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If you're a regular, you know about my buddy Battman, who left last October to tour the world. Today he sent word from INDIA, with six photos: These photos are un-retouched, just as Battman took them: all 1024x768 resolution, 160-to-200-KB. They're too good to cut up in Photoshop. So if you're on dial-up, they might take a bit to download. ••• continued ••• • Snake charmers - Couple of Indians entertain with their baskets of cobras for whoever would share a few rupees. • World's highest motorable pass (Himalayas: 17,350-feet), aka "the high road" - Hitch-hiking over the world's highest motorable pass (17,350-feet) involves encountering many repairs such as the one seen here. Here a section of the pass is being quickly (relatively speaking) bulldozed back into action. It had been washed away by runoff from snow melt. Yep, those are the legendary Himalayas in the background. Covered with snow in July. The air was so thin that simple walking felt like a sprint. • Group photo (Himalayas: 17,500-foot elevation) - At the highest point of this Himalayan pass, many stop for a group photo. This a group of high-school kids I caught a ride with, along with military guards assigned to escort them. Lots of military along these border regions. Prayer flags send a prayer to God every time they flap in the wind. I'm seated in the middle. • Nubra Valley - Other side of the pass, in the Himalayas. Here is the spectacular Nubra Valley, with its flowers, people, dunes, rivers and stunning vistas. • Himalayan Sand Dunes - What? Sand dunes in the Himalayas? That's right. Here they are. Sights along the road less travelled. • Call to Prayer: Himalayas - Every morning at 6am, monks call to prayer the faithful living on valley floor, using traditional conch horn. Battman says, "Next stop: Bangkok (Thailand) including Cambodia & Laos." |
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