Just a pre-announcement on our March 2011 trip to experience Holi and Varanasi combined with three days at Bandhavgarh tiger tracking. The dates are something like March 18-28, 2011 but the full itinerary will be up in the usual sections of this website during the course of the coming week. We hope you will join us on this specially planned Holi fun and Spring Colour festival, spiritual Varanasi and Bandhavgarh tiger safari combination. Please check out the full itinerary this week and let us know if you would like to go on the 'interested in coming' list.
Speaking of Spring, is it at last finding its way to London?!
We have two remaining spaces for our whales and bears trip sailing in British Columbia this September/October so if anyone's interested.... There is no single supplement on this trip but flights will become problematic with each passing week.
Have a great week this week.
Julie and Adam
New Trip: Holi and Elephant Festivals, Varanasi and Tigers in March 2011
Elephant and Holi festivals; Jaipur - 5 March
Well the first slideshow with some video. The video was taken in the City Palace at Jaipur. The King and Queen come out and sit down. A very large bonfire is lit in front of them. Suddenly about 100 men appear with torches to light from the bonfire. As soon as these are lit they RACE off shouting to the gate of the Palace where motorcycles are waiting which take them off to their districts where they light their local bonfires. Mad and exciting!
Adam
Godfather Part III - 3 March 2010
This feels a little like the third Godfather film. The first was groundbreaking and the second one of the best films ever made. For me, the Elephant Festival was like the first Godfather. Groundbreaking and great fun. Holi was like Godfather II. Absolutely amazing and a memory that will stay with me for life. The last 24 hours has been a little bit more quiet, but still provided what I really like about India; the chance to understand and photograph some of the local people.
My best "tash" of the trip goes to this gypsy. I am sure there were some small animals living in it.
The gypsies lived by the side of a motorway in tents made from sheets of plastic. The men generally worked on construction where they could and drifted to where the work was available. A tough life. Anyway, some of the people were really beautiful.
Another tough life are the shepherds. At this time of year they leave their homes in the dryer part of India and spend five months on the road with their sheep leaving behind their wives and children. They have a mule to carry their possessions and that is it. No TV, DVD players, lap-tops or any other possessions that many of us in the west believe we need. A tough life and all the shepherds I have met are a very proud bunch, as they should be.
They roam in groups of men with hundeds of sheep undr their control. When they need cash (for theirs is a cash economy) they can sell one of their sheep to make ends meet.
Another subject to study are turbans. As you can see from the photo above, the shepherds have a distinctive quite large floppy model. Where this gypsy has a much more tight look (and you can see his plastic tent behind).
Finally, the kids remain so positive, curious and good natured. 
I am sitting in Delhi airport reflecting on an amazing few days. Really sorry that Julie was not able to make it. Despite this, I threw myself into her challenge to make sure I captured some of what the Elephant festival and Holi was all about. I hope I managed some of it. I was also glad to get away from the city for the past 24 hours and spend time in the fields among the farmers and shepherds.
That it is from me. Again (and I am sure I am boring you by now) India is an amazing destination both for wildlife and shooting the most colourful people .. most of whom love having their photographs taken.
Finally, if you are feeling fed up with your job ... think of this lady who today was mixing fresh dung with the chaff from wheat to make dung cakes which are used as fuel in the open fires ....
Bye for now
Adam
Holi in Jaipur - 2 March 2010
OK, if there is one thing that we all must do at some stage in our lives ... it is coming to Jaipur for Holi. Holi is an Indian festival all about the changing seasons (like all Indian festivals). It represents the first flowering of new plants and hence is the colour festival. And when I say colour I mean COLOUR!
The tradition is that everyone greets each other in a different way. Rather than shake hands you rub dye into the face of your friend or a complete stranger and he or she does the same to you!
Sometimes the colours are bright
And sometimes black!
And it is a time of laughter, fun and not taking life too seriously
While Julie was not there, I could decide who to dance with
And all through the morning everyone is visiting friends, relatives and just being sociable
Photographically it is tricky. The kids have waterpistols and want to soak everybody. There is dust everywhere. And you are being grabbed all the time to have your face smeared!
Dust ... think what this does to your sensor if you do not seal your camera!
But what is fantastic is that there are so many photo opportunities whether it is the old or young!
What else can I say. Well I had soooooooo much fun and know just about anyone with any sense of humanity will really get more out of life just by coming.
Oh yes, did I mention I met the queen of Jaipur?
Julie and I are already planning to run a shutterspeed expedition here next year! It was that good. This is a pretty quick update while I am waiting to travel back to Delhi. What is absolutely true is that I have a big grin on my face! Life sometimes is exceptional.
Adam