Egypt – The ancient Land of Mystery (Part 2): Luxor and Aswan

We reached Luxor airport around 10 at night, flight was of 45 minutes, but both of us were exhausted from our respective rendezvous during the day. Our guide for Luxor, Tareq came to receive us at the airport. It was a clean, picturesque city along the eastern bank of Nile; we could trace the river on our way to the hotel which was also on the bank of it. The beautiful waterside promenade was still lively, the well-lit roads were thriving with tourists mostly Europeans. We were told it was a safe and tourist friendly place.

Next day early morning, we woke up with the chirping of birds and the first ray of Sun dazzling on the Nile water. It was a beautiful sight, with the valley of Kings visible on the other bank.

We had an early start after a quick breakfast by the river, our first destination being the valley of Kings, the desert valley of mountains that housed the Royal tombs. Luxor was known as ‘Thebes,’ the capital of the ‘New Kingdom Era’ (16^th to 11^th Century BC) when the Pharaohs discovered the pyramid like shape of this mountain valley and decided to build tombs underneath. From that the name arrived.

At the Valley of Kings, the Entrance fees included any three of the tombs except, Seti I and Tutankhamun’s. I was keen to visit Seti I’s tomb also for its exquisite paintings, as Gamal made me aware of it earlier. So, we bought a separate ticket for that too. Tareq gave us a brief idea about the tombs we were to visit, those were of Ramesis IV, Ramesis I and Ramesis II. He wasn’t very amused with my idea of visiting Seti I’s tomb, as he seemed to be of controlling nature and accustomed to handle a category of European tourists who mostly came for photoshoots rather than having any real interest in history. We visited first the tomb of Ramesis IV, this became a refuge for the Christians during Roman rule, as the state was anti Christianity at that time. There were several cross marks to be traced in the encrypted walls of the entrance tunnel, the traditional paintings and inscriptions were also in quite good state retaining original colors. Tombs of Ramesis I and II were also well decorated and in reasonably good state, though Ramesis I’s was a steep decline, hence needed maneuvering of a good number of not so friendly stairs.

At Ramesis IV

At Ramesis II

Ramesis IV

Seti I’s tomb, as I imagined was spectacular with bright colored wall paintings almost intact; a particular one of Seti and his queen caught my fancy for its bold colors and romantic pose. In earlier tombs I did not notice any such couple painting, though later in many temples found such engraves of the God couples.

Seti I and his queen Tuya

Seti I tomb

Our next destination was Hatshepsut temple which was dedicated to the first female ruler of Egypt of the same name. The terrace temple structure was rebuilt by Polish archeologists' team during 20^th Century, though gave a fantastic feel of ancient time in the desert valley background.

Hatshepsut seen as a man and woman

After taking lunch break at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the temple, we took a short boat ride to cross the river and reach the Eastern bank to visit Karnak temple at a shorter time. Our car would join us later, we were told. Karnak Temple was a UNESCO site and the second most visited historical site in Egypt after Giza Pyramids. The beautiful column in the temple with their perfect alignment and colourful paintings stood out.

Karnak temple columns

Lines of Sphinx at the entrance

Later, we visited the Luxor temple site, which was not much than a ruin. Though, from the promenade in front we could witness a beautiful sunset on the Nile water.

Luxor temple

We bought papyrus paintings from one of the certified shops in Luxor, they also explained us the process and showed different stages of the weathering. Luxor was known for authentic papyrus.

Tareq was insisting on a very early start with breakfast box next morning, we were to reach Aswan via road with a diversion to visit Edfu and the town of Kom Ombo. We were really tired from last few days of ruins visits and the desert heat in Luxor further added to the misery. I negotiated to start post breakfast, even if that meant omitting a site on the way.

Edfu was two and half hours of drive from Luxor, excellent road and picturesque landscape made it quite enjoyable, though constant jabbering from our guide was quite irritating. He expected me to be amazed seeing truckload of sugarcane or a herd of cows; unfortunately I could not oblige (being from a country known for both). The temple at Edfu was for the Falcon God Horus who was the symbol of protection and war. Horus’s wife Hathor represented cow, as in ancient Egypt like India cow was considered a sacred animal symbolizing wealth and prosperity. The Edfu temple and the Philae temple in Aswan were built in the Ptolemaic and Roman Era and showed the same pattern of having a birth house for the Son of the House God at the entrance. In this case, it was the birth house of Imsety, the son of God Horus and his wife Hathor. The entrance to the temple had two massive statues of falcon and several others inside which were awe inspiring.

Edfu Museum, Boat of Horus

Inside the temple

Outside wall engrave

The Kom Ombo town was further one and half hours of drive and a very old settlement with distinct middle eastern influence unlike Luxor. The temple there was merely a ruin, not much could be deciphered from a layman’s perspective. Our guide took leave from us at this point, as a new local guide, a lady was to join us the next day. I was more than happy to get rid of this clown, who by then managed to put me at my wits’ end.

Kom Ombo Temple

We reached Aswan around four in the afternoon, exhausted yet welcomed by a hilltop hotel with a Nile view. I was determined to make this stay a relaxing one feeling the essence of the place rather than running after touristy sites mindlessly. We communicated to our future guide accordingly. The hotel had a beautiful terrace restaurant, we had a lovely candlelight dinner there under the starry night, overlooking the illuminated city landscape.

Next day we started late after a leisurely breakfast; a short boat ride took us to the island of Philae Temple. On the way I noticed an interesting Nubian structure motel at one of the smaller islands. Aswan became a settlement for the Nubian community from North Sudan, after their uprise during 25^th Dynasty around 8^th Century BCE. The Nubians had distinct appearance and mostly they were Christians unlike the rest of the population. 

The Philae temple was dedicated to the Goddess Isis, the mother of Horus and the wife of God Osiris and she was the Goddess of healing and medicine. This temple was also constructed during Ptolemian Era, hence had a birth house for Horus at the entrance. The beautiful temple surrounded by water was truly a place to visit and also enjoy the scenic beauty.

Philae Temple

Perfume grinder at Temple

Isis and Osiris

The rest of the day we indulged in some interesting shopping, be it perfumed oil, spices, and some silver jewelry, especially one that replicated a piece from the Cairo Museum which belonged to Queen Nefertari. Our guide Rasha, being a woman loved helping, not only by taking us to the choicest shops, but also giving valuable suggestions.

That day evening, based on Rasha’s recommendation we went to dine at ‘Nineteen O two’ restaurant at Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel. The hotel was a heritage one that historically housed many celebrities, my favourite being Agatha Christie. The fine dining restaurant also carried the same lineage and still maintained the standard of discretion and quality. It was truly an experience to dine there with live piano, pure silver cutlery, delicious food and choicest wine.

Next day we took the flight to Cairo in the afternoon post another round of shopping of Egyptian cotton wares.

An Egypt tour would have been incomplete without visiting the two ancient cites Luxor and Aswan who distinctly represent the era of Ancient Egypt or Misr as the country was referred then. Interestingly, in Sanskrit we refer to the country as Misr Desha that reflected on the ancient sea trade tie India had with Egypt.

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Egypt – The ancient Land of Mystery (Part 1) Cairo Diary

Covid Pandemic has taken away a lot from each of us, many of the loved ones, health and mental peace. In my case, I thought it took away my wander lust; suddenly the traveler in me became hesitant and shaky when it came to travel to foreign lands very unlike my earlier self. I was not happy, this was the biggest price, I thought I had to pay due to the turmoil.

Egypt was in my wish list for a long time, as this was the remaining of the five great Museums of the world that I was yet to visit. The other four Athens Archeological, Vatican City, Louvre and British Museum were done long back. For history lovers Egypt is a must and dream travel, but in my case, it took a back seat for a couple of years as, I was busy in exploring Far East and South East Asia for my novel. We moved to Kenya during pick of covid, still had a slim hope in my mind to visit Egypt from here. Finally, on a last moment decision I tagged along my husband on his official visit to Cairo (which I never indulged in earlier). Our flight was at midnight, got the visa in hand at five in the evening and then rushed packing, collection of Dollar; I hardly had chance to brush up my knowledge on Egyptian history.

Early in the morning, with the first ray of Sun, the silver line of Nile appeared in my view line, I felt myself again after a long time, getting the thrill I used to, with the aerial glimpse of a new land to be explored.

We were booked at Ritz Carlton Nile, overlooking the Nile on one side and the Tahrir Square on the other. This was located at the heart of historical Cairo, being a heritage hotel itself. For me the location of a hotel had always been important, as it made a lot of difference in historical places, in terms of convenience and getting the vibe. We booked the entire tour through a well-known Travel agent recommended by an Egyptian friend, the agent was updated beforehand about my passion for history, hence, he assured to provide knowledgeable guides. I had a general aversion towards guides, as most of them came with half-baked knowledge that immensely irritated me. Mr. Gamal was already waiting at the hotel lounge when we arrived, he introduced himself as our guide for next two days in Cairo. He asked me whether I would prefer to go to the new museum or the old one, the old one (as I mentioned earlier) was located next to the hotel. Why could not we do both I was wondering when he explained that he would like to show us the bazar afterwards. I took an instant dislike on the man who looked more like an academic than a tour guide for preferring bazar over museum. On an afterthought, I settled for the new museum, as the old one I could do myself on the free days, exploring museums on my own provided immense joy to me always.

“Thousands of years ago, dead bodies used to be preserved and were called mummies”; “Can we discuss the periods of Old and new kingdom please?” I interrupted. He took a deep note of me and smiled gently, from then on it was only serious business. We not only discussed at length the different eras, also the significance and uniqueness of Lower and Upper Egypt, Greko Roman influence, and Arab colonization. At the museum he explained few of the vital symbols of Hieroglyphs or ancient language which came very handy in the later part of our tour while exploring the tombs and temples on my own.

At new Museum

False door from a tomb

Relics

The Bazar was the reflection of a typical Middle Eastern crowded alley with shops full of cheap artifacts and jewelry, I was not amused, especially after a night long journey. Gamal understood my plight and apologized for his choice.

Cairo Bazaar

The Next day we started early to cover the excavation sites at Memphis, Saqqara and Giza. The weather was pleasant in Cairo, a bit on the colder side during morning and evening, hence, outdoor excursion did not pose to be challenging. We started with Memphis, the capital of Old Kingdom, which was half an hour drive from the hotel. The site had a museum showcasing a gigantic statue of Ramesis II that was discovered from underground. It was the site of a temple built by Ramesis II, the greatest Pharaoh of New Kingdom or the Golden Age of Egypt and could be compared with the Gupta Period, Golden Age of Indian History. This was the time when Egypt reached the zenith in terms of wealth, culture, and science. 

At Memphis

Saqqara was the site of the oldest pyramids, one large, looking like a step pyramid and many other small ones. The largest one belonged to Pharaoh Djoser of third dynasty. The site was full of tombs of the Nobles and distinguished people closer to the Royal family, though only a fraction of the same had been unearthed so far. We went inside one of such tombs, the colors of the paintings were still intact, so was the false door, believed to be the path for the soul to travel to heaven.

Saqqara step Pyramid

Giza site was located at the west bank of Nile; in ancient Egypt, tombs used to be built traditionally on the west bank, as the Sun set symbolized departure from life. The human habitation had steadily been on the eastern bank of Nile in entire Egypt including Cairo. The largest two pyramids named Khufu and Khafre belonged to the Pharaohs of 4^th dynasty and the third one belonged to Pharoh Menkaure, son of Khafre. The three smaller pyramids belonged to Khafre’s mother, wife and daughter. This place was so windy that keeping a camera stand straight was also a challenge, my shoes were full of sand dust and so was my mouth. But it was worth all the pain as the pyramid of Khufu was one of the seven and only surviving wonders of the ancient world.

The giant Sphinx at Giza

Giza site

That afternoon, Gamal took leave gifting me two artefacts and a talisman of a bracelet that he himself wrapped on my wrist saying, ‘it’s from your Egyptian brother’. I instantly felt that the tie was to remain even long after I would leave Egypt and exactly that happened, we kept exchanging information about our respective civilization till today.

Every place I visited in the past, I tried to enjoy the traditional cultural flavor in terms of music, here I was keen to attend a concert of Saidi music. It seemed, that was quite unheard of, hence, had to settle for a Nile cruise on board music and dance. The music was good, dance was quite intolerable for my taste, though the ambience, the moonlit night and food partially compensated.

The next day morning we went to the old museum; the building, a typical colonial one reminded me of Athens Archeological Museum, the treasures it stored including Tutankhamun’s were incredible and truly satisfying for a history lover.

Tutankhamun's Gold sandal

Love the neck piece

Tutankhamun in his Gold attire

From Golden era

Our next destination that day was ‘The mall of Egypt’. While living in a place where branded goods remained inaccessible, this was very much needed, and I must say the mall was very impressive even for someone like me who stayed in Bangkok; I did full justice to the visit.

The last evening of our Cairo stay ended with a candle light dinner overlooking the Nile at the rooftop restaurant of the hotel. For some reason, the floor manager decided it was an anniversary celebratory dinner; we were showered with special attention from the singer and also a cake on the house. Such mistakes were to be enjoyed, so we went by the flow.

The next day, I was on my own, so decided to do some ‘my kind of shopping’ (being unconventional) that became very much part of the cultural exploration, anywhere I went. I found out a boutique shop named Nomad Gallery based on the Trip Advisor reviews. It was an inconspicuous shop in a heritage building, quite difficult to locate and not touristy at all. The moment I entered, I knew what a treasure it was with grade one authentic collection pieces of artefacts, silver jewelry, finest cotton and rugs and a reasonable price.

My next mission was to find out a book shop in order to buy a book on Hieroglyph. As I got down from the car at a square, a huge looking man just hijacked me saying he will show me the book shop but before that I must visit his souvenir shop. I did not have much choice but to meekly follow him. There, at the silver section I found some talisman I did not get at the earlier shop, hence, decided to buy them. The man at the counter named ‘Abdul’ obliged, but then took me to upstairs at their fragrance section. Ancient Egypt was known for secret potions and fragrances, they still carry forward the culture of preparing perfumes and lotions from flower extracts. Abdul had his own style of wooing customers, majorly white females, but within a few minutes he understood I was beyond his grammar book. He was not to be deterred easily, this time not the salesman, but the charming man he was started wooing me. I quite enjoyed the attention and accepted the compliments and then parted empty handed calling him a dear brother.

There were a few book shops on that road, but none in English, hence did not serve my purpose.

We had an evening flight to Luxor, from there started the next phase of travel, exploring the Golden Age of Ancient Egypt.

(To be continued…)

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Guidelines from Charak and Sisruta for Healthy Life

https://youtu.be/GETwB03zR0E

Japan – Love in Tokyo

Yes, that is how I remember Japan from my earliest memory, where a flamboyant Joy Mukherjee was chasing the beautiful Asha Parekh in the roads of Tokyo in a Hindi film with the same tittle. I had heard many tales of the beautiful gardens of the country as a child, as a neighbouring aunty spent a few years in Tokyo. Ever since, I imagined Japan to be a picturesque country straight from the sketchbooks. For last few years, it was in my wish-list to visit this country of my childhood dreams during the time of Cherry Blossom. Last year we planned, but it didn’t materialise, as I realised that to hit the Sakura bloom (cherry blossom), one need to plan well in advance, as the tourist influx is maximum during that period. Sakura is a very delicate tree that remains in full bloom for a very short time (no more than ten days) and it doesn’t bloom at the same time in every city. It is grossly regulated by a particular temperature and moisture. Anyway, the blooming starts from south and spreads in the northern parts gradually spanning for a period of about a month. Hence, one must plan for Sakura visit during the period of March end to first week of May and choose the places to visit according to the dates.    

We planned our visit this year during the Songkran time (from 13^th to 20^th April), as that week was holiday season in Bangkok and made bookings well in advance, in January. The itinerary was two days in Tokyo, one day in Kanazawa and four days in Kyoto. As per weather predictions, in Kanazawa we were likely to view Sakura in full bloom, though one can never predict such things accurately. Anyway, Japan has much more to offer than Sakura and my itinerary was driven more by the rich cultural heritage and the gardens.

On 13^th we reached Narita airport past noon and expected to reach our hotel at Hamamatsucho in the afternoon not before 3PM, as it would require an hour of train ride and a change of track in Tokyo station. To our surprise, the entire process of walking out of the aircraft to reaching hotel happened in one and half hours, such orderly was everything; Japan’s immigration is definitely the most efficient and fastest of all the countries I have so far visited across the Globe.

That evening we went to the Ueno Park which was right across the Ueno station, this place had a Museum and a wide spread Garden, our aim was to visit the Park, for trying our luck on Sakura. As we walked on the path inside, a line of Sakura trees came into sight with a blend of red and white flowers, they were past their peak. The Sakura flower turned into red post full bloom. There was a surprise awaiting us, as we took a right turn; a Sakura tree at its best form came into sight. I was mesmerised by the sheer beauty of it, a very different experience from any full bloom tree I have ever seen before; it also gave me a relief that even if I don’t come across another one like this, my dream was fulfilled.

Next day morning we got our Japan Railway pass from Tokyo station in exchange of the 7 days voucher we already purchased in Bangkok. We also booked our Tickets for the forward journeys to Kanazawa, Kyoto and return to Tokyo and Narita against the pass. After that we headed for the Imperial Palace which was either a long walk or a short taxi drive from the station, we opted for the easier option, as I was already feeling tired from standing in a long queue at the railway counter (for some reason, the usual efficiency of managing crowd was lacking here). I wasn’t too keen to visit this place, as it wasn’t included in my original itinerary, but agreed as my husband insisted. As we got dropped at the crossway, it took some time to figure out which way the Palace would be and I was eyeing at a café thirstily; but in a magical moment we forgot everything and crossed the road towards an enclosed roadway. It was simply breath-taking! The entire trail of the road was adorned with a line of full bloom Sakura trees, not a single tinge of red nor a leaf to distract. We spent a long time sitting beneath them on one of the benches lined up to enjoy a pleasant day. It was hard to leave the place, but we ultimately extracted ourselves to visit the Palace from outside, as it wasn’t open for Public. Next we went to the Shibua crossing; a seven road crossing famous for its liveliness and numerous eateries and shops.

The Palace

Shibua

Next day morning we took an early train to Kanazawa in the Shinkansen line, it was my first bullet train ride and we had first class tickets, as our pass was for first class. The train came from some other destination and stopped at Tokyo station for about ten minutes, during that time the Railway staff thoroughly cleaned the coaches and changed direction of the seats for upward journey; there was still enough time for the passengers to board. I was already amazed by the speed of the staff, the speed of the train and the Wi-Fi inside just added to it. Mt. Fuji was wonderfully visible throughout the journey of two and half hours which passed like a dream. 

Mt Fuji

The heritage city of Kanazawa, a foothill town was dreamlike too with its beautiful landscape and quiet surroundings. We headed for the famous Geisha quarters at Higashi Chaya district after an early lunch and settling luggage at the hotel which was very close to the station. Here I want to mention that we opted for hotels in every city close to the Railway station that gave us huge locational advantage. In the alleys of the Higashi Chaya district time stood still in 17^th century where Geishas still entertained distinguished guests in the teahouses in the evenings. In the daytime tourist were allowed to roam around this UNESCO site and even enjoy tea at a few who offered so. A lot of teahouses offered merchandises ranging from handicrafts to herbal toiletries. We spotted a poster in one of the walls announcing Geisha private show for a week during Sakura, one of the dates coincided with our visit; we tried our luck for online tickets and actually got it for that evening in the most famous Kaikaro teahouse. We went to the Gold Leaf Museum on our way back to the hotel; the museum displayed the traditional techniques of Gold leaf imprint of ancient Japan and its modern evolution. In the evening we went back to the Geisha district, by then all the teahouses were closed for tourists. 

A shrine in Geisha quarters

Hiashi Chaya

Kanazawa Station

Tea house

The alley

Gold Imprinted

Displays in the Museum

The Landscape

The closed door Geisha performance (with a limited audience of about 25 people) started with raising a toast and drinking sake and then came the most charismatic performances and the engaging interaction with the chief Geisha of the house Lady Baba. It was an experience of a lifetime and worth every dollar we spent on the tickets. Next day morning we went to the Kenrokuen Garden and the adjacent Kanazawa Castle Park. This garden is considered to be the third most famous garden in entire Japan and it proved the case surpassing my imagination. Not only the blooming Sakura but other plantations and their arrangements around water bodies created a picturesque landscape depicting sense of aesthetics of highest order.

Distributing Sake

Performance

The Garden

The Castle Park

We took an afternoon train to Kyoto which was a two hours journey in the local JR train. We reached Kyoto in the evening, checked in the hotel and went out for a stroll and a laid back dinner.

The next morning we started around eight in a local bus and went to visit the temples; starting from Shoren-in Temple, the biggest temple that housed school for Japanese Buddhism, then Chion in Temple, a pilgrimage place for Chinese tourists. We stepped inside the neighbouring Maruyama-koen Park; Cherry trees were still in bloom there, we enjoyed coffee at a beautifully set up café within the premises. Our next stop was at the Kodai-Ji Temple, in Japan not only the temples, but the adjacent temple gardens were worth a visit for their natural beauty. After visiting the temple we walked into the Ishibei-koji street, from here started the old quarters of historical city of Kyoto, there were walking streets interlinked; young girls mostly tourists, dressed and decked up in Kimono (courtesy to the Kimono rental studios) strolled along adding some more flavour to the old world charm of the locality. From here we walked into the Gion area which was the Geisha District of the city. This area was much larger than Kanazawa and held the anthem of rich heritage, though somehow looked a bit commercial in comparison to the other one. There was a cultural centre where regular group performances were held by trainee Geishas for the tourists.

Shoren in Temple

Temple garden

Chion In Temple

The Temple entrance

Kodai Ji Temple

The Old quarters

Our next plan was a day trip to Nara which was an hour ride in local JR train (the JR pass covered all local train and bus rides from the JR company). The road from railway station to the Nara Park was so mesmeric in terms of landscape beauty that we already felt happy for the decision of taking the day trip. As we approached the park, hundreds of deer came in sight gathered around. They were uninhibited, eating out of hand faithfully; it was like an industry with so many stalls selling Deer fodder. We approached the Todai- Ji Temple as our first stop. This was world’s largest wooden structure, a 9^th century wonder built in traditional Japanese style of architecture. Though the original form of seven storey structure wasn’t there anymore, but what remained was still awe-inspiring in our eyes. After spending some quiet time around the temple ground we had a hearty lunch in one of the traditional restaurant and then headed for the Park. The Park was beautifully done up with many shaded resting places to enjoy the view and spend some time; the deer were a constant company everywhere, especially when loaded with food. We spent rest of the afternoon there enjoying the moderate weather and soothing breeze.

Todai Ji Temple

The Ashoka Pillar

Next day morning again it was planned to be a day for city tour; we took a day pass for the local Bus service for that. Our first stop was the Kinkaku-ji Temple and the famous Golden pavilion. The excellent Golden structure in a small lake looked surreal in the reflection of the morning Sun, it was worth facing a large crowd, the hilltop surrounding was serene and devoid of tourists; we enjoyed sitting by the forestry set up there for a while. Then we walked down to the nearby Ryoan-Ji Temple and the Zen rock Garden. It was one of the most spectacular gardens of Kyoto and for some reason, not hounded by the tourists. The place was a photographer’s delight with its varied colourful landscape. We came across a vegetarian restaurant midst the garden named Yodofu Umegaean; it was a private enclosure with the most picturesque garden I came across in my entire trip. We sat on the floor in traditional Japanese set up overlooking the garden; a full bloom Sakura tree was dominating the view. It felt surreal and took us back to a different time zone; it wasn’t hard to imagine myself sitting with a cup of steaming tea dressed in Kimono and enjoying a peaceful morning all by myself. Post lunch we went to the Tenryu-ji Temple in Arashiyama, by narrow gauge train, the Arashimaya area was on a hilly terrain very close to the mountain. It was lovely to just walk around the area, such was the landscape. The temple and its garden was nice with the backdrop of the mountain, it gave a feeling of some hilltop monastery. From the north gate of the temple we entered the famous Bamboo Groove which was a popular photo stop for both tourists and locals. There were some more shrines and old quarters that the local Rickshaw pullers offer to show to the tourists. We walked around for some time and then went to the bus stop to take a coffee break and then took an hour of bus ride to reach the Kyoto station.

Kinkakuji Temple

The Golden Pavilion

The Zen garden

The yodofu restaurant

Entrance of the restaurant

Tenryuji Temple

The Landscape at Arashiyama

The Bamboo groove

On our last day in Kyoto, we had a train in the afternoon, so the morning was well spent on a lazy stroll, enjoying coffee sitting by the road and doing some last minute shopping. As we bid farewell to Kyoto, with that our Japan trip also came to an end; the spell of Sakura and the mesmeric landscapes lingered in my mind for a very long time. This trip would remain in my memory like a fairy-tale dream; a dream that never ends, even after one comes out of sleep.

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All photographs of this blog are personal property of Mr. Dilip Pal. Copyright (c)dilippal 2019

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