by Alex Pullen | Dec 18, 2013 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs
In India they say, the God that brought life into the world was himself, born in Leh… The first thing God saw when he opened his eyes, was the sky… Henceforth, the god tried and tried to create things in the world as blue as the sky, but never could. It seems his...
by Alex Pullen | Sep 11, 2013 | India, Photography, The Grotto, Travel, writing
Melding together flavor, metal pot on the stove. Digging through the pantry, roots, seeds, bark and leaves. Cardamom, black peppercorns, star anise, ginger, cinnamon, clove, black tea. Brewing together the elements, pinches, dashes, splashes, stems, seeds, leaves....
by Alex Pullen | Jun 5, 2013 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs, Travel
How to sum this up… I’ve been in the process of writing The Kashmir Analogs for almost a year now. But it feels like there is more to be said and gleaned from these experiences in India and the Middle-East… And here I am writing the concluding...
by Alex Pullen | May 15, 2013 | India, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs, Travel
Here we are at the Crux. The Crux being the move we take to make it all come together… all coalesce… It’s been seven weeks since I started posting The Kashmir Analogs. Traveling and working in Kashmir was a journey for sure. And so far, I’ve...
by Alex Pullen | May 8, 2013 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs
It is funny where you find yourself sometimes… after I opened my eyes and let them adjust to bright, early-afternoon sunlight, I saw, sitting in front of me, a young boy wearing a brown tunic, staring at me with a big curious grin… as I regain my senses, all I could...
by Alex Pullen | May 2, 2013 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs, Travel
– The People – Shoving a camera up to a strangers face requires a lot of nerve. It’s a trip walking up to someone on the street who speaks a different language than you, and saying, “can I take your picture” while using your hands and...
by Alex Pullen | Apr 4, 2013 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs, Travel
It has been six months since I returned to the U.S. from India, and I’m still feeling her irresistible and at times overwhelming pull… India never really leaves my mind. The experiences I accrued while traveling there, the people I got to meet and all the...
by Alex Pullen | Aug 5, 2012 | India, The Grotto
Just hit American soil… After thirty sleepless hours standing in airport security lines, being an anonymous face in the blur of eastern travelers and wayfarers… single Indian mothers and their daughters traveling West, grandmothers in saris wearing golden earings and...
by Alex Pullen | Jul 20, 2012 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs
They say the color blue… has a deep connection with the city of Leh… … They say the god that brought life to the world was himself, born in Leh… And, the first thing that the god saw when he opened his eyes was sky… henceforth, the god tried and tried to...
by Alex Pullen | Jul 14, 2012 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs
So… sitting here laughing on the verandah of our house boat on Dal Lake… because, the universe can throw curve balls… Nelson and I were supposed to leave for Leh two days ago but we got delayed. The night before we were to make the journey to Leh (on...
by Alex Pullen | Jul 12, 2012 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs
So, after an amazing, and at times emotional and intense three weeks here in Kashmir, Nelson and I are headed off to Ladakh… Today we spent saying goodbye to all the good friends we made, running errands around town and packing our bags for the next and last leg of...
by Alex Pullen | Jul 9, 2012 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs
It’s early evening now, I’m exhausted after another long and hot day traversing Srinagar and the surrounding areas to meet people for Nelson’s project. I’m sitting in the airy front verandah of a houseboat, watching the sunset over the sheet-metal roofs of the stilted...
by Alex Pullen | Jul 1, 2012 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs
Sitting in our hotel room overlooking Lal Chowk the main square in Srinagar, I try to comprehend how different people’s lives are here in Srinagar, Kashmir. Peering through the window from my chair, I can see two armored Humvees, two sandbagged pillboxes with machine...
by Alex Pullen | Jun 26, 2012 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs
After a pretty thrilling 12 hour taxi ride through the Himalayan passes, we made it from Mcleod Ganj to Srinagar, Kashmir. We spent the entire day driving through very diverse and desolate landscapes. We started by driving the through military checkpoints in the dry...
by Alex Pullen | Jun 18, 2012 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs
Tashi Delek Everybody, Thought I would give another update on how things are going… It has definitely been an interesting change of pace for the last week. Now that Nelson has arrived, I have been helping him get connected in different places around town and...
by Alex Pullen | Jun 13, 2012 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs
Whoa!!!! Things are speeding up… Nelson got into Mcleod Ganj on Saturday and we have spent the last few days hanging out around town and having many conversations about working together on The Enemies Project. I am really excited to work with him here in asia....
by Alex Pullen | Jun 3, 2012 | India, Photography, The Grotto, Travel
Tashi Delek! Hey everybody, I finally have some time to sit down in the internet cafe and give you all an update. Things have been going really well here. I’ve been trying to stay cool as it has been in the high 90’s here… That means trying to stay...
by Alex Pullen | May 21, 2012 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs, Travel
It’s hard to believe that two weeks have gone by since my last post… so much has happend and yet not so much ha ha. Just been hangen’ out… Things have been good. I’ve been teaching English at Lha and exploring around town, making friends...
by Alex Pullen | May 6, 2012 | India, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs, Travel
Thought I would update some more photos… Things have been going well here. I finished my first week of teaching English and am excited to keep doing it. I teach the English Intermediate class and there is between 8 and 14 students everyday (Monday-Friday). The...
by Alex Pullen | Apr 27, 2012 | India, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs, Travel
Thought I would give you all an update on life in McLeod Ganj… McLeod is the uppermost section of a larger urban area called Dharamsala. It’s a haphazard network of rugged streets and allies that follow the steep terrain of the hill it sits on. From most...
by Alex Pullen | Apr 23, 2012 | India, The Grotto, Travel
Thought I would share this photo with you all… This is an image of the Ashoka Prayer Wheels in the Dalai Lama’s Temple. The prayer wheels are engraved with the om-ma-ni-pad-me-om mantra. Among many things mantra represents generosity, ethics, patients,...
by Alex Pullen | Apr 18, 2012 | India, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs, Travel
It feels like the dam has let loose…The potential has turned to kinetic…. the theoretical, is now actual, and the dream has now become a reality. After years of planning, researching, saving and aligning action with intention, I find myself sitting on the...
by Alex Pullen | Apr 17, 2012 | India, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs
Jet lag is an interesting phenomena. I heard once that when one travels to a distant place very quickly, that it takes a while for your soul to catch up with you. I’m not sure about my soul yet… but, my body was definitely a bit aggravated being tossed on...
by Alex Pullen | Apr 11, 2012 | India, Photography, The Grotto, The Kashmir Analogs, Travel
The 12 hour countdown commences… It is a funny feeling not being able to fathom what the day after tomorrow will look like. Definitely exciting, a little hecktic, and slightly overwhelming. But, this is what it’s about and what I’ve been waiting for....
