India

Thanka painting is traditional art form which dates back to the around the 7th Century. It was originally based on Indian religious art, but it has also incorportated Chinese, Nepalese and Kashmiri styles. Many Thangka paintings feature the Buddha or other dieties or demons.
Thangka is very precise in it the propotions of figures. [...]

Proof that I really was in the Himalayas!

I left McLeod Ganj on Tuesday night. I made the mistake of taking the “deluxe” bus, and it ended up being a cold, bumpy, sleepless night. Then I discovered that the key to my friend Mark’s house (where I was to stay) had gone AWOL. Eventually I tracked it down, and had [...]

From Ahmadabad I headed to Bombay to meet two friends, Kyle and Maryanne. They were flying in to spend 11 days travelling with me. I was excited to have somebody to share my experiences with: to be able to point and say, “wow, look at that!”

I’m in culture shock! As much as Bombay felt like a different country from northern India, Mysore is even more of a change. Every corner has a traffic light, and pedestrians actually wait for the walk signal to cross the street in most places.

There is a broad expanse of land which parallels the coast of Kerala for at least 100 miles that is criss-crossed with canals connecting lakes and rivers. Here the traditional mode of transport is of course boat, and one can take day or overnight cruises.

I am staying with the family of my friend Raj, whom I met in Dharamsala. He came down for Christmas, and brought a group of friends with him. His family is Catholic, and there is a small christmas tree in the living room. This area is very heavily Christian. Christianity here dates [...]

On Sunday, we came down to the beach in a place called Varkala. Overlooking the beach are red cliffs, atop which are perched a series of small hotels, restaurants and and shops. At any given time there are 4-5 eagles riding the air currents above the cliffs. The water is the perfect [...]

Christmas Eve was filled with fireworks. In between barrages, one could hear carrolers going door to door. Later in the evening, our gang went for a walk to look at the decorations on houses in the neighborhood. We walked among a sea of stars, lights and nativity scenes, with fireworks exploding overhead.

Starting Christmas night people began to leave. Marc, Pema and Champa headed out to Chennai, where they were hoping to catch a boat to the Andaman Islands. I decided to stick around until the 27th, but couldn’t make up my mind where to go, but was feeling like being on my own for [...]