jimguru
Jim R Joined: October 7th 2007
Logged in: October 4th 2011
Logged in: October 4th 2011
And on the right:... the places I've been BEFORE I started this blog.
Travel Blog Posts
A piece of the Andamans
I almost made it (again!) to an easy confluence but fate (or disorganisation) meant that it was not to be. The Andaman islands had been a destination I'd wanted to visit for many years - another of those exotic places that seemed terribly difficult/expensive to get to until fairly recently. So when I discovered I had the time and money while on my Indian trip, I couldn't resist the temptation of a few days on a tropical island. Besides, I'd realised that there was an unvisited confluence on Havelock Island, and I figured it should be easy to get to. The flight from Kolkata to Port Blair was pleasant, and the islands from the air looked great. The monsoon had already officially started - in fact the previous week the airport had been flooded...but while I ... read more
Crumbling building 1
Kolkata is crumbling...it has been for years. Some say that it's because the government controls rents and tenure (to protect the poor) to the point where landlords have no incentive to maintain their buildings. Others think that it's because the centres of power and commerce have shifted away to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc. Yet others believe that Capital has fled or is undermining the elected Marxist government by refusing to invest and shifting funds elsewhere. Whatever the reason, urban decay is an unavoidable part of the scenery...much of it has a poignancy as you ponder the crumbling architecture of what used to be called Calcutta. Days could be spend just wandering amongst the ruins! And as you see the figs taking root on so many buildings, you are reminded of the beginnings of Ankor! Along the ... read more
On the road to Ziro
While the north-west corner of Arunachal is very Tibetan, the centre is populated by several different (though related) and colourful tribes who generally live in hillside villages, and practice a mix of padi-rice and shifting (jhumm) cultivation. Houses are generally made from local bamboo/timber, and thatched with palm leaves or straw. We had arranged for a 10day extension to be added to our original 10 day permit, when Ann and I dropped back into Bomdilla on our way back out of the Tawang area. The ever-helpful Mr. Tsering Wonge had organised that he would fax the extension to us (Yes you need to carry it in writing wherever you go) and that it would be ready quickly for us. In India, most little towns seem to have several tiny shops who provide public phone and photocopying ... read more
On road to Bomdilla
One of my main reasons for traveling to Arunachal Pradesh in the first place was to visit the Tawang valley in the far north-west corner of the state. This is definitely the Himalayas and very Tibetan. In fact before the British took control of it, it was a district of Tibet. Almost as soon as we entered Arunachal, we began to see Tibetan prayer flags. The Kameng river which we traveled up for the beginning of the journey is fast-flowing and in a steep forested valley - some spectacular rainforest which gradually gives way to more temperate species of trees, including Rhododenrons in bloom, so I really enjoyed the botanical/ecological aspects of the scenery. The road is narrow, poorly surfaced and very winding and steep, so sometimes scenery is difficult to really appreciate, especially when crowded ... read more
Typical colourful public carrier truck
From Shillong we moved rapidly southward to Silcha, in Assam again. Well, rapidly is a bit of mistatement! Firstly we found that we couldn't get any shared jeep transport, and were at a loss how to procede until a helpful local took us to a suburb of Shillong where a private bus company had an office. After hanging around for awhile, we were finally on our way in a big bus. It wasn't long before we encountered massive traffic jams, as hundreds of lorries head up and down this narrow road, carrying all manner of goods and fuels. At times the drivers were just alseep by the side of their truck, they'd been haulted there so long! In the later part of our downhill journey we were travelling through some reasonable jungle and some stunning ... read more
The betting circle
Shillong has quite a few betting shops - and the betting is on the result of lots of arrows being fired at a target. Jay and I made our way to the obscure location on the outskirts of Shillong, and observed the daily shooting. The shoot starts in the late afternoon, and there's "on-course" betting so, as an Australian of course, I felt obliged to place a bet. Basically hundreds of arrows are fired into a target in a period of 4 minutes and those that stick are counted. The bet is on the last one or two digits of the final count. I bet on 2 -but lost as the result was 1. The whole thing is supervised by government officials and is a revenue raising operation. One of the on-course bookies admitted to me ... read more
Mushroom seller
Shillong is high in the hills of Megahalaya. In fact, almost from the moment our shared Sumo ( a model of 4wheel drive about the size of a Toyota Landcruiser) started out from Guwahati, we climbed slowl, continuously up a very winding and crowded road. Along the way we passed through heavy rain and hail - not uncommon, so it was just as well we were not motorcycling as originally planned!! Shillong was the capital of Assam state when it encompassed all the "seven sister states" that now make up the North east of India. So it is full of pieces of British colonial legacy: lots of army camps (with manicured gardens), schools, Christians, and churches, and other interesting pieces of architecture. Many of the old houses seem to be part brick, and part wattle and ... read more
Bihu Dancers
There are some scenes you need to see, to get a feel for a culture. Some beautiful, some challenging.... (check back here often, because I'll be adding a lot here after my initial publishing...) But first: Bihu Festival , a moment of fame, and a small world. When I headed for Assam, I had a vague knowledge that a festival would be happening around the time of my arrival. I didn't stop to consider the likely side-effects: lack of accommodation. Eventually accommodation was found, at an inflated price (for India) - but such problems were a minor inconvenience to pay for the unexpected experience of the festival. Rongali Bihu festival is essentially a spring festival - celebrating happiness, and fertility etc with lots of song and dance. In Guwahati numerous committees erect big pavilions of bamboo ... read more
Gauwahati, ASSAM Quite a bit of time since I really wrote about what's happening - or at least it feels that way. Kolkata was very much about adjusting to India. Just cashing some cheques was a very bureaucratic process, involving being shepherded through dark and dingy offices to the appropriate official, completing the necessary Foreign Exchange forms, and then receiving a big brass numbered token, which I had to present to the cashier in another part of the bank. It was a sign of things to come. Similarly a brief excursion into the market turned into a battle of wits with one of the numerous touts who attached himself to us. His technique was quite smooth. Walking up beside us casually, as if going in the same direction, in good English he asked "Excuse me, where ... read more
Blinged up scooter - front view
Bling...you can Google for it... and you'll find whilst originating in Rap culture, its use as a term for anything flashy , jewellry etc , is now wide-spread. Certainly in the car and motorcycle accessory area the term is widely used especially for decorative personalising accessories. It seems the Thais have a natural flair for bling....in fact they probably invented it and some Gangsta stole it off them. When you look closely at Thai temples they usually have lots of coloured mirrored glass (not to mention gold!) - classic bling. From Temples to tooth-braces....everything can be blinged in Thailand. I just wish I'd asked the girl with jewels in her teeth braces to let me take a picture! Even the birds have bling.... Now I'll just let some pictures tell the story...... read more
Maroon 
