As I love to photograph everyday life of people in their natural surroundings, I put together a few shots of people I saw while either driving or walking around the villages/towns of India. The color was amazing as were the people doing every day tasks such as working or relaxing……
One of the Slums of Delhi, trying to survive in a changing world
The Ktputli Colony has been around for a very long time. The people there came from different religions and backgrounds but were all able to survive in an ever changing world and city. The government in order to make more room for newer buildings, demolished the site as people scattered to different parts of the city. There was some people left behind that made it their living to collect the bricks from the demolished houses to use or sell for extra money. Some of these people including children worked long hours of the day doing this as they seldom go to school because of high costs to them.
I had a chance to walk around this slum and meet some of the people who were busy going about their daily lives, with children either playing or working, and people collecting water. As they have no running water, the people would insert plastic hoses into the ground to find a clean water source in order to drink or do laundry.
I also had a chance to go to the school set up by a company that gives back to the children of the slums and gives them simple classes in order to give them a fighting chance in this world.
I also witnessed the area surrounding the slum with its endless maze of corridors and narrow streets which gave me a glimpse into the lives of the people that live in this area…..
I am not sure the real name of this park (now closed off to the public) is in Delhi, but traveling down a road between the walls of the park, you will see monkeys just waiting to bed fed bananas. A man sells bananas to people who pass by in cars or motorcycles as you can feed them as it is said to bring good luck to you. Some of the monkeys were quite aggressive and others were obese, but that is the fun in photographing them….
Kanha National Park
This is the largest national park in the state of Madhya Pradesh and one of the most popular in India. It is widely believed that Rupyard Kipling’s story turned Disney movie The Jungle Book, took its inspiration from the jungle area of this national park.
A great place to stay here is Mahua Tiger Resort.
A great guide who works at the resort will help you check in for safaris as well as take you on bird watching tours in the areas name is Ghanshyam Bhanware. His knowledge of the area and the birds of this area is quite impressive and will help you with whatever you need.
Unfortunately for me, weather limited me to only two safaris one of which I was covered in the safari jeep most of the time because of the rain. I guess you can control everything but the weather. I still used my time to spot different animals including a leopard for about half a second which I did not get a picture of.
Some animals at this park which I saw were the following: Leopard, Langur, Deer, Wild Boar, Sambar Deer, King Vulture (eating the carcass of a deer), Longbill Vulture, Spotted Deer, and the very rare Barasingha Deer:
As close to tigers as you will get!!!!!
Located in the Madhya Pradesh state of India, this national park did not disappoint one bit! In three different safaris, I was able to spot the elusive tigers on all three. Some came within meters of the safari gypsy (jeep), while others just layed out in the fields or in the forest areas not wanting to be photographed.
It is interesting to note how you track the tigers. Most of them follow a certain path every day and you look for their prints on the dirt road as they prefer to walk on the road and then go up into the forest. Using our guides and drivers we were able to track them and follow them over a great distance.
These animals are extremely difficult to photograph as they are in plain site always on the move, while when they sit they are usually far off and under a shade tree to keep out of the sun.
Bathing Indian Vulture
I have always been fascinated with vultures and I happened to get a great set of photos from an Indian Vulture that I followed from sitting on the ground to taking a bath and drinking water. Its always helpful when the sun is out in a perfect direction!!!
Other animals I had the opportunity to see in this lovely national park include: Sambar Deer, Peacock, Spotted Deer, Collared Scops Owl, Lesser Adjutant Stork, Indian Blue Jay, Langur, Black Brongo, Parakeet, Kingfisher. Spoted Olet, Indian Vulture, Grey Hunting Vulture, Red Water Lapwing, Indian Gaur, Blue Bull, Indian Jungle Fowl, and Jungle Bush Coy.
The only Asiatic Lions left in the world to roam free
The state of Gujarat is not one you typically hear about when people travel to India. It is the western most state in the country and it is known for the birthplace of Mahatma Ghandi and various sites of early Indus Valley Civilization.
Here lies Gir National Park which is not typically a place that many tourists go to, but it has the last remaining free Asiatic Lions left in the world. It is believed that these lions separated from the African Lion population around 100,000 years ago.
The historical range of these animals is widely believed to be from eastern Turkey, Iran, Mesopotamia and from east of the Indus River to Bengal and Marmada River in Central India. It is said to have disappeared in the first to fourth centuries CE from the Balkan Peninsula where it inhabited parts as far as Hungary
In many historical stories, such as the Bible(Book of Judges), Greek Myths(Hercules), Quran, Mesopotamian, Persian Stories you can find tales about these great lions which spread across this great land. In South and East Asia, many stories in Hindu and Tibetan Buddhism talks about the lions as well as roots in other cultures in the area. Unfortunately, due to habitat loss and hunting over time, the only population that survives in the wild is in Gir National Park.
Taking four safaris here, I was amazed to see the population thriving with thee of the safaris, we were able to spot the lions either walking, sitting, or hunting.
Other species of wildlife in the park I saw were: Spotted Deer, Blue Bull, Purple Heron, Turtle,Common Mongoose, Black Face Langur, Golden Jackal, Samburu Deer, Jungle Crow, Indian Scops Owl, Hawk Eagle, Crocodile, Rose Ring Parakeet, Green Bee Eater, and Spotted Owlet. Of course there are many other species of birds reptiles and mammals here, that I did not mention, but photographing was my main priority.
Agra
Probably somewhere near the top of a lot of peoples lists of sites they can see in the world, the Taj Mahal will be in the top ten.
This grand palace built by Shah Jahan for his wife during the Mugal Empire rule is one of the modern day seven wonders of the world. The whole structure is geometrically equal on all sides as everything from the smallest stone, to the biggest piece of marble is finely crafted as it took years to build.
I was happy to finally get here and see it without much of a huge crowd as I was able to snap some pretty good pictures with hardly any people getting in the way. Pictures are worth a thousand words…..
Other sites of interest around Agra is the Red Fort which is magnificent in its own mind and should always be visited when traveling to Agra, along with the Baby Taj Mahal which is a small size copy of the Taj Mahal without all the people, and of course the tomb of Akbar the Great who was the most well known ruler of his time and brought prosperity into India…….
Ranthambore
The trip to search for the elusive Tiger
Any person who loves viewing wildlife has probably heard of Ranthambore National Park which is located in Rajastan.
This park is known as being very close to the Golden Triangle and is a popular stop for people that do the Golden Triangle. It sits about 5 hours from Jaipur in a very isolated part of the country that is surrounded by mountains.
I as like everyone goes to this park in order to see the famed Bengal Tiger. The Tigers are not as easy to see as one might expect, but that did not stop me from taking as many game drives as I can fit in during this short time. Unfortunately the only viewing of a tiger I got was from about 200 meters away as like a leopard is very solitary and does not like noise or to be around people.
Other animals and birds seen in this national park are: Spotted Deer, Robin, Sambar Deer, Indian gazelle, Langur Monkey, Spotted Owl, Black tail mongoose, Color Scoped Owl, White Torch King Fisher, Crested Serpent Eagle, Crocodile, Wild Boar, Egret, Parakeet, Dusky Eagle Owl, BENGAL TIGER, Chinkara, and Rhesus Macaque Monkey. Of course there were many other animals in the park, but with the vast size of the park, it is almost impossible to see everything….
Keoladeo
As bird watching has become one of my favorite hobbies in recent years, I could not pass up a chance to go to Keoladeo National Park.
This park about an hour from Agra, served as the hunting grounds for different important people in India’s past. It is a massive wetland that is located in the near the city of Bharatpur and boasts some of the best native and migratory birds anywhere in India. I only had a chance to stay overnight here, but this did not stop me from seeing some very interesting and rare bird species….
Some of the species I saw and photographed were the following: Spotted Owlet, Purple Sun Bird, Rose ring Parakeet, Laughing Dove, White Eared Bulbul, Oriental Magpie, King Fisher, Spot Billed Duck, Grey Horn bill, Black Headed Ibis, Purple Headed Heron, Indian Sarus Crane, Greater Spotted Eagle, and the rare Black Bittern. Of course there were many other species that I saw but these were some of the most interesting and rare ones……
A big noisy city with a lot of color and chaos
Delhi is usually the starting grounds for many people going into India. The city is home to some say 20 million plus people. It reminds me a lot of Cairo which somewhat felt like home. The streets congested with people, cars honking incessantly all hours of the day and the endless stream of pollution is enough to deter a lot of people. But it did not deter me….
I went to some of the normal tourist sites such as the India Gate, Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Laxmi Narayan Temple, and the Lotus Temple to the Ba’hai Religion, Gandhi Memorial, and the Parliament House during a normal sightseeing trip. The red fort unfortunately was closes as it was a national holiday…
These sites did not amaze me as much as walking through the endless mazes of streets and people around every corner of this city. Going up on rooftops, you can see the amount of people and buildings that go further than the human eye can see. You can spot monkeys jumping from building to building. Lines of bikes, taxis, tuk tuks congested in and endless stream of traffic. Alleys so small that people have problems fitting through them but the locals navigate them just fine…..This is the Delhi that everyone needs to see as this is what coming here is truly about….
The Amber City
I did not have much expectations for Jaipur as I have heard about it from different friends in the past and decided to visit. This city did not disappoint me at all……The sites were great, but also looking at people and the thousands of Langurs and Rhesus Macaques running around was a great way to spend my time:
The People around Jaipur
Jaipur has to be one of the most colorful cities I have ever been to with the people adorning all kinds of colors and types of clothing
The sites including the Amer Fort with the palaces and fortifications are amazing. Most people take elephant rides up to the top but I decided that car and stopping along the way was the best route to take. The Fort is adorned with so much artwork and extravagance it will amaze anyone.
The City Palace was another amazing place which has been around since the British Colonization time.
The Water Palace is a palace that sits in the middle of a lake, while I did not travel to this palace the area on the mainland has perfect places for pictures and a nice area to people watch.
A little known tourist attraction called Monkey Temple in English is a place where many Hindus go to bathe as a ritual. The reason why it is called Monkey Temple is because of the hundreds of monkeys that inhabit the place. See below for the Monkeys…
Harbin
Land of Extreme Freeze, Ice Sculptures, Snow Sculptures, and Siberian Tigers
If you have ever looked up winter festivals or ice sculptures, then the images of Harbin are probably the first ones that popped up. This festival has the world’s biggest ice sculptures as well as snow sculptures. It is among one of the most well known winter festivals in the world joining the likes of winter festivals in Sapporo, Quebec, and Norway.
This is one of the biggest winter festivals in the world and temperatures can get down to around -30 degrees. It is not out of the ordinary to see people like myself, walking around with 4-5 layers of clothes on to keep warm. It is also worth noting that unless you have your mobile phone next to your body for heat, then it will probably shut off because of the extreme cold.
Extreme Temperatures
Beard Froze over
Ice and Snow World
This attraction is usually attended by people at night. 2-3 feet blocks of ice are used to make structures which are then lit up. You can walk through some of the buildings, or slide down some of the ice slides onto a pile of snow, or just simply enjoy the scenery and enjoy them from afar. As it is very cold out here at night, I would say 2-3 hours is a good time to spend to walk around and see everything. You can always go into heating tents or restaurants to warm up. Sculptures are done from people all over the world and there is a contest on different aspects of the sculptures. The pictures below show just small part of the Ice and Snow World as your imagination can get lost …..
Sun Island
This is the second major attraction in the winter in Harbin. Instead seeing different ice structures, you will end up getting lost in the amazing snow sculptures. Some of sculptures ranged from 10 feet by 10 feet, to a couple hundred feet wide and exhibit an amazing array of craftsmanship. The sculptors are from all over the world and all of them have a little piece of culture in them from the countries they originated from and are quite beautiful.
Siberian Tigers
Seeing as it is always cold here, there is a Siberian Tiger Park which has hundreds of Siberian tigers. While it is not a zoo, you can drive around in a vehicle to see the tigers moving around in an open environment.
Food
Of all the food in China I have tried, I believe Harbin to have the best mixture of varieties of food. You can have everything from what I have deemed “The Best Dumplings in China” to varieties of spicy hot pot, to Russian food, to German food. What makes the food here unique is that it is very meat based for every meal which is different than other parts of China.
Streets
Walking the streets of a town or city is where you can really see the culture. The Architecture here is unlike anywhere else in China with a massive Russian influence (as seen in the pictures below of St. Sophia Russian Orthodox Church). It is not uncommon either to see signs in English, Russian, and Chinese as they experience a high number of Russian tourists.
Chengdu- The home of the Pandas, Giant Buddha, and Good Food
Chengdu has been on my bucket list for quite sometime now as I have always wanted to see the Pandas, and sample the food of that area.
Chengdu is a city in the Sichuan Province of China and is a lot more relaxed that tha of the other big cities of China. It is also world renowned for having one of the bigger populations of Pandas in the world at the Chengdu Research Station. Just a two hour drive from here, you can also find the largest Buddha statue carved entirely into rock in the world, and lets not forget the wonderful food they have here, namely Sichuan Hot Pot.
Walking the streets is always a fun thing as you never know what you will run into, including fresh dead goat being skewered and the carcass hanging from the hooks to let everyone know it was a fresh kill. Normally this would not bother me as I have seen it before all over Africa, but this was right in front of a shopping mall with named brand stores!!!! If you couple that with pork sausages hanging from peoples windows, it made for a very interesting photo walk.
No trip to Chengdu is complete without sampling many varieties of food they offer. I heard from some friends about a food tour that is in Shanghai, Xi’an, Bejing, and Chengdu named Lost Plate Food Tours. Their customer service is spectacular and they give you directions on where to meet for these tours. Many food tours are known to take you to tourist places, but this one takes you as far off the tourist trek as you can imagine. As a matter of fact, we did not even see any westerners in any of the places that we went, including a family who open up their house as a restaurant!!!! I can say I was not disappointed with this tour!!! We stopped by a total of five places:
I was so impressed with this tour that I am going to try the ones in the other three cities. Our guide Ling was magnificent and she explained the history of the food as well as the flavors they used. In addition, you are driving from place to place in a Tuk Tuk with free beer!!!!!
The Leshan Buddha
This statue is 233 Feet Tall and is more impressive in person than in pictures. Its carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of two rivers. It is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world as is by far probably the tallest pre-modern statue in the world.
Pandas- Black and White and Red
Finally, The Pandas was the reason I went to Chengdu and I was not disappointed. The research station is very close to town and it will only take you no more than 30 minutes to get there. It is best to get there right when it opens at 7:30. Any time after this, then you may have to push and shove to see the Pandas as buses after buses of Chinese tour groups show up and make it very difficult to get in to see the Pandas (unless you are really assertive). I would spend about 3-4 hours there as after 11 o clock in the morning, there is just too many people.
You can find the Black and White Pandas all over the place in this research station. They have different areas they have them in. You can watch them majestically roll around and play with each other and knock each other off trees, or you can watch them sit and eat as they seem to munch on bamboo forever without stopping. This makes getting photos very difficult as they are constantly moving their mouth and are covered by bamboo they are eating. It is fun just to watch them roll around on the ground from one area to another and also to play with one another.
I was more fond of the Red Pandas as they were a lot more fun to photograph as they ran around everywhere trying to find food or sitting silently up in the trees waiting to see where they can get their next meal.
Cascading Rice Terraces and Scenic Mountain Backdrops
I never knew what to expect when going to the autonomous region in China of Guangxi. All I knew is that before I came to China, this was one spot that was on my list to visit and it did not disappoint. Not only is it home to some of the prettiest scenery, but it is also home to two minority groups in China- Zhuang and Yao people.
Yangshuo was our first stop and where we spent our nights. This small town of 50,000 people is one of the prettiest and scenic towns in China. It is nestled between jutting karst mountains all around and getting around here is quite easy on a bicycle. We spent the day going around the countryside and took a bamboo raft on one of the rivers for an hour after our morning bike ride and were able to enjoy the pure beauty of the karst mountains all around us. It is really amazing that there is that much natural beauty in this small place.
One of the most spectacular light shows in the world is also found here. It gets up to 10 million visitors a year and is an outdoor extravaganza. It uses 600 performers that ride around on boats and tell the story about the history of the area (I believe). It sits on the convergence of two rivers and the mountains lit up in the background make up a beautiful display of colors and scenery. Most of the light show is done on the water which makes it more extraordinary and the choreographing with so many different performers is legendary. The only struggle I had was getting good pictures, as selfie sticks and people standing in front of me were in abundance. Oh well maybe next time.
Located up in the mountains are two minority people of China- Zhuang and Yao people. Many of them still live their lives very simply and often times do not hang out in more populated areas. The Zhuang women are distinctly recognized by their folded scarves they put on their head and Yao women by their long hair and big hooped earrings. When they let it down, it sometimes can reach almost the ground.
Zhuang Woman selling snacks
Yao woman
Yao woman
The reason for going to this province was simple: I longed for many years to see the rice terraces in the mountains. The most popular of the villages was Pingan Village which boasts some of the most beautiful rice terraces in the world. The villages nestled away in the mountains maintain these terraces as it is part of their livelihood along with the growing tourism market. Hiking a back way up the mountain provided a glimpse into these peoples small villages and watching how hard they were working on building new structures and farming the fields, made me appreciate how easy I have it in life as they do not take anything for granted here. The pictures below will show you the stunning beauty of the landscape and my hope that it does not become to overrun in the next few years with resorts and condos that may drastically change these peoples simple lifestyle. Perhaps it could be good, or perhaps it could be bad. Progress is what society is built on, and from the looks of it, progress is what may be happening around here.
Monkeys, Avatar Mountains, and Longest Glass Bridge in the World
The Mountains (used as an inspiration for Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar)
Zhangjiajie in Hunnan Province was on my bucket list long before I even thought about working in Shanghai. This is the only place in the world where you may be able to find Quartz Sandstone Pillars (as many as 3000 of them), that jut up to the sky. Some of them are more than 600 feet tall and are simply one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world. This served as an inspiration for the movie Avatar which was one of the biggest box office successes in Hollywood history. I went during low season because of the mobs of people that go during peak season so I was constantly struggling with photos away from the sun, but managed to get some very good ones in the different scenic points we went to throughout the day.
The Monkeys
As everyone knows I love photographing monkeys wherever I go. This was no different in the national park as hundreds of Rhesus Macaques make this their home. As they are used to tourists coming in, they are somewhat tame compared to other primate species you may encounter. The only downside is, that you better watch your food and your belongings as the tame look of these animals can be deceiving. They often love to take food and drinks from people and if you are not careful, they may also take your personal belongings.
Longest Glass Bridge in the World
Opened a few years ago, this is certainly one of the bigger tourist attractions in this area. Unfortunately they do not allow cameras on the bridge so people must only bring their mobile phones for photos. It is the longest and highest glass bridge in the world and was closed down a few weeks after it had opened because of the large influx of visitors. As of now, they only allow a certain amount of people on there a day (obviously to avoid overcrowding). The drop is almost a thousand feet and walking along it for some could be purely terrifying.
Around Town
The town we stayed in was built for tourists into the national park but that did not take away from its stunning beauty of small streets and the small town feel which is something that is hard to find in China. The people still go about their daily lives of walking down the street enjoying the many foods they have to offer, fishing, and putting on different shows.
Anhui Province- A walk with nature in the isolated mountains of China
If you were to think of nature in China, this province would be the place you would think of. Covered by mountains and lakes, it is the embodiment of peace and relaxation just a six to eight hour drive from Shanghai.
Many of the villages in this southern area that I was in were no bigger than a few hundred to a few thousand people. The mountains with their ever changing fall colors were magnificent to look at as you can get lost in the tranquility of the environment. A hike for a whole day in the cold damp environment through mountain passes and almost abandoned villages has shown me another side of China. This side of China is of a rural part away from the cities, some villages have just a few people in them as most have headed toward the cities in search of better wages. However this is what made this area so beautiful as many of the towns were still intact yet with hardly any people in them. The mountains that we passed through had elements of what rural china used to be like in the mid 1900’s. The hike was hard, but seeing the natural beauty was all worth it as you can see below…
Taking a few hours boat ride around a lake with islands just about everywhere showed me another side of China also. As you can see below, the houses are built up on the lake side as ferry’s take people to and from each town. Many of these people make their money off fishing as the prime fish in this location roughly translates to “Big Head Carp”. Seeing the villages along the way was something out of a story book and only the occasional rumbling of a car out in the distance, would you know that there was a road close by. Again, the mountains in this area were breath taking, and couple that with being right next to the water made for great views….
A land quickly transforming into a major player in the world
China is a country that has always fascinated me for a couple of reasons. First it has some of the earliest civilizations in the world (if you take into account the 5 characteristics of a civilization),Second is the sheer geographic size of it, and third how many people currently live here, and how this society is kept clean and orderly despite its population.
I decided the best thing to do to see this country is take a job for a couple of years in order to travel around and check things out.
Sure you have the major tourist attractions like the Terracotta Warriors, The Great Wall of China, the Pandas, and the big cities, but there is much more to China than these. There is no doubt in my mind that I will visit the tourist attractions, but for now I want to focus on the outlying parts. The parts that people do not really get around to see on a trip here and the people that live in these places….
Jiang Lang Mountain and Village
Random Photos around parts of Shanghai
Hangzhou Longjing Village Tea Garden
Beijing and the Great Wall (not restored part)
Laoximen- Old Style neighborhood in Shanghai
Minghe Ancient Water Town and Hot Springs
Tianzifang (French Concession), Food Tour, and Blue Grass
Xian- Terracotta Warriors and Muslim Quarters
Street Art Village- Zhejiang Province
Beijing and Great Wall Camping II
Shanghai=Big City
There are so many different parts of Shanghai to walk around and photograph it is almost too much to handle. I have been out a few times for photography and some of them are listed below (work in progress)
Moli Mountain (hill) and Hot Spring Sauna
Another couple hours from Shanghai there is a small resort town with some of the most elaborate hot springs I have ever seen…..
The mountain (hill) hiking was done in the morning and on the way down you can pick fresh oranges to take with you for a minimal price. The view on top of the hill was not as spectacular as I had hoped due in part to smog and the sun hiding behind the clouds.
The hot springs were simply amazing. I am the first person to tell you that I am not a fan of sauna’s or hot springs but this one blew me away. Different pools of different temperatures with different colors with different herbs or fragrances in them really blew me away. Some pools had mint, some had coffee, and even some had roses in them. Where I spent most of my time was in the pool with the little Chinchin that will clean away the dead skin on your feet. Usually found in malls or tourist attractions, you can actually dip your whole body in the pool and watch the fish go to town. A fantastic place that I will definitely go back to….
A beautiful lake for cycling and Temples just out of Shanghai
A few hours outside of Shanghai there is a beautiful lake that has one of the most beautiful and extravagant Temples I have ever been to.
Yangcheng lake is known for its “Hairy Crabs” which is a delicacy among many Chinese and there were stalls everywhere.
The temples were simply amazing with people out and about seeing the ornate structures inside and outside. We were even treated to a meditation session (which I did not participate in), but most of the people I was with were in a calm area for about 15 minutes.
Cycling around the lake (as i mostly took photos) seems to be a popular attraction, even though it is pretty hectic with people going in and out of the bike lane and children running around. But a fun place to go for families and people just to enjoy the countryside of getting out of the city.
I ran across this lady at one of the temples as despite her age, was content with life and looked very happy. As the sun came from behind the clouds with her propped up against a temple of yellow, I couldn’t help but want to photograph her……
A walk through here will make you think you are in a European City
The French Concession is probably one of the most elegant and beautiful areas in Shanghai. If there were not any signs in Chinese, you would actually think that you are in a European city as the streets are carefully laid out.
It was a Concession of the French from the mid 19th Century to the mid 20th Century of the French in Shangai and is probably one of the premier places to live in Shanghai.
I had the opportunity to go on a photo walk with a group around there and there is so much to photograph, and so much to see. You can bet I will be walking around here more in the future as the only thing that limits me is the prices of food and drink….
