Scenes in Sepia (5)

Scenes in Sepia (6)

Kerala.

Love the reflection of the palm groves on the water. Slight bit of over exposure, little bit longer and it would've probably have blown out. This river's very interesting, people live right on the banks. To visit the neighbour they ride in their canoes across. Same concept in Thailand and other areas.This was also why the Tsunami of 2004 wreaked such havoc. Evidence of the debris was still very clearly visible when I was there. In the distance of this picture also you can see some things lying in the water. In all likelihood it was a wrecked canoe or house boat.


Kerala is also home to the famous house boats, which although traditional have been made very successful tourist attractions. Some of which boast satellite television, while others have been turned into Ayurvedic spas. Kerala is filled with antiques and all things old and quaint. It was once a Communist state and boasts a 100% literacy rate. Everyone's reading here, all the time. *sigh* reading's a lost art. But that's a rant for the ChroniclesofBlaaaaahnia.

Scenes in Sepia (7)

"The ideal of beauty is simplicity and tranquility..."
Goethe

Scenes in Sepia (8)

Jaipur had to be my favourite place. It's so filled with a sense of history that the spirit of the Moghul Empire seems tangible there. Also known as the Pink City because of the pink colour of the local sandstone. The Pink City now forms part of the Old City. As you go further out and upwards into the palaces in the hills, you get the Yellow City, home to the Amber Fort. A truly marvelous structure. I will upload close up pics of the walls of the Fort which were taken with an ordinary compact so that the detail in the artistry can be seen.








India is not complete until you've been to Jaipur.

Graphic Descriptions (10)

Arb monkeys. But just look at their facial expressions. They look tired and as if they really don't feel like posing. The one on the right hand side, I swear has a wtf look on its face.

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Colour is life in India. Beautiful and vibrant. Not really goth-friendly, be we loved it.

The whole country is just explosions of colour and texture and art.

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Delhi.

Rikshaws are cheap, easy, fast and efficient modes of transport. Provide a valuable income to the "drivers" too. Truely an Indian experience.

panning and crop.



rah*

PS Quality's lost on the scan in of all these pics :(.

Generally, I use film, not digi, digi's my phone and that's it. I'm old school ;p. Some of them got bent in ze bag etc etc blaaaaah

Graphic Descriptions (7)

Somewhere along the road. Think it's a temple, very likely that it is. The spiritual vibe of India can't be over emphasised. People are one with their Creator, Muslim, Hindu, Christian or Jewish(yes there's Jews in Kerala, the last 40 odd left. They've been there for centuries. Very strange, but interesting to see people who look essentially White/Caucasian speaking fluent Tamil. They're sort of a tourist attraction there. Beautiful Synagogue.)







Cropped on the sides.

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When they say India has rolling hills and scenery as far as the eye can see, they're not lying.

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I spend my time dreaming. I spent my childhood wondering about the sky. And what's out there. That infinite place which has always held man's imagination. The ultimate escape, the ultimate expression of freedom. This picture looked to me as though, this is the final reward of the day. For those who work hard for a pitance, struggling to survive, banishing material thoughts from their desires, this is their reward. In a country where the spirituality of the people will admire this scene as not only a miracle but as hope. And tomorrow they will have faith to continue the drudgery of life...




Kerala.

Graphic Descriptions (4) continued

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Calangute Beach, Goa. This place is to India, as Cape Town is to the rest of SA. Lovely to go to, wonderful holiday vibe, but not totally representative of the rest of the country. Very touristy. Amazing beaches and lovely whether.Out of this world sunsets. Expensive in comparison to everywhere else too because of the large tourist market, but at the exchange rate not that bad for us. Goa's only been part of India since the 60s, it was a portugese colony before that. Lovely seafood ;p

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Flower market. Garlands are made from marigolds and sold to tourists and for daily use for decorative and religious purposes.

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Just liked the composition and light at play here

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Arb flowers in the previous mentioned garden. Thought they looked nice and dark and gloomy. And they're all together, from the same stalk. None of them are exactly the same, they're not all perfect or even perfectly proportioned. Even the weirdly shaped one's beautiful.




Some quality's lost on the scan-in and compression. cropped and resized.

Graphic Descriptions

"So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked." Mark Twain

I haven't fully had my say on the matter, but I don't think anyone can fully have a say. It's too extraordinary a place. The files are too big for blogger so they'll each get their own space.



Gardens in Bangalore (which from November this year will be called Bengaluru. That's how it's pronounced in the local vernacular. Bangalore, is the Anglicised version)

Very Lothlorien feel to it don't you think?

Across the Desert

Taken in a moving vehicle on a rather bumpy road, between Medinah and Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Dubai: teh_blaaaaahness

I've got no problem with the people, they were great. I've got no problem with the vibe. It was great too. I've got a problem with how lacking in heritage and a sense of history it is. It's too modern, they have/had only one museum, didn't really grab me at all. Hell, they've got a Mr Price there too. Woolworths and Truworths too. The desert tour thingy was worth it as was the trip across the Creek. The souks are interesting. But yeah if shopping's not your thing (as it's not mine) then Dubai's not for you. If you're looking for Arabian/Middle East history and stuff go to Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran and the now defunct Iraq, or alternatively travel throughout all seven of the Emirates to see what sudden wealth and immense resources can build from dust. If I didn't appreciate things such as what's below, I don't think I'd have any major memories of the place. Personally, I think it's over rated.



Hmmmm...





Nothing ventured, nothing gained...
rah*

Cape Town by Compact

ugggh fuggit

this is going nowhere. I have neither the time nor the effort or will and inclination to sort out all my pictures. This blog'll be for random graphics etc, and I think I'll get a mobile blog thingum for my proper pictures. There shall be no order...just the way i like life...