Pictures Update

January 24, 2008 by Rick.

We have finished getting caught up on picture uploading today finally.
http://pics2008.jamesworld.ca
Tomorrow we switch to a cheaper hotel, but are still at Lighthouse Beach in Kovalam in Southern India. We will not have as decent internet there, but we won’t be doing anything but relaxing anyways, (and that’s hardly worth reporting).

Alex is becoming wonderfully experimental with her new digital camera. The kids were taking all sorts of wild shots with it in the water as well. The first couple of underwater shots are of fish in a Spring fed pond in the middle of a Sikh temple complex that has a real gold roof. She also took a picture of a large framed photo of another more famous one in NW India that had even more gold. While we didn’t get to it in person, she insisted it’s worthiness for the gallery.

Other notable shots include a cannon ball hole in the wall of a building at the Agra Red Fort. This was the governing Palace and garrison of the King (Maharajah really) that built the Taj Mahal. The very hard white marble of this royal family residence is the same that built the Taj and with the same beautiful precious stones inlay artistry. In Delhi we also saw a regiment of camel calvary going down the street which was pretty cool. Right out of AOE!

There’s also a couple of shots of Luke at various monuments when he was captured by other tourists for photos with them. Alex has been asked a couple of times too, but fat chance of that! Luke is also shown sprawled out on a super soft silk carpet that was dirt cheap, and still miles out of our reach.

Pictures of the World’s largest Cannon and the baby brother of the World’s largest sundial round it all out. This sundial (with Luke posing at the top) was one of many very cool astronomical instruments that the Maharajah built in Northern India. This one could read time in 20 second increments, while the larger one (not shown yet) is 20+m tall and can read time in two second increments. The cannon was only fired once. It was a test shot and the ball traveled over 35km!!! About the same time the cannon was done at this Jaipur fort, a wall (similar to China’s) was completed all around the area. It was along the tops of mountain ridges, and probably included only about 20 square km.

How do you get another car of tourists to stop when you know that they’re from Canada? Lastly is a shot of Rick holding up his makeshift sign that made the Gunn family notice us. We stopped and chatted along the side of the road for a bit and then later in town. They had the exact same MEC rolling duffel’s that we are all using. Patti had the same one as well, which shows to go ya what a fine product it must be, (and super handy for world traveling!).

Posted in 2008-01 to 02, India | 2 Comments »