nomadic wonderings: Jodphur to Gokarna

This was another crazy marathon ride, as usual I understimate the map scale and set out to reach Gokarna, south of Goa to meet up with friends and celebrate Christmas.
It ended up to be a ride of 1600km and just managed to reach there in time, with many more encounters along the way, interviews, photos, sweat, dust and grinding of gears.......

Village elder smoking `chillum` breakfast with friends

A rare opportunity to photograph women and their colours, normally they are very shy, and sometimes dangerous to photograph, take note if snapping away in rural areas... I was once nearly beaten with sticks when a village of men came running after me, very angry after finding out I had taken a photo of some of their village women, one of them must have seen me aiming my camera and had gone off to round up the possy.

Luckily I do not get too offended by the crowds that demand my attention every day....mind you this was after smoking a chillum with the Baba this morning, but a smile goes a long way, they presented me with flowers and blessings.....

Next it was Chai drinking with their village elder, sampled some strange plant concoction that was the same colour as his turban, which did actually give me power that day and I promptly sped off down the road looking for more adventure.....way hey....

huge Banyan trees and a perfect place for lunch.

...Then I met a Botanist with a PHD, just setting up a guest house and very interested to share his knowledge of pants. He has worked very closely with many of the local people that are scattered about living in the surrounding hills, they teach him ancient plant knowledge and he teaches them what he knows, so between them they had a rich source of information, immediately he took me off around his garden showing me some amazing medicinal and nutitional properties of plants that you would not look twice at....

Stivia, used as a sweetener, sugar

this completely nurtalises sugar, used to treat diabeties

the seeds of this are so nutritious that Indian Saddus crush them and mix with milk which they rink once a day and claim they have powers that overcome the need to eat......plant magic

A long winding road just up from the Botanists guest house.

A night in the cells.....after watching the moon eclipse with a friend from the Hunaman temple, police came and insisted I stayed at the station, despite my assurance that I was OK and always camped outside, they would not hear of it, they fed me and gave me a room next to the chief in command, fair enough.