Om Beach, the third beach south of Gokarna, Karnataka. There are several beaches even further south, but this is where I stayed. Click once to enlarge the picture; click twice for the 2048x1536 version (full size).

Maria and Helen from Sweeden. I kept running into them. I'd met them in Goa, saw them in Hampi and now again on Om Beach. They were both 18 and had been traveling all around the world, including several months in India.

Markus and Henning from Norway. We'd met in Hampi, hung out together and became friends. Then they went to Tamil Nadu but the beach there wasn't nice so we met up at Om Beach again. It was great fun meeting up again.

Close up of pensive Maria

They're both from England, Greg and ?? (I forget her name, though she was quite beautiful). I knew I'd see them again; it was in Paharganj in Delhi where I gave them a print of this picture.

This was my hut on Om beach. 35-/Rs per night (about $0.75USD, or $1.10 Cdn). Quite inexpensive, yes, but you sleep on bamboo mats on the ground. Not so bad but the ants crawl in your ears -- use a slice of lemon in a corner of your hut, it keeps the ants away. Next time I'll buy a mattress from town and bring it here by boat. A mattress is better for two people than a hammock, any day. ;-)

This place is known as Dhareshwar, known for its stone temple and its long stretch of beach next to Gokarna.

A colorful dye festival, it looks like pre-Holi (except they used just one color). I love it because it also looks like a masacre, except that everyone was smiling and laughing and dancing around.

Tall climb on the way to the next beach in line, called Half-Moon. With all the loose rock you wouldn't want to slip as you'd never stop rolling, and surely fall onto the rocks below.

I saw 'the flow' between a rock and a hard place. This is still Om Beach. It was a premonition of sorts.

In Hampi now. A chap and a chiklet from England, at the excellent socializing place, the Mango Tree Restaurant.

One of my favorite photos. A female Shiva (!), two Hanumans and a child behind, also symbolizing Shiva. The steam rising behind them was real, I honestly don't know where it came from. Priceless in Hampi.

A festival just before New Year's in Hampi.

All smiles at the festival.

Another of my favorite photos. Check out all the smiles!! Genuine ear-to-ear smiles. Markus and I are, unfortunatly, the two people smiling the least in this photo. Everyone is always excited to be in a picture with a foreigner... sometimes it's simply too much. We're just normal people. The incredible treatment from the locals (particularly when you pull out a camera) takes a bit of getting used to.

Sunrise in Hampi, just before the near year 2002.

Sunrise in Hampi, just before New Years 2002. This is on the Matanga Hill, a great place to watch the sunrise.

Markus, cold yet happy in the early morning dawn. In Hampi.

Watching the sun come up in Hampi, from on top of Matanga Hill, the closest hill to climb from the Hampi Bazaar. I carried a small stick as we climbed the hill, to scare off any monkeys who (in larger numbers) might give us trouble.

My friends Henning and Markus from Norway. We met on the bus on the way here, at the Pavan Guesthouse. Great place and it had a nice little sitting area out front to socialize and watch people walk down the street.