India is a fascinating place. Probably the most culturally different from the west of anywhere I have been. There is little western influence which makes it so interesting. With so many new smells, tastes and sites, to a westerner it can be difficult to take it all in. I felt like I had slipped into a National Geographic Magazine. I will forever be grateful for my visit here. I have yet to see any place like it.
Read more...Kolkata, also know as Calcutta, is the capital of West Bengal. It is a HUGE city with 4.5 million people in city proper and 15.7 million in the greater metropolis area. Such a fascinating city! This is where Mother Teresa set about establishing charities to help the poor, orphans, sick, and dying. I was able to see her tomb which was a real treat for me. Even as a young girl, I was inspired by her life and wanted to learn from her. As in other parts of India, I was able to go to the soup lines, see the orphanages, school for the blind, and healthcare facilities.
Darjeeling, located in the state of West Bengal, is a beautiful town high up in the Himalayan mountains. It is quite a journey on steep winding roads to get there. This was my favorite place in India. The Himalayas tower around you with small villages built along the steep mountain sides. Darjeeling tea is made here so the mountainsides are terraced with tea plantations. There are great views of Kanchenjunga the worlds third-highest peak, which has an elevation of 28,169 ft! On a clear day, you can see Mt. Everest. The villages and markets are so fun to stroll through and I found the people so friendly. This was a melting pot of peoples from Bhutan, Tibet, Nepal, and India.
This first set of pictures are from Puri. Puri is in the Indian State of Orissa on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal.
The South Pacific is quite and intriguing place. Vanuatu is a tropical country made up of many islands with active volcanoes, black sand beaches, and beautiful people.
I spent a few months in Vanuatu learning about the people and islands as well as doing community health services. I helped educate aid post workers in basic health care skills, care for villagers at dispensaries, and present local workshops to village women and men. It was a rewarding experience. My main purpose in going to Vanuatu was to learn more about the effects of health care interventions in culturally diverse areas, specifically developing countries.
I love to travel and wanted to post some pictures of different places I've been. They don't quite fit on my portrait photography blog, so I thought a would start up a landscape and travel photography blog.
These sets of pictures were taken mostly in Ireland. I was fortunate to live there for 4 months. They are not the best quality as they were taken on slide film and scanned over to digital images. However, they still give a glimpse of the charm that Ireland has.
Lacock Village-Bath, England
© Photoblog III Template 2009
Back to TOP
