiranga III

2006-06-21T16:46:00.000+10:00

Randoms...

2006-06-16T01:55:00.000+10:00

Played around with my cam, and finally cameup with one "these" pics...15sec exposure and an ISO of 50. There was also a blackout which really helped!

And with the last pic...yeah, flygirl, thats a barbed wire...i thought it was harder to guess!

And finally, my bit on the World Cup...watched the Aus-Japan game from Aus Consulate in New Delhi (which incidentally, is right opposite big brother, the US) with a bunch of 15-20 expats, complete with VB's, short, and thongs...btw, love this from flygirl...Go you good thing!!!

Taj Mahal

2006-06-16T01:18:00.000+10:00

So I wanted to show some pics of the Taj you may not normally see, so heres a take of a few...

A silloutette from a roof top restaurant...

From behind the Taj, just before the banks of the Yamuna...

Ok, this more ordinary, but yeah, its the Taj...

Bet you haven't seen one with a particularly grizzly looking Me...

Taj Blue...

Post script: its really quite easy to just see the entire monument through the lens or screen of a camera, and I almost did that. I had to literally say to myself, "stop, and look!" and when you do, the wonderment which washes over you is quite amazing. You stop look, turn around, and then trun back, just to make sure its really there!

That said, I also felt that this was such a unique opportunity that I didn't want to miss out on anything, and kept racking my brains for any other picture opportunities. And so tom, I hope to be there for sunrise...

Don't mean to boast...

2006-06-14T21:31:00.000+10:00

...but this time tom, i'll be standing in front of the Taj...for the 4th time!

Space Filler V

2006-06-14T21:30:00.000+10:00

What is this?

Whats been happening...

2006-06-13T19:50:00.000+10:00

So, as you all may have guessed by now, I'm quite far from the foothills of Himalayas...for the past couple of weeks, I've been to a Chyk Camp at Sidhbari, which took me to the Rotang Pass (at almost 4000m above) and then white water rafting ont he Beas River. I was then fortunate enough to bike it (not riding, but sitting on the back) back to Sidhbari.

I then went to Delhi and then to Dubai and Muscat (we used to live in Muscat back in the 80's) and am now back in Delhi. From here I'm off to Agra, and generally speaking, will follow the Ganga and sneak in a trip to part of the North East: Gangtok. Then to Konark, Puri, Hyderabad (Prassanna, I think i'll be there by the 5th or 6th of July) Thirupati, Pune, Bombay and then Bangalore...

So the end is in sight, i'm on the home stretch, the fat ladies warming up her vocal cords...call it what you like...

I have to admit I have quite a few pics and laziness is the primary factor preventing me from sorting and uploading.

Arun, to answer your query, I passed through Tehri but did not get a glimpse of the dam. Prasanna your ans is above.

Rishikesh

2006-06-08T05:04:00.000+10:00

So finally to Rishikesh...i feel these are some of my best pics of the trip so far, so i hope you enjoy them....

Ram Jhula, or Sivananda Juhla..

The eastern side of Rishikesh just after sunset...look at this pic full size and check out the guy having a dip in the Ganga, bottom left of pic...

Again, from Swarg Ashram side...the lanes are very commercialised...surfed the net on flat panel monitors, had lunch at a nice Italian joint, and afternoon tea at a German bakery...

...but just when you think its all lost you come across this...

And so to the sound bite of the year! Hrishikesh in Rishikesh! For those of you who don't know me well, Hrishi is my version of Hrishikesh, especially after the horrified looks on the faces of my school teachers back in Aus, on the first day of years 2, 3, 4, and 5...imagine 10 letters staring you in the face and you don't know where to begin...

And so if i'm not mistaken this is how to write Rishikesh in Hindi...

Btw

2006-06-05T21:48:00.000+10:00

Shout out to Som and CK who headed of to London via the US, for a couple of years, maybe more - they decide the game plan when they get there. I envy what you guys are doing and hopefully some day I will be able to emulate your feat...

So good luck, God speed, and we will have much to talk about when we next meet...

Uttarkashi

2006-06-05T20:47:00.000+10:00

So next was Uttarkashi after Gangotri...not much to see as such, but I stayed in the CM ashram there, and this was the view from my room...over two days I saw the mountains various moods...

No, this ain't the same Morning Star pic as before...just have thing for em...

Gangotri to Rishikesh

2006-06-02T15:30:00.000+10:00

Even if you don't believe in the Ganga or are a pure atheist, I can guarantee you'll fall in love with nature after this drive between Rishikesh and Gangotri.

Next time, I want a car (these were mostly taken from the front seat of a share jeep, meaning there were two other ppl between the driver and I), and want to be there at dusk...the colours and scenery would be stunning!

Gangotri

2006-05-24T20:58:00.000+10:00

So I went to Rishikesh, Uttarkashi and Gangotri after going to Haridwar. As a more structured way of posting let start where the Ganga starts - at Gangotri.

The bathing ghats, the white domes of the mandir and the colossal peaks of the mountains in the background. The entire town of Gangotri consists of one very commercialised street stradling across both banks. The other side to this bank is filled with accomodation places.

I was at the bathing ghats at 7am, collecting some Ganga Jal (the water), and just dipping your hands in for 2 seconds was sufficient enough to make it turn blue. But I tried holding the canister for 10 secs only for the container to half fill. Out of nowhere this pandit-sannyasi comes along, does his pranaam and starts pouring water over himself with a container. In a perfect exectution of separating the mind and body he just continued through the cold, towelled himself, and continued on with no fuss. Was breath taking to watch.

Here's that money making street...

The Shiv peak at 4:55am, still covered in snow, in May, pointing to what I think is the Morning Star? Or is that just a myth?

The might Suraj Kund. Its quite amazing actually, when you sit and watch the force of the Ganga. If you were to fall in here, it would be all over, I'm afraid to say...actually the rage is that intense, that at night I thought someone had turned on some electric motor, but after a while it clicked...
And finally, the mandir itself. I found it a bit uninspiring, preferring a view of the Ganga from the bathing ghats...

Space Filler IV

2006-05-21T17:13:00.000+10:00

Can't upload pics at the moment, so heres something I had saved for a rainy day such as this...

This pic was taken on the ferry crossing from the West Bank to the East Bank of the Ganga...I wonder what he's thinking about...do you guys care to suggest what it may be?

Expressions of the Tiranga II

2006-05-19T22:14:00.000+10:00

On a mango box in Rishikesh...

Expressions of the Tiranga

2006-05-16T17:42:00.000+10:00

It struck me recently that there are more Coke and Airtel signs then Indian flags around India. I found that very disappointing, but understandable, considering you don't make money by waving the Indian flag around.

However, after a bit of observation and thought, it struck me that people just express their patriotism slightly differently. I mean you don't need to wave a flag to show you're patriotic. You just have to look out for it. The signs are everywhere!

Anyways, so getting the idea from a book called "Tiranga" by Samar Singh Jodha, I hope to put up pics of the way different people show their patriotism, especially with reference to the Tiranga.

Here's the first, from Shimla (apt I thought, considering the cities role in India's Independance)...

Btw, from what I understand, Tiranga's meaning can be broken up as: rang = colour; ti = short for teen (3 in Hindi)...so, quite litterally, Tiranga means Three Colours, which equals Tricolour. Am I right?

Haridwar: Ganga Arthi

2006-05-14T17:36:00.000+10:00

So I was in Haridwar. Famed in eternity for one of the places where Vishnu dropped the sacred amrut while flying on Garuda, Haridwar is also one of the locations for the Kumbha Mela.

The pictures below show the Ganga Arti at the spot where the amrut landed. Not surprisingly, its also a popular place to bathe in the Ganga.

Like most major Indian pilgrimage spots, to get a decent place to sit, one has to come early. I arrived at around 5ish for the Arthi, which began at 7. In the dusk sky the enormous, Arthi thalis (don't know the proper name for them) are quite litterally ablaze. Those who are holding the thalis occassionally have water poured over their wrists to ensure they don't get burnt.

The atmostphere around is divine with a pinch of commercialism. Offical looking officers in a blue unifrom rev the crowd up with chants of "Jai Ganga Mata ki" and then start a speech asking for donations.

The alleys and lanes surrounding the Arthi site - known as Har-ki-Pairi - are awash with little shacks selling all kinds of Hindu-related articles...you can litterally buy anything and everything. I'll have more on that when I go back in a few days.

What I've Been Up To

2006-05-12T20:13:00.000+10:00

So I haven't written anything substantial for a while, and of late I've been in a highly emotive state, which always lends itself to good expression...so here goes...

I left CORD and the Ashram on the 23rd. I felt as though I did when I left Sydney. I'd spent almost three months there that everyone felt like family, and they took care of me, and did the little things that you take for granted when you're around the people you know and love. And when those things were taken away from me, the change was very noticebale and I felt quite cut.

Before I got there I guess, I'd grown emotionally independant....meaning that I'd just learned to live by myself and not worry about having company while travelling. But now, I seriously am missing home and people. The other day I had visions of driving on Pennant Hills Rd. And I miss driving! I miss the speeds and being able to do a 100km in an hour!

I have though, changed my mind set slightly on how to deal with the next few months. From here on, there are only a few "sectors" of travelling to go, before, well, I come home. The first is what I'm currently in: the pilgrimage stage of this trip: meaning, I just came from Haridwar, am in Rishikesh, and will go to the Yatra sites of Uttarkashi, Gangotri, Gaumukh, Badrinath etc.

When I come back, there''ll be a CHYK camp at the Ashram for a week, and then I fly to Dubai for another week. So, they're sectors 2 and 3, leaving the last sector for the rest of India...from Delhi through to Gangtok, to Konark, to Bombay, Bangalore and then home...

So thats the way I'm looking at things...not to say I'll make everything go super fast, but, knowing that there is an end in sight.

In some ways the next few months will be the most diverse and the toughest. Chardham is all about trekking to the various places (Gaumukh for example is a 19km trek each way, and comes complimentary with land slides and a comfortable 30cm wide walking path, between a sheer mountain face, and the raging torrent of the Ganga), whether I'll have a decent place to sleep, and so on. Then camp: I've always been more on the anti-social, and introverted side of things, so meeting so many new people (and hell, actually just being around people again) will be a change. Dubai: well, the heat will be enormous, but in a way, it will give me a taste of the things I miss from Aus...

And finally the Rest of India leg, will be tough just cos of the heat...its been something like 40/42/45 in Delhi and the interior will be just more of the same hot stuff...

So thats just a brief look into what I've been thinking...theres heaps more...I've been keeping that travel journey, so the rest of its in there if anyone of you could be bothered when I come back...

Shimla II

2006-05-09T15:24:00.000+10:00

Shimla

2006-05-09T15:09:00.000+10:00

Turbaned

2006-05-04T14:52:00.000+10:00

So when I was working at CORD, my superviser got married...and I got a turban...

Matty!

2006-05-03T15:54:00.000+10:00

So when I was in Dalhousie, trying to find a decent place to put up some pics, I ran in to Matt Jepson, all the way from Canberra. Matts in India for about 7 months to travel and for the major part, to teach first in Kolkatta, and then in a village in West Bengal.

Matts a dinky di sort of bloke, always has a smile on his face and is full of interesting stories, either from back in Aus or of his previous travels to South East Asia.

Anyways, as seems to be the thing to do, Matt also has a Blog, so check it out. His humour and character really comes oozing out....

Jallianwala Bagh

2006-05-02T17:53:00.000+10:00

Golden Temple

2006-05-02T17:46:00.000+10:00

The Golden Temple: don't really need to say much...

So...

2006-05-01T23:33:00.000+10:00

...right now I'm in Shimla...the posts below are about Dalhousie, Kajjiar and Chamba...read from the bottom up...will make more sense...in the next couple of days will have more on amrisar, and jallianwalia bagh and hopefully, the border stuff...

btw, that email thing: i think i lied...don't think blogger can do it...

Chamba

2006-05-01T23:14:00.000+10:00

From Kajjiar we went on to Chamba. Chamba is quite famous for hosting Aishwarya during the production of Taal. We even had a hotelier trying to tell us she did her yoga facing the sunrise, and all we could hear were the strains of Taal se taal mila...

Just a nice random bridge, now turned pedestrian by the demands of increased traffic (due to Ash?)

We went up to a a place called Jhumar, litterally 1600m straight above Chamba...all along you have these little hamlets of no more than 10 or 15 houses perched on cliff faces. Quite surreal. (and the pic looks wishy washy cos it was from a moving bus...)

More of the road up...
Chamba...
Just the three of us...dinner on the last night...

From Jhumar

Kajjiar

2006-05-01T23:12:00.000+10:00

From Dalhousie, we - I was accompanied by Sounak and Rananjay from CORD, two of the senior Program Coordinators - went on to Kajjiar. There's really not much to do, but appreciate nature. That itself can take all day.

I really have heaps of pics to put up, but for now, I'll leave it at this...

The very Swiss Alps looks of Kajjiar...

Loved walking in the pine forests...
The road from Dalhousie to Kajjiar...

Kajjiar sunrise from our balcony...
Sounak, the NRI and Rananjay. We drove paralell to the snow capped mountains for about 15km or so. Land prices here are about Rs1 lakh (Rs100,000 = a bit more than AUD$3000 = BARGAIN!).
Kajjiar sunset...
Sunrise...
The mountains...
Wouldn't you love to live there?

Dalhousie

2006-05-01T23:10:00.000+10:00

The view from our Rs250/per night room
Dalhousie sunsets...

The dramatic cliffs and steep inclines on the road to Dalhousie ...

A few things

2006-04-28T00:36:00.000+10:00

1. Wow! Thats a lot of comment so soon! Am impressed! Keep it up...I'll try and put more decent stuff, but it's great to hear what ppl think, so keep posting...

2. With re the Caption comp...the sadest comment of them all goes to Jigglypuff...the most creative to KLN Prassanna; the "and one time at band camp" award to Abhishek; and the "Make Hrishi look good" award is shared between Vish and Priya.

But there can only be one winner, and it goes to bal-krishna (the real BK), still suffering a hangover from his shrimps and barbie visit to Aus...I'll some how get something out to you in the UK, mate!

3. I just discovered Blogger will send an email to anyone on my list everytime i post something online. If you want this email, email me, so it can save you having to check the site everyday. Also for everyone in Aus or anywhere really, can you send me your birstday as well, i lost the contacts on my phone...

4. Finally, Swati, yes, Shanti Niketan is a real place, made famous by Tagore. And I arrived in Amritsar this afternoon, spent 2 hours at the Sona Mandir, and walked very briefly through Jalianwalia Bagh. Will see it properly tom. Too many kids running around everywhere. Wait till they're at school.

Right now...

2006-04-26T22:14:00.000+10:00

Am in Dalhousie; will go to Amritsar tom; then Patiala for peg (maybe); Chandigarh; Shimla; then back to Sidhbari. On the 9th of May Dehradun, Mussorie, Char Dham, Uttarkashi, Rishikesh, Haridwar then back to Sidhbari.

To Dubai on 4th June back on the 11th June. Then Agra, Gwalior, Khajurao, Lucknow, Ayhodya, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Shanti Niketan, Kolkatta, Puri, Bubeneshwar, Konark, Hyderbad, Pune, Bombay, Bangalore, KL...Sydney?

Or something like that. Like the comments. Keep em coming.

Caption Time!

2006-04-14T23:15:00.000+10:00

Here's a chance to poke fun my way...write a caption in the comments, and the best one, as selected by yours trully will get something special from here...I'm serious!

Photo-ing Around

2006-04-14T22:58:00.000+10:00

So I hope this comes out ok. I finally learned how to use the long exposure thing on my cam, and took this pic, of the mountains from outside my room, on a cloudless, full moon night...

I've seen it on another comp and its come out real well, but I fear for it on other comps. Anyways for the photographic buffs, i used a 10 second exposure on an ISO of 100.

Space Filler lll

2006-04-10T20:31:00.000+10:00

So i'm stuck on the contrasts between gold and any other bright colour. Haven't written any thing substantial for a while, so will have somehting shortly...

Space Filler II

2006-04-10T20:23:00.000+10:00

BTW...(By the way)...

2006-04-06T01:04:00.000+10:00

Slightly late, but heres a pic of me and Jay (yes horrible English me knows, but deal with it!)

Do you enjoy...

2006-04-02T17:06:00.000+10:00

...travelling??
Are you nimble on your feet and in your mind?
Can you do quick additions and subtractions with 100% accuracy?
Can you whistle on demand?
Are you able to remember the faces of a hundred people?Can you give quick, witty answers to subdue those who may be annoyed?
Are you able to not pay attention to majestic scenery and focus on the job at hand?
Do you love to have all parts of your body juiceyly squeezed up against others as you move up and down a crowded gangway?
Does the smell of your own sweat thrill your senses?
And the smell of other peoples sweat?
Are you able to not care for the safety of people as they perilously hang from the door of a moving vehicle?

Well if you answered yes to most of those questions, then working as a conductor for the Himachal Pradesh Roads and Transport Co is for you!!!!

Shout outs to Radha and Jay for contributing to this as we made our way, one evening, from Dharamshala to the Ashram...

Space Filler I

2006-03-29T13:10:00.000+11:00

I call it Space Filler, but really I love these pics, and seek critical acclaim. I call them SFs so I have an exit clause in case I recieve bad press...

My Wonderwall

2006-03-27T20:40:00.000+11:00

So I was quite home sick a while back and decided to print a whole bunch of pics from my journey thus far, as well as some from Sydney and other memorable places. At Rs9 for a glossy 5x7 print, it wasn't a bad deal...the result is what I call My Wonderwall.

If you look at the pic in full size you can see the individual pics with sufficient clarity to make out shapes and faces. For those who I don't have up there, it means I don't have a decent pic with or of you, or that you simply smell, even from here. I'm sure you can figure which one you belong to. So if you've had a bath and have a half decent pic, email it through...

Holi-fied!

2006-03-22T23:45:00.000+11:00