a few first sikkim photos and trip notes

tacita

i sprung for the $25 bucks to get 6+ GB of storage. the edit functions are easy to navigate and i can blog (albeit after the fact) about the trip and import pics where i wish. it may not be the best or most professional choice, but it seems to work for me, of more simple-minded ilk.


CBH, did email you some pics, but i may now be moot, especially given the site problems.

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machadinha

See also the recent Photos and File Upload Issues. Apparently it's still not working well.

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neela

Your pictures are gorgeous and looking at them has made me even more excited for my upcoming trip in 2 weeks. Thank you for sharing them!

Bigzero

Great photos, Janice!

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miles to go....

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mountaingirl

Hi!

I don't know WHY do I visit this website? Now, I am so completely homesick (err, mountain sick) after looking at your wonderful pictures

If that is you in the picture - you look very nepalese with that akshata (tika with rice grain mixed with curd and colour)

I am looking forward to your complete report on the latest. PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEE Let us have it SOONN...we are ALL DYING to hearrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

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If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip!

nadreg

Hmmm.... I'll take a look into this. I'll see what's causing the problem.

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nadreg

Try the attachments thingy now...

I think I fixed it:

Attached Thumbnails

 

Nick-H

Janice, I'd love a 1024 * 768 pixels of photo No 6 --- to use as wallpaper



<later...> Oh! I see all I need to do is click 'download picture' !

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tacita

well, shucks, that's flattering, nick! i'm glad you like that one. i did digitally enhance it, so you know. the sunrise that morning was impressive, to be sure, but not quite that dramatic!

thanks to cyberhippie for resizing the pix. thumbnails for about 10 are now in my OP, and i'm actually making progress on the other 2013. will spare our server tho', and post them elsewhere should anyone wish to see them. soonly...soonly...

Zeppy

I'm looking forward to seeing all the photos! Janice, did you get to ride a yak? Did you cross that unnerving swinging bridge on the road from Pelling to Yuksom? Did your hairdryer work? Could you make coffee in the morning with your immersion heater?

Bhaswaran

Excellent pictures Janice, I am waiting for more of them.

Did u get these through your S3 IS I saw with you in Kolkata?

tacita

hi zeppy! how very sweet of you to remember my "issues."

unfortunately, despite asking around, including with local tour operator, i was unable to find another person (or people) to form a group, and i could not get a permit for just one person, two being the minimum. hence, no yak ride. but these things do have a way of turning out for the best, as the day i'd alotted was rainy and cold and i heard the road there was likely impassable with snow and washouts.

i had quite a few suspension bridge crossings, though i'm not sure i made the same crossing that you did. be that as it may, i felt sufficiently "bridged" that i was willing to forego seeking out singshore bridge. the ravine and river views i had were fantastic! but boy, those roads are really something. a four wheel drive vehicle is only a starting requirement. they really do require the skill of a driver experienced in navigating them, too. i was endlessly impressed by my driver's skill, agility and sheer strength just getting us up, around and through. at some points, the road looked so dangerous that i got out and walked, meeting him on the other side of whatever possible fatal hazard we faced.

yes, my hairdryer worked, thank you, and considering how cold it was, i was grateful to have it. indeed, in most places i stayed, it was almost the only heat i could generate, the silly space heaters they provided giving forth not much more warmth than a single candle! but i didn't need it to fend off any monkeys, no, and i did rather enjoy watching (and taking video) them swing wildly from the prayer flags in darjeeling.

my heating coil (another source of crucial life-sustaining warmth), also worked perfectly with an adaptor and i was glad to have it to get my cold, creaky self moving on those frigid mornings, most of which i began at 4:30 a.m.

i'm slowly, but methodically editing and uploading pix, though their brief captions may well be the only narrative i provide for now. so much to tell, such amazing people, sights and experiences! it was a singular adventure and one that gave me greater clarity about my life - spiritually and otherwise. i had some bleak, frightening and frustrating experiences, but i have to take the the trip as a whole and, in that regard, i wouldn't change a thing.

thanks again for your kind post here. btw, i'll be in paris the last week in may - perhaps we might meet?

tacita

hi, there, award-winning fotog! i did indeed use my canon, but it's an S2 IS. i tweaked and enhanced these pix, too, as you probably assumed. is that considered "cheating"? well, no matter, it's the most fun and creative part of the process, which is why it's taking me so long to get my photos uploaded. the stitch-assist function works well, too. the software makes it a breeze, even for a tech-idiot like me!

Nick-H

Yes, the stitch assist is fun for panoramas

tacita

in a reflection of just how much i exist in the digital stone age, i was afraid i was going to have to match everything up myself! imagine my surprise when i clicked on that "merge" button and, voila! unfortunately, a few of my less skillfully shot sequences show transition seams. too bad, as it's on some real favorite panoramas from pelling! presumbly, there's some other inscrutable (to me) application that can fix that. maybe i need a photoshop class or something, eh? (or could just read the manuals, i know...)