Dhobi Ghats, Mumbai, India
Mumbai is an unrelenting and persevering city.
It drives hard to catch up to the city’s honking horns, foot traffic and bustle. However, as much as it powers through on old railway cars, this international city never seems to catch up to the modern age (read my post here). In many ways, I’m glad it hasn’t caught up. It preserves the kind of (more…)
No matter how much you’d like to selfishly keep good places from changing, development in the name of progress is inevitable. With growth and the popularizing of travel comes the stampede of crowded tourist buses, over-worn backpacker routes, souvenir shops clamoring for the sell and then comes the irritating habits of tourists…
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What does the idea of “a solo woman traveling in India” surface for you?
When I met Chiaki, we were both, waiting for the local bus to our yoga ashram. A Japanese waif of gentle yogic smiles, she challenged my notions about what it is to be a solo female traveler in India. Chiaki didn’t boast the extensive list of a world traveler, nor was she avoiding the challenges of navigating the Indian terrain in the way a native would; she was tackling India solo in calm stride.
How the hell was she doing it? (more…)
We all have this idea that Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns have very stoic , temperate and reserved personalities. Afterall, walking Buddha’s Middle Path (of compassion), doesn’t exactly lend itself to the appearance of being excitable, emotional or argumentative. Yet, monks have their moments and in their monk clan, they reveal themselves to be absolutely human when it comes to “the art of debate”!
Picture of the Karmapa as a boy. (Dharamsala, India)
Who are we seeing? I asked
The Karmapa.
My party of yogi friends chimed in.
Who?
The name didn’t stir recognition for me.
His gaze was intense for such a young-looking face.
Piercing. Penetrating, as if he could see right into you…
Standing in the long queue, I could feel the excitement around me. He was just in the next room, visible through the open door.
The foreign traveler in front of me was so in awe and smitten that she bowed her way all the way while backing out the door!
A little excessive, I thought. After all, he wasn’t Buddha! Still, a part of me wondered if I should follow suit. How does one address or approach a Karmapa Lama? Bow profusely, prostrate myself, fold my hands in simple Namaste prayer ? I had no (more…)
What photos have the most meaning for you and does having your picture taken, have meaning for you?
I was wandering through the town when a moustached Indian gent recognized the camera strapped around my neck. He wanted me to take a picture of him in front of the town’s central bathing ghat, so I did.
Full Story »What do the Lockness Monster, the Yeti and the Korean Mermaids of Jeju Island have in common? Well, they all feel like phenomenal legends to me on some level, with one exception– the Korean Mermaids aren’t myths but real people. What is a Korean Mermaid?…
Full Story »In lieu of my solo travel anniversary with India, here’s some photo faves of a subject I loved discovering…Delhi, India. Dilapidated havelis, winding souk-like streets congested with workers, rickshaws and merchant shops which sell anything imaginable from saris to electrical appliances– Chandi Chowk is the bustling heart of a 16th century Delhi. The “chowk”, reknown as one of the oldest and busiest markets of Delhi, still survives on legacy practices such as the what I call, The Human Plow. Cows, considered sacred in India, laze about as men do the mule work, literally strapped to the yoke transporting mountainous cargo through the streets. As productive as worker bees, each man is a vital player to the demands of commerce–under the promise of a few rupees a day!
Full Story »Ocean Rower and Environmentalist, Roz Savage launches second stage of her solo row across the Pacific Ocean. The press launch event took place at the Waikiki Yacht Club, Hawaii. For more information or to follow her voyage and blogs go to www.rozsavage.com.
Full Story »
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