I suppose this is a fitting date for my final post to this blog... a year ago today I was in the air, on my way to India. I'd never been there before and had no idea what to expect! It was an unforgettable year -- so many amazing sights, several challenges, and a lot of wonderful new friends. Here are a few final photos of Bangalore, taken over my almost-year living there.
I've been back in the U.S. for about 3 weeks already... yet still have photos from India to post! During my time there, I was lucky enough to attend several engagement, pre-wedding, and wedding ceremonies. Here are a few photos of some very simple, other very fancy, and all very joyful, times!
OK, I guess this doesn't actually qualify under the title of this blog, but about a month ago I visited Australia and New Zealand... there was so much gorgeous scenery to photograph!
As many of you may already know, although my host organization is a secular charity, its offices are located on the grounds of a Hare Krishna temple -- in fact, one of the most popular tourist spots in Bangalore! So in addition to learning about school feeding in India, every day at my office also has been an opportunity (and privilege) to learn about and witness Indian and Hindu culture. Here are some photos of life and sights at the temple over the past year.
A couple of weeks ago, another American friend in Bangalore and I took a long weekend to visit Darjeeling and the surrounding West Bengal Hills. We had a very relaxing time, enjoying mountain views, sipping excellent tea, eating yummy dumplings and noodle soups, riding a quaint steam train, exploring Buddhist monasteries, and taking in the dominant Tibetan and Nepalese cultures. These photos can't capture the true beauty of the Himalayas, but I tried my best.
Earlier this month, a couple of American friends who also work in Bangalore and I took the overnight train to Hampi, not too far away in the state of Karnataka. Despite the intense summer heat (probably 100 degrees Fahrenheit), it was worth the trip. As you can see in these photos, Hampi is equally famed for its 14th to 16th century ruins of temples and palaces, as well as its surreal landscape of tremendous boulders, piled up as far as the eye can see. We also visited a pretty nearby village and watched an elephant have her morning bath!
About a month ago, I took a long weekend to visit a friend in Mumbai, formerly Bombay. It's certainly the most modern and cosmopolitan place that I've visited in India so far! We had a great time enjoying delicious food, concerts and plays. I also wandered around a bit, checking out a beach, a nearby island known for its cave temples, and even a synagogue, as you can see in these photos. Luckily I also ran into some of Mumbai's famous tiffinwalas, who deliver thousands of hot lunches directly from workers' homes to their offices every day. Their system is so impressive that the BBC did a story them!
