I've Got Lassi In My Beard.

Or do I have beard in my Lassi? I guess it would depend on the bigger portion of the two. Amritsar in the state of Punjab -the place where besides a beautiful gold plated temple there's Lassis and beards where ever you look.

I suppose calling this scruff on my chin a beard is a bit of a stretch when compared to my Sikh counterparts, but I still do find my whiskers getting wet from constantly being submersed in these curdy beverages. More than once I've got caught up in the refreshing post euphoria that comes with slamming a Lassi back in the sweltering heat and walked away with a yogurt moustache. A few funny looks is all it takes to remind me, even still it happens quite often.

To stay on the curd subject, I'm convinced this is reason that the people of Punjab appear to be some of the tallest, most broad shouldered, bicep bulging folks in India. Milk does a body good after all. The Golden Temple's guards are a good example, some of them elders and still sticking their chests out confidently - all 6 foot 4 inches of them.  Spears and swords just add to the effect. They're constantly walking around ordering people to cover their heads, move in line, and sit cross legged. I personally was almost smacked for allegedly not walking through the foot bath before entering (even though I did), but who am I to argue with a man holding a spear?

First Leg Complete.

An early morning bus from Amritsar brought me to the Jammu, the starting point of my road trip to Leh. It was pretty much as simple as the guide book says, step off the bus in Jammu and start asking questions.

"Anyone know how I get to Srinagar?"

$15 CAD dollars later and I'm sitting in a luxury SUV with 6 others. I paid the extra 2 bucks for the front seat, money well spent. After about 3 hours we hit the Jammu Valley, from that point on I just gazed out my window in awe.

"What do you think of Kerala now my friend?" I heard from the back seat.

The only English speaking fellow of the bunch -a proud Kashmiri- sat behind me. We chatted earlier about India and I was asked what my favourite part was. The easy answer for me being Kerala of course.

About 6 hours into the trip and you enter the Jawahar Tunnel -the heavily guarded gateway to the Kashmir Valley. The suspense couldn't be built up any better, especially when 6 proud Kashmiris are sitting behind you telling you how beautiful it's going to be on the other side. True to their word they were right.

"Welcome to the Kashmir Valley" A sign read once exiting.

I got goose bumps immediately. Pure, rugged, raw beauty. No wonder 2 countries have been fighting for this land for so long.

Driving anywhere in India for a few hours can make it seem like you've crossed borders, everything changes constantly. The colour of people's eyes, the fabric of their clothing, the texture of their hair, even right down to the way they speak English -a different accent with a hint of something you can't put your finger on. It all changes right before you as you gaze out that bus window and this is the main reason I love India so much, there is just so much to see and experience all within one border.

July 1st can't come slow enough.

Next stop Leh!

Gimme My Stamp.

I stood before a man who seemingly relished his authority over me, a stroke of his pen would dictate my travel plans from that day forward. I was in the disorderly Delhi visa office waiting on a new exit stamp, me and 200 other people that is. The icing on the cake of losing a passport here is replacing your Indian Visa, all done is classic, chaotic Indian style.

The man's decision was still a mystery but my reactions to the outcome were as clear as day. Kick me out now and I'm Bangkok bound to sip Chang and swing in hammocks. Let me stay for another month and I'll end my trip off like I planned to from the on set; with a thrilling road trip to Leh via some of the most mesmerising, scenic, and highest mountain roads on earth.

"You must leave in 2 weeks, this is the longest I can give you".

Thailand it was I thought!

"But I don't want to leave yet, I still have 35 days on the original Visa that I lost" I replied.

"I usually only give people 3 days"  he said.

It seemed even diplomatic decisions are able to be bargained down in this country because I got my July 1st exit date, and with that came a bit of anxiety because I knew I had a lot of planning to do. Next stop was the train station to start booking tickets North towards the Jammu/Kashmir region. This is the only thing I knew I had to do, the rest of the steps and formalities of getting to Leh via Srinagar were still a bit of a mystery. For instance, apparently once arriving in Jammu at 3am all you need to do is wave rupees in the air and someone will take you to Srinagar, 8 hours away by jeep. Sounds a bit complicated, but time and time again I've learned that somehow everything works out in India, all you need is a bit of patience and bargaining skills.

A road journey to Leh was always in the back of my mind as the perfect way to end off this trip. I wouldn't have bothered going in the easy way via plane - too quick and not scenic enough for me. So that meant waiting until the government carved out the summer highway route through meters of snow and rubble, which just so happened to be about a month ago.

From what I've read, few road trips offer such a magnificent journey coupled with an even more magnificent destination as the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Highway. Buddhist Leh sitting 3500m above sea level is a top destination in its own right, but from there even more thrilling jeep rides take you through even higher mountain passes, visiting turquoise blue lakes and ancient monasteries along the way.

But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here again (and starting to sound like a bit of a travel agent), because two more destinations lie in between me and this road trip -Amritsar and Srinagar. I already know what to expect in Amritsar, sweltering heat and a golden temple. Srinagar is a bit of a mystery still, but even mention the name to an Indian and their eyes light up.

 "Heaven on Earth" they say.

Not a bad review of a place is it?

The Taj, from a different angle.

After arriving in Agra I settled myself on a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Taj Mahal. "The best rooftop view anywhere in Agra" is what the guidebook said. It never mentioned the shoddy service or bland food, but the view was spectacular.

Sitting in front of me were 2 girls who were clearly good friends travelling India together, they were flicking through their camera and admiring their classic 'I've been to the Taj' photographs. Beautiful photo's they were, but what I really admired was the fact that they had those photographs period. It's the one everyone frames, a pose in front of the most famous building in the world. Indisputable evidence that you've been to India.

I'm a bit against self taken shots...ones of me anyways. I've never really been a fan of being photographed period; even more so after seeing India through my own viewfinder this past few months. I much prefer to be the man behind the lens because for me it's the best way to instantly capture a moment in time that you will remember for years to come. This is something I can't really do when looking back on a photograph someone else has taken of me.

So all that being said, the chances of me leaving India with an 'I've been to the Taj' photo of my own weren't looking too good. I decided to just get out there and do what I usually do in situations like this, walk around and take photos of people and places. After all, the most photographed building in the world offers opportune times for taking photos of people who don't know they're having a photo taken. Everyone already has a damn camera, so even if they do look at you funny you just return the look with a  'Get over yourself, I'm taking a picture of the Taj Mahal behind you'  kind of stare.


I'm pretty sure the Taj Mahal is the most beautiful object I've ever laid my eyes on, man made anyways. It almost looks like a painting when you first see it entering through the main gates. It has the presence of being absolutely enormous yet you can pace around the entire base in a matter of minutes. To be honest I initially planned to avoid the city of Agra and the Taj all together. By passing the city needs no explanation, but as for the Taj it's the difference of admission between foreigner and Indian (750 INR vs 20 INR) that really left a bad taste in my mouth. Cheap I am not, but months of being overcharged for everything from a samosa to a taxi ride just because I'm a tourist gets a little annoying. But It was love at first site when I walked though those gates and in hindsight I would have paid double.

I wandered the grounds for nearly 4 hours and was pretty well the last person to leave. But when humans depart, monkeys arrive. Before I knew it I was cornered by about 15 of the large, tourist-hardened beasts. A security guard started blowing a whistle in the distance and was waving a bamboo stick, I couldn't tell if it was towards me or the monkeys but I left anyways.

Just another day India, and quite a memorable one too:)

Tea Country

My seemingly endless love affair with tea has been slowly dwindling down, almost ceasing to exist in the epicentre of this country's tea production.

Coming to Darjeeling and drinking coffee is like sipping vodka in the Caribbean, it's just not right. But that's exactly what i did -shamelessly for 4 days- and I loved every sip of it.

Feeling a bit under the weather most likely played a part as well,  but it was almost as if my taste buds tried to stage a coup d'état, revolting across the board against anything Masala and tea related. All I really felt like having once arriving in this beautiful hill station was a strong filtered coffee and a plate of Spaghetti. I found the coffee but had to settle for Penne...terrible I know.

It could be that India is just wearing me down as a whole, or maybe I need stop catching trains every 3 days and settle down somewhere like I did in the South. Looks easy on paper, but to stay extended periods of time anywhere at sea level during an Indian Summer is not the most enjoyable thing to do. I have been somewhat relishing my free reign over hotel rooms and the lack of crowds in these sweltering cities I've been visiting, but a permanent run for the cooler hills is imminent.

It's hard to envision a more picturesque setting than a tea plantation. Munnar in the State of Kerela gave me my first taste of it, but Darjeeling has it beat because of what it holds off in the distant skies - mountains. Not just any mountains though, you realise these are special because even though you're already standing on a hill 2kms high, your head still needs to tilt up ever so slightly to see the peaks breaking through the misty skies.

It was overcast 3 of the 4 days while in Darjeeling, but the blanket of clouds finally broke up off in the distance allowing me to finally lay eyes on something that's fascinated me since I was a child- the Himalayas! (just barely visible in the last picture).

From Darjeeling I'll slowly make my way back West stopping at Allahabad, Khajuraho, and Agra along the way. One is known for hosting the largest religious congregation on the planet held every 12 years, one has got some famous erotic carvings, and the other has a marble building with an exorbitant cover charge. After that it's Delhi to get reunited with my long lost passport.

After that?

Well it's not home just yet, that I know for sure. Although I have experienced more than I ever could have imagined this past 3.5 months roaming around this country; so even if it was home there would be not an ounce of bitterness when boarding that plane. More than likely I'd strut down that gangway with a grin ear to ear, but I still have a few adventures up my sleeve before that day comes:)

Peace and quiet, finally.

One of the reasons I find India so fascinating is the diversity of religions. I wouldn't call myself religious, more of an Agnostic with his shoulder resting on Atheism's front door is the way I'd put it. But Buddhism is the exception which I find both interesting and believable. A former Prince gives up everything to embark on a quest which ends up changing the way millions of people think. No guns, no swords, just words - I like it.

So here I am, Bodh Gaya in the state of Bihar, one of the most important sights in Buddhism. Ground zero I guess you could say. Only 3 hours away by train from hectic Varanasi yet the two seem worlds apart. It's green, it's quiet, and even the rickshaw drivers are honest! I stayed within a small village near a school for orphans. On my daily walks around town I'd be greeted by groups of these school kids and one thing I found remarkable was their level of English skills; right on par with a 6 or 7 year old kid in the West. I couldn't help but compliment them and the only way they could have been happier hearing me say this was if I'd included an ice cream cone along with the compliment too. Great atmosphere in this town.

The revered Bodhi tree was quite a remarkable sight, directly behind  the massive 50 meter Mahabhodi Temple. The tree itself seemed almost twice as wide as it was tall, its branches stretched far out into the air above casting a cool shade below for people to meditate and pay respect. I visited the place twice daily and soaked in the atmosphere, usually in the early morning and once before sunset.  No meditation for me though, just people watching and life pondering (two of my favourite things to do while traveling actually).

Definitely the right decision coming to Bodh Gaya, even if it was for only 2 days. From here it's on to Darjeeling to sip tea and get my first glimpse of the Himalayas...weather permitting of course!