Red splashes on Rajasthan’s desert landscape. After six hours of traveling by bus from Agra, I knew we had arrived somewhere magical based on the bright colors of the sarees. Neon orange, fuchsia pink and bright red sarees dotted the desert and towns through which we were passing. Rhinestones, Read more…
Taj in all her glory (with some work being done on two of the minarets). The world’s greatest and most magnificent tribute to love, the Taj Mahal, offers a combination of old world romance and contemporary vision. After passing through the east gate, I saw the white cupolas peeking out Read more…
The ghats are covered. A deceased individual, wrapped in a white sheet, flowers and garlands, being carried to the ghats for cremation. Filled with Indians of all ages, men and women, sarees and trousers. White-bearded priests with loin cloths and young women beating laundered sheets on planks. Little boys flying kites Read more…
The view from the two-seater auto rickshaw is a reminder of the fragility of life. When passenger buses and cars come within spitting distance from your head and eyes, you really wake up and stay alert. View from over Laxman’s right shoulder – close call! Day three in Delhi has Read more…
View from back of a pedicab in Old Delhi. Part of my gaining ground in a new place is spending that opening day in the streets, and discovering some of the sights that have made it historically rich and memorable. My opening day in Delhi was no different, and I Read more…
I am embarrassed to admit my discovery of Gloria Steinem at the age of 37. And by discovery, I mean developing a greater depth of awareness about her beautiful genius and authorship above and beyond the acronyms of NOW and ERA. She is so much more than some pretty Read more…
I thought it was pretty evolved of me to accept the loss of my iPhone minutes before my departure to New Delhi as a “sign from the universe.” No panic, nor backpack contents flying through the air at the gate, nor tears for the loss of the opportunity to listen Read more…
I got in an argument with a Panamanian woman over the cost of a national park entrance fee. Kuni Indian textile on display at a market in the Casco Viejo area of Panama City Before I knew it, I was being told that “people like me, who are used to Read more…
Following a four hour drive from Rio, I landed in Paraty, a beautiful small town with cobbled streets and brightly Local fishing boats in Paraty. colored door frames and window sills. I checked into my pousada, discovered their bike collection and was immediately off to the colonial center of town. Read more…
View of Rio from the apex of Rocinha favela. My wander through the Rocinha favela kicked up two observations about the relationship between permanence and impermanence. First, the assumption that poverty is a permanent layer of city life; and the second, that the ancient, human replication of poverty Read more…