the world i see

126 days ain't too bad, right?

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:38:53 +0600

I made it to 126. Upon my return to London life around me just seemed too dull and genteel. And my camera had to go to hospital due to the charming mould it accumulated from the sweaty heat of Bangladesh. But hospital was just a pit stop on the its way to the morgue. Bangladesh does have a lot to answer for… Maybe one day I’ll try another 365 project. Maybe.

In the meantime, you can follow my photography related life here: www.estellevisagie.com.

Day 126 Spotted on the way to the train station this morning.

Sat, 15 May 2010 16:42:30 +0600

Day 126

Spotted on the way to the train station this morning.

Day 125 Cricket on Clapham Common, as viewed from the top deck...

Thu, 13 May 2010 21:07:57 +0600

Day 125

Cricket on Clapham Common, as viewed from the top deck of the number 37 bus. The colours here are so, so different; everything seems to have a washed out calmness and order to it here. I think especially so after having spent a year in the bright vibrant chaos of the Indian subcontinent, everything here seems so terribly English since my return.

Day 124 One of the most obvious differences I’ve noticed...

Wed, 12 May 2010 11:44:43 +0600

Day 124

One of the most obvious differences I’ve noticed is the availability of alcohol here, it’s on every corner. Literally every corner. I do love a good English pub. I haven’t actually been into a pub yet but it’s on my list. This pseudo winter weather is perfect for it.

Day 123 Back in London. Cold London. Is it just me or is it...

Wed, 12 May 2010 11:22:07 +0600

Day 123

Back in London. Cold London. Is it just me or is it particularly cold for this time of year? I mean it’s May already. Welcome to an English summer I guess… which I’ll take over a Bangladesh summer any day thanks. It’s slightly surreal but comforting to be back; England appears exactly as I left it. Coming back into a world so familiar, but in which I have been the one changed, means I see it all a bit differently now. If nothing else it’s amazing to be a spectator again, to just watch the world and not have the world watch me. I’m practically invisible. At last! I took this little man, my nephew, to the park and watched him earnestly rearrange the cones. And no one even asked me what country I’m from.

Day 122 While stopped at the traffic lights in an auto rickshaw...

Wed, 12 May 2010 00:55:51 +0600

Day 122

While stopped at the traffic lights in an auto rickshaw I took a photo of this Sikh man on a motorbike next to me. Obviously no one in India (or Bangladesh) wears helmets on motorbikes, but did you know that in the UK Sikhs wearing turbans are exempt from the law requiring motorcycle riders to wear a helmet? About the only interesting fact I learnt (and remembered) from my ‘Life in the UK’ test for British citizenship. This is also my last day on the sub continent, I’m off to London tomorrow. Where everyone wears helmets (except as listed above), follows road rules and drives by sight, not sound. It’s all going to seem very quiet.

Day 121 At the traffic lights in Delhi. Also spotted (but not...

Wed, 12 May 2010 00:25:27 +0600

Day 121

At the traffic lights in Delhi. Also spotted (but not pictured) Mein Kampf for sale with the traffic light book boys. Clearly a popular book on the subcontinent.

Day 120 I travelled back to Delhi by train today, and this is a...

Wed, 12 May 2010 00:19:33 +0600

Day 120

I travelled back to Delhi by train today, and this is a fellow traveller on the platform enjoying a cup of tea.

Day 119 On the streets of Rishikesh.

Sun, 09 May 2010 17:54:17 +0600

Day 119

On the streets of Rishikesh.

Day 118 My mild obsession with daytime public sleeping...

Sun, 09 May 2010 17:47:42 +0600

Day 118

My mild obsession with daytime public sleeping continues, with a devotee having a kip next to a temple in the ashram.

Day 117 Through the bars of my balcony onto the bathing scene...

Sun, 09 May 2010 17:27:26 +0600

Day 117

Through the bars of my balcony onto the bathing scene below; someone contemplating the plunge.

Day 116 The balcony of my room overlooks the Ganges which, at...

Sun, 09 May 2010 17:21:10 +0600

Day 116

The balcony of my room overlooks the Ganges which, at the foothills of the Himalayas at least is still a beautifully clean river (well, mostly anyway). Every morning people come to bathe in the Ganges, and some people like to drink it too.

Day 115 I arrived in Rishikesh today, to spend a few days...

Sun, 09 May 2010 17:17:36 +0600

Day 115

I arrived in Rishikesh today, to spend a few days relaxing by the Ganges and doing yoga. Rishikesh is a town at the foothills of the Himalayas, with the Ganges running through it. The two sides of town are connected by this pedestrian suspension bridge, as viewed from my balcony.

Day 114 Ronnie, enjoying some bed time.

Sun, 09 May 2010 16:57:00 +0600

Day 114

Ronnie, enjoying some bed time.

Day 113 My auto rickshaw wallah in Delhi today, as seen in the...

Sun, 09 May 2010 16:49:20 +0600

Day 113

My auto rickshaw wallah in Delhi today, as seen in the rear view mirror. Not that the rear view mirrors in auto rickshaws are for viewing traffic (or anything else outside of the rickshaw), they seem purely for viewing the passengers in the back seat.

Day 112 And I’m back… it’s been a while. I...

Sun, 09 May 2010 16:39:05 +0600

Day 112

And I’m back… it’s been a while. I think after 111 days of this photo blog, I got a little photo’d out. So it was good to take a break. I was still taking photos during my week off, and each photo I’ll post was still taken on the day in question, but quality and enthusiasm varied considerably…. Case in point Day 112, a photo of flowers at Gautam’s house.

Day 111 Snapped on the streets of Delhi today, a roadside shrine...

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:47:13 +0600

Day 111

Snapped on the streets of Delhi today, a roadside shrine (I guess?) to the Hindu deity Ganesha.

Day 110 Arrived in Delhi this morning, and am already blissfully...

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:05:03 +0600

Day 110

Arrived in Delhi this morning, and am already blissfully happy. I’m staying with a friend here; I was picked up at the airport by his driver and then enjoyed an amazing lunch in his airconditioned flat prepared by his cook. This is so the antithesis of my life in Bangladesh, but it’s quite amazing how seamlessly I am adjusting to the luxury. I’m loving it. Oh, and the shopping. I’m very excited about the shopping. Had a brief look around today, but a more concerted effort is planned soon.

Day 109 My last full day in Dhaka, in which I boycotted the...

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:59:00 +0600

Day 109

My last full day in Dhaka, in which I boycotted the city and hung out at the Bagha pool. I’m so ready to leave now. Didn’t want to engage with the world today, so this is a photo of some flowers on the balcony of the VSO flat. This might give an illusion that the VSO flat is a nice place to spend time. But it’s not.

Day 108 Reading the paper at the mosque down the road. It seems...

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 20:12:00 +0600

Day 108

Reading the paper at the mosque down the road. It seems that daily newspapers are pasted up on various walls across the city, allowing for public reading.