Holi cow! Well, not really…
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under photography
The streets will run with color
Holi is my favorite of the Indian holidays. Everyone celebrating gets good and messy and good and messy — throwing “color” (powdered paint or dyed water balloons or oily goo or normal paint or mud or ash) at each other. I’ve been in India twice for the festival, held in the spring to, among other things, herald the coming of the warm season.
This year, I rocked through Pune briefly to “play Holi” (read: get messy and take photos) with my cousin. We covered a lot of ground around the city, but it was a rather sleepy, subdued day. We got a late start, and Pune is a bit tame when it comes to Holi. (A recent bombing at a high-profile tourist hangout that also killed some local college students didn’t help the mood.) Continue reading this entry » » »
Tags: color, festival, holi, holiday, india, photography, pune, shenanigans
Sunset over Havelock
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under photography
Right before my first night dive
The sun dips to the horizon at about 4:45 p.m. on New Year’s Day as we tie on to the buoy at one of Havelock’s popular dive sites, the Wall. A new friend, Beatrice (above), and I both log our first night dive.
Little can compare to the transition from day to night underwater, as the deep blue of the sea turns to murky navy and then almost black.
Tags: andaman and nicobar, beach, boat, environment, havelock, holiday, india, night dive, padi, photography, scuba diving, sunset, wildlife
A year-in-review
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under notes, photography
2009 kinda kicked ass
This past year pretty much rocked. And the New Year came in fine manner. No kisses, but a bonfire amid the palm trees (above), new friends, lobster, a decent cigar (thanks, C!), champagne and even the Harry Connick, Jr., band playing Auld Lang Syne at midnight (never leave home without the iPod).
I meant to post this sooner, but here’s a little look back at my new life (as chronicled on this blog):
Continue reading this entry » » »
Tags: andaman and nicobar, antananarivo, beach, beer, circumcision, conservation, delhi, drought, economy, emerging nations, environment, festival, fishing, food, ft dauphin, gear, havelock, health, hiv, holiday, india, island, journalism, kenya, kibera, kisumu, lemur, maasai mara, madagascar, market, motorcycle, multimedia, mumbai, nairobi, party, photography, port blair, poverty, preparation, scuba diving, shenanigans, shopping, thailand, tourism, wildlife
I may be ’stuck’ in southeast Asia
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under notes
Anyone contemplating a visit in the next year should probably pay attention. There has been an official hiccup in visa rules, meaning I may need to leave the country for longer than planned this spring.
Essentially, after it was revealed that alleged terrorist conspirator David Headley had stayed in India long-term on a tourist visa, the Indian government has cracked down. Under previous rules, with the five-year tourist visa I currently hold, I could stay in the country for up to six months at a time and leave even for one day to “reset” my visa clock. Hence, my week booked in Thailand beginning March 31.
However, under the new rules, I have to leave for at least two months. This means that instead of returning to India from Thailand, and heading to Sikkim to teach English at a volunteer-supported school, I would be “stuck” in Thailand. And the Thai tourist visa is typically valid for 30 days, meaning I would need to move somewhere else.
Continue reading this entry » » »
Tags: beach, holiday, india, island, ministry of home affairs, oci, overseas citizen of india, preparation, shenanigans, stupidity, thailand, tourism, visa
≤20 Seconds: Delhi’s wonderful chaos
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ≤20 seconds
Continue reading this entry » » »
This is the colorful, chaotic India that is old Delhi. It’s also the antithesis of my slow, island life of the last couple (and next couple) weeks.
Tags: chaos, delhi, festival, gobind singh, guru, holiday, india, multimedia, party, religion, sikh
Disconnected and loving it
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under notes
The blog has gone dark for a reason: I severed ties to modern telecommunications for more than a week. And it was glorious.
When I came to Havelock Island for some reporting, sun and surf in a tropical Valhalla, I completely lost touch. Hell, for several days, the Internet was literally a half-hour drive from my hotel.
And when I finally did stop at a cafe, I (re)learned the painfully slow (glacier-like) reality of dial-up Internet 500 kilometers from anywhere. We’re talking pre-1998 data speeds.
So while I have had many thrilling adventures involving new friends, good food, tan lines, a deadly banded sea krait and one near-fatal (overdramatic: could have been fatal if I had freaked-out and acted utterly stupid) hiccup, the retelling of those tales will have to wait a bit longer.
I should be back to a bit more civilization (sadly) in a few days, so perhaps there will be time to recount my shenanigans then.
Happy Holidays to all.
Tags: environment, holiday, india, journalism, party, port blair, shenanigans, tourism
Painting with slow exposure
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under photography
One-second exposure at ISO 80
It should be obvious by now, that I’m a bit obsessed with Christmas lights. No blue, because that circuit burned out.
Tags: christmas, decorations, delhi, festive, holiday, india, lights, shenanigans, yule
