Travel Guide to India l The Expeditioner
In Part One of my India journey video information, I start my travels in India with Calcutta (Kolkata). India had lengthy been on my bucket record of nations to journey to on the earth, and in April, 2013, I lastly made it there, beginning with Calcutta, with no higher cause than the actual fact was I knew so little about that a part of the nation.
Calcutta was as soon as the capital of the British Empire in India, and right this moment it is house to over 14 million folks, which implies the town itself is a crowded, dense, loud, however endlessly fascinating place to discover. In this video I discover the alleyways and grand buildings that make up B.B.D. Bagh, the realm the place the town was based.
After trying out a parade (a quite common incidence I used to be to later study) and grabbing a roadside cup of chai, I cease on the house of famed poet and author Rabindranath Tagore, the primary Indian to win the Nobel Prize, and whose house is a good place to find out about Calcutta’s cultural historical past.
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In Part Two of my India journey video information, I journey to Bodhgaya, some of the sacred locations in the entire Buddhist faith. It was at this location 2,500 years in the past {that a} younger Prince Siddhartha sat beneath a fig tree, meditated and located enlightenment, thus turning into the Buddha.
I begin off by visiting the numerous temples which were constructed by varied Buddhists from all over the world, together with temples devoted to Buddhists dwelling in China, Japan, Tibet and Nepal. I then go to the Tergar Monastery, one of many largest Buddhist complexes within the area, which is a brief stroll from the principle street.
I then head to the sacred Mahabodhi Temple advanced within the middle of city. At sundown it’s a scenic, peaceable time to discover the grounds, which embrace a big monument constructed on the Bodhi Tree itself, in addition to a sprawling backyard space the place folks come from all over the world to meditate.
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In Part Three of my India journey video information, I journey to Varanasi, one of many holiest cities within the Hindu faith. In this video I go to the well-known ghats, or steps, which lead into the Ganges River, the holy river the place guests and locals come day by day to wash themselves and carry out spiritual ceremonies.
It is on the banks of the Ganges the place 1000’s of our bodies are burned yearly. Having your physique burned and its ashes unfold right here is taken into account to be one of many holiest locations on the earth to accomplish that within the Hindu faith.
After exploring the riverfront, I cease by an area music store to play tabla with an area sitar participant. Though I used to be a drummer in a previous life, the tabla are a very completely different model of enjoying than I used to be used to — you’ve got been warned.
I end up by taking a morning boat experience within the Ganges river. The colours you see on the river and on the buildings towering above are spectacular because the solar rises within the morning, and it was one in every of my most memorable experiences of the whole journey.
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In half 4 of my video journey information sequence to India, I journey to Darjeeling, the famed hill station recognized for its views and well-known tea plantations. The metropolis itself is nestled within the Himalaya mountains between Nepal and Northeast India, and is a well-liked place for folks to keep earlier than heading into the mountains for a trek.
In this video I go to Observatory Hill, house to the temple the place it’s thought Darjeeling received its title. Today there are a number of shrines there, 1000’s of prayer flags adorning the timber, and even a temple cave.
I then head to Happy Valley Tea Estate, one of many solely tea plantations truly situated on the town, the place I discover the grounds and sit down for afternoon tea with an area picker. Despite what I at all times assumed to be an acute sense of scent, I had problem selecting out the higher tea leaves amongst the choices, however I gave it a attempt anyway.
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In Part Five (my final) of my India journey video information, I trek into the Himalayas alongside the famed Singalila Ridge, a picturesque path that winds its manner between Nepal and India, and thru a number of small Himalayan villages. The spotlight is the morning dawn over the third highest mountain on the earth, Mount Kanchenjunga, as effectively the views of Mount Everest within the far distance.
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The host, Matt Stabile, of this video is the founder and editor-in-chief of the journey website http://www.TheExpeditioner.com. He additionally served as Director, Editor and Foley Artist for this manufacturing.
