i left beijing on april 24th for a 3 day layover in bangkok. this graffiti was taken in beiging art district 798
bangok was fun. i met some interesting people, ate some amazing food and had a good ole time
i went on this day excursion to the thai floating market; an experience i thought would be totally authentic and some what culturally informative. i was so wrong. the biggest mistake ive ever made and probably the deepest tourist trap ive ever fallen into.
but, part of the day trip was to visit a tiger reserve.... which was pretty spectacular!!!!!!! i actually have always dreamed of cuddling with these big cats! it came true
dont worry, he's only yawning. little noodle head
after bangkok i met yve, a good freind from charleston, in kolkata, INDIA. kolkata was completely crazily overstimulating. after a day we had had enough. we got lucky though and met this guy, NILAVRO, who showed us around to all the sights. this was taken at queen victoria's palace.
NIL took us to eat our very first of very many indian meals at this dodgy locals only place. it was delish. i did it like the indians do and ate with my hands too!
we visited mother theresa's house as well and played with the orphans there. very emotional indeed
just a lady washing her dishes on the side of the street
yve and i left the day after for VARANASSI, one of india's holy cities. we arrived by overnight train... indian trains are pretty gnarly. it was definately an experience. thank god yve was there, i don't know if i could have survived on my own.
the MOGUL VILLAGE at the heart of old town varanassi is one of india's main silk emporiums. yve and i actually witnessed the production of these exquisit textiles from the dying process, weaving, to embelishments. each peice takes months and months to complete. yve and i both went a little crazy with the BUYING process. india completely suffocated my funds.
VARANASSI stretches along the river GANGES. from the banks of the river are these steps called GHATS leading up to the city. at the ghats, brahmen perform ceremonial services for the dead. hindus come to varanassi from all over the country to burn their dead loved ones. it is here that the eternal flame of SHIVA burns along one of the ghats. it is truly a remarkable experience. yve and i took a row boat once at sunset and then again the next morning at sunrise in order to fully experience life among the ghats. it is really interesting because it is here where indian life exists at its fullest: you see indians bathing in the river here, washing their clothes, praying, practicing yoga, meditating... but at the same time you see life come full circle in the cremation of their dead. families bring the bodies of their dead loved ones here to bathe them in the holy water of the river. they build a wooden structure to surround the body and then they burn the structure with the fire from the eternal flame of shiva at this one specific ghat. the hindus beleive that the soul is made up of 5 elements: wind, earth, fire, water, and sun and when the body is burned the soul can go back to these five elements creating an endless cycle.
at the ghats young boys sell these little floating votives. i guess they are like a prayer or something... not too sure. at any rate, you light the candle and it floats on the water. atleast it looks nice.
the brahmen perform a light show with candles, smoke, and bells to traditional music on the ghats every evening. we watched the performance from our row boat. so beautiful
morning meditation on the ghats
sunrise yoga practice. every morning arund 5 am people venture out to the ghats for their ritual morning practice. at the top left hand corner a group of musicians and a man on a microphone give instructions from the platform above.
our row boat man
sunrise on the river ganga
morning bathing
these guys were watching tv on their boat.
another ritual, im assuming for the death of a loved one
washing clothes
drying clothes
sometimes, families live far away from varanassi and cannot reach the holy city in time for a proper cremation so they bring their loved one's ashes instead for a proper ceremony to release their spirit back into the atmosphere. here, a brahman on the right is instructing a family member of the deceased through the ritual.
after our sunrise excursion, yve and i braked for a little good morning chai at the top of one of the ghats. life among the river gives varanassi the reputation of being inida's most colorful city. it was so refreshing to witness so rich a culture. these people know exactly who they are and exactly where they come from. i fell in love with india at varanassi.
this man hopped off his bicycle to say a quick prayer in front of this temple just outside of varanassi
buddha books!! everywhere!! about 30 minutes outside of varanassi is SARNATH, the place at which SIDDHARTHA GHUTAMA gave his first sermon as BUDDHA, the enlightened one. so so so cool. yve and i came here to check out the birth place of buddhism
in front of the first buddhist temple, fairly recently reconstructed
at sarnath we also visited a chinese buddhist temple and met these lovely people from a small village somewhere in india...
after just 2 days in varanassi yve and i took an overnight train to DELHI where we were to meet our driver, BABA, to go high up into the HIMALYA. this was taken at the RED FORT in delhi.
red fort
spiiiiiiccccceeeeee maaaarrrkkkeeetttttt
pomegranate hands
oooo the colors and tastes and sights and smells of INNDDDDIIIIAAAAAA
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