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Fri, 17 May 2013 02:32:34 -0400

The “Beatles ashram”. Abandoned and left to...

Sat, 11 May 2013 00:44:56 -0400

The “Beatles ashram”. Abandoned and left to elephants to roam and sadhus to meditate. Many mysteries and scandals surround this place and its felt when climbing through the jungle that has overtaken this intricate ashram where the Beatles studied transcendental meditation with Maharishi Mahesh. It looks like a 1960s space camp in the jungle.

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Sat, 11 May 2013 00:20:50 -0400

The Ganges is fresh and clear in Rishikesh because its near the...

Sat, 11 May 2013 00:17:08 -0400

The Ganges is fresh and clear in Rishikesh because its near the source and the melting Himalayas. Cold swims, hikes to waterfalls and morning dips.

I’ve gone from the desert to the mountains. From Pushkar to...

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:09:06 -0400

I’ve gone from the desert to the mountains. From Pushkar to Rishikesh.

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Fri, 10 May 2013 09:01:28 -0400

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Mon, 06 May 2013 10:52:55 -0400

Animals and people coincide in India. Cows roam the streets like...

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:46:30 -0400

Animals and people coincide in India. Cows roam the streets like people and monkeys are as prevalent as birds. Camels and elephants live in the city and wear jewelry and makeup.

Pushkar. Pilgrims, puja, Brahmins, priests, camels, colors, a...

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:37:15 -0400

Pushkar. Pilgrims, puja, Brahmins, priests, camels, colors, a peaceful desert oasis. I do plan to get back here someday.

Sightseeing around Jaipur. Temples, palaces and forts of the...

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:19:51 -0400

Sightseeing around Jaipur. Temples, palaces and forts of the former Raj. I typically don’t “sight see”, I usually wander by foot with an intended destination as I am typically more interested in people and culture than I am monuments and tourist sights. However, Jaipur is huge and there are temples and forts in every corner of the city and the surrounding area, so I had to rely on a tuk tuk driver to see anything. The tuk tuk drivers in Jaipur are pushy, convincing, and usually rip off tourists…I was convinced, but ended up with 2 entertaining and friendly drivers. I learned to drive a tuk tuk through Jaipur and I even had dinner at the home of one of my drivers with his family. A Muslim family…so I sucked it up and ate mutton curry.

Galwar Bagh, “monkey temple” in Jaipur

Wed, 01 May 2013 23:36:49 -0400

Galwar Bagh, “monkey temple” in Jaipur

This young man and his young cousin “guided” me...

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:40:15 -0400

This young man and his young cousin “guided” me through Galwar Bagh, “monkey temple” because its home to hundreds of monkeys. We really just drank chai under the tree, chatted with this Baba and (they) drank the milk he takes from the cows that live around the temple. Many local people come to the temple to bathe and many young men, like the ones I was with, come to jump off the rocks into the pool. So on our way out, they stripped off their clothes and jumped over the temple into the holy water. Then we hopped on the motorcycle and went over the hill into the sunset.

Jaipur, the Pink City, in Rajastahn

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:03:28 -0400

Jaipur, the Pink City, in Rajastahn

Lassiwalla. Which basically means the maker of lassis. This is...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:59:09 -0400

Lassiwalla. Which basically means the maker of lassis. This is the lassiwalla of Blue Lassi in Varanasi, where I had a Lassi everyday.

Legs don’t reach the pedals. You should see his maneuver...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:48:29 -0400

Legs don’t reach the pedals. You should see his maneuver for turning against traffic and cows in a busy roundabout.

Mango lassi at the traveler favorite Blue Lassi in Varanasi. I...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:28:10 -0400

Mango lassi at the traveler favorite Blue Lassi in Varanasi. I live off of these, the perfect meal/treat/refreshment for 100 degree heat.

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Sun, 28 Apr 2013 16:31:10 -0400

Cricket on the ghats. One of my favorite afternoon activities...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:00:49 -0400

Cricket on the ghats. One of my favorite afternoon activities was to sit and watch boys play. They play games all day long all along the ghats, mostly with makeshift equipment. The ghats, like much of India, really seem like men’s territory. (Only men burn the bodies, I only saw men bathing, men do the laundry, men row the boats, perform the ceremonies, sell chai, play cricket…)

The launderers

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:02:54 -0400

The launderers

Laundry day at the ghats gives the impression that Varanasi is...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:20:29 -0400

Laundry day at the ghats gives the impression that Varanasi is clean but it is very far from it. Usually there are buffalo and goats going about their way on those steps.