From the Himalayas to the burning desert

I took a boat down the Ganges at sunset to see the Ghats. At one point, we put floating candles in the water to remember our lost loved ones. (Varanasi, India)

The Ghats are essentially stairs leading down to the water of the Ganges. In the brighter section of the photo, a celebration of the Ganges takes place, closer to the foreground, individuals set their candles upon the water (Varanasi, India)

Alley scene in Varanasi. These are the same alleys through which the corpses are carried on bamboo stretchers on the way to the burning Ghat. A man sleeps, another man arranges his vegetables for sale, a stairway disappears into the background (Varanasi, India)

Only 5 kinds of bodies don't get burned at the Burning Ghat--Those less than 18 years of age, those bitten by a cobra, lepers, pregnant women, and priests. Those who are not burned on the Ghat steps are weighted and dumped into the Ganges (the same area where people bathe and play). Frequently, the bodies get free from the tethers (The Ganges, Varanasi, India)

Kolkata

At one point I was very frustrated--I love meeting local people, but every person I had met, after a few seconds, sometimes as much as a half hour, it became that what they were REALLY interested instead of my friendship, was my money. After yet ANOTHER experience with a guy who saw me only as a source of income, I was upset and headed toward a light and sound show at the Victoria Memorial. On the way, I saw a food cart and stopped to watch how this sort of food was eaten (The hollow bread is filled with a mixture of onion, aloo (potatoe [thanks Dan Quayle!]), and spices, then dunked in a spicy or sweet sauce, then eaten by popping the whole thing into your mouth). The college-aged people eating insisted I try some, then kept handing me more despite my protests. They were delish! It came time to pay, I got my money out, asked how much, and found out--as the students disappeared into the night--that they had paid for me. (Kolkata, India)

The Indian Museum: It's like breaking into your grandfather's attic... Only to find out that he lived a secret life as Indiana Jones. This ancient and unmaintained museum looks exactly like the day the superintendant put up the last display. The display cases are beautiful old antique wood, with glass splattered with drips from the ceiling, dust since the last cyclone, and piles of uncataloged exhibit pieces unceremoniously piled in the corners (Kolkata, India)


The Indian Museum truly did have some stunning pieces. This Pam-Anderson precursor is called "Devi" (Indian Museum, Kolkata, India)


Darjeeling


I SAW THE HIMALAYAS!!! The view from the rooftop of the Aliment Hotel. The highest peak i Kanchenjunga (which means "Five-peaked snow fortress" in Tibetan) (Darjeeling, India)

The bathroom on the Deluxe 2A/C (only 2 bunks, air conditioned) train from Kolkata to Darjeeling (Kolkata, India)

In Darjeeling, up Observatory Hill is a gompa (Tibetan temple). There are Tibetan prayer flags draped everywhere, and the clouds rise through, lending a mysterious glow during mid-day. The monkeys pictured here are aggressive (and frequently are carriers of rabies--and they DO BITE). (Darjeeling, India)

As sandlot baseball is to American youngsters, dirt cricket is to the kids here. (Darjeeling, India)

Darjeeling is a city built along the ridge (and down both sides of) a hill. The roads are very windy and steep, and wealthy Indians on vacation in the cool hills of Darjeeling often opt to have a porter take their suitcases up or down to the Jeep stand (Darjeeling, India)


Darjeeling is known for its tea. The Happy Valley Tea Plantation (only 21 acres!!) was closed that day, but we bought a cup of the plantation's finest from an eccentric lady who runs a teahouse. While we were sipping the very (allegedly) finest tea, we were surrounded by fake flowers, kitschy pictures of Hindu gods, stuffed toy monkeys, etc. It definitely lent something to the experience (Happy Valley Tea Plantation, Darjeeling, India)

These kids were DYING for me to take their photo... So I did. (And the old --let me know if you agree--bears a striking resemblance to a character in the Star Trek movies!) . They all got a big kick seeing themselves on the LCD monitor on the camera (Varanasi, India)