one of the greatest and learned experiences of my life. india gave me two and a half months of awe and frustration. it was worth every minute and every second of my life. the food was dangerous and delicious. i was experiencing a new physical ailment every week. i was meeting new people, local and foreign. through the bustling cities, beaches, mountains, and deserts, india has left its handprint on my heart and a scar on my leg.
agra
i hope you know why i went here. part of the golden triangle of india, a short and small stop along your way. here lies the great and majestic taj mahal.
the day i left new delhi.
the muslim fortress.
the foundation for the black taj.
to sort of prove that i was there.
the man that followed me around the entire time. sort of tainted the experience.
the wall.
sunset at the taj.
shazaam! (not the shaq movie).
mmm paneer.
dog 1.
your new desktop background.
varanasi
one of the holiest cities in the world, varanasi was one of the most intriguing and craziest places i have ever been.
here, most come to die, families burn their loved ones at the burning ghats, and if you are lucky you may see a floating body or two in the holy river ganges.
prayers.
texting on the ganges.
the hunchback of varanasi.
waiting for the ceremony.
he's on a boat.
the nice boy from singapore.
sunrise on the ganges.
everyone likes to come out to bathe.
and i mean everyone.
nice hair.
limbering up.
drying off.
my captain oh captain.
it then dawned on me that the towel i had been using was being washed here.
burning ghat. not that pleasant.
darjeeling
it was nothing like i expected. but then again, india in general isn't. here i was removed from the over-crowdedness of what is india. the temperature dropped to minus two from forty-five degrees celsius. the people friendlier, more genuine, and less likely to rip you off. here i enjoyed the finest darjeeling teas and a himalayan view.
waiting for the train to darjeeling.
pretty in pink.
collecting garbage.
looking at the scurrying rats. i was sitting there but there were too many...
sunset on a train.
the cat that never wanted to leave our ROOM.
the view from our hotel. sup himalayas.
the next freida?
i heart darj too.
dog 2.
peas please.
a heavy load.
not impressed.
cookin' samosas.
my roomie from cali.
it's cold in the darj.
underbite.
flora 1.
momomomomomos.
the market.
playing cards.
selling home made lotion.
back in the day.
dog 3.
corn please.
sunrise at tiger hill.
good luck.
happy valley darjeeling tea plantation.
love.
just so you know, your darjeeling tea is picked by some very very drunk women.
pickin' all day.
tea ad.
grade a.
worth every leaf.
what is this? japan or something?
butterflyz.
the hills are steep.
fish heads.
the fisherman. haha living the sterotype.
also very drunk.
keep it clean.
flora 2.
save this dog?
our bhutanese neighbour cooking up a storm.
club darjeeling?
meghalaya
is the wettest place on earth. it has the most recorded rainfall then anywhere else in the world. here i ventured through cherapungee, walked through lush green hills. although, meghalaya is one of the smaller provinces and just starting to open up to tourism, so don't expect anything to be easy.
deep valleys.
the origin of the seven sister falls.
the seven sister falls. kinda dry though, the monsoon was long gone.
oh hai bangladesh.
up high.
where am i?
flora 3.
CUTEST KID OF LIFE.
meghalayan school girls.
a little shy.
SO CUTE.
the scotland of india no?
kynrem falls. the seventh highest in india.
fish dal fry. you know you are in real india when you have yellow fingers.
tartan? what is this scotland or something?
assam
the best and the worst time i had in india. the very last stop on the train in the capital city of guwahati to the island of majuli. here people thought i was local. i was forced to use the three sentences of hindi that i knew. no one spoke english, i saw insects that you should only see on the discovery channel, but the beauty of this province was unsurpassable and worth every bump in the road.
b-a-n-a-n-a-s.
a good tool for playing a game i invented called 'cownanas!' this game entails chucking banana peels at cows out a bus window. sometimes you have to kill some time when you are alone.
the silk village.
goats have weird eyes.
so lush.
the fields.
orchid. flora 4.
kids. some...erm more serious than others.
'photo!'
this man was scary and drunk.
wild katz.
idli.
flora 5.
'take a picture of me!'
at the umanunda temple on peacock island. the smallest river island in the world.
the very rare golden langur monkey. i apologize that you can see it's bumhole.
offerings.
the smallest goat you ever did see.
fam from calcutta.
this is how i found out there was an election in canada. a rickshaw driver had to tell me.
ugh the treacherous cat that always knocked over the garbage. don't wink at me cat.
geckos in my room. cockroaches under my pillow.
majuli island, assam
the largest river island in the world, incredibly difficult to get to, and located in the river of brahmaputra. this island is home to monasteries and the most beautiful sunsets.
fishing on majuli island.
a puppy i could actually hold and cuddle with.
hanging out with the monks at the kirtanghar monastery.
i can do that too michael palin.
aww.
another dog? yay!
'do you know canada?'
'no.'
'do you know u.s.a?'
'no.'
'okay.'
my ride. don't be jealous. it is 1-speed.
aww going to monastery.
um i forget the name of this place.
some game that enthralled the kids.
unused.
chillin.
what i imagine landing on another planet would be like.
prawns.
on my way back to guwahati.
the last stop on the train. and leaving to go to calcutta.
my lovely hosts and the BEST COOKS from mizaram. love you.
calcutta
my favourite city in india. calcutta boasted an efficient tram system and an artistic culture that was prominent in the people. the people in calcutta were so kind and understanding. hanging out at chai houses and doing my last minute shopping, i would go back to calcutta in a heartbeat. i also wish i took more photos.
word.
i wish i was here for durga puja. look it up.
india i will be back. you are just too awesome not to explore some more.
ps. more india pictures to come once i get my hands on a scanner a card reader.
xo.
vb.
