恆河夜色

Night Descends on the Ganges

Varanasi, India

(click pictures to enlarge)

JMTMD

泰姬陵
 
 Taj Mahal

Agra, India

在巴士上遠望泰姬陵
200 mm telephoto

泰姬陵後負薪草而歸的孩子

點擊照片放大(click to enlarge)

 Photo by

JMTMD

菩提本無樹

兩年千三百年前佛陀在菩提樹下悟道，創立了佛教。二十三世紀以來佛教發揚光大，這株「本尊」樹也被插枝繁殖到不少地方。最有名的是在印度 Bodh Gaya 的 Mahabodhi Temple 和錫蘭的Anuradhapura。照片中的這株菩提樹是西元1931年自錫蘭插枝而來的「分身」，種在佛陀首次講經的道場 Sarnath。Sarnath 是佛教四大聖地之一。各國來朝聖的佛教徒絡繹不絕。我們有幸到此，也撿拾了數枚菩提落葉為記。

JMTMD
Sarnath, India
Jan-Feb, 2012

Cheapest Phone in Nepal

Every traveler to Nepal needs a local phone, because inevitably you'll need to call your guide or your driver or arrange for various activities. The cheapest way to do so is to buy a local SIM chip. Here is what you need:

(1) An unlocked cell phone (Buy one before you go or get your old cell phone unlocked with online instructions)
(2) One passport photo
(3) The seller will need to have a copy of your passport and a local address, so either take your passport or have a copy ready. (I used my hotel address, and the seller did not raise any issue)
(4) Go to a local NCell shop, which you can find at just about any street corner in Kathmandu, and buy a SIM chip by filling out an application and pay 100 Rs for it and add, say, 200 Rs of talk time. For as little as 300 Rs ($4 USD--at Feb 2012's exchange rate) you can have a local phone activated right there at the shop by computer, or you can follow the simple instructions that come with the SIM chip to activate it yourself.
(5) You can recharge talk time should you run out. The minimum amount of recharge is 50 Rs. Talk time is very cheap. For example, I made a 4-minute international call to Beijing for about 40 Rs. Local calls are dirt cheap. So is texting.

I brought two unlocked phones to Nepal, an iPhone 3 and an old Samsung. For some reason the SIM did not work on the iPhone but worked on the Samsung. I have no idea why the iPhone did not work, I wish I'd find out why. The iPhone took a China Mobile SIM just fine before my Nepal trip. At any rate, I was happy that I was able to have an inexpensive local phone while I was in Nepal. It proved to be extremely useful.

You can get an India cellphone the same way.


JMTMD
Feb, 2012

喜馬拉雅山的 Annapurna 山脈

我們在尼泊爾的Pokhara 城等了三天才拍到的照片。大部份的時候不是雲霧遮掩，就是空氣污染而無法一睹真面目。當天天不亮我們開車到城外Sarangkot 的小山上拍得這些景觀。

尼泊爾這國家唯一能賺外匯的資源就是『山』。我懷疑有朝一日這尼泊爾的命脈就會被污染破壞無遺。

左邊的Annapurna South (南峰)海拔7219公尺
右邊的險峰是當地的聖山，Machapuchare, the "Fishtail"(魚尾峰)海拔6997公尺
Annapurna 的主峰，海拔8091公尺(26,545英尺) 被南峰擋住而無法見到。
(點擊照片放大)

We waited in Pokhara, Nepal for 3 days before we could get a clear shot of the Annapurna Range. Most of the time the mountains were shrouded in a veil of clouds, smog and haze. The air pollution problem is severe in Nepal. Consider yourself lucky it you get to see the mountains without difficulty. I am afraid the days of unobstructed views are numbered. One day air pollution will obliterate the only resources Nepal has known, the mountains, and the tourist dollar will dry up. 

(Click the pictures to enlarge)

從旅館窗戶拍到的鏡狀雲，遮掩了Machapuchare 峰

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapurna

JMTMD

二月‧2012年

攝於尼泊爾