Leh

"You take my Breath away". The chorus from the theme song of Top Gun plays over and over in my head. Partially due to the stunning views. More because the air is so this. Sitting is exercise. After you cut your finger you feel it throbbing. Here it is your whole body that throbs as your heart pumps increasingly faster to deliver fresh oxygen to your cells. I once counted my heart beat. Recalling the doctors office I watched my watch for 15 seconds and counted my heart pumping. There was no need for a stethoscope 30 beats in 15 seconds. 120 per minute. That rate brings rock stars crashing to earth. The thin atmosphere is also poor at filtering the sun's skin burning ultra violet rays. The air temp is a cool 70 degrees but your skin feels hot.
Once your body adjusts to the 12000 foot elevation and sunscreen is applied the land takes on new meaning. The this air is clean, fresh to breath, unlike anywhere is in this country. There are many westerners in the streets. The streets are lined with many shops selling local merchandise. Pashmina shawls, singing bowls and prayer flags are popular. The city itself is nestled on a small oasis between barren mountain peaks. "Gompas" aka Buddhist monasteries, sit high on the mountain peaks. In the distance snow covered peaks litter the skyline. Many restaurants have small vegetable gardens on property. It truely is a magical place.



A Tibetan Buddhist temple. I climbed to the top this morning. It was only 553 steps to the top. It is hear my heart was racing. The view was stunning though.



The view from atop the temple. It overlooks a monastery with the snow covered peaks in the background.



This sign was on one of the shops. If you dont this it's funny then it's not for you.

Are you Hot Hot Hot!!!

Here is where the Indian Government Operates. Delhi’s heat index yesterday reached 126 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t worry thought, that’s only how hot it felt, the real temp was just 104. No more Delhi.

India’s “White house”

Parliament Builing.

I took refuge in this park.


I couldnt get the pictures of this is. ill get to it later

Indian Art; Silk Rugs and Marble Inlay

While on the Taj Tour we went to some Indian arts studios. A tourist trap if you ask me but it was educational and worthwhile. The first was a silk rug maker. He showed me the traditional machine he wove the rugs on. One square meter of these rugs contains three million individually tied silk knots. Also the angle at which the silk is tied makes the appearance that the rug is different colors when you rotate them. You will see below. The marble art was also interesting. It is called Pietra Dura. It is the art if inlaying marble with semiprecious stones and sea shells.



Rug Machine



These two rugs are the same but appear as different colors because the angle the silk is weaved



Finished Product.



Carving a marble table top



Finished product inlayed with sea shells

Taj Mahal

So I flew to Delhi from southern India. I then took a tour to the Taj Mahal. It was a 5 hour bus ride to and from. To total trip ended up taking 20 hours and was way to expensive. Im sick of traveling. But on a positive note heres the Taj Mahal!





Taj from the Distance.



The Taj Herself



The gateway

Panaji and Old Goa

Ok its been a week since I last posted. Well I am still alive. I left the beach in Palolem and traveled to Panaji with an Israeli Woman and a German man my age. It was ok to have company but i didn't care for either of them. Panaji is Goa's capitol and Old Goa was once a large Portuguese city. Now it is but a Few Churches. God is in India though.



Church of St. Francis of Assisi. Old Goa



This is a temple dedicated to the Hindi God Hunuman. He has a Monkey Face. Panaji

Goa

I'm now in Goa. Its a fabulous beach state. It was settled by the Portuguese. They wisely chose the best spot in India. The Indians were also wise to march their army here in 1961 and kick out the Portuguese reclaiming their land. I have no good beach pictures yet cause I don't bring my camera down to the beach. But they will come. Also its monsoon season so its rainy. But i find sun and beach time. I'm just chillin reading books, writing my journal and sipping cocktails on the coast. AKA living large.



Looking down the waterfall on the train to Goa



My other new home



The view of my new home

Mysore: Back in the City

So I left the Jungle. I arrived in Mysore on June 12th. It is a mid sized city but much nicer than the others I have been to. There is still oddle oddle ooo, brownouts and dogs copulating in the streets. I am next heading for Goa. I hear its nice. I hope to beat the monsoon.


A temple on top of Chamundi Hill. An important stop for pilgrims



A few of the 1,000 stairs pilgrims must climb to the top of the hill. I only went down them.



This boy was rolling Incense sticks