Ahmedabad>Delhi>Haridwar>Rishikesh>Shimla>Manali (2013)

^^me and kanti dada at a temple/stepwell outside of Ahmedabad

^^ these birds are everywhere around Ahmedabad

^^ my grandfather’s childhood home in a village an hour outside of Ahmedabad

^^ the farmer who takes care of my grandfather’s plot

^^ Adalaj step well, beautifully preserved from 1499, located on the road between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.  from ground level, you can walk five stories into the earth to reach the water below. hindu/jain and islamic carvings.

^^kanta ba

^^kanti dada

^^ Haridwar. start of the river ceremonies on the banks of the Ganges. people bathe to wash away their sins, light candles and place flowers in the fast flowing water as blessings

^^nighttime at Haridwar

^^riding with Victor (looking very GQ) in a decked-out auto-rickshaw in Haridwar

^^second night at Haridwar, the crowds were huge with the ceremonies being led over the loudspeakers

^^huge Shiva statue near Har ki pauri, must of been 100 feet tall

^^elderly couple bathing in the Ganges in Rishikesh. the chains are so you dont get swept away by the super fast currents

^^woman by the river

^^view of Laskshmanjula area of Rishikesh built into the cliffsides

^^ dog taking a nap 

^^me and Vic dunked ourselves into the ganges (it was frigid!!).  the temperature in Rishikesh was bearable (at ~95 degrees), but the glacial waters of the ganges must have been 40 or 50.   

^^ cows roam the streets… this one wandered into a hotel lobby

^^ the view from Lakshmanjula bridge

^^me and Vic rocked out with some Sitar lessons from some very chill music instructor brothers.  I think we learned everything they had to teach in two lessons…

^^shiva statue in front of Parmarth Niketan Ashram

^^ the old British resort town of Shimla.  now a getaway spot for indians escaping the delhi summer heat

^^ the misty mountain views from Shimla

^^Shimla is built on steep hillsides covered in lush greenery and hidden stairways

^sunset over the himalayas as seen from our hostel room in Manali.  the long winter meant we couldnt get through the rohtang pass to the valleys on the other side of this range

^^relaxing and reading at one of the many cafes of old Manali

^^very interesting building styles with (precariously) overhanging second and third stories

^^parade running through old Manali

^^stray puppies are all over indian cities.  they look very well fed and I wish I could have taken this little guy taking a nap back with me to the states

^^we took a 13km bike ride completely uphill from old Manali to Solang Valley. it was nearly defeating, but the views were great

^^we made it to Solang Valley!  Took us 5 hours to get up, and about 45 minutes to get back down^^a little slice of home in Manali… haha.  (we did not eat here)