tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78525190483547153882012-02-16T17:45:42.914-08:00Things been to, forgotten, written about, and cared for. Chaim & co. travel about; such things are sometimes documented and fantasized about. India figures prominently.Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-82475957672871165522008-08-22T12:51:00.000-07:002008-08-22T12:51:59.427-07:00

Delhi. Believed by some to be one of the oldest existing cities in the world. Delhi is intense. The whole trip I've been psyching myself and Alex out about Delhi, going on and on about how dirty and confronting it is. Last trip to Delhi, with Yotam and Naomi, about four and a half years ago, didn't go so well. This time we sort of eased everyone into India. Starting at Shalin's family in

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-46402377046871990882008-08-18T16:18:00.000-07:002008-11-06T20:48:00.641-08:00

One fateful day, while I am learning to cook momos, or something, Alex meets an interesting woman from Israel named Rivka. They chat, and before you know it, we're all introduced, and planning a trek into the frozen Himalayan mountains together. This is just how things are around here. What follows is our story. A story involving Tintin, Ibex, beasts, flowers, mountains, snow, ice, fire, meteors,

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-16290683538082706872008-06-11T18:32:00.000-07:002008-06-11T11:40:35.598-07:00

We set off to our final destination, the Himalayas. Himachal Pradesh is the state, and McLeod Ganj is our destination. It's near Dharmasala, which is where the Dali Lami and many Tibetans hang out. Dharmasala is the capital in exile of Tibet. Isn't the Wikipedia cool? You learn all kinds of interesting things. The Dali Lami's full name is actually Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-33126407006162884932008-04-14T14:04:00.000-07:002008-05-06T13:10:39.087-07:00

Welcome back to Phases Crossed. Your faith, in returning to this website, hoping that our adventure might continue documenting itself, is appreciated. If only it would document itself. That would be nice. But we need to do things. We need to continue our search for Bin Laden. And we think, just maybe, the answer is camels. We think this is true because of messages from you, our expertly

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-49611160636285633602008-04-02T01:48:00.000-07:002008-04-17T09:18:02.462-07:00

The staff here at Phases Crossed is thankful to our readers' kind patience, knowing full well that patience is one of our world's few non-renewable resources. We will spare no expense in bringing you editions of Phases Crossed on time, however, no matter how remarkable the technologies required. We have gotten our hands on so called "time travel" technology, and are able to retroactively backdate

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-39233525526963280952008-04-01T17:06:00.002-07:002008-04-01T17:17:22.005-07:00

Hello Friends! Something has happened. Well, for one thing, we have crossed over, from East to West. Things are quieter, time shifted, less populated. But we have many adventures to tell. Many stories to share. Our team of editors, writers, researchers, and photographers have not been resting on their laurels. Oh no -- far from it! They have been hard at work, doing, experiencing, and being. We

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-64383499204134238582008-03-18T23:33:00.009-07:002008-04-01T17:37:34.494-07:00

Hello, and welcome to an all new and improved issue of Phases Crossed! Our trip is slowly approaching its end. While nothing about our travel is really shanti shanti, April 1st is slowly creeping up. I've slowly learned to leave behind all unnecessary physical objects in my life. In storage containers. In guest houses. In curious places. Why bother holding onto temporary things?My travel book is

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-25288342502641852272008-03-12T07:44:00.002-07:002008-03-12T08:10:51.190-07:00

We return to Phases Crossed with another edition packed with adventure, romance, and architecture. That's right, this blog comes with a 100% zero fact guarantee. Zero facts! So, please, don't repeat what you read on the internet to your friends. It might not be true. We do guarantee little or no plagiarism, many photographs, and some words. Words describing stuff. Yes.But before we return to

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-83681776322739327472008-03-07T02:07:00.006-08:002008-03-07T04:11:37.713-08:00

In India, people we interact with often tell us "It is possible." Sometimes, "not possible." Other times: "In India, Anything is Possible."Varanasi is a place of many possibilities. But before we go there, travelogue or otherwise, we must discuss something not serious at all. When I was younger, our folks took my family to Canada, to a Renaissance fair. My mom was always taking us exotic places,

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-56240258196013256142008-03-03T07:37:00.004-08:002008-03-04T07:21:51.650-08:00

We must revisit the packed population habits of our travel one more time. If you are tired of seeing and hearing about it -- well, you can imagine that it must be far more entertaining to actually do this, because we continue to do it.After stopping in cities with names like Nagpur, we make our way to Khajuraho, whose claim to fame you will discover shortly. It is a very small village, but with

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-53261259419541779102008-03-01T23:32:00.006-08:002008-11-06T20:48:01.421-08:00

What, exactly, is a Moghul? Read on, and you certainly won't find the answer, but you might find some nice pictures of their architecture. We like Babur, but not just because he is a children's book character. Read more, and find out a little bit more, but not too much more.Some readers have been carefully researching, mapping, and digesting our titles. Perhaps we have erred. Perhaps they have.

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-90239693500386542062008-02-26T08:22:00.005-08:002008-02-29T03:31:31.106-08:00

The time has come to discuss backpacks. These bits of luggage hold our things, our important things, objects & devices thought important for the future. Sometimes we spend lots of money on them. They must squish into all kinds of tight spaces, on buses, and between people (lots of people!). We carry them on our backs, ride on the shoulders of people going places, or standing around. We love them,

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-29329413972454829652008-02-22T07:28:00.004-08:002008-02-24T06:40:38.426-08:00

An email from Yotam, after arriving home:From: YotamTo: Chaim, Alex Date: Feb 16 (6 days ago) OK, I made it home. Lots of Americans on the plane ride home --- where were they the whole time? OK, none were the backpacking type, so that explains that.I didn't tell my bank I would be in India --- I don't think I have ever told them when I travel --- so they blocked my card right after I bought my

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-83019092331081058742008-02-14T22:14:00.007-08:002008-02-24T06:38:29.697-08:00

We arrive under cover of night after 6 hours of bumpy bus riding and grinding through mountain roads, into the Western Ghats of Kerala. It is painful and hard. We're not sure it was worth it, since it's totally dark, colder, and it looks like another small Indian town. I tell everyone that in the morning that we will find out whether this place was worth it or not, once we can see our new digs:

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-14829452159158187002008-02-13T07:28:00.007-08:002008-02-18T03:33:19.762-08:00

I self-assemble my waking self up in the trees. Birds do their morning chatter. Calling and responding. "Koi-fee, koi-fyee!" Other strange, almost English sounding birdsong prop me up, out of sleep. It's not comfortable sleeping up here, in trees and darkness. Light? The breeze is strong, and cool. My body isn't quite comfortable, since you kind of have to curl up oddly up here. Alex and Yotam

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-86724433639192456732008-02-13T06:44:00.003-08:002008-02-13T06:51:05.950-08:00

Hello fellow travellers! We are driving without our seatbelts -- no spell check, grammar check, nothin'. Old school IE style. This is a sort of apology/trailer. We have no pictures. Apologies. Our massive adventures, in all their bit tonnage, are simply too large for the internets available in these parts of the world, and the people who run their internet cafes. Our periodicity is

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-6001628004596808522008-02-05T23:51:00.000-08:002008-02-08T09:41:28.586-08:00

Ah, yes. We wake up one morning and find ourselves magically transported to Panjim, in Goa. After shaking our magic fairy dust encrusted heads, and taking a shower to ensure my Tet is completely clean, we realize how we came here. It was by train, bus, autorickshaw, legs, and your basic traveller's ingenuity.In turns out many people are using the Lonely Planet as a travel guide book. This is a

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-12237426128255165182008-01-29T00:50:00.000-08:002008-01-29T03:12:46.914-08:00

Now the ramblings of this Berkeley prophet all make sense to me. After the recent tremblings in global markets I, too, searched for safer places to store my dollars. Hampi, naturally, is a logical place for us to invest in. The sunsets, rice fields, ancient temples, and fresh air are excellent places for us to spend our quickly devaluing US currency.Below, we find one of many kiosks in the many

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-4228762003921763462008-01-20T08:11:00.000-08:002008-01-26T00:16:19.511-08:00

Time has crossed, phase shifted, and done other strange things. I write to you now, through the usage of advanced computer technology, as if I am in the past, when in fact, I have advanced far into the Future. It is no small thing. We are in Hampi now, which will be discussed later, when the Time is right, but for now, we write in a voice, and read it back, as if we are still in the city of

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-12849769110674193392008-01-20T04:35:00.000-08:002008-01-24T07:07:25.461-08:00

Shalin's older brother, Shyamal co-operates a fashion design house with Bhumika, his wife. Together, they operate Shyamal & Bhumika. Below, is one of many articles about their work.Here is their storefront. It's really beautiful. Their entire store would fit perfectly into any fancy street in LA, New York, or Tokyo.The inside, and the clothing, are all blindingly colorful and lovely.But where do

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-10952937655974944922008-01-20T04:20:00.001-08:002008-01-22T02:10:01.488-08:00

While I did miss Ahmedabad's kite festival, I am here for peak wedding season. Indian weddings are epic affairs. One night we went to a party, outside of town on a farmhouse, hosted by the bride's family. These parties seem to go on for multiple days. This was actually the second night of musical performances for this particular wedding. This being wedding season, attending so many functions

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-15337897079634922812008-01-17T20:18:00.000-08:002008-01-20T08:30:51.361-08:00

Numerous readers have written in wondering what has happened to our expedition's publication. The truth of the matter, is that our staff is not only alive, but has been very busy conducting important research that will, if things go as planned, comprise a special four part issue on Ahmedabad, India. We now return to our narrative where it left off...Some people wonder what it would be like to

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-77427589919838299992008-01-15T09:20:00.000-08:002008-01-15T12:58:11.665-08:00

A very merry un-un-birthday to Shalin, Mr. Luther, myself and many others who share this birthday. Phases Crossed is back with its longest installment ever, after observing two days of radio silence, for a special birthday edition.I have trouble with dates, as some of you know, and my birthday kind of snuck up on me. Sometimes it's hard to remember how old I am; usually there's an off by one

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-53472878056882656782008-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:002008-01-13T01:33:29.244-08:00

We decide to visit Jerusalem the same day Mr. Bush does; we suspect a leak somewhere in our party. Apparently, this is a terrible idea, as the entire city has had its bus lines rearranged, streets closed, buildings moved, and the like. So, we bus in instead of driving. This turns out to not be such a stupid idea, as the city is pretty quiet -- nobody goes out for fear of getting stuck in traffic,

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-18407219127908524652008-01-11T05:48:00.000-08:002008-01-12T04:25:25.596-08:00

Salaam and good evening, morning, or X, where X = time of day at your geographic locale! In our marvel filled world of fast chattering devices, one can never be certain.This issue of Phases Crossed takes us to northern Israel. Our trip begins in Haifa, where we'll return in a week for more activities. Here is a photograph of the B'hai gardens in Haifa. Nice, no?A word on pacing. This trip, so far

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-61337630135721159422008-01-09T22:01:00.001-08:002008-01-09T23:21:51.520-08:00

Yo, what's up? For this leg of our trip we be taken it south, to the Negev desert, where we be sporting sunglasses and funny hats. The word Negev could use verbification in my opinion. Where is Negevize, Negevate, for example? The Negev is where it's at, the hotness, the coldness, the dryness. There be dead seas, mountains, craters that aren't craters, and food that make you the happiest eaters

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-34526574068611042582008-01-07T12:01:00.000-08:002008-01-07T22:18:17.504-08:00

International travel does strange things to time, and jet lag is just one type of time distortion possible. There is also the experience-photograph-upload-blog time delay phenomena. For example, yesterday Nadav, Aaron, and I woke at 4am to hike up Masada, an ancient desert fortress, to watch the sunrise. But today I will write about the events of Jan 3. An upcoming edition will chronicle

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-57964616109208502032008-01-02T21:40:00.001-08:002008-01-02T21:41:54.627-08:00

Dusk at the Amsterdam canals Originally uploaded by markopoulos I've just endured a crazy three day blur of travel. I finally got some sleep mediated by pillows and the like and a real horizontal surface. I feel rested, clean, and hungry. Not even sure if it was 72 hours, but I did leave San Carlos on the 1st, and arrive in Tel Aviv on the 3rd. Nadav and Anya picked me up from the airport

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-83705660274828192422007-12-30T18:43:00.001-08:002007-12-31T08:51:47.116-08:00

Packing books in my room... To do list.Ja Mon. My apartment is clean. And empty. Aside from packing every piece of underwear I own, except the one worn by yours truly, into storage, putting my life into storage went smoothly. Everything I own was marshaled, serialized, and packetized into this big blue box that descended from the sky into the street in front of my house. Then, one week later

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-60354207088976340012007-12-14T09:12:00.001-08:002007-12-15T11:58:12.123-08:00

Shalin Shodhan Thumbs Up  What to do?Originally uploaded by Chaim Gingold Sometimes things start in unlikely places. This is my good friend Shalin. He's really cool, and only partially because he's from India. Last night we had dinner at Namaste on telegraph. Double thumbs up to the food, or something. We were talking about Ahmedabad, his hometown, because he's traveling there this weekend,

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852519048354715388.post-33160023356323407252007-12-13T17:51:00.001-08:002007-12-14T23:58:35.620-08:00

Chaim circa 2007Originally uploaded by Chaim Gingold Aha! The interweb. I feelt like it bein over ten years since I seen what them internets can do, what all those young kids what with their myspaces, flickers, and digital nick-nacks are twittering and flittering about.When I was younger, if you wanted to post something on the web, you had to use unix, a text editor, manage a dns server, and, in

Chaim Gingoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18353586513599670115noreply@blogger.com2