India – Jodhpur
We arrived in Jodhpur by train and immediately got off to a bad start with a shonky Tuk-Tuk driver intentionally taking us the the wrong guest house so he could get a commission, when we realised it was the wrong guest house I had bit of a word with him, paid him half of what he’d asked for and set out walking the 20 minutes or so in the dark, to the place we had booked. When we got there we were pleasantly surprised with the wonderful view we got overlooking the whole of Jodhpur City and literally in the shadows of the gigantic Mehrangarh Fort.
We were in Jodhpur for 4 days so went spent most of our time wandering around checking out the bazaars, the fort and just the city in general. One of the best things we did during our stay was go on the Bishnoi Village Safari Tour. We got to drive around in a pretty badass 1957 Willys Jeep (USA Army Issue) and checkout how people live in the more rural villages of Rajasthan, one of them known as Bishnoi. We learnt about pottery, weaving and even how to produce and drink Opium. The man who was weaving the carpets/rugs even commissioned me to take a portrait of him when he found out I was a photographer.
After Jodhpur we went on a Camel Safari through the Thar Desert, i’ll post those pictures a little later.
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- Children in Jodhpur pose for a photo.
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- A goat sits to attention in the streets of Jodhpur.
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- Jodhpur by night.
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- Jodhpur by night.
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- Amy watches the city below.
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- Amy standing in front of a blue building.
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- A hookah in the Merangarh Fort Museum.
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- On the Streets of Jodhpur, India.
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- Washing hanging on the sides of blue buildings, Jodhpur.
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- Streets of Jodhpur.
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- Snacks in the markets, Jodhpur.
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- A potter works his magic, Rajasthan, India.
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- A potter works his magic, Rajasthan, India.
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- A carpet weaver in rural Rajasthan, India.
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- USA Army Willys Jeep.
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- A man in rural Rajasthan.
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- Two women prepare a meal in rural Rajasthan.
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- The sun rises of Jodphur, India.
India – Jaipur
It really has been quite a while since the last post. We’ve spent the past two or so weeks heading through the incredible Indian state of Rajasthan. We started off in the capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur. It is an interesting place with great markets (bazaars) and the home of the incredible Amber Fort and Jal Mahal, Water Palace. We only had two days in Jaipur and spent most of the first day at the Amber Fort, exploring all the tunnels and stairwells and generally getting lost in the huge complex. The next day we spent wandering the Bazaars and lane ways of the old city and trying Indian delicacies such as Pan.
I haven’t been too passionate about photography ever since Kerala really but have still been shooting away nonetheless so here are a few pics..
Keep your eyes peeled for photos from Jodphur and Camel Safaris over the next few days!
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- A man walks across the railway tracks.
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- Crates at a trainstation
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- Amy waiting for the train to Jaipur at Delhi railway station.
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- Early morning sun shines along the platform as a woman walks along the train carriage.
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- Masala Chai on the train to Jaipur.
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- A man has a smoke at the Palam railway station.
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- A train guard rests on the train to Jaipur.
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- A decorative marble panel frames a boy.
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- A room in the Amber Fort, Jaipur.
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- A doorway at Amber Fort, Jaipur.
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- Amy stuck between elephants at Amber Fort, Jaipur.
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- Amber Fort, Jaipur.
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- A security guard overlooks the valley, Amber Fort, Jaipur.
India – Kerala
Well….it’s been a while since my last post and we’ll blame lack of internet for that. It’s actually been quite nice not being able to be connected 24/7. Anyway we have spent the last 2 weeks in the southern state of Kerala checking out the sites of Ernakulam, Vaikom, the famous Keralan Backwaters and Fort Kochi. We were also lucky enough to stay with a wonderful family in a rural part of the state, near Vaikom, and were invited to attend the wedding of one of the daughters of the family (a colleague of Amy’s). This was an incredible experience and we got treated to amazing home cooked curries everyday for a week as well as being taken around on Backwater cruises and to Periyar Wildlife Reserve where we went on an elephant ride and a boat cruise where we saw around 30 wild Elephants as well as Samba Deer, a Yak, Warthogs, plenty of birds and even an Otter.
I’ve obviously shot a ton of pictures but here are my favourites….
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- A pink ‘Ambassador’ in the streets of Fort Kochi
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- A rubber farmer in rural Kerala.
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- The hands and tool of a rubber farm in rural Kerala.
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- This is where your tyres come from.
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- A hand leans against a tree, Kerala, India.
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- Pigs at a property in rural Kerala. The pigs wills almost triple in size to this one to around 270 Kg before being sold at market.
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- A baby piglet in rural Kerala, India.
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- A bird in the Kerala Backwaters, India.
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- A scene in the Keralan backwaters, Kerala, India.
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- A bird stalks for food in the Keralan Backwaters.
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- Clothes hang out to dry in the Keralan Backwaters.
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- A scene in the Keralan backwaters, Kerala, India.
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- A bird flys through the Keralan backwaters.
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- Men sort out their catch near Vaikom, Kerala, India.
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- A scene in rural Kerala.
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- A boy appeals in a cricket game. This was shot whilst travelling on an Elephant so pretty pleased I got something.
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- The eye of an Elephant.
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- Wild Elephants in Periyar Wildlife Reserve, Kerala, India.
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- Tea Plantations near Periyar Wildlife Reserve, Kerala, India.
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- Amy and her friend Liji.
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- A priest signs papers allowing Liji to marry in a different church.
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- A moment during the wedding of Liji and Jesmon.
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- Two boys get caught up in a wedding procession in the streets of Fort Kochi, Kerala, India.
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- Amy with Mary, a local tailor.
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- This is Mary who is a tailor on Princess St in Fort Kochi. Mary is Deaf and can’t speak but still manages to run a tailoring shop and does an exceptional job.
India – Coonoor.
Ooty was the next stop on journey, unfortunately we couldn’t get any accomodation there so ended up heading to nearby Coonoor which turned out the be a smaller and more relaxed. We had to get up early to get the bus, originally we thought it was only a couple of hours and we were sure we could get a nice bus up. However as we learn everyday, this is India. The bus ended up being a local public bus and the journey ended up taking 6 hours. Luckily though it was probably the most beautiful road trip i’ve ever been on, driving through incredible mountain passes and winding up through stunning fields of tea.
We cruised through Ooty on the way to Coonoor and realised how busy it all seemed for a supposed small town. After arriving in Coonoor and checking in to our hostel we tried to get some dinner but then found out our hostel wasn’t taking orders so ended up starving until the morning. The next day we ended up exploring around town and reading books. Our hostel was right up on top of the hill overlooking the entire city, we had incredible views and FRESH AIR which was great.
The next day we decided to go for bit of a trek and went out to a place called Lambs Rock which provided incredible views over a massive mountainous valley. The area was also surrounded by tea plantations as far and as high as the eye could see. Originally we were going to head to Ooty for the next two nights but decided to relax in Coonoor for another night before heading to the state of Kerala and spend the extra day in Kochi.
ANYWAY
Here are some of my favourite photos from the mountains!
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- A view of Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, India.
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- A security officer warms up over a small fire in Coonoor, India.
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- Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, India.
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- Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, India.
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- Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, India.
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- Having a Vegemite Chapati amongst the fields of tea. Lambs Rock, Tamil Nadu, India.
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- Tea Plantations, Lambs Rock, Tamil Nadu, India.
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- Washing hangs in the afternoon.
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- Washing hangs in the afternoon sun.
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- Peoples houses with tea plantations in the backyard and tourists out the front.
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- This man has taken his goats to a slope on the edge of town to feed.
India – Mysore
We decided that after Hampi we should head to the mountains and check out the Hill Stations in Tamil Nadu, known as Ooty, Coonoor and Kitigiri. On the way we would have to pass through Mysore so thought we may as well stop there for a few days to check it out. Mysore is architecturally a very beautiful city with lots of old buildings and of course the Wodeyar Palace which is fairly incredible. Mysore is also a very cultural city with a long history of arts, performing arts and of course the hard to miss spices, incense and oils. We only had one full day there so checked out the Palace most of the morning before just wandering around and eventually coming across Devaraja markets which were almost more spectacular than the Mapusa markets in Goa. I didn’t really shoot much when I was there so not to many photos but here are some photos from around town.
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- A boy makes incense in Devaraja markets.
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- A man selling onions in Devaraja Market, Mysore.
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- An Auto Rickshaw driver, Mysore, India.
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- A torn poster on the streets of Mysore, India.
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- A sign of the times. On the streets of Mysore, India.
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- On the streets and in the buildings of Mysore India.
India – Hampi
We arrived in Hampi a couple of days ago by train from Goa. It was a pretty incredible train journey with amazing views just about the whole way. I spent most of my time hanging outside the carriage watching everything go bye and taking some snaps. After arriving in the less desirable Hospet we eventually (after tackling through a million auto drivers and dodgy operators) made it on to the bus to take us to Hampi. I really had no expectations about Hampi and to be honest thought it was bit of a hole upon first sight, however as the next day rolled on we started to discover what a beautiful, easy going and laid back place it is; full of history, culture, interesting people, tourists and some very average but also very good food. Next stop is Mysore, after an overnight train journey this evening.
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- A man hangs out of the train on the way to Hospet.
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- A temple in Hampi.
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- A man herds goats along a track, Hampi, India.
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- A boy helps herd goats along a track, Hampi, India.
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- Rocks hang off a tree as a sign of respect for the dead.
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- A temple in Hampi, India.
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- A meter box on a 15th Century temple, Hampi, India.
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- An Indian couple eat Icey-Poles outside a 15th Century temple in Hampi, India.
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- Temple, Hampi, India.
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- Detail on a temple in Hampi, India.
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- A rock sticking out of a temple, Hampi, India.
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- A tourist gets a haircut in Hampi, India.
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- Boys play cricket with a temple in the background, Hampi, India.
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- A man I met in Hampi, India.
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- Another man I met in Hampi, India.
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- School Kids play, a woman washes and men wash an elephant. Hampi, India.
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- Washing drys as a woman walks past, Hampi, India.
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- Indians enjoying the afternoon, Hampi, India.
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- Washing drys in Hampi, India.
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- Amy and Tess with schoolgirls in Hampi, India.
India – Panaji (Part 2)
Had a pretty full on couple of days, yesterday we went and visited some incredible old churches and chapels in Old Goa, one, the Se Catherdral being the biggest in Asia and contained the biggest bell in Asia and St Frances of Xavier’s body! We’ve also been catching the local bus around instead of taxis, not bad and pretty reliable but will never complain about Transperth again. Had a nice little stroll around in the evening before grabbing some tucker.
Today was exhausting. We went to the INCREDIBLE Mapusa (pronounced) Mapsa market which sold just about anything you could ever imagine or need and after checked out some of the North Goan beaches, which are fairly dire and overrun by English and Russian tourists.
After that we went and had a look around Fort Aguada and then went on a boat cruise which looked fun and turned out to be pretty dull indeed, chasing down dolphins with some seedy Indian men aboard.
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- Se Cathedral.
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- Ticking off the bucket list. Watching the cricket with locals in India.
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- A woman washes in a Cafe. Panaji.
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- A man with cataracts begs on a footbridge, Panaji.
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- An auto driver resting in the afternoon glow.
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- Stairs.
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- Amy trying to cross the road.
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- Panaji Library.
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- The only good shot i’ve been able to get of a bus, so far.
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- Spices, Mapusa Markets.
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- Bananas, Mapusa Markets.
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- Mapusa Markets.
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- Crabs, Mapusa Markets.
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- Roasting the green peas, Mapusa Markets.
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- Mapusa Markets.
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- Selling roasted green peas (we think), Mapusa Markets.
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- Butcher, Mapusa Markets.
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- Mapusa Markets.
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- Vagator, Goa.
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- Vagator, Goa.
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- Cows on the beach, Vagator, Goa.
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- Vagator, Goa.
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- Vagator, Goa.
Anyway here are some of the pics from the past couple of days.
India – Panaji
We arrived yesterday morning in Panaji, the capital city of the small state of Goa. After managing to find the pre-pay taxi and aquiring a driving who seemed to be both asleep and stoned; we eventually ended up at our great little accommodation – Afonso Guest House. Amy had only slept for a couple of hours on the train so after waiting for our room we checked in and Amy had a nap while I had a walk around town. Panaji is the new capital of Goa and was once ruled by the Portugese so there is a lot of really amazing Portugese Architecture, small little laneways, makes me feel like i’m in Europe. We ended up strolling around for most of the day, found a great local spot for lunch and managed to find a pub for a few frothies. It was getting a bit hot later on so decided to chill in the room again before heading out late arvo, where we met up with Amys Aunty and Sister. We went climbing up this big hill which Panaji backs on to and came across a ferocious, man eating dog, which was luckily chained up but also an incredible view of the town. After that and getting a bit lost we eventually found our way to a touristy eatery where we had some curries and beers before heading back to the guest house.
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- Streets of Panaji – Early Morning.
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- A woman enters her house in Panaji. Note the Portugese architecture and that door is about as high as my shoulder.
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- Streets of Panaji – Early Morning.
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- Amy looking at Lonely Planet
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- Washing on the Streets of Panaji.
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- One of the many street shrines around Panaji.
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- A window on the streets of Panaji.
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- I just thought this was interesting. The local ‘supermarket’.
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- Church at the end of our road, Panaji.
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- Kids taking in the view. Panaji.
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- A view into a house on the streets of Panaji. Note the Portugese feel and architecture.
India – Bangalore
We woke up on New Years Day and went and had a delicious Dosa for breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Our train was at 3 that afternoon so we had a few hours to kill and went for a stroll around the city. We came across Cubbon Park, which is quite similar to Perths own Kings Park, and enjoyed a nice wander. It was good to get away from all the traffic and pollution. After this we had a quick coffee and headed back to the hotel, taking photos of people n tings along the way.
That afternoon we managed to get a taxi to Yesvanthpur station to get the train to Goa. We shared the cabin on our train with a nice bloke from Goa who now lives in Bangalore and was heading home for a wedding. I was lucky enough to tick off a few things on my bucket such hanging off the side of the train as it marched through the country side.
Anyway, we are in Goa now, staying at Afonso Guest House. A bit buggered after the train ride so just relaxing this morning then heading out in to the hustle and bustle.
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- Cubbon Park. Trees.
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- Library, Cubbon Park.
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- Yesvanthpur, next to the trainstation.
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- Yesvanthpur, next to the trainstation.
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- Beggars, Bangalore.
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- Newspaper Salesman, Bangalore.
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- Men waiting to board the train, Yesvanthpur station.
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- A woman sleeps while her children play around her. Yesvanthpur station.
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- A woman looks for her carriage, Yesvanthpur Station.
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- Men aboard another train watch carefully.
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- A couple of girls waiting for the train as it’s shadows looms nearer.
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- A worker aboard a train, Yesvanthpur to Madgaon.
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- The sink on the train.
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- Children watch the train go past.
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- A farmer rests in the field while his cows feed.
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- A boy sells Chai to thirsty passengers.
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- Madgaon Station, Goa. 5:30 am.
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- People on board the train.
Here are some pictures from the trip so far…
Abroad – Perth to Kuala Lumpur
Amy and I left Perth on the 30th of January bound for Kuala Lumpur, not my most favourite place in the world but not a bad spot either. The flight was long and boring, as most are and we arrived with no problems in perhaps the smallest hotel room i’ve ever seen. Just enough room for the two of us and our bags. All good though as we had wonderful airport and palm plantation views; fortunately there was a 7/11 downstairs and I was able to grab some chips and beer for dinner.
Today we flew out of KL and straight in to the thick of it in Bangalore, India. We’ve only been in the sub-continent for about 6 hours and I already love it. The people are wonderful, friendly and helpful. Food is delicious, Kingfisher beer is great and the weather is perfect. We are off to Goa tomorrow and are taking a 14 hour overnight train which will be very interesting indeed.
Here are some pictures so far, have been a bit to overwhelmed in India to actually take any pictures so here are some from Kuala Lumpur and the plane journeys.
also…
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!
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- Sunset above the clouds.
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- Sunset above the clouds.
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- Sunset above the clouds.
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- Sunset above the clouds.
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- This is probably the worst smelling and tasting thing i’ve ever tried for breakfast. Comparable to a B.O ridden armpit.
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- I had this for breakfast instead of vomit inducing noodles.
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