31 March 2012
29 March 2012
India ~ Streets of Old Delhi
Old Delhi is a confusion of pedal rickshaws, motorbikes, cars, occasional buses... and pedestrians...all are in the streets at the same time...
28 March 2012
India seeks to stop Tibetan Protests in New Delhi
India ~ Streets of Delhi ~ Connaught Circle Area
India ~ Streets of Delhi ~ Connaught Circle Area, a photo by Vasenka on Flickr.
The colonated circle of Connaught Place is a 30's Modernist shopping area that is quiet popular with New Delhi shoppers...crowded every day...high end shops...a MickyD's...and a large park in the center of the circle...also by the Janpath...the Palika "SuperBazar" Market...which is both above and below ground level...many small shops and hucksters selling cheaper clothes and other items...
27 March 2012
Delhi India ~ Red Fort ~ Detail
The Art of Marble Inlay is still a special skill practiced in Northern India...
Delhi India ~ Red Fort Monkeys
Delhi India ~ Red Fort Monkeys a video by Vasenka on Flickr.
The monkeys come down at the end of the day to pick for scraps of food left by the tourists...
Agra India ~ Taj from Agra Fort
Agra India ~ Taj from Agra Fort a video by Vasenka on Flickr.
The Taj is visible from the upper levels of the Agra Fort...this is the view Shajahan had of his building after his imprisonment at the Fort by his son...
India Tuk Tuking through Agra
India Tuk Tuking throught Agra a video by Vasenka on Flickr.
Typical day Tuk Tuking around Agra...or any other city in India.
26 March 2012
25 March 2012
24 March 2012
What is Raw Silk...?
It can be dyed...and is used to make many types of light clothing... Its harder to produce and is therefore not cheap...
Its rough texture is its attraction... Its often used for Men's Ties or scarves...
23 March 2012
Who is the classic Lonely Planet Traveler...?
Of course there is the classic "Lonely Planet Type"...20 something...traveling on Daddy's Dime...little or no work experience...usually found in hostels...the cheaper the hostel the bigger the backpacks tend to be... Usually shows up at the airport (flashpacker?) or train station in a worn T-shirt, short pants and flip flops and a very small daybag carry on...? Hmmm....? Everything must be in the checked backpack ....?
This type tends to travel in groups or as a couple... If a couple She walks staring down at the LP book...While he is carrying the big pack a few steps behind... This type often "looks at maps"....as if maps will do you any good...when none of the streets are marked...and the streets are so short that the name ...if any...would change every few hundred feet anyway......
Maps only make sense to people who don't need a map...!
Then the Gap Year types ...they are long term travelers...they tend to be a little older...some work experience...often very well planned...usually on the road for months... Their LP books are color coded and indexed with highlighted cross references for ease of use...at the next destination.
There are the Expats...These people tend to be on the road for years...between various jobs...usually "teaching English"...often have lived in many exotic places for years...
There are the "retirees"...50s 60s...living off pensions that are directly accessed via ATMs world wide...they look for apartments and condos to rent cheaply and often stay at 1 or 2 star hotels to save money... Often consider themselves "too old" for hostels... Many of these folks are doing the "100 places to see before you die" Tour... I call these travelers: The "Last Chancers"...
The last and most hated type is the "package tourist"... This is the person who buys a package tour deal...includes everything...air fare, tours, group rates in nice 3 star hotels...all meals included...and guides who actually speak fairly good English...!These are the people often seen at touristic places....mostly older...more "respectable looking" and following a guide with a long stick with something shiny on top...
They have never heard of Lonely Planet...
19 March 2012
Singapore: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple Prayer Wheel
Singapore: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple Prayer Wheel a video by Vasenka on Flickr.
On the top floor...at the Roof Garden...very nice
Singapore: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple Morning Chanting
Singapore: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple Morning Chanting a video by Vasenka on Flickr.
This Temple is a short walk from the end of Pagoda Street at South Bridge Street...go to Sago Street to see the Temple...which looks more Chinese than Thai Buddhist FYI.
Singapore: 5 Foot Way Inn...61 Pagoda St.
Probably the best Hostel in Singapore at this time...from the airport take the city train...to Chinatown station...then take the "A" exit...(there are many exits and some will not take you near Pagoda street...!)....Entering pedestrianized Pagoda Street go to the right into the 5 foot way for about 150 feet...then look for this doorway...ring the bell and ask for entrance...very convenient to Chinatown...and the Metro for seeing the rest of Singapore... Pagoda Street has many bars and restaurants and shops...and is crowded at night...
18 March 2012
Singapore: Lion Dance Competition
The goal of the dance is for the lion to eat the "greens" that are on a pole in front of him...the rear person has to keep the back of the lion moving...while the front person makes the lion look and act real...also operating the eyes and ears...which flap and open and shut... For more about Lion and Dragon Dances...CLICK HERE
