Keep Smiling's Guestbook



14th November 2019
Langur monkey

Langur Monkey
A really beautiful photo Mike. I'll post it in TB's "Animals with Character" thread in the Photography Forum.
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
16th November 2019
Langur monkey

Langur Monkey - or a god?
Thanks Dave. Of all the monkeys in India, I think the Langur - with its face like an old man of the forest and its comical behaviour - is my favourite. It's also a favourite among the Indian people and is considered the embodiment of god Hanuman who rescued Sita, wife of god Rama, from an evil king aided by his army of monkeys. Another incredible legend from incredible India!
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
11th November 2019
Climb aboard boys!

Love this!
The light in this part of India is so unique. Your photos are fabulous as usual :)
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
11th November 2019
Climb aboard boys!

You've got to love India!
Thanks. As you know, I'm an amateur photographer first, writer second. I've travelled the world, but in my experience there are more photos around every corner in India than anywhere else.
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
11th November 2019

A splendid blog
Your annual pilgrimage to India makes me ashamed that being of Indian Origin I even cannot catch up with you. A beautiful blog. One suggestion - why don't you think of compiling your vast travel experience in India to a paperback book.....many would be delighted. I have started it a few years ago and I find it quite fascinating. Check my website at www.tabdiary.com; all listed and four more new books coming.
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
11th November 2019

To blog or to publish? That is the question...
Thanks for your kind words, Tab. My writing and photography are simple memories of what I did and saw on my journeys. They're intended to be shared with my family and friends (some of whom, like you, I've only met digitally). I really don't consider them worthy of a wider audience - nor, in the autumn of my years, do I need the added hassle of publishing the blogs as books. So, as much as I admire your courage in speaking to the world through your published works, I'll be sticking to the blogs. Having said that, I'm now using two blog sites - partly to share with a few more people, but largely as insurance against all the problems we've experienced here on TravelBlog in recent times. The link to that (much bigger and, I have to say, much more stable) site is at the end of this last blog. As for India, yes I've seen a lot of your former home. There's still a lot left to see however - Gujarat is next and, maybe one day, I'll venture to your Assam homelands.
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
10th November 2019
The sub-adult leopard relaxes

Beautiful animals
Looking at you.
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
10th November 2019
The sub-adult leopard relaxes

Beautiful animals - but too far away!
This is a poor photo of this particularly beautiful animal. Leopards are such elusive creatures and I tried to capture this glimpse with my longest lens in near darkness from a long way away. I’ll have to return for a better shot!
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
10th November 2019

Travel fills the soul
The people, leopards, peacocks, and the monkeys..... your journeys to India make us want to return.
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
10th November 2019

...and, of course, they are some of the things which compel me to keep returning!
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
10th November 2019
Jaisalmer_Thar Desert Villages_An elder at Kundan's village

Wisdom
All the satires he could tell.
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
10th November 2019
Jaisalmer_Thar Desert Villages_An elder at Kundan's village

It’s a tough life in the desert - and it certainly shows in his tanned face.
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
10th November 2019
The Sunflower Learning Centre, Jaisalmer

Marvelous
I love this thought.
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
10th November 2019
The Sunflower Learning Centre, Jaisalmer

This little school has made a big impact on the colony. I’ve been pleased to have contributed in a tiny way to its success. Some previously uneducated children have now moved onto higher education in government-run schools.
From Blog: Thar and ta-ra!
15th October 2018
Flying high, calling loudly

Wow!
Amazingly beautiful. You always find the most wonderful places to visit.
16th October 2018
Flying high, calling loudly

Wow!
Wow, indeed! This place is so fantastic that I'll have to go back for a fourth time - soon!
15th October 2018

Absolutely fabulous!
Hi Mike, Thank you so much for sharing this marvellous spectacle - and I love the blog by the way KISS: keep it simple sibling! Like you, I would go again and again and again...... David
15th October 2018

To have said more would have been KIS_Stupid!
Okay, so the flocks didn't land on cue as they had done in the past, but those cranes were still as spectacular as always and certainly my greatest birdwatching experience ever. I'm pleased to have shared it with you.
24th September 2018

Varanassi help
Thank you for your info re Varanassi. I’ve contacted Raju as were off there tomorrow. I’ve mentioned your name and that we understand he may not be working but thought it was worth asking. (Sorry for posting here - for some reason I can’t seem to send a private message from my phone) Best wishes Stephen & Elizabeth
19th September 2018
In the Karni Mata Mandir (RatTemple)

Follow the tail
A wonderfully evocative pic that arouses the instincts to follow the tail for what must be a wonderful tale
20th September 2018
In the Karni Mata Mandir (RatTemple)

A one in a thousand shot...
...or, in the case of the Rat Temple, should that read: one in 25,000! Yes, sometimes the simplest photos are the best.
13th September 2018
Blackbuck

Beautiful boys
Really enjoyed this blog. Even though I'm not squeamish in the least, the thought of rats and bare feet made me baulk a little... and then you mentioned eating their leftovers! Love the photos of the blackbucks, and on first glace I thought you were in Africa :)
13th September 2018
Blackbuck

Opposite ends of the spectrum
A thousand beautiful blackbuck one day, 25,000 rats the next. Only in Incredible India!
12th September 2018
Blackbuck

Stunning animal...
...so, it's not difficult to take a good shot!

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