New Orleans the Crescent City

Much as I wanted to go to World Trade Center Memorial in Manhattan, I can't do it for now. If I'll do that, I would be late for Game 5 between New Orleans Hornets and Dallas Mavericks. As of this writing, Hornet's leads the series 3 games to 1. And this game will be the deciding factor.





I think I have to put-on my virtual reality Dream Machine to move faster. If not, from New York, I have to travel down South-East to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky (i'll be here some other time for sure, to feel the blue grass), Tennessee, Mississippi, and finally to Louisiana.





When we talk about New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina comes out readily in our mind. Such a tragic event to the people of New Orleans and also to the surrounding areas as well. A total devastion, if I may say. But life must go on. And it did. New Orleans today is alive and kicking. The place is ready for you...

BEFORE..

Jackson Square, the central plaza of New Orleans

Mardi Gras


Home of Dixieland Jazz

THE AFTERMATH...

TODAY...

New Orleans Arena, the new home of New Orleans Hornet's Basketball Team

New Orleans today, business as usual

Neighborhoods of New Orleans today

Photos/Links:

www.flickr.com

www.zfacts.com/p/108.html

www.homesparadise.com/homes/louisiana

www.store.gnpcrescendo.com/index.php?cPath

Portrait of Dr. Gachet

After a long journey from Srinagar, Kashmir to Ladakh. I took a rest under a tree on top of a plateau overlooking the majestic view of Aksai-Chin.

My mind is drifting to the past, circa 1990 May 15.

The place: Christie's, New York. It was a great day for art lovers, connoisseurs (real and unreal), art agents, and the artists themselves.

The Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Vincent van Gogh is to be auctioned. At the end of the day, it was sold to Ryoei Saito, head of Japanese Daishowa Paper Manufacturing.

The price: a staggering 44,378,696 British pound sterling.

How much is that in peso equivalent? Well, you could buy an island(s) of your choice in the Philippines or in the South Pacific and have extra more to live for the rest of your f$%:*&# life here on earth.

You might say, "But, my child can paint just like that!". Child art? No, sir! Many have said that line before but they are forgetting something. It was painted by van Gogh! He could paint realistically before he became an impressionist, just like Picasso.

After having their brand of art mocked and derided during their lifetimes, several of the pioneer Impressionists lived just long enough to see the public come to appreciate their work.

Please bear in mind that van Gogh didn't get a piece of that money.

It's actually the combination of the work of art and the artist himself at stakes here. Let us put it this way, you can have all the wonderful things in life but you can never buy happiness. Mr. Saito wants to be happy, give it to him.

Portrait of Dr. Gachet

The model

Photos:

www.flickr.com

www.homeoint.org

Ladak-Aksai Chin: The White Stone Desert

Kashmir is really a good destination for travelers, for adventurers, and for sightseers.

Wow! The place is breathtaking. The panoramic views are well suited for magazines and travel guide books.

Much as I want to stay one more day, my mind is raring for another travel. I have to go. The weather is fine and just right for trekking.

Where to? My schedule really was to go to Agra, India, to see the Taj Mahal. The place is farther south while I am nearer the North-East frontier. Maybe I'll just change my itinerary and go dream hunting in Ladakh. The memories of Ashton is still alive with me. I am still within the boundaries of my Far Pavilions, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

In the east is the region of Ladakh, where many of the people are of Tibetan ethnic stock and Buddhists. The 1962 Chinese invasion of India resulted in the Chinese takeover of a northern, uninhabited section of Ladak-Aksai Chin (see pictures below).

Ladak-Aksai Chin in the snow

Photos:

http://www.flickr.com/

http://www.news.indiainfo.com/

The Road to Kashmir

Tired of the hustle and bustle of city life, come with me and we will follow the footsteps of Ashton. Our guide would be the master storyteller, M.M. Kaye and she will lead us to some of the exotic places in the East.

This book (The Far Pavilions) has captivated my imagination ever since my friend in college told me about it.

You will miss a tremendous experience if you fail to read it.

Juma Masjid, the magnificent mosque that the Emperor Shah Jahan had built. The architectural style of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India was patterned after this mosque.

Kashmir (officialy called Jammu and Kashmir)

Jammu, winter capital

Srinagar, summer capital

Punjab (now part of India)

Peshawar (now part of Pakistan)

Potala Palace

Potala Palace

My mind is still lingering about the Himalayas. I have to go back there. I forgot to pass-by the Potala Palace, former residence of the Dalai Lama. This magnificent palace is located on Potala Hill, Lhasa, Tibet.

I could still remember that the 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) was installed in 1940 and was forced to go to India because of Chinese Communist rule.

I knew for a fact that the Dalai Lama was no longer there. He was spirited to Dharmsala, India together with his followers, because of Chinese takeover in 1950 until 1959. And, just recently he was seen at CNN speaking about the recent happenings in Tibet.

Just the same, I just want to feel the serenity of the place. After this wandering in Tibet, my mind will travel to India, where I will follow the footsteps of Ash and Anjuli Bai in M.M. Kaye's The Far Pavilions.

Photo:
www.savetibet.org

The Miracle of Machu Picchu

Have you ever dream of going to a certain place and not actually getting there after all these years?

One place I am longing to see is Machu Picchu in Peru. It was the site of the Incan empire four centuries ago.

Aerial view of Machu Picchu

The American explorer Hiram Bingham came acrosss this old mountain (Machu Picchu = old mountain) in 1911. This place remained intact, sacred, and in secret after almost four centuries after the death of the Incan empire.

After reading about this ancient holy city, it has been my dream of setting foot atop this mountain. Dreaming of going there is easy but getting there is another story.

To get to Machu Picchu, you have to fly from Lima (capital of Peru) to Cuzco. After a one-hour flight, you step off the plane at an altitude of 11,155 feet, and gasp.

Timeless Timepiece

What do the following famous persons have in common?

Alexander Pushkin, "Eugene Onegin", 1829; Alexander Dumas, "The Count of Monte Cristo", 1845; John Fowles, "The French Lieutenant's Woman", 1969; Patrick O'Brian, "Blue at the Mizzen", 1999.

All of them have written about the Breguet wristwatch. This wonderful watch is a symbol of master craftmanship and elegance.

Not to be excluded were Napoleon Bonaparte, Arthur Rubinstein, and Sir Winston Churchill- all clients of Breguet's.

How could I ever have this timepiece? Guess I just leave it to my imagination.

My Dream Escape

Have you ever read the classic book by James Hilton entitled Lost Horizon?

If you would like to have an spiritual journey and trying to escape the vague realities of life, this book is a must read. This book will try to answer some of man's queries about the search for immortality.

I have read this novel twice and up to now I am still enchanted by the story. Just thinking about it will put me in a dreamy state. I've been dreaming eversince what's its like to be in Shangri-La, a place where people are calm, friendly, but somewhat mysterious.

If Shangri-La is true and believed to be somewhere in the foothills of the Himalayas, I would like to be there if only in my dream.

A Dreamy World

Welcome to my new blogsite! The title of which was taken from the grafix of my computer's screensaver. The picture is such an idyllic place and perfect title for my new blog. This blog is all about my dreams, goals, aspirations, yearnings, and my deep longing for continuous search to my Lost Horizon.