India
Here are some photos from my first-ever trip to India in March, 2000. I flew into New Delhi, arriving around 2:00am, hopped into one of the "pre-paid" taxis you get at the airport, and made my way to Jor Bagh where I would be based for the next two weeks with family friends. I flew out to Jaisalmer at the western edge of Rajasthan, near the Pakistan border, counting about 20 aircraft bunkers scattered around the airstrip. Spent three days in town, mostly wandering around on foot. I hooked up with two British girls, one of whom had been in Goa for New Years Eve. That definitely sounded like the place to be for the total party scene! Oh, and I can recommend the rooftop restaurant at Deepak's Guest House in the Fort.
I made my way back by train to Agra (about 24 hrs door-to-door) to see the Taj Mahal. This was definitely one of the most spectacular man-made structures I'd ever seen. I also went to see the nearby deserted Moghul cities of Fatephur-Sikri. After a few more days in Delhi (saw the Red Fort, Qatab Minar, Chandni Chowk market, the Bahi temple, the Jamma Masjid mosque and Hindu Birla Temple, and did a ton of shopping) I went up to Himachal Pradesh by the overnight bus to Kullu. From there I took a local bus to Manikaran, about 2 hours up the Paribhati valley, and about 100 miles west of the Tibet border. This tiny village reminded me more of Alaska than what I pictured India to be, not only because of its cold, damp weather, but also because the locals looked in large part (to my untrained eye?) like Alaska natives. Probably they were just a good mix of Tibetian/Chinese/Nepalese/Indian.
Click on the link to the right of an image to see it full-size, and then use your browser's Back button to return to this page. All photos taken March, 2000 using the Mamiya MF6 with 6cmX6cm slide film.
- Fort: Built ca. 1150 AD at Jaisalmer, Rajasthjan, in the Thar desert:
- Rugs: Typical Rajasthani rugs on display in Jaisalmer Fort:
- Havelli: Inner courtyard of one of the Jaisalmer havellis:
- Ceramic Tiles: From a Jaisalmer havelli wall:
- Goat: Tied to a door in the Fort in Jaisalmer:
- Cow: Back streets, Jaisalmer:
- Fort: Back alley within the Fort, Jaisalmer:
- Agra: Main thorough fare between Fatephur-Sikri and Agra:
- Valley and Mountain: Taken from the village of Manikaran (about 5500' / 1700 meters elevation)in the Himalaya foothills:
- Gurdwara: Sikh temple in Manikaran:
- Mosque: The Jamma Masjid mosque in Delhi:
- Musician: At a rooftop restaurant inside the Fort in Jaisalmer:
- Rickshaw: Hustle and bustle in the Chandni Chowk market, Delhi:
- Taj Mahal (built 1648 AD, at Agra) and closeup of one of its walls:
- Tiles: Inside the old palace within the walls of the Jaisalmer Fort:
- Door: Stone door within the Fort, Jaisalmer:
