Moving Forward...

Have you seen Slumdog Millionaires? I toured Dharavi – the largest slum in Asia with 1 million inhabitants – like it was a zoo. It wasn’t that bad given the rest of India, but of course, Dharavi is one of Mumbai’s few slums ‘approved of’ by the government (and therefor has access to very basic sanitary facilities and electricity). Touring Dharavi is mostly about what they are not showing you.

It was so good meeting Peter and Brenda abroad. I stayed with them and they did everything to make my stay are great as it was. I felt incredibly welcome.

But oooh, all those colours!

Discuss poverty and inefficiency over a nice cocktail at Intercontinental’s Dome Bar and take in the view.

My hosts!

Breakfast w/ Brenda… this is the view from their apartment.

Mumbai sunset.

Everything you see, has been carved out by this man *using only a nail and a piece of wood to hit it with*. I kid you not.

Hygeinic? No.

This is how I received notes in the morning .

Rich and poor live side by side in Mumbai.

Mooning India Gate!

All clothes from all five-star hotels are washed here.

Victoria Station – the most busy trainstation in the whole of Asia.

Chilling at the boulevard.

More Mumbai pictures.

Such an intense place. People burning deceased family members, trash absolutely everywhere, bodies floating in the holy Ganges river, people drinking from that river right next to those bodies, temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius, colourful saris everywhere, hospices with people waiting to die, narrow streets cramped with people and shops, ancient rituals performed every morning and night, a complete traffic disaster.

Yes, it is.

Daily rituals. Everybody attends.

The Ganges river is quite wide and nobody lives on the other side as it floods during monsoon time; it’s unique to be at the center of town and have a 180 degree view with no buildings on the other side of the river.

More Varanasi pictures.

Sikh’s religion is a blend of Hindu and Islam, and has a firm focus on pragmatism (a big sign reads ’service to humanity is true service to God’) and inclusiveness (Sikh always denounced the caste-system). Each temple boasts a kitchen where all are welcome to eat for free (and hide from the burning heat).

Spectacular Temple. All day chanting from the holy book engulfs the complex…

and with a kitchen feeding up to 40.000 guests daily, you have lots of dishes…

… and lots of food to prepare (this is the garlic section!).

Poverty is really awful. Many poor people show physical disabilities.

A rikshaw. You’ll have to share the road with others.

Thousands of Indians visit Attari daily to scream “Hindustan Zindabad!” a 100 times and out-do Pakistan at this surprising ceremony marking the closure of the (only) border crossing between Pakistan and India. Great event to attend.

More Amritsar and Attari pictures here.

A real bustling city center. Everything happens on the streets. It’s hot. Fortresses in the vicinity where it feels like Aladdin could come walking around the corner at any moment.

Famous Hawa Mahal. Notice the guys in the front…

Looking after others while you should be looked after yourself.

Jaipur is called the Pink City because they painted all buildings pink in 1876 when the Prince of Wales visited…

Good spot, holy cows!

Wedding procession…

Nearby Amber fort could be part of any fairy tale.

Happiness can be in the small things.

More Jaipur pictures here.

You know these things, yet it’s hard to prepare for the heat (43 degrees Celsius), the poverty (rather startling and at times accompanied by horrible physical mutilations) and the crowded cities.

But you have these amazing sparkling colors everywhere! The sari’s are so delicate, so intricate, so beautiful. And everything they say about the Taj Mahal is probably true.

One more thing: it’s fantastic to see trends in architecture, art and religion extend over thousands of miles – and constantly adapt/evolve. For instance, there are many Islamic influences here, but with a distinctly Indian twist to it.

The Taj Mahal has been ’swaffeled’ but has it been Mooned?

Hindu lotus flower in the center of an Islamic arch with Indian adaptations. Nice.

Childish, I know.

Such beauty!

The joy of stepping into a different world! Again, there is sooo much I need to learn. Fan-tas-tic!

Downtown Old Delhi

Humayun’s Tomb, quite likely Delhi’s nr 1 tourist destination.

Lodi Park is a great place to relax – and meet local students.

More Delhi pictures.

I’m back in the Netherlands! Traveling taught me a lot and nourished the soul.

It’s quite possible I’ll be traveling again somewhere in the not-too-distant future, so please do keep this blog in your RSS-reader.

Welcome.

The whole world steps aside for the man (girl) who knows where (s)he’s going.

LBS@Regent’s park.

Not very ‘e’ nor real ‘Service’, is it? Changing flights was very easy though.

More London photos.

Great weeks drinking with friends in Athens. Arjen and I flew in from Berlin. Fortunately I had visited Athens’ cultural sights before… as some of us didn’t even go up the Acropolis :S . The trip was perfect for catching up.

Eating at McD the only moment Lennert was not around …

Appreciate the subtleties of Greek cuisine.

Op vakantie: “even lekker niets aan je hoofd”

Showing your support after drinking through the night on the Acropolis: priceless.

The time for boring shoes has long passed.

Another day after the night before.

We found some pussy.

Arjen – contemplating life or food or whatever.

More Athens photos.

Arjen and I visited Berlin and were in for quite a surprise. A modern city with 21st century architecture, an alternative and arty scene in Prenzlauer Berg, the rebuilt Reichstag, large public spaces and grand avenues with majestic buildings.

Please notice the name of the snack bar on the far left.

Meeting old friends: priceless.

View from East Berlin – in between the walls you’re a target.

Locking our bikes to the wall, hilarious.

Serious nightlife .

Visiting a the DDR-nuclear bunker.

We met Bob Ross at a student party.

Germany is known for its quality food.

Cheap.

Expensive.

The Inquisition.

Siegessäule

More Berlin photos.