Leh- Photos August 29, 2008

We were happy to put Delhi behind us.

We jumped on plane to Leh, a remote town in the northern Ladakh region of India. It’s an area just south of China and Tibet, just west and south of Nepal, and just east of Pakistan. It was the closest Allison or I had been to any of the “Stans.” Exciting!

The flight to Leh was beautiful. We soared over snow fields and glaciers. Tourists furiously snapped photos out of the airplane windows. I felt like I was missing out, so I took one of my own.

Somewhere down there is the Indus River, where humanity spent eons developing methods of how to communicate with one another. And all without the benefit of bluetooth headsets!

Landing in Leh was dreamlike. After 72 hours of pandemonium in a jungle climate, we were breathing thin, cool, clean, dry air. Free of Delhi, we embraced for a few minutes right on the tarmack.

Leh is such a unique side of India. Buddhist, Muslim, Tibetan, Indian. We met some great people.

After landing, we hit the ground running.

First stop, we hiked to the temple high on the hill.

Leh’s elevation is around 11,500 feet. You can feel the altitude even in town.

After the hike up and after we stopped sweating, we had some nice time with the temple.

The views are 360 degrees. With steep drop-offs on the sides.

Don’t Jump! It’s only diarrhea!

On the way down, these thugs tried to make a gate and charge us to leave the site. I didn’t see any name tags, so I’m pretty sure they were unofficial. They spoke broken English and just said “Money, Money” over and over again. I used my street smarts and we got away for half price.

With the money we had left, our next stop was the barber. We really struck some gold on this one.

This guy rocks. For 50 Rupees he spent almost an hour sculpting my hair, complete with a 5 minute head massage at the end. I love his expression in this photo Allison snapped. “What the hell am I gonna do with this white boy?”

After we went to the old abandoned Monestary overlooking the town of Leh.

We found an old library full of ancient prayer books.

From the top of the Monestary I took some shots overlooking the main section of Leh. The town has a very Himalayan look to it.

On the way down we watched a Tibetan dance ceremony of some sort. It was beautiful, with a lot of chanting and a strong emphasis on drums.

We headed home early to catch some rest before our expedition departure the following day.

If you are interested, updates on that adventure tomorrow…..

-A+A

Agra And The Taj Mahal- Photos August 29, 2008

On day three we made our way to Agra. It was nice to finally put a face to the crossword puzzle clue. We hired a taxi for the day to make the 4 hour journey. Apparently we were in some kind of hurry, because our driver sped through busy red lights with just a horn for warning.

Agra is, of course, home to the Taj Mahal. Agra itself is on my list of World’s worst places. Like many cities in India, it looks like just a blip on the map, but you later learn it has a population of millions.

Vehicles and other combustion engines are forbidden in proximity to the Taj. They are trying to keeping it from turning brown.

We hopped in a horse rickshaw to take us the final mile or two.

With the Taj Mahal floating behind us, we posed for a photo.

The Taj is absolutely breathtaking.

It was a little difficult to enjoy due to the unbearable heat and humidity. Allison broke a sweat just from smiling.

Since they don’t allow gas engines, they cut the grass by hand.

Then they haul it away by hand.

A close up parting shot.

-A’s

Delhi- Photos August 29, 2008

Sadly, we don’t have too many photos of Delhi. The place was unlike anything we had ever seen. Really, the essence of the place can’t really be captured by photos anyway. If you want to see what Delhi is like, you must go to Delhi. If, however, you are ok with approximation, I’d recommend staying at home with a National Geographic. Safety first.

Here’s a shot of Allison outside of a supermarket. We packed lightly for this trip. She’s carrying everything she brought for a month’s worth of travel.

We made our way to the Red Fort, ancient capital of the Mughal Empire. Inside the fort we were stalked by a family who wanted some photos with us. Despite my haircut, I think they thought we were famous.

One thing I learned in India is that bad nature photography knows no borders. Here’s an Indian chipmunk trying to escape my lens.

Some buzzards flying circling high over the fort.

Delhi is a very dirty place. No sewers and no public rest rooms. People go to the bathroom right on the sides of the street in plain view. Number one and two. Trash collection is virtually non-existent, although we found these in Connaught Place. It is nice to know an effort is being made, although it just reminded me of Sir-Mix-A-Lot.

-A’s

India Recap August 28, 2008

It is hard to believe we survived the madness, but we are back in the US. Allison and I will be posting a photo recap over the next few days. I took over 600 photos, so there are bound to be some good ones. I promise not to post them all…

-A’s

It’s good to be home August 28, 2008

We are home safe and sound. It’s never felt so nice to be in Newark.

-A’s

Wrapping Up In India August 26, 2008

It is hard to believe we’re approaching our last day in India.

Allison is just about finished with the on-location aspects of the Mumbai project. Tomorrow we head to the airport for a midnight departure.

We cannot believe it has been nearly a month since we left the U.S.

We are excited to get home. India has been a land of stark contrast for us. Exciting yet frustrating, beautiful yet overwhelming; seemingly hopeless sometimes, yet at times teeming with a billion possibilites. Without exception though, it is a nonstop feast for the senses, which we are lucky to have had the chance to absorb.

India is a massive collection of experiments in humanity. Experiments in wealth distribution, industrialization, globalization, pollution, poverty, and over-population. Some issues are centuries old, some only a decade. The solutions though, are all in their infancy.

India has so many paths it could take. It was amazing to see it at this turning point, unfolding in front of our eyes. It is not something we will ever forget.

Stay tuned for a photo recap later in the week.

-Alex and Allison

Enjoying India August 16, 2008

Allison and I loving Mumbai.
Yesterday we walked around the southen part of the city, mostly the Colaba area. For the most part, we were left alone to take in the sights. It was a huge relief to be able to pull out a map or stop and look at a building without the pressure of people trying to take advantage if you.

The city is immensly different than Delhi. It has storm drains for one. And public toilets. Hence it is a lot cleaner.

There are so many things to do as well, we will try and fit in as many as we can.

Yesterday we took a one hour boat ride to the Elephanta island caves. One of the highlights was watching the uber aggressive monkies rob tourist after tourist of their snacks. Pictures to follow…

After, we had a wonderful feast at a local Colaba restaurant for a total of 3 dollars. What a deal!

Today Allison meets up with her fellow students for a tour of the city. I’m headed to check out some of the local markets.

-A’s

Train to Mumbai August 15, 2008

Allison and I made it to Bombay!

After a beautiful flight out of Leh, we landed in Delhi.

The Delhi train station was quite a fiasco. It’s a good thing that we had read that everyone would try and rob us when we got there, because that ended up being true.

We sought sanctuary in the tourist sales office, and bought a ticket for the overnight train to Mumbai.

We ended up in a four berth sleeping cabin towards the front of the train. We shared it with a very friendly Indian businessman and a woman and her child.

We loved the train trip. The cabin was really comfy and had powerful air conditioning. We were served an eight course dinner which we could not come close to finishing. Our new Indian friends had loads of information about Mumbai, and Allison picked their brains to prep for her upcoming studies.

We pulled into Mumbai central this morning and took a cab to the West End Hotel, where we will be for the next 10 days.

Once we find an adequate computing facility (I’m writing this on an iPod), we’ll add more. Untl then…

-A’s

Back In Leh August 13, 2008

A very brief update!

We’re working off of a shoddy computer with satelite internet, so we’ll be real quick.

Allison and I made it up to 20,000 feet and back! We had an amazing time. Climbing through snow storms yesterday to unbearable tropical heat tomorrow- what a drastic change! We got off the mountain today and are working on plans for tomorrow when we fly back to Delhi.

We have a few days until we are due in Bombay, so we are looking into some options now.

More later…

-A+A

Leh August 6, 2008

Allison and I will be out of communication for a while. We are headed to the remote Himalayan town of Leh, off to climb Stok Kangri.

I don’t think they have the internets there yet

Expect updates from Bombay!

-A’s