DAILY PHOTO: Christ Church of Shimla

Taken on June 24, 2015 in Shimla

Taken on June 24, 2015 in Shimla

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DAILY PHOTO: The Snowy Side of the Mountain

Taken June 10, 2015 in Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP).

Taken June 10, 2015 in Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP)

The beauty of mountains is that they show so many faces in such little space. We were on a sunny mountainside topped with tufts of dry grass. Then we crossed over a saddle-point on a ridgeline, and this was the new view.

DAILY PHOTO: McLeodganj Bull in Traffic

Taken June 22, 2015 in McLeodganj

Taken June 22, 2015 in McLeodganj

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The moment you realize the car seeking to merge is not a car, has horns, and is not afraid to use them.

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The moment before you realize that he’s not the kind of bovine who deviates.

DAILY PHOTO: Blooming Rhododendrons and Snow-Caps

Taken on June 10, 2015 in Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP)

Taken on June 10, 2015 in Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP)

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DAILY PHOTO: Nek Chand Mosaic Amphitheater

Taken on June 26 in Chandigarh

Taken on June 26 in Chandigarh

All made from porcelain from broken dishes, toilet bowls, wall tiles, etc. This is the Phase III open space. (Most of Nek Chand is labyrinthine.

DAILY PHOTO: Gigantic Orange Hanuman

Taken June 24, 2015 at Jakhu Temple in Shimla

Taken June 24, 2015 at Jakhu Temple in Shimla

I’m standing in the foreground for scale, and even if I were only 10 inches tall (I’m not) that would be a pretty grandiose Hanuman.

Taken from a distance. Surveying all.

Taken at a distance. Surveying all.

DAILY PHOTO: Woman Spinning Wheels at Kalachakra Temple

Taken on June 23, 2015 in McLeodganj

Taken on June 23, 2015 in McLeodganj

DAILY PHOTO: Sikh Knife Sharpener in Manali

Take on June 17, 2015 on the Mall in Manali

Take on June 17, 2015 on the Mall in Manali

This man had a PTO (Power Take-Off) on his bicycle to convert pedal power to a grindstone. He sold and sharpened knives, scissors, and assorted cutting instruments.

DAILY PHOTO: Trekkers on an Alpine Meadow

Taken on June 10, 2015 near Dhel in Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP)

Taken on June 10, 2015 near Dhel in Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP)

DAILY PHOTO: A Horde in Short Shorts

Taken on June 26, 2015 at Nek Chand Rock Garden in Chandigarh

Taken on June 26, 2015 at Nek Chand Rock Garden in Chandigarh

What’s interesting about this batch of statues at Nek Chand is that nobody wears shorts in India (let alone short shorts.) If you see someone in shorts, you can be certain they’re either a tourist or part of a very specific demographic (i.e. 20 to 25 year olds of middle / upper-middle class backgrounds whose all-time favorite television show is either “Big Bang Theory” or “How I Met Your Mother.”)

Incidentally, the Nek Chand Rock Garden is the highlight of a trip to Chandigarh, and shouldn’t be missed. It’s a labyrinthine park made out of recycled materials. A lot of these materials–particularly for the early phases of the project–came from the villages that had been torn down to make room for the new city. On the order of fifty villages were razed so that India’s premier planned city could come to fruition.