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Varanasi, also known as Benares, or Kashi is an Indian city on the banks of the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, 320 kilometres south-east of the state capital, Lucknow. It is the holiest of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) in Hinduism, and Jainism, and played an important role in the development of Buddhism. Some Hindus believe that death at Varanasi brings salvation. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Varanasi is also known as the favourite city of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva as it has been mentioned in the Rigveda that this city in older times was known as Kashi or "Shiv ki Nagri".
The Kashi Naresh (Maharaja of Kashi) is the chief cultural patron of Varanasi, and an essential part of all religious celebrations. The culture of Varanasi is closely associated with the Ganges. The city has been a cultural centre of North India for several thousand years, and has a history that is older than most of the major world religions. The Benares Gharana form of Hindustani classical music was developed in Varanasi, and many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians live or have lived in Varanasi. Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath, located near Varanasi.
Varanasi is the spiritual capital of India. It is often referred to as "the holy city of India", "the religious capital of India", "the city of Shiva", and "the city of learning". Scholarly books have been written in the city, including the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas. Today, there is a temple of his namesake in the city, the Tulsi Manas Mandir. The current temples and religious institutions in the city are dated to the 18th century. One of the largest residential universities of Asia, the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), is located here.
ETYMOLOGY
The name Varanasi possibly originates from the names of the two rivers: Varuna, still flowing in Varanasi, and Asi, a small stream near Assi Ghat. The old city does lie on the north shores of Ganges River bounded by its two tributaries Varuna and Asi. Another speculation is that the city derives its name from the river Varuna, which was called Varanasi in olden times.[11] This is generally disregarded by historians. Through the ages, Varanasi has been known by many names including Kāśī or Kashi (used by pilgrims dating from Buddha's days), Kāśikā (the shining one), Avimukta ("never forsaken" by Shiva), Ānandavana (the forest of bliss), and Rudravāsa (the place where Rudra/Śiva resides).
In the Rigveda, the city is referred to as Kāśī or Kashi, the luminous city as an eminent seat of learning. The name Kāśī is also mentioned in the Skanda Purana. In one verse, Shiva says, "The three worlds form one city of mine, and Kāśī is my royal palace therein." The name Kashi may be translated as "City of Light".
HISTORY
According to legend, Varanasi was founded by the God Shiva. The Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata are also stated to have visited the city in search of Shiva to atone for their sins of fratricide and Brāhmanahatya that they had committed during the climactic Kurukshetra war. It is regarded as one of seven holy cities which can provide Moksha:
The earliest known archaeological evidence suggests that settlement around Varanasi in the Ganga valley (the seat of Vedic religion and philosophy) began in the 11th or 12th century BC, placing it among the world's oldest continually inhabited cities. These archaeological remains suggest that the Varanasi area was populated by Vedic people. However, the Atharvaveda (the oldest known text referencing the city), which dates to approximately the same period, suggests that the area was populated by indigenous tribes. It is possible that archaeological evidence of these previous inhabitants has yet to be discovered. Recent excavations at Aktha and Ramnagar, two sites very near to Varanasi, show them to be from 1800 BC, suggesting Varanasi started to be inhabited by that time too. Varanasi was also home to Parshva, the 23rd Jain Tirthankara and the earliest Tirthankara accepted as a historical figure in the 8th century BC.
Varanasi grew as an important industrial centre, famous for its muslin and silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory works, and sculpture. During the time of Gautama Buddha (born circa 567 BC), Varanasi was the capital of the Kingdom of Kashi. Buddha is believed to have founded Buddhism here around 528 BC when he gave his first sermon, "Turning the Wheel of Law", at nearby Sarnath. The celebrated Chinese traveller Xuanzang, who visited the city around 635 AD, attested that the city was a centre of religious and artistic activities, and that it extended for about 5 kilometres along the western bank of the Ganges. When Xuanzang, also known as Hiuen Tsiang, visited Varanasi in the 7th century, he named it "Polonisse" and wrote that the city had some 30 temples with about 30 monks. The city's religious importance continued to grow in the 8th century, when Adi Shankara established the worship of Shiva as an official sect of Varanasi.
In ancient times, Varanasi was connected by a road starting from Taxila and ending at Pataliputra during the Mauryan Empire. In 1194, the city succumbed to Turkish Muslim rule under Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who ordered the destruction of some one thousand temples in the city. The city went into decline over some three centuries of Muslim occupation, although new temples were erected in the 13th century after the Afghan invasion. Feroz Shah ordered further destruction of Hindu temples in the Varanasi area in 1376. The Afghan ruler Sikander Lodi continued the suppression of Hinduism in the city and destroyed most of the remaining older temples in 1496. Despite the Muslim rule, Varanasi remained the centre of activity for intellectuals and theologians during the Middle Ages, which further contributed to its reputation as a cultural centre of religion and education. Several major figures of the Bhakti movement were born in Varanasi, including Kabir who was born here in 1389 and hailed as "the most outstanding of the saint-poets of Bhakti cult (devotion) and mysticism of 15th-Century India"; and Ravidas, a 15th-century socio-religious reformer, mystic, poet, traveller, and spiritual figure, who was born and lived in the city and employed in the tannery industry. Similarly, numerous eminent scholars and preachers visited the city from across India and south Asia. Guru Nanak Dev visited Varanasi for Shivratri in 1507, a trip that played a large role in the founding of Sikhism.
In the 16th century, Varanasi experienced a cultural revival under the Muslim Mughal emperor Akbar who invested in the city, and built two large temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. The Raja of Poona established the Annapurnamandir and the 200 metres Akbari Bridge was also completed during this period. The earliest tourists began arriving in the city during the 16th century. In 1665, the French traveller Jean Baptiste Tavernier described the architectural beauty of the Vindu Madhava temple on the side of the Ganges. The road infrastructure was also improved during this period and extended from Kolkata to Peshawar by Emperor Sher Shah Suri; later during the British Raj it came to be known as the famous Grand Trunk Road. In 1656, emperor Aurangzeb ordered the destruction of many temples and the building of mosques, causing the city to experience a temporary setback. However, after Aurangazeb's death, most of India was ruled by a confederacy of pro-Hindu kings. Much of modern Varanasi was built during this time by the Rajput and Maratha kings, especially during the 18th century, and most of the important buildings in the city today date to this period. The kings continued to be important through much of the British rule (1775–1947 AD), including the Maharaja of Benares, or Kashi Naresh. The kingdom of Benares was given official status by the Mughals in 1737, and continued as a dynasty-governed area until Indian independence in 1947, during the reign of Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh. In the 18th century, Muhammad Shah ordered the construction of an observatory on the Ganges, attached to Man Mandir Ghat, designed to discover imperfections in the calendar in order to revise existing astronomical tables. Tourism in the city began to flourish in the 18th century. In 1791, under the rule of the British Governor-General Warren Hastings, Jonathan Duncan founded a Sanskrit College in Varanasi. In 1867, the establishment of the Varanasi Municipal Board led to significant improvements in the city.
In 1897, Mark Twain, the renowned Indophile, said of Varanasi, "Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together." In 1910, the British made Varanasi a new Indian state, with Ramanagar as its headquarters but with no jurisdiction over the city of Varanasi itself. Kashi Naresh still resides in the Ramnagar Fort which is situated to the east of Varanasi, across the Ganges. Ramnagar Fort and its museum are the repository of the history of the kings of Varanasi. Since the 18th century, the fort has been the home of Kashi Naresh, deeply revered by the local people. He is the religious head and some devout inhabitants consider him to be the incarnation of Shiva. He is also the chief cultural patron and an essential part of all religious celebrations.
A massacre by British troops, of the Indian troops stationed here and of the population of the city, took place during the early stages of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Annie Besant worked in Varanasi to promote theosophy and founded the Central Hindu College which later became a foundation for the creation of Banaras Hindu University as a secular university in 1916. Her purpose in founding the Central Hindu College in Varanasi was that she "wanted to bring men of all religions together under the ideal of brotherhood in order to promote Indian cultural values and to remove ill-will among different sections of the Indian population."
Varanasi was ceded to the Union of India on 15 October 1948. After the death of Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh in 2000, his son Anant Narayan Singh became the figurehead king, responsible for upholding the traditional duties of a Kashi Naresh.
MAIN SIGHTS
Varanasi's "Old City", the quarter near the banks of the Ganga river, has crowded narrow winding lanes flanked by road-side shops and scores of Hindu temples. As atmospheric as it is confusing, Varanasi's labyrinthine Old City has a rich culture, attracting many travellers and tourists. The main residential areas of Varanasi (especially for the middle and upper classes) are situated in regions far from the ghats; they are more spacious and less polluted.
Museums in and around Varanasi include Jantar Mantar, Sarnath Museum, Bharat Kala Bhawan and Ramnagar Fort.
JANTAR MANTAR
The Jantar Mantar observatory (1737) is located above the ghats on the Ganges, much above the high water level in the Ganges next to the Manmandir Ghat, near to Dasaswamedh Ghat and adjoining the palace of Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur. Compared to the observatories at Jaipur and Delhi, it is less well equipped but has a unique equatorial sundial which is functional and allows measurements to be monitored and recorded by one person.
RAMNAGAR FORT
The Ramnagar Fort located near the Ganges River on its eastern bank, opposite to the Tulsi Ghat, was built in the 18th century by Kashi Naresh Raja Balwant Singh with creamy chunar sandstone. It is in a typically Mughal style of architecture with carved balconies, open courtyards, and scenic pavilions. At present the fort is not in good repair. The fort and its museum are the repository of the history of the kings of Benares. It has been the home of the Kashi Naresh since the 18th century. The current king and the resident of the fort is Anant Narayan Singh who is also known as the Maharaja of Varanasi even though this royal title has been abolished since 1971. Labeled "an eccentric museum", it has a rare collection of American vintage cars, sedan chairs (bejeweled), an impressive weaponry hall and a rare astrological clock. In addition, manuscripts, especially religious writings, are housed in the Saraswati Bhawan. Also included is a precious handwritten manuscript by Goswami Tulsidas. Many books illustrated in the Mughal miniature style, with beautifully designed covers are also part of the collections. Because of its scenic location on the banks of the Ganges, it is frequently used as an outdoor shooting location for films. The film titled Banaras is one of the popular movies shot here. However, only a part of the fort is open for public viewing as the rest of the area is the residence of the Kashi Naresh and his family. It is 14 kilometres from Varanasi.
GHATS
Ghats are embankments made in steps of stone slabs along the river bank where pilgrims perform ritual ablutions. Ghats in Varanasi are an integral complement to the concept of divinity represented in physical, metaphysical and supernatural elements. All the ghats are locations on "the divine cosmic road", indicative of "its manifest transcendental dimension" Varanasi has at least 84 ghats. Steps in the ghats lead to the banks of River Ganges, including the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat and the Harishchandra Ghat (where Hindus cremate their dead). Many ghats are associated with legends and several are now privately owned.
Many of the ghats were built when the city was under Maratha control. Marathas, Shindes (Scindias), Holkars, Bhonsles, and Peshwas stand out as patrons of present-day Varanasi. Most of the ghats are bathing ghats, while others are used as cremation sites. A morning boat ride on the Ganges across the ghats is a popular visitor attraction. The extensive stretches of ghats enhance the river front with a multitude of shrines, temples and palaces built "tier on tier above the water’s edge".
The Dashashwamedh Ghat is the main and probably the oldest ghat of Varansi located on the Ganges, close to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It is believed that Brahma created it to welcome Shiva and sacrificed ten horses during the Dasa -Ashwamedha yajna performed here. Above the ghat and close to it, there are also temples dedicated to Sulatankesvara, Brahmesvara, Varahesvara, Abhaya Vinayaka, Ganga (the Ganges), and Bandi Devi which are part of important pilgrimage journeys. A group of priests perform "Agni Pooja" (Worship to Fire) daily in the evening at this ghat as a dedication to Shiva, Ganga, Surya (Sun), Agni (Fire), and the whole universe. Special aartis are held on Tuesdays and on religious festivals.
The Manikarnika Ghat is the Mahasmasana (meaning: "great cremation ground") and is the primary site for Hindu cremation in the city. Adjoining the ghat, there are raised platforms that are used for death anniversary rituals. It is said that an ear-ring (Manikarnika) of Shiva or his wife Sati fell here. According to a myth related to the Tarakesvara Temple, a Shiva temple at the ghat, Shiva whispers the Taraka mantra ("Prayer of the crossing") in the ear of the dead. Fourth-century Gupta period inscriptions mention this ghat. However, the current ghat as a permanent riverside embankment was built in 1302 and has been renovated at least three times.
TEMPLES
Among the estimated 23000 temples in Varanasi, the most worshiped are: the Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Shiva; the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple; and the Durga Temple known for the band of monkeys that reside in the large trees nearby.
Located on the outskirts of the Ganges, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple – dedicated to Varanasi's presiding deity Shiva (Vishwanath – "Lord of the world") – is an important Hindu temple and one of the 12 Jyotirlinga Shiva temples. It is believed that a single view of Vishwanath Jyotirlinga is worth more than that of other jyotirlingas. The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times. The Gyanvapi Mosque, which is adjacent to the temple, is the original site of the temple. The temple, as it exists now, also called Golden Temple, was built in 1780 by Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. The two pinnacles of the temple are covered in gold, donated in 1839 by Ranjit Singh, the ruler of the Punjab and the remaining dome is also planned to be gold plated by the Ministry of Culture & Religious Affairs of Uttar Pradesh. On 28 January 1983, the temple was taken over by the government of Uttar Pradesh and its management was transferred to a trust with then Kashi Naresh, Vibhuti Narayan Singh, as president and an executive committee with a Divisional Commissioner as chairman. Numerous rituals, prayers and aratis are held daily, starting from 2:30 am till 11:00 pm.
The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple is one of the sacred temples of the Hindu god Hanuman situated by the Assi River, on the way to the Durga and New Vishwanath temples within the Banaras Hindu University campus. The present temple structure was built in early 1900s by the educationist and freedom fighter, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, the founder of Banaras Hindu University. It is believed the temple was built on the very spot where the medieval Hindu saint Tulsidas had a vision of Hanuman. Thousands flock to the temple on Tuesdays and Saturdays, weekdays associated with Hanuman. On 7 March 2006, in a terrorist attack one of the three explosions hit the temple while the Aarti was in progress when numerous devotees and people attending a wedding were present and many were injured. However, normal worship was resumed the next day with devotees visiting the temple and reciting hymns of Hanuman Chalisa (authored by Tulidas) and Sundarkand (a booklet of these hymns is provided free of charge in the temple). After the terrorist incident, a permanent police post was set up inside the temple.
There are two temples named "Durga" in Varanasi, Durga Mandir (built about 500 years ago), and Durga Kund (built in the 18th century). Thousands of Hindu devotees visit Durga Kund during Navratri to worship the goddess Durga. The temple, built in Nagara architectural style, has multi-tiered spires[96] and is stained red with ochre, representing the red colour of Durga. The building has a rectangular tank of water called the Durga Kund ("Kund" meaning a pond or pool). Every year on the occasion of Nag Panchami, the act of depicting the god Vishnu reclining on the serpent Shesha is recreated in the Kund.
While the Annapurna Temple, located close to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, is dedicated to Annapurna, the goddess of food, the Sankatha Temple close to the Sindhia Ghat is dedicated to Sankatha, the goddess of remedy. The Sankatha temple has a large sculpture of a lion and a nine temple cluster dedicated to the nine planets.
Kalabhairav Temple, an ancient temple located near the Head Post Office at Visheshar Ganj, is dedicated to Kala-Bhairava, the guardian (Kotwal) of Varanasi. The Mrithyunjay Mahadev Temple, dedicated to Shiva, is situated on the way to Daranagar to Kalbhairav temple. A well near the temple has some religious significance as its water source is believed to be fed from several underground streams, having curative powers.
The New Vishwanath Temple located in the campus of Banaras Hindu University is a modern temple which was planned by Pandit Malviya and built by the Birlas. The Tulsi Manas Temple, nearby the Durga Temple, is a modern temple dedicated to the god Rama. It is built at the place where Tulsidas authored the Ramcharitmanas, which narrates the life of Rama. Many verses from this epic are inscribed on the temple walls.
The Bharat Mata Temple, dedicated to the national personification of India, was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936. It has relief maps of India carved in marble. Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta and Durga Prasad Khatri, leading numismatists, antiquarians and nationalist leaders, donated funds for its construction.
RELIGION
HINDUISM
Varanasi is one of the holiest cities and centres of pilgrimage for Hindus of all denominations. It is one of the seven Hindu holiest cities (Sapta Puri), considered the giver of salvation (moksha). Over 50,000 Brahmins live in Varanasi, providing religious services to the masses. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges remits sins and that dying in Kashi ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations. Thus, many Hindus arrive here for dying.
As the home to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Jyotirlinga, it is very sacred for Shaivism. Varanasi is also a Shakti Peetha, where the temple to goddess Vishalakshi stands, believed to be the spot where the goddess Sati's earrings fell. Hindus of the Shakti sect make a pilgrimage to the city because they regard the River Ganges itself to be the Goddess Shakti. Adi Shankara wrote his commentaries on Hinduism here, leading to the great Hindu revival.
In 2001, Hindus made up approximately 84% of the population of Varanasi District.
ISLAM
Varanasi is one of the holiest cities and centres of pilgrimage for Hindus of all denominations. It is one of the seven Hindu holiest cities (Sapta Puri), considered the giver of salvation (moksha). Over 50,000 Brahmins live in Varanasi, providing religious services to the masses. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges remits sins and that dying in Kashi ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations. Thus, many Hindus arrive here for dying.
As the home to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Jyotirlinga, it is very sacred for Shaivism. Varanasi is also a Shakti Peetha, where the temple to goddess Vishalakshi stands, believed to be the spot where the goddess Sati's earrings fell. Hindus of the Shakti sect make a pilgrimage to the city because they regard the River Ganges itself to be the Goddess Shakti. Adi Shankara wrote his commentaries on Hinduism here, leading to the great Hindu revival.
In 2001, Hindus made up approximately 84% of the population of Varanasi District.
OTHERS
At the 2001 census, persons of other religions or no religion made up 0.4% of the population of Varanasi District.
Varanasi is a pilgrimage site for Jains along with Hindus and Buddhists. It is believed to be the birthplace of Suparshvanath, Shreyansanath, and Parshva, who are respectively the seventh, eleventh, and twenty-third Jain Tirthankars and as such Varanasi is a holy city for Jains. Shree Parshvanath Digambar Jain Tirth Kshetra (Digambar Jain Temple) is situated in Bhelupur, Varanasi. This temple is of great religious importance to the Jain Religion.
Sarnath, a suburb of Varanasi, is a place of Buddhist pilgrimage. It is the site of the deer park where Siddhartha Gautama of Nepal is said to have given his first sermon about the basic principles of Buddhism. The Dhamek Stupa is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas still in existence, though only its foundation remains. Also remaining is the Chaukhandi Stupa commemorating the spot where Buddha met his first disciples in the 5th century. An octagonal tower was built later there.
Guru Nanak Dev visited Varanasi for Shivratri in 1507 and had an encounter which with other events forms the basis for the story of the founding of Sikhism. Varanasi also hosts the Roman Catholic Diocese of Varanasi, and has an insignificant Jewish expatriate community. Varanasi is home to numerous tribal faiths which are not easily classified.
Dalits are 13% of population Of Varanasi city. Most dalits are followers of Guru Ravidass. So Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan is important place of pilgrimage for Ravidasis from all around India.
RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS
On Mahashivaratri (February) – which is dedicated to Shiva – a procession of Shiva proceeds from the Mahamrityunjaya Temple to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
Dhrupad Mela is a five-day musical festival devoted to dhrupad style held at Tulsi Ghat in February–March.
The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple celebrates Hanuman Jayanti (March–April), the birthday of Hanuman with great fervour. A special puja, aarti, and a public procession is organized. Starting in 1923, the temple organizes a five-day classical music and dance concert festival titled Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh in this period, when iconic artists from all parts of India are invited to perform.
The Ramlila of Ramnagar is a dramatic enactment of Rama's legend, as told in Ramacharitamanasa. The plays, sponsored by Kashi Naresh, are performed in Ramnagar every evening for 31 days. On the last day, the festivities reach a crescendo as Rama vanquishes the demon king Ravana. Kashi Naresh Udit Narayan Singh started this tradition around 1830.
Bharat Milap celebrates the meeting of Rama and his younger brother Bharata after the return of the former after 14 years of exile. It is celebrated during October–November, a day after the festival of Vijayadashami. Kashi Naresh attends this festival in his regal attire resplendent in regal finery. The festival attracts a large number of devotees.
Nag Nathaiya, celebrated on the fourth lunar day of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of Kartik (October–November), that commemorates the victory of the god Krishna over the serpent Kaliya. On this occasion, a large Kadamba tree (Neolamarckia cadamba) branch is planted on the banks of the Ganges so that a boy acting the role of Krishna can jump into the river on to the effigy representing Kaliya. He stands over the effigy in a dancing pose playing the flute; the effigy and the boy standing on it is given a swirl in front of the audience. People watch the display standing on the banks of the river or from boats.
Ganga Mahotsav is a five-day music festival organized by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department, held in November–December culminating a day before Kartik Poornima (Dev Deepawali). On Kartik Poornima also called the Ganges festival, the Ganges is venerated by arti offered by thousands of pilgrims who release lighted lamps to float in the river from the ghats.
Annually Jashne-Eid Miladunnabi is celebrated on the day of Barawafat in huge numbers by Muslims in a huge rally coming from all the parts of the city and meeting up at Beniya Bagh.
Image taken from a camera mounted underneath a DJI S1000 Flying Wings octocopter; photograph by AboveSummit with Christopher Harting
A bridge under construction near FAO’s cash for work project on the main Al Jazeera irrigation canal as part of a project to resupply water for agricultural production for the first time since the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took the area in 2014.
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Seen from Grand Avenue, Los Angeles.
One Wilshire, in downtown Los Angeles, looks just like other skycrapers here. However, most of the occupants are not people — they are cables, routers and network switches.
Credit: CRG West
NPR News "Xeni Tech story:
"A Los Angeles 'Hotel' for Internet Carriers"
Link (audio and transcript)
Photo citation: Ted Auch, FracTracker Alliance, 2021.
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjHgtanrCzs
This is a magnificent photo captured by a talented but unknown photographer.
Viewing towards southeast Karachi, the first building on righthand corner is IBM tower then Sea Breaze Appartments.
GO Transit no 643 emerges from the diveunder between Bathurst and Spadina with a morning train into union. Note the stabled push-pull sets, with their distinctive GO coaches, on the right.
A view of the philly skyline from the Spring Garden Street Bridge. Schuylkill Expressway in the foreground.
I am now getting to the end of the third visit to the shots I took in Japan.
We find ourselves leaving Takayama and traveling back to Tokyo to the final hotel on the trip.
Some of these shots you may have seen before, some are re-edits and some may be new.
It really felt like we were on the final sprint of the holiday now; ahead of us lay our final trip on a bullet train, we had already sent our bags on ahead they day before. All we had to do now was get ourselves up in time for breakfast at half seven, where we had chickened out and ordered a European breakfast instead of a Japanese one. The main difference being we vaguely recognised some of the stuff we were served, the main part of which was omelette.
I think there was always some stress in arranging travel in a strange company. And we had done a lot of traveling around the country; booking seats, arranging transfer of our bags, and all the while not speaking Japanese. But it worked, and people were so nice, and somehow, every time, even when we could not speak Japanese, and the other could speak no English, we made ourselves understood. And so we were happy. And relieved I think to be going back to Tokyo.
It was a sad parting, once we had packed and Jools and Jen went paddling in the hot spring, it was time to go. All the staff lined up and we all bowed to each other, they really seemed to have enjoyed having us stay, and all three of us found ourselves almost crying as the bus whisked us away.
We had to queue outside the station, then 15 minutes before departure we were allowed onto the platform, so we could queue where there were markings, all in neat lines. We were in the rear carriage, and as it turned out, in the very rear two seats of that carriage. Behind us was the rear cab of the train, which we were able to see the tracks behind, although the guard didn't seem to appreciate us looking at him, and stood up if we looked too much, thus blocking the view. It seemed that we had been given first class tickets this time, as there were only three seats in each row, and we seemed to have so much room.
The train pulled away, two minutes late, but I suppose we made up time as it was downhill pretty much all the way, and we rattled along at a fair pace going through the 28 major tunnels on the line. As we descended the gorge, the weather got better and better; the sun came out and the land looked so full of life.
I had looked forward to the joirneys as much as our destinations, and so it was with this trip. Going down the gorge with its incredible views and infrastructure. Jools tried to stay awake. She told me she did, but the clackity clack over the jointed track was like the ticking of a clock, and even after a while my eyes began to close. But then a view would open up, or we would arrive in a town and there would be something to see.
Once we had left the gorge, and were crossing the fertile farmland again, the sun was very warm indeed, and we hoped that this would continue on our next leg up to Tokyo so we could see Mt. Fuji, but the forecast was for rain and drizzle further north.
Once in Nagoya, we had 20 minutes to get to the right platform, time enough to go to a cabin and buy some snacks for lunch as we zoomed to Tokyo. We all bought sandwiches and some crunchy snacks, then took up position near to the entrance where our carriage would stop. I had seen enough bullet trains so that I didn't go to the end of the platform to take any shots. Such is the way.
Our train arrives, and we get on with no fuss, finding our reservations facing the direction of travel, of course. And then we could tuck into our lunch, as we powered along at nearly 200 mph. I was happy.
Sadly, as we went north, the weather got worse and worse, and by the time we were where I had worked out where Mt. Fuji should have been visible from the train, cloud level was about 100m if that. So no volcano this day, and unlikely to see it before we leave, sadly. Always next time I suppose.
We arrived in Tokyo dead on time, and once off the train we walked to the taxi rank and waited in line for our turn. Trust us to get the one driver who did not have the Knowledge, and even presenting him with the address in Japanese, he did not recognise it, and even with sat nav, he was struggling. He got in roughly the right area, so we set off into the steady drizzle falling .
We were staying at the Park Hotel, and after driving round for ten minutes, he dropped us off at where he said our hotel was, the Royal Park Hotel. It was owned by the same chain we had stayed in twice earlier, so seemed right.
But, once we got to the lobby on the top floor, the staff smiled and said that this wasn't the right hotel. She assured us it was nearby, and she said some directions which seemed simple enough.
But with the rain falling harder, each skyscraper surrounding the walkway we found ourselves on all looked the same, but we did know that at the top of one there were rooms for us. From the directions given, it should have been the one we were sheltering in the lea of. I said I would go round and see if it was the place. The rain fell harder and harder, and I was getting damper and damper. I had to walk round three sides of the building until I found an entrance. I go in and ask at reception if this was the Media Building. It wasn't. Where is it? You have to go outside, she said.
I go back outside and the rain was hammering down. My coat is in one of the rooms high above me, so I got wet. Very wet.
I had no idea, and was about to admit to Jools and Jen that I could not find it, I looked over glass wall of the walkway, and on the entrance to the building on the other side of the road, I see the name of the hotel we were looking for.
I wave to them to come over, and together we walk over the walkway to the entrance and take the lift to the lobby on the 25th floor, where the lobby was, and the hotel began.
We get keys to the rooms, both on the 31st floor, so take our soaking asses into another lift and go up. We open the door to our room to find the walls were covered in Japanese Pop Art; seems that this was an ongoing project for the hotel to get leading artists to decorate rooms in the hotel. It was bright and busy, but we came to like it. And out of the huge window, we could see all the way to the ground 31 floors below, and the trains and monorails rattling along far, far below. I wish I could sit at that window every day, to see how the light changes and just to watch the trains come and go.
A few hours later, we go out to look for a place for dinner, and on the plaza below, we find an English pub with an Italian place beside it. That'll do. We go into the pub for a swifter, and find it a mix of locals and European ex-pats. Their beer was good, which was important, clearly. We get talking to a chap from south London who had lived in Tokyo for 25 years. He said he enjoyed it there, and why would he lie. But the fact he spent a lot of his spare time in an English style pub, all faux Victorian fittings built into the ground floor of a modern office block.
We went next door, and although the wine and pasta were good, not the best Italian we had on the trip, not by a long chalk.
Afterwards, I say I will wander about to take some shots using the wide angle as buildings tower above us on all sides, with more behind in the gaps. I snap away, but as I am still unused to the area, I go upstairs to try the whisky bar out and find it empty, bar for the tender. I order a Japanese malt, and take a set in the corner at the edge of the large picture window, with the big city lit up like Christmas outside. It feels like a scene from Lost in Translation, and it pretty much one of the things I wanted to do on the trip.
I order a second whisky, then call it a night, meeting Jools back in the room where it is the final case packing time.
One more day......
Uptown Houston's wildly successful real estate maturation could not have happened were it not for the unintentional benefits of the city's first beltway, I-610. As Joel Warner Barna writes in Cite, "the West Loop is not electrical path but Brownian Motion", and as such the section from Highway 59 to I-10 has spent nearly its entire lifespan a victim of its own success; utterly necessary, unavoidable, and exceedingly beyond capacity. Several decades of acrimonious negotiations have failed to the surprise of no one to produce a solution to the traffic this critical Houston highway suffers, and so it persists, a trial by patience and wits, for residents and visitors alike.
These pA view of recently improved track after deteriorating track ties were replaced.
These photos show daytime work on the Blue Line between Western and Logan Square over the weekend, where buses replaced trains so workers could improve the tracks. Work will eliminate slow zones and bring faster service to the Blue Line!
What gets done on a weekend of Milwaukee Blue Line Track Renewal work, part of the Your New Blue project? Over large sections of the line, rails are removed, old track ties taken out, new ties put in, and the tracks rebuilt before the Monday AM rush.
To do this amount of work in this amount of time, it's necessary to temporarily suspend service on a section of the Blue Line (shuttle buses are provided to bridge the gap) as one track is dismantled/removed and the other is used by equipment to help the work proceed as quickly as possible.
More info about the project is available at www.transitchicago.com/news_initiatives/projects/bluemilw...
hotos show daytime work on the Blue Line between Western and Logan Square over the weekend, where buses replaced trains so workers could improve the tracks. Work will eliminate slow zones and bring faster service to the Blue Line!
What gets done on a weekend of Milwaukee Blue Line Track Renewal work, part of the Your New Blue project? Over large sections of the line, rails are removed, old track ties taken out, new ties put in, and the tracks rebuilt before the Monday AM rush.
To do this amount of work in this amount of time, it's necessary to temporarily suspend service on a section of the Blue Line (shuttle buses are provided to bridge the gap) as one track is dismantled/removed and the other is used by equipment to help the work proceed as quickly as possible.
More info about the project is available at www.transitchicago.com/news_initiatives/projects/bluemilw...
A close-up view of new track ties, plates and clips near Wentworth.
Large portions of track on the Ashland (former Englewood) Branch of the Green Line have seen improvements in advance of 24/7 Red Line service rerouted to Ashland/63rd via these tracks during the coming Red Line South Reconstruction Project.
The improvements will help ensure more reliable service during the reroutes.
The Airport Express links central Beijing to Terminal 3 within just 16 minutes, and Terminal 2 from Dongzhimen, central Beijing is no more than 25 minutes away. The distance between Dongzhimen and Beijing Airport is 23 km by car. It presently costs RMB 16 for airport express. There are 4 stops along the express rail link: Terminal 3, Terminal 2, Sanyuanqiao and Dongzhimen. Dongzhimen will be the final city terminus. The Infrastructure Powers That Be, fully recognizing the current transport mélange at Dongzhimen, are putting the touching pieces to the Dongzhimen Transport Hub. The Airport Express will come into the hub on Basement Level 4, with Lines 2 and 13 a few floors above. You’ll actually be able to follow the signs and complete the interchange without ever seeing a ray of light (sun or moon). After the Games, you’ll even be able to check in your bags from Dongzhimen.
A new section of I-5 will carry traffic over Reynolds Avenue in Centralia. When completed, drivers will use the new bridge as the head northbound from Harrison Avenue. The work is part of the I-5 Mellen to Blakeslee Junction project: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i5/mellentograndmound/phase3/
Yurikamome, formally the Tokyo Waterfront New Transit Waterfront LineTōkyō Rinkai Shinkōtsū Rinkai-sen is an automated guideway transit service operated by the Tokyo Waterfront New Transit Corporation, connecting Shimbashi to Toyosu, via the artificial island of Odaiba in Tokyo.
I keep on thinking about more or less meaningful space/spaces in cities/villages, and in in particular about the unavoidability of rather meaning-void places in cities that need to house people, cars, business, and that do so without a long tradition to fall back upon.
View to SE of Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, Transamerica Pyramid, Presidio, Sutro Tower, San Francisco Bay, from Marin Headlands
One of the last few sets of the Newest CTA cars to traverse over some of the oldest CTA tracks and ties.
Taken on a bridge looking over the freeway to the entrance of Brisbane, Australia. I shot this one during the morning blue hour at about 5:45am and you'd be surprised at how many cars are on the road at this time as the freeway is constantly flowing.
HDR Software used- Photomatix 5 Get 15% off Photomatix with the code LukeZemePhotography
Other Software Used: OnOne Photosuite 9
The complete write up on this image is here at www.lukezeme.com
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My 50 best Lightroom presets in 1 pack, including 10x HDR presets - Get Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom on the Photography Plan, a cheaper option for photographers :-) - Luke Zeme's Premium Preset Collection Link
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Lantau Island, based on the old local name of Lantau Peak, is the largest island in Hong Kong, located at the mouth of the Pearl River. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands District of Hong Kong.
Originally the site of fishing villages, the island has been developed in recent years with the construction of Tung Chung New Town on its north-western coast and the completion of several major infrastructure projects, including Lantau Link (1997), Hong Kong International Airport (1998), Hong Kong Disneyland (2005) and Ngong Ping 360 (2006).
With a land mass of 147.16 square kilometres (56.82 sq mi), it is the largest island in Hong Kong, almost twice the size of Hong Kong Island.
Lantau Island primarily consists of mountainous terrain. Lantau Peak (934 m) is the highest point of the island. It is the second highest in Hong Kong, after Tai Mo Shan, and is almost twice the height of Victoria Peak. Other mountains include Sunset Peak (869 m), Lin Fa Shan (766 m), Nei Lak Shan (751 m) and Yi Tung Shan (747 m).
Lantau Island is often referred to as "the lungs of Hong Kong", because of its abundance of indigenous forest and relative scarcity of high-rise residential developments which characterise Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
Lantau Island has a relatively low population density, with a population of 45,000, compared to 1.4 million on Hong Kong Island.Settlements are scattered throughout the island and each has its own distinctive characteristics. The completion of the Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok in 1998 has led to economic development in north-western Lantau; the once quiet village of Tung Chung became a new town and is now home to over 25,000 people located in 30 to 50 storey high-rise housing estates and condominiums located near the airport.
Early human artifacts have been discovered on the island. These artifacts include rock carvings at Shek Pik which are thought to date back to the Bronze Age, and a stone circle at Fan Lau which is probably from the Neolithic Age. Both sites are located on the southwestern coast of the island.
Like Cheung Chau, Lantau was once the base for pirates and smugglers, and was one of the bases of Cheung Po Tsai in the 19th century. Silver was also mined at Mui Wo until the 19th century.
Whilst on Lantau I took the Cable car from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping. The Bus to Tai O and looked at the big Buddha.
The Ngong Ping Plateau features the Po Lin Monastery and its vegetarian restaurant, as well as the 26 m high bronze Tian Tan Buddha (or "Giant Buddha") statue, once the world's largest seated outdoor bronze Buddha statue. Walkers can ascend from Tung Chung to the monastery in two hours. Visitors can also take a 25 minute ride on a Ngong Ping 360 from Tung Chung to the Ngong Ping Plateau. Ngong Ping 360 is a tourism experience which combines a 5.7 km cable car journey with a cultural themed village and easy access to the Tian Tan Buddha Statue.
Tai O is a fishing town located in the northwest of Lantau Island which is more than three centuries old. Tourists visit Tai O for its several hundred stilt houses (pang uk), though many of those houses were damaged in a fire in July 2000. Tai O retains most of its historical setting such as waterways, stilt houses and fishing boats and it is famous for its fishing village scenery. Traditional Chinese food like salted fish and locally produced shrimp paste can be found there.
Over 50% of Lantau consists of national parks, including a large number of well-marked trails. The best known of these is the 70 kilometre, 12 section Lantau Trailcomposed of beauty of natural stone steps and the dense woodland along a 3-kilometer stretch.Section 11 of the Lantau Trail starts just across the Tung Chung Road, which is not far from Ngong Ping 360.
Chinese white dolphins, often called pink dolphins, can be seen off the coast of Lantau.
The Ngong Ping 360, a gondola lift, is located on Lantau and is operated by the MTR. Opened in mid-September 2006, this provides a 5.7 km 20 minute gondola cableway journey between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping.
I was lucky enough to get a glass floored cabin known as the Crystal Cabin.
Canon EOS 5D, 24-70L
2013
Img_2332
SR 509 Bridge - On January 22, 1997, the State Route 509 cable-stayed bridge over the Thea Foss Waterway opens to traffic. It is one of only 13 such bridges in the nation and is part of a $165.3 million project that connects Interstate 5 to downtown Tacoma. The artery will be an important feature in the renaissance of the city.
The twin towers of the bridge are 180 feet tall and the two spans totals 707 feet. The unusual design was first suggested in 1991 by architect Jim Merritt who approached Tacoma Mayor Karen Vialle. Merritt wanted to see something more interesting than the design planned by the State Department of Transportation. U.S. Representative Norm Dicks was enlisted in the plan for a better design and he helped convince state officials to consider Merritt’s idea. Tacoma offered to pay for any additional costs of the new bridge, but the project came in under budget.
The decks of cable-stayed bridges are steadied or even supported by cables hung straight down to the deck from masts or pylons. Cable-stayed bridges differ from suspension bridges, which have horizontal cables hung like clotheslines between the towers, one on each side. Vertical suspenders hanging from the horizontal cables support the deck of the suspension bridge. Cable-stayed bridges are not new in concept, but the earliest examples were not built until after World War II.
State Route 509 and the cable-stayed bridge were built to provide an alternate route to E 11th Street, which ran straight through the industrial tideflats across the Blair Waterway Bridge and the Murray Morgan Bridge into downtown Tacoma. The new route more or less loops around the tideflats. It was built so that the Port of Tacoma could develop Blair Waterway, first by taking down the old and too-narrow 1953 Blair Waterway drawbridge, and next by dredging the waterway, which runs parallel to Thea Foss Waterway.
Residents of northeast Tacoma were particularly dependent on the Blair Bridge and to settle the years of debate and conflict over demolishing it, WSDOT and the Port of Tacoma agreed that SR 509 and the new cable-stayed bridge would be completed first. The day after the new route opened, construction crews began taking out the Blair Bridge and the dredging of the waterway began soon after. These infrastructural adjustments enabled the Port of Tacoma to undertake major improvements and expansions of port facilities.
Klick here for a large view!
Patrick Steptoe is a multi-faceted artist from Great Britain. He is a professional fashion designer but also makes illustrations, creates product designs and teaches at his very own academy for design. The figures of his sculpture resemble a mix of mice, rats, guinea pigs and humans. Just like these comical mice-man happily frolic in their three holes and alleys while enjoying themselves, humans should protect the environment as well as nature instead of destroying it. We should learn to strongly cooperate with nature in the future.
Source: Sandsation 2009