Steal Your Soul » 6 Months

Cranganore, 16.01.2009

Bruno — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:00:07 +0000

After doing a small search on the internet while in Kochi, I discovered that there was a festival in a nearby town. Along with elephants and the standard stuff, I found a small fun fair. The lady in the first photo is “Naga Rani”, the “Snake Queen”. Trivially, a woman is sitting under a table and her head is popping up. A fake snake is attached to her head. Under the table there is a mirror, so you have the impression to see through it. The trick is so easy that I was amazed how no one would see it. It’s how I discovered that faith and will are intertwined, if you want to believe you will.

An alternative to western rational thinking. I’m not sure I could live with it, but it makes people happy.

Cranganore, India, 2009

Cherai Beach, 18.01.2009

Bruno — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 06:00:37 +0000

Cherai Beach, India, 2009

Kochi, 14.01.2009

Bruno — Wed, 11 May 2011 06:00:12 +0000

Kochi, India, 2009

Kochi, 13.01.2009

Bruno — Wed, 04 May 2011 06:00:17 +0000

Kochi, India, 2009

It’s the first time that I see so many tourists in India. Fake fishermen fake to catch fish and tell the tourists that they can also fake to catch it. In the meanwhile the fisherman takes a photo of the tourist (that’s a wonderful inversion of roles, so sorry that I didn’t take a picture of it) and everyone’s happy, until the tourist discovers that he might leave a donation for the fake fishermen.

I climbed on a tiny bamboo structure to reach a platform that was a little bit more off the coast. It took me some time, because I was afraid to fall and lose my camera, but the end I did it, thus allowing me to become a “level 2 tourist”.

Between Kozikhode and Kochi, 12.01.2009

Bruno — Mon, 02 May 2011 06:00:27 +0000

Between Kozikode and Kochi, India, 2009

Me: “this hotel is very noisy”.
Clerk: “thank you, sir!”

Sultan Bathery, 11.01.2009

Bruno — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 06:00:56 +0000

Sultan Bathery, India, 2009

This morning, to get into the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, I had to show my passport. Since I carry it in a belt under my trousers, I had to unlock my belt and get it while they were on the ground. In that moment an Indian guy wanted his photo to be taken with me. Somewhere an Indian family has a souvenir photo together with a westerner with his pants off.

I didn’t have the exact change to get into the park, so the guardian make me a discount of a couple of rupees instead of trying to ask for more. Never happened before in India.

Mysore, 09.01.2009 – 4

Bruno — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 06:00:05 +0000

Mysore, India, 2009

On the stairway that brings to the internet point where I went yesterday evening, there were two people sleeping: a man and a boy. This sight disturbed me. I’m not shocked by the beggars (but are they really so?) who sleep on the streets, but from the army of people who work in restaurants and hotels for almost no money and without a place where they can sleep, without a family and without hopes for their future that ain’t mere survival in their status of servants. “Hello, Sir”. “Thank you, Sir”.

Mysore, 09.01.2009 – 3

Bruno — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 06:00:17 +0000

Mysore, India, 2009

Mysore, 09.01.2009 – 2

Bruno — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 06:00:10 +0000

Mysore, India, 2009

Mysore, 09.01.2009

Bruno — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 06:00:40 +0000

Mysore, India, 2009