Category Archives: Activities and Itineraries

Activities and Itineraries, Backpacking, Food, Leisure Trip, Provinces, Reblogged, Religion

Reblogged: Bodh Gaya: the land of Buddha’s enlightenment

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Reblogged is a series of blog posts on my life in India coming from the weblogs I set-up. It’s an attempt to put the stories all in one place! The post Bodh Gaya: the land of Buddha’s enlightenment was originally posted on September 30, 2012, written on the day things happened. Another post will follow after, which has more photos and videos as the way to tell the partial story about a full-week’s trip to North India with VSO co-volunteers Julie and Amanda, with their friend Laura. This was part of the vacation I called “The Pilgrimage” as we visited the holy cities of Bodh Gaya and Varanasi.

Oh yes! The stuff I used to hear from my history teachers is now coming into life! I am, at present, in Bodh Gaya, where prince Siddharta Gautama, later popularly known as Lord Buddha, was said to have achieved full enlightenment.

Activities and Itineraries, Countries, Food, Leisure Trip, Provinces, Reblogged, Religion

Reblogged: Weekend in the Village (Part 2 – Getting Up-close and Personal)

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Reblogged is a series of blog posts on my life in India coming from the weblogs I set-up. It’s an attempt to put the stories all in one place! The post Weekend in the Village (Part 2 – Getting Up-close and Personal) was originally posted on May 20, 2012 via the Project365: Volunteers for Change weblog I set-up with my VSO volunteer batch. I spent a weekend with the family of my colleague and friend Charu at her mother’s hometown in Taloshi, Mahad, Maharashtra. This is a two-part story for the events and scenes from May 4-8.

You’ve already read/seen how a day in an Indian village goes by. Well, it’s kind of a special day with the festival and all but still, it would look something like that. More or less. 🙂

That said, this post focuses on other aspects of Indian life, not just in a village but also in a bigger picture. Are you ready to get Indianised? :p

Water

Everyone needs water. Some more than most. Especially during a festival when everyone seems to have remembered where they came from and decided to pay homage to their roots. It’s an almost non-stop sight–women queuing for wells and tap areas and walking about with one or two jars on their head. Some include one for the side/hips too!
Queuing for Water. Young, middle-aged and old women (I’ve seen a couple or so men too) fill their water jars (tin and copper) to keep a steady supply at home (I guess for cooking and drinking)

Continue reading Reblogged: Weekend in the Village (Part 2 – Getting Up-close and Personal) →

Accommodation, Activities and Itineraries, Countries, Food, Leisure Trip, Provinces, Reblogged, Uncategorized

Reblogged: Weekend in the Village (Part 1 – A day in the Life)

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Reblogged is a series of blog posts on my life in India coming from the weblogs I set-up. It’s an attempt to put the stories all in one place! The post Weekend in the Village (Part 1 – A Day in the Life…) was originally posted on May 9, 2013 via the Project365: Volunteers for Change weblog I set-up with my VSO volunteer batch. I spent a weekend with the family of my colleague and friend Charu at her mother’s hometown in Taloshi, Mahad, Maharashtra. This is a two-part story for the events and scenes from May 4-8.

Early morning trek into the mountains

Many volunteers here in India are based in rural areas, if not in State capitals that would seem laid back if compared to the fast-paced life in mega cities. I am among the few who are based in mega cities like Delhi and, in my case, Mumbai. Well, technically, I am based in Navi Mumbai, more or less 30 minutes outside Mumbai. In any case, what I am driving at is I live in the city where everything is available–running hot and cold water, air conditioner, cold filtered water, English-style T&B (a necessity for most volunteers), internet, cable TV, restaurants, supermarkets, cinemas, etc. In short, one may say that I have no right to complain about my placement in terms of location. Continue reading Reblogged: Weekend in the Village (Part 1 – A day in the Life) →

#100days, Activities and Itineraries, Leisure Trip, Provinces

#100Days Photo 23: Bohol Sea, Tagbilaran, Visayas, Philippines

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I like sunsets a lot and while I find sunrises equally magnificent, there were just a few times when I was able to summon willpower to wake up that early, and the chance to see the dolphins of Bohol Sea was one. Twas back in early 2011 when, with a group of friends, we woke up before dawn and set sail to cruise the Bohol Sea and search for one of nature’s darling creatures in their natural habitat. From Alona Beach in Panglao island, it took a while before we reached the dolphins but it was a rather smooth sailing journey (perhaps coz weather in that time of year was [used to be] quite cooperative. The breaking dawn (sans vampires) and watching the dolphins (though they weren’t all jumping/flying up and down) of Bohol Sea followed by a Balicasag Island snorkeling was indeed worth the early morning wake up call!

#100days, Activities and Itineraries, Backpacking, Cities, CouchSurfing, Countries, Leisure Trip, Transportation, Uncategorized

#100Days Photo 20: Macau Tower and Sai Wan Bridge by the Zhujiang River, Macau

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If you’ve ever been to Macau, it’s almost impossible to miss the Macau Tower, standing tall against the historically quaint but rapidly urbanizing special administrative region. Located in the south side of Macau Peninsula, Macau Tower is among the most popular tourist spots and, of course, the most photographed as well. Coming from the Taipa district where our CouchSurfing host Darren lives, the Macau Tower and the Sai Wan Bridge is always a sight to behold, same way on the way back, day or night. As Leah and I cross the Zhujiang River estuary through the Governador Noble de Carvalho Bridge, I tried to hold my breath and made a wish. I don’t remember what it was anymore but I guess it must have come true, coz so far, it’s been really good. 🙂 Maybe it was to go bungee jumping at the Macau Tower next time!