In Part One of my India journey video information, I start my travels in India with Calcutta (Kolkata). India had lengthy been on my bucket record of nations to journey to on the planet, and in April, 2013, I lastly made it there, beginning with Calcutta, with no higher purpose than the actual fact was I knew so little about that a part of the nation.
Calcutta was as soon as the capital of the British Empire in India, and at present it is residence to over 14 million individuals, which implies town itself is a crowded, dense, loud, however endlessly fascinating place to discover. In this video I discover the alleyways and grand buildings that make up B.B.D. Bagh, the realm the place town was based.
After trying out a parade (a quite common prevalence I used to be to later study) and grabbing a roadside cup of chai, I cease on the residence of famed poet and author Rabindranath Tagore, the primary Indian to win the Nobel Prize, and whose residence is a superb place to find out about Calcutta’s cultural historical past.
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In Part Two of my India journey video information, I journey to Bodhgaya, some of the sacred locations in the entire Buddhist faith. It was at this location 2,500 years in the past {that a} younger Prince Siddhartha sat underneath a fig tree, meditated and located enlightenment, thus turning into the Buddha.
I begin off by visiting the numerous temples which have been constructed by numerous Buddhists from all over the world, together with temples devoted to Buddhists dwelling in China, Japan, Tibet and Nepal. I then go to the Tergar Monastery, one of many largest Buddhist complexes within the area, which is a brief stroll from the principle street.
I then head to the sacred Mahabodhi Temple advanced within the heart of city. At sundown it’s a scenic, peaceable time to discover the grounds, which embody a big monument constructed on the Bodhi Tree itself, in addition to a sprawling backyard space the place individuals come from all over the world to meditate.
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In Part Three of my India journey video information, I journey to Varanasi, one of many holiest cities within the Hindu faith. In this video I go to the well-known ghats, or steps, which lead into the Ganges River, the holy river the place guests and locals come on daily basis to wash themselves and carry out non secular ceremonies.
It is on the banks of the Ganges the place 1000’s of our bodies are burned yearly. Having your physique burned and its ashes unfold right here is taken into account to be one of many holiest locations on the planet to achieve this within the Hindu faith.
After exploring the riverfront, I cease by a neighborhood music store to play tabla with a neighborhood sitar participant. Though I used to be a drummer in a previous life, the tabla are a totally totally different type of enjoying than I used to be used to — you have been warned.
I end up by taking a morning boat experience within the Ganges river. The colours you see on the river and on the buildings towering above are spectacular because the solar rises within the morning, and it was one in every of my most memorable experiences of all the journey.
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In half 4 of my video journey information collection to India, I journey to Darjeeling, the famed hill station recognized for its views and well-known tea plantations. The metropolis itself is nestled within the Himalaya mountains between Nepal and Northeast India, and is a well-liked place for individuals to keep earlier than heading into the mountains for a trek.
In this video I go to Observatory Hill, residence to the temple the place it’s thought Darjeeling bought its identify. Today there are a number of shrines there, 1000’s of prayer flags adorning the bushes, and even a temple cave.
I then head to Happy Valley Tea Estate, one of many solely tea plantations truly situated on the town, the place I discover the grounds and sit down for afternoon tea with a neighborhood picker. Despite what I at all times assumed to be an acute sense of scent, I had problem selecting out the higher tea leaves amongst the choices, however I gave it a strive anyway.
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In Part Five (my final) of my India journey video information, I trek into the Himalayas alongside the famed Singalila Ridge, a picturesque path that winds its method between Nepal and India, and thru a number of small Himalayan villages. The spotlight is the morning dawn over the third highest mountain on the planet, Mount Kanchenjunga, as nicely the views of Mount Everest within the far distance.
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The host, Matt Stabile, of this video is the founder and editor-in-chief of the journey web site http://www.TheExpeditioner.com. He additionally served as Director, Editor and Foley Artist for this manufacturing.
