Photo Round Up – Week 58 & 59

Not an amazing shot, but a shot I like. It was Val & mine first 24-hour train ride in India. We had purchased the tickets well in advance so both were able to get upper births. The whole train ride we spent them on our bed and not disturbed by anyone. When we would look below we were both so happy that we didn’t have to deal with the chaos of a million people fighting for seats. I don’t understand the Indian train system. 

One of the most amazing temples I have ever visited. Look closely… look at what these sculptures are doing on there. I know amazing right?

During our time in Kajuraho we visited at least about 15 temples. This is what one of them looks like from a far. They are actually quite interesting filled with a lot of detail. The only thing I didn’t like was that they all literally looked like each other. After you saw one you saw them all. The only thing that would changed was some of the detailed positions the sculptures were having sex in.

As I’ve traveled around India I have seen time & time again women carrying bricks on their heads, but never managed to get a shot of one of them actually doing it. Finally in Khajuraho as we were sitting on a curb waiting for a café to open we saw this women come & go carrying bricks. It’s crazy that that is how they carry the bricks & it’s crazy that they have to go back & forth like a million times. Look at all the bricks waiting to be taken up there.

My favorite shot of the week. Oh yes you got it… a close up shot of a huge breast. Even though I am not into women one of the things that fascinated me about these sculptures on the temples, was the size of the breast on these women.  I wonder how thousands of years ago they were able to make that stone so smooth and round & then even put a nipple on it?

One of the things I love dong when I take a cab anywhere is take random shots along the drive. I have no clue what I am shooting, but then when I look at them sometimes I will end up with a good shot. India is amazing for this, because in the end just about all of them turn out amazing. This is one I got when we arrived to Varanasi. I love that it captures just a bit of the chaos that is India.  I love the rickshaws, the boy on the bike, and the old buildings behind them.

You know what I mentioned in the photo above about women carrying bricks on their heads. Well here you have a close up. One day as we were wandering the alleys of Varanasi I saw a women carrying bricks on her head and asked her if I could please take a photo. I have no clue if she said yes or no, but took a photo anyway and love it. Look at that… as I took this shot she was putting the top 4 bricks on top.

Varanasi is one of the 7 holy cities of India. Varanasi is also where millions of Indian people each year come to die. It’s a strange ritual that happens here. They believe that the river that runs through here cleanses the soul from all sins. They also believe that when they die their bodies/ashes should be deposited here. So along the river in some sections you will see many fires going on burning bodies.  You are not allowed to take photos of any of the cremations, but one morning we took a boat ride and because we were far enough we were allowed to take a photo. I will try and explain more about this in an actual blog post. 

Along the river you will see people washing clothes, people swimming along with cows, trash piled here and there, you will see many boats lined up. You will also see many people in the water praying and meditating. I love this shot because you can see the ripples this old man is making while praying or meditating. 

I love this photo for many reasons. I know it’s not amazing, but I love the old abandoned pedi-rickshaw. I love the barbwire and beat up wall behind it. It love that it looks like it was taken ages ago and that it’s in a peaceful place. The funny thig is that right in front of all this was a busy street with so many rickshaws going & coming along with so many people walking by. It’s crazy how sometimes a photo really doesn’t represent what or where it was really taken.