Don't worry mom and dad

I'm off to Mumbai for a few days. Will be a while until the next update.

Meanwhile...

Solar Panel Tribe

When I found out that I was going to be able to visit an Indian tribe, I imagined huts, tattoos, fire, dancing, and even a little cannibalism. I hear a lot of stories about how those tribes actually still exist, but it would take days of excruciating and dangerous travel to actually reach one, IF we even knew where they were settled.

We trekked a good 3 hours to this one and wild nature is definitely not my preferred environment. I just wanted to kill myself on the steep hike and was almost about to faint when the small village emerged in the distance. This place, tucked away in the valley next to a flowing river, was like a secret oasis deep in the mountain ranges. I was told that no one really knows how long this tribe has been around but it was obvious now that the population of this community has decreased quite a bit. I was able to make out about 8-10 wooden huts from where I was standing.

The closer we got, the more beautiful the place became. Children were playing on the beach while some women were washing and drying on a boulder.

There were patches of seeds spread out on rocky surfaces. These white bits are root vegetable chips, crisping in the sun.

We had our lunch here, and washed our hands in the flowing water.

Raj's dad had hooked us up with a permission to enter the tribe's village, I felt very lucky and privileged, but I also felt like a trespasser. All the adults had set off for the main town area to sell their goods, which would have involved fire wood, and some crops. Only the children and elders remained during our visit.

When we first entered, I was just trying to take it all in, capturing everything without thinking too much about what I was shooting. But pretty quickly, I got a really strong urge to just leave these people alone. Our guide was enthusiastically showing us around, and even invited us into some of the homes, but none of the invitations came from the people who actually lived there. I was quite uncomfortable to barge into their homes, especially since the adults were away.

After some persistent coercing from our guides, I decided to just go in for a little bit, and out after a quick peek. We took off our shoes at the gate of one lovely home, where an elderly women was squatting in the veranda area, pealing potatoes.

All of the houses were planned in the same way and this one was no exception. Covered veranda in front, where most of daily activities take place, this was also where the inhabitants sleep. Enclosed in the back of the building, is the kitchen area. An attic-like space in the roof space is left for storage and drying vegetables. These layouts are all very open-concept and have their most private functions (sleeping, living) completely exposed. Ironically, the cattle is kept in nicely enclosed huts next to the homes. Behind each plot, is of course, some farmland.

It appeared to me that this tribe, was living in quite modern conditions. They had pots and pans, even pressure cookers; there was no electricity or plumbing, but some of the homes had tin roofs, material they probably brought from town.

Even more surprising, are the little solar panels set up on each of the homes' roofs. The municipality had them set up to feed the 4 street lights that dotted the main path through the village. These lights replaced the torches that the tribe once used to ward off wild boar from their farmland.

Slowly this tribe was transitioning towards a very contemporary lifestyle. With so few families remaining on this little secret land in the valley, it looks like this village won't be around for too much longer.

Alien Encounters!!

(the alien being me)

My favourite part about India are definitely the encounters I've had with the locals. So helpful, honest, generous, and almost always hilarious! The children are beautiful and smile back when I smile. Pretty much everyone loves to have their photos taken.

These children live deep in a valley of Pachmarhi. They followed us curiously through the one narrow path of their tiny village. These tattered little kids just are just awesome when they smile at you. I fell in love with all of them, so irresistible.

In the city, a lot of kids beg at the stop lights or along the lake shore. Those little ones are tough as hell and very manipulative. It's hard to look them in the eye because they are so gorgeous.

It usually men who work in shops and this one guy, after catching me and my camera by his everything-to-do-cars store, went ahead and posed for me. Despite his expression in this photo, this mister was all smiles and laughter.

After his photoshoot, he pointed to a gang of his friends on the side of the road, who were also ready for their turn! Before I knew it,I was standing on the side of a busy road, taking photos of everyone who took notice of me and wanted their faces remembered. I quickly realized that I was starting to attract a pretty big crowd and decided to be on my way.

While Katie, Phillip and I were roaming the markets of Pachmarhi, we were stopped a few times for photos by giddy groups of girls as if we were celebrities. But none of the frenzy compared to our encounter with Mr. Patel.

This man basically stopped us as we passed his convenience booth, inquired about our places of origin, and then gestured around the corner suggesting that we follow him. We came to a jewelery store. He began to rummage through a drawer for something, and at the same time, pointed towards another man who was sitting behind a low counter. "This is my brother, this is our store, this is my father's store, now it is my store."

Some more minutes of rummaging later, Mr. Patel finally revealed two photographs of him and his brother in the very store we were standing in. The two were in the same exact positions but one captured these men at a much younger age. "This is my brother, this is me, this is my store..." Ahhhh yes, an updated photo. Finally I understood what he wanted with us.

So I proceeded to take the same photo of the same store, with the now aged brothers standing exactly as they did in the photos previously taken.

The moment after I snapped this photo, Mr. Patel grabbed my arm and motioned Katie and Phil to follow. Quite forcefully, we were invited into the back of the store, which was their home. "My wife is inside, she is very fat. My daughter is sleeping, she is very lazy..." Mr. Patel introduced us to his entire family this way.

He then grabbed Katie and positioned her in the centre of the room, then Phil, then called out to his wife: "Jutty!" A chubby lady emerged. He positioned her next to Katie and Phil. "This is my wife, she is very fat." Then he went on to re-position Katie and Phil, "this is my new daughter, this is my new son." After what seemed to be forever, Mr. Patel had managed to compose a new family portrait. I happily snapped a photo. (Check out the monkey on the wall).

This was only the beginning. He was intent on getting a variety of groupings and poses in, all of them including Katie, Phil and I as his new son and daughters. We were like his puppets, positioned as he desired. Mr. Patel was one determined man.

I'm going to mail these to Mr. Patel, but I wish I could deliver them in person and see his reaction.

Ti-grrrrrr!

I knew my chances were slim, but the goal for my trip to Satpura National Park was to see a TIGER! Philip and Katie are joining me and Raj for the trip and Phil is a huge nature and wildlife buff. He had the illustrated guides and a notebook of sightings ready to go. Normally, I wouldn't get excited about waking up before dawn in zero-degree weather for a stroll through the forest, but Phil's excitement kind of rubbed off on me. And of course, there are wild TIGERS!

So about a hundred years ago, a mountain peak of the Satpura range became surrounded by water. And the wildlife living in those forests were then trapped on what is now the island of Mahrai. This island is apart of the protected area of the national park and the water actually acts as a natural barrier. Apparently, the tigers sometimes swim across the small lake onto mainland for a visit.

We rode across on a medium-sized boat around sunset. Beautiful! So amazing.

Boat operators don't take very good photos.

We stayed at a damn nice resort (for a damn nice price) where gazelles and deer roamed freely in the yard. They were a bit aggressive during meals though.

At 6am the next morning, we watched the morning mist slowly dissipate, and set off on our adventure. I was kind of happy to hear that we'd be riding through in a Jeep rather than on foot, which could get dangerous.

Our driver and guide had keen eyes and quick reflexes. He'd halt the Jeep suddenly and we'd follow his pointed finger as quickly as we can towards an Indian deer, or some wild boars, a group of sambas, or a gang of wild dogs (which looked like foxes to me). It was all very cool, Phil and Katie were always way more excited about the animals than I was.

After about an hour and a half of deer, and samba, and boar, and buffalo, I was starting to settle with the idea that TIGER is not going to happen. Also, I was getting numb from the freezing wind coming though the open jeep.

Suddenly, our guide halted again and this time did not point into some bush in the distance, he pointed down at the trail. I peeped down over Raj's shoulder and asked what it was. Prints!! Oh my God, TIGER! (I can't believe the guide spotted prints from a speeding jeep, while driving.)

The next 5 minutes after the print sighting was full of hallucinations. Tiger shapes were popping up everywhere I looked! The climatization continued for another 20 minutes and there was nothing but more of the same. Deer, gazelle, some more deer and wild boar.

The bubble finally burst when we reached the gates out of the protected zone. It was over, and all we got were these prints.

I guess I could just go to the zoo.