In India

[divingnemo]

thanks for sharing this wonderful series, and your experiences as well

i can certainly get a taste of their enchanting culture from ur photos.. will definitely attempt to make a trip there someday

 

[ahbian]

After a few weeks of forts and palaces and tourist spots, it can be a bit monotonous. So I decided to just explore the small field at the back of my accommodation and came up with these.

#24

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#25

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[lcy]

I was asked about my itinerary of trip in the five weeks...

5 weeks!!! I am so envious. I only spent 2 weeks there and couldn't get enough of the place. I'm definitely going back again and next time I shall stay longer

 

[ahbian]

5 weeks!!! I am so envious. I only spent 2 weeks there and couldn't get enough of the place. I'm definitely going back again and next time I shall stay longer

This is so funny but true, I was about to direct you a thread with really good portraits of the the locals in India, then I realised that it was yours! :bsmilie:

Yup, although there were certain lull periods during the five weeks, I was glad I wouldn't have to rush around as much otherwise. Can even to leave the camera in the room on some days to allow myself a breather.

 

[ahbian]

thanks for sharing this wonderful series, and your experiences as well

i can certainly get a taste of their enchanting culture from ur photos.. will definitely attempt to make a trip there someday

yup, share your photos here, before the trip, I gained a lot of info from those who posted their experiences on India.


Some photos of Bundi, a less touristy part of Rajasthan. Although, I spent only a day here, I must say the locals were the friendliest.

There was one guy who came up to my friend and asked if we were heading towards the lake, then he pointed the directions out to us and wish us well before walking away. In other big cities, we would be expecting him to sell us some stuff or services.

#26

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#27

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[2evans]

Great series and some wonderful captures! Thanks for sharing your trip and photos.

 

[ahbian]

Great series and some wonderful captures! Thanks for sharing your trip and photos.

Thank you.

 

[ahbian]

The Golden Temple in Amritsar is the holiest shrine in Sikhism, and it unexpectedly turned out to be one of my favorite photography locations in India.

Once you step within its walls, you can barely hear the crazy traffic on the roads outside.
No touts were encountered and every pilgrim and guards smile and greet the strange chinese man. There are free meals for the hungry and free accommodation (max 3 days) for the weary.

Every now and then, a group of volunteer cleaners scuttle past, trying to keep the place in a spick and span condition.

With no admission charges, you can visit the place to your hearts content, which I repeatedly did over 3 days; the different light on the gold building and the white walkways provided any visitor with good photo opportunities.

#28

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The temple in colour.

#29

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[giantcanopy]

Congrats on yet another successful series ahbian. Been following closely and ur stuffs ( and asterixsg's ), evoking much thoughts everytime i go through them which i really enjoyed. The spontaneity in your captures brings out the clever juxtapositioning of #21, and the innocence of the boy in # 17.

Your writeup on Golden Temple in Amritsar makes many of us envy! "which I repeatedly did over 3 days" - the ability to wait for that opportunity to capture. I am sure most of us yearned for a better timing than a hasty touch and go. # 28 is a much better capture with that bird soaring above, save the bit of noise in the water bit.

# 26 looks like it might be beautiful in colors as well. The bits in the water are lotuses of sorts ?

ryan

 

[ahbian]

Congrats on yet another successful series ahbian. Been following closely and ur stuffs ( and asterixsg's ), evoking much thoughts everytime i go through them which i really enjoyed. The spontaneity in your captures brings out the clever juxtapositioning of #21, and the innocence of the boy in # 17.

Your writeup on Golden Temple in Amritsar makes many of us envy! "which I repeatedly did over 3 days" - the ability to wait for that opportunity to capture. I am sure most of us yearned for a better timing than a hasty touch and go. # 28 is a much better capture with that bird soaring above, save the bit of noise in the water bit.

# 26 looks like it might be beautiful in colors as well. The bits in the water are lotuses of sorts ?

ryan

Thanks ryan. Always appreciated your thoughtful feedback.

Ironically, while this has been the longest holiday, I think the number of keepers is not high. But I guess its always a learning process.

You are spot on, the feeling of not rushing through venues and returning when required was really great. I had only planned a single visit to the Golden Temple, but enjoyed it so much that it kept drawing me back.

There were some noticeable noise in other photos taken during dawn/dusk at the temple.
I will post them up soon.

The bits in the water for #26 are indeed lotus leaves, the hill was quite bare and brown, so I converted it to black and white.

 

[ahbian]

Some quiet moments from the Golden Temple at the start of the day.

#30

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#31

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[ahbian]

A manmade lake known as the AmritSar (Lake of Holy Water or Immortal Nectar) surrounds the Golden Temple, and many pilgrims believe that taking a dip in the waters will cure one of any ailments.

#32

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#33

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[orangedial]

This is indeed a stunning collection so far. #1 is my absolute favourite. The image of Taj Mahal in the mist is another winner to me

 

[ahbian]

This is indeed a stunning collection so far. #1 is my absolute favourite. The image of Taj Mahal in the mist is another winner to me

Thank you. Personally, I think the area outside the Taj Mahal is definitely worth exploring , I feel there are much better angles compared to inside the compound.

 

[ahbian]

I usually try not to post photos of similar compositions as I think they "dilute" each others impact but honestly, I couldn't decided between the next two and earlier photos of #30 and #31.

#34

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#35

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[Fallenphoenix]

Karni Mata Temple, also known as the Rat Temple; where countless rats run around the compound and are worshipped by devotees.

#20

It is considered lucky to have a rat run over your feet (no shoes allowed), I waited motionless for 5 minutes at one spot, but no luck for me.

#21

try putting milk on ur feet? =D

 

[ahbian]

try putting milk on ur feet? =D

Not too advisable to be bitten by a rat, which did happen to me.

 

[ahbian]

A very cheerful group of kids at the Golden Temple.

Note that all visitors are required to wear a head scarf, which is free (if you don't mind a reused one), or can be bought at around $1 from the countless peddlers outside the compound.

#36

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[Will03]

Karni Mata Temple, also known as the Rat Temple; where countless rats run around the compound and are worshipped by devotees.

#20

It is considered lucky to have a rat run over your feet (no shoes allowed), I waited motionless for 5 minutes at one spot, but no luck for me.

#21

woah.. interesting....dinno abt this temple

 

[ahbian]

woah.. interesting....dinno abt this temple

Its quite a popular stopover for tourists, although I was the only one there that day.

To have a rat run over your feet is considered lucky, to sight a white rat among the thousands of brown ones means the visitor is really blessed.

It is also not uncommon to see the locals sitting on the floor and sharing food with the rats.

One thing that was particularly interesting to me was that people will shuffle their feet instead of walking normally, everyone seems very careful not to accidentally step on a rat. Killing a rat means you are obliged to pay its weight in gold to the temple!