Christmas in New York City: Winter Wonderland at Pier 15

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Welcome to volume three of “Amateur Learns Aperture” where I take advantage of living in New York City to get outside while learning to use my camera.  Tonight, I brought my camera out to dinner at Winter Wonderland at Pier 15 in the Financial District.

I have to say, I picked the perfect time of year to begin this project as New York is really pretty at this time of year.  I have so many things to choose from and the pressure to see it all before I leave for vacation in three weeks, really inspires me to get out of my apartment.  This has been wonderful for my mental health.

Back to the topic here – as the title says, Winter Wonderland is located at Pier 15 down in the Financial District.  It is a bunch of glass (plastic) houses with a Christmas theme, complete with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge in the background.

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Amateur Learns Aperture in New York City, Volume 2

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Continuing my new series “Amatuer Learns Aperture” about going outside in New York City to take a million test photos as I learn how to use my camera!

In this post:

  • The Grey Dog
  • All the pretty restaurants
  • Sweet Moments Cafe
  • Chinatown Lanterns
  • Juniors
  • Coney Island

I am having a rough time because my cell phone photos still come out better than my camera photos.

Here is the cute doggo that greets barks at you when you ring the bell to enter the building for photography class.

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Ladakh, India: Leh to Nubra Valley, Hunder Sand Dunes and Lachung Temple

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I have wanted to visit Ladakh, India for close to a decade.  The internet promised me gorgeous views and those views looked like they came with cool, crisp air that smelled fresh.  Fresh air that  I would be breathing in while seeing beautiful landscapes with occasional colorful monastaries thrown in.

The internet did not lie.

My driver picked me up in Leh this morning and off we went.   We stopped at Leh view point for a photo.

Leh View Point

Leaving Leh, as we were driving in a spiral around mountains, I saw groups of people walking on the roads.  Some had things such as sledge hammers with them. I assume they were walking to work on the roads.  This would make sense since mountain roads are very narrow and obviously people cannot drive to work and park a vehicle.  I would have assumed that workers were picked up and dropped off by a truck.  I am so curious about the ones I saw walking.  Where are you going exactly?  How long is the walk?  Where did all these stray dogs and cows come from?  This is just a road winding around mountains.  I did not see any towns, nor was there any place for a town.  One of life’s mysteries I suppose. Continue reading →

Introducing New Series: Amateur Learns Aperture in New York City, Part One

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Welcome to part one of a new series, where I write about leaving my New York City apartment to venture outside and learn how to use my camera. I almost titled this “Bites and Sights NYC” as I will indeed be visiting some New York City attractions and sharing photos of cute restaurants, so the name fits. But I liked the idea of maybe working the amateur photography in the title so the intent here is clear.

My brainstorming session went like this:

Me: New camera, who dis?

Me: No

Me: Learning ISO taking photos like whoa?

Me: NO

Me: F-Can’t Stop, F-Won’t Stop?

Me: SHUT UP

Me: Photography school, shooting things that are cool?

Me: STOP TALKING

Me: What about Amateur Learns Aperture?

Me: WHY WON’T YOU…Wait. that’s not so terrible.

I am doubling down by also attempting to improve my mental health by not wearing pajamas in public while doing these things. This is increasing the amount of laundry I have to do, which is a downside. Continue reading →

Ladakh Monastery Tour: Alchi, Likir, Basgo Castle and More!

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What a shit show today is.  Yesterday I posted HERE about how I completely fucked up and did not get my permit on time for my tour today.  I thought I had solved it all.

Then last night I get a message asking me what time to pick me up.  Um, who are you?  Driver.  I thought somehow maybe it was a driver for tomorrow morning to Stok, which I was planning to go since my full day tour was now in the garbage.  I told him I had a driver, he sent me a screenshot of my booked tour.  OH okay, so I tell him I spoke to (insert name) about my woes and that’s that.  Right?

WRONG.

This morning, I am up to go out to reception to give the dude my passport so he can get my permit.  He begins knocking on my door.  It isn’t him.  It is the dude I spoke to yesterday?  Maybe?  Ready to pick me up for the tour.  NO we spoke didn’t we?  Turns out it was not  him.  My mistake.  I had spoken to the tour company owner and then to another guy, who I assumed was the driver. He was not the driver.  The driver was the one who confused me by messaging me last night.

Or so this is what I have pieced together at this point anyway.

The driver decides he is going to go get my permit.  Okay.  I give him my passport and he tells me to be ready by 2:00, which is earlier than the time the hotel quoted me.

I am planning to be ready by 1:30 but he came knocking on my door at 1:20.

He must think (rightfully so) that I am a moron.   But I cannot possibly be the first tourist to make this mistake?

Off we go.  Some views from the drive:

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Annoying Day in Leh

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For a place that I have been dreaming about visiting for over five years, Leh doesn’t seem to like me very much.

Yesterday, I got completely lost and sun burned.  I gave up and only went out for dinner and water.

Today I got up early to go get a sim card so I would have Google Maps.  I read online to get there by 9.  I was so worried about finding it but I did!  And they were closed.  Tried a second place, they told me to come back at 11:30.

I found the place where I need to pick up my certificate to stay in a hotel on a tour in a couple of days. Why do I need one?  I don’t know.  I cannot figure out how to get upstairs to the office.  I asked a man working in an art gallery and he brought me to the tour guide next door to see if he knew if they were open up there.  He tells me to call them, I cannot.  I don’t have a fucking phone.  He gives me his phone, nicest guy.  They are not open.

Later on I walked by again and art gallery guy asked me if I got in touch with the woman.  Yes, thank you.

About that hotel I got the voucher for – When I booked the hotel, which isn’t a hotel, it is a homestay, I noticed that the bathroom was outside the room.  No big deal.

The owner then emailed me and messaged me to tell me the bathroom is outside the room.  Yes.  Then he asked if he could call me.  WHY.  So he calls me on the telephone from the middle of nowhere India to tell me that the bathroom is not inside the room.  Yes, this could not be any clearer.  He said that when foreigners visit, they get upset and leave bad reviews.  Then he sent me their brochure and I suddenly want to fight every person who ever gave these adorable people a bad review because they cannot read descriptions.

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Julley From Leh, Ladakh!

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“Julley” is how you say “hello” in Ladakh!  It is also what all the shop owners say to me as I walk by and they try to lure me inside.  I actually do need to buy a headscarf tomorrow and I will be visiting monsateries where woman must be fully covered up, head included.  The curse of being a woman in religious parts of the world.  Just wait until later this year when I travel to a place I have to wear an abaya.

But back to today.  With a stop off in 2018.

In 2018, I had a trip planned to Leh, India. Then I unexpectedly got a new job and didn’t want to ask for 3 weeks off after I started and then another 3 weeks later in the year for my planned trip to Jordan and Egypt. So I saved to Egypt and Jordan trip and abandoned Leh. Finally 5 years later, I am on my way.

Last night, I went up to my hotel roof and took this photo. The closest thing I did to sightseeing on this leg of my trip.

Worked for my last time before taking a month off. I really need this break. My job has been driving me absolutely bonkers.

Hired a driver to take me to the airport at 4 am. Did one last trip up the step and almost took the desk out as I was leaving.  Why am I so clumsy? I tripped up and down that step about 7 times.

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Dear Diary: I Saw the Taj Mahal Today!

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OOOOH TAJ MAHAL!

The most popular tourist attraction in India. One of the New Seven Wonders of the  World.  A place I never thought I wanted to see because I don’t like crowds or people.   But today I went.

I needed to travel from Jaipur to Delhi and looked into getting a driver.  As I am working while traveling (until tomorrow when I am free!) I want to make things as easy as possible for myself when traveling to cities.  Well lo and behold, not only did I find a driver, I found one that stops at Taj Mahal and said fuck it.  Let’s go!

My driver picked me up at my hotel at 3:00 AM, which is the same time I got off work as I am working EST.  I slept off and on a bit until we stopped for the restroom and I got a coffee that was absolutely fantatsic.

Back in the card for the rest of the way.  I did not realized I had unintentionally booked a guide.  I don’t want or need one.  I just want to see the pretty building.  And pretty it was.

My guide grabbed my phone and told me he is a professional photographer and took photos for me.  I didn’t want him to.  Sure they came out much nicer than my always-crooked photos.  But like, it is MY trip and ME seeing it and I WANT TO TAKE MY OWN PHOTOS DAMMIT.

His fancy pants photo:

 

Some other photos:

We did the tour thing even though I honestly only needed a photo.  And then as I was melting, we sat down and the guide began pitching me on both carpets and his family’s pashmina business.  I will never understand why people try to sell me carpets when traveling.  Do people really buy carpets and have them shipped home while traveling?

I did get taken to the carpet store where the owner was miffed I didn’t want to purchase a carpet.  The funniest thing to me was him showing me all the carpets without any conception that I live in an NYC apartment and zero of these carpets would actually fit into any room I have that is not already carpeted.

Somehow I escaped not going to the pashmina shop.

My driver continued on towards Delhi and I got a little bit car sick again.  I pulled out my phone to see how far we were from my hotel.  SIX MINUTES WAHOO!

I got very confused, as did my driver, as his GPS led us to a residential neighborhood. But then we were here.  I love it here.

I was asked if I wanted tea but I wanted coffee.  They brought me a tray with coffee and some cookies. I love you so much.

I took a nap and cooled down after being trapped in a car for hours.  Then got up and had to go outside to get cigarettes.  Which of course, I forgot to get because I got sidetracked by actually finding Diet Dr Pepper in a store.

Now I am “at” work for my second last day of hell before being free.

I don’t know that I will keep up posting every day once I am no longer “at” work.  I did zero research on wifi speeds for any hotel following the one I am currently in because LA LA LA LA LAAAAAAAAA I AM FREE DON’T NEED TO WORK NO INTERNET NECESSARY LIVE LIFE FUCK YOU.

I do hope I keep a diary even if just for myself.  I want to remember all the things.  How it feels speeding down an empty highway in India.  In what feels like the middle of nowhere as there is nothing around.  Sitting at a rest area drinking coffee that probably costs a dime, but I can’t be sure since my driver refused to let me pay.  Smoking a cigarette sitting on the flimsy plastic chair that is a staple in Asia.

I love my hotel so much.  The room is great.  Ordering breakfast to be delivered to me tomorrow is even better.  And the best is how I am surrounded by greenery and pure silence while being in the middle of the tourist center of Delhi is amazing.

I keep daydreaming about what it would be like to be retired and not have my trips planned out to get the most I can out of them.  What if I arrived here without a flight booked out.  What if I had arrived and checked into this hotel and had zero plans and could just stay here for a week sleeping and enjoying relaxing and order trays of coffee and biscuits and sit out on the balcony just enjoying NOW rather than wanting to fast foward to the next exciting place because I AM SO EXCITED but yet I am never content to just be in the now.

And with that, I am off to bed to dream about tomorrow ending so I can finally be freeeeeeeee for the rest of my travels.

Last Day in Jaipur, India

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Jaipur has been wonderful.  Last night I had the deepest sleep I have gotten since arriving in India. Hated myself when my alarm went off for me to get up after 5 hours to go sightseeing.  I did this to myself.

I had booked a tuk tuk driver to take me around.  I did not want to go anywhere that involved 398743 steps like this:

But I did want to see steps like this! Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell.
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Dear Diary: I am Awake in Jaipur

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I wrote a bit about Jaipur yesterday and am continuing my trip diary today. I’ll definitely keep this up for the next few days but it will be a crap shoot after that as my internet access will get worse further into this trip.

Once again I dragged myself out of bed with only 3 hours sleep. Once again, the plan is to do minimal sight seeing and take a nap before work. ONCE AGAIN I am wide awake and can’t sleep for absolutely zero reason.

I was thrilled to be back at my hotel with six hours to sleep before work. Can’t sleep.

I went to see Hawa Mahal today. I was exhausted and wanted to see just Hawa Mahal.  There’s so much more to see here but as long as I see this one thing, I am fine.

I tried to get an Uber. Dude keeps messaging me, wants to take me on a tour.  He is being aggressive and I am refusing. He then asks if I will cancel without complaint.  No. You wasted my time.

Next driver accepts my ride. Car never moves, zero response to me messaging him. Okay cancel that too.

Went down to the street and hailed a tuk tuk to Hawa Mahal.

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