In every sense of the word, India overwhelms. The sights, sounds and smells are just a lot to take in. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not-so-good, especially the smells.  It is nothing short of a sensory overload. The sights for example, covers the entire spectrum of visual stimuli from gritty to breathtaking.  You’ve seen the Taj Mahal in postcards, photographs and travel shows but there’s nothing quite like standing there too see how the rays of the setting sun changes the color of the white marble and red sandstone every minute.  But as soon as you take that in, you walk out and you’ll see the sidewalks lined with the homeless poor sleeping in blankets.

India is a country that has gone through centuries of rich and vibrant history, from years of war and conflict to peace and prosperity. The ancient architecture is simply spectacular.  Whether they are constructed from the extravagance of a maharajah or raised in remembrance of hero, every tomb, fort and palace tells a different story in her historic past.  This is what I find the most memorable about the trip.

I quote Keith Bellows, Editor-in-chief of National Geographic Society:

There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won’t go. For me, India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush beauty and exotic architecture, by its ability to overload the senses with the pure, concentrated intensity of its colors, smells, tastes, and sounds. It was as if all my life I had been seeing the world in black and white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant technicolor.

In this gallery, I picked out some pictures I took which will hopefully try to show the beauty and color of this land. The complete set of pictures are here on my flickr page.

Enjoy.

It’s been almost 17 days since I last posted.  My apologies, I was in India and though I’ve been back for a week, I’m still going through the 2000 pictures I took over there and needless to say, that’s taking slightly longer than I had expected.

Also, you might have noticed that the 365 project has taken a halt. I’m slightly bothered that so many of my pics were taken with iPhone. It’s almost too easy. And I need  to work out the logistics of posting a pic while I’m away, especially when I don’t travel with my laptop. If you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments. I’ll have to think about this endeavor for a bit more and will be back. I definitely want to finish 365 this year.

In the meantime, here’s a pic taken from Fatehpur Sikri from my India trip. Next post will be about the trip proper.

Except for the sound of frogs and crickets, it was dead quiet.

We had an early night’s rest, surrounded by tranquility.

Morning greeted us just a little past six. The land was wide-awake, toiling away just like any other day that came before. The emerald green paddy fields glistened in the sun from the remnants of the morning dew. The breeze carried the fragrance of fresh flowers.

It was still quiet. Its only now that I realized I’m no longer in a metropolis where I came from.

There are no high-rise buildings to block the views of the open sky.

There’s no stench of peak hour traffic that masks the smell of the grass.

There’s no pointless chatter to drown out the sound of waters flowing.

There’s only an aura of peaceful calm.

This land is deeply spiritual. Bali is the only non-Muslim state in Indonesia. It’s beliefs steeped in Hinduism and local mysticism. They believe in three main gods – “Brahma” the Creator, “Desa” the Protector and “Dalam” the Destroyer. Brahma’s temples are located near the North of the town, Desa’s in the middle and Dalam’s at the South end, by the cemetery.

Everywhere you go, at every doorway you’ll find a small offering placed on the floor consisting of some sweets and rice placed in a tray intricately folded from banana leaf.

Every house has an altar erected by the entrance. Everyday, the locals will light incense and place offerings of food and sometimes bottles of local wine.

I’m not remotely religious, neither do I believe in any of the validity of their beliefs but it doesn’t matter. Their deep spirituality is good if you’re looking for a place to come to if you’re seeking some form of reconnecting with your inner spiritual self. Yoga by the paddy fields with music from the rustling grass and running streams is certainly better than being surrounded by concrete buildings and music from a CD player.

Ubud is now my favorite place for a quiet retreat away from the bustle of city life. The hardest thing about coming here is knowing that you’ll eventually have to leave.

Brighton is such a sleepy seaside town. There’s sand, there’s sea and there’s perfect blue skies. Everything is great, except that we’re in the dead of winter.

But well, it’s all good. I fed one of my strongest craving here, which was really to have fish and chips.

Yes, you read it right – fish and chips.

C’mon, if you’re going to be in a sea side town, you can assume the fish is good right?

You see, the past three days’ meals were all buffet lunches and gala dinners, all paid for by BBC. So, I only had one window of opportunity to get this right. So after 3 days of scouting around the stretch I was staying, I decided on little shop called “Fish and Chips”.

OK, c’mon if this place is called fish and chips, they should serve good fish and chips right?

Ugh, the rhetoric.

I stepped in, and ordered myself a piping hot serving of fish and chips and sat down, holding my breath in anticipation. The plate arrived soon after, and I knew immediately it was right.

No tartar sauce. No lemon. No frills.

It was just a slice of thick battered fish, served next to a generous serving of chips.

This is exactly the fish and chips I like – simple and unassuming. All it needs is a fresh, firm fish, lightly coated in a thin batter fried until crispy. The fish has to be moist, but not soggy. And most importantly, hot when served.

The chips, has to be made from fresh potatoes, not from the frozen stuff. It should be cut thick, about the chunkiness of your finger. I personally prefer a certain portion of the chips to be slightly soggy, and the rest crispy. The fish and the chips, to be served plain with a bottle of malt vinegar and table salt so you can season it as salty as you want.

Simple and unassuming.

Perfect.