The India Adventure Part 2: Rishikesh...

Oh I really did like Rishikesh. It is a holy city of Shiva, on the Ganges, the shops and ashrams and other buildings are strung along the two sides of this great rushing river, linked by two suspension bridges. The bridges and some of the streets are so narrow that only pedestrians, cows, and slow-moving motorbikes can pass by. All three wind patiently, and sometimes impatiently, stepping sideways to dodge each other as we go. Monkeys sit on the bridge, spectating, and stealing food if you happen to have it in your hand or a transparent bag.

 Lunchtime on the Laxman Jhula bridge

 The Ram Jhula bridge

 Ashram

 Shiva. This was my favourite statue in Rishikesh!

 The heart of Hanuman

 Another statue of Shiva

Fabric tied to a tree outside the temple - symbol of devotion?

In the old town of Swarg Ashram, beggars and religious men (sadhus) line the roads, begging bowls lined up in front. Religious pilgrims from other parts of India swarm to the temples. In the sister town of Laxman Jhula, backpacker cafes jostle with shops selling harem pants, yak-wool jumpers and hiking gear, and signs for yoga classes, past life regression, and palm reading. Jeeps hasten along the narrow roads, nearly wiping out the pedestrians as they honk their horns insistently.

 Street food, Swarg Ashram

 Our home away from home, the Oasis Cafe

 Street scene, Laxman Jhula

 Donkey laden with bricks, Laxman Jhula

 Sadhus watching a performance, Swarg Ashram

Local children, Swarg Ashram

 Beggar, Swarg Ashram

 The family that followed me, got about 40 different photos taken with me... and then I got one of them!

 Women in sarees, Laxman Jhula

 The glorious Ganges

The Ganga, the day we went for a swim

This is the city where the Beatles came, and the ashram where they stayed is now abandoned, but visitors can still wander through the crumbling buildings and weed-choked surrounds. The vibe is strange, lively, a bit eerie. 

 Entrance to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram, where the Beatles stayed

 Accommodation huts

 A pagoda shaped like a mushroom?

 The yoga hall

More space-age scenes - a pod on top of a building

An abandoned hall

Rishikesh is filled with good memories for me, good experiences and great friendships!

The India Adventure... part one...

India is one of those places that drives you crazy and amazes you all in the same breath. It is the quintessential travel destination - you really know you've gone somewhere when you get off the plane, or more particularly, when you start to negotiate for a taxi to leave the airport.

India gave me so much, so I'm giving you a little taste... this first post covers Mumbai, Kerala and Goa. Rishikesh and Dharamsala will be in subsequent posts.

The dynamic, complicated and fascinating history of India is everywhere you look. It is hard to describe the feeling you get when you're there, all I can say is that whatever India has been, and is today, it is most certainly itself.

I'll mostly let the photos speak for themselves, but I'm happy to take any questions!

Namaste...

Navigating the taxi queue... Mumbai

 Local tourists at the Gateway to India, Mumbai

 Taking a photo of me taking a photo... Trivandrum Zoo, Kerala

An old colonial house, now a museum, Trivandrum

...and then I went to stay at an ashram (view from the apartment block, of the Kali Temple)

 In a fitting ending to my stay at the ashram, I then starred in a 'Mollywood' film in Cochin...

 This little cafe in Cochin became our favourite haunt - tea and cake, how can you top that? At Teapot.

 Gorgeous Portuguese architecture in Fort Cochin.

Boating on the backwaters, central Kerala

A houseboat in all its decayed splendour

More gorgeous Portuguese architecture in the Goan capital of Panaji

Cows... and cricket... on the beach, Vagator, Goa

Travel stories

What an amazing gift travel is. Those of us who have the time and money to explore a bit of the world are so very lucky. I have come back from my three month trip refreshed, confused, excited and a bit bewildered. And I have seen lots of amazing things along the way.

I'm going to start my travel story with Beijing, the city where I began my travels. Beijing is big and busy but with a friendly small-town feel, and it is shiny and new, and amazingly old, with so many beautiful buildings tucked in between the sky-scrapers and multi-lane highways.

One of my favourite things about Beijing was the contemporary art scene. Some years ago some 1960s red brick factory and warehouse buildings just north of the city were transformed into the fantastic 798 District.

As a contemporary art fan I was really spoilt for choice - with great architecture, fascinating artwork and interesting commentaries on Chinese politics and culture everywhere I looked.

There were some great exhibitions there, including one by Wang Mai using recycled materials from industry to create fantasy landscapes.

Another thing I really liked about Beijing was the hutongs. These are like little villages strung along narrow backstreets in behind the big busy roads. You see people pushing carts, selling fruit, stopping to chat to their neighbours. And because Beijing is so flat and bike-friendly, you can see all of this as you stop your bicycle behind the cart-pusher who is stopping to talk to his neighbour...

Beijing is also remarkably close to the Great Wall, which is really one of those sights that you have to see in person. I will try to recreate the experience for you below...

Of course no visit to Beijing would be complete without a trip to Tiananmen Square...

I even got a bit of culture in at the Lama Temple:

But then it was time for me to catch a flight to India... for the next chapter in my adventure...

Going back to India

Some of you may recall that I spent a couple of weeks in India - eleven days in fact - at the start of this year for a wedding. It was an amazing, crazy, stressful, overwhelming, exciting visit. India is one of those places that doesn't do well in short visits. You spend a lot of time sitting in traffic, looking at your watch, or at the airport waiting for a delayed internal flight. Not to mention that trying to understand such a new and different place as India in less than two weeks isn't very realistic. I saw some amazing things, but I also felt bewildered a lot of the time.

The upshot of it all is, that after taking a break from my studies after one hectic semester of textile design, I have decided to go back to India. It has been more an impulse than a carefully considered plan. I feel like I need to go somewhere that is completely not like Melbourne, that will take me out of my comfort zone and throw me into some challenging and unexpected situations. And I like the idea of going somewhere that values introspection and meditation as a new (for me, anyway) way of approaching life.

India is also an amazing place to see textiles. The birthplace of paisley and so many other motifs that are part of our everyday attire these days, last time I was there I saw so much colour, and pattern, and cloth, everywhere I went. If this doesn't inspire me to return to textiles, I don't know what will!

I'm heading off on my big adventure in just a few days time. I'll try to post blogs when I get a chance, and in the meantime I wish you all success and enjoyment in your creative endeavours! I'll be back in December.

The Dirty Pastels

I'm very proud to announce the new simoneandginko jewellery range... the Dirty Pastels!

Did someone say mid 1980s? You're in your favourite pastel ensemble, painting your nails a pearly coral. Hair is big, perms are in. Bows are big, lace is everywhere.

Enter the dirty pastels… blush pink, powder blue, powder green, bobby sock yellow, mauve pearl and beige bliss.

Oval, square and round bangles and chunky rings in every shade of the 80s makeup palette.

Wear them with your best fluffy cardigan…

The Dirty Pastels range is exclusively available at Always in Warnambool, Victoria. It is a great store with lots of lovely things and I highly recommend you check it out!