Agra

What can I say. I spent the entire day breathless. I wondered through a living fairytale of a city with the love of my life. It don't get much better for a good ole boy like me.

Varanasi

This time it was the epicentre of Hinduism that I visited. Varanasi is incredible. It is a living breathing reminder of another time. Religion swirls around daily life here. Cows freely roam every alley. The Puja ceremony puts the entire city on hold every night. The Ganges river is the the most holy to the Hindus. People bathe, worship and come to die here. I saw an actual cremation take place on the burning ghat. This was, at first, and obviously, a tad disturbing. But as the cremation proceeded, I saw nothing but the peaceful and natural process of life come to its obligatory end. I spent those minutes counting the many blessings that I have been given, and promised myself to make each day count as much I can.

Bodh Gaya

This area is the centre of the Buddhist faith. Under a Bodhi tree many centuries ago, Siddharta Gautama attained enlightenment and became the Buddha. A tree related to the original still stands behind the big temple. The area is very peaceful, and rings of spirituality.

Calcutta

I made it to India, thus fulfilling a lifelong dream. India has been everything that I imagined it would be and much more. Calcutta was very interesting. There is some great old colonial era building that are are in pristine condition. I visited a temple dedicated to the goddess Kali. There were many pigrims there that day. A brahmin priest managed to push us in to see the inner sanctum, and cleansing tank. He also said some Hindu prayers for me, that I might be re-incarnated as a higher being. Now at least I have that going for me. The poverty of Calcutta is upsetting. I suppose I could say something about the dignity of the poor there. Or maybe I could poetically lament the suffering that I witnessed. But I think instead I will just say that poverty plain old, big fat SUCKS. It needs to be addressed and eradicated quickly.

Phmominal

Phnom Penh is a wonderful city. We stayed at a little guesthouse on a lake called the Lazy Fish. The city was a French colony for many years, so it retains some of the faded elegance of those times. The people are really nice and tourists are treated like honoured guests. Well worth the trip if you ever get time.

Sites of the Cambodian Genocide

In the 70's, the Khmer Rouge regime under the tutelage of Pol Pot massacred approximately one quarter of the people of Cambodia. I debated with myself whether or not to share these pictures, but concluded that it was at least my duty to bear witness to the atrocities, and share the experience within my sphere of influence, limited as it may be. The dark times that Cambodia suffered has really done very little to dampen their spirits. The people are without question some of the finest and friendliest souls that I have ever encountered. In the photos you will see the Choeng Ek Killing Fields, and also the Tuol Sleng torture area, also referred to as S-71. The tower houses thousands of human skulls, many belonging to women and children. Imagine the horror of being blindfolded, trucked out of town and then listening to your relatives being shot and cast into pits, until your turn arrives. Many of these people suffered this fate for the heinous crimes of becoming doctors, or learning to speak French. Well, I won't tell you to enjoy these photos, but please tell your friends about these events, and remember your loved ones, and the beautiful life that we all enjoy these days. After seeing all of these places, I found myself incredibly disenfranchised with life. Thankfully, in Cambodia, playing children and smiling people are never far around any corner.

Angkor Wat

I cannot put this place in words....sorry. PLEASE visit it sometime.

Laos

I had a really nice time in Laos. The people are very relaxed and nice. Luang Prabang is a small city in the north. We climbed waterfalls and visited temples there. Vang Vieng is a small riverside town, great for motorcycling and also falling off motorcycles, not me of course, some other careless Canadian. He even broke the brakes off the bike, and bashed up his elbow. Putz.