Monkeys, monkeys, everwhere monkeys!

Animals wander the streets freely here. Most keep to them selves and mind their own business, most of them with the exception of monkeys! The first day I was here a monkey snuck up behind me and stole some fruit of my hand. It was a bit startling to say the least. Since then I have been very conscious of their presence. They can be cute as babys, and funny to watch as adults; but truth be told - they are a pain in the ass. They are constantly fighting, stealing food, humping, masturbating, and just generally causing chaos. They will steal your glasses and not give them back until you give them some food; they are smart little rascals! Places hire men to walk around with slingshots on monkey patrol. I even had a run in with a dozen or so once that i had to scare off with a stick and loud yelling. All this said, i still kinda love monkeys.

Fractured pinky, sick belly

In the past 4 days i managed to fracture my poor little pinky toe and get a bit of the sicky stomach problem that many people experience here in India. I got to see an Indian hospital though and i was fairly impressed by the cleanliness and efficiency with which it was run. It cost me 10 bucks and i got an x-ray out of the deal. I have to wear a splint on my toe for two weeks, and that will be a bit of an annoyance in a culture so dependant on walking. I won't go into the stomach issue, but i am sure you can imagine...

The main issue that this causes is that it slows me down, there was several more things that i wanted to shoot in this town that i will be unable to due to these issues. I leave on Wednesday morning for Rajastan.

Men of Vrindaban

I will attempt to put up some portraits of women, but they are very, very camera shy thus far.

Kids of Vrindaban part 1

Here are some selects of a series of portraits that i am working on. Every time i go out with the camera i end up shooting some portraits. Kids here for the most part love to have their photo taken. Adult males are 50/50, and women almost universally say no.

Govinda Temple

There are thousands of temples in this area, literally. I am just going to focus on shooting a few. This is a beautiful temple which is over 500 years old. The temple itself used to be several stories taller, but Muslim invaders tore down the top of the building and generally desecrated the space about 300 years ago(i think). This is a similar theme to many of the old temples in the area. Anyway, its a great looking temple so i went down at dawn to shoot it.

Night in Loi Bazaar

Loi Bazaar is one of the main shopping centers in Vrindaban. You can buy anything and everything there. It's crowded, loud, and a general sensual overload; luckly i come from NYC which has many of the same qualities. It took me a few days to feel comfortable in this environment, but now it totally seems normal to me.

Radha Kund/Syama Kund

A kund is basically a lake, a holy lake. Pilgrims come from all over to bathe in these kunds. They are located at the base of a sacred hill called Govardhana. There is a pilgrimage they one takes around this hill(I did it - 12 miles, barefoot - ouch) and you end up at Radha Kund. I wasn't really prepared to bathe in the kund, so i simply sprinkled some of the holy water on my head.