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The Great Outdoors
Islands and Beaches
India and Nepal
Miscellaneous
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A poem about India
In a dream
I flew across the blue ink heavens,
Through the air
Passing Broome red underneath as
Garuda crossing the Indian Ocean
To India.
As the sun rose
And unsettled the grey mist on the Ganges
I sat in a boat
With rhythmic creaking oars
To the slap thud of washing clothes
On stony steps,
To the ringing bell of funeral pyres
Vultures flapping, rose petals following
In the wake of burning dead
And on into the fumed traffic
Crimson-saried women flying in the air
Scooter taxis with alto horns
Rushing through crowds and sacred cows.
Computers flashing
In canyons of glass and stone
White smoke curling, incense
Floating like the women bathing,
Combing jet black hair
While the Ganges ran down their shoulders
And in the dark of the fiery furnace
Men and women slept where they worked
Making black iron for bread.
Sweet smells of Madras
The rushing Calcutta streets
Moon shadows on flute tunes
In the temple
The four-clap beat and the hum of the drum
Dusty men sleeping on stone
And balancing women with baskets of rubble.
Rolling camels in Rajasthan
Two-humped shadows in the slipping sand
A thousand mirrored fragments
Held in the palm of my hand,
Like infinity
`And eternity in an hour'
(Source : Unknown)Please click on photos to access the albums.
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Kathmandu
Kathmandu Valley is dotted with countless shrines, temples, palace squares, charming old bazaars and ageless sculptures. Durbar Square houses many beautiful temples and shrines, both Hindu and Buddhist. The House of the Living Goddess, the Kumari, is also located within this square. We especially enjoyed wandering through the cobbled streets and alleys of Patan and Thamel. Thamel hosts many budget travellers and noisy bands of revellers looking for action when the sun sets. We got a bargain on a couple of 'North Face' items from its recently opened outlet selling the real thing. Definitely worth a visit. We stayed at the Yak & Yeti hotel. It is built on the grounds of the neo-classical Lal Durbar or Red Palace, built more than a century ago by the then Prime Minister Bir Shumshere Jung Bahadur Rana. It takes 10 minutes to walk to Thamel from here.
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Pokhara
A place of remarkable natural beauty. On a clear day, the Annapurna range rises before you with the imposing fish-tailed summit of Machhapuchhre (6,977 m) catching you breathless. It is simply a magical sight. The valley surrounding Pokhara is also home to thick forests, gushing rivers, emerald lakes, and of course, the awesome views of the Himalaya. We rented a motorbike and circled Phewa Lake. We also rode up Sarangkot and caught sight of the fish tail. We weren't quite prepared for the cold and had to seek shelter and hot tea from the locals at the top. Back in town, we each got ourselves the infamous Nepalese "NorthFace" fleece jackets. That helped in the ride back to the hotel. A street festival was held in town commerating the New Year. We stayed at the Fulbari Resort & Spa which was once a Dusit Thani hotel, now locally run. 'Fulbari' means 'field of flowers'. It sits on a 100-acre plateau above the Green Canyon and the deep Seti Gorge. A few hundred metres below is the confluence of the Seti and Fusre Rivers. A member of the Great Hotels of the World. |
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Royal Chitwan National Park
The park covers an area of 932 sq km. It is a sub-tropical park (didn't seem quite though in winter!) with populations of the Royal Bengal tiger, Greater One-horned rhinoceros, Wild Asian elephant, Gaur, Golden Monitor lizard, Gharial crocodile and many more. We didn't get to see the bigger mammals though, as March is said to be a better time to catch sight of them. We saw fresh tiger and rhino tracks, but they were always several steps ahead of us. The elephant safari and the jungle walks were a real delight. We saw many birds and smaller animals e.g. peacocks, spotted deers and the marsh mugger. We stayed at the Chitwan Jungle Lodge on the banks of the river Rapti. The Lodge has 9 Indian female elephants. 3 are currently expecting their first born. The Lodge expects the arrival of its first baby sometime March 2004. It's a nice clean place with hot shower & very good staff manning it. A hot water bottle is required for bedtime in winter. |
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Kochi, Kerala
An old and important port, fondly known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. Much of Portuguese, Dutch and Jewish architectural influences can be seen, also Chinese fishing nets from the days of Kublai Khan. Playful dolphins make ferry crossings between islands a real delight. |
Backwaters, Kerala
The backwaters of Kerala are the life force of the coastal economy in India. Sit back and relax on a kettuvellam (houseboat converted from a traditional rice barge) while scenes of the coastal community passes by at walking pace. |
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Munnar, Kerala
A hill station situated on the Western Ghats at 5000ft above sea level is once the summer capital of the British. Drive through winding lanes and quaint colonial towns and enjoy spectacular views of cloud caressed valleys and sprawling coffee, tea and cardamom plantations. |
Periyar, Kerala
The Periyar wildlife sanctuary is host to a remarkably high diversity and density of wildlife, including tigers, elephants, gaur, sambar and barking deer, otters, the Nilgiri langur, the Malabar giant squirrel and at least one pachat. Periyar is located on the Western Ghats, also famed for its cardomom crops. |
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Trivandrum, Kerala
The streets of the Keralan capital are clogged with cars, buses, scooters and autorickshaws. All of which apparently can only be driven with their horns blaring. A short half hour walk along any main street in "Trivy" will leave you enervated from stress, and your nostrils full of gold. |
Delhi, Uttar Pradesh
The capital and 3rd largest city of India. There is the old Delhi marked by Islamic Moghul monuments and the New Delhi, a sprawling pulsating city designed by Edward Lutyens of the White Rajahs. |
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Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Situated on the crescent shaped left bank of the Ganga, Varanasi, one of the ancient seats of learning in India, is said to be a compound of the names of two streams, the Varuna and the Assi, which still flow in the north and south of the city respectively. Varanasi is probably one of the most ancient living cities in India. From time immemorial it has been a great religious center for Hindus and one of their most sacred places of pilgrimage, being visited by millions of people every year.
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Agra, Uttar Pradesh
The city of Taj Mahal. A white marble tomb built in 1631-48 by Shah Jehan for his wife, Arjuman Banu Begum. Taj Mahal stands on the bank of River Yamuna, which otherwise serves as a wide moat defending the Great Red Fort of Agra, the center of the Mughal emperors until they moved their capital to Delhi in 1637. The Red Fort which was built principally as a military establishment by Akbar in 1565 was partially converted into a palace during Shah Jahan's time.
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Jaipur, Rajasthan
The picturesque capital of Rajasthan, popularly known as the Pink City displays remarkable architectural splendour. The ancient heart of the Pink City still beats in its fairy-tale palaces, rugged fortresses perched on barren hills and broad avenues that dot the entire city. |
Bharatpur, Rajasthan
Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, once the royal hunting preserve of the princes of Bharatpur, now a fine bird sanctuary inundated with over 400 species of water birds. Exotic migratory birds from Afghanistan and Central Asia as well as Siberian cranes from the arctic come here to enjoy warmer winters. |
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