Report from India

Well, I'm back from my travels. It should be said, that, unless you have a ton of money, travelling to India is an adventure, not a vacation. It's an insanely busy, noisy place full of millions upon millions of people, all trying to get somewhere at the same time. Not to mention lots of cows, everywhere. I found it to be horribly ugly at times, and breathtakingly beautiful at other times. And often a confusing mixture of both, which leaves you in a weepy, slightly nauseated ball of emotions. It was amazing.

I wanted to include a couple of key photos from my trip, since it's pretty hard to explain in words. Here goes...

Banyan Tree at the Red Fort in Delhi

The Red Fort- by Shah Jahan

Street performer child in Delhi

Victims of "Holi", a holiday in celebration of the demon goddess Holika, who sacrificed herself to save her nephew, a devotee of Shiva. But now it just means that kids pelt you with water balloons and powdered color pigment.

First-time sitar player

Chai on the train in India. Most stands have cups that are reusable, but when you take it on a train they have to be disposable, so they just use cheap, unglazed cups that you throw on the tracks afterward, and they just eventually turn back to dirt. Awesome.

See?

A little girl making prayer candles in boat-bowls made from leaves to set in the Ganges river.

Pilgrims bathing in the Ganga at Sunrise, trying to wash away negative karmic energy from their past lives.

Released Prayer Candles

Pre-nazi Aryan Swaztika.  A symbol of the Aryan Sungod, swastika comes from the Sanskrit word svastika, meaning "good luck" or "well-being".

One of the few examples of graffitti I found. Varanasi.

Cremation ghat on the Ganga River, Varanasi. Bodies are burned here all day, and what is left goes into the holy river. To Hindus, fire is seen as a way to convey the soul to the next life.

Still not sure what these were all about, they were all along the main road in Varanasi. But they made me think of CP, so I had to take a photo.

Long-haul truckdrivers in India drink chai, not coffee. I think that's the reason their trucks are so beautifully decorated. It brings out the artist in them.

First flush (first spring growth) Darjeeling Tea. -Darjeeling, West Bengal.

Eclectic family shrine in Darjeeling, featuring Ganesh and Sai Baba.