India

LAX

2005-10-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

Okay . . . Here we begin . . . Los Angeles International Airport . . . on our way to India - stopping through London for a few days first, however . . . Here I'm eating a blueberry muffin, blackening out the logo on my bag (we figured it would be too "touristy" looking), and looking (believe it or not) about ten (maybe fifteen) years younger than I am about to . . .

This (below) is Ted sitting right across from me during my muffin-eating moment. He's looking young, alive and fresh . . . but it won't last for long - trust me.

London

2005-10-24T21:23:00.001-07:00

We arrived in London, where we stayed at a pretty old and fancy hotel called "The Gore". It was within a few short miles of the main square, so we decided to walk wherever we went.
(Above) Here we stand in front of the Queen Victoria-built Albert Memorial monument in London's famous Hyde Park. The park is absolutely gargantuan in size, spanning something like 350 acres. I went on a 4 1/2 mile run through it, and ended up doing like an extra two or so miles on top of that because I got so lost in it. AND I ended up getting bitten by a dog for my troubles in the process. AND it started raining while I was wandering around disoriented! Yes . . . it was a fun run. In the pictures above, we're already both starting to look a little the worse for wear (me a bit more though) . . . and we hadn't even gotten to India yet.

Here we are (above) standing in front of the "Big Ben" clock . . . The pictures look like they were Photoshopped, I know (especially the one on the right) but, believe it or not, that's simply the way they came out.

Here I am above sitting on a statue of a lion in the main town square area. The photo itself fails to do justice to the true size of the statue. It was situated atop a marble rise, and one had to climb quite a bit just to get to it.
Above and below are some photos I took of Ted while atop a double decker bus, and at a restaurant (respectively). As whoever other film and photography geeks who might be looking at this web log can probably tell by looking at these two photos, I'm a big fan of dirtying up the framing of my compositions.

Here (above) I stand before the gates of the . . . of the . . . sheesh . . . I fogot WHAT the name of this place was. Anyway . . . it's famous, so maybe somebody looking at this will be able to tell where it was. It's where those royal london guards or whatever stand up and . . . don't smile or something . . .

Delhi

2005-10-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Fun Begins . . .(Above) Our very first moments in India just after arriving from a 12+ hour flight across I don't know how many time zones involved what up to that point was one of the most conjested bus rides I had ever been on in my life (only to be topped by all the OTHER bus rides we took while in India) and ending up walking around abyssmally disoriented for upwards of an hour and a half at something like two o'clock in the morning in a pitch black portion of New Delhi (Paharganj) that made some of the poorest parts of the United States look like absolute paradise. I was ready though. My mind was focused, my conviction was resolute. I felt good and was confident that the journey was going to be a positive and educational one.

Ahhh . . . A Place To Rest . . .We finally made it to a hotel at something like 3:30 AM where, as you can see from the picture taken above, the accomodations were - um . . . somewhat less than spectacular. The expression on my face is one that I found myself making more than once during the course of our travels in this country.
India was a land of intensely hot summers, and (to put it mildly) elevated population concentrations [try over one billion people in a country smaller than the United States]. Not infrequently were inhabitants found sleeping outside - many on the streets, and some, as pictured above, upon the roofs of their domiciles.
Above is a photo from one of our first auto riksha rides in India. We were on our way, I believe, to one of our first fort-stops: the Humayun Sikandra (pictured below).
Here Ted and I (above and below) stand inside the area where some of Humayun's closest relatives are kept.
Above, Ted stands just outside of the tomb of the fated emperor himself.

Sick And SweatyHere (above), the aches are beginning . . . (I'll explain later).

Purana Kila

Also known as "The Old Fort", it definitely lived up to the moniker.

(Above) The Old Fort truly did have a very ancient feel to it, and walking through some of the ruins made us feel as though we had stepped a few hundred years into the past.
Here I sit before the front entrance monument at the Gandhi Musuem. I found our stay there quite educational indeed. I was surprised that there weren't more visitors, however, and that the place did not seem to be more of a site of touristic interest. Although I much preferred the quiet and solitary peruse through the museum that ocurred, I still found it a bit odd that there weren't more (or really any) people there.
Here we were (above) at a rooftop restaurant overlooking one of the major market centers in Delhi.
(Above) This, I think, is one of the best images captured while we were in India. While I would like to take full credit for it, Ted is the one who actually took the photograph. I'm not sure whether it was taken on a morning during one of my my pre-sunrise runs, or on one of the lesser ocassions when I went on a run as the sun was setting. Either way, it is, I believe, a beautiful picture.

Delhi Continued . . .

2005-10-24T21:22:00.001-07:00

Jama MasjidThe Jama Masjid is the largest muslim mosque in India and was built buy the emperor Shah Jahan during his reign in the 17th century.

Here we are in the photos above atop of one of the towers in the mosque which overlooked a portion of the surrounding town. The view, we thought, was quite impressive.

Delhi MuseumWe weren't supposed to take pictures of anything while at the museum, but . . . well . . . it didn't make much sense to travel half way around the world in the name of research and NOT capture some much needed images. Above we see a sword, some daggers, and a battle axe. Below an elephant in full war gear, circa 1600 or so.
(Below) Only a day or two into our trip, Ted and I had already travelled quite extensively. Here we begin what I believe was our second (of many) major train trips to yet another distant land.

(Above) I had to include this shot in the collective. I really like the turbined gentleman in the back ground.

On The Train . . .
(Above) This was my first real bout with sickness while in India. I had ran something like six or seven miles during the early morning - only four and a half of which were intentional; the rest occurred as I got (yet again) lost amongst the conjested streets of Dehli. After the rather exhausting early morning run, Ted and I began our usual walking through the forts, museums, and temples of the city. This tended to take the better part of the day, and, at times, added something like another five plus miles to my daily trek. All this on top of the fact that my body was still very, very much in shock from the stress, conjestion, and pollution of the country itself, put a tax on my system that I am still quite a bit shocked I did not get really sick from. All the same though, one can only take so much, and at the point when this picture was taken, I was having shivers and body aches pretty badly.(Above) I thought the composition of this photo that Ted took of one of the passengers sitting across from us to be very sound. The contrasting play of light and dark, as well as the bluriness of the passing trees, seems very effective.

To KalanarNot long at all after finishing our long train ride, we boarded a taxi and took it for another few hours to a very remote area of northern India called Kalanar. A small monument was constructed there to commemorate the sight where the emperor Akbar was unofficially crowed by his general, Bairam Khan, and we felt it appropriate to pay a visit. It was actually quite a pleasant drive, as there were long stretches of green fields and the air was clean and crisp. Here our driver does a bit of on-the-spot refueling.

Cows, Cows, Cows

What depiction of India would be complete without taking a few pictures of some cows? There was a cow or two in the immediate periphery of the small temple which made for an interesting mixture of scenery, so I decided to practice a little more on "dirtying up" my framing.
(Above) I had a slight, silent communication of sorts with this cow. It was a nice, serene moment, and I thought it appropriate to take a photo of her.
(Above) another bovine enjoys a nice, cooling bath.

Golden Temple (Amristsar)

On our way back from the long trip to Kalanar, we decided to make a small, detoured stop at the holy pilgrimage site of the great Sikh religion.
Okay, although I know this picture above is neither golden NOR the Golden Temple itself, it 1) was of a beautiful building situated just to the side of the temple itself, and 2) I wanted to have a shot of it on here nontheless . . . Look at the sky. It doesn't even look like a photograph. It looks like it was painted on there by some 16th century master or something . . .

The Sikh religion is one whose mythology is very rich in war and fighting, and much reverance is given to acts of bravery during battle. All the same, however, the temple was one of the absolute most relaxing, and inviting ones (if not THE most) that we visited while in India. It was very, very hot outside, yet the temple's layout and marble floors - as well as its being constructed surrounded by this very cooling lake - made the short time we spent there quite positive and memorable.
Here (above) Ted decides to take a dip in the Sikh lake. Although there were various individuals themselves bathing in the lake - mothers, children, and males of all ages - and although we were in respectful observance of the Sikh customs during our time there, Ted was still initially hesitant about going in. Again, however, we found that there was a general aire of acceptance and tolerance . . . so Ted decided to go ahead and cool off for a moment.
(Above) . . . beautiful Golden Temple. I was indeed very happy and appreciative of being here. I was glad we visited.

Back Again

With no time to waste, we, again, arrived at the train station ready for our next destination. We were tired, beat from the long trips, and, as mentioned earlier, I was still quite a bit achy. All the same, however, I had made a commited to continue my disciplines (physical and otherwise) while in the country, and it didn't matter that I didn't always have a convenient place to work out at. Matter of fact, rare was the ocassion when my workouts were not significantly encumbered by some very real obstructions. Wherever I was, however, when it was time to get the work done, I had to commence. Above and below, Ted took some photos of me at something like three or four in the morning after I had just finished running something like 4 1/2 miles around the train station itself (no. I didn't get lost this time) and then began next on some upper body disciplines. The natives were quite interested in the goings on, and a small crowd of onlookers began to form as I worked out.

Agra

2005-10-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

We spent quite a while in the surrounding areas of this town - "quite a while" for us, of course, being something like three or so days - traveling nomads that we most definitely were throughout the majority of this trip.Above is a picture Ted took of a beautiful, ominous sky, and the edge of a broken-glass filled hotel wall.
One of the various hotels that we patroned was this one (above) that had a peacock statue built on its rooftop restaurant. It was one of the most expensive and lavish hotels we stayed at. I think we payed something like five or six bucks a night.
(Above) Ahhh . . . What telling of our time spent in any Indian city would be complete without a shot of our voyaging in a conjested public bus? India: Not a country for the clautrophobic.
(Above) At night we wandered through the area of the village we were staying in and took some photos of what we thought were some of the town's more dynamic images.
Here (above) Ted photographs traditional Indian bread (Naan) being made in an outside oven.
The sillohette of this small boy above we found quite captivating. He was preparing some food in the cauldron beside him, and let me tell you, the heat that was being generated by the stove he was literally SITTING on was intense.Although this (above) looks like a beautiful blue temple of sorts, where we find a lone worshiper silently praying before an alter, I think it might have simply been someone's house we happened upon. Either way, I very much like the . . . beautiful eerieness of it. It is somehow very serene and pacifying.
(Above) Ha! Now this was another one of those absolutely BEAUTIFUL and dynamic moments that we happened to capture on camera. It's difficult to describe the energy, brightness, and light that simply came off of the vast majority of the children we came across in India. It was quite pure and very contagious. Never have I been crazy about my smile - but in these pictures, not only could I not help but to do so . . . but, I look at myself in them and am quite taken aback and surprised at the fact that I am not repulsed and embarrassed by my own visage. Again, I hold the energy I felt while in these kids' presence directly responsible for that.
This gentleman (above) was a jewel merchant we happened across that, believe it or not, felt very real, and very honest. While both Ted and I felt initial hesitance about some of the purchases we made while there (our natures tending to vere toward the conservative in areas such as this), I do not believe that either one of us regret at all any of the time we spent here at this man's shop.
Here (above) is a photo Ted took of some very cute kids early in the morning right before they all went off to school. We got their address from their parents so as to mail these (and other) photos to them upon our return to the states.

Emerald Lady . . .
The green of this woman's sari stands out quite exquisitely upon the background of this Agra market.

Taj Ganj

2005-10-24T21:21:00.001-07:00

This was just this amazingly, awesomely beautiful kid that was watching Ted and I as we went into a shop to recharge his digital cameras. There were various people looking at what we were doing with interest, and Ted decided to take some photos. One was of this kid and I. He was a bit nervous, for, although - as you might be able to see in the photo - my eyes themselves were "smiling" (he was a cute kid. I was glad to take a picture with him), I myself was most definitely not. Afterward, I went to go say "danyavad" to him ("thank you" in hindi) . . . and he was nowhere to be found! He was like a small rabbit that ran away from sight! I went to go look for him, and I saw him hiding from me behind his elders. He was laughing and smiling, but running away in stark nerveousness all the same. I finally just bowed down to him, and he did the same to me. Ted and I were then back on our way.

Whoo Rah!
Semper Fi, baby! Above, Ted does as good a job as can possibly be imagined of looking every bit like the eight hundred pound gorilla of a marine this poor little stray cat of a bicycle riksha driver was most definitely feeling he actually was. Can you believe this guy was peddling UPHILL at times with Ted on this riksha?? He was sweating and wheezing and seeming like he was going to cough up his lungs and fall over dead on the spot from the stress of it all, but he trudged on through. All for something like a dollar fifty in rupees.
(Above) Had to take a picture with the Indian elephant that just happened to be passing by.
Here we were, Ted and I, seated at a restaurant after a day's journey through town. It had very colorfully painted walls, and we thought it wouldn't be the worst place to take a photo or two at.
(Above) Ted in yet another one of his (uncomfortably realistic) portrayals as a life-long prison inmate . . .

The Taj Mahal
(Above) Hey! Who needs a post card?? We have THIS picture!!

Here we are (above and below respectively) in yet another grand mugal fort - this one only a few miles away from and overlooking the Taj Mahal itself. You can see it lying in the distant background of both pictures (although a little more clearly in the bottom photo).

Fatehpur Sikri

2005-10-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

Fatehpur Sikri was the main fort of emporer Akbar - perhaps the greatest king ever to rule India. It was spartan in comparison with some of the other grandiouse forts we came across, but, of course, we were quite impressed with the complex all the same. The structures were made of sandstone which gave the entire fort a red, somewhat surreal hue.
This is me (above) in meditative posture in the middle of Akbar's musical court. This is where musicians, artist, etc would congregate for performances and activities of the like.Here (above) Ted stands right atop of Akbar's bed. One had to climb a small ways to get to it, as it was something like seven or eight feet in the air and could not be reached from ground level.
This small alter above was one of various areas where Akbar would converge with different members of his court to discuss matters religious, political, and otherwise.
Crow With A Broken Beak . . .This Indian raven (above) got in the shot Ted was taking of me in Akbar's musical foyer, and . . . well . . . it actually seemed to make the shot better . . . so we kept it - broken beak and all.
This shot above I took of Ted while he was standing in front of Akbar's personal living quarters. Don't be fooled, that building is HUGE. Ted is standing about a hundred yards AWAY from it and on top of a big bridge that was perhaps ten to fifteen feet in the air. The front door opening you see of the building simply towers above anyone standing under it.

Akbar Sikandra

2005-10-24T21:20:00.001-07:00

Sikandra means grave or mausoleum. We visited Akbar's tomb (if you want to call something of this size and magnificence that) and, while it (purposely/out of Akbar's own intentions) was not quite as grandiouse and ornate as some other mausoleum's we visited, it commanded a size and acrage which left Ted and I in quite a state of marvel nontheless. (Above) That tiny, tiny speck that you (may or may not) see in front of the middle door . . . is me . . . standing in front of the sikandra.

SwastikOne thing Ted and I were consumately facinated by was the prevelance and acceptance of the swastika throughout all of India. While it is really of no surprise that our western-indoctrinated minds were very little aware of this ancient symbol's original, peaceful and divine heritage, it really did take us aback all the same 1) how often we saw it (it was literally EVERYWHERE - on buildings, artifacts, and clothing of all types), and 2) the true extent of the message of tolerance and beauty the symbol actually, originally stood (and still stands) for.

NEVER have I been more stared at in all of my life than in the time I spent in this country. And, let me tell you, I cannot begin to explain how much of an understatement this actually is. I felt like I was Elvis come back from the dead in a country full of Elvis worshipers. As you can see here in this very, very indicative photo above, however, it was ALL (and I do mean all) done by males. Not one female. All dudes. I'll just leave it at that though . . . and opt not to vere toward making any - ehem - politically incorrect commentaries, observations, or statements about this.
(Above) This is me standing in front of the east foyer of the sikandra.

HanumanThis cute little monkey (above) was seated by one of the trees outside of the sikandra, so Ted and I decided to see if she wanted something to eat.
(Above) Who's the real monkey here? I'm personally not quite sure which one of these two is the more civilized looking . . . um . . . individual. You be the judge. Heck it looks like the monkey's actually having a CONVERSATION with somebody just off camera. Come to think of it . . . I think she was . . .
Ted (above) looking a little confused about the situation.

Jaipur Journies

2005-10-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

This was yet another riskha driver we rode with throughout our stay in the country. While we encountered enough of them that were a slight bit less than - how shall we say - completely honest, this one combined the inherent tendency that all riksha drivers we came across in India seemed to have (to be very, VERY focused on the amount of rupees they could get out of you) with (what at least seemed to be) a genuinely good and humanitarian personality. Ted and I took to him well enough in the short time that we were in his stay.
He took us to a mausoleum of sorts that housed many Indian kings and royalty of the like.

Here are a few photos - above and below - while we were on a bus to who knows where . . . One thing that was very much noticed while in India: The males, though generally traditional in there attire, wore pretty much whatever they wanted. The females, however? ALL were very, very traditionally robed. Never did I see a female with anything other than the traditional dress required by the tenants of whatever religion they belonged to (Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, etc).
(Above) . . . Muslims and Hindus . . . side by side.
(Above) Hey . . . Had to get a shot of a camel. I mean come on! It was India! Again, there was all kinds of animal life everywhere in this wonderful country.
Ted standing (above) in the middle of a conjested area of town the morning of yet another one of our fort/temple/museum jaunts.Not long after the picture I took of Ted above, this lad pulled out a rusty, medium sized bucket, and began taking what I believe amounted to about as much of a shower as he had to take given his circumstances; right there in the middle of everything, and just before beginning to set up shop for the day - right in the same spot. In my goings on in the country - and with all the limitations that I encountered everywhere - I cannot say that there wasn't something about the conditions themselves the inhabitants found themselves in that I didn't find, in some way, very liberating. While this might sound absolutely ridiculous for anyone aware of the extent of dire poverty in this land, there was a pervaiding simplicity which (of necessity, granted) caused one to worry pretty much only about the essentials in life. Again, the country tended to focus you ONLY on what was really, really important (or at least it did me).
(Below) "Moo" We rule.
(Above) Cows absolutely OWNED India. They were everywhere - plopped down EVERYWHERE. And they would look at you like "Yeah? And?" I thought it was great.
Above, Ted stands next to the largest single piece of silver in the world.
(Above) Getting ready for a celebration.
(Above) Our facination with the symbol of the swastik continues.
(Above) "Hail Hitl..." Okay just kidding. Here we came across a group in marching protest. The already heavilly conjested traffic arrived at a complete stop for a while due to this particular procession.
This (above) is a picture of . . . well . . . two Indian women having a conversation while covered under a motor riksha. Ted took it, and I liked the colors in it, so . . .

Child Of God

2005-10-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

Okay. Here's the story behind this one. Ted and I were riding in a motor riksha to Amber Fort just outside of Jaipur. We had stopped at a light, and, as was the usual custom during these moments, various individuals would come out and beg for change, for food, etc, etc . . . Facinated as we were by just BEING in this land, Ted and I didn't really tend to divert our eyes or look away from the people, but, instead, would simply make direct eye contact with them - and ocassionally give them a few rupees. On this particular ocassion, Ted was so busy dealing with the people on HIS side, that he hadn't bothered to worry about what was happening on mine . . . So taken aback by this child's energy was I, that I grabbed Ted and motioned to him speechlessly. It was too late, however, as the light we were sitting at had turned and our motor riksha had started moving. I had taken a photo or two of the child, however, and showed Ted what it was that had me in such a state. Upon seeing the photo, Ted pretty much fell back in the same way I had, and we resolved ourselves to, at the end of our multi-hour long trek through the ruins and forts of the day, go back exactly through the same route, and see if we could find the small child again. Fortunately for us, we did.

Very little about this child's natural radiance and beauty made sense to me. Here I stand (or sit, rather), in absolute, bewildered confusion.
I finally came to my senses, however, and managed to pose for the camera . . .

Amber Fort

2005-10-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

What can I say that I haven't said already? This fort (just outside of Jaipur) was another in a series of amazing and far reaching works of expansive grandure. Some areas were full with touristic visitors, and others seemed to be little known and traveled through jewels that Ted and I just happened to discover.Frik And Frak To The Rescue . . .
(Above) The electrical wiring of the fort was a bit faulty, so the management sent two of its most trusted and talented engineers to fix the problem (click on the picture itself to get a closer look at these two highly skilled employees as they work diligently in the background to fix the fort's cable system).

(Above) A rare moment of smiling captured on camera. Besides the general energy of the composition (I don't remember what I was smiling at so profusely) I really like the birds captured in midflight in the background.
(Above) The detail that covered this ornate wall tapestry was quite amazing. As you can see, Ted is obviously quite impressed with it.

We liked the abstract nature of this one photograph above. The silhouette, the contrast, the blurriness . . . it all makes for what we felt was an interesting enough composition.
(Above) Ha! This was a moment we couldn't pass up. The entire group was more than happy to accomodate for the photographic opportunity. That's Ted way in the background smiling from ear to ear.
This (above) was on our second visit to Amber Fort, where we discovered a cavernous array of winding hallways that, for a little while anyway, we actually got a bit lost in.
Meet "The Bad Guy"
Ted (Above) looking every bit like one of those cool villians in those action adventure movies that takes place somewhere overseas - like Bagdad or something.

Talk To The Hand!Police brutality India style. This was me just before getting brutally beaten by this sixty five year old India guard. . . . Okay . . . Just kidding. Actually what happened was that I had left my water on the ground for a moment while I took a photo of Ted, and, upon returning to pick it up, found it no longer in the spot where I had originally left it. I looked around, and saw that this police man had picked it up, so I approached him and explained to him what had happened . . . and he pretty much let me have it with regard to his duties as a custodian of the people . . . and of the fort. I thought it was great! (so did Ted! He saw the whole thing, and thought it was a great moment to capture on camera) I apologized profusely (all of which, I think, fell on generally deaf ears), was given my water back with a stern warning (none of which I could understand anyway since the man was speaking with a very, very thick, heavilly broken accent), and continued on my way.

Ranthambore Palace, Jaipur

2005-10-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

The last person directly associated with the ancient order of monarchs and kings of India was the wife of the last mogul. The palace (pictured below) is still very much operative, and the royal lady herself is reputed to still be living within its confines - although she is now well into her 90's, and the palace itself has since been turned into a luxury hotel for tourists, diplomats, and other well-to-do's. Ted and I decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit the palace on one of our last nights in Jaipur.
Below is a photo of an ornate fountain that we found in the middle of the palace's front foyer/courtyard area.
We though it wouldn't be a bad idea to take some photos in front of the fountain. Pictured in the background is the palace itself.

Here we are (below) inside the palace's main restaurant. It was, by far, the most luxurious place we briefed during our stay in India. That is not to say, however, that it was the best place we went to or stayed at, mind you (for, I think Ted and I would both agree that - with all due respect - it definitely was not) . . . but it was the most . . . again, luxurious - if not expensive - place (comparitively speaking, of course).

Prayer . . .

Pushkar

2005-10-24T21:16:00.001-07:00

The holy city of Pushkar - known as the second most holy place in India next to Benares (Veranasi), where the holy Ganga river is located. This town was, to say the least, beautiful. The place we stayed at was great, and the atmosphere and energy was generally great as well. The only thing that I personally had issues with was the fact that there were sooo many tourists there. I would have preferred more natives - much more natives. But, besides that, we didn't mind our stay here one bit. Matter of fact, we both have since considered going back and staying again in this town for a while.
Ahhh . . . Sonu. Beautiful Sonu. There isn't enough space here for me to describe the wonder of this kid. He was amazing. He was the caretaker/main helper of sorts at the hotel we stayed at while in Pushkar. This kid was WAY wise beyond his years. Nonplussed, serious, yet pure . . . Man . . . Ted and I really thought this kid was something else. We fretted over a gift to buy him before we left, and ended up on an amulet of sorts . . . a sun.
Here (above) Ted stands at the bank of the Pushkar lake.
Interestingly enough, Ted actually made Sonu make this crazy, awkard face. I didn't know quite why at the time (and still don't, honestly) . . . and at the time I looked at the photo, thought the gesture didn't quite work (it was definitely not a face Sonu had naturally made up to that point) . . . but . . . well . . . I have to admit . . . It has grown on me. I see it now, and I laugh (inside at the very least) . . . And I don't think it looks that bad. Sonu still looks cute in a kookie sort of way.

(Above) While at Pushkar - just as in every place we stayed at and visited - my daily exercises, of necessity, continued. Here I was on the hotel roof at dusk doing pre-dinner drills.(Above) Pushkar lake at sunset.

(Above) Had to include a picture of an Indian squirl. They were very, very small (about half to 3/4 the size of the common squirl in the United States), and, as the picture clearly indicates, looked very chipmunk-like.

At the market.
I told you. Bovines RULED India. And they WEREN'T just cows that we saw walking the streets okay? We saw just as many (if not more) big ol strong BULLS just like this one roaming around; animals that in Europe they RUN from for their LIFE. But here? they were awesomely tranquil and content. The monkeys, as you may have noticed from the photographs earlier, were pretty common and prevalent as well.
Here we happened across a ceremonial procession of sorts, with traditional double-ended tablas and everything. The rhythmic progressions that these percussionists played I found quite gravitating, and I made it a point to remember them as much as possible. I wish I would have been able to get a recording of them while they were being played . . .
Here (above), I stood over the ledge of the apartment room Ted stayed in. Over to the right where I was looking . . . was this one lady who stayed and begged every day in the same spot. She had very small arms and legs and did not look like she could fend for herself much. Barely could she even move. In this moment I happened upon her being fed by one of the women villagers. I had no idea Ted was behind me taking this photograph, but as I watched her slowly taking her bread and drink, I remember being so overwhelmed by grief and sadness that I found myself not being able to help but to cry pretty profusely. Everytime I tried to stop, I would look at her again, and again I would start crying. After a while I got a hold of myself, and I stopped . . . we had to get ready and get going for the day.
Above is a photo I took of Ted from my own room (we were across from one another) overlooking the town below. All in all, we found this town to be one of the better places we stayed at.
This child - this absolute angel of a being - I had come across earlier the day before. Ted discovered her himself and here took some photos of her. The photo above was from the vantage point of his hotel room overlooking the town. The photo below occurred when we were down on street level.

On our last day in Pushkar, before catching a train to the next town, Ted and I decided to go on a walk to we knew not where . . . Here we happened upon some curious village children.

..............................................

Jai Mata Di!!

We decided - almost in a very last minute, very impromtuish and unexpected manner - to take part in a pretty significant pilgrimage that happened to be taking place and that involved a very long trek up this mountain (Don't be fooled by the picture below. It was a lot bigger and steeper than it looks, believe me). The final destination of the pilgrimage, at the very top of the mountain, was the temple of Lord Brahma's first wife - Savitri. On our way up, we found ourselves, along with the entire throng of worshipers that were slowly but surely trudging their way up, shouting "Jai Mata Di!!" Jai Mata Di is a spiritual affirmation that is shouted and responded to from person to person meaning something very similar to "The Power Of God!" It was a very positive experience for us both, one we were very glad to have taken part in.
(Above) This little boy was crying and crying on his way up - and who could blame him? the climb was quite difficult to say the least even for the adults. to say nothing of the children that were accompanying. Seeing the thoroughly distraught child, Ted began to think about his own - not quite yet 2 year old - toddler at home. He picked the boy up on his shoulders, and upon doing so, the small one stopped crying almost immediately . . . and for the remainder of the journey, he just relaxed and enjoyed the view.
Pictured above is a panoramic view of the holy city of Pushkar and the lake that centers it. It is difficult to describe the moments we experienced while on our trek up toward the Savitri temple. There was a very real, very tangible feeling of togetherness and acceptance among all who took part in the pilgrimage. Below is a photo I took upon finally making it up to the temple itself.
I'm not quite sure HOW this picture happened - but, somehow, the entire group just formed around itself and - "snap!" - the picture was taken. Everyone here was very well appriciative of the moment all the same, however. In the distant background of the photographs both above and below, the Pushkar lake can be seen.
This (above) is a photo Ted took that, somehow, seems dynamic enough for me to have included in this collective.

Chitor

2005-10-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

Ted took this photograph (above) of a bike . . . Just a bike. He did the same with a bycicle riksha later on in the trip . . . and, although the picture seemed . . . benign enough as it were . . . It also had a definite aesthetic that I for one thought was rather nice.
This is us at the restaurant of the hotel we stayed at In Chitor. There's an interesting story about the rotund manger/owner of this place . . . that I'll get to later . . .
ChitorgarhBeautiful . . . just beautiful. Can you believe we walked pretty much throughout the entirety of this area? Yes, we logged about an estimated ten or so hiking/walking miles a day; sometimes less, sometimes (a lot) more. and this, on top of the 4-6 miles a day that I was running in the morning, made for a very intense time in India.

This was the tour guide that walked us through this particularly expansive fort.
India was chok full of stray dogs like this. They were true survivors. I couldn't tell you the number of grotesque injuries I saw on pooches like this one. And yet . . . they still managed to look pretty healthy and prolific as a whole all the same. I really wanted to take a little puppy back with me - although I knew it wasn't going to happen (not this time around anyway).
Here's Ted (above) traveling through the ruins of this very, very old fort.
(Above) This just made very little sense to me how elevated we were.
(Above) Ted looks up at one of various towers in Chitorgarh.
This is one of my very favorite photos that I took while in India. I took it while scaling the interior of a tower very similar to the one pictured above. I simply like the subject and composition; background, lighting, dark foreground, framing. It looks very foggy outside this window, but, believe it or not, that's CLOUD coverage - not fog. That's how elevated we were in this photo.
We were never ones to miss an opportunity to mingle and take pictures with the natives. The small kid in the middle bottom of the group (the one that has his compatriot's elbow resting on his noggen) started this all. He was the one that made his interest known by initially approaching me.

Last Day In Chitor

Aw man . . . This old man was so beautiful. He was so kind and warm. Both Ted and I had an extended conversation with him about who knows what . . . many things. and the fact that he spoke very little English and we spoke even less Hindi didn't ultimately deter the communication one bit.

This was the big ol fat, sleezy, slothish turd of a hotel manager/owner cat that worked at the hotel we stayed at a couple of nights while in Chitor. It was quite interesting though, for, in the course of my incessant, daily physical exercises, I ended up having to work out in the hotel room JUST after we had arrived there and gotten it. This was before the hotel staff had fully completed cleaning and arranging the room itself, however. So in walks Mr. Fatso Donut, and he sees me all sweaty, doing pugilistic maneuvers and throwing rapid fire strikes in the air. Quite taken aback (and momentarilly intimidated, I could tell) it came to pass that he ended up thinking that I was Ted's personal (and very dangerous) body guard. And Ted himself? probably some sort of very important diplomat or American movie star or other. Being that he seemed as smarmy and underhanded as he did, I didn't ultimately do anything to deter his mind from this cautionary perspective. I mostly stayed silent, mean-looking, and stoic the entire time I was in his presence.
This was one of the kids that was standing just in the periphery of the conversation Ted and I were having with the old man. Had to take his picture, of course.

Hell Train To Khandwa

2005-10-24T21:13:00.001-07:00

This photo above seems a rather appropriate way to begin the telling of this particularly horrific tale. It's one Ted took while both he and I were taking a quick moment to eat a bit of something in this makeshift train station diner of sorts while waiting for the train to arrive that was to take us to the little town of Khandwa. Although I didn't see it at the time, Ted told me this gentleman actually noticed him taking his photo, and gave him the most silent, but intensely, ominously slow shake of his head; as if to say "Don't take my picture again, or I'll put a curse on your name the likes of which your feeble western mind has never seen." In retrospect, I think this man may have gone ahead and enacted that curse all the same (as the picture seems to indicate, I don't think he was in the most jovial of moods), for the trip that awaited us was every bit as inhumanly difficult and trying as could have possibly been imagined.
Above: Ted looking a little plussed before the trip (I think he might have been second-guessing his earlier decision to invade the swami's personal space by taking his picture unsolicitedly). The long train trips were beginning to take their toll at this point. Little did we know that the worst was just around the corner . . .

All Aboard!
At the beginning of the train trip, we found ourselves stuck without seats. Although this was by no means the first time this had happened, the fact that 1) the train was pretty much jam packed with people, and 2) we ended up having to go the majority of the trip in this very spot pictured here, made things a little more . . . um . . . trying, shall we say. This (above) is how Ted looked from "the outside" . . .
But internally? Well, this is how things were really looking.

The Fun Continues . . .
Now THIS guy right here (in the background of the picture taken above) was something else . . . He was like a . . . like a MULE or something . . . It was really quite interesting because he was both 1) THOROUGHLY uninvited into our space, yet 2) COMPLETELY unaware (or, perhaps, uncaring? or something) of this fact, and, consequently, he got in every one of these pictures, and payed NO attention to the concept of "physical space". It was even more amazing because, in a rare moment of frustration (at least this level of frustration), I actually agressively told him to go somewhere else . . . and he didn't even REACT. He barely blinked. There was absolutely NO agressive reaction on his part to my energy - at all. It was amazing. It was then that I really realized that this guy had grown up in a culture that put us (in that moment anyway, and to put it lightly) in pretty dang different worlds. The shock and surprise of it all (you had to be there) kind've simmered me down a bit.
"Simmered down" or not, however, I was still very, very fed up in this picture (above). The cat was walking around barefoot in conditions that made the bottom of my SHOES curl - to say nothing of what my feet would have done if in direct contact with the crap (literally) that was on the floor and in the restroom - which our subject here happened to visit WHILE barefoot . . . THAT'S the one that really threw me for a loop.
(Above) As the night wained, things didn't get much better, and the cramped, unsanitary, highly repulsive floors that earlier we had recoiled from in utter disgust ended up doubling as nice, comfortable, sealy posturepedic mattresses. Well . . . maybe not nice - and definitely not comfortable - but it's amazing what a 17 hour train ride in India will do for what you THOUGHT were your levels of tolerance. Next to Ted here is a police officer, if you can believe that. That was the cadence of this journey, where it was so packed that even a person like this ended up having to sleep on the floor. The word heinous fails to describe . . .

(Above) We finally got to a set of bunks on the train. The caption to this picture should, perhaps, read me saying something like: "What!? What the hell?? Where the hell are we? What are we doing here?? I didn't plan for this!! This wasn't in my contract!!" I was a little bit on the fed up side at this point - we both were . . . But, to be honest, that was all part of the beauty of the journey in general - and, even in this surrealistically bad moment, this fact - this realization - wasn't at all lost on me.

A Lifer . . .

(Above) Ted is looking every bit like the prison inmate that we BOTH were very much feeling like. I really like this picture all the same though. Lot of depth in it.
Even within the context of this hellion journey, however, Ted and I both found time enough to be inspired by cool moments and imagery.

Khandwa Etcetera

2005-10-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

Sweets!(Above) Here we are (finally) in Khandwa. This gentleman was busy making a traditional Indian-type desert. They're like these super sweet, orange(ish) curly things that were fried in this syrupy liquid, and then cooled off in this other even more syrupy liquid. Mmmmm . . . They were good . . . Ted wasn't quite as enamoured with them as I . . . but hey . . . I have a sweet tooth. I enjoyed them very much.

Cows In Khandwa
(Above) They were everywhere - and Khadwa was no different. This is a photograph Ted took at something like three in the morning. They were all plopped down just off the center of the road. I myself was in the room sleeping. or at least trying to sleep. I believe the mosquitos were feasting on me with such delight that I could barely catch a wink's rest on this particular night. I stayed in the room fritting through my attempt at rest, and Ted opted to go on a night's walk through the town.

............................................

Just next to the Pearl Palace Hotel where we stayed in Khandwa, there was a little restaurant where we ate a few times just prior to our Asirgarh jaunt.(Above . . . and, perhaps, below for that matter) Getting prepared for the journey.

Asirgarh: Day One

We took a bus to Asirgarh (which literally means "the fort at Asir") where our "Non Stop Express" bus took just about every stop imaginable en route to the town. The trip was adventuresome enough, however, and had its fare share of wonderful, colorful characters.This woman looked about one half step away from our primate relatives. While this might sound crass to some, I don't mean it as such in any way. I found her quite amazing, regal, and magnificent - in the quiet way that most women of the country presented themselves.
She had a small child with her - her grand daughter perhaps; tired - and it didn't seem to be from the bus ride itself. She seemed to be too old for her age . . .
Her look was stern and intense. Not quite how one would expect to describe a two year old . . . but, as you see, the description is not entirely off base.
"You mad doggin' me boah??" This kid was all business when I took her picture. As with just about EVERY kid that we saw in India, there was an intensity that just felt to be an absolutely natural part of their make up. The land, I easilly saw in my brief stay there, seemed to do that to you.
Absolutely beautiful, however. She finally opened and brightened up like a flower when I showed her the result of the photo I took of her. She was thoroughly facinated (and dare I say appreciative?) of the image of her that appeared on this small, silver rectangle I was holding just seconds after pointing it in her general direction and pressing the "picture" button.
This (above) is, believe it or not, one of my absolute favorite photos taken in India. It pretty much captures my sentiments about the place: Claustrophobically stuffy, people piled on top of each other, not the cleanest, most sanitary place or conditions for adults or children, very stressing and stressful . . . yet . . . I was loving every minute of it.
Ted (above) with the villagers at Asirgarh. He looks like one of those western archeologists-types we see in the nature shows on television mingling with the natives.
And there's the fort in the picture above - or at least part of it. It was pretty expansive. We had to walk/hike quite a ways to get up to it.
There was a rocky, staired walk way of sorts leading all the way up to the fort. The entire time, I kept thinking about how this monolith that rivals any of the biggest stadiums we have today was built hundreds of years ago when there were no bulldozers or lifts around. Amazing.

Part of the fort was literally built right upon the side of the mountain itself, and the rocks were simply used as fortified walls for the building.
(Above) This was a picture that was taken up at the top of one of various towers at the fort. They overlooked a good portion of the expanse beyond, and while it probably wasn't a very smart idea for me to be this precariously close to the ledge (yes, I'm literally right on the edge of a free falling window, beyond which is a drop that would have probably crushed me into soup had I false-stepped), it made for what we thought was a pretty good photo op.
...................

Day Two . . .

We decided to go back to Asirgarh for a second day. We didn't really know why, or what to expect, but we somehow knew we still hadn't seen some of the best areas of the fort grounds. So we got back on the bus and headed toward the remote area where the fort was situated.
This was a photo (above) that Ted took while we were on the bus. I really like this picture. I see a sadness there that is very pensive . . .
(Above) This little girl was looking at me like I was a creature from another planet. At this point of the trip, I was well accustomed to the unblinking stare customs of the culture, so I was just staring right back at her like SHE was the one from another planet. There was never ever any animosity in any of these silent, but intense visual encounters, however (%99 of the time only with males - the only time females would stare was when, on ocassions such as this one, it involved a child who was not yet fully inculcated in the ways and customs of the culture), but . . . well . . . it was definitely very, very unnerving to say the least. It is something that the western mind is by NO means accustomed to - constant, unblinking staring . . . right AT you . . . THROUGH you really . . . It was quite a lot of work (for me), I found . . .
Oh . . . by the way . . . did I mention we did NOT AT ALL regret having returned to Asirgarh for a second day? The areas that we discovered . . . were . . . amazing.

This particular spot was so beautiful and breathtaking . . .
that I had to sit down and take it all in for a minute.
..............................

Military Disrespect And The Dead Indian Skeleton Boy
That's what I like to call these two posts (above and below), since the kid above REALLY looks like a walking corpse (sorry . . . it's true. Look for yourself!), and, in the picture below, I really look like one of those wholy disrespectful US soldiers out somewhere at war overseas and paying absolutely NO mind to the religious artifact he's so effronterously plopping himself down upon.

(Above) This was our last night in Khandwa. Although the small town itself presented its share of less than positive, if not just plain inconvenient, scenarios, 1) we did eventually warm up to it (or, perhaps, it warmed up to us), and 2) I wanted to get this picture all the same . . .

Out Of Khandwa

2005-10-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

. . . And Back Into The Abyss . . .
(Above) Not one of my more stellar moments. Let me tell you, the "restrooms" on the trains in India were something that can only be experienced first hand to believe . . . Words fail . . . This picture gives but the briefest pictoral description as to the preparatory processes necessary for "combat in the abyss" . . .

Choo choo . . .

The Holy Ganga (Benares - Formally Veranasi)

2005-10-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Blue sky dawning . . . or maybe it's gray . . . and maybe what it's doing is yawning, not dawning. Well, either way . . . it's a beautiful picture, and, as stunning as I find it here, it captures very little of the true magnificence that we experienced while actually viewing it.
(Above) Beginning the day . . .
Boat/Gandula kid. Perhaps it was simply the atmosphere/enviornment, but I just thought every kid there and every person there was beautiful, and deserved a picture. I admit this kid might not seem like the most photogenic being on the planet . . . but I'm glad we took this picture. I think it fit very well.

..........................

Petal Offering

Floating sacred flower petals upon the Ganga with a small candle and, at times, some incense, is a traditional ceremony.

(Above) Beautiful kid. Looks very pure, innocent, inviting, and unpresupposing.
lonely flower . . .

Krishna and Lakshimi. The divine couple. That's Krishna on the left. Lakshimi on the right.

The Burning GhatThis was the main area in Benares where Hindu worshippers are cremated. It was strictly prohibited to take pictures, so all of this was done in a very, very secretive manner. While we did not want to disrespect any of the customs, we did, nontheless, want to capture some of the moments. And I'm glad we did.
Above is a picture of a holy person. They (and various other types of persons - infants, for example) are not cremated at the ghat. They are, instead, wrapped in ceramonial garb and sent off floating down the river. And no, for those of you wondering, the cow has nothing to do with the ritual. It was just there.
Okay . . . Now, ladies and gentlemen. Look at this picture (above) closely. Very, very closely. Notice anything? Anything at all? Sure? You sure? Okay. Why don't you click on the photo itself and get a closer look. Pay particular attention to the pile of burning wood. Let me know if you find anything in it that looks - *ehem* - familiar.

..........................................
(Above) Ted had to take his turn rowing the boat . . . I thought he was doing a horrible job, and I quitely huffed and puffed, and rolled my eyes through his entire jaunt. I couldn't wait to get my own turn to "show him how it's done". I silently waited, and when the boat master casually motioned me to make an attempt, I confidently strided up to the front of the boat . . . and no sooner had I started rowing, than I was veering off in unintended directions and bumping into other villagers' boats, etc. They promptly took me off my turn in haste, and my tour of duty ended with an ignomonious "dishonorable discharge". Significantly humbled, I was glad I hadn't voiced any of my initial (and arrogant) discontent.
Two voyagers . . .

............................

Benares VillagersNow this gentleman here (above) I thought was a true character. I dare say his appearance was quite stunning in its own right; not someone you can easilly forget (much as some may try). Here he is pictured with the Ganga's "Burning Ghat" in the background.

Portrait . . .
Feel free to click directly on the picture (above) for a much closer look at the intricacies of this man's face. I'm not sure whether it's grotesque or divine. Perhaps both . . .
(Above) He looked so painfully intense, and focused and concentrated to me. The image grabbed me at once.
I think she is nothing short of beautiful - the way she was captured here. The dynamic flow/movement of her hair and her being caught in mid turn is very poignant.This is the custom of many a worshiper at the Ganga: Bathe and drink freely of the holy waters. We western minds have little regard for the purity which apparently belies it's outword appearance. I saw various and sundry things, both organic and inorganic, floating listlessly by on the slow current of the river - the majority of which being fit more for the bottom of an industrial garbage can than a human stomach - and yet not only was this photo very indicative of the general activity of the people around us, but we had more than one story retold to us about the healing and cleansing properties of the river. For all the less than pallatable things I saw in the waters, I do not disbelieve the strories in the least.
There was a general consensus that the Ganga is a Hindu-significant river; i.e. Musslemans generally do NOT go (read "practically never"). This picture was, therefore, quite significant, for, along with the fact that this gentleman was of definite stalwart appearance in and of itself (regardless of where he was standing), his being a Muslim lends even more weight as to where he was while the photo itself was being taken.

Ganga Praying
I love this photo. It is certainly one of my favorite photos of the trip. I wasn't even aware that it was being taken - all the better because I believe I was, ultimately, the peripheral - and not the main - subject. The intensity of the background subject is very tangible. It speaks volumes. I think there's something to be said for the foreground subject's level of focus and intensity as well, however.
. . .

Bicycle Riksha(Above) Very nice picture Ted took. Don't know exactly what it's saying, but whatever it is . . . well . . . it seems to be saying it well and effectively - if not at least astheatically - enough.

In The Rainy Market Square . . .On our way back to the hotel from a long walk through town, we got caught by a rather heavy flash flood. We had to step under cover so as not to get the cameras rain-damaged, and, while there, I saw a good photo op.
Very cool. Very abstract looking. Doesn't even look real. Looks (again) like it was Photoshopped.

..................................Another Swastik; this time placed in a Hindu shrine right underneath the sacred, Hindu "Om" symbol. Our amazement and facination with how accepted and, indeed, revered this ancient symbol was never quite abated.

Chiti Chiti Bang Bang!(Above) A Mongoose! I tell you, India was full of all sorts of interesting animals just running around everywhere! (not the least of which were some of the people we saw). This isn't the best image in the world, but I felt I just really wanted to take a picture - since - sheesh! - it was a mongoose! Just running around! Man . . . You don't see that in the states . . .(Above) Ted atop one of various rooftop restaurants we ate at overlooking the Ganga.

Rambunctious KidHere I am (above) with one of the village children that decided to follow us around and haggle for some rupees. He (and his compatriot - there were two of them) wasn't really very annoying at all. He turned out to be quite affable and endearing enough.

Meditators

(Above) On one of the many (and I do mean many) ocassions when a town we went to in India had a city-wide power outage and the entire area was left without electricity, we found ourselves in the dark with nothing more than an old lantern that the hotel management placed out in the hallway to illuminate things. I thought it looked very interesting, and decided to take a few pictures of it.

. . .

The Monk Is Dead(Above) Took a few pictures of Ted one evening in his room at Hotel Om. Thought they were pretty cool and pensive. They spoke to me.Every morning while in Banares, we would get up just before the sun would break in order to make it out to the holy river Ganga (just outside this window) and catch the sunrise while floating on these gandula-type boats. I would have to get up at least an hour to two beforehand, however (4AM thereabouts), in order to catch what had since gone from morning 4 1/2, to a morning 6 1/2 mile runs through the village and surrounding city/country side.

. . .
Looking OLD(Above) My friend Edward. Remember at the beginning of this journey I told you those boyish looks wouldn't last for long? Well, here's proof.

Swimming In The GangaThis guy apparently didn't mind the dead calf I saw floating in the Ganga just a day before . . . No really . . . That was actually kind of irreverent - and I shouldn't have said that. It is indeed an immensely, and incredibly holy place. You can just feel it. And the majority of the people there (as you've already seen via some of the other photos) immerse themselves in this holiest of holy rivers with absolute (and justifiable) impunity. However, I did see my share of things IN the river . . . that made the initial conviction I had (prior to visiting India) of jumping in and swimming around . . . well . . . quell a bit.

. . . (Above) Some posts don't need captions. They speak for themselves.
.........................................................
Professor Dhoti(Above) We met this gentleman who tisked and laughed at my dhoti-tying methods.

101He helped me figure out how to tie a proper dhoti, since I was a lot more unaware than I anticipated.

Proper Dhoti . . .Okay fine. Proper dhoti . . . But I tell you what: One, my underwear was showing - which, although I wasn't quite aware of it THEN, I'm looking at it now and am WAY retrospectively embarassed, and two this "proper dhoti" tying that this gentleman did was really very, very - *ehem* - restricting, shall we say. It didn't really leave much room to breath (or walk!). Very nice gentleman all the same though. Neither Ted nor I regret having met and spent time with him. And I've since figured out a much more comfortable (and still traditional) way to tie my dhoti!

PeekabooThis was right outside of the window of the room I stayed at in Hotel Om (Benares). Cute kid - I mean monkey . . . What's the difference right? I wonder . . .

Meditating Sadhu Saw this kid (above) climbed up on top of this ladder. Reminds me of me when I was his age . . . Had to take a picture of him.Ahhh . . . Another beautiful sunrise . . .And the guys that took a picture of it . . .

Last Day/Last Meal

2005-10-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

This was, perhaps, one of the more expensive restaurants we went to. It was our last night in India, so we figured we'd splurge. I think we payed a total of something like $5 each for our entire meal.Still here. Still standing (or, rather, sitting) . . . barely . . . but with an (unintentional) look of . . . well . . . contentment? Is that what it is? Fatigue - definitely . . . but . . . well . . . satisfaction perhaps?

2005-10-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

And God saideth "Let there be light" . . . uh . . . no . . . just kidding. Okay. I figured this would be an appropriate picture to end the telling and showing of the trip with. It was taken on the very last morning, so, again, it's apropo. It captures enough what the meaning of everything that we/I went through was; at once beautiful and ineffable.