India Part VI - 1722 m.s.l

You know what I really love about being here? It's the lack of ignorant 17 - 25 yr old tourists; wielding beer cans in hand, being obnoxiously loud.. all whilst sporting some ridiculous and impractical fit. Nothing but festival kids wearing their festival kits everyday.. and in any climate. Anyways..

Lying deep in the ancient Aravalli Range of Rajasthan, sits a certain rocky plateau. This rocky outcrop cradles a small hill station known as Mount Abu [Abudaanchal to the locals]. After spending the previous night in the freezing Thar desert, I traveled about 450 km [12 hours] through desert and farmland, only to finally make my ascent into the Aravalli Range; where I would spend the next 2 days in the quaint little town of Mount Abu.

The friendliest of people, picturesque scenery, breathtaking views and loads of culture.. a fantastic memory..

I was lucky enough to stay at the Bikaner House during my time here..

This was my 'driver' for the Rajasthan exploration, his name is Anil. However, I didn't think of Anil as my 'driver', but more a good friend [I had to put my complete faith and trust in him]. Without fail, Anil got me to my destinations both safely and securely. Some of these roads can be unforgiving, and the level of concentration required to drive the Aravalli Ranges at night, with no street lights or barriers.. is unbelievable. I opted for a driver over sleeper coaches or trains, as you seldom get to move off the beaten track with the aforementioned modes of transport. Having the ability to stop whenever and wherever you please to get 'that' particular shot, is worth the extra money. Thank you Anil.

India Part V - A Loners NYE

New years eve.. for some reason I always manage to let this day to get to me. Another day where I feel sorry for myself, often dwelling on my flaws as a person rather than my attributes.. often allowing myself to get trapped in a deep hole of self pity. While I don't intend this post to be emotional dribble of poorly structured English.. this is my personal blog after all, and I need to utilize this space for the purpose of venting and ranting.

However, this year has been different. Regardless of the lows, I am going to dedicate this post to all the highs that have occurred during the year. In January, I was given the opportunity to work in one of the dopest retail stores in Australia, let alone Perth. This has become my place of refuge, as my colleagues have become more than just peers, but good friends. Additionally, I've met a lot of truly genuine people in 2010.. and I now have a stronger circle(s) of friends, who were there for me when I really needed it [similarly, I hope they know I will always have their back... truth].

In the first quarter, I traveled to Sydney and Brisbane to see Brand New perform live. Around the midyear mark, I traveled to Melbourne to see A Tribe Called Quest perform live. In November I traveled to Japan.. a country where I can definitely see myself settling down in one day. In February, I traveled to Indonesia to see my brother get married to my beautiful sis'n'law.. truly one of the highlights of the year for me. And to finish off 2010, I traveled to India.. where I sit and write this now.

So how did I spend NYE in 2010? Lets go back to the map of India..

On the 31st early morning, I left Jodhpur and traveled 270 km through the Great Indian Desert by road to reach my destination for the night.. Jaisalmer. A small town that sits practically on the border of India and Pakistan. I'm not going to delve into the history between the two countries, but essentially border towns aren't the safest of areas, especially during NYE celebrations. So what drew me to Jaisalmer? Well, I was told about these desert camps the Rajasthani villagers organise, and I thought it would be a pretty awesome experience. And an experience is what I got... as the villagers greeted me into the camp toting rifles on their back, Indian Army choppers constantly circling the desert skies above, random gun fire in the early morning [possibly celebratory related discharge?], and border jeeps patrolling the dunes throughout the night.

I was hesitant using the DSLR in this region, so didn't take as many pics as I would have liked to. DSLRs are banned in places like Ahjmer [hence why no photos were taken there] due to the high level of conflict/terrorism.. much like what they're trying to enforce in Iraq now. According to an article I had read recently, SLR/DSLR's makes the public uneasy, especially in said conflict regions. I should always travel with a compact, lesson learnt..

First stop, attainment of local Indian hard liquor.

Last sunset of 2010..

I sincerely wish everyone a safe, prosperous and healthy new year.

Peace.

India Part IV - "Knowledge without mileage equals bullshit"

I was merely 14 when I first travelled by myself within India. I won’t deny it, I was shit scared, but I had the opportunity to travel to Agra and see the Taj Mahal up close. I’ve recently been thinking about that trip… and I guess that was one of those defining moments in my life where I realised I had a yearning for knowledge, especially when it came to educating myself on global culture and history.

After that trip to Agra, I made it a point to travel and see as much as the world as I could [it’s actually not that expensive to see the world, so don’t use cost as an excuse]. Within the last couple of years I’ve been fortunate enough to visit some of the most impressive UNESCO World Heritage listed sites. I was able to roam free through Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and spend three days on a junk boat floating through Ha Long Bay [Vịnh Hạ Long], Vietnam. However, what I had witnessed on the 30th December 2010, equally matched these aforementioned sites in all their beauty, grandeur and history, and I just can't express the excitement or even how content I was that day..

So here is a little recap. I arrived in Rajasthan on the 27th December, spending two nights in the Pink City (Jaipur), and then departing for Jodhpur [about a 350 km drive]. Jodhpur, also known as the Blue City, is a city of Princes that dwells within the Thar Desert. I was here for only one reason, the Mehrangarh Fort. Sitting 400 ft above the Blue City, the Fort is one of the biggest in India as it boasts seven mammoth gates, thick walls and expansive court yards. Treacherous winding roads lead to the Fort from the relatively small desert city below. The intricate carvings on the walls within are truly phenomenal, and I was actually shocked at the up keep of the structure in its entirety [unfortunately, maintenance is sometimes a rarity you find in India].

The below photos were captured from the Chhatri [similar to a tomb but not quite the same] of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell in battle whilst defending the Fort. The Fort sits perched on the left in the photo below.

Photographs captured at the site of the Fort.

The following photographs depict the height at which the Fort sits, as it overlooks the Blue City that lays below.

I thought I would include a map of India, so you have some idea of where I am/or going to be.

Peace
"Knowledge without mileage equals bullshit" - Henry Rollins