Namaste India!

Hi guys,

I'm new to this blogging world, so be gentle...I just wanted to upload some of my favorite photos from India.

The picture with the camel 'Lucky' was taken behind the Taj Mahal. There's a dry riverbed that runs behind the Taj, and its where the gypsies bring their children and cattle to 'roam free'. It's also the first time I was able to find a place of peace and quiet, coming to Agra direct from New Delhi...so needless to say it was a huge breath of fresh air hanging out back here! Ialso got my first Hindi lesson from a kind, though strict! camel man.

...India... a country of nonsense. A country where even the simplest of tasks requires the efforts of 2-3 men, each of whom expect a tip (baksheesh). Despite the neglect suffered from its own countrymen, India has the potential to be one of the most beautiful countries I have ever visited.

This is Pushkar's Holy Lake, taken from a rooftop at sunset. This is the lake where Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were scattered, and appropriately known as Gandhi Ghat.

Rajasthan villages we visited while on our camel safari. These kids were distracted by their cricket game, but do not be deceived...the village children were essentially a mob waiting to pounce on the 'white tourists.'

Camping 3 days 2 nights on the sand dunes, India-Pakistan border. Udaipur, known famously as the city where 'Octopussy' was filmed. Every guesthouse was showing the James Bond movie, 7 pm sharp, 7 days a week.
Varanasi, the holiest city in India. Where pilgrimage is made to the Ganges River. Hindus believe that the water from the Ganges can cleanse a person's soul of all past sins, and that it can also cure the ill. It's also where families from all over the country bring the bodies of their loved ones, for immersion sends the soul to heaven and will stop reincarnation, making the life cycle complete.

The Ghat closest to frame is a famous burning pyre, where after bodies are bathed in the holy river they're cremated here in the hopes of stopping reincarnation. Bodies are burned all morning and all throughout the night...and it's one hell of an intimate ceremony to experience.

Udaipur, and all throughout the country this is a common sight: cows waiting for chapati, and essentially begging for food.

India: a country that celebrates color.

Jaisalmer desert nights, colors in the sky like I've never seen before!

Namaste India!!!!

Love Stef