McSadhu. India 1999.
boo …
McSadhu. India 1999.
Category: travel
Virgin America Safety Video
Virgin is cool.
… Director Jon M. Chu, Choreographers Jamal Sims and Christopher Scott, Virgin America teammates, and dance stars like Todrick Hall and Madd Chadd to give our safety video a new song and dance — literally. …
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
(via Dvora Meyers)
… in December 2002, The Economist had quoted an expert as claiming that “No large airliner has ever made an emergency landing on water” in an article that goes on to charge, “So the life jackets … have little purpose other than to make passengers feel better.”
This idea was repeated in The Economist in September 2006 in an article which reported that “in the history of aviation the number of wide-bodied aircraft that have made successful landings on water is zero.”
Of note is the 15 January 2009 ditching of US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 narrow-body jet, which successfully ditched in the North River section of the Hudson River …
All on board survived, showing that inflatable slide rafts and life jackets can sometimes serve their purposes, although photographs from the incident show that very few passengers were wearing life jackets. …
train out of Dehradun, India
My train ticket wallah delivered my ticket to the hotel. It’s complicated to purchase a train ticket yourself in India.
Delivery fee $1.60.
I caught the 5:10am Shatabdi 2nd Class non-AC Dehradun to Delhi. About 6hrs. If all goes well, I’ll connect to my flight to Nepal.
Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand state in north India is on nobody’s tourist radar. Yet I managed to spend 4 nights here. 🙂
A few pics.
The Clock Tower.
There are far more toilets in India than the last time I was here, 14yrs-ago. Some Hi-Tech.
Garbage disposal system has advanced more slowly.
Ram Rai mausoleum, one of the few downtown highlights.
more Dehradun photos
I stayed at the Hotel Relax. Recommended. I found it through Trip Advisor, a service I’m using increasingly over Lonely Planet.
worshipping monkeys
Hanuman is a Hindu deity, who was an ardent devotee of Rama according to the Hindu legends. He is a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and its various versions. …
Hanuman participated in Rama’s war against the demon king Ravana. According to Jain texts, Hanuman is a human of vanara clan whose emblem is the monkey. …
One of my photos from Rishikesh, I should submit that for postcard consideration. Postcards are still popular in India.
I’m spending a lot of time studying monkey antics.
Mean, smart, incredibly agile.
visiting Mussoorie
Tourist town on a ridge.
… This hill station, situated in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayan ranges, is also known as the Queen of the Hills. …
Being at an average altitude of 1,880 metres (6,170 ft), Mussoorie, with its green hills and varied flora and fauna …
The main promenade in Mussoorie is called, as in other hill stations, the Mall. In Mussoorie, the Mall stretches from Picture Palace at its eastern end to the Public Library …
During the 1959 Tibetan Rebellion, the Central Tibetan Administration of the 14th Dalai Lama was at first established in Mussoorie before being moved to its present location in Dharamsala …
Now, Mussoorie suffers from overdevelopment of hotels and tourist lodges, given its relative proximity to Delhi, … and has serious problems of garbage collection, water scarcity and parking shortages, especially during the summer tourist season. …
It has a nature walk known as “Camel’s Back Road”. …
I stayed on the Camel’s Back (the best part of town) at Lonely Planet darling cheapo, the Broadway Hotel.
Here’s the view out my door.
Spiritualism is important in India. Check the impressive hospital just off the Camel’s Back.
Education is important in India.
Woodstock School is a Christian, international, co-educational, residential school located in Landour, a small hill station contiguous with the town of Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, India.
One of the best schools in the nation.
Trash disposal is not high priority in India. Mussoorie is better than most other towns, however.
Like most tourists, I enjoyed Mussoorie. 🙂
farewell Rishikesh
I’m off to Mussoorie.
arriving Kathmandu Oct 30th
Flight is booked.
My 5th visit, this time I’m going to stay in the World Heritage site of Bhaktapur outside of the city.
Trying to avoid the KathmanFlu this time.
Goal is the new Manaslu Circuit trek. Independently.
Rishikesh Adventure Sports
For centuries a Holy city, Rishikesh, India is today branding itself as an outdoor Adventure Sports centre. Especially for white water rafting. The Ganges here offers medium to rough rapids rated class 3 and class 4.
Bungee jumping was recently introduced, the only leap in India.
I’m here for trekking. But the trekking guides are NOT busy though it’s still high season.
My contact at Red Chili Adventures blames it on the Spring flooding which damaged many of the mountain roads. You can still see the damage here in Rishikesh.
In any case, I hope to survive a 9hr drive over those damaged roads tomorrow. En route to the Kuari Trek. Vistas of Nanda Devi.
I hear most of the flood damage has been cleaned up. In Rishkesh, it’s ongoing.
More Rishikesh photos.
Rishikesh cons
WikiTravel – Rishikesh, India:
A holy city it may be, but Rishikesh draws more than its fair share of criminals and conmen. Don’t walk around alone at night and beware of the motives of sadhus offering one-on-one tutoring. …
Hindu holy men do come to Rishikesh. But you’re not likely to find them in the main tourist areas.
Most of those are tourist sadhus. In the business of separating tourists from their money. 🙂
This guy got 100 rupees!! ($1.60) from cynical me. 😦
He’s good.
Amazing people skills. Gift of the gab.
Hits on every new Western tourist crossing the Ganges bridge.
Seems I’ve met him about a half dozen times around the world. Tall. Bald. Usually Hari Krishna. Usually in an airport.
This one says he’s Italian Swiss. Been in Rishikesh about 30 years. An itinerant Yoga teacher.
Don’t believe a word he says.
My default is never to do any business on the street.
Hindu festival Rishikesh
Just outside my hotel men & boys began constructing a giant statue of bamboo.
The pieces arrived complete. All that was needed was assembly.
By evening it was erect on the bank of the Ganges.
The party was loud and raucous. Many Western tourists joined in.
Next morning there was nothing left but charred remnants. It had been burned at some point.
Just another extravagant, confusing celebration in India. 🙂
Rick McCharles 