Destination: India

Even the Tides preserved the Silence

Tue, 2 Feb 2016 | By somewhereibelong | Views [280]

Birthday,Promotion and Farewell-Everyone would have opted for a huge party.We choosed the other way round.We thought of ticking ourselves with one more place. Diveagar-Like all other beaches we had the plan to throw ourselves into the water but the ... Read more >

Tags: beaches

Photos: David_photogallery_Konarck

Mon, 1 Feb 2016 | By davidford | Photo Gallery

An Aside

Sat, 30 Jan 2016 | By davidford | Views [234]

I'm trying to work out the logic behind the number of hits each of my blogs get. The most popular blogs are 'Bhanga Boys' and 'First Calcutta Test, Rest Day'. Of the others, 'Tashiding, a Step Too Far?' seems to be convincingly outpointing other blogs ... Read more >

Trevor Francis

Sat, 30 Jan 2016 | By davidford | Views [340]

I woke up this morning in a foul mood. This may have had something to do with the two large bottles of extra strong Kingfisher beer and tooo many 'Charm' cigarettes that I had consumed with Trevor the night before. When I say 'may'.... ANYWAY, I have ... Read more >

Tags: alcoholic excess, hotels

Photos: David_photogallery_Puri2

Sat, 30 Jan 2016 | By davidford | Photo Gallery

Photos: David_photogallery_Puri

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 | By davidford | Photo Gallery

Photos: David_photogallery_CalcuttaBookFair

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 | By davidford | Photo Gallery

Im(Puri)

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 | By davidford | Views [480]

A moment ago I looked up at the blue/grey evening sky to see around a dozen buzzards circling over the stretch of fisherman's beach here at Puri. On my first morning I took a walk along this same stretch, stepping over and around mooring ropes, and counted ... Read more >

Tags: beaches, books, filth

Photos: David_photogallery_Namchi2

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 | By davidford | Photo Gallery

Bye Bye Namchi, Te Ta Sikkim

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 | By davidford | Views [341]

Roman has been trying to teach me some Nepali. Dog is koocur (?), thank you is danyabad, how are you? is costachia (?), tea is chia, good bye is bye bye or te ta. So Te Ta Sikkim and thank you for a good stay.  I am now in Silaguri and on my ... Read more >

Photos: ambaji

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 | By mandg | Photo Gallery

Holing up in Namchi

Fri, 22 Jan 2016 | By davidford | Views [340]

I arrived in Namchi in the early afternoon and selected the Rough Guide hotel least difficult to find. This being on the plaza, which is like a market town shopping centre. For the last 3 days I have been holed up Clint Eastwood style (well!) with my ... Read more >

Tags: nothing much, waiting

TW(&W)M - 5 - Tashiding, a Step Too Far?

Thu, 21 Jan 2016 | By davidford | Views [405]

Another long night of unbroken and dream rich sleep over, a bowl of runny porridge (part) consumed, Mafa and I started on another, of course, steep climb up stone encrusted paths and concrete steps to Tashiding monastery, the most sacred of all Sikkimese ... Read more >

Tags: farewells, monasteries

TW(&W)M - 4 - It's a (relatively) Long Way to Tashiding

Thu, 21 Jan 2016 | By davidford | Views [402]

After a comfortable and warm night and a copious Rani breakfast of Millet porridge and fruit, buckwheat pancakes and tea I set out with Mafa for a mooch around Yoksum starting with a visit to a(nother) local gompa. Gompa having been bypassed we continued ... Read more >

Tags: forests, monasteries, mountains, trecks

Smooth as silk

Thu, 21 Jan 2016 | By aceite4 | Views [569]

  While California gets drenched with rainstorm after rainstorm (yay!), I have had a nearly rain-less time while traveling in Asia. Until yesterday.    It was misting a little when I left the hotel at around 11am to go silk scarf ... Read more >